When Shi Jiu was politely escorted out by the shop assistant, Ma Er stole a glance at Shi Jiu, then at the polite Xin Shan Workshop assistant, his eyes darted around, but he didn't say much.
As soon as Shi Jiu came out, he asked Ma Er to take him to a better Talisman shop nearby to buy some Talismans.
Although Ma Er was not a Cultivator, after clarifying the types of Talismans Shi Jiu generally needed, he quite familiarly led Shi Jiu to a slightly ancient-looking shop.
After Shi Jiu entered the shop, Ma Er waited quietly outside as usual, seemingly calculating something in his mind, but Shi Jiu had no time to concern himself with Ma Er's thoughts.
This Talisman shop didn't have the invigorating medicinal fragrance of the Xin Shan Workshop; instead, it looked ordinary and unremarkable.
However, one thing that made Shi Jiu very satisfied was that all the Talismans were categorized very clearly, giving him the feeling of shopping at a self-service supermarket before his Transmigration.
For the Talismans inside, those with a number 2 hanging above them meant that all Talismans in that area cost 2 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Similarly, there were different numbers like 3, 5, 7, and 10, representing the prices of Talismans in their respective areas, and each Talisman also had a general explanation of its use, which made choosing quite clear.
Shi Jiu selected and re-selected inside, finally accumulating 90 whole Spirit Stones worth of various Talismans. He called over the waiting assistant to settle the Spirit Stones, put the Talismans into his Storage Pouch, and then contentedly prepared to return home.
Shi Jiu was very satisfied with today's shopping, so after leaving, he casually gave Ma Er another piece of broken silver and told Ma Er not to follow him.
Shi Jiu saw that it was still early. Although he had no Spirit Stones left, he decided to wander around the city himself to familiarize himself with the Helian Family's market. This way, if he needed to buy or sell any more goods in the future, he could find more channels.
After receiving the silver, Ma Er profusely thanked Shi Jiu, then glanced at Shi Jiu again, seemingly mustering up his courage, and tentatively asked Shi Jiu:
"Immortal Master, speaking of the Helian Family's market, there's actually more than what's on the surface. There's also a 'black market' here."
"It specifically sells some obscure, rare, or illicit items. If Immortal Master is interested, this humble one can lead Immortal Master in, but it will cost 2 Low-Grade Spirit Stones."
After Ma Er finished speaking, he secretly raised his eyes to look at Shi Jiu, as if to see if he was displeased by his talkativeness.
Shi Jiu was taken aback, never expecting that the extra ounce of silver he gave would lead Ma Er to tell him such information.
However, he currently had no "illicit" items to sell or buy, and he couldn't quite figure out if Ma Er had any other intentions, so he calmly refused Ma Er's offer.
Seeing that Shi Jiu had no intention of going to the black market, Ma Er then took out an exquisitely made whistle and respectfully reached out to hand it to Shi Jiu.
This made Shi Jiu a bit puzzled. Was he being given a return gift?
Before Shi Jiu could ask, Ma Er proactively told Shi Jiu that this was actually a token to contact guides like himself who knew the entrance to the black market.
If Shi Jiu ever wanted to go to the black market in the future, he just needed to blow this whistle, and a guide similar to himself would lead Shi Jiu into the black market, though he would still need to pay 2 Spirit Stones at that time.
According to Ma Er, he felt that even though Shi Jiu was visiting the market for the first time, an Immortal Master was so considerate to a mere Mortal like him.
He had no way to repay him, so he was willing to give this whistle, which represented the market brokers, to Shi Jiu. This whistle signified that Shi Jiu was a friend of their group of market brokers.
In the future, when he comes to the market and wants someone to lead the way to a certain place, no one will intentionally take him to disreputable shops for kickbacks or anything; instead, they will directly take him to the most reputable shops.
This left Shi Jiu quite speechless. He had only given Ma Er an extra ounce of silver, and he was being thanked so profusely, which was a bit unexpected.
After dismissing Ma Er, Shi Jiu adjusted his mood and began to wander around.
At this moment, he seemed to remember something and once again took out the whistle Ma Er had given him, holding it in front of his face and quietly examining it for a while.
Suddenly, his nose wrinkled slightly, and he brought the whistle closer to sniff it, then seemed to recall something.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and then he expressionlessly put the whistle back into his Storage Pouch.
After a while, he changed his clothes in a secluded corner, and then deliberately walked around several alleys.
It seemed he was making sure no one was following him before he swaggered along the street.
He even went into a sizable tavern, ordered a private room, and enjoyed a table full of delicacies by himself.
After a long time, until dusk was approaching, he finally left the Helian Family's market with a satisfied expression and flew towards the Helian Family's clan grounds on the wind.
Shi Jiu did not take the same path back as he had come, but rather chose a completely different route to fly towards the Helian Family.
Compared to the path he took earlier, this route took more time and was more remote.
Along this path, there were strange rocks and deep tree shadows. As soon as night fell, a layer of purplish mist even floated in the air. This purplish mist was the miasma released by some poisonous insects and plants after nightfall.
And along this path, there were many places where this kind of noxious miasma grew. Not to mention ordinary people couldn't withstand this miasma; even Cultivators at the third or fourth Realm had to take antidote pills in advance to pass quickly.
Otherwise, if they stayed too long, even if it wasn't fatal, their cultivation would be greatly damaged, requiring a long period of recuperation.
Shi Jiu flew on the wind, observing the distance with an expressionless face, seemingly confirming his route. However, what no one noticed was that a hint of cold light had already appeared in Shi Jiu's eyes.
His hand, without anyone noticing, took out some crystalline powder from his Storage Pouch. As he moved through the poisonous miasma, he also scattered these powders from an angle where no one could see.
Not long after, Shi Jiu stopped at the edge of a dense forest filled with poisonous miasma. He then found a flat spot in the forest and sat down cross-legged, seemingly a bit tired from flying.
Immediately after, Shi Jiu flicked his finger slightly, and several tree branches as thick as bowls fell from the trees. Shi Jiu then flicked out a small fireball, and a simple bonfire was made.
Shi Jiu sat quietly facing the small bonfire, staring blankly at the firelight, seemingly lost in thought, but his fingers were secretly performing some complex hand seals from within his embrace.
As his hand seals continuously moved, many of the Talismans Shi Jiu had bought during the day slowly sank into the ground from the shadows beneath Shi Jiu, disappearing into the soil.
After an unknown amount of time, Shi Jiu sat cross-legged by the bonfire, his eyes closed, completely still, as if he had entered a state of self-forgetfulness.
And in the surrounding forest, apart from the occasional hiss of individual poisonous insects and the rustling of leaves in the wind, there was no other sound.