Xu Qing turned around and saw this strange man.
“Medicine?” Xu Qing furrowed his brows.
“Yes, and very cheap too. It's only fifty taels of silver,” the man said with a smile, opening his palm to reveal the pill.
Xu Qing glanced at the pill. There was no medicinal fragrance wafting from it, nor did it have any scent at all. It was completely black and oval-shaped, with the most striking feature being a tiny red flower pattern embossed on it.
“What kind of medicine is this?” Xu Qing asked curiously. He had never seen a pill that looked like this before.
“This medicine doesn't have a name yet.”
“But I like to call it the Elixir of Immortality,” the man said.
Xu Qing was slightly stunned. The Elixir of Immortality? An elixir that could grant eternal life after consuming it actually cost only fifty taels of silver?
“I'll take it,” Xu Qing said without hesitation, casually pulling out fifty taels of silver and handing them over.
The man took the silver and placed the pill into Xu Qing's palm.
Having done this, he slowly walked deeper into the alley behind him.
Watching the man's figure vanish into the darkness, Xu Qing felt a bit curious.
“What a strange man.”
...
“Fifty taels of silver?!”
“Fifty taels of silver!!”
Qiu Zhiya said through gritted teeth, her tone rising with every word as she closed in on Xu Qing.
He sat on his chair and turned his head away, trying his best not to look at the visually striking and oppressive peaks before him, though his heart still couldn't help but race.
“What a waste! You are such a spendthrift!” Qiu Zhiya scolded, completely oblivious to his embarrassment.
“I recognize this flower; it's a spider lily. As for this pill, it looks like something rubbed off a body in a bathhouse,” Old Chen analyzed seriously as he held the pill, a look of disgust on his face.
“The man said it's the Elixir of Immortality,” Xu Qing mumbled, feeling a bit guilty.
The Elixir of Immortality... The others in the room all wore bizarre expressions. Even the Emperor was searching for such a thing, and he had bought it for fifty taels of silver?
Qiu Zhiya was about to go mad with rage.
“Where is the money?! Give me your money!”
“Oh...”
They had received a total of five hundred taels of silver as a bounty for this mission. After setting aside what was needed to buy supplies for their trip to the northern desert, about three hundred taels of silver remained. Xu Qing took seventy taels, Ning Qingzhu took seventy taels, and Old Chen, who hadn't participated much, received sixty taels. Even so, the old man had almost laughed himself hoarse with joy.
As for Qiu Zhiya, she got the largest share, taking a hundred taels, even though she had passed out after drinking a single cup of wine and hadn't done anything the entire time.
But there was no helping it; she was the only one who had been scared to tears.
Feeling a bit reluctant, Xu Qing pulled out his remaining nine taels of silver and slowly handed them over.
Qiu Zhiya snatched them away, then leaned her entire body over him to rummage through his pockets, finding another hidden tael. In the end, she secured ten taels of silver.
“How is it only ten taels...? Out of seventy taels, you spent fifty, so shouldn't you still have twenty taels left?” Qiu Zhiya asked in confusion.
She had just searched him, and indeed there were only ten taels. Had he spent the rest somewhere else?
But ten taels was still a decent amount of money, enough to cover four or five months of expenses for ordinary citizens. Could it be... that he had gone to a brothel?
At this thought, Qiu Zhiya felt a strange discomfort in her heart, a heavy feeling mixed with a hint of sour jealousy.
“Where's the other ten taels?” Qiu Zhiya turned her head away and asked in a stiff tone.
After waiting for a long time, she received no response.
Qiu Zhiya felt even more stifled. He didn't even want to tell her? Ha.
“Um... young lady, Xu Qing looks like he's about to die,” Old Chen spoke up hesitantly.
He was afraid of ruining Xu Qing's good luck, but this blessing seemed a bit too overwhelming for the young man to handle.
What? Qiu Zhiya froze, then slowly looked down. She realized that her chest had accidentally pressed right against Xu Qing's face, and Xu Qing was currently completely motionless.
!!!
Qiu Zhiya's face instantly turned bright red. She quickly got up and moved away, finally allowing Xu Qing to take a breath of fresh air.
Qiu Zhiya kept her head lowered, not daring to look at him. She was filled with regret. How could she have been so careless?!
No wonder she had felt lighter just now; it turned out...
Aaaah!! She wished she could find a hole to crawl into; she had completely embarrassed herself.
Qiu Zhiya could only stare at the floor now, not daring to look at anyone. She was as restless and flustered as a startled fawn.
Suddenly, a large hand appeared in her field of vision, its fingers opening to reveal a hairpin lying in the palm.
Qiu Zhiya subconsciously looked up. Xu Qing stood in front of her, his eyes fixed on hers, filled with unconcealed affection.
“I saw it on the street and thought it suited you, so I bought it,” Xu Qing said sheepishly.
Then, before Qiu Zhiya could react, he grabbed her hand and placed the hairpin into her palm.
Qiu Zhiya had not yet recovered her senses. She simply stared blankly at the hairpin in her hand. It still carried Xu Qing's warmth. The lines of the hairpin were elegant and soft, and the end was carved with a kitten that bore a striking resemblance to a tiger.
Although it was very beautiful, it was made of ordinary aloeswood and was definitely worth no more than three taels of silver.
“What an... idiot,” Qiu Zhiya murmured softly, but the corners of her mouth curled up into a faint smile despite herself.
Old Chen and Ning Qingzhu exchanged a look and smiled knowingly. It was a done deal!
At dinner in the inn, Old Chen had deliberately chosen a small table. Ning Qingzhu and Old Chen intentionally sat further away, leaving Qiu Zhiya and Xu Qing sitting almost right next to each other.
Xu Qing picked up some food with his chopsticks and placed it in Qiu Zhiya's bowl. “Y-You are too thin. Eat more.”
Qiu Zhiya's cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded gently.
Tsk. Old Chen smacked his lips, feeling like a massive third wheel.
—Bang!
A loud crash echoed from the entrance. The wooden bar locking the door snapped in two and flew inward as a disheveled figure burst inside.
The moment he entered, he quickly shut the door behind him and leaned against it, panting heavily, his face exceptionally pale.
“Hey! Who are you to barge into my inn like this?!” the Shopkeeper shouted in anger. His perfectly good door had just been kicked and broken.
The newcomer did not answer. Instead, he pulled a handful of silver from his robes and threw it over.
As the broken silver scattered across the floor, the Shopkeeper instantly forgot his anger, his eyes lighting up as he scrambled to pick it up.
The commotion naturally drew the attention of the others in the inn. They all stared at this disheveled man, who had several slash wounds on his body and clothes covered in dust.
“Uncle Chen, who is this?” Ning Qingzhu whispered.
“I don't know him. He's not a jianghu figure I recognize,” Old Chen replied, shaking his head.
Scurrying footsteps suddenly resounded from outside. Leaning against the back of the door, cold sweat poured uncontrollably down the man's forehead.
If I keep waiting like this, I will definitely die! He gritted his teeth and looked toward the table of diners closest to him.
The next moment, he rushed toward them.
Xu Qing furrowed his brows. Just as he was about to make a move to stop the man, he saw him halt a few paces away.
“Please, help me! You will be handsomely rewarded!” the man pleaded.
“Help with what?” Xu Qing asked.
“Help me deliver a message. Go to the inn by the city gate, find a certain person, and tell him that Zhang Wuji has been cornered by the Martial Alliance.”
Xu Qing's frown deepened. This involved the Martial Alliance. If they got involved... the risk would be far too high.
“We cannot help you,” Xu Qing said coldly.
Despair flashed through Zhang Wuji's eyes. Was he really going to die here today...?
Holding onto one last sliver of hope, Zhang Wuji gritted his teeth and said, “Once it's done, I am willing to pay any price as a reward! You only need to find one person—his name is Jiang Buran!”
...
The clatter of chopsticks and plates on the table came to a sudden halt. Old Chen stared at him in disbelief and asked once more.
“The person you're looking for... what is his name?”
Seeing their reaction, Zhang Wuji suddenly felt uneasy. This couldn't be the senior's enemy, could it...?
“His name is Jiang Buran. He's at the inn by the city gate,” he repeated.
Clap! Slapping her chopsticks onto the table, Ning Qingzhu suddenly stood up. “I have to save this man!”
Her tone was resolute, and her eyes burned with an unconcealed urgency.
Just as she said this, the ajar door was pushed open from the outside.
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