CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40 TURTLE SPIRIT OINTMENT COMPLETED_1

The trade fair had made a full round, and now it was Jia Ren’s turn, who was at the end of the line.

"Seeking to purchase Turtle Demon Beasts and Jade Grease Gel."

I had initially planned to buy Demonic Blood, but with a living Spirit Turtle at hand, there’s no immediate need.

My second attempt to acquire a Turtle Demon failed. Encountering one was just luck; a second one didn’t appear.

Jade Grease Gel is one of the ingredients for Turtle Spirit Ointment. The Spirit Turtle is much larger than expected, so I’d better have more Jade Grease Gel on hand.

Three pounds of Spirit Rice were exchanged for two pounds of Jade Grease Gel, enough to last a long time.

The loose cultivators’ bartering had ended, and now came the sporadic private trades.

Jia Ren cast several glances at Elder Wu. The elder looked flushed with health. Even though he hadn’t sold his Demon-Spotting Talismans, he didn’t seem perturbed.

Is his calm due to excellent qi cultivation skills, or a deep foundation, meaning he has no short-term worries?

I’m inclined to believe the latter. Selling Demon-Spotting Talismans isn’t difficult, and with years of accumulation, his foundation must be much stronger than an ordinary loose cultivator’s.

Elder Wu isn’t in a desperate situation; no need for him to hurry.

The exchanges had concluded, and the free trading session was next.

"Daoist Fang, do you know what treasures have emerged from the Inner City?"

"Do you have any Spirit Rice?"

"You mentioned last time that you were going to sell Spirit Rice; do you have any in stock?"

Fang Wu, being a disciple of the Five Elements Sect and the organizer of the trade meet, certainly had a stock of Spirit Rice.

"It’s really a pity," Fang Wu said. "As a strategic material, Spirit Rice is restricted for sale in the Inner City, and we can’t get any for the time being."

"Please rest assured, everyone. There will definitely be Spirit Rice at the next trade meet. Fellow daoists, please be patient."

As usual, Fang Wu placated the loose cultivators and brought out resources for sale from the Inner City.

Products from the Pill Cauldron Pavilion included Fine Elixirs: Minor Yuan Elixirs, Spirit Bud Elixirs, and Great Origin Pills, along with Spirit Revitalizing Pills to restore Spiritual Power...

The quantities were large, and the quality was outstanding.

Next were fine Talismans, including the exorbitantly priced Evil Warding Talismans at fifty Spirit Stones each.

"How much for the Spirit Bud Elixirs?"

Loose cultivators didn’t have many elixirs on them. As they used them, their stock dwindled. Without elixirs to aid them, their cultivation progress was slow.

"Minor Yuan Elixirs are three Spirit Stones each."

"Spirit Bud Elixirs are six Spirit Stones each."

"Great Origin Pills are nine Spirit Stones each."

The prices were very high, equivalent to three times the usual rate.

Jia Ren didn’t have many Spirit Stones left, just sixteen and three Fragmented Spirit Stones. He couldn’t afford even three Spirit Bud Elixirs.

A Spirit Bud Elixir for two Spirit Stones was still manageable, but six... The steep prices discouraged the loose cultivators.

Still, some had deep pockets.

Shen Xing Sanxiu purchased five Spirit Bud Elixirs and three Great Origin Pills, drawing everyone’s attention.

Is he trying to get himself killed faster? He doesn’t even know how to lay low and bide his time!

"Everyone, please feel free to trade."

Having finished his sales, Fang Wu packed up the elixirs and Talismans.

Instead of crowding around the stone table, the loose cultivators dispersed as if they were back in the Market, spreading beast skins on the ground and finding places to set up their stalls.

From time to time, one could hear the cries of hawking wares.

Jia Ren followed suit, spreading out a beast skin and setting up his stall. He offered his old stock of Bait Tempting Technique for sale.

He put up a wooden plaque: "High price paid for Turtle Demon Beast meat and one face-altering secret technique."

He had overstocked the Bait Tempting Technique for a while and still had a large inventory. Selling it off would be ideal.

I’m not counting on the Four Arts of Cultivation; the face-altering secret technique is an additional priority.

I’ve already made preparations to leave the Northern District. Changing my appearance will help avoid trouble and be safer.

People continued to pass by his stall in an endless stream, but none stopped.

His request for a face-altering secret technique yielded no results.

"Daoist Jia, back to your old trade?"

Si Mingkong chuckled as he walked past the stall. Glimpsing the familiar Bait Tempting Technique, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Over a month ago, he went to great lengths to obtain the Bait Tempting Technique recipe, and now... the technique has lost its value.

Does he have a death wish, flaunting his presence in front of me?

Jia Ren had originally planned to take action after the trade meet ended. He hadn’t expected Si Mingkong to dare to keep provoking him right to his face.

Is he trying to confirm whether I’ve recognized him?

"The troubles at Lake of Smoky Waves ruined the bait business, and I can’t sell off the batch of bait that I’ve stockpiled," Jia Ren sighed, his face filled with sorrow.

"Life has become even harder without Lake of Smoky Waves."

Si Mingkong lamented profusely. On the day of the incident at Lake of Smoky Waves, he had planned to go fishing there. Then the Bizarre Mist Maiden incident occurred, and he felt fortunate to have narrowly escaped disaster.

Both harbored ulterior motives, yet they seemed to enjoy each other’s company immensely.

The trade meet lasted for two hours. Jia Ren was the first to pack up his stall and quickly left, riding his Wind Control Skill.

The few loose cultivators who were closely watching Jia Ren gave chase but came back with grim faces.

The man had fled so fast that they lost sight of him moments after pursuing.

Jia Ren used the Turtle Breath Technique, finding a large rock as cover to hide behind. He then sent out Corner Worms and mosquitoes to wait for Elder Wu and Si Mingkong to appear.

The first is for the Demon-Spotting Talisman crafting technique. The second... is for revenge.

As the trade meet ended, the loose cultivators left one after another.

Their dwellings weren’t far away, so each returned quietly.

In a short while, Si Mingkong and Elder Wu left the underground trade meet, followed by a Corner Worm and a mosquito.

Jia Ren didn’t plan to act today. Locating their dwellings was enough.

After completing everything, he left quickly.

Moments later, the Corner Worm left behind as a lookout confirmed no one was following. Jia Ren let out a sigh of relief and returned to his underground abode through the abandoned stone house.

For the time being, I’ll focus on cultivating peacefully.

For safety, Jia Ren sent Corner Worms to block the tunnel entrance of the deserted stone house to avoid accidents during cultivation.

He took out the Spirit Turtle from the Spirit Beast Bag and placed it on the stone table.

Perhaps because it had lost its contract, the Spirit Turtle retracted into its shell, assuming a defensive state.

It would be a waste to kill it outright. It would be great if I could use it repeatedly.

Turtle Demon Beasts are rare, and living Turtle Demons are even rarer.

The meat and Demonic Blood of a Turtle Demon don’t come cheap.

Unfortunately, without a regeneration Spell or elixirs, an injured Spirit Turtle would still die.

"Farewell on your journey."

Jia Ren pointed his finger at the turtle’s head. A golden light pierced from its head, shot out from its tail, and, without losing momentum, embedded itself in the mud wall.

The killing power of the Grandmaster Level Metal Finger Technique was truly terrifying.

Even the defense-oriented shell of the Spirit Turtle likely couldn’t withstand the sharp Metal Finger Technique.

Jia Ren took out the Verdant Flying Daggers, using them as boning knives to meticulously separate the turtle shell from the meat.

The Spirit Turtle was quite valuable. Under normal circumstances, seventy pounds of Spirit Rice could not possibly have been exchanged for it.

The turtle shell was excellent material for a Defense Artifact, and the low-grade Defense Artifact it could create would be quite impressive.

Excluding the inedible parts, he could still salvage twenty pounds of turtle meat, which was also a rarity.

The fresher the Spirit Turtle Meat, the better the Turtle Spirit Ointment. This first batch will definitely be potent.

Jia Ren put the turtle meat into a pot to stew, adding a large amount of clear water to extract the essence of the Spirit Turtle Meat.

During this process, he added Jade Grease Gel, Sky Fragrance Beans, Rootless Fruits, and several other medicinal ingredients. The mixture then required prolonged boiling.

For three whole days, he stewed it over a high flame.

The underground chamber filled with the persistent scents of smoke and meat, staining the mud walls a blackish-brown.

"It’s finally done!"

The turtle meat in the pot had shrunk considerably, almost disintegrating into mush.

Jia Ren scooped out the mushy turtle meat; less than ten pounds remained.

At the bottom of the pot, a finger-thick layer of milky-yellow paste had congealed, exuding a rich fragrance. It was the Turtle Spirit Ointment Jia Ren had long dreamed of.