Chapter 1044: Snake Demon Essence Blood

"Truly a rare and precious medicine, unseen in this world! Senior, if you have more of such treasure medicines, the Chengshun Business Firm is willing to purchase them all!"

Within the Chengshun Palace in Yujing City, an appraiser gave a glowing review of the Qilin Purple Blood Ginseng Li Qing had presented.

It was a treasure medicine he had never seen before. Its nature was exceptionally mild, and it contained true spirit treasure blood. A ginseng of such quality was immensely valuable.

Hearing this, before Li Qing could speak, Xia Wushuang interjected, "I told you. Call out someone with real authority in your firm. You can't handle this deal!"

The appraiser wasn't offended. He chuckled and said, "Please wait a moment. I'll go get the shopkeeper."

With that, he hurried away.

Seeing this, Xia Wushuang whispered quickly, "Brother Limitless, it's clear your treasure medicine is extraordinary. The Chengshun Business Firm is known for its immense wealth and is one of the most famous firms in Yujing City. You must fleece them for all they're worth later!"

Li Qing, of course, knew exactly what to do. He nodded, keeping his expression neutral.

He still had plenty of Qilin Purple Blood Ginseng on hand. Selling a dozen or so wouldn't hurt at all.

The main purpose of this visit was to ascertain the true value of the Qilin Purple Blood Ginseng.

Before long, a middle-aged man wearing a blue brocade robe and holding a pair of jade walnuts emerged slowly.

The appraiser who had just identified the Qilin Purple Blood Ginseng followed behind him. This man was the shopkeeper of the Chengshun Business Firm.

His cultivation was formidable, at the mid Void Refinement Realm. His appearance and demeanor were quite old-fashioned, making him look less like a merchant and more like a wealthy landlord.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask how many more of these Purple Blood Ginsengs you have on hand?"

As he spoke, the shopkeeper of the Chengshun Business Firm cupped his hands in greeting to Li Qing. "I forgot to mention, I am one of the managers of the Chengshun Business Firm. Here in Yujing City, I am the one in charge of all the firm's affairs."

"You may address me as Daoist Fang or Shopkeeper Fang."

Only then did Li Qing nod and say, "I am Wuji. Shopkeeper Fang, what price are you willing to offer to purchase these Purple Blood Ginsengs?"

"I do indeed have more Purple Blood Ginsengs on hand. But let me be clear from the start: these ginsengs all contain Qilin Treasure Blood. I'm not so easily fooled."

Hearing Li Qing directly point out the Qilin Treasure Blood contained within the ginseng, the shopkeeper's expression finally turned serious.

He had originally assumed Li Qing was unaware of the ginseng's unique properties and had come for an appraisal. He hadn't expected Li Qing to be so well-informed.

Hearing this, Xia Wushuang's eyes widened. He whipped his head around to stare at Li Qing.

"What? This ginseng contains Qilin Treasure Blood? Did you dig it up from a Qilin Nest?"

Before Li Qing could respond, Shopkeeper Fang spoke with a grave expression, "That is precisely what we wish to ask. Fellow Daoist Limitless, do you happen to know the location of a Qilin Nest?"

"Shopkeeper Fang, you flatter me. Do you truly believe my cultivation is enough to enter and leave a true spirit nest so easily?"

"To be honest, I obtained these Purple Blood Ginsengs by chance on a mysterious isolated island while I was drifting across the overseas seas in my early years."

"As for a Qilin Nest, I never saw one. And as for the island's location... I can no longer recall it."

Li Qing's words sounded plausible and well-reasoned. Even a top-rank cultivator of the Great Ascension Realm would find it difficult to escape a true spirit nest unscathed.

"Instead of dwelling on these useless matters, why don't we discuss the trade?" Li Qing's tone was utterly calm, revealing nothing of his true strength.

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Fang finally smiled in understanding. "Well said. I won't beat around the bush then. Spiritual objects have always been priceless. I assume you wouldn't be willing to trade them for spirit stones alone."

"I have been established in the Chengshun Business Firm for many years, and my collection is quite extensive. I wonder if you would be interested in trading for a demon beast inner core?"

"Three Qilin Purple Blood Ginsengs for one sixth-tier demon beast inner core. Is this price satisfactory, fellow daoist?"

A sixth-tier demon beast inner core! This was from a powerful demon race at the Void Refinement Realm—a pillar of strength for many clans.

It had to be said that the offer was very sincere. At the very least, a sixth-tier demon beast inner core was a primary ingredient in many pill formulas for increasing cultivation.

However, Li Qing was not that tempted. He thought for a moment and then said, "I wonder if your business tower has any high-grade snake demon essence blood? Preferably from the Body Integration Realm or above."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Fang frowned, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"Hiss... That's a rare request. Generally speaking, only body refiners need demonic beast essence blood. And specifically requesting snake demon essence blood from the Body Integration Realm or above makes it even harder to find."

For Li Qing, snake demon essence blood was the key to cultivating the second layer of the Nine Serpent Heart Sutra. He naturally had to continue searching for information about it.

As long as he could refine the third layer of this heart method, he could sacrifice a serpent spirit to exchange for an unknown, powerful force—perhaps even power at the True Spirit level.

Li Qing was quite tempted by this. He watched Shopkeeper Fang's feigned difficulty but said nothing, letting him continue his act.

He's just trying to drive the price down, Li Qing thought. In such a bustling immortal cultivation metropolis, I can't believe it's so hard to find even a single bottle of Body Integration Realm snake demon essence blood.

After a display of masterful acting, Shopkeeper Fang realized he couldn't fool Li Qing any longer. He chuckled softly and said, "However, I heard recently that Prince Ning's Manor hunted a powerful snake demon in Danyang Prefecture. They might have some essence blood left over."

"I have some connections with Prince Ning's Manor and should be able to obtain a small bottle of snake demon essence blood for you."

"Fellow Daoist Limitless, how about I charge you ten Purple Blood Ginsengs for it?"

Li Qing remained silent for a moment, pretending to consider the offer seriously, before finally nodding in agreement.

"Hahaha, you're a decisive man, Fellow Daoist! Do you need anything else?"

"Our business firm doesn't just trade goods; we also deal in intelligence. For example, regarding the recent uproar over the Xuantian Divine Palace—if you give me just one Purple Blood Ginseng, I can share the latest news with you."

"We've even obtained some secret information regarding the Black Iron Tokens..."

Li Qing narrowed his eyes but ultimately decided not to trade for any information about the Xuantian Divine Palace.

With the Black Iron Tokens being driven to exorbitant prices, even if a genuine one were to surface, it would never fall into his hands.

"Heh heh, then please wait a few more days, fellow daoist. You may return to our firm in about seven days to complete the transaction!"

With that, Shopkeeper Fang personally escorted Li Qing and his companion out of the business tower.

After they left, Xia Wushuang couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have any thoughts about that Xuantian Divine Palace?"

"What if the Chengshun Business Firm really had some top-secret information? Wouldn't we be missing out big time?"

To this, Li Qing simply shook his head. "If there were truly a Black Iron Token that could be acquired so easily, I believe Shopkeeper Fang would have taken action himself long ago."

"The Xuantian Divine Palace is indeed tempting, but one must also know their own limits. Otherwise, it's easy to throw one's life away for nothing."