Chapter 271 - 257: Xie Hui

Chapter 271: Chapter 257: Xie Hui

"Take care, Senior..."

The woman bowed respectfully as she saw him off.

Chu Mu walked out of the room and paused in the main hall.

Compared to the tasks listed on the Communication Order, the many missions displayed here in the Contribution Hall were much more direct and clear.

On the surrounding screens were all sorts of missions issued by the Righteous Alliance.

The missions were numerous and varied. There were frontline combat assignments, assassination missions, and even sabotage and sneak attacks behind enemy lines. Tasks like patrols and guard duty were simply countless.

Just by looking at these missions, he could get a general sense of the current state of the war.

He didn’t know about other areas, but based on these missions, it seemed that in the East Lake region, the Longevity Sect and the Righteous Alliance were locked in a confrontation, fighting along a battlefront that stretched for over a thousand miles, with Jingmen as its center and East Lake as its boundary.

Moreover, the situation had clearly reached a stalemate, devolving into a grueling war of attrition, like a meat grinder.

He watched for a moment before slowly averting his gaze.

With a wave of his hand, the Token reappeared in his palm.

A moment later, he put the Token away, walked out of the Contribution Hall, and stepped onto the street.

After wandering through the various shops on the street, a very clear reality presented itself to him.

The price inflation that had once occurred in Jade Emperor Valley was even more severe here in Water Heaven Workshop.

Finished goods like Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and Elixirs had roughly doubled in price, and the cost of various Spirit Materials and Spirit Medicine had also risen significantly.

From what he gathered by asking around, this had been the norm since the war broke out. Prices had been rising continuously without ever stopping.

And this wasn’t just an isolated case in Water Heaven Workshop; it was the same in all war-torn regions for thousands of miles around.

The ravages of war, soaring prices, and on top of that, the Righteous Alliance’s employment system and Contribution Treasure Vault...

It seemed many rare items, seldom seen in the past, had also appeared on the market.

This was true for both finished products like Elixirs, Talismans, and Spiritual Artifacts, as well as various Spirit Materials and Spirit Medicine.

After a tour of the Marketplace, he had spent several thousand Spirit Stones, filling many of the empty spots in his Storage Ring.

"Mingxin Spiritual Materials."

Pausing before a shop at the end of the street, Chu Mu stepped inside. He glanced around and saw quite a few Tier Two Spiritual Materials on the shelves—items that were rarely seen in the past.

"This piece of Cyanite, the Crescent Jade, and these few..."

Inside an Ore Materials shop in the Marketplace, Chu Mu pointed out items on the shelves as if on a shopping spree, and the Shopkeeper following behind him respectfully retrieved each one.

Chu Mu asked, "How many Spirit Stones in total?"

"Reporting to you, Senior, the total is one thousand six hundred and eighty Lower Grade Spirit Stones. I’ll round it down for you, so let’s call it sixteen hundred Lower Spirit."

The Shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache, his tone extremely respectful.

"Alright."

Chu Mu reached into his robes and directly handed over a Storage Talisman.

"If you get any Tier Two or higher Spiritual Materials in the future, you can set them aside for me."

Saying this, Chu Mu handed over a Sound Transmission Talisman. "You can use this to contact me."

"Senior, are you an Artifact Refiner?"

The man took the Sound Transmission Talisman, seemingly mustering his courage to ask.

Chu Mu nodded, not denying it.

His Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivation was more than enough to support this skill.

Revealing his Cultivation level was a deterrent. Revealing this skill was an even greater one.

A Foundation Establishment Realm Artifact Refiner wasn’t exceedingly rare, but they were by no means common.

"May I ask, Senior, do you currently have a patron?"

the middle-aged man asked again.

"Why do you ask?"

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, his gaze toward the middle-aged man taking on a deeper meaning.

The middle-aged man asked cautiously, "If you don’t have a patron, Senior, would you consider staying at my humble shop for a while?"

Then, as if afraid Chu Mu would refuse, the man quickly added, "As long as you are willing, Senior, you can use any of this shop’s resources. You’ll only need to pay the cost price."

"Rest assured, Senior, there will be absolutely no restrictions. We will certainly not cause you any trouble..."

"This shop of yours... it belongs to the Xie Family, doesn’t it?"

Chu Mu glanced at the Xie Clan’s Emblem on the eaves and spoke slowly.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man couldn’t hide his delight and quickly explained, "It’s embarrassing to say, but I am merely a disciple from a side branch of the Xie Family. This shop was passed down from my father. Our previous Artifact Refiner unfortunately died on the battlefield..."

After his explanation, Chu Mu had a rough understanding of the situation.

The middle-aged man’s name was Xie Hui. With his Cultivation at Qi Cultivation Perfection, he was an insignificant figure within the vast Xie Clan hierarchy.

He only had a Four Spirit Roots talent. If his parents hadn’t both perished in an accident several decades ago, he probably wouldn’t even have been qualified for Cultivation.

Fortunately, his parents died early and left no other children.

As the sole son of his parents’ lineage, Xie Hui naturally held the right of inheritance according to the Xie Clan’s rules.

This was how he was able to remain in the Xie Family and embark on the Immortal Path, unlike other clan members with No Spirit Root or a Spirit Root Talent of Three Spirit Roots or lower, who were sent away to the mortal world.

Afterward, once Xie Hui embarked on the Immortal Path, he naturally and logically inherited his family’s business.

However, Xie Hui’s Cultivation was low, his talent was even poorer, and with both his parents gone, he had no support within the Xie Family.

Although the clan rules offered some protection, reality obviously couldn’t be constrained by a few simple regulations.

To protect himself, he had no choice but to give away the vast majority of his inheritance.

In the end, all he managed to keep was this single shop, which dealt in Spiritual Materials and custom-made Magical Artifacts, allowing him to live peacefully until now.

Unfortunately, a while ago, the Artifact Refiner he had painstakingly recruited went missing. His Life Soul Lamp had shattered, so he was probably killed.

His situation was obviously very awkward.

Recruiting a low-level Artifact Refiner was pointless, but with his own Cultivation level, he couldn’t even get in touch with a high-level one.

’So, is he just grasping at straws and pinning his hopes on me?’

’In the past, I would have refused without a second thought.’

’But now...’

Chu Mu glanced at the rows of shelves in the shop, his eyes lingering on the various Spiritual Materials as he fell into thought.

Then, he asked, "What are your supply channels for Spiritual Materials?"

"Replying to you, Senior, the shop’s channels are generally through the clan’s internal supply system. We also purchase rare Spiritual Materials from outside, and I know a few resellers..."

"If you need any Spiritual Materials, Senior, just let me know. I’ll do everything in my power to get them for you!"

"If you can gather all the Spiritual Materials on this list, I will accept your shop’s patronage."

Chu Mu handed over a list, his voice calm.

The list wasn’t long, containing only eight types of Spiritual Materials in total: one Tier Two Upper Grade, with the rest being Tier Two Middle and Lower Grade.

For his former self, these were very rare.

But given the current situation, gathering them shouldn’t be too difficult.

However, if he had to rely on his own luck without any connections, it would be quite tedious and troublesome.

He was unwilling to join a Sect or a Clan. He had even chosen an employment contract just now, rather than the more lucrative Guest Minister Contract.

The reason was simple: he didn’t want to be tied down or ordered around.

But this Xie Hui before him... his shop was small, and his influence was weak.

’Accepting his patronage wouldn’t lead to being fettered or restricted.’

’And I can even use his network to gather Spiritual Material resources for myself...’

’This should be a good option for me.’

’The only conditions are that he must be useful to me and harbor no ill intentions.’

"Rest assured, Senior! Give me ten days. After ten days, you can come and pick them up!"

Xie Hui glanced at the list and immediately slapped his chest, making a guarantee.

"Alright."

Chu Mu nodded. "I will come back in ten days."

"Take care, Senior."

Xie Hui saw him off respectfully as Chu Mu left the shop.

He paused at the entrance, briefly sensing the number of Spirit Stones piled up in his Storage Ring, along with the many Magical Artifacts he had refined. Then, he headed straight for the outskirts of the Marketplace.

According to what he had learned earlier, there were three Black Markets within a thousand-mile radius of Water Heaven Workshop.

One was the underwater Black Market he had visited before. The other two were located in Luofu Mountain.

The underwater Black Market was relatively close to Water Heaven Workshop, while the other two were quite far away.

Based on the information about the current situation he had just gathered in the Marketplace, the locations of the other two Black Markets were likely near the front lines. It was uncertain if they even still existed.

The underwater Black Market, on the other hand, was situated in the rear.

All three Black Markets were targets for his trip.

Having just entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, he was practically starting from scratch all over again. He was lacking more than just a few things.

"I hope I can find something worthwhile..."

Pausing outside the Marketplace, he let out a soft sigh. Then, he grabbed Wangcai, leaped into the air, and soared away, quickly disappearing into the sky...

...