Chapter 11: Casually Stealing the Spotlight

Before long, Zheng Haorui entered the noodle shop with a chubby companion. Perhaps Zheng Haorui felt that, since he had already been exposed by Chu Tianfeng, there was no point in hiding any longer; or perhaps he was simply afraid that Chu Tianfeng would slip away again, so he decided to tail him closely. Then again, maybe in Zheng Haorui’s mind, even if Chu Tianfeng was annoyed, he didn’t believe Chu would dare confront both of them. Two against one—the balance was obvious.

Chu Tianfeng sat openly by the doorway, a large bundle before him and a bowl of noodles as well. In truth, the noodles were quite mediocre, but he ate with great relish. He seemed unconcerned with Zheng Haorui and his companion’s surveillance; when they entered, he only glanced up briefly before lowering his head again to eat.

The chubby man was also an acquaintance of Chu Tianfeng, named Yu Zheng’an. Both were staunch followers of Peng Yongliang, so it was clear enough that their actions were at Peng’s behest. Chu Tianfeng felt somewhat reassured—so long as they weren’t sent by those two old men, he had nothing to fear. He had cultivated for several days straight; though he hadn’t broken through to the first layer of Qi Refinement, he was confident he could handle one or two ordinary people. With that thought, he ate with even greater gusto, slurping noisily.

Zheng and Yu ordered two bowls of beef noodles, then sat opposite Chu Tianfeng. When Chu finished, he wiped his mouth leisurely. Soon, their beef noodles arrived, steaming hot. Seeing the bowls set before them, Chu Tianfeng grinned with delight. He calmly took out fifteen yuan, slapped it on the table, and called to the owner, “Bill, please!” The owner bustled over joyfully, but Chu Tianfeng suddenly grabbed his bundle and strode off.

Zheng and Yu, already suspicious of Chu’s odd smile and worried he might bolt, saw their fears realized. Fortunately, they were prepared this time and leapt up to chase after him. “Hey, you two haven’t paid yet!” the owner called, blocking their escape. Only then did Zheng and Yu realize why Chu had called the owner over. Zheng Haorui hurriedly slapped a fifty onto the table, ignoring the change, and the two dashed out after Chu Tianfeng.

In truth, Chu Tianfeng hadn’t intended to run; he merely wanted to annoy them. He also didn’t want them to enjoy their noodles—he wanted them to go hungry for a while. Seeing that Zheng and Yu had abandoned their noodles to chase after him, Chu slowed his pace and strolled back into the antique market.

At once, Zheng and Yu realized they’d been played. Furious, they could hardly vent their anger in public and were forced to trail behind Chu Tianfeng like dutiful lackeys. Chu Tianfeng resumed his search for an alchemical furnace, deliberately ignoring his pursuers.

Half an hour passed, but Chu Tianfeng found nothing. Zheng and Yu doubted he truly intended to buy anything, suspecting he was simply stalling for a chance to slip away. Still, they kept their distance and did not confront him.

With only a few shops left ahead, the market was nearly at its end. A trace of resignation flickered in Chu Tianfeng’s eyes as he wandered into a nearby shop. Inside, aside from a plump shopkeeper, there was a square-faced young man with an earring, likely a customer, who was sifting through a pile of porcelain.

“Boss, do you sell alchemical furnaces?” Chu Tianfeng asked loudly as he entered.

The shopkeeper, somewhat advanced in age, turned slowly and countered, “What kind of furnace are you looking for?”

“Just a regular one for refining pills.”

Truthfully, he wanted to say, “Boss, just give me a dozen of your crooked old furnaces!” But he restrained himself.

“Wait a moment, I’ll go see what I have,” the shopkeeper said, turning to the square-faced youth. “Take your time browsing; we’ll discuss price once you’ve chosen.” He then shuffled toward a door at the back of the shop, presumably leading to another room.

At the shop’s entrance, a display rack stood against the wall, laden with all manner of wares: clocks, stones, seals, jewelry, even small root carvings. In the center sat a gilded God of Wealth, and beneath it was an incense burner holding three sticks of incense. The incense burner was mottled with rust, but suddenly Chu Tianfeng’s interest was piqued. He walked over and touched it.

To his surprise, the moment his hand made contact, he was startled. The incense burner held genuine vital energy! A magical artifact!

On Blue Moon Star, practitioners classified their treasures into two types: magical implements and spiritual tools. Magical implements were further divided into low, medium, high, and supreme grades, typically used by cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage. Spiritual tools, also graded, required immense spiritual consciousness and robust vital energy, so only Nascent Soul cultivators and above could wield them.

Chu Tianfeng lacked spiritual sense and could not probe the artifact’s grade, but from that brief touch, he sensed the surging vital energy within. He guessed the incense burner was at least a high-grade magical implement, perhaps even supreme grade. Moreover, though it appeared to be an incense burner, his prior research into Earth’s alchemical furnaces led him to suspect it was, in fact, a pill furnace.

Suppressing his excitement, Chu Tianfeng quietly awaited the shopkeeper’s return. Soon, the shopkeeper emerged from the back, carrying two pill furnaces the size of rice cookers.

“How much for these?” Chu Tianfeng asked.

Both furnaces were finely crafted and looked authentic at a glance.

“This one is eight thousand, the other is a bit better—ten thousand,” the shopkeeper replied, setting them gently on the floor.

Chu Tianfeng feigned interest, running his hand across them before sighing, “Anything cheaper?”

“What price range are you looking for?” the shopkeeper countered.

Chu Tianfeng affected nonchalance, his gaze drifting casually to the display rack before settling on the incense burner. Offhandedly, he asked, “How much for that one?”

“Which one?” The shopkeeper, faced with so many items, was unsure.

Chu Tianfeng pointed. “That incense burner.”

“Oh, that one isn’t for sale,” the shopkeeper replied awkwardly.

The square-faced youth’s interest was piqued, and he wandered over.

Sensing trouble, Chu Tianfeng pressed, “Boss, I’m serious about buying. Name your price.”

“Really, it’s not for sale,” the shopkeeper replied, thinking to himself that the thing was barely worth anything. He’d made enough ill-gotten gains in his time, but this was too blatant even for him.

“Two thousand—what do you say?” Chu Tianfeng’s heart raced. Though he didn’t know if the youth was after the burner, he wanted to settle things quickly.

“Uh, well…” The shopkeeper was flustered—he hadn’t expected this battered burner to fetch a couple thousand.

“I’ll give three thousand,” the square-faced youth interjected.

Chu Tianfeng was annoyed. Where did this fool come from, breaking the unspoken rules? Extras should know their place and not steal the scene!

“Five thousand.” He was determined to get it, so he went straight to his limit. He knew it was a foolish move—he risked offending others and might end up empty-handed—but he had little more than five thousand in his bag.

“Hmph!” The square-faced youth was provoked. “Ten thousand.”

Chu Tianfeng’s heart sank. Six thousand would have knocked him out of the running, but this guy had to go all the way to ten.

Of course, for an artifact of this caliber, even a million would not be too much. Still, Chu Tianfeng was unwilling to give up, yet poverty tied his hands. Not only had he failed to acquire the pill furnace, he’d been humiliated.

Seeing Chu Tianfeng’s silence, the shopkeeper beamed. He carefully moved the incense aside into a flowerpot, then wiped the pill furnace down before handing it to the youth.

“Card or cash?” the shopkeeper asked eagerly.

“Card!” The youth shot a venomous glare at Chu Tianfeng, handed over his card, and said, “The password is six eights.”

The shopkeeper’s face was wreathed in smiles as he accepted the card and left. The youth lit a cigarette and, with a mocking smile, regarded Chu Tianfeng.

Chu Tianfeng could only look awkwardly at Zheng and Yu outside the door.

Soon the shopkeeper returned, handing back the card. “Please keep it safe!”

The youth took his card, then strode over to Chu Tianfeng. “Remember this, kid: I’m with the Tomb Raiders.” With that, he slapped Chu Tianfeng hard on the shoulder with a loud smack, then picked up the pill furnace and strode out the door.

“Take care!” the shopkeeper called after him.

Chu Tianfeng stood dumbstruck, blood trickling from his lips, unable to utter a word. He was injured! When the youth slapped him, a surge of vital energy entered through his shoulder, striking his heart and nearly knocking him out. The man was a cultivator—something Chu Tianfeng had not anticipated. Judging by the energy, he was at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement.

This was Chu Tianfeng’s first true encounter with an Earthly cultivator. So there really were cultivators on Earth!

Chu Tianfeng greeted the shopkeeper, dragged a stool over, and quietly began circulating his energy to heal. Fortunately, the attack was only a warning, not full force, or his injuries would have been far worse.

He circulated his cultivation method, working through a minor heavenly cycle. Without any healing elixirs, he could only rely on the Five Elements Technique. An incense stick’s time later, he spat out a mouthful of black blood, gritted his teeth, and stood.

“You alright, young man?” the shopkeeper asked, concerned. He couldn’t help but worry—if something happened in his shop, he’d be implicated.

“I’m fine. By the way, could you give me a better price on that pill furnace?” Chu Tianfeng had stabilized his injuries somewhat, and with Zheng and Yu still nearby, he didn’t dare heal more deeply.

“You don’t have it easy, I see. How about this: the better furnace for two thousand,” the shopkeeper said, pointing to the one on the floor. Truthfully, he saw Chu Tianfeng as a troublemaker and wanted to be rid of him as quickly as possible.

“Deal. Cash.” Chu Tianfeng knew the furnace wasn’t worth two thousand, but his injuries were serious and he didn’t want to waste time.

The shopkeeper counted the money and went to find a box for the furnace, but Chu Tianfeng refused. “Be careful, young man. Lots of people have been coming to Thousand Birds Lake lately,” the shopkeeper warned quietly as he saw him out.

Chu Tianfeng’s heart skipped. “Are they all like that?”

A large gathering of cultivators at Thousand Birds Lake was certainly no good sign for him. He had little of value and wasn’t afraid of being robbed, but he was at a crucial stage in his cultivation and dreaded any disturbance.

“More or less,” the shopkeeper replied before turning back inside.