Chapter 31: Seeking Information in Mojuan City
As they neared Mojuan City, Qin Anyu stopped running and switched to a brisk walk. Seeing this, Qin Lingxue wanted to dismount and walk alongside him, but he quickly stopped her. Although she was also at the Ninth Qi Cultivation Realm, her legs were shorter, and her steps couldn’t match his pace.
He took out a spirit ring and handed it to her. “Little sister, here’s a spirit ring for you.”
Qin Lingxue reached out to accept it, then asked in surprise, “Wow, there’s so much gold and silver, plus silver notes and high-grade medicinal herbs. Big brother, how do you have a spirit ring, and so many things inside it?”
“The people of Putian Sect have them, so it’s like I have one too.”
“But I know that spirit rings usually can only be bought by those in the Qi Refining stage and above, and you need to be at that level to keep one. Did you kill their people?”
“Killed a few.”
“If you killed their men, what about the way they’re torturing Father and Mother?”
“They wouldn’t dare, and they don’t have the ability.”
“Big brother, I want to find Father and Mother as soon as possible.”
“You can look for them, but what then? Rescue them or not? How would you even save them? Could it be walking into a trap?”
“Didn’t Father have friends before? Didn’t any of them come out to help?”
“Better to rely on yourself than on others. The Putian Sect has over ten Qi Refining practitioners; one or two won’t make a difference.”
“So, does that mean we can’t rescue Father and Mother?”
“How could we not? We rely on ourselves.”
“But I’m still at the Ninth Qi Cultivation Realm, and I don’t know when I’ll advance to Qi Refining.”
“Trust your big brother—it’ll be soon.”
“...”
After entering Mojuan City, it was already late. Qin Anyu first found an inn to register, settled the horse, changed into clean clothes, and then the two began to stroll through the streets.
Seeing her heavy-hearted expression and her lack of interest in the sights and sounds, he understood she was worried about the Qin couple. He didn’t force her to dispel her worries but instead took her to buy various snacks, purchase clothes, and visit herb shops.
Gradually, she began to take an interest in her surroundings, actively buying this and that, her face lighting up when she tasted snacks she liked.
Seeing this change, he felt relieved.
Rescuing the Qin couple was not the entirety of their future life; living well themselves was more important.
“Don’t be angry—that’s the truth. If you can’t live well and raise your cultivation, how can you rescue them? Would a family reunion happen in someone else’s prison?”
Feeling the surge of passion rising, he muttered to himself.
“Entangling with myself is truly interesting.”
---
Seeing Qin Lingxue return to the lively demeanor of a young girl, he asked, “Little sister, is there anything else you want to buy?”
Qin Lingxue looked up at him. “Big brother, aren’t you angry?”
She said in a fragile tone, “So many people say you’re pretending—you won’t even buy a sword, just carry around that broken sword blade to show off that you’re a sword cultivator.”
Qin Anyu laughed. “They can say what they want; it’s none of my business. Look, I still haven’t lost a piece of flesh. I’m fine.”
That voice had accompanied them since entering Mojuan City, but he had always ignored it.
Some people liked to pontificate, asserting their presence in this way. To take it seriously would be to lose.
As they walked, he noticed an elegant, antique sign ahead—“Listening Wind Pavilion.” It was still open, so he patted Qin Lingxue’s shoulder. “Let’s go in and take a look.”
Qin Lingxue asked, “Big brother, they don’t sell medicinal herbs here, and everything else is expensive.”
He gently nudged the back of her head and led her inside. “There will be something worthwhile.”
Upon their entrance, a clerk immediately approached, eyes briefly resting on the broken sword but still politely said, “Welcome.”
Not a hint of disrespect despite the broken sword—truly a professional businessman with good manners.
Qin Anyu asked, “Do you have magnetite here?”
The clerk thought for a moment and replied, “Sorry, we don’t.”
Qin Anyu expected this and then showed a token. “I want to inquire about some information. Please take me.”
The clerk was taken aback, carefully examined the token twice, then gestured for them to follow. “This way, please.”
Hearing there was no magnetite, Qin Lingxue was about to turn and leave—this was what Qin Anyu had done in other herb shops.
Unexpectedly, her big brother suddenly took out a small wooden token and asked the clerk to help gather information. The clerk actually agreed, glancing at him in surprise.
Following the clerk, the siblings exited through the back door of Listening Wind Pavilion and went up to the second floor.
Outside a room, the clerk gently knocked and said, “Boss, a distinguished guest has come to Listening Wind.”
The door quickly opened, revealing a burly man at the early Qi Refining stage.
The clerk handed over the token. “This young hero.”
The burly man examined the token twice, then looked up, scrutinizing Qin Anyu. “Is this yours, young friend?”
Qin Anyu nodded. “Ye Tian said I could use this to inquire at Listening Wind, so here I am. Is that not allowed?”
The burly man quickly replied, “Of course. Please come in.”
Just mentioning the name Ye Tian, the young master, was enough to intimidate many, especially with the token in hand.
Inside, the clerk poured tea for the two siblings and then quietly left.
---
Qin Anyu gently rubbed the back of Qin Lingxue’s head and, after taking a sip of tea, said, “Boss, I want to know two things: first, where can I buy magnetite, and second, where is the Putian Sect’s base in Mojuan City?”
The boss returned the token and said, “Magnetite is quite rare in our Song Kingdom, but not impossible to find. There was an auction not long ago, but it was very expensive—ten times the gold price for ordinary high-grade pieces.”
Qin Anyu sighed inwardly, “I see.”
The boss continued, “Even so expensive, the weight is small, only about five qian.”
Qin Anyu calculated silently: “Five qian is half a tael—not enough for personal use.”
He then asked, “If Listening Wind were to buy some, could I get it?”
The boss immediately replied, “Yes, but it’s expensive, not much cheaper than the auction price.”
Qin Anyu said, “Alright, I’ll reserve five jin of ordinary high-grade magnetite. If there’s any human-grade, even better.”
Price wasn’t much of a concern for Qin Anyu.
Having seized the Eagle Gang’s lair, searched the Mangshan bandits’ old base, and swept the Putian Sect’s Huishan contact point, he had confiscated six three-foot spirit rings and one five-foot ring. Not to mention the piles of gold and silver, plus many medicinal herbs in the secret realm, buying ten jin of ordinary high-grade magnetite was well within reason.
The boss secretly inhaled sharply and then said, “Human-grade magnetite is ridiculously expensive—thousand times the gold price and still hard to find even at the lowest grade. Even ordinary high-grade ore yields no more than a dozen jin per mine.”
Qin Anyu replied, “At least ten jin of ordinary high-grade as a guarantee. Collect as much human-grade as possible, equivalent to twenty jin of ordinary high-grade. Also, I want some medicinal herbs.”
The boss nodded, “Understood.”
He took out a seal, wrote some characters and symbols on it, and handed it to Qin Anyu. “Half the deposit first.”
Qin Anyu handed over a stack of silver notes. “Please count.”
After counting, the boss pocketed the notes. “Half the deposit received. Come back in ten days for updates.”
Qin Anyu asked, “Can it be sooner?”
The boss shook his head. “Ten days is already fast. Now, regarding the Putian Sect’s base...”
After leaving Listening Wind Pavilion, Qin Lingxue exhaled deeply, as if a great burden had lifted. She looked up at Qin Anyu. “Big brother, I completely trust you now.”
Qin Anyu reached out to rub the back of her head. “Let’s go eat.”
“And after we eat?”
“Sleep.”