The power of the two upgraded spells left Qin Lu extremely satisfied.
Afterwards, he practiced his other skills in the forest for a bit, fumbling around for over half an hour before finally heading back towards the market.
On the road.
Since rogue cultivators of all kinds frequently passed through this area, the surrounding fierce beasts had long been cleared out, leaving no large beasts daring to approach.
The journey back was as calm as still water.
By now, the sky had darkened. A full moon rose from the east, its clear, bright light spilling onto the ground, making the night feel exceptionally serene.
Looking at the faint lights of Wuji Market in the distance, Qin Lu couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Overall, this wilderness trip could be considered uneventful and without danger.
Apart from wasting one Water Qi Shield due to his own timidity, he had suffered no other losses.
Seeing the market appear, Qin Lu couldn't resist speeding up, breaking into a sprint.
As he ran, he even used the Soft Wind Technique, increasing his original speed by another twenty percent.
His speed was far greater than even the peak performance of Bolt. In almost the blink of an eye, he covered a hundred meters.
Feeling this extraordinary physical prowess, a wave of exhilaration instantly rose in Qin Lu's chest, and he couldn't help but shout boldly:
"I am Superman! Hahaha!!"
The sound immediately caught the attention of a rogue cultivator in the distance, who turned his head, a look of disdain appearing on his face.
"What a lunatic, shouting and screaming like a madman?!"
......
It wasn't until he was close to the market entrance that Qin Lu, panting heavily, stopped running. After calming his breathing slightly, he walked slowly towards home.
The market was as lively as ever. Having finished their dinners, various rogue cultivators had come out again to enjoy Wuji Market's bustling nightlife.
Qin Lu had no mind for entertainment and quickly returned home.
But to his surprise, aside from Zhang Meng and her child, there was actually another person at home.
Cao Mo.
He was sitting and talking with Zhang Meng.
"Hey, Little Fatty, what brings you here?" Qin Lu was the first to greet him as he entered.
Seeing Qin Lu return, Cao Mo was very excited. He quickly got up and ran to his side, saying hurriedly:
"Big Brother, you're back!"
"What did you come to find me for today?" Qin Lu asked with a smile.
"Uh..." Cao Mo paused, then said urgently, "Can you lend me some Spirit Stones?"
Qin Lu glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips. He walked leisurely to the stone table, took a big gulp of water, and then said cheerfully:
"What, do I look like a big sucker to you?"
This little fatty Cao Mo was quite clever and mischievous, full of improper ideas. Qin Lu didn't dare lend him Spirit Stones casually.
If he lent him money to go fool around in a brothel, lose his virginity, and throw away his integrity, Qin Lu would definitely blame himself.
"No, I really have a matter! I..."
Cao Mo's face became distressed, and his words even carried a faint hint of tears.
"Hmm?"
His reaction caused the smile on Qin Lu's face to gradually fade.
Seeing Cao Mo was no longer grinning cheekily, Qin Lu put down his cup and asked with a frown:
"What's the situation? How many Spirit Stones do you want to borrow?"
"I want to borrow a hundred Spirit Stones..."
"What?!" Qin Lu immediately stood up, exclaiming in surprise, "What do you need a hundred Spirit Stones for?"
Cao Mo lowered his head and said slowly, "I want to borrow Spirit Stones to buy a pill..."
"Buy what kind of pill?"
"A healing pill. My mother is injured..."
"Hmm?" Qin Lu was slightly taken aback, looking somewhat surprised. He sat back down and asked with a frown, "What exactly happened? Tell me clearly."
"Alright..."
Through Cao Mo's account, Qin Lu gradually understood the course of events.
It turned out that when Cao Mo's parents went hunting beasts at East Head Ridge, they were discovered by a second-tier demonic beast. After a life-and-death struggle, they managed to escape with their lives.
However, Cao Mo's mother was also seriously injured, hovering on the brink of death.
After returning home, the family spent all their savings on pills for treatment, but the situation was still not optimistic.
Therefore, Cao Mo had come to Qin Lu, hoping to borrow Spirit Stones to buy a high-grade healing pill to save his mother's life.
"So that's how it is..."
After listening, Qin Lu murmured to himself, instinctively touching the small pouch inside his robe.
The pouch contained just over twenty Spirit Stones, his entire fortune.
This amount was far short of the hundred-plus Spirit Stones Cao Mo wanted to borrow.
Seeing Qin Lu's troubled expression, Cao Mo asked somewhat anxiously:
"Big Brother, I really have no other way. You, you... are you in a convenient position lately?"
Qin Lu pondered for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile, waving his hand with a heroic air.
"Convenient! Of course it's convenient! A mere hundred-plus Spirit Stones, what are they worth?!"
"Really?!" Joy flashed across Cao Mo's face.
"Of course it's true! Come on, I'll take you to buy the pill right now!"
Qin Lu got up and walked back to the main room. He scooped up all the talismans from the redwood table into his hand and then walked out of the courtyard.
"Brother Qin, this..."
Zhang Meng looked at Qin Lu, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.
After this period of interaction, the way they addressed each other had also changed.
"No choice. Little Fatty's mother is facing this kind of trouble. I can't just stand by and watch her die. You stay home. I'll be back soon."
Qin Lu gave a simple reply and then walked out of the courtyard gate with Cao Mo.
The two headed towards a talisman shop in the market.
Qin Lu currently only had a little over twenty Spirit Stones, nowhere near enough to buy the pill.
To afford a valuable pill, he had no choice but to sell all the talismans he had drawn during this period.
And with the urgent need for money, naturally he couldn't slowly sell them at a stall anymore. He could only go to a shop for a one-time sale.
Soon, the two arrived at a talisman shop.
This was also the shop where Qin Lu often came to buy talisman-making materials.
Qin Lu stepped forward and asked amiably:
"Shopkeeper, do you buy talismans here?"
"Of course we do. What talismans do you want to sell?" The shopkeeper glanced at the two and replied casually.
Qin Lu took out a stack of talismans from his robe, handed them over, and said:
"I want to sell Water Qi Shields. What price can you offer?"
"Water Qi Shields?"
A flicker of disappointment passed through the shopkeeper's eyes. He casually picked up a talisman and said blandly, "Sigh, these early Qi Refining defensive talismans are generally of low quality. It's hard to get a good price for them..."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper's tone suddenly paused.
"Hmm? Wait, the brushwork on these talismans is just right, the ink flow is smooth, and the spiritual energy is abundant. This is definitely not the work of an early Qi Refining cultivator..."
Qin Lu cupped his hands in praise. "The shopkeeper has a good eye. These are indeed premium defensive talismans drawn by my elder brother, who is at the late Qi Refining stage! The quality is excellent!"
Hearing the explanation, the shopkeeper showed an expression of understanding.
Only a late Qi Refining cultivator could draw such high-quality Water Qi Shields.
Meanwhile, Cao Mo, standing to the side, wore a strange expression.
He knew very well that Qin Lu had always drawn these talismans himself. There was no so-called elder brother. He didn't understand why Qin Lu would fabricate such a person.
Though puzzled, he didn't voice his doubts on the spot. He just quietly watched Qin Lu converse with the shopkeeper.
"These talismans are quite good. Then we'll go by the market price. Two Spirit Stones per sheet," the shopkeeper said indifferently.
Hearing this, Qin Lu's heart sank. He said with a bitter face:
"Come on, shopkeeper. If I took these talismans to set up a stall, I could sell them for at least two Spirit Stones plus sixty taels of gold. Your price..."
The shopkeeper shook his head and said with a smile:
"No helping it, Fellow Daoist. This is a small business; I need to make a profit too. How about this: I'll add one jin of gold per talisman. What do you think?"
One jin of gold was sixteen taels.
So the purchase price would be two Spirit Stones plus sixteen taels of gold.
But it had to be known that when Qin Lu sold them at the market stall, he directly added over fifty taels. This price was really a bit low.
Qin Lu hesitated internally.
However, when he saw Cao Mo's anxious face beside him, his heart softened. After a moment's thought, he directly said to the shopkeeper:
"Deal!"
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