Eternal Life: My Talents Can Refresh-Chapter 333 - 166: Upheaval (Part 2)

Soon, the assistant came out again.

Then he said to Chu Ning:

"Please come in, Senior. Our shopkeeper is waiting inside."

With that, the assistant stepped aside, and Chu Ning, with a smile on his face, lifted the curtain and walked directly in.

As he stepped into the tea room, Chu Ning was slightly taken aback.

At this moment, there was still someone sitting behind the tea table, but it was not the familiar figure of Chu Ning.

Instead, it was a middle-aged man around forty-five or forty-six years old.

This man’s appearance bore some resemblance to Cen Zijin’s uncle, Cen Wenquan.

Chu Ning was quick to react. Although he was extremely surprised, he managed to maintain a smiling expression on his face.

The middle-aged man also showed a hint of surprise upon seeing Chu Ning, but he quickly stood up, clasped his hands, and said:

"Please take a seat, Fellow Daoist. I am Cen Wenhao, the shopkeeper of this Cen Workshop."

"Shopkeeper Cen!" Chu Ning returned the gesture with a clasp of his own hands.

However, his heart skipped a beat. This Cen Wenhao was one of the Cen Family’s four Foundation Establishment cultivators and also Cen Zijin’s second uncle.

Previously, Cen Zijin had mentioned to him that this person and Cen Wenquan acted in tandem, putting quite a bit of pressure on her.

With this in mind, Chu Ning casually remarked:

"It’s been some time since I last visited this Cen Workshop, but I didn’t know the shopkeeper had changed."

Upon hearing this, Cen Wenhao smiled and looked at Chu Ning, asking:

"It seems Fellow Daoist was familiar with my niece. May I ask your honorable name?"

Chu Ning couldn’t quite grasp what had happened, but since he appeared as himself, he couldn’t hide his identity.

Thus, he calmly spoke:

"I am Chu Ning. Familiar isn’t exactly the word, but I’ve done business here a few times before.

The name of Fairy Cen left a deep impression on me."

"Chu Ning." Cen Wenhao softly repeated the name and then said with a hint of doubt:

"Could Fellow Daoist Chu be a newly-advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator? I have had contact with many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands, but it’s the first time dealing with Fellow Daoist Chu."

"I am indeed a recently advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator," Chu Ning nodded.

Hearing this, Cen Wenhao suddenly looked enlightened.

"No wonder! Fellow Daoist must have been in secluded cultivation recently.

Otherwise, you might have heard something about the Cen Family. Now that I’ve taken over the Cen Workshop, if you have any transactions, feel free to discuss them with me."

Hearing this, Chu Ning felt a slight heaviness.

According to him, the matter of the Cen Family was known outside.

Couple that with Cen Wenhao taking over as shopkeeper, it likely had something to do with Cen Zijin.

After all, although the Cen Family’s arrays were renowned, within the Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands, the three words ’Fairy Cen’ were the most famous.

Though he thought this in his heart, Chu Ning showed no reaction on his face.

Instead, he continued to speak calmly:

"Alright, I heard that this Cen Workshop seems to be selling some advanced talismans and elixirs.

I wanted to ask if they have anything useful for us Foundation Establishment cultivators.

And magical artifacts, if there are top-level ones, that would be even better.

As Fellow Daoist mentioned, I’m a newly advanced cultivator, so I naturally need some things for protection."

"Of course, we have those!"

Cen Wenhao smiled and said, "Our Cen Workshop has some intermediate talismans and elixirs. It depends on what Fellow Daoist specifically needs."

With that, Cen Wenhao took out some elixirs and talismans.

Chu Ning took them in his hand and glanced at them, his brow arching slightly.

Although these elixirs and talismans were intermediate, they were not made by him.

"I heard before that the quality of talismans and elixirs sold at this Cen Workshop in the past couple of years was a notch above others.

Shopkeeper Cen, these items don’t seem to have anything special. Are you afraid I can’t afford the Spirit Stones, so you’re unwilling to bring out the good stuff?"

Saying this, Chu Ning showed a hint of displeasure on his face.

Cen Wenhao’s face briefly showed embarrassment but soon returned to normal.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, you’re joking. If there were something of higher quality, I wouldn’t hide it.

The Cen Workshop did obtain a batch of high-quality talismans and elixirs before, but they sold out long ago.

However, the current elixirs and talismans are crafted by masters from the Chen Family and the Shi Family. Their quality in the Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands is definitely top-notch."

"Chen Family and Shi Family." Upon hearing this, Chu Ning’s expression became more serious.

These two families were the ones Cen Wenquan tried to ally with before.

Cen Wenhao only thought that Chu Ning was focused on the quality of the talismans and elixirs without thinking too much.

At this moment, he kept talking to himself.

After some conversation, Chu Ning eventually bought some intermediate talismans and elixirs.

As for magical artifacts, since Cen Wenhao only brought out some advanced ones,

Chu Ning naturally showed a lack of interest.

In fact, if it weren’t for fearing suspicion, he wouldn’t have bought even the elixirs and talismans.

A quarter of an hour later, Chu Ning walked out of the Cen Workshop, his expression calm but his heart in turmoil.

"The Cen Family has encountered a change, and it’s definitely significant, likely related to Cen Zijin."

Chu Ning was almost certain of this in his heart, but he wisely refrained from probing Cen Wenhao for information.

Even if he were to inquire elsewhere, his identity wasn’t suitable.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator was still too conspicuous.

After leaving the Cen Workshop, Chu Ning wandered around the market and bought some spirit medicine.