Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 239: What Are You Pretending For?

“I’ll have two bottles of bug repellent; the most expensive kind.”

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou arrived at the Demon Suppression Pass Branch of the Luodi Merchant Guild to purchase the necessary supplies. The Demon Suppression Pass was one of the notably large cities at the frontier. Every day, an enormous quantity of goods related to demon beasts were sold and transported to various places across the Central Continent to satisfy the needs of cultivators at different realms; the flow of spirit stones was astonishing.

The bug repellent was a specialty from the borderlands. It was a special liquid concocted to counteract the relentless bugs in the jungle. When applied to the skin, it emitted a unique scent that only bugs could detect, keeping them away from cultivators.

With this, things like leeches crawling onto me won’t happen again.

Meng Jingzhou suddenly thought of something. “Do you have a lot of bug repellents in stock?”

The attendant was slightly stunned, not understanding what Meng Jingzhou’s intentions were. He politely asked, “How many bug repellents would you like, esteemed guest?”

“Enough to drive away all the bugs out of the jungle,” Meng Jingzhou replied.

No amount of proper training could have stopped the attendant’s mouth from twitching. “Apologies, esteemed guest, but the quantity of bug repellents you have asked for is far too large. Even if we empty the entire warehouse at our headquarters, we probably still wouldn’t be able to fulfill your request.” Everyone applies bug repellent to their skin, but you want to spray it all over the jungle? No amount of bug repellent would be enough.

Meng Jingzhou pouted, slightly displeased with the merchant guild’s advertised slogan. “And you still claim that you can fulfill any requests as long as the customer has the money? Forget it, I can’t do anything if you don’t have it.”

The environment in the jungle was so harsh that even the mosquitoes were at the Qi Training Stage. If cultivators at the Qi Training Stage entered the jungle, there would be almost no chance of survival. However, from another perspective, if a Qi Training cultivator managed to survive in the jungle, they would undoubtedly achieve great things in the future.

In fact, many famous cultivators in history chose to train in the jungle when they were at the Qi Training Stage to hone their skills, laying a solid foundation for long-term health maintenance to alleviate the body’s excessive internal dampness[1] in the future.

“I’ll have two more bottles of Dampness Removal Pills; the most effective kind.

“And also Detoxification Pills.

“I heard that some demon beasts carry spring philtre poison;[2] I’ll have two antidotes for spring philtre poison... No, I’m not here to ask for the brothel’s address. I meant the pills for curing the spring philtre poison.

Lu Yang remarked, “Poison...the quality of your poison products is subpar. Luckily, I’m well-prepared. I’ve written down the quantity and weight of the herbs on this piece of paper. Just follow this and we’ll mix it ourselves.” He was worried about the Luodi Merchant Guild. The quality is too poor. Even any random disciple from the Dao-Seeking Sect can concoct something better than this.

“Would you two like the latest version of the Illustrated Jungle Handbook? It provides information on most of the demon beasts in the jungle, along with potential dangers you may encounter.”

“Good stuff. I’ll take a copy.”

“How about tents? You may need them when camping outdoors. They are hot sellers at this branch. If you buy a tent, we will also gift you the urine of a Golden Core demon beast. Sprinkling it around your sleeping area can effectively ward off lower-level demon beasts.”

“It may also attract higher-level demon beasts instead. That’s not safe; we’ll pass.”

Just then, a talisman caught Lu Yang’s eye. “Targeted Teleportation Talisman? What is it used for?” He clicked his tongue at its high price. Compared to this, the Ten-Buffalo Strength Pill is so much cheaper.

“Excellent eye, esteemed guest. This is an amazing life-saving item. If you encounter a life-or-death crisis in the jungle, you just have to activate this talisman, and it will teleport you back to the Demon Suppression Pass. Even a Nascent Soul demon cannot interrupt the teleportation process!”

“Sounds good! Give me five pieces!” Meng Jingzhou splurged as usual. Whenever he took a liking to something, he would buy it without checking the price.

The attendant was grinning from ear to ear and became much more ardent. Just the commission from selling five Targeted Teleportation Talisman is enough to cover my salary for a month! These two are indeed wealthy patrons. Looks like I’ll be earning quite a bit of commission today.

I wonder where these two young masters come from. They’re probably from some big clan or disciples of a big sect here for training. It’s likely their first time visiting.

The attendant kindly reminded, “Esteemed guests, life here at the border is different from what you may be used to. It’s important to keep your wealth discreet. Not only are the demon beasts here dangerous, but humans are too. People go missing in the jungle every day, and recently, there have been even more disappearances. Though they say that it’s the work of demon beasts, many know that the demon beasts might not be fully responsible.”

He presumed that the two of them would be training here for a while, which meant they would inevitably be in frequent contact, so he naturally tried his best to win them over. “Although His Excellency Town Governor has set ‘Rules’ in the city, stating that ‘No one may steal, rob, or plunder,’ these rules only apply within the Demon Suppression Pass. once you leave and enter the jungle, these rules no longer matter.”

This was the perk of having a cultivator at the Fusion Stage. They could establish rules everyone must follow in the city of their jurisdiction, ensuring order to the largest degree. If Fusion cultivators weren’t so rare, the Great Xia Dynasty would have wanted one in every city.

“Esteemed guests, please proceed to our VIP room.” The attendant bowed slightly and gestured for them to follow, but Lu Yang declined.

“There’s no need for that. My brother and I are at the Intermediate Foundation Establishment Stage after all, and the world is peaceful. Who would dare rob us?”

The attendant saw that it was pointless to continue persuading them, so he simply continued to assist them.

“What kinds of healing pills do you have?”

“Golden Wound Pills[3], which heals one’s injuries rapidly.

“Hemostatic Pills, which are effective for heavy bleeding.

“Qi Restoration Pills, which can speed up the recovery of spirit energy.

“White Bone Pills from the Buddhist Kingdom’s Merit Creation Series, which can bring the dead back to life and revive their flesh—”

“Give me two bottles of each,” Meng Jingzhou interrupted. “Do you also have protective-type magical treasures? Give us two of each as well.”

After they finished shopping, they checked their items and confirmed that nothing was missing. “Let’s settle the bill.”

“Esteemed guests, you are VIPs of our merchant child, so all your future purchases will receive a 10% discount.”

Meng Jingzhou didn’t say anything, casually whisking out a black token with the character “Meng” engraved on it.

The moment the attendant saw the token, his pupils contracted and his hands trembled. The first lesson in his training was to recognize the special tokens issued by the merchant guild. These tokens represented various venerable identities, such as the Imperial Family or the Meng Family. The staff had to treat these people with utmost respect and never offend them.

He had worked here for more than ten years and had seen members of the Meng Family before, but they were from the collateral branches. The token before him now was only inscribed with one “Meng” character, indicating that the owner was from the main branch and was qualified to inherit some of the Meng Family’s power in the future.

A huge background. An absolutely huge background.

It’s laughable that I even mentioned a 10% discount. They probably wouldn’t even care about such a trivial thing.

“Keep this to yourself,” Meng Jingzhou calmly said, but inside, his heart was blooming with joy.

Yes yes yes, this is exactly the expression I want.

Lu Yang cast a sidelong glance at Meng Jingzhou with disdain.

What are you pretending for? The Dao-Seeking Sect also has such tokens, but only Big Senior Sister and the elders have the right to use them.

The attendant took the token, verified its authenticity, and quickly processed the payment, handing over a small pile of complimentary gifts. “Do you two have storage rings? I can directly place everything in them for you.”

Lu Yang calmly took out his Dao-Seeking Sect’s identity jade token which had the characters “Lu Yang” engraved.

Upon seeing the jade tablet, the attendant felt his heart tighten again.

A disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect—this is an identity that can command the winds and rain in the cultivation world. I had guessed that these two come from big ancestral clans or sects, but I didn’t expect it to be this big.

“Keep it to yourself,” Lu Yang calmly said, but inside, his heart was blooming with joy.

It’s finally my turn now.

Meng Jingzhou cast a sidelong glance at Lu Yang. What are you pretending for?

The two grabbed their items and headed for the jungle.

Unbeknownst to them, as soon as they left the merchant guild, five figures with ruthless gazes tailed them stealthily, evidently up to no good.

1. “Dampness” is a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s also one of the pathogenic energies in TCM. Though it's linked to many illnesses and ailments, a common example we see in Chinese dramas and novels is aching joints. There are informative articles out there, but I found a short one if you’d like to give it a read. ☜

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2. Spring is associated with amorous matters in Chinese. ☜

3. This is adapted from “Golden Wound Medicine” or “Jin Chuang Yao,” the very typical ointment or powder used for open wounds. It's no longer around nowadays, or at least, not in circulation. ☜