Chapter 465: Chapter 10: Attack of the Sand Bandits
Giant Bear City, one of the nine ancient cities in the Mogao Desert, is governed by the Giant Bear Tribe.
When Lu Qingshan arrived at Giant Bear City, the sky was dark red like fire, brilliant red everywhere, just as the sun was setting in the west.
He entered the city gate openly and without any concealment.
Shortly after his entry, at a shop near the city gate, a shopkeeper silently closed the shop door, left through the back door, and went to a secluded area. He gently tapped his Spirit Beast Bag at his waist and released a demon bird with a white crown and black feathers.
The demon bird was only of the First Grade Realm, but it excelled with its natural wings and extremely fast flying speed, making it excellent for delivering messages.
The shopkeeper fed the demon bird a Qi-nourishing Pill and then attached a Spirit Message to the bird’s leg, setting it off to fly high into the sky.
Afterward, the shopkeeper returned to the shop, opened the door as usual, and continued tending to the shop, though he couldn’t help but sigh softly in his heart.
Storm clouds were gathering.
He had been lying low in Giant Bear City for many years, and was a person old and sly in the ways of the world.
That Sword Cultivator had killed someone and still dared to enter and leave Giant Bear City so boldly; he couldn’t help but understand that it meant the Sword Cultivator must have solid backing.
Of course, there was another possibility, that the Sword Cultivator was exceptionally foolish and ignorant of the formidable forces at play.
But there’s a rule in his line of work, if one wanted to live a long life, one could only overestimate an enemy, never underestimate.
After entering the city, Lu Qingshan started to explore the cultivator shops within the city.
His reason for coming to Giant Bear City was simple.
Where there’s demand, there’s a market.
Since the cultivators of the Giant Bear Tribe relied on thunder to temper their bodies, correspondingly, the shops in Giant Bear City that sold lightning protection devices and pills were definitely the most comprehensive.
Giant Bear Pill Shop, where Lu Qingshan stepped inside.
The cultivator managing the Giant Bear Pill Shop was a very young man, starkly different from the elderly Huang Zhong of the Dongque Instrument Shop; he approached Lu Qingshan with great enthusiasm as soon as he saw him enter.
“I need some pills that can withstand thunder, but only those of Third Grade or higher. There’s no need to bring out anything of a lower grade,” Lu Qingshan said indifferently.
The young manager, slightly surprised by these words, reacted very appropriately, with a genuine smile, “Please wait a moment.”
Afterward, the manager turned and went into the inner hall. A moment later, he came back holding a transparent jade bottle.
Inside the jade bottle, five pills the size of longan fruits, brownish-yellow in color, were visible.
One could faintly see a dense liquid moving and swirling inside the pills.
“Blood-rock Pill, Fourth Grade Pill, refined mainly from Blood-rock Fruit.
Upon consumption by a cultivator, when the power of the pill is activated, it can form a thick layer of blood-rock on the skin’s surface, protecting the physical body by isolating it from the impact of thunder.
Even thunder that could harm a Void Refining Cultivator can be resisted temporarily with the aid of Blood-rock Pills.
If its quality reaches Sixth Grade or higher, a cultivator can even use it to somewhat resist the forces of the Heavenly Tribulation,” the manager explained.
After reaching a high rank, the amount of Spiritual Power a cultivator draws from Heaven and Earth becomes terrifyingly vast. Moreover, with the long life spans of high-rank cultivators, if unchecked, even the vast realm of the Sky Dome would one day run dry of Spiritual Power.
Therefore, the will of the Heavenly Dao imposes many restrictions on high-rank cultivators.
The first of these is the Heavenly Tribulation.
When a cultivator reaches a high realm and wishes to breakthrough, they must endure the test of the Heavenly Tribulation.
If they withstand it, their cultivation progresses further, but if they do not, they can only perish and return all to Heaven and Earth.
The Heavenly Tribulation is an existence that many high-rank cultivators fear.
Being able to resist even the power of the Heavenly Tribulation, the effectiveness of the Blood-rock Pills can be imagined. Lu Qingshan, delighted, looked at the pills in the jade bottle and asked, “May I know the price?”
However, the manager did not answer Lu Qingshan’s question but instead asked, “My name is Xiong Xi; may I know how to address you?”
Lu Qingshan slightly furrowed his brows, thoughtfully looking at Xiong Xi, and replied, “Lu Qingshan.”
Xiong Xi raised his right hand, directly tossing the bottle of Blood-rock Pills in front of Lu Qingshan, smiling, “This bottle of Blood-rock Pills is a gift to you, Lu Dao friend, as a token of friendship.”
Lu Qingshan caught the Blood-rock Pills, playing with the jade bottle in his hand, and asked, “Friend Xiong, what do you mean by this?”
Although the Blood-rock Pills were only Fourth Grade pills, given their practical value in Giant Bear City, they should be in high demand and quite valuable.
If not for some significant scheme, how could such a precious pill be so readily given away?
Seeing that Lu Qingshan had accepted the Blood-rock Pills, Xiong Xi bowed with clasped hands, stepped aside, and made a welcoming gesture,
“This place may have visitors at any moment; it’s not convenient to talk here. Please come inside.”
A gleam of light flashed in Lu Qingshan’s eyes.
But being bold and capable, he didn’t hesitate and walked inside.
The arrangement inside was different from the outside, though the area was much smaller, it was tastefully and elegantly arranged.
In the room, there was a middle-aged male cultivator sitting, oddly dressed in a Confucian scholar’s robe, with a gentle and refined demeanor, which seemed out of place with the rugged temperament of the Western Desert.
“Father, this is Lu Qingshan, Lu Dao friend,” Xiong Xi respectfully said, introducing him to Lu Qingshan, “This is my father, Xiong Li.”
After the introduction, Xiong Xi had already silently withdrawn.
Lu Qingshan instantly understood that this primary character must be the Confucian-dressed cultivator before him.
Xiong Li had already approached with a smile and said, “My suddenness might have been disrespectful. I hope Dao friend Lu doesn’t mind.”