Longevity Hacker: When Every Curse Becomes a Blessing

Chapter 27 – Xu Zhengyi, this guy is really not just

"What a rip-off! Six Demonic Path Cultivation Methods for only twelve thousand Spirit Stones."

A burly man with a full beard walked out of the "Yunhe Hall," weighed his Storage Bag, and was left speechless.

If it were in a store run by the Demon Sect, six Demonic Techniques would be worth at least fifteen thousand.

Of course, these were Demonic Techniques with side effects.

Those without side effects would cost around ten thousand each!

"Forget it, safety first."

Ye Bufan shook his head, not feeling too cheated. Yunhe Hall was a marketplace under the city lord's command, where both righteous and demonic cultivators liked to sell stolen goods because they wouldn't check.

And a thousand Spirit Stones, an average Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't even be worth that much, could buy some information and secret techniques related to talisman crafting.

However, if you wanted to buy spiritual items that could increase the chances of Core Formation, that definitely wouldn't be enough.

These were strategic resources with a price but no market in the cultivation world; trying to find them openly in Liuyun City was impossible.

"Hmm? So it's because of my Supreme Foundation Establishment secret, Liu Wangchuan..."

Suddenly, a fist-sized paper doll fell into Ye Bufan's hand. After retrieving the Spiritual Perception attached to it, a cold light flashed in Ye Bufan's eyes.

Over the past few months, he had gained a deeper understanding of the "Paper Crafting Manual" and could make some small paper doll puppets suitable for lurking and eavesdropping.

Before leaving, he had casually placed it in a window crack, not expecting such an unexpected gain.

"I'd like to see how Mo Hong plans to make me reveal my secrets!"

Ye Bufan snorted coldly and put the paper doll away.

Then he looked at the crowded street.

After identifying the direction, he headed straight for East Street.

Liuyun City had four main streets, and on the surface, East Street was a place for buying and selling materials, but secretly it was a hub for information.

Whether it was news from the righteous sects or the demonic path.

As long as you could afford it, you could get any information you wanted.

After all, Ye Bufan had lived here for a hundred years and knew the place too well.

He wasn't looking to buy information about Xu Zhengyi; in Liuyun City, those from the righteous path didn't bother hiding their identities, and you could find out where they were with a casual inquiry.

What he wanted was information on increasing the chances of talisman crafting and Core Formation spiritual items.

"After a few months, that guy shouldn't have died of old age yet."

Ye Bufan navigated the twists and turns with ease and finally arrived at East Street.

Moments later.

He disguised himself as a young man in blue, put on a bamboo hat, and walked toward a general store.

Before he even got close, he heard the sound of angry shouting.

In front of the general store, a group of cultivators gathered around to watch the commotion.

Ye Bufan frowned slightly and moved closer to see clearly.

It turned out to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator, who looked like a young man, berating an old man with gray hair.

"If it weren't for the fact that this is Liuyun City, where killing is strictly prohibited, I would have slaughtered a fraud like you long ago in any other place!"

The young Foundation Establishment cultivator sneered and kicked the old man hard.

Ye Bufan was taken aback; the more he looked at the young man, the more familiar he seemed.

"I wasn't even trying to find Xu Zhengyi's whereabouts, and he just walked right into my path?"

Ye Bufan was speechless.

After leaving the Heavenly Demon Sect, Mo Hong had described Xu Zhengyi's appearance to them.

As one of the objectives of this trip, he naturally remembered it very clearly.

Thinking of this, he pretended to be curious and asked a cultivator watching the commotion nearby.

From the other party's words, he learned that Xu Zhengyi had just arrived and wanted to buy some pills and magical instruments, so he found a local guide.

Under the guide's lead, he visited two shops and bought the pills and magical instruments he wanted.

But in the end, Xu Zhengyi found out that the guide and the shopkeepers had colluded to sell him pills and magical instruments at prices higher than the market rate, ripping him off.

Not only that.

The guide also demanded a guide fee from Xu Zhengyi.

Naturally, Xu Zhengyi was furious, leading to the beating scene before them.

"Some guides and shopkeepers colluding to scam people is common in Liuyun City; it's nothing new."

"But this time, they ran into a tough nut, daring to scam a disciple of Shangqing Palace."

Several onlookers shook their heads, showing no sympathy.

Shangqing Palace was the top righteous force, and few dared to provoke them.

"I didn't scam you; the things you bought are all top-quality. Clearly, you..."

The old man spat out a mouthful of blood as he lay on the ground. He wanted to argue, but seeing Xu Zhengyi's cold gaze, he shuddered.

In the end, he silently got up, hunched over, and entered the general store.

"Xiao Hongde?!"

Ye Bufan recognized the old man's face, and his expression changed slightly.

Then he instantly understood everything and looked at Xu Zhengyi with a suddenly unfriendly gaze.

That old man was an old acquaintance of his. Back when he was struggling financially, Old Xiao's talismans were cheap, and over time, they became familiar.

They had known each other for decades.

Old Xiao had been here even longer than he had, and although his cultivation was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, he was known as an all-knowing person, well-informed about all the big and small news in Liuyun City.

With Old Xiao's character, how could he possibly do something like scamming people?

And would he be foolish enough to scam a disciple of Shangqing Palace?

"If you dare to do shady business again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Xu Zhengyi's lips curled into a mocking smile, but his face was full of righteous indignation. Then he turned and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Ye Bufan watched Xu Zhengyi's departing figure with a cold expression, silently forming a seal with his hand and placing a subtle mark on him.

He had no intention of intervening.

That would only harm Old Xiao.

After the crowd dispersed, Ye Bufan entered the general store.

"We're closed today, senior. Please try another store."

The gray-haired old man sat dejectedly at the table, coughing violently a few times, and forced a smile.

Ye Bufan looked at some low-level talismans and pills in the counter, then at the old man, who seemed to be at the end of his life, and sighed softly.

"That disciple of Shangqing Palace clearly didn't want to pay you the guide fee. Ha, such a grand Shangqing Palace, yet they even pocket a few dozen Spirit Stones. It's laughable."

Ye Bufan said.

The name Xu Zhengyi was too ironic.

Sometimes the righteous path was even more chilling than the demonic path; the demonic path would kill you openly.

The righteous path was different; before killing you, they would stand on the moral high ground, put a bunch of labels on you, and then "eliminate demons to protect the way."

"Senior is wise, but the cultivation world is cruel. What can I, an old man, do? This isn't the first or second time something like this has happened."

Xiao Hongde's face was full of bitterness.

In Liuyun City, full of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, they, the Qi Refining cultivators, lived cautiously, fearing they might offend someone and be casually killed like ants.

"Indeed."

Ye Bufan was silent.

Just like he was a few months ago.

Surviving for a hundred years, still at the bottom.

"If I didn't have the system, perhaps by now I would be a nameless dried corpse outside the Heavenly Demon Sect."

Ye Bufan shook his head and then said, "Does Daoist Xiao know any old friends with the surname Ye?"

He didn't intend to reveal his identity.

If something went wrong, his few old friends might be implicated and killed.

"Ye... Ye Bufan?"

Old Xiao was shocked, looking up at the young man in front of him, his voice trembling, "Are you his friend? How is he doing in the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

Ye Bufan, the first disciple of the Elemental Infant in Zhao Kingdom.

If one wanted to find out, they could easily do so.

"He's doing well."

Ye Bufan paused and smiled.

"Heh, that old turtle is living better than I am. Good for him."

Old Xiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and laughed.

Ye Bufan couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth; by age, Old Xiao and he were about the same.

"Since you're his friend, whatever you want to know, senior, I will tell you everything."

Old Xiao seemed to be in a much better mood.

"Core Formation spiritual items and secret techniques that can increase the chances of talisman crafting."

Ye Bufan stated directly.

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"Core Formation spiritual items? Such things are rare; I know very little."

Old Xiao was taken aback and respectfully said, "There will be a bottle of 'Pure Heaven Water' at the auction in a few days, which can enhance the quality of a Golden Core. Many Foundation Establishment seniors covet it."

"Of course, the best Core Formation item belongs to the 'True Fire Beast Pill' in the hands of the prodigy Little Sword Immortal from Shangqing Palace. This pill is the inner core of a naturally born True Fire Spirit Beast, capable of refining a Golden Core and greatly enhancing its quality."

"As for the secret techniques to increase talisman crafting chances, such techniques are rarely sold by talisman masters. Senior will have to personally check the secret shops in Liuyun City."

Old Xiao, being a guide, had a deep understanding of insider information.

"Little Sword Immortal is in Liuyun City?"

Ye Bufan squinted his eyes.

In the cultivation world, swordsmanship was the most powerful in terms of attack, and Little Sword Immortal Jiang Yijian was renowned in Zhao Kingdom, comparable to Liu Wangchuan of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"Not just him, several prodigies from both the righteous and demonic paths have come. After all, with the Sealed Demon Ruins approaching, they all want to enhance their strength through pills, magical instruments, secret techniques, and so on."

Old Xiao was full of envy; these people were big figures.

"Alright, here's your reward."

Ye Bufan handed Old Xiao two hundred Spirit Stones.

Snatching something from Little Sword Immortal would be difficult and risky; the "Pure Heaven Water" at the auction was his target.

Old Xiao was stunned, silently accepting the Spirit Stones, "Thank you, senior."

Two hundred Spirit Stones were already more than the value of the information itself, presumably Ye Bufan's intention.

"If there's a chance, I'll teach that Xu Zhengyi a lesson for you."

Ye Bufan turned and left.

"Senior, you mustn't. Xu Zhengyi is Little Sword Immortal's half-brother. If you trouble him, Little Sword Immortal won't let it go. Because they have different surnames, this information is not widely known."

Old Xiao was startled and quickly transmitted his voice.

Once Little Sword Immortal formed a Golden Core, with his terrifying swordsmanship, he would be invincible at the same level!

"Little Sword Immortal's brother? Damn! That elder who issued the task tricked me!"