Chapter 15: Treasure Hunting at a Street Stall

"Young Master, where are we going?" Little Cui asked, blinking her eyes. After more than a month together, the sharp-witted Little Cui had already noticed that her young master was different from before.

"No idea. Just wandering around, seeing if anyone gets so dazzled by my dashing good looks that they hand me a few tens of thousands of silver taels to spend." Tang Yan replied offhandedly.

Hearing Tang Yan's nonsensical remark, Little Cui couldn't help but roll her eyes and pretended she hadn't heard a word.

The great Young Master Tang headed straight for wherever the crowds were thickest. After walking for about one hour, he finally stopped, muttering under his breath, "It should be showing up soon."

With the keen Soul Force of a great Alchemist, Tang Yan naturally sensed that people had been tailing him. There was no need to guess — in all of Yun City, the only family that had openly broken with the Tang Clan was the Liu Family. And among the Liu Family, the most likely culprit behind such a move was Liu Yuan.

Suddenly, Tang Yan felt the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron inside him give a sharp shudder.

In the more than a month since Tang Yan's rebirth, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron had rarely reacted on its own. The first time it stirred was when it transmitted the Supreme Pill Scripture to him; the second time was when it devoured his Spirit Initiation Pill.

So what was causing it to react this time?

Tang Yan's gaze sharpened like lightning as he swept a rapid glance around his surroundings, finally coming to a halt before an elderly man sitting by the roadside.

He strolled over to the old man with feigned leisure, and the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron inside him reacted even more violently, rocking back and forth within his cultivation core as though something nearby was something it desperately craved.

Tang Yan studied the old man carefully. He appeared to be around sixty years old, an ordinary person, with a stall laid out in front of him displaying various medicinal herbs.

Most of the herbs were extremely common; the most valuable among them was a mountain ginseng, roughly thirty years old.

"Flat mushroom grass — common herb. Bone-strengthening grass — common herb. Red fruit — common herb…" In the few steps it took to walk over, Tang Yan identified the herbs on the old man's stall one by one, scanning them from start to finish without finding anything special.

He walked over with a slight frown. The old man, who had not seen a single customer all day, suddenly spotted a richly dressed young gentleman approaching, and his face immediately broke into a smile. "Young Master, what herbs are you looking for? Old me offers absolutely fair prices, and these herbs were just dug up a few days ago — their potency is absolutely full."

"Old-timer, are all your herbs laid out on this stall?" As he spoke, Tang Yan's eyes drifted toward the old man's bamboo basket.

Hearing this, the old man couldn't help but let out a sigh. The young master's meaning was clear — he hadn't taken a liking to a single herb on the stall. The old man smiled bitterly. "Everything I have to sell is out on the stall."

Tang Yan's eyes lit up at that. If everything he had to sell was on the stall, didn't that mean there was still something inside the basket? Tang Yan walked over and lifted the cloth covering the basket's lid — and sure enough, there was one more medicinal herb inside.

When he saw the shape of the herb clearly, Tang Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and he nearly cried out in shock.

The herb was not large — withered yellow all over, roughly the size of a radish. The roots below were scraggly and curled, making it look utterly unappealing.

Tang Yan happened to recognize this object. Its name was the Spirit Vortex Fruit.

This herb was extraordinarily rare, with extremely demanding requirements for its growing environment. Its primary effect was to temper the cultivation core, allowing it to hold a greater amount of True Qi. It was like a cup — without changing its height, widening its diameter would let it hold more water.

He hadn't expected to come across such a treasure on this outing. Suppressing the shock and delight welling up inside him, Tang Yan asked casually, "What is this thing? It's really ugly."

"I dug this up in the deep mountains. Forgive this old man's poor eyes — I don't recognize it at all," the old man answered honestly.

"This young master finds it rather pleasing to the eye. Take it home, stew it in a pot with an old hen — might make a great tonic soup. Old-timer, how much silver for it?" Tang Yan asked in his usual carefree manner.

Hearing Tang Yan's words, the old man waved his hand. "I don't even know what it is. Looking at how it turned out, I'd guess its medicinal potency has long since faded. If you want it, young master, just take it."

"Then I thank you, old-timer. Little Cui, pay the man — one hundred silver taels." Tang Yan waved his hand.

Little Cui inwardly lamented that her young master had reverted to his spendthrift ways, but she drew a one-hundred-tael silver note from her pouch and handed it to the old man.

"That won't do, that won't do." The old man hurriedly waved his hands. "This herb is worth one tael of silver at most."

"This young master told you to take it, so take it. Stop fussing." Tang Yan feigned displeasure.

The old man froze at those words, his eyes filling with tears. He dropped to his knees with a thud and cried, "My grandson is gravely ill, and I've been at my wit's end for money to treat him. Young Master, your great kindness and virtue — this old man will carry it in his heart forever. If there is ever anything I can do for you, I will spare no effort, even at the cost of these old bones!"

"Old-timer, please get up quickly. If someone sees this, they'll think the young master is bullying the common folk again." Little Cui was startled and hurried to help the old man to his feet.

At this moment, Tang Yan had no desire to linger. The moment he had held the Spirit Vortex Fruit, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron in his cultivation core had been shaking with frantic excitement, like a wailing infant desperate to be fed.

Suddenly, Tang Yan gave a start and quickly passed the Spirit Vortex Fruit to Little Cui to hold. That wretched cauldron was this excited — Tang Yan immediately recalled the last time it had devoured his Spirit Initiation Pill. Surely this thing didn't want to eat the Spirit Vortex Fruit too?

"Young Master, what is this thing? It's so ugly." Little Cui held the Spirit Vortex Fruit with a look of mild distaste.

The Spirit Vortex Fruit was indeed hideous to look at. Tang Yan quickly and solemnly instructed her, "Little Cui, this is a precious item. You must hold it carefully. If it gets bumped or chipped, the loss would be enormous. Hold it well, and when we get home, I'll reward you with a hundred silver taels."

Hearing her young master's words, Little Cui's face immediately broke into a beaming smile, and she cradled the Spirit Vortex Fruit like a priceless treasure. Although the young master had been an utter scoundrel these past years, he had always treated her very well — it was just that he had never been quite this generous before.

Tang Yan had lost all interest in wandering the streets and was about to head home when an untimely voice rang out: "Well, well, look who it is — if it isn't the great Young Master Tang. Haven't seen you in over a month. Surely you haven't forgotten me?"

"How could I? Just a month ago I beat you like a dog and won two thousand silver taels off you. How could I ever forget someone like you — a fine fellow who lets me beat him and then gives me money on top of it?" Tang Yan smiled pleasantly at the newcomer.

There were four of them: Liu Yuan, two men dressed as bodyguards, and a young man in a blue robe.

Tang Yan narrowed his eyes. This young man's cultivation had already reached the first grade of the Yellow Realm. He was most likely a direct-lineage member of the Liu Family.

It was unclear whether Liu Yuan had seen Young Master Tang wielding a folding fan last time and thought it looked cool, but this time Liu Yuan had also dressed himself in white robes and carried a folding fan in hand.

Walking with his head held high, putting on airs, he did carry a faint air of refinement — but the moment he heard Tang Yan's mockery, his breathing quickened and his face flushed crimson.

How had Young Master Tang's tongue gotten so vicious in just these few days apart? Not a single crude word in what he said, yet Liu Yuan felt as though he had suffered a tremendous humiliation.

"You Fuck—" Liu Yuan opened his mouth, about to unleash a torrent of abuse.

"Keep your voice down!" Tang Yan pointed at Liu Yuan and barked angrily. "They say you can judge a person's taste by the company he keeps. You're being so loud — people will think I'm close with you. If they assume I have as little taste as you do, won't that embarrass the Tang Clan?"

Liu Yuan opened and closed his mouth, trying to curse but unable to get the words out. He could only feel a surge of blood rushing upward, and a fierce, burning sense of humiliation welled up inside him.