After a moment of thought, Chu Mu sensed the woman’s cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. "Could I trade for it with elixirs?" he asked tentatively.

Hearing this, the woman paused, looking up at Chu Mu with an expression of both hope and hesitation. "What kind of elixirs?"

Chu Mu took out a bottle of Vein Nourishing Pills and handed it over. "Vein Nourishing Pills!"

The woman took the bottle and glanced at its contents before her head snapped up. "You’re an Alchemist?"

Chu Mu was slightly startled, then immediately denied it. "I’m not."

The woman pressed on, "Then do you know an Alchemist?"

Before he could answer, as if worried Chu Mu would refuse, the woman quickly added, "If you can help me get in touch with an Alchemist, I’ll sell you this Magic Robe for half price!"

At these words, Chu Mu swallowed the refusal that was on the tip of his tongue.

’Half price... That’s six hundred Spirit Stones!’

’For that many Spirit Stones, if the terms are right, maybe I can bend my principles a little.’

’Speaking of which, besides myself, I really do know one other Alchemist.’

’His skills are probably a bit lacking, though.’

’After all, from what I know, Sun Tao, that Longevity Sect disciple at Huichun Pavilion, can only manage to refine Grain Avoidance Pills, and even then, his success rate is low.’

The woman couldn’t hide her anticipation and even stood up. "You know someone?"

Chu Mu didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at the woman before him and asked, "Tell me why."

The woman hesitated, but finally, she gritted her teeth and said:

"I need to have an Ancient Elixir refined. It’s Tier One Upper Grade."

Chu Mu frowned. As an Alchemist himself, he didn’t have a wealth of experience, but he certainly knew the fundamentals.

’Any Pill Recipe with the word ’Ancient’ attached to it is guaranteed to be exceptionally rare.’

’In ancient times, Spiritual Qi was abundant, and Treasures of Heaven and Earth were countless. But in this era, as they say in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, resources are scarce.’

’It’s questionable whether the Spirit Medicines required for a Tier One Upper Grade Pill Recipe from that time even exist anymore.’

’But if this woman has actually managed to gather all the Spirit Medicines for an Ancient Pill Recipe, then...’

The potential for profit was tempting, and Chu Mu was clearly swayed.

The woman asked urgently, "Can the Alchemist you know refine it?"

Chu Mu chose his words carefully and said slowly, "Ancient Pill Recipes are inherently different from the current way of alchemy. For any Alchemist, successfully refining a new recipe is difficult without the experience gained from multiple attempts."

Then, Chu Mu asked tentatively, "How many sets of Spirit Medicines have you prepared?"

The woman didn’t answer, asking instead, "Are you the Alchemist?"

Chu Mu didn’t answer.

The woman’s expression turned stubborn. "You need to swear a Dao Heart Oath."

"Fine."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Mu swore the oath.

After that, they stopped speaking aloud and switched to Telepathy.

The woman transmitted, "I have five sets of the Spirit Medicines. Can you refine the pill?"

’Five sets...’

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, unable to hide his astonishment.

’For an Ancient, Tier One Upper Grade Pill Recipe, the main ingredient has to be a Spirit Medicine that’s at least several hundred years old.’

’Is that something a mere Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer Loose Cultivator can get her hands on?’

’What kind of heaven-defying luck is this?’

Chu Mu asked, "If the refining is successful, what’s the payment?"

The woman pointed to the Magic Robe. "This Magic Robe will be yours."

"And I will only take one batch of the finished elixirs."

Chu Mu’s heart skipped a beat. ’My bottom line? My principles? In the face of such a massive profit, they could all take a backseat!’

’A Magic Robe worth one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.’

’Five batches of Spirit Medicines, with ingredients hundreds of years old... Those are treasures you can’t buy even if you have the Spirit Stones!’

’If I succeed on the first attempt, I’ll have four whole sets of those Spirit Medicines left over...’

Chu Mu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his excitement, and said slowly, word by word, "I need to see the Pill Recipe."

Without hesitating, the woman handed him a Jade Scroll.

As the Jade Scroll came into his hand, the arm Chu Mu used to take it trembled involuntarily.

A familiar texture traveled from his palm to his mind. Forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Chu Mu extended his Divine Sense into the Jade Scroll.

Soul Cleansing Pill!

The moment his Divine Sense entered, three large, ancient words appeared clearly in his mind.

Immediately after, the Pill Recipe’s composition and the elixir’s effects unfolded before him.

About fifteen minutes later, Chu Mu slowly lowered the Jade Scroll, pure shock filling his eyes.

’Ancient Pill Recipes... so ridiculously extravagant!’

He could only use those two words to describe it.

’It was hard to imagine. One main ingredient that was five hundred years old, two supplementary ingredients that were three hundred years old, and ten other Spirit Medicines ranging from fifty to two hundred years old... all just to refine a mere Tier One Lower Grade elixir.’

’How old was the main ingredient for a Vein Nourishing Pill, an elixir that could support a Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivator all the way to the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation?’

’Even for the Foundation Establishment Pill, famous throughout the Cultivation Immortal Realm and incredibly difficult to obtain, its most precious ingredient was only a single Spirit Medicine that was several hundred years old.’

The woman asked urgently, "Well? Can you refine it?"

Chu Mu didn’t answer. He looked down at the Jade Scroll in his hand, silently weighing the pros and cons.

Finally, under the woman’s anxious gaze, he said slowly, "If you really have five sets of the Spirit Medicines as you claim, I can give it a try."

The woman pressed, "So you’re confident?"

Chu Mu nodded. "Give me half a year."

The woman seemed immensely relieved. "Then I’ll be counting on you. However, you’ll need to swear a Dao Heart Oath and sign a Divine Soul Contract." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The woman then took out a Divine Soul Contract. Words materialized on its surface, presenting themselves to Chu Mu.

Chu Mu glanced at it. The contract was quite reasonable. It focused on the final outcome, included standard clauses to prevent malicious intent, and mandated confidentiality for both parties.

’But this Divine Soul Contract... it seems different from the ones I know of?’

As if sensing his confusion, the woman explained, "This is a Tier Two Divine Soul Contract. Not even someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm can break it!"

Chu Mu glanced at the woman, slightly surprised.

’A Tier Two Divine Soul Contract isn’t cheap!’

’Such an elixir, such Spirit Medicines, and now a Tier Two Divine Soul Contract... Just what is this woman’s background?’

As his thoughts raced, Chu Mu’s Divine Sense stirred, and his real name materialized on the Divine Soul Contract... Chu Mu!

The contract was bound to his Divine Soul. He couldn’t fake his name unless he could go against his own will.

The woman took the contract, and the name "Zhao Shuang" appeared upon it.

With the Divine Soul Contract signed, both parties proceeded to swear their individual Dao Heart Oaths as stipulated by the agreement.

The wariness in Zhao Shuang’s eyes finally lessened. "For the next six months, I’ll be staying with you. Our deal will be concluded when the elixir is successfully refined."

As she spoke, Zhao Shuang also handed him a Storage Talisman.

Chu Mu was taken aback. "You’re staying with me?"

"That’s right."

Zhao Shuang nodded.

Chu Mu fell silent for a moment. He glanced at the Jade Scroll in his hand, that familiar texture once again on his mind.

After a moment of thought, Chu Mu didn’t refuse.

Then, Chu Mu picked up the Upper Grade Magic Robe from the stall and began walking out of the Marketplace.

Seeing this, Zhao Shuang packed up the items on her stall and followed Chu Mu. They walked side-by-side and finally exited the Jade Emperor Black Market.

He had entered the Black Market alone, but now he left with a companion.

Zhao Shuang’s cultivation level wasn’t high, but she was by no means weak.

That much was clear from the items she had produced.

Those nearly priceless, rare Spirit Medicines, and this Magic Robe, which was an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact.

Compared to all that, the fortune he had painstakingly accumulated seemed insignificant.

’With all that, how could she not have some powerful tricks up her sleeve?’

Chu Mu even suspected that this woman, like him, had disguised her cultivation and appearance.

’And this Jade Scroll...’

This time, however, Chu Mu had no opportunity to witness anything. The journey out of the Black Market and all the way to the outskirts of Jade Emperor City was completely uneventful.

By the time they reached the outskirts of Yuning Town, Chu Mu had already changed his appearance again.

Zhao Shuang, following behind him, acted as if she hadn’t seen a thing.

"If anyone asks, just say you’re a relative of mine."

"Also, the Marketplace is full of shady characters, and the situation is tense right now. Don’t cause any trouble for me."

"If you get into trouble, you’re on your own. Our deal is strictly about the elixir."

Chu Mu stopped and turned to face Zhao Shuang. His voice was quiet, but his tone was firm.

Zhao Shuang nodded silently.

Seeing her response, Chu Mu said no more and turned toward the small town.

His neighbors were familiar with him, so he had to endure a round of questions. After dealing with them, he reached his front door.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, finding the place empty.

Although Storage Talismans were valuable and had time limits, he always carried all his worldly possessions with him, whether he was living in the Marketplace or here in town.

Thus, he wasn’t worried about anyone prying into his secrets.

’However, with another person in the house, my old way of life will have to change.’

The house he rented wasn’t small. In addition to the main hall where he spent most of his time, there were three other rooms of varying sizes.

"You can take your pick of those two rooms."

"But this room," he said, gesturing to one, "is off-limits without my permission."

"Other than that, do as you please."

With those few words, Chu Mu walked directly into one of the long-vacant side rooms.

He immediately laid down the portable, miniature isolation Restriction he carried with him, creating a concealed space.

Zhao Shuang stood in the main hall, watching Chu Mu disappear into his room. Once the door was shut, she finally took a look around the spotless living area.

The room was immaculate, showing no signs of being lived in.

This was a testament to Chu Mu’s caution. He made it a habit to clean the room every time he left, erasing any and all traces of his presence to avoid leaving behind the slightest clue.

Zhao Shuang looked around once more, then walked into one of the other rooms. The door closed, and all was quiet.

...