The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chunks of light blue crystalline stones, each shaped like an egg, emitted a faint, fluorescent glow. Even from a distance, Chen Dong could feel the rich Spiritual Qi contained within them.

Before the tea was even served, Zhou Zeyuan had already taken out a pile of Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring and heaped them onto the main table.

He enjoyed watching the looks of desire on others' faces; it was a little quirk of his.

They took their seats, and tea was served.

Before anyone could take a sip, a scantily clad Female Cultivator walked in and whispered a few words in Zhou Zeyuan's ear.

Zhou Zeyuan's brow furrowed for a moment, but then his expression relaxed into a familiar smile. "Brother Zhuang, about this Tiger Demon's eye..."

Zhuang Zheng hurriedly replied in a fawning tone, "Pavilion Master Zhou, this Single-Horned White Tiger Demon was incredibly hard to find. It was already like this when we discovered it. You could even say the missing eye is a unique feature. Doesn't it make it seem all the rarer?"

Wang Wan'Er was stunned. 'Hard to believe that Zhuang Zheng, a ruthless man who kills without batting an eye, could be so sycophantic.'

Zhou Zeyuan smiled, ignoring the bait, and said bluntly, "Brother Zhuang, we're old friends. But business is business. The Tiger Demon is missing an eye. As is customary when such an obvious flaw affects its appearance, we have to dock thirty percent. However... seeing as it's you all, I'll only take off twenty percent!"

The Eight Immortals had anticipated this. Still, Zhuang Zheng put on a pained expression as he nodded. "Alright, as Pavilion Master Zhou says."

Zhou Zeyuan was actually a little surprised. Given the tempers of these eight, he'd expected some haggling. 'Why are they being so agreeable today?' he wondered. But since the deal was done and everyone was happy, he didn't dwell on it.

With that settled, Zhuang Zheng pulled out a piece of cloth. Written on it in small characters was a list of all the medicinal herbs Chen Dong required.

"Apologies for the trouble, Pavilion Master Zhou, but could you help us prepare the items on this list?"

Zhou Zeyuan glanced at the list. It was just a bunch of medicinal herbs. From his perspective as the Pavilion Master, the items were rather low-grade. But since it was the 'Eight Immortals' asking, he decided to do them a favor and nodded.

"Of course, of course. Please, enjoy your tea. I'll have someone prepare these for you."

A moment later, all the medicinal herbs from the list were placed before them. The quantities and types were exactly as requested, without the slightest error.

Zhou Zeyuan then collected five hundred pieces from the pile of Spirit Stones on the table.

"Only three of these herbs have any real value, and all told, they're worth no more than three Spirit Stones. Consider them a gift from me. The Tiger Demon is valued at two thousand four hundred Spirit Stones, and adding the one hundred Spirit Stone deposit you paid for the Flying Boat, that leaves two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones for you. Please, take a look."

Zhuang Zheng deftly swept up the Spirit Stones and herbs. "No need to check! Many thanks, Pavilion Master Zhou!"

Zhou Zeyuan smiled. "Brother Zhuang, I have two new treasure-hunting missions. Are the Eight Immortals interested?"

Zhuang Zheng shook his head slightly. "After returning this time, my brothers and I want to cultivate in seclusion for a period. Earning Spirit Stones can wait."

Afterward, the group left the Treasure Hunting Pavilion and visited two other apothecaries. Zhuang Zheng, being cautious, had split the list Chen Dong provided into three parts. Besides the herbs, they also purchased twenty jars of the finest Nu'er Hong wine.

Once all the items were gathered, the group took Chen Dong and Wang Wan'Er and headed for their lair.

Their lair wasn't located within a bustling city, but on a nearby mountain peak.

With the Flying Boat gone, they had the youngest of their group, the Flood Immortal, conjure a Water Dragon to carry Chen Dong and Wang Wan'Er through the air.

This method consumed a great deal of True Qi, but fortunately, their destination wasn't far—just an unremarkable mountain peak outside the city.

They called this peak Eight Immortals Mountain. Their cave residences were carved into the mountainside near the summit. In addition to the eight caves, there was a small estate where some thirty ordinary people they had abducted handled the daily chores.

Chen Dong had no time to observe the estate before Zhuang Zheng and the others ushered him into the cave residence of the Fox Daoist, the 'Longevity Immortal.' It was the only cave equipped with Earth Fire and a Pill Furnace. The fact that he knew alchemy was a large part of the reason the Fox Daoist was their second-in-command.

Zhuang Zheng dumped all the materials from a storage bag and said coldly, "You claimed you could make Drunken Immortal Brew in one day. I'll give you two. You two lovebirds will stay right here. If you can't produce the Drunken Immortal Brew in two days, I'll give the woman to my third brother. As for you... I'll sell you to a brothel!"

He had calmed down by now. 'My third brother was right,' he thought. 'How could a brat with practically no cultivation possibly make Drunken Immortal Brew? But the potential profits are just too tempting. What if he's telling the truth? Two days will pass in a flash, anyway. I'll just give the kid this one chance.'

Upon hearing this, Fatty Xin Ranming snorted coldly, seeming unenthused.

Zhuang Zheng took out four hundred Spirit Stones and gave them to the Fox Daoist. "Second Brother," he ordered, "you watch them."

With that, he turned and left the cave residence. The rest of the 'Eight Immortals' followed, all of them waiting for him to divide up the Spirit Stones.

Once they were gone, Chen Dong began to inspect the cave residence. It was simple and crude, without much decoration. The outer chamber was about a hundred square meters. In the center, a Pill Furnace taller than a man rested above the Earth Fire. A curtain hung over the entrance to an inner chamber, obscuring the view.

Chen Dong approached the Pill Furnace, observing it for a moment. It was three-legged with six handles, its body a faint black. The quality was excellent—a whole grade better than the Zhang Family's ancestral Pill Furnace.

The old Fox Daoist chimed in, introducing it proudly. "This Third-Grade Profound Gold Pill Furnace is my prized treasure. While it's not quite a Fourth-Grade Pill Furnace, it's a rare masterpiece among third-grade models. In the Daoist Workshop City, it would fetch a price of at least one Single-Horned White Tiger Demon."

Chen Dong sighed inwardly. 'As expected of a world revolving around cultivation. The classification system for equipment is so much more detailed than in the modern world.'

Having had a chance to show off, the old Daoist was in a rather good mood. He said with a smile, "If you want to use the Pill Furnace, just wait a moment. I need to retrieve the Nourishing Yuan Pills I have maturing inside."