Following the old man through the crowd, Lin Mo Chen kept his back straight and his hands hidden inside his sleeves, raising his chin slightly to complete the appearance of an expert.
On the outside, he looked like a young master accustomed to visiting shady places without feeling the slightest fear. On the inside, his mind had already imagined at least seven different ways this could end with his corpse abandoned in a ditch.
Several steps ahead, the old man made his way between the stalls with surprising agility for someone Huo Can had called "a dying man." Patches of different colors covered his gray robe, and a long, unkempt beard swayed with every movement. From time to time, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Lin Mo Chen was still following him.
Whenever the old man looked back, Lin Mo Chen responded with an arrogant and slightly impatient smile, as though he were considering punishing him for walking too slowly. The moment he turned his head forward again, that expression vanished from Lin Mo Chen's face.
"Master," he murmured without moving his lips too much, "are you completely certain this old man has what I need?"
Huo Can's sleepy voice came from within his mind.
"I can sense beast blood and several spiritual cores among his belongings. At least one of them still contains a considerable amount of energy."
Upon hearing that answer, Lin Mo Chen walked with slightly greater confidence.
"Then why did you call him a dying man?"
"Because he's poisoned."
Lin Mo Chen nearly stopped, but continued walking to avoid drawing his guide's attention.
"Poisoned?"
"Don't shout inside your own head, brat. I can hear you perfectly well."
Gritting his teeth, Lin Mo Chen took a deep breath before continuing.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Poison is spreading through the Huan Qi channels of his left arm. Judging by the condition of his blood, I would say he was injured by a Copper-Tailed Scorpion. If he doesn't obtain an antidote before nightfall, he'll probably lose the arm. With a bit of bad luck, he'll lose something more important."
A strange mixture of relief and concern appeared within Lin Mo Chen. On the one hand, a poisoned old man seemed less dangerous. On the other hand, people who were about to lose an arm tended to make desperate decisions.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked:
"What level is he?"
Huo Can remained silent for several seconds, as though examining the man more carefully.
"Seventh level of Ling Qi. His channels are damaged, but he could still beat you into chicken feed."
Every trace of confidence disappeared from Lin Mo Chen's face.
Without allowing his thoughts to show in his expression, he continued following the old man as the large commercial pavilions fell behind them. Little by little, the vendors' shouts grew more distant and the streets began to narrow, eventually becoming a succession of damp alleys surrounded by old buildings whose walls seemed to remain standing purely out of habit.
Paying attention to every detail, Lin Mo Chen memorized each turn. First, they had turned right beside a stall selling dried fish; then they had walked two streets south before entering an alley so narrow that two people could barely walk side by side.
If he had to escape, he at least wanted to know which direction to run.
At the end of the alley stood an old dye shop that looked as though it had been abandoned for several years. The old man stopped in front of it. A rotten wooden sign hung crookedly above the entrance, creaking whenever the wind blew.
"This way, young master."
After pushing open the door, he disappeared into the dark interior.
Lin Mo Chen stopped in front of the entrance and examined the place suspiciously. From where he stood, he could barely make out a narrow space illuminated by a dust-covered window, with no visible exit at the back. Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to turn around and return to a busier street.
"Go inside, brat," Huo Can said. "There's no one else in there."
"Just because there's no one else doesn't mean it's safe."
"Then go home and keep talking to your chicken until they send you to grow rice in some remote village."
For an instant, the corners of his lips twitched. Lin Mo Chen straightened his back once more and crossed the threshold with the most confident expression he could muster.
The interior was saturated with the smell of dampness and bitter herbs, accompanied by a faint metallic scent. Faded fabrics hung from the walls, while broken boxes and empty barrels were piled in the corners.
The moment Lin Mo Chen fully crossed the threshold, a dull thud sounded behind him. The noise of the door closing immediately tightened the muscles in his back.
"There's no need to close it," he said with apparent indifference. "I won't be staying long."
A dry laugh escaped the old man's throat.
"I'm only trying to avoid curious eyes. The items I sell are not always easy to obtain."
Without showing any reaction, Lin Mo Chen followed him to a table at the back. After moving aside several old pieces of cloth, the old man pulled a dark wooden box from beneath the table. He carefully placed it in front of him and lifted the lid.
Inside rested two small glass vials beside three beast cores of different sizes. Several fragments of materials Lin Mo Chen did not recognize lay scattered around them.
A deep crack ran through the center of the yellowish core. Beside it, another core the size of a walnut had a dull red color, while the third looked little different from a gray stone speckled with tiny green spots.
Both vials contained a dark, viscous liquid that emitted a faint pressure. Lin Mo Chen did not know much about spiritual beasts, but even he could sense it.
For an instant, Lin Mo Chen's eyes lit up.
That tiny change did not escape the old man's notice, and a greedy smile appeared beneath his beard.
"Fresh Ironback Wolf blood," he announced as he raised one of the vials. "A low-level first-rank spiritual beast. It's perfect for tempering the body."
Lin Mo Chen had to restrain himself from looking down at the obsidian pendant.
"How much?"
"For an extraordinary young man like you, only sixty gold coins."
Not a single change crossed Lin Mo Chen's face, although inside his mind he was already cursing seven entire generations of the old man's family.
Sixty coins. Only ten less than what a legitimate shop had demanded, with no guarantee that the liquid was not pig's blood mixed with paint.
"Master," he asked mentally, "tell me you didn't bring me all the way here just to offer me a scam almost as expensive as the others."
A brief laugh echoed inside his head.
"The blood is genuine."
A measure of relief reached Lin Mo Chen's heart, although it did not last long.
"But it has been diluted," Huo Can added.
"How much?"
"Nearly two-thirds of it is medicinal water. The blood is also several days old. A single vial wouldn't be enough for what we need."
For an instant, Lin Mo Chen felt the urge to grab the box and smash it over the old man's head. Instead, he leaned forward and examined the vial with narrowed eyes.
He slowly turned the container between his fingers, watching the liquid slide down the glass. He had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for, but nodded as though he had just confirmed his suspicions.
"Ironback Wolf blood," he murmured. "How interesting."
Beneath the old man's beard, that greedy smile widened.
"I see the young master knows how to recognize quality goods."
"I also know how to recognize Red Mist Root water."
The seller's expression immediately froze.
Lin Mo Chen did not know what a Red Mist Root was either, but Huo Can had just spoken the name inside his mind. Before the old man could react, he raised the vial to eye level.
"The color is too light, the consistency is too thin, and the sweet scent of preservatives barely manages to conceal the fact that the blood was diluted more than once."
Huo Can had been far more precise, but giving an exact amount might provoke questions Lin Mo Chen would not know how to answer.
With a light tap, he placed the vial back on the table and smiled disdainfully.
"Sixty coins? I could get water from any well in Yunshan for much less."
Neither of them spoke for several seconds. The shameless greed had vanished from the old man's eyes. Now he watched Lin Mo Chen cautiously, trying to determine how much he truly knew.
"It seems I misjudged the young man," he finally admitted. "However, even if it is diluted, it is still genuine spiritual beast blood."
"Even if a soup contains a piece of meat, it's still mostly water."
Laughter echoed inside Lin Mo Chen's mind. Across from him, the old man merely frowned.
"Forty-five coins," the old man offered reluctantly.
Lin Mo Chen nearly laughed; he only had thirty-nine coins left.
He slipped his hands into his sleeves and slowly circled the table, pretending to examine the rest of the items.
"Twenty."
"Twenty?!" The old man slammed his palm against the table. "Young man, don't mistake negotiation for robbery!"
The blow made Lin Mo Chen's heart jump inside his chest, but his expression did not change.
"Then you may keep your blood."
Without adding anything else, he turned around and walked toward the door without haste, even though panic was growing inside him at an alarming rate.
Just as his fingers were about to reach the latch, Huo Can intervened.
"Wait. The poison has already reached his shoulder, and he's desperate."
An idea immediately appeared in Lin Mo Chen's mind.
Without turning around, he spoke in a casual voice:
"Although, now that I think about it, perhaps I should thank you. With those twenty coins, you could purchase at least part of the antidote for Copper-Tailed Scorpion venom."
Suddenly, the air inside the shop seemed to freeze.
A strangled gasp sounded behind him. Lin Mo Chen slowly turned around and discovered that all color had drained from the old man's face, while he tightly gripped his left arm beneath his sleeve.
"Who are you?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Cold sweat began to gather along Lin Mo Chen's back.
It was impossible to explain that a ghostly master living inside a pendant was revealing all of the old man's secrets to him, so he resorted to the only option he had left.
He formed a small, calm smile filled with a confidence he did not possess in the slightest.
"Someone you shouldn't try to deceive."
For several seconds, the old man stared at him intently. Lin Mo Chen held his gaze while repeating a single plea inside his mind:
Please don't try to kill me.
The tension remained between them for several seconds, until the seller released a heavy sigh and his shoulders slumped in resignation.
"Thirty-five coins for both vials," he said. "That is my final offer."
Lin Mo Chen remained silent and pretended to consider the proposal.
"Master, will both be enough?"
"After removing the impurities, there will be exactly enough."
After pretending to think it over, Lin Mo Chen shifted his gaze toward the three cores still resting inside the box.
"And those?"
"The yellow one is practically empty. The red one belonged to a Blazing-Scaled Lizard, but it's damaged. The gray one is garbage."
With an indifferent expression, Lin Mo Chen pointed toward the red core.
"Thirty-five for both vials and that core."
Disbelief immediately appeared on the old man's face.
"That core is worth at least twenty coins by itself!"
"It's cracked and has already lost more than half of its energy."
Slowly, Lin Mo Chen lowered his gaze toward the arm the old man was hiding beneath his sleeve.
"Besides, the longer we waste arguing, the less useful any antidote you manage to buy will become."
With his jaw clenched, the seller hesitated between his need for money and his obvious desire to strangle Lin Mo Chen on the spot. In the end, he picked up the red core and threw it into the box beside the vials.
"Deal."
Lin Mo Chen felt profound relief, although he did not allow it to show on his face. He took out his coin pouch and counted thirty-five coins onto the table; every clink hurt as though he were handing over a piece of his own flesh.
After everything his parents had sacrificed to gather that amount of money, he had just spent almost all of his savings.
If the technique did not work, he would throw Huo Can into the river, pendant included.
Without wasting any time, the old man stored the coins away. Lin Mo Chen wrapped the vials and the red core in a piece of cloth before carefully hiding them inside his robe.
Just as he was about to leave, a hoarse voice stopped him. Prepared for any sudden change of mind, Lin Mo Chen turned around.
"The poison…" Each word seemed to struggle against the old man's pride before leaving his mouth. "Does it truly come from a Copper-Tailed Scorpion?"
"Tell him not to try forcing the poison out with his Huan Qi," Huo Can said inside his mind. "He'll only push it toward his heart."
With a solemn expression, Lin Mo Chen repeated the warning.
"Do not try to force it out with Huan Qi. If you do, you'll push it directly toward your heart."
Even paler than before, the old man asked:
"Then what should I do?"
"Obtain a Blood-Cleansing Pill before nightfall. If you cannot afford one, a mixture of White Bone Flower and Bitter Lotus Root will slow the poison's advance for several hours."
Naturally, Lin Mo Chen did not recognize either of those plants. He merely repeated Huo Can's instructions with the solemnity of a celestial physician who had saved countless lives.
Little by little, the hostility left the old man's eyes. Cupping his hands together, he gave a bow far more respectful than any of the previous ones.
"I thank the young master for the warning."
Lin Mo Chen responded with a simple nod.
"Consider us even."
Without looking back, he opened the door and left the shop. Only after turning the corner and putting several streets between them did he allow his shoulders to slump.
"I almost died," he murmured as he placed a hand over his chest.
"Nothing happened," Huo Can replied.
"He was a seventh-level Ling Qi cultivator! He could have killed me with the only hand he still had working."
"But he didn't."
"Because you told me what to say."
A disdainful snort echoed inside his mind.
"Don't be so modest, brat. Your performance wasn't bad. You managed to fool him with your acting."
Little by little, satisfaction appeared on Lin Mo Chen's face.
"Really?"
"No. You looked like a child trying to imitate an adult, but the old man was too frightened to notice."
The smile disappeared from Lin Mo Chen's face as quickly as it had appeared.
Ignoring his master's mockery, Lin Mo Chen carefully felt the package hidden beneath his robe.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he had willingly entered a dangerous situation and obtained exactly what he had been looking for.
A strange feeling filled his chest.
It was not merely relief, but a satisfaction that was difficult to hide. Perhaps he did not possess extraordinary talent or Lin Xuan's absurd luck, but neither was he helpless. With the right knowledge and enough courage, he could carve out a path of his own.
"Master, admit it. This disciple has some talent for negotiation."
"Master?"
The only response he received was the murmur of the crowd around him.
"Of course. Now you decide to sleep."
Still enjoying his small victory, he continued walking until an uncomfortable sensation crawled across the back of his neck. At first, he tried to ignore it, convinced that it was merely the paranoia he had developed since meeting Lin Xuan.
However, when he passed a stall covered in bronze mirrors, he stopped in front of one and pretended to examine it.
Through one of the distorted reflections, he spotted a thin man dressed in gray about twenty steps away, pretending to inspect some herbs.
Without showing any reaction, Lin Mo Chen resumed walking. He turned onto a side street, and a few seconds later, the stranger did the same. Farther ahead, Lin Mo Chen crossed to the other side of the road; the man also switched sides, always maintaining the same distance.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Lin Mo Chen's back.
"Master," he called mentally. "I think someone is following me."
He received only silence in response.
"Master, this isn't the time to sleep."
Finally, Huo Can's weary voice echoed inside his head.
"It isn't one."
Lin Mo Chen immediately felt his heart sink.
"How many?"
"Three. One behind you, another walking on the opposite side of the street, and one more on the rooftops."
His fingers tightened around his sleeves.
"What levels are they?"
"Two of them are at the fifth level of Ling Qi. The one on the roof is at the sixth."
All the satisfaction he had felt until then disappeared without a trace.
He slightly quickened his pace while directing his gaze toward the end of the street. Several hundred steps away stretched the main avenue, crowded with people beneath the watchful eyes of the guards. No one would dare attack him openly there.
Before he could leave the side street, a tall man stepped out of an alley and blocked his path. A scar ran across his face.
Behind him, the gray-clad man abandoned any attempt at concealment and quickened his pace. From one of the rooftops, a third man dropped down with a dull thud in front of the only side exit.
Sensing the situation, the few nearby pedestrians averted their gazes before hurrying away. In that part of the market, no one seemed willing to involve themselves in a stranger's problems.
While his mind worked desperately, Lin Mo Chen observed the three men. From the front, the scarred man smiled and extended a hand toward him.
"Young friend, our employer believes you took something that does not belong to you."
Lin Mo Chen narrowed his eyes before speaking in the deepest voice he could manage.
"How strange. I clearly remember paying for it."
"We aren't only talking about the merchandise," the man said, directing his gaze toward the obsidian pendant. "That piece also appears rather valuable."
With irritating calm, Huo Can spoke inside his mind.
"Brat, it seems your performance was too convincing."
Staring at the three cultivators blocking his path, Lin Mo Chen slowly took a breath and straightened his back once more.
Lin Mo Chen had no idea who had sent those three men, but it seemed that this time, he would not be able to escape so easily.