Chapter 159: A Valued Customer

Unlike his visit to the Demon Slaying Hall yesterday, Shen Changqing now possessed three hundred additional merit points, adding a spring to his step.

He entered the Merit Hall.

It was the same old man from before.

A smile blossomed on the old man’s face as he saw Shen Changqing.

"Lord Shen, what brings you here today?"

"I’m planning to exchange for a few things."

"Oh? May I ask what Lord Shen wishes to exchange for?"

The old man’s expression was surprised. Following protocol, he glanced at Shen Changqing’s identity token before returning it.

Immediately after, he retrieved the exchange list.

He treated Earth-Rank Demon Slayers, especially those with a promising future, with the utmost respect.

Shen Changqing didn’t even glance at the list in front of him. Instead, he produced a pale golden Demon Suppression Coin from his robes and placed it on the counter.

"I want to exchange for one hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea!"

Enlightenment Tea!

Grown deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains, this spiritual tea was cultivated from the essence of heaven and earth. Consuming it allowed martial artists to nourish their spirits and comprehend the profound truths of martial arts.

Clearly, it was a type of spiritual tea that could restore one’s spirit. As for comprehending the profound truths of martial arts, Shen Changqing remained skeptical.

If it truly allowed one to grasp the essence of martial arts, its price would be worth ten or even a hundred times more.

However, it was possible that such effects only manifested after prolonged consumption; one never knew.

As far as he was concerned, the ability to comprehend martial arts was secondary.

What truly mattered was its capacity to nourish the spirit.

Upon seeing the pale golden Demon Suppression Coin, the old man’s expression shifted slightly.

One Demon Suppression Coin equaled one hundred merit points.

Not everyone could produce one hundred merit points, and among the many Earth-Rank Demon Slayers, he had only seen a handful who possessed such a coin.

Without hesitation, he picked up the pale golden Demon Suppression Coin.

"Enlightenment Tea can be exchanged at a rate of one gram per merit point. Lord Shen, with one hundred merit points, you can exchange for one hundred grams."

After delivering this customary statement, the old man turned and entered the treasury, where the treasures were stored.

A moment later, he emerged, carrying an emerald green jar, as lustrous as jade.

"Enlightenment Tea is a spiritual tea that must be stored in jade containers to prevent the loss of its spiritual essence. This jar contains one hundred grams of the spiritual tea. Lord Shen, please take a look."

The emerald green jar was only the size of two adult palms.

Shen Changqing accepted it and opened the lid.

Instantly, a rich spiritual aura mingled with a refreshing fragrance assaulted his senses. Upon closer inspection, he noticed numerous leaves inside.

Each leaf was about the size of a little finger, vibrant green, and seemingly freshly plucked, with clearly visible veins.

After a brief examination, he resealed the jar.

As the old man had stated, the Enlightenment Tea possessed a potent spiritual essence that required a jade container to preserve. If too much essence leaked, the tea’s efficacy would diminish.

"By the way,"

"Can I exchange merit points for silver here?"

Shen Changqing placed the jar aside, recalling something.

Upon hearing this, the old man was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, a professional smile gracing his face.

"Lord Shen, you jest. Merit points are a unique resource of the Demon Suppression Division; how could they be used for trade? Such transactions are prohibited within the Demon Suppression Division."

"I see."

Shen Changqing understood.

He caught the hidden meaning in the old man’s words: while such exchanges were prohibited within the Demon Suppression Division, they were permissible outside its boundaries.

Immediately, a faint smile appeared on his face, and his voice lowered.

"Perhaps you could enlighten me on the exchange rate."

Seeing this, the old man glanced around cautiously. After confirming that no one was paying attention, he replied in a hushed tone.

"If Lord Shen is truly interested, the black market rate is approximately one to one hundred."

One to one hundred.

One merit point could be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver.

This price didn’t surprise Shen Changqing.

Merit points were inherently difficult to obtain. Slaying a demon only yielded a few points, so an exchange rate equivalent to hundreds of taels of silver was understandable.

After a pause, the old man added mysteriously, "In truth, merit points are highly sought after but rarely available on the black market. Silver can only buy ordinary items, whereas the treasures exchanged with merit points in the Demon Suppression Division are mostly valuable artifacts.

Take the Enlightenment Tea in your hands, for example; it would fetch an astronomical price outside.

Hehe, if Lord Shen is truly considering selling merit points, this old man can devise a way to sell them for as high as one to two hundred."

One to two hundred.

One hundred merit points would be worth twenty thousand taels of silver.

Looking at the person before him, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but chuckle. One moment, he seemed utterly selfless; the next, he had transformed completely.

"I was merely asking," Shen Changqing said, shaking his head with a smile. "I barely have enough merit points for my own needs; how could I have any to spare for sale?"

"It’s nothing. With Lord Shen’s talent and strength, earning merit points will be as easy as pie in the future. If Lord Shen ever has such thoughts, you can always come and find this old man.

By the way, my name is Ji Qu."

The old man smiled.

Ji Qu.

Shen Changqing repeated the name silently and nodded.

"I’ll keep that in mind. Farewell!"

"Also, Lord Shen, if you wish to brew Enlightenment Tea, it’s best to use jade tea sets. This will maximize the preservation of the spiritual essence and optimize its effects."

"Alright."

After leaving the Demon Slaying Hall, Shen Changqing first returned to his room to deposit the Enlightenment Tea. Then, he left the Demon Suppression Division and headed to the Treasure Pavilion.

This wasn’t his first visit.

As soon as he entered the Treasure Pavilion, someone approached him.

"May I ask if this young hero is visiting our Treasure Pavilion for the first time?"

He instinctively assumed that Shen Changqing, with his saber at the waist, was a wandering swordsman.

Judging by his appearance, Shen Changqing, clad in a blue robe, didn’t seem very old.

"I’m looking for Huang Yan."

"Ah, you’re here to see Warden Huang. Please, come in and take a seat while I inform him."

The person’s expression immediately became respectful.

Mentioning Huang Yan by name and speaking with such confidence indicated that this person was of considerable importance.

He dared not offend such a guest in any way.

Immediately, the person led Shen Changqing to a wing-room to wait and then left to deliver the message.

About a quarter of an hour later, a knock sounded on the door.

After Shen Changqing gave his assent, someone pushed the door open.

It was Huang Yan, the warden of the Treasure Pavilion, whom he had met once before.

Upon seeing Shen Changqing, the warden of the Treasure Pavilion was initially puzzled, but within a breath’s time, he realized who it was, and his face registered shock.

"This Huang was unaware that Lord Shen had arrived. I did not greet you in advance; I hope Lord Shen will not take offense!"

As he spoke, he repeatedly clasped his hands, his attitude bordering on obsequious.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing smiled.

"Warden Huang, there’s no need to be so polite."

"Haha, this Huang knows all about Lord Shen’s accomplishments. Remarkable, truly remarkable! Throughout history, only a handful of individuals have been able to venture alone into the fray and slay a Barbarian General amidst a sea of enemies.

Moreover, that Barbarian General was a renowned Grandmaster expert. Lord Shen has truly made a name for himself in one battle.

Your presence here at my Treasure Pavilion is a great honor."

Huang Yan’s words were filled with flattery.

Shen Changqing’s actions had truly shocked many people. Now, whenever the name Shen Changqing was mentioned in Jianghu, there were few who didn’t recognize it.

As soon as he heard the news, he thought of the Shen Changqing who had previously visited the Treasure Pavilion.

Some said that it was possible for two people to share the same name.

However, two individuals from the Demon Suppression Division named Shen Changqing was too much of a coincidence.

Therefore, in Huang Yan’s view, the Shen Changqing of Jianghu rumors was the same powerful individual he had received at the Treasure Pavilion before.

However, he hadn’t expected that the other party would come to the Treasure Pavilion so quickly.

Faced with the flattery, Shen Changqing wore a faint smile, but it wasn’t too obvious.

"Warden Huang, you jest. It’s just a bit of fame."

"Lord Shen, what brings you to the Treasure Pavilion this time? Please, feel free to speak your mind. Anything this Huang can do, I will certainly not refuse."

Huang Yan patted his chest, offering his guarantee.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing didn’t beat around the bush.

"I’m looking to purchase a jade tea set, preferably one of superior quality."

Since Ji Qu had said that brewing spiritual tea with a jade tea set yielded the best results, he might as well buy one. In any case, he had some silver on hand; might as well use it.

At his current level, that little bit of silver was no longer of much use.

Most of the things he could afford had little effect on Grandmasters.

Things like Qi and Blood Pills and True Qi Pills only worked if consumed in large quantities, but who would carry around a mountain of pills every day? Even if he stuffed himself full, he couldn’t carry much.

"A jade tea set."

Huang Yan repeated, then asked tentatively, "The Treasure Pavilion does have some jade tea sets. May I take the liberty to ask, Lord Shen, are you planning to use this tea set to brew spiritual tea?"

"Warden Huang is also knowledgeable about spiritual tea?"

Shen Changqing was surprised.

He hadn’t expected Huang Yan to know about spiritual tea. Now it seemed like he was the only one who had just learned about it; everyone else seemed to know a lot about it.

"Lord Shen, you jest. The Treasure Pavilion also sells some spiritual tea, so I’ve gained some understanding."

"The Treasure Pavilion also has spiritual tea? What kind of spiritual tea do you have?"

Shen Changqing’s heart stirred.

If the Treasure Pavilion also sold spiritual tea, that would make things much easier. In the future, when he didn’t have merit points, he could simply use silver to purchase it.

Compared to the difficulty of obtaining merit points, silver was much easier to come by.

Huang Yan said, "The Treasure Pavilion has the Five Treasures Tea for nourishing the physical body, the Essence Qi Tea for nourishing true Qi, and the Spirit Nourishing Tea for nourishing the spirit. The prices of the three spiritual teas are the same, one hundred taels of silver per gram.

Lord Shen is a valued customer of the Treasure Pavilion. This Huang can offer you a private discount. If you want to buy any, it’ll be eighty taels per gram."

End of Chapter