Chapter 55: Nine Curve Golden Lotus
At the moment the Ying family appeared, Ying Xuejian’s aura briefly became chaotic, and a flash of red light passed through her eyes, hidden beneath her hood.
“Let’s go. We should take a look too,” Ying Tong said, leading the way.
As they passed by the stall with the Nine Curve Golden Lotus, most of the crowd had already dispersed, leaving only an old monk still in a standoff with the stall owner.
The stall owner seemed to be growing increasingly impatient, likely due to the ongoing disturbance, so he simply closed his eyes and ignored the situation.
Seeing this, the old monk’s eyes flashed with anger. He muttered something under his breath, then sharply swung his sleeve and turned to leave.
Ying Tong noticed a subtle movement in the crowd—at the farthest, least noticeable corner—a figure in a black cloak subtly moved their fingers. A grayish insect flew from their fingertips and silently landed on the stall owner’s clothes.
Once the deed was done, the black-cloaked figure’s eyes gleamed with excitement before quietly slipping out of the crowd.
It seemed that many were eyeing the Nine Curve Golden Lotus.
Ying Tong hesitated for a moment, then changed direction and walked toward the Nine Curve Golden Lotus stall.
Sensing a new arrival, the stall owner barely opened one eye to glance at Ying Tong. “Do you have any The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushrooms?”
Ying Tong nodded, flicking her hand. A palm-sized purple spiritual herb appeared in her hand.
In that instant, the surrounding onlookers gasped in surprise.
Previously, some had mocked the stall owner for dreaming of obtaining the The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom. Such a precious item, even if it existed, would be too precious to part with.
As a result, they were quickly slapped in the face.
At this point, the stall owner had fully opened his eyes, and there was even a trace of shock in his gaze.
It was clear that he hadn’t expected to actually receive the The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom. He had likely given up hope of obtaining it.
After carefully examining the item, the stall owner said, “This is indeed the The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom.”
Now, the people around them were no longer calm. Some even seemed ready to snatch it away.
“Little girl, I’m willing to trade my entire fortune for your The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom.”
“I am also willing to trade everything.”
“So am I.”
…
Seeing so many people trying to cut in, the stall owner immediately activated a barrier, isolating everyone else, and looked at Ying Tong to confirm, “Are you really sure you want to trade?”
Ying Tong nodded, “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be here.”
Hearing this, the stall owner nodded in agreement, “Good. However, I must remind you, although this Nine Curve Golden Lotus is precious, it has already grown nine lotus seeds, and the ninth one is almost ripe. It is no longer suitable for use in medicine.”
Upon hearing this, Ying Tong was the one who was surprised. She hadn’t expected that the stall owner would know about this detail.
Indeed, a Nine Curve Golden Lotus that had produced nine lotus seeds was no longer suitable for use in medicine, but it wasn’t entirely unusable— it was just considered too wasteful.
After both parties confirmed the exchange, they successfully completed the trade.
From the outside, the Nine Curve Golden Lotus appeared no larger than a fist, surrounded by a golden glow, radiating a sacred aura.
However, the true Nine Curve Golden Lotus was much larger. It had four layers of petals, with 27 petals on each layer, totaling 108 petals. Including the petals, it measured about 1.5 meters in diameter.
After storing the Nine Curve Golden Lotus, Ying Tong casually pointed out the gray insect on the stall owner’s clothes. “It’s best to be a bit more careful when traveling outside, Fellow Daoist.”
Upon seeing the crushed gray insect, the stall owner’s face, hidden beneath his cloak, instantly darkened.
He cupped his hands toward Ying Tong in thanks. “Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist.”
At this point, the crowd outside hadn’t dispersed. To be precise, they were all waiting for Ying Tong to come out. As for what would happen after she came out…
Fights were not allowed inside the black market, but once someone left, there was no issue.
Ying Tong was fully aware of these people’s intentions. Seeing the previous person’s skilled actions, it was clear that murder and theft were common occurrences in the black market.
So, Ying Tong directly used her Wind Escape technique, transforming into a gust of wind and leaving openly right in front of everyone.
Meanwhile, the man who had noticed the death of his tracking insect turned pale with shock.
He hurried back to the location but found that the place was already empty.
After asking around with nearby people, he learned that not long after he had left, someone had taken the The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom and used it to exchange for the Nine Curve Golden Lotus.
Upon hearing this, the man’s eyes turned sharp with rage, as if he were about to kill.
Especially when he inquired about the whereabouts of the person who had exchanged the Nine Curve Golden Lotus, no one could provide any useful clues. His face grew even darker with frustration.
…
At the same time, Ying Tong returned to the side of Ying Xuechen and the others.
“Grand Aunt, you didn’t really…” Ying Xuechen said, having seen Ying Tong walk toward the Nine Curve Golden Lotus stall with his own eyes.
Ying Tong nodded. “It’s already in my possession.”
Upon hearing this, Ying Xuechen’s mouth fell open in shock. The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom was incredibly rare, even in the Cangqiong Realm.
Although both the Nine Curve Golden Lotus and the The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom were rare, if people were to rank them, there was no doubt that the Nine Curve Golden Lotus would come after the The Sky-Repairing Purple Mushroom.
As if seeing through Ying Xuechen’s thoughts, Ying Tong explained, “Don’t worry, I’m not foolish enough to waste a millennium on him. It’s just a hundred-year-old little spirit mushroom, nothing special. I have as many as I need.”
Ying Xuechen was stunned after hearing this.
At the same time, a commotion arose not far away.
This time, it wasn’t an individual who brought out the Sarira Buddha Bead, but the black market itself.
To be precise, the power behind the black market chose to reveal the Sarira Buddha Bead. As for why it was brought out, no one knew.
Among the crowd, Ying Nanxi’s eyes flashed with greed as she saw the golden glow emanating from the Sarira Buddha Bead.
The moment the bead appeared, she felt her body lighten, and her conviction that the Sarira Buddha Bead could lift the curse on her grew stronger.
As long as she had this Buddha bead, she would be able to return to her original form. She no longer cared about the Ying family or her bloodline.
All that mattered was that with the curse lifted, Ying Nanxi was confident she could ascend within a century. When that time came, she would make the Ying family regret everything they had done to her.
…
On Ying Tong’s side, once the Sarira Buddha Bead appeared, the group instantly lost interest.
Since the bead had already been displayed before, the one taken out by the black market now seemed less impressive. They couldn’t find an appropriate word for it, other than “ordinary.”
Compared to the shock and excitement on the faces of those around them, their reaction was utterly indifferent.
Just then, a voice from somewhere in the crowd stood out, completely at odds with the surrounding atmosphere.
