Bubai dismissed the old man's recognition, attributing it to the usual camaraderie often feigned by shopkeepers. "Yes, it is me," he affirmed calmly.

Sensing that Bubai’s mood wasn’t disturbed, the old shopkeeper, seemingly unfazed, settled into a more comfortable position, his voice lazy as he remarked, "Uhum, what a rare customer, not joining in the fun, instead coming to join these old bones here."

Giving the old man a scrutinizing look, Bubai retorted, "Aren't you the same, old man?"

The old shopkeeper chuckled, "Hoho, you also know to call me old man. It's better for these old bones to stay indoors, lest I break my back after being overly excited by those rowdy juniors."

Bubai rolled his eyes, prompting the old man to continue, "Alright, alright, I can smell the impatience from you." Waving his hand lazily, the old shopkeeper closed his eyes. "What do you need this time? I'm saying it first, there's no discounts."

"A couple sets of herbs for the disguise concoction and skin paste," Bubai stated.

"Oh my, so generous?" The old shopkeeper opened his eyes, seeming to gleam with avarice as he scrutinized Bubai’s body once more. "Did you make a windfall? Hum, picked up some unlucky fella's relics?"

Bubai, a bit uncomfortable under the shopkeeper's familiar greedy gaze, replied, "Whatever you say, old man... Well, are you going to sell or not?"

"Hai, hai, no need to hurry these old bones. Have a look around while I pack them up for you. See if there's anything else you need." The old shopkeeper hopped off his stool, his back hunched as he bumbled towards the antique medicine chest behind the counter.

Turning around, Bubai took this opportunity to explore the shop, searching for any additional items that might prove useful in his travels.

After a brief stroll around the shop, Bubai's attention was drawn to a displayed sword with some unknown runic symbols engraved on its blade. He picked it off the display rack, rubbing his finger along the blade.

“That is a sword, specially engraved with formations to enhance durability and flexibility, perfect for stabbing enemies because it won’t break as long as the formation is intact!” The old shopkeeper's praise drew Bubai’s attention.

“Really?” Bubai regarded the old man with suspicion.

"Really! This bag of old bones doesn't need to lie. I have my shop's reputation to uphold." As the old shopkeeper stacked the paper packages of herbs onto the counter, “Just 100 grams of spirit rice and it’s yours. You won’t find a better price elsewhere!”

Bubai instinctively reaching for the hidden pouch hanging on his waist under his robe, a bit tempted. It was true that he could not find a similar sword enhanced by formations for such a cheap price, even in the Nine Clouds Pavilion…

Sensing Bubai's interest, the old shopkeeper grinned, placing a sword sheath with a waist tie on the counter, "If you buy now, I'll throw in a scabbard for free."

Bubai's hesitation vanished. "I'll take it."

"Hoho, good! Bring it over, and I'll calculate the total!"

Bubai placed the sword on the counter, and as the old shopkeeper clacked away on an abacus, he initiated a conversation, "It seems like you are ready to go off on an adventure?"

“You can tell?”

“Hoho, I can smell the vibe off ya. Hey, I was also one who like to run all over the world when I was young, but I took an arrow to the knee and now I’m sitting here in this shabby shop.”

Bubai's lips twitched.

The old shopkeeper suddenly halted his calculations, “Hey, now that I think about it…”

Bending over, the old man began rummaging beneath the counter. “I still have my relics from my young days. I’m sure it could be useful for you…”

“Uh, old man, I really don’t need-”

“Hey, don’t refuse so fast. Going out to travel, how could you do without any life-saving equipment?” The old shopkeeper pulled out a thick, cloth-wrapped package, slapping it on the counter. “And this thing is a heavenly life saving artifact!”

Bubai observed the strange straps and wires threading the cloth but couldn't identify its purpose. “What is it?”

The old shopkeeper then patted the package, “This here, is a relic that had saved these old bones countless times. I call it the Heavenly Sky Defier. Strap it onto yourself and after opening it, it will slow down your fall.”

Bubai scrutinized the package. Huh? No way… this sounds like… a parachute?

As if noticing Bubai’s interest, the old shopkeeper continued his sales pitch, “Trekking through mountains and forest, what if you accidentally fall off a cliff somewhere? Don’t listen to all the rumors out there about those lucky brats finding a fortune after falling off a cliff. The truth is that falling off a cliff is nine deaths out of ten lives! But with this treasure, no matter how high the fall is, you will land safe and sound!”

After considering all the novels he read, Bubai knew the old man’s words held some truth. Except the protagonist, how many could fall off a cliff and have the luck to tell the tale? Bubai certainly didn’t believe himself to be one.

Stolen novel; please report.

Knowing the fish had been hooked, the old shopkeeper pushed the package towards Bubai. “Take it, I’ll give you a discount as it won’t be useful to keep it here with these old bag of bones. How does two catties of spirit rice sound?”

“Two catties?! Can you open your mouth any wider?!” Bubai slammed his hands on the table in shock.

“Hey, for a life-saving artifact that has no restriction on its usage, it is considered cheap.” The old shopkeeper grinned, “Plus, as long as you don’t damage it, it’s reusable. Where else can you find such a powerful treasure at such a good price?”

If Bubai hadn’t known better, he would have been fooled. It was just a mortal tool and this old man praised it to the skies.

But, a parachute was indeed useful. So, he gritted his teeth, “How about half a cat-”

“Two catties. Add fifteen silver taels and I’ll throw in my 100 Ways to Disguise Your Appearance as a gift. This here can prove to be extremely useful when you lack faces to change. I’m only offering this deal because I’m giving you face…” The old shopkeeper’s gaze rested on Bubai’s masked face.

Bubai’s eyes flashed, but he wasn’t going to waver that easily. "How about..."

Before the he could finish his words, Bubai sensed a shift in the atmosphere.

The hunched old man sat upright, his aura changing. Sensing the pressure, Bubai still didn’t take a step back. Their eyes locked, exchanging an electrifying intensity suggesting readiness for a long, arduous confrontation.

Ling City. Outside of Black Market.

Emerging from the shadowy depths of the black market, Bubai glanced back for the final time, “Tsk, the older the ginger, the spicier.”

Bubai then vigilantly surveyed his surroundings before stealthily disappearing into the gloomy alleys of Ling City.

After a series of twists and turns, Bubai finally sighed in relief, satisfied that no one was tailing him. "I've got my supplies, and I can leave at any time."

Indifferent to the future chaos that might unfold when the demoness discovered his absence upon her return to the farm, he grinned beneath his mask. Even if there were repercussions, the other workers would bear the brunt of her wrath, and he would be long gone.

Raising his hand, now with a darker skin tone, Bubai reached up and removed his mask, revealing a new face. Surprisingly ordinary, it lacked the distinctive dirty smudges that marked Bubai's usual countenance.

Instead, it seemed the entire face had a natural, darker tone. Regardless, it was a face that would easily blend into a crowd, its features unremarkable, if not a bit ugly.

However, the older batch of serfs on Manager Qin's farm would recognize his face as the dead Ah Niu! And even if they closely scrutinized his face, they would only believe that the dead Ah Niu had come back to life!

The disguise seemed flawless, seamlessly melding with his own skin. Perhaps the only flaw was his own skin’s tone, which could potentially wash off.

To address this inherent flaw of his skin tone being washable, he had prepared extra portions of the special paste stored in his spatial storage, ready to be applied as needed.

"That old man is definitely not simple to be selling such a strange method. With this, even the catchers won't be able to find me with their lackluster painting skills.”

In a world of cultivators where outrageously realistic paintings and even entire worlds within canvases were possible, the quality of wanted portraits for most mortals and low-level cultivators still remained questionable.

It wasn’t rare for conflicts to occur over a mistaken identities often, and even ‘accidental’ murders were common. But for the righteous cause, such matters were conveniently swept under the rug.

"After all, the winner has the final say. The dead, who would care? At most, it's just a grievance for another generation."

Winding through the sparsely populated streets, Bubai confidently entered Nine Clouds Teahouse.

Waving his hand casually, he called out, "Xiao Er, a cup of Nine Clouds Tea!"

The waiter, in the midst of wiping a table with a rag, glanced up, unfazed by Bubai's dark and sketchy outfit. "Coming right up!" he hollered back with a cheerful smile, swiftly wiping a wooden stool before gesturing toward it. "Customer, have a seat."

Bubai nodded, settling onto the stool with a sweep of his robe and tossing a string of copper coins onto the table. Having recently acquired a small fortune, he felt entitled to enjoy himself... at least within the mortal world.

On the other hand, cultivation resources still demanded thriftiness.

The waiter, observing the generous payment, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He wasn't about to offend a possibly dangerous cultivator over a cup of tea. At most he would report it. Since it’s a paying one, then there was even less problems.

With a giddy smile, the waiter bowed respectfully. "Anything else, dear customer?"

"No, just heard about the reputation of the tea here and came for a sip. I hope it doesn't disappoint."

"Of course. Of course! If the customer isn't satisfied, we will not charge." The waiter slickly rubbed his hands together.

Leaning on the table with his arm bent, Bubai rested his head in his hand, arrogantly waving off the waiter. "Hurry up. I don't have all day."

Slinging the rag onto his shoulder, the waiter nodded and hurried off toward the back kitchen. With the waiter out of sight, Bubai's eyes discreetly swept around, his ears tuned to catch the latest gossip and news in the less bustling teahouse.

"Hey, did you hear about that genius Mo Tianren from the Sun Furnace Sect? He's in a showdown with that... that-”

“Fang Bubai. Never heard of him before, but when he boldly challenged Mo Tianren right after he got off the ship, claiming to be an avenger, everyone has heard his name. I have to say, his courage is admirable. Rumor has it there was even an old Golden Core cultivator escorting Mo Tianren on that ship..."

"Absolutely, the youth these days are fearless. If it weren't for the Golden Core master from Ling City backing him up, that audacious guy would probably not even survive to fight today."

"True, but it's a pity. He might not make it through today. The Sun Furnace Sect is known for their ruthless methods... even our Ling City’s Golden Core cultivator might struggle to keep this reckless young man who seems to be seeking death."

"Aye, and I heard it's all because of a woman. Really, how sad."

"Yeah, and word has it that the Cloud Sword Sect is somehow involved too. Let's hope things don't spiral out of control. Honestly, those Sun Furnace Sect folks are too unscrupulous."

Listening to the murmurs circulating in the teahouse, Bubai finally grasped the reason why the streets appeared unusually deserted today. It was the hyped battle day.

The entire city seemed to have flocked to witness the impending showdown. Could WeiWei have also gone to watch?

"Customer, your tea," the waiter's voice brought Bubai back to the present. He refocused on the cup placed before him, nodding in acknowledgment.

Picking up the tea, he took a sip. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. Though not a tea enthusiast, Bubai found it quite palatable, and there was a subtle hint of Qi in the brew. Wanting to confirm this with another gulp, just as he was about to swallow, a young man burst into the teahouse, his face a canvas of panic.

"It's not good! Fang Bubai suddenly killed Mo Tianren during the fight! Out of anger, the elder of the Sun Furnace Sect is now in a heated battle with Ling City's Golden Core cultivator! Their fight is already expanding towards Ling City!"

PUFF! Bubai spat out his mouthful of tea, completely soaking the waiter's shocked and pale face.