Chapter 369: 285 Alley_2
“But we’ve already prepared another set of three treasures and some Profound Fire Spirit Liquid for Foundation Establishment. Now, it’s just a matter of whether we can purchase a Dry Yuan Bone Changing Pill.”
After hearing what Si Guanyu had said, Chen Mobai was a bit puzzled.
“Why don’t you buy a Jade marrow pill?”
“When the people from the Repairing Heaven Institute came over to set up their stall, they only brought ten Jade marrow pills. These were all sold on the first day to the senior students from the other Daoist Academies. By the time we got the news, it was already too late.”
Zhuang Jialan gave a bitter smile. Both of them have talked to the students from the Repairing Heaven Institute attending the exchange meeting, trying to see if they might exchange some Profound Fire Spirit Liquid for a Jade marrow pill.
However, due to the decrease in Big Tree’s sap production over the past two years, the number of Jade marrow pills available at Jumang Daoist Academy has also been dwindling. Without a firm relationship, it has become less likely for others to agree to a swap.
“I see. I have a friend at Jumang Daoist Academy, I’ll ask for her help later on.”
Chen Mobai remembered the Qing Woman he had defeated with a single stroke in the Little Red Sky. He still hadn’t apologized for it, so he decided to call her when he had time that night.
“Is it that Heavenly Spiritual Root Qing Woman?”
Zhuang Jialan abruptly asked after hearing him.
“Huh? How did you know?”
Chen Mobai was surprised.
“You’ve been the hottest topic in the Cultivation world lately. Many of your classmates from your days in Red Sandstone City have been spilling the beans online. They claim that you were openly dating the Heavenly Spiritual Root from Jumang Daoist Academy in high school, while also having a covert affair with the class beauty in your own class. They’re painting you out to be a total jerk.”
“Slander, defamation, smear campaigns…”
Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai was almost jumping in anger. He swore that his relationships with them were nothing but wholesome friendships. He had never even held their hands, he was absolutely pure.
“In my opinion, it’s probably your jealous high school classmates who are fabricating these things to defame you. For the past five years at the Daoist Academy, aside from your cultivation, you’ve shown little interest in anything else. We’ve all seen this directly.”
Zhuang Jialan showed understanding, patting Chen Mobai’s shoulder to comfort him. Hua Zijing, standing beside her, nodded in agreement.
Indeed, Chen Mobai’s actions over his five years at the Dance Tool Dao Academy have been clear for all to see.
He’s never had a girlfriend, let alone invited a female classmate to dine with him alone.
The only time they’d see him relax was during their annual end-of-year gatherings with their Cultivation group.
Outside of these, he was always either cultivating or studying. An absolute cultivation maniac.
Because of this, most people at the Dance Tool Dao Academy recognized Chen Mobai’s achievements. After all, he was the one who’d put in the hardest work over his five years at the Academy.
“Damn it! If I find out who’s spreading rumors about me, I’ll hire a lawyer to sue them for defamation and have them locked up for a few days.”
Still fuming, Chen Mobai seethed violently.
Meanwhile, in Red Sandstone City, Lu Hongsheng, who was busily keyboard-warrioring on some online forum, suddenly sneezed. Shrugging it off, he continued to “drop bombshells”.
After saying goodbye to Si Guanyu and Zhuang Jialan, Chen Mobai and Hua Zijing went on to visit the stalls of the Repairing Heaven Institute and the Kunpeng Daoist Institute, both of which were brimming with people.
Lastly, they visited the area that belonged to their own Daoist Academy.
Ming Yu from the Student Union was in charge of maintaining order. He recognized Chen Mobai straight away – after all, the only one Hua Zijing would accompany like this was the Student Union President.
“Qi-replenishing Spirit Water, Replenishing Blood Spirit Water, Spiritual Liquid, Profound Fire Spirit Liquid, Nourishing Spirit Water…”
Chen Mobai looked at the various items displayed on the stall of his Academy, all familiar to him.
A second-rank Alchemist from the Alchemy Department at the two-level Foundation Establishment was demonstrating Water Method Alchemy, refining Nourishing Spirit Water, a type of spiritual water that could nourish the Divine Sense and stabilize the Purple Palace. Its primary ingredient, the Vermillion Fruit, was present.
Hua Zijing introduced the alchemist as Ying Sizhen from the eighth grade. He was a Second-Rank Alchemist, the head of the Alchemy Department in Student Union, and was a highly probable candidate for the position of Deputy President after Shen Renyou graduates next year.
Though fully engrossed in his Alchemy demonstration, Ying Sizhen still managed to momentarily turn around and nod at Chen Mobai as a greeting.
“You guys focus on your work, I’m just here to have a look.”
Chen Mobai felt like an extra wheel and promptly left with Hua Zijing after he finished talking.
After the four major Daoist Academies, there were the top ten university palaces.
On the booth of the True Spirit Academy were all sorts of fluffy and cute pets like puppies, kittens, and rabbits. Hua Zijing immediately took a liking to a white cat with big eyes and flawless white fur that was soft and smooth to the touch.
However, these pets were not for sale; they were simply brought there to experience the outside world.
“You go pet the cat for a while, I’ll call you when it’s time to go back.”
Seeing that Hua Zijing was unable to move due to her fascination with the cat, Chen Mobai took the opportunity to split up with her and act alone.
“Yes, Mr. Chairman.”
After hearing that, Hua Zijing hugged the white cat, ordered a portion of cat food, and sat down without looking back.
The forgotten Chen Mobai was not bothered. He walked through the booth of the True Spirit Academy and into a small alley, planning to take a shortcut to the corner booth of the Life-Extension Cultivation Institute in the western part of the square.
However, when he reached the end of the alley, he saw a girl wearing sunglasses who had set up a stall in that spot.
A black cloth was spread on the table with eight words written on it.
“Heaven and Earth, Mystical calculations of machines!”
A fortune teller? From Astral Observation Academy?
Among the top ten academies, Taiyuan, Pure Yang, and Astral Observation rank just below the four Daoist Academies. The dean of the Astral Observation Academy is a stage-one Nascent Soul individual, whose technique of Joseon fortune-telling has never been wrong.
Even the big three Hall Masters of the immortal gate sometimes seek guidance from him.
Generally, those who set up fortune-telling stalls on this side of the Immortal Gate are assumed to be from the Astral Observation Academy.
Out of curiosity, Chen Mobai sized up the girl with sunglasses sitting on the folding stool. Unlike him, who wore a mask that covered the lower half of his face, her large black sunglasses covered both her eyes and the upper half of her face, revealing only her fair cheeks and the elegant lines of her chin and jaw.
Although he didn’t get a good look at her, the delicate snow-white chin he saw made Chen Mobai think she must be very attractive.
However, it seemed she was not adept at conducting business, having chosen such a location to set up her fortune-telling stall with hardly any potential customers passing by.
Furthermore, she didn’t even try to attract him as a potential client when he walked past.
He guessed she must be an apprentice fortune teller, too nervous to show off her skills.
While thinking this, Chen Mobai was about to step out of the shadow of the alley, the bright light outside just a step away.
Suddenly, a whim crossed his mind.
Why not get a prediction?
“Hello, how much do you charge for fortune-telling?”
Turning around, Chen Mobai asked the girl with sunglasses sitting on the folding stool.
Was it his imagination or had her figure appeared a bit ethereal, like a TV picture with poor signal, half-existent and half-absent?
However, as soon as he’d opened his mouth, it was as if the signal had suddenly improved, the girl with the sunglasses, whose body had been slightly ethereal, suddenly became clear and solid.
“Fortune-telling is for fate, not for profit.”
A hoarse voice, almost electric, came from behind the girl’s sunglasses, with no way to tell what expression was hidden behind them.
Chen Mobai, standing in front of her stall, was full of curiosity.
“Free of charge? Are you a student at Astral Observation Academy? Are you practicing fortune-telling techniques by setting up this stand?”
“I only tell three fortunes per day, and you are today’s first.”
The sunglasses girl didn’t answer Chen Mobai’s question; her raspy voice was very distinctive.
“How does it work?”
“You write down a word and then ask your question.”
A sheet of white paper and a ballpoint pen were taken out from under the table and handed to Chen Mobai.
Having received them, Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment.
Should he ask about love? Or about his cultivation level?