Overthrowing Fate

Seeing how he was frowning, the woman in front of him was taken aback. Most people would have instantly accepted the offer she had made; however, this strange young man was clearly not pleased with the offer she had given. She could not help but curse at herself for her greed.

She had indeed intended to give him medicinal pills that were used for healing or for replenishing energy. However, the more expensive ones that were used to improve cultivation bases were medicines that she had no intention of handing over if she had any way of avoiding it.

The price of the flower was definitely enough to cover a hundred pills of the highest class. The woman wished to get it for the cheapest price but she now regretted it.

Unfortunately, it was obvious that this young man had found a flaw in her offer and the woman was unhappy with herself for having been greedy. Although she was unhappy, the smile on her face had never vanished; her outside appearance never once displayed her true feelings.

“The medicinal pills will obviously be a mixture that will improve your cultivation base and replenish your energy of the heavens and the earth.” she said. Her smile grew as she saw that the frown on the young man’s face was replaced by a smile. Although she herself was partly feeling sour, she was also excited.

If she had been too greedy, she would without a doubt have lost the whole transaction of the Yearning Sunflower. It was a sale she could not afford to mess up. Thus, she quickly sold the more expensive pills to the young man who now looked satisfied.

“Buying medicinal pills like those would be my greatest pleasure,” Xu Min said as his face was filled with a cheeky smile. The woman could not help but feel that although it was a good deal, she had been robbed.

With her beauty, she was used to the seller accepting her bid no matter how bad it was for them. However, this young man had made her question her own beauty; at the same time, pay a fair price for a flower. This was something that she had never experienced before and it made her feel slightly confused as to who this young master could be.

Looking at his clothes, he was obviously from a family with money. But when thinking about all the different families within Ri Chu City, she came to a conclusion that he did not fit into any of them. Could he perhaps be a traveller? But travellers usually wore worn clothes. They would neither be this young nor would they be interested in medicinal pills. They would be interested in hard, cold cash instead.

While the woman was quite curious about the young man, she refused to display any of it on the outside. With a teasing wink, she left the room to pick up the medicinal pills she had agreed to trade for the Yearning Sunflower.

Waiting patiently in the room, Xu Min was growing increasingly impatient as he wished to rush back home and experience just how efficient these medicinal pills were. He knew that these medications were the reason why the young master was capable of keeping up with his cultivation back in his hometown. He, as a servant boy, had only eaten one medicinal herb once before and that was the one his sister had provided for him.

Although he had a bag filled with medicinal herbs, he did not know anything about them or about what kind of effect they would have on him. He was aware that some medicinal plants were even poisonous before they were refined. He had no wish to gamble his life. Trading the flowers for the sake of medicinal pills seemed to be the most efficient way for him to increase his cultivation base.

Having waited for around fifteen minutes, Xu Min looked at the door as the beauty walked through. In her hand was a massive case and within the case were rows of beautiful medicinal of many colours.

Looking at these pills, a gleam of excitement appeared within Xu Min’s black eyes that usually never displayed any of his emotions. The young man had long since learnt well how to completely conceal his emotions. What went on within him was one of the reasons for the woman to be completely incapable of reading him.

However, the joy he felt when he accepted the medicinal pills was astonishing. Even he, who usually concealed everything perfectly, was incapable of completely hiding the excitement that was growing within him.

His excitement did not pass by the beautiful woman. She felt quite disatisfied that the thing that caused him to show interest was not her or her beauty, but medicinal pills. In the end, this told her that this young man lived and breathed for the sake of cultivating.

The woman once more glanced at the young man who had handed her the Yearning Sunflower as he accepted the case filled with medicinal pills. As she glanced at him, she looked at the bag by his side. She noticed that it seemed to be filled with items.

She understood that this young man most likely possessed more treasures. So, she came to the conclusion that befriending him was in no way a bad idea even if he was not interested in her beauty. She let go of all her pride and leaned forward while clasping her hands to slightly bow to the young man.

Seeing this, Xu Min was taken aback. He had long since understood that this woman was used to get by on her beauty alone. However, now she had no air of haughtiness or arrogance. Instead, she was incredibly polite.

“My name is Yong Meilin,” the woman said as she had bowed to the man. Her face was gentle and her voice bore no sign of the previous haughtiness. “Should you have any more items you wish to sell, then come and tell them that you need to speak with Yong Meilin. I’ll make sure to give you favourable prices. When you are in a need to buy anything, call for me and I’ll find it for you at the best price.”

Hearing the words, Xu Min was taken aback. Since he was shown with respect and friendliness, he returned the gesture. He clasped his hands and bowed slightly. Although he was incapable of trusting humans, he knew how to repay kindness as the woman was being very kind. This relationship could be of great importance for him later on, should he be in need of help to purchase more pills.

“My name is Xu Min,” the man introduced himself. Usually the seller would never give away their name and would be anonymous while dealing with a sale. However, Xu Min decided to be friendly instead. His name caused the woman to have a ponderous expression on her face. She was no longer hiding anything.

Her ponderous expression came from the fact that she knew nothing about this young man and that she never heard about a Xu Min before. So the only conclusion that she could draw was that he was indeed a traveller. Either he had travelled to the city recently or he was giving a fake name.

Having greeted one another, Xu Min once more nodded towards the woman. He proceeded to turn around and leave the room. He exited the building and stepped out onto the street. Now that his bag was filled with the case of pills, he rushed back towards the inn.

‘How did you do it?’ Xu Min asked Cao Cao as they made their way home. The snake was smug as it was coiled around his neck.

‘Do what?’ He asked with a teasing tone as he was clearly eager to hear Xu Min praising him. The young man did just that as he knew that it would make the snake be in a better mood.

‘During this entire time at the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, nobody and not even that woman Meilin noticed that you were coiled around my neck. Are you able to vanish?’

Smiling happily, the snake shook its head. Suddenly, everyone around Xu Min were definitely able to see the snake that was coiled around his neck. The glances sent his way were not few.

‘It’s Shroud of Shadows,’ the snake said, ‘I’m a demon beast, and the older I get, the more skills I learn. Demon beasts can’t learn martial art skills; what we learn are inborn abilities that we unlock the older we get.’

‘I am only around fifty years old, so I only have around five different abilities I can use,’ Cao Cao said with a downcast expression. Xu Min was deeply taken aback to know that the childish snake that constantly spoke about food was so much older than he himself.

‘So what is this Shroud of Shadows thing?’ Xu Min asked curiously. He did not know much about the different demon beasts so all the info he could get was something that for which he was very grateful.

‘Shroud of Shadows is more or less a camouflage ability,’ Cao Cao said enthusiastically, ‘I can become one with any shadow and hide myself so that no one can see me. That is, as long as they are not specialised in the same sort of abilities as I am.’

‘So you can hide in any shadow?’ Xu Min asked, astonished. He was greatly amazed by the ability to become nothing. It was also an ability that he was capable of using later on.

‘Then, can you tell me about your other abilities?’ Xu Min asked curiously. Cao Cao shook his head. ‘Sorry,’ he said with a smirk on his face. ‘I might tell you after a scrumptious dinner though!’

Hearing this, Xu Min could not help but laugh at the small snake and nod his head. He had already been given information that he could use later on while encountering demonic beasts in the future.

Arriving at the inn, Xu Min once more ordered a feast to be sent to his room. Before he went up the stairs and sat down on his bed, he finally picked up the box of medicinal pills.

Two-thirds of the pills were all red while one-third were silver. The red pills were meant for increasing his cultivation base. The silver ones were for replenishing his energy if it was low after a fight or even mid-battle.

Xu Min had a pride of his own; however, he was willing to do almost anything as his survival was crucial for him to be capable of taking his revenge. If taking medicinal pills during a battle was needed, then he would definitely be using his pills that way.

After the food arrived in the room, Cao Cao ate all the food he could while Xu Min ate just a small portion as usual. Having eaten, Xu Min sat down on the bed as his eyes focused completely on the box in front of him. An uncontrollable smile adorned his face as he picked up one of the red pills from within the box and slowly placed it in his mouth. He felt how it melted on the tongue and pure energy flooded down his throat.