Chapter 442 Only Exchange Allowed

“As the saying goes, ‘no reward without merit’. I can’t accept this gift for nothing,” Chen Fei said softly.

Although Ji Wugou looked a little reluctant, she still reached up to remove the necklace. “He’s right. This is too valuable!”

But Jin Buhuan waved his hand dismissively. “Ah! I, Jin Buhuan, never take back gifts once given. Since Fellow Daoist Chen has come to the Goldgather Pavilion, I’m sure we’ll have many opportunities to work together. Your skill in alchemy alone is worth this small token!”

Chen Fei’s expression flickered with surprise.

His alchemy skills had only been revealed within the Tianqing Holy Land, and very few people even knew about it. That Jin Buhuan had discovered this meant he’d likely uncovered Chen Fei’s identity as well.

You truly can’t underestimate anyone… Chen Fei silently reflected. Then he glanced at Jin Buhuan with deeper meaning and said, “Your information network is quite impressive, Pavilion Master Jin.”

Jin Buhuan chuckled, instinctively touching the golden storage ring on his hand. “That’s our business, Fellow Daoist. If we couldn’t even manage that, the Goldgather Pavilion wouldn’t be worthy of its name.”

Since Jin Buhuan had gone so far, Chen Fei glanced at Ji Wugou and said, “Since Pavilion Master Jin insists, you may keep it.”

Ji Wugou instantly lit up with joy, her hand fondly caressing the pendant named Nightfall. Her smile couldn’t be hidden, and when she noticed the envious gazes from the nearby women, she subconsciously straightened her back.

Unfortunately… there wasn’t much to straighten.

Seeing a few girls pointing at Chen Fei while whispering and shooting him heated glances, Ji Wugou suddenly felt irritated. With the Nightfall pendant now hers, she found no more interest in the rest of the jewelry on display. She had to leave quickly—she couldn’t give these flirtatious foxes any more chances!

“Chen Fei, let’s go upstairs!” Ji Wugou urged, tugging at his sleeve.

Chen Fei nodded, then turned to Jin Buhuan. “Pavilion Master Jin, you seem well-informed. You must know about the enmity between me and Mo Wentang. I need to purchase some medicinal herbs—will that be a problem?”

Jin Buhuan didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said with pride, “The Goldgather Pavilion never turns away a guest. Please, Fellow Daoist. It just so happens that a batch of premium items was recently delivered by the Seekers. Hopefully something will be of use to you.”

“Very well. Let’s have a look,” Chen Fei said, following Jin Buhuan upstairs.

The third floor of the Goldgather Pavilion was quite different from the dazzling luxury of the lower levels. It was much more restrained, filled with antique charm—refreshingly elegant.

“Fragrant Spiritwood? Impressive,” Chen Fei commented, noting the rare and expensive wood used throughout the room.

“You flatter us,” Jin Buhuan said with a chuckle, glancing back. “Still, it’s rare to meet someone who can recognize that at a glance. I’m growing even more curious about your alchemy skills, Fellow Daoist.”

While speaking, Jin Buhuan walked behind a special counter and placed his finger on the surface. As he channeled his Qi into the mechanism, an intricate formation lit up around his arm, followed by the sound of gears turning. The counter slowly opened.

Forget the herbs inside—the counter itself was a high-grade artifact. Without the correct method, even a Heaven Path expert would have trouble opening it.

As the compartments unfolded, Chen Fei’s eyes sparkled.

He had heard the rumors—that the Goldgather Pavilion possessed countless rare and exotic treasures—but now he truly understood their weight.

Inside the counter lay a row of herbs, each protected by dense spiritual mist. Any one of these would spark violent bidding wars among cultivators outside.

But here in the Goldgather Pavilion? They were just stock.

“Take your time browsing, Fellow Daoist. If anything catches your eye, just let me know,” Jin Buhuan said, completely unhurried.

“Eastern Travel Spirit Grass, Black Phoenix Fruit, Green Spirit Stone Beads… All rare treasures. Excellent, truly excellent,” Chen Fei said with admiration, mentally cataloging what he needed.

At the moment, he only knew that the Heaven Silkworm Gu fed on Qi. If that was the case, then he would need to refine pills that provided a surplus of energy—enough to not only sustain himself but also account for what the Gu consumed.

With a plan forming, Chen Fei was about to speak when Ji Wugou’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear via spiritual transmission:

“That Eastern Travel Spirit Grass is incredibly rare. Help me buy it. I’ll pay you back tenfold—whatever the price!”

Chen Fei glanced at her. She didn’t say a word, just looked up at him quietly.

“How much for the Eastern Travel Spirit Grass and the Black Phoenix Fruit?” he asked, pointing toward the two items in the case.

“Fellow Daoist, you have a sharp eye. These two are among our finest stock!” Jin Buhuan exclaimed. Of course, this was a line he said dozens of times a day—standard merchant technique to inflate value.

“These items are too rare to be priced. We only exchange, not sell,” he continued with a grin. “But no need to worry—if you can refine a single Heaven Hydrogen Pill, either one of these treasures is yours.”

Chen Fei’s expression twitched slightly.

The Heaven Hydrogen Pill was a top-tier medicinal pill—even more difficult to refine than the best-grade Great Returning Pill. Its value couldn’t be understated.

Chen Fei shook his head. “I don’t have that. But I do have the intact corpse of a Human Path beast. Interested?”

While Chen Fei had gathered some nice loot on his journey, most of it had been devoured by the gluttonous Void Heaven Cauldron. And now, with the Heaven Silkworm Gu around, even more resources had been secretly consumed while he was asleep.

At present, the only valuable things left on him were some high-grade spirit stones and the body of a Human Path-level beast.

“In Zhenbei City, spirit beasts are plentiful. A Human Path beast corpse is valuable, yes—but…” Jin Buhuan left the sentence hanging, his meaning obvious.

Then, instinctively fiddling with his golden storage ring, Jin Buhuan offered a solution. “Fellow Daoist Chen, how about this: Tell us the materials you need, and the Goldgather Pavilion will provide them for free. Ten to one—if we give you materials for ten pills, you give us one pill in return. How about it?”

Chen Fei frowned slightly.

But Jin Buhuan continued, “And of course, if you manage to successfully refine the Heaven Hydrogen Pill, either the Eastern Travel Spirit Grass or the Black Phoenix Fruit is yours—payment in full.”

“Deal,” Chen Fei agreed without hesitation. “But the materials I need are numerous and diverse. It won’t be simple.”

“No problem at all,” Jin Buhuan said with a wave of his hand. “As long as we get the pill, we’re happy to provide whatever’s needed.”

It was clear he urgently needed the Heaven Hydrogen Pill. What for, Chen Fei didn’t care. This was business—each party got what they needed.

Chen Fei didn’t waste time and pulled out a prepared list of ingredients, handing it over.

Jin Buhuan barely glanced at it before tossing it to a nearby servant. “Mostly common herbs and beast cores. It won’t take long. Fellow Daoist, anything else you’re interested in? I’ll give you the grand tour.”

“No need.” Chen Fei shook his head. But in his heart, his impression of the Goldgather Pavilion deepened even further.

The list he handed over was full of rare ingredients. For most alchemists, it would take months or even years to gather.

But Jin Buhuan hadn’t hesitated even for a second.

The Goldgather Pavilion’s stockpile… must be unimaginably deep.