44: Golden Silk Armor and Exploding Qi Pill

Walking through the bustling streets of the Ghost Market, Qin Feng's sharp gaze swept across the stalls. A stall claiming to sell the qi burst pill Pill Formula caught his attention. The stall owner was a thin, small man wearing a bird-beak mask, with a shrewd glint in his eyes.

"How much for the qi burst pill Pill Formula?" Qin Feng asked directly, squatting down to examine the yellowed parchment.

The bird-beak mask man's eyes lit up as he began his enthusiastic sales pitch. "You have a good eye, young man! This qi burst pill is a treasure for saving your life and turning the tide in critical moments. It instantly stimulates potential and increases combat power by thirty percent! The original price is fifteen hundred gold coins, but since we're fated, I'll give you a fixed price of one thousand gold coins! It's a blood-spitting clearance sale!"

One thousand gold coins? Qin Feng sneered inwardly; this was simply highway robbery. Although he urgently needed the Pill Formula to expand his sources of income, he wasn't a fat sheep to be slaughtered. Without a word, he set down the Pill Formula and stood up to leave.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait, young man!" The bird-beak man quickly pulled him back, his tone softening. "The price is negotiable! Eight hundred! How about eight hundred gold coins?"

Qin Feng didn't stop, only shaking his head slightly.

The bird-beak man grit his teeth, appearing to have made a difficult decision. "Young man, I see you're sincere. How about this: eight hundred gold coins for the Pill Formula, and I'll throw in three sets of qi burst pill refinement Materials for free! This is truly the lowest price; any less and I'll be losing money!"

Three sets of Materials? That showed some sincerity. The Materials for the qi burst pill weren't cheap either. Qin Feng stopped, feigning hesitation for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "Fine, it's a deal."

After paying eight hundred gold coins and receiving the Pill Formula and the three sets of Materials wrapped in oil paper, Qin Feng's coin pouch instantly deflated, leaving only about twelve hundred gold coins. He couldn't help but marvel at how money flowed like water in the Ghost Market.

Not far away, a piece of soft armor shimmering with a faint golden light at another stall caught his eye. The soft armor was woven from countless golden threads as thin as hair; it was light as gauze yet exuded a faint aura of toughness. A small wooden sign stood at the stall, reading "golden silk soft armor, yellow rank high grade."

Qin Feng's heart stirred. Armor was strictly regulated within the city, and life-saving items like this couldn't be bought outside at all. He stepped forward and picked up the soft armor to examine it closely; it felt cool and flexible to the touch, truly extraordinary.

"Boss, how many gold coins for this golden silk soft armor?" he asked.

The stall owner was a burly man wearing a ferocious ghost mask, his voice deep and thick. "Three thousand gold coins."

Someone nearby looking at the goods sneered. "Three thousand? Why don't you just go and rob someone? Do you think money grows on trees?"

The ghost-masked stall owner snorted coldly, ignoring the bystander and looking only at Qin Feng. "You get what you pay for. This golden silk soft armor is enough to withstand a full-strength blow from a Late Martial Master; it's a life-saver in a critical moment. Two thousand five hundred gold coins is the minimum; anything lower is out of the question."

Two thousand five hundred gold coins! Qin Feng frowned inwardly; he didn't have that much on him. He pondered for a moment before speaking. "I don't have much cash on me right now. How about this: I'll give you one thousand gold coins, plus ten high-quality blood qi pills, and two... qi condensing pills. What do you think?" He deliberately emphasized the words "qi condensing pills."

"Oh?" Hearing this, the ghost-masked stall owner leaned forward slightly, the gaze beneath his mask sharpening. "Are you an Alchemist?" He took the Medicinal Pills Qin Feng handed over, sniffing them carefully and checking their quality. The blood qi pills were round and full with a pure medicinal fragrance; the two qi condensing pills were even more lustrous with a green hue and overflowing with Spiritual Qi, clearly High Grade and freshly made.

He pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing the value. Finally, he nodded and pushed the golden silk soft armor toward Qin Feng. "Fine! Medicinal Pills have a price, but life is priceless. Seeing as you're a capable person, let's be friends. I'm 'Ghost Head.' If you want to buy any other handy equipment in the future, you can find me near the 'Blacksmith Shop' in the East District of the Ghost Market."

"Thanks, I'm... 'Shadow'." Qin Feng gave a code name he had just come up with, taking the golden silk soft armor that was light as a feather yet carried significant weight. He felt a surge of excitement. With this armor, his survival capabilities would increase greatly!

This trip to the Ghost Market, although it had cost him almost all his gold coins—leaving only a pitiful two hundred-odd coins and a single qi condensing pill as a backup—had yielded a life-saving soft armor and a qi burst pill Pill Formula with great potential. He had also established a channel for equipment, making the trip well worth it.

He put on the soft armor under his clothes, leaving no trace of it visible. Then, he continued to wander through the Ghost Market, seeing if he could use his remaining money to find any useful information or miscellaneous Materials.