About half an incense stick's worth of time later, Ji Yuan emerged from the small hut. Under the watchful eyes of the outer disciples, he strode away from the courtyard.
However, after he had walked only a short distance, hurried footsteps sounded from behind him.
Before he even turned around, he knew who it was and, without needing to think much, had a rough guess of their intention.
"This... Young Daoist, please wait!"
Lin Miaoyi hurried forward and called out.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan paused for a moment before stopping his advance. He turned back to face her.
"Is there something you need?"
He smiled politely and asked calmly.
If it weren't for her acquaintance with Zhao Yuansong and their shared experience of life and death just now, he might have pretended not to hear the call, or perhaps he wouldn't have even asked.
Under his placid gaze, Lin Miaoyi, for the first time, appeared somewhat flustered. She had never shown such a demeanor when facing inner disciples before.
As for the young daoist in front of her, she had long since learned of his identity through her extensive network built over the years.
While she didn't know much, it was enough to shock her and prevent her from approaching him with an ordinary demeanor. After all, a cultivation base of merely the second realm was enough to firmly suppress her, making equal conversation difficult.
"May I ask, Young Daoist, will you be joining Senior Brother Zhao in exploring the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling?"
Seeing that they were alone, Lin Miaoyi asked in a low voice.
As one of the disciples who discovered the cave dwelling, she naturally qualified to explore it with her sect.
However, unlike disciples with a second-realm cultivation, if she were to go alone, she would be unable to act independently. She would have to follow the sect's assignments and form a small team with other disciples.
In such a situation, even if there were gains, they would inevitably have to be shared with the other eleven members of the team. Unless by chance or great fortune the rewards were substantial, it would be almost like a wasted trip.
"Are you trying to join us?"
Ji Yuan frowned, asking somewhat uncertainly.
From what he understood, within the Nine Xuan Sect, only second-realm cultivators who discovered ruins and cave dwellings could act alone and bring along one fellow disciple, helper, or attendant.
But if Zhao Yuansong brought him along, there would be no room for anyone else. And Lin Miaoyi's cultivation was only at the mid-Enlightenment stage, insufficient to act independently.
Seeing his look of confusion, Lin Miaoyi immediately said, "As a disciple who discovered the ruins, even though I don't have a second-realm cultivation, I can still act with a senior brother of that realm!"
This way, she wouldn't have to follow the sect's assignments and could act freely with her senior brother.
If she stumbled upon any fortuitous encounters, she wouldn't have to share them with eleven teammates. Even if the second-realm senior brother took the lion's share, what remained would be enough for her to profit handsomely.
Moreover, in most cases, the contribution of a second-realm cultivator was far greater than that of twelve first-realm cultivators working together.
"On what grounds?"
Ji Yuan raised an eyebrow, his gaze calmly appraising the woman before him.
If they were to explore the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling, he and Zhao Yuansong would suffice. Even if they needed other helpers, it would naturally be cultivators of the same realm who were the most reliable.
No matter how you looked at it, Lin Miaoyi was only at the mid-Enlightenment stage. The places she could explore and the things she could obtain were not something they would even bother with.
And if they brought her along to the places they were interested in, she wouldn't be of much use.
This would be equivalent to willingly giving up a portion of the opportunities they had painstakingly fought for.
If their relationship were exceptionally good, it might be acceptable. But the problem was that even between Lin Miaoyi and Zhao Yuansong, they were merely acquaintances; their rapport was far from that close.
Much less Ji Yuan, who had only met her twice and was speaking to her for the first time today.
"I only require one-tenth of the proceeds, and even if I obtain any special opportunities, I will share them without reservation according to our agreed-upon proportion!"
Lin Miaoyi immediately blurted out the words she had prepared.
However, her words caused Ji Yuan to shake his head, and even his expression grew somewhat impatient.
Seeing this, her heart tightened. She knew her words lacked substance. If he didn't bring her along, he wouldn't need to give up even this tenth. And if they encountered special opportunities, there would be no need for her to complicate matters.
Special opportunities, in this context, referred to instances within ruins or cave dwellings where specific requirements had to be met to receive the ancient predecessor's inheritance.
Unless one willingly surrendered such an opportunity, it could only be seized by force, meaning by killing the other party.
However, in an exploration mission organized by the sect, it was naturally impossible to kill fellow disciples. Otherwise, as soon as they emerged from the cave dwelling, they would be instantly obliterated by the elders waiting outside!
"I am good at networking. Among the inner disciples, I also have quite a few connections!"
Lin Miaoyi, being adept at dealing with people, quickly regained her composure and spoke fluently. "Senior Brother Zhao is solely focused on cultivation. He doesn't even know who the outer disciples are, let alone the situation with the inner disciples.
"And Daoist Master, you are new to the Nine Xuan Sect and likely unfamiliar with the inner disciples. It would be too late to gather intelligence now.
"But I am different. I am familiar with the circumstances of most inner disciples, including their cultivation levels, spiritual artifacts, and even the cultivation techniques and proficient arts they practice!
"As long as I am present, Daoist Master and Senior Brother Zhao can be well-informed when vying for opportunities, rather than being completely in the dark.
"Furthermore, besides intelligence on inner disciples, I am also knowledgeable about various spiritual materials and elixirs, and I have considerable understanding of many ancient items recorded in texts!"
As she spoke, her flow became smoother, and a sense of confidence gradually emanated from her, giving her a rather distinguished air.
Upon seeing the demeanor she displayed, Ji Yuan's heart stirred. His gaze was no longer as placid, and he began to observe her with interest.
Under his scrutiny, Lin Miaoyi felt a strange sensation, her scalp tingling.
Her intuition told her that his gaze was far from simple and likely held a deeper meaning!
"This matter is not mine alone to decide. I will need to consult Daoist Zhao on his opinion later."
After a long pause, Ji Yuan said casually, "Before we depart, I will give you a reply, but I cannot guarantee that we will bring you along."
Lin Miaoyi quickly nodded in thanks. Although it wasn't finalized, with his words, the matter was half settled.
She believed that with what she had presented, unless they were overly arrogant, they would certainly agree.
Ji Yuan bowed in farewell, then turned and left. Disregarding the grateful gaze behind him, he departed the Nine Xuan Sect's Star Mansion and, taking a carriage once more, arrived at Mingxin Pavilion.
Seeing the young daoist return after just over an hour, Liu Ruyan, who was reviewing account books, couldn't help but feel surprised.
"I need Pavilion Master Liu to prepare some items for me."
He got straight to the point, presenting a list detailing all the preparations that had been decided upon during his earlier conversation with Zhao Yuansong.
Then, Ji Yuan picked up the brush and paper on the table. After a moment of thought, he began to write down some more items: the herbs needed for alchemy.
Fortunately, the elixirs he intended to refine were not of any particular grade, nor did they require rare spiritual herbs. If they were ordinary medicinal materials, they should be obtainable within an hour or two.
Liu Ruyan curiously picked up the list and, after carefully reading it, couldn't help but frown. "These items are not particularly precious and can be gathered within two to three days. Only a few items are rather obscure and may not be easy to find."
She sighed. This was, after all, not Luoxia County. Although Mingxin Pavilion had some influence here, it was ultimately not focused solely on running shops, and many materials were not kept in stock daily.
"Can they be gathered within today?"
Ji Yuan asked with a hint of urgency in his voice.
Hearing this, Liu Ruyan nodded. Although Mingxin Pavilion's focus had not been here previously, this matter could be easily handled.
However, the few materials mentioned earlier were somewhat uncertain. They might not be found even after spending ten days to half a month, let alone needing them so urgently.
"Did something happen? Why the such urgency?"
She frowned, sensing that something was unusual.
Ji Yuan did not conceal anything and directly explained the matter of the ancient ruins and cave dwelling.
Although this matter was temporarily confidential and should not be easily disclosed to others, Liu Ruyan and Mingxin Pavilion were naturally not subject to this secrecy.
The two parties were now in a situation of shared prosperity and shared peril, and moreover, this matter held considerable benefits for both of them.
"You want Mingxin Pavilion to prepare in advance so that we can acquire as much as possible from the items discovered in this ancient cultivator's cave dwelling?"
Liu Ruyan immediately grasped the key point, her eyes gleaming.
At this moment, very few shops would have received the news, possibly only Mingxin Pavilion. If they could seize this opportunity to prepare sufficiently, once the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling was excavated, they could acquire not all, but at least a significant portion of its contents.
Ancient ruins or cultivator's cave dwellings like these did not mean that whatever was found could be directly used. The vast majority of opportunities within them required sale.
This was where the business opportunity lay. Most cultivators, upon obtaining something, would choose to sell it immediately to recoup the considerable expenses incurred during the exploration.
Although this might result in slightly lower prices, and even the potential to miss out on tremendous opportunities, it would also avoid the risk of finding that the items were worthless and stuck with them.
Many items excavated from ancient times were difficult to ascertain in the short term whether they were priceless or utterly useless.
Once the current window of opportunity passed, there would naturally be no one willing to purchase such items.
If Mingxin Pavilion could prepare adequately in advance, even if they didn't personally appraise each item, simply reselling them would result in a substantial profit.
Even without expending effort on individual appraisals, they could make a fortune!
"Not just that, we can also try to acquire them now, the items on your list, and those with similar functions!"
Liu Ruyan slapped the table, a smile appearing in her eyes.
She quickly realized that once the news spread within the Nine Xuan Sect, countless disciples would snatch up related materials.
Those who secured a spot would either have to buy them at high prices from fellow disciples or try their luck in the market town. Mingxin Pavilion, having prepared in advance, could make a solid profit by selling them at a price higher than the market rate but lower than what Nine Xuan Sect disciples would pay.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan was taken aback at first, then genuinely admired her. He hadn't considered this approach before.
Liu Ruyan immediately summoned a maidservant from outside, handed her the list, and instructed her to notify all the shopkeepers to acquire all the listed items and those with similar functions as quickly as possible, regardless of the cost.
The specific methods were left to the shopkeepers, but one thing was paramount: they had to act as discreetly as possible, preferably without anyone knowing that Mingxin Pavilion was making the purchases.
"However, this way, how to ascertain the situation within the Nine Xuan Sect and how to transmit the information inside becomes an unavoidable problem."
After the maidservant left, Liu Ruyan suddenly frowned and murmured to herself.
Beside her, Ji Yuan sipped his spiritual tea and said thoughtfully, "I may have a candidate who can resolve these two issues very well."