The Golden Bamboo Brush

Chapter 137: The Golden Bamboo Brush

“Two spirit stones!” A crisp, feminine voice reached Han Li’s ears.

Han Li paused, only then realizing that the stall owner, who had been quietly reading a book with her head down, was actually a sweet, pretty young woman.

“There are no missing pages, right?” Han Li asked after regaining his composure.

“No. All thirteen layers of the Eternal Spring Art, not a single sentence missing,” the young woman said generously.

Han Li nodded, flipping through a few more pages at random before closing the book.

“Do you accept pills in exchange?” Han Li asked directly.

“Pills?” The young woman was taken aback, her beautiful eyes widening.

“That depends on the type. If it’s something for healing or treating illness, those aren’t worth much.” The young woman gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

Hearing this, Han Li knew the deal was promising. He did not stand on ceremony and brought out a bottle of “Yellow Dragon Pill,” placing it before the young woman.

“A foundation-nourishing, essence-replenishing medicine. One that can improve cultivation power,” Han Li said without modesty.

“A foundation-nourishing medicine…?”

The young woman’s previously calm expression grew tense. She leaned forward, close to Han Li, carefully lifted the jade bottle, poured out a single pill, and lowered her head to discern its properties by smell.

From his higher vantage point, Han Li could clearly see the delicate column of the young woman’s neck exposed as she leaned in. She was so close that a clean, feminine fragrance wafted over, causing Han Li’s heart to beat faster and his face to flush slightly.

“It really is a medicinal pill that can improve cultivation power!” The young woman exclaimed in surprise after sniffing for a moment.

She raised her head and looked at Han Li with a delighted expression, her eyes full of anticipation. “Do you have more pills like this, sir? If you do, I’ll trade as many as you have. You can pick anything you want from my stall. If that’s not enough, I can also purchase them with spirit stones!”

As she spoke, she clutched the bottle of medicine tightly and stared fixedly at Han Li, as if afraid to hear a “no” from him.

Seeing the originally gentle and lovely young woman suddenly become so nervous, Han Li found it somewhat amusing. But it also made him think: he had apparently underestimated the value of this type of pill. He would need to be even more cautious in the future.

“Miss, please don’t rush. Let’s finish this transaction first, and then we can discuss the next one, alright?” Han Li had initially wanted to refuse, but when he met her clear gaze, he inexplicably thought of his younger sister back home. His heart softened, and the words slipped out before he could stop them.

“I’m terribly sorry. I was a bit rude.” The young woman seemed to realize her own lapse in manners, and her cheeks flushed red.

“For this book, two pills of this kind will be enough,” the young woman said, her expression calming down.

Han Li thought the price was fair, agreed, and began to sweep his gaze over the other items on the stall.

“What is this?”

An inconspicuous little gray cloth pouch caught Han Li’s interest. In particular, the pouch was tightly tied with a thin red silk cord at the opening, and it was bulging inside. Han Li reached out and picked it up.

“These are Star Grass seeds. Star Grass aged ten years or more is the best material for making talisman paper,” the young woman explained crisply.

Han Li’s heart stirred. This thing could be very useful. Without hesitation, he placed the pouch in front of him.

“As for the rest… none of it is much use to me,” Han Li said after another general look around.

“Are you sure you don’t want to choose more? This Ice Talisman is very powerful, and this Revival Talisman can greatly restore your stamina…” The young woman seemed unwilling to give up, stepping forward to recommend a few items to him.

Seeing her adorable, indignant expression—as if saying you don’t know a good thing when you see it—Han Li couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” The young woman’s face reddened again.

“I was actually hoping to buy some cinnabar and a brush for drawing talismans, but unfortunately, you don’t have any here,” Han Li said, telling the rare truth.

“Cinnabar and a brush for drawing talismans…” The young woman frowned slightly, hesitating.

She lowered her head in thought for a moment, as if making a great decision, then suddenly raised her head and said to Han Li:

“I don’t have cinnabar, but I do have a high-quality talisman brush made from the neck hair of a Golden-Eyed Ape, a demon beast. However, its price is quite high. I’m not sure if you have enough pills to trade for it?”

Han Li was a little surprised, but he smiled calmly and said, “As long as the item is good, I can make the pill price satisfactory for you, miss.”

Upon hearing this, the young woman felt reassured.

She took out a talisman, made a few imaginary strokes over it with her hand, and then tossed it into the air, where it turned into a streak of fire and disappeared.

“Please wait a moment, sir. My older brother will bring the item shortly,” the young woman said a little sheepishly.

“No problem. As long as it’s truly a good item, I don’t mind waiting a little longer,” Han Li said openly.

After that, neither Han Li nor the young woman had much to say, creating an awkward tension between them.

Han Li found himself somewhat captivated by this peculiar feeling. With every breath, he could faintly taste the fragrance emanating from across the way. The young woman stared down at her toes, lost in thought, but Han Li could see a hint of redness creeping up her fair neck.

“Little sister!” A loud voice suddenly shattered the delicate atmosphere, making Han Li want to glare at the intruder. But when he turned around and saw who it was, he couldn’t help but be startled.

A towering giant, whose stature was in no way inferior to Qu Hun, was sprinting toward them, knocking over several cultivators on the way. Those cultivators, initially furious, were all struck silent with shock when they saw the giant’s abnormal size. After a moment of hesitation, they could only swallow their anger and let it go.

The young woman, seeing the giant’s actions, looked somewhat pained. This older brother of hers was far too reckless. Wasn’t he making enemies of other cultivators for no reason?

“Here, little sister! I brought what you asked for.” The giant rushed up to Han Li’s side, bringing with him a gust of wind, and handed a slender wooden case over to the young woman with a hand as big as a winnowing fan.

The young woman, too preoccupied to scold her brother for his recklessness, passed the wooden case to Han Li and signaled for him to open it.

Han Li took the box, glanced at the young woman, and then opened it. Inside was a golden-yellow brush that radiated a faint yellow light from tip to handle.

“This brush is called the Golden Bamboo. The tip is made from the neck hairs of a second-tier Golden-Eyed Ape. The handle is a blend of Gold Essence and Black Iron, and it was tempered by a Foundation Establishment cultivator using both civil and martial fire for three days and three nights before it was perfected.” The young woman spoke softly, but her eyes lingered on the brush with visible reluctance.

Although Han Li didn’t fully understand everything she said, he knew this brush was extraordinary, an item of great origin. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was willing to part with such a treasure. Was it just for those pills?

“Miss, are you truly willing to trade this brush to me? This is a rare treasure,” Han Li said, gently stroking the smooth handle, looking at the characters “Golden Bamboo” engraved at the end, and confirming in a solemn tone.

Seeing his doubt, the young woman hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth, to prevent him from thinking the item was of questionable origin and refusing to accept it.

“This brush is a heirloom left by my clan. It was used by a master talisman maker. Unfortunately, my brother and I have no talent for talisman-making, and we have been wasting it. My brother is about to participate in this Ascension Assembly, and his cultivation has hit a bottleneck. Only with the help of medicinal power can he break through. That is why we are willing to trade this brush for your pills,” the young woman explained softly, a note of helplessness in her voice.

Another one stuck at a bottleneck? That’s too coincidental, Han Li thought suspiciously.

In truth, Han Li was overthinking it.

Among those preparing to participate in the Ascension Assembly’s arena matches, seven or eight out of ten were cultivators stuck at a bottleneck, unable to break through. Anyone who believed they still had potential for further growth would generally avoid immediately joining the arena matches and instead go into seclusion to continue training, hoping to advance one more step. That way, when they participated in the next Assembly, they would have a greater chance of success. This resulted in the situation where, in the lead-up to each Ascension Assembly, medicinal pills that could improve cultivation power became priceless and completely unavailable on the market.