Qingshan Town, also known as Magic Beast Town, due to its location at the foot of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Though just a small town, it was incredibly lively, with countless mercenary groups and teams stationed here, making a living off the mountain range.
Nearly half of the Jia Ma Empire's medicinal herbs and Magic Cores came from this place each year.
Despite the Magic Beast Mountain Range being teeming with magical beasts and fraught with danger, it also held the greatest opportunities in the empire.
As long as one was daring and willing to fight, they could obtain rare treasures, herbs, and Magic Cores.
And if fortune truly smiled upon them, they might even stumble upon the resting place of a fallen expert, gaining their legacy—cultivation techniques, Dou Techniques, pills, and formulas—allowing them to soar to the heavens in a single leap.
A meteoric rise, overnight riches—such dreams were not impossible here.
Every day, a steady stream of dream chasers arrived, hoping to change their fate.
—
As dusk approached, a white-haired youth dressed in black robes arrived at the town gates, covered in dust from travel. He looked up at the three characters inscribed above the entrance.
"Qingshan Town, huh?"
This place was practically a landmark. Coming to the Dou Qi Continent without visiting it at least once would make a transmigration feel incomplete.
After gazing at the sign for a moment, Xiao Bai gathered his thoughts and stepped inside.
As night fell, Xiao Bai walked slowly along the stone-paved streets of the town. The shops on either side were brightly lit, and the place was bustling with activity.
The streets were packed, and the majority of those coming and going were mercenaries.
Some carried children on their shoulders, holding their women's hands and whispering intimately as they strolled down the street, radiating affection.
Others moved in groups of three or five, calling out to friends as they enthusiastically discussed which brothel had the most alluring women, which tavern had the strongest liquor, and which part of the Magic Beast Mountain Range had the fiercest beasts…
A few people cast curious glances at the white-haired, black-robed young man with a cold expression, but Xiao Bai ignored them and continued toward the center of the town.
He observed the shops lining the streets—not because he was particularly interested in them.
Though these shops had a rougher charm compared to those in Wutan City, they didn't pique his interest at all. This wasn't a vacation, after all.
He was looking for the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion!
Finally, at the edge of the central square, he spotted his target and walked over.
It was a large herbal shop, its roof and walls adorned with Moonlight Stones, illuminating the entire store as if it were daylight.
Inside, the store bustled with activity, with people coming and going, while the shop assistants dashed around, busy tending to customers. No one approached him as he stepped inside.
Xiao Bai wandered around on his own, casually browsing while keeping an eye out for a certain young girl.
At this time, Xiao Yi Xian didn't have white hair, and he had no idea what she looked like.
So… he could only look at waists.
After all, this girl was famously known as "The Best Waist in Battle Through the Heavens."
Whoever had the slimmest waist should be her!
Yet, after scanning the room, he found nothing out of the ordinary—though he did attract some rather judgmental stares, as if he were a pervert.
To make matters worse, two voluptuous, scantily clad female mercenaries noticed him. Seeing that, despite his gray-white hair, he had striking features, they secretly threw him a few seductive glances.
Xiao Bai ignored them outright… but spared a moment of silent pity for the men standing beside them.
"Huh?"
A voice of surprise rang out in Xiao Bai's mind.
"Xiao Bai boy! Do me a favor—quickly buy that Yellow Lotus Essence!" Yao Lao's anxious voice transmitted directly to him.
To ensure Xiao Bai didn't mistake which piece among the dozens of Yellow Lotus Essences he meant, Yao Lao used his soul power to mark one of them.
Sensing the fluctuation of soul energy, Xiao Bai swept his own Soul Power over the pile of Yellow Lotus Essence.
He couldn't help but feel a bit speechless. He had thought that arriving here almost a year earlier than the original timeline would mean he wouldn't encounter this kind of lucky find. But who knew the world could be so unpredictable?
And then there was Yao Lao, that cunning old man—still as mischievous as ever.
The piece of Yellow Lotus Essence he wanted was marked with soul power, making it flash like a beacon. Among the pile of Yellow Lotus Essence, it was clearly the most eye-catching.
Just then, a young male shop assistant walked past, and Xiao Bai grabbed his arm.
"Give me one of those herbs," he said, pointing toward the pile of Huang Lian Essence.
The shop assistant glanced in the direction of Xiao Bai's finger, pursed his lips, but didn't argue. He walked over to the counter where the Yellow Lotus Essence was displayed.
Picking one at random, he tossed it onto the counter and yawned lazily. "Yellow Lotus Essence, low-tier herb, 100 gold coins."
Xiao Bai saw that it wasn't the one he needed.
He also noted the shop assistant's indifferent attitude.
Not reaching for the herb, he shook his head with a teasing smile.
"This one's too thin. I don't want it."
The assistant was speechless, but remembering the first rule of the employee handbook—The customer is always right—he held back his frustration. He picked out the largest piece and tossed it onto the counter.
"This one's too fat. I don't want it."
At this point, the assistant really wanted to punch him. But then he remembered rule fourteen of the employee handbook: "Do not assault customers."
Fine, fine. He'd endure a bit longer.
Just as he was about to reach for a medium-sized piece, he thought better of it. To be safe, he decided to ask the white-haired guy directly.
"This esteemed customer," he said through gritted teeth, "why don't you just tell me which one you want, and I'll get it for you?"
He thought to himself, 'Now let's see if you still dare complain about it being too fat or too thin!'
Xiao Bai smirked and pointed at a specific piece.
"This one is just right."
The shop assistant hurriedly looked over, picked it up, examined it—then cursed in his heart.
'Damn it! Isn't this one nearly the same as the first piece?! This brat must be messing with me because I wasn't enthusiastic enough!'
He gave Xiao Bai a disdainful look, thinking to himself, 'This guy looks all fancy on the outside, but he's probably just a broke loser. Buying a single piece of low-grade herb? No commission for me. And he expects me to be all enthusiastic? ¡Dream on!'
But then he remembered the damned employee handbook, probably written by some capitalist. Breaking even one rule meant losing ten days' wages.
With barely concealed impatience, he tossed the herb to Xiao Bai and said, "100 gold coins!"
Xiao Bai didn't mind. He took the herb, handed over the coins, and casually asked, "By the way, I heard at your Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion there is someone called Xiao Yi Xian. Is she in the shop today?"
The shop assistant's disdain grew even stronger.
'A broke guy like you dares to covet the jewel of our Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion? This kid probably spent all his family's wealth just to dress up like this!'
Before the assistant could respond, a burly, drunken man stumbled over to Xiao Bai, spittle flying as he shouted, "Pretty boy, you think someone like you can even think about Xiao Yi Xian? I'll break your legs if you don't watch it!"
Xiao Bai quickly took a few steps back, his eyes showing a hint of impatience.
"You dare dodge?!" The brute man lurched forward, reaching out to grab him.
The shop's customers watched in amusement. When they heard this brat was interested in Xiao Yi Xian, their mood soured.
After all, she had saved countless mercenaries in Qingshan Town—many of them among this very crowd.
Now seeing this silver-haired boy dare to pursue her? They didn't like that one bit.
Seeing the brute man refusing to back down, anger flashed in Xiao Bai's eyes.
"Get lost!"
His voice carried a wave of soul power that struck the man's ears like a thunderclap.
The burly man's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
The crowd stared in shock, and the shop fell into complete silence.