Ghost Catching System

After Chu Hao left, Bai Ling finally smiled, her expression like that of a cunning vixen who had gotten her way. ”This Life Soul Pearl has been almost completely refined by me. If I were to fully refine it, Sword Star Lord would definitely sense it.”

How powerful had Bai Ling been in her prime? If Sword Star Lord knew she had fallen so low as to need to refine his Life Soul Pearl, he would certainly be overjoyed. Then, he could report her to King Chu Jiang, who would then deal with Bai Ling.

Therefore, Bai Ling employed a stratagem with the Life Soul Pearl. She refined it only to an incomplete state before letting Chu Hao finish the process. This way, Sword Star Lord would undoubtedly believe Chu Hao was the one who refined it.

Bai Ling smiled faintly and went to take a bath and sleep.

Chu Hao returned to his room. Looking at the Life Soul Pearl, he thought, Bai Ling has already refined most of the essence from this thing. She’s tossed it to me like trash, as if I’m some beggar.

Chu Hao didn’t dwell on it and said directly, ”System, exchange the Life Soul Pearl.”

”DING... Host has exchanged the Life Soul Pearl and gained 2,000 Pretentiousness Points.”

Only then did Chu Hao take out the small notebook Bai Ling had given him. He opened it to see what medicinal ingredients she wanted him to buy and nearly choked in anger as he read the list.

Ginseng over a thousand years old, fleece-flower root over a thousand years old, wild lingzhi mushrooms over a thousand years old...

Damn it!

Not a single item on this list is less than a thousand years old! Where am I supposed to find such things? And even if I do find them, they’ll be exorbitantly expensive!

I’ve been duped again, Chu Hao fumed.

Chu Hao didn’t know it yet, but the moment he exchanged the Life Soul Pearl, Sword Star Lord sensed it in the Underworld’s Gouge Out Eye Hell. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning utterly ghastly.

”It’s been refined,” Sword Star Lord muttered, his face incredibly unsightly. He almost wanted to howl in frustration, feeling utterly aggrieved.

”Who refined it?” Sword Star Lord wondered. As the Jail Master, and with the Life Soul Pearl connected to him, he could divine the refiner’s identity through calculation.

The result of his calculation only fueled his fury.

”Chu Hao!!” Sword Star Lord seethed, his anger escalating. He had initially considered the possibility that Bai Ling was the refiner. If it had been the Great Immortal Bai Gu, that would prove her strength was diminished, that she had fallen to the point of needing to refine my Life Soul Pearl! But since Chu Hao was the one...

A horrifying possibility dawned on Sword Star Lord. Does this mean Great Immortal Bai Gu... her power is still intact?!

This was terrible news.

Sword Star Lord felt a surge of bitterness. If Bai Ling is still around, my chances of getting to Chu Hao are practically nil. What should I do? Sword Star Lord was consumed by his desire for vengeance. I must find a way to lure Chu Hao to the Underworld!

Sword Star Lord would never have imagined he had been deceived by Bai Ling, with Chu Hao unwittingly taking the fall.

「The next morning.」

Chu Hao rose early. He planned to go to the market. Anli City boasted the largest medicinal ingredients market, where he hoped to find the items he needed.

He drove towards the marketplace. He didn’t take a sports car, opting for a BMW SUV instead, as he’d need to haul back his purchases.

However, halfway there, he suddenly realized he didn’t have much money. With only a few hundred yuan on him, he couldn’t buy jack squat, let alone expensive medicinal herbs.

He called Zhang Qin’ai, Sanqing Pavilion’s financial manager. She transferred two million yuan to him and added, ”Sanqing Pavilion is planning to open its largest branch in Anli City soon, a 2,000-square-meter establishment. Yu Sicheng and Wang Meng have already invested their earnings into it. So, spend this two million yuan wisely.”

Chu Hao wasn’t heavily involved in managing the Sanqing Pavilion branch affairs, generally letting them handle things.

It had to be said, Zhang Qin’ai had a sharp business acumen. With all the recent news and rumors about ghosts and demons, Sanqing Pavilion’s business was booming and expanding. That was why she wanted to open the largest Sanqing Pavilion yet in Anli City.

After hanging up, Chu Hao thought, Two million yuan should be enough. I’ve never bought these kinds of things before, so I’ll go take a look first.

When he arrived, the market was already bustling with activity, despite the early hour. People were trading precious medicinal herbs, destined for shipment all over the country.

Anli City, besides being a third-tier city, was surrounded by towering mountains ideal for cultivating various precious medicinal herbs. Consequently, it was also known as the ”Town of Medicinal Herbs.” It was said that a quarter of Anli City’s annual GDP came from medicinal herbs.

Chu Hao wandered around, browsing numerous shops. He entered one and listed the Foundation Building herbs he needed. Having studied as a Pharmacist, Chu Hao could discern the authenticity of any medicinal herb at a glance.

The shop employee scratched his head after hearing the names Chu Hao listed. ”I’ve been in this business for over five years, and I haven’t even heard of some of these herbs,” he said. ”Let me ask the boss.”

Shortly after, the shop owner arrived—a slightly plump, middle-aged woman, dressed neatly yet elegantly. After looking over the list, she said, ”We have these herbs. How many portions are you looking to buy?”

Chu Hao said, ”Three portions.”

The middle-aged woman looked surprised. She nodded, picked up an abacus, and began calculating. Finally, she looked up. ”For three portions, that will be 4.5 million yuan.”

Chu Hao’s heart sank at the figure. ”Why is it so expensive?” he asked.

The middle-aged woman sighed. ”Many of these herbs are wild and cannot be cultivated. Plus, you’re asking for aged herbs.”

Indeed, many herbs required for Foundation Building were exceedingly expensive and obscure to most.

The middle-aged woman then added, ”As for Blood Concealed Sinking Wood, our store doesn’t stock it. In fact, you likely won’t find it anywhere in this market.”

Blood Concealed Sinking Wood was a main ingredient needed for Foundation Building. Without it, Foundation Building would be virtually impossible.

Chu Hao asked, ”Are you sure there’s none?”

The middle-aged woman thought for a moment before replying, ”Well, there is one person who might have it, but that old gentleman... I’m not sure he’d be willing to sell it to you.”

Chu Hao asked, ”Who is he?”

The middle-aged woman replied, ”He’s the chairman of the Herbal Ingredient Association, Mr. Ma Bozhen.”

Chu Hao pressed, ”Where can I find him?”

The middle-aged woman studied Chu Hao. He was quite handsome. Usually, it’s elderly folks who buy these kinds of herbs. It’s rare to see someone so young purchasing them, though not unheard of. Perhaps he wants to buy something special for his elders.

The middle-aged woman said, ”That gentleman is well-known in Anli City. If you want to find him, try asking at the Ma Family Pharmacy in the herbal market. They should know.”

Chu Hao nodded and took out his bank card. ”Thank you. Please prepare three portions of the other herbs for me. Here’s two million yuan as a deposit.”

The middle-aged woman was surprised. She hadn’t expected Chu Hao to actually make the purchase, spending over four million yuan for the three portions without even trying to bargain.

”It will take about half a day to gather these herbs,” the woman informed him.

Having paid the deposit for his Foundation Building ingredients, Chu Hao remembered the list Bai Ling had given him and showed it to the shop owner.

The woman looked at the first item, her expression turning peculiar. ”Never mind the others,” she said, ”just a thousand-year-old ginseng is an incredibly rare find, something one might never encounter. As far as I know, such ginseng is effectively priceless and extremely difficult to acquire.”