The moon goddess was awake, coloring the mountainous landscape with her silvery hues. 

A figure soared up into the air with untold elegance. The captivating eyes of the young man, reminiscent of the silvery hues of the moon itself, drank in the beauty of the night's panoramic view from the sky. 

It was breathtaking, inspiring and empowering. Nature felt... so godly charming. It was unlike the viewpoints that he cherished from the vantage points of Shanghai in his previous life. 

Zhao Wei gently closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of the night air. It smelled of the woody aroma of the rebellious bamboo and pine sprouting on the mountain and also the coolness of winter. 

He felt his mind and soul relax in the genial embrace of nature. It was peaceful, full of positivity and promises. 

"The sheer urge to pick up a painting brush or a pencil to capture the essence of this lively scene is welling up inside of me," Zhao Wei opened his eyes while talking to himself. 

"Is this the benefit of full comprehension of the manual, Insights of a Diligent Painter?" 

With every moment that he enjoyed what was happening around him, it was like his mind and artistic vigor were being elevated into something much more. It was akin to his proficiency being leveled up passively with each bout of enlightening situations. 

"So it's true, cultivation itself is an art of enjoyment," his soft whisper was carried by the wind as the breeze caressed his otherworldly face, wildly gravitating his long strands of black silky hair skyward. 

From his initial interpretation of cultivation as sanguinary a few months ago to something akin to a leisure activity, Zhao Wei found himself smiling at his own absurdity. 

Life was all about self-realization. The gift of life was all about enjoyment. Deep within his lonely heart, he harbored a deep curiosity about what fate and life had in store for him. 

"This life of mine... I will cherish it." Zhao Wei looked down at his soft hands — at his uncalloused palms that knew not of the hardships of the world. 

Having enjoyed his serene moment, Zhao Wei decided that it was time. 

He had spent the day making pills just for tonight. He was quite determined to be a pill merchant, to be a household name in the Broken Moon Sect. He wanted his name to be synonymous with that of a Pill Sovereign. 

"How arrogant." He chuckled as he expertly and discreetly flew into the dark recesses of the night, untouched by the sacredness of the moonlight. 

Soon, he landed a few miles away from the Exchange Hall where he couldn't easily be spotted. 

He then followed a path that was amply lit by glowing lanterns on each side. 

............ 
At the entrance of the Exchange Hall,

"Hello," Zhao Wei adorned a friendly smile after a passing group of three pretty ladies greeted him. Two of them wore the signature black striped outfit of Inner Disciples while the last one was clearly an Outer Disciple. 

They giggled among themselves while blushing after getting a glimpse of his smile as they hurriedly descended down the path. They couldn't wait to add Zhao Wei to their list of gossip and surely, he was going to take the majority of their talk. 

As Zhao Wei entered the hall, he was met with a lot of curious glances. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew that his presence would always garner attention wherever he went — partly due to his devilish charm and his current status. 

He did a cursory inspection of the open space bustling with a plethora of commercial activities. The location was brightly lit by colorful lanterns that magnified the ambiance of the place. 
There were numerous stalls set up in the hall. His ears picked up the chatter of disciples as they haggled prices and bargained during transactions. 

It was a competition that pitted sellers against sellers and buyers against buyers. 

'Truly lively. This is a space that doesn't discriminate between Inner Disciples and Outer Disciples.' Zhao Wei noted as he coolly walked toward the registration booth manned by a Vice Deacon in charge of trading affairs. 

"I have come to register myself. I want to set up a stall." Zhao Wei skipped all the formalities and stated his intentions to the bald, short, middle-aged man with an aquiline nose. 
He wore an oversized black robe with golden stripes that showed his Vice Deacon status. 

'What the hell is Captain Hook doing here?' Zhao Wei swore the Vice Deacon shared some subtle similarities with the infamous Disney villain. 

"Do you know the rules?" The Vice Deacon addressed with a bored expression on his face. He didn't care about anything and just wanted to get over with it. 

On the corporate ladder, he wasn't high or low and just settled in the middle. He was just slaving away in the Exchange Hall. He couldn't wait for the closing time to arrive just before midnight. 

Zhao Wei nodded as he fingered his hidden pockets before revealing 10 substandard primal crystal stones. 

He then placed them on the counter, and he noticed a momentary change in expression on the Vice Deacon's face. 

'The cycle of corruption never ends even in the otherworld.' Amusement shone in his eyes as the Vice Head greedily clawed away the substandard primal crystal stones. 

"Take this exchange token, it will be your trading permit in this area. Lose it and you will lose the qualifications to trade here." The middle-aged man explained with a strict tone as he placed a bronze token on the wooden surface. 

"Of course, you can reapply for another token but at double the cost if you lose it." A shrewd glint shone in his small eyes. 

Zhao Wei restrained a smirk as he swiftly took the bronze token off the counter and wordlessly left. 

He understood that the Exchange Hall was supposed to be a free space and setting up a stall shouldn't incur any charges but he knew better. 
The world didn't run like that and people would always find ways to gain benefits and profits in the face of promising ventures. 
The circle of inevitability was hard to avoid. 

Anyway, Zhao Wei didn't take long to establish his own stall. He arranged some of the pill bottles that he was going to sell on the table. 

Not wanting to waste his voice to advertise what he was selling, he put up perfectly calligraphed labels on separate groups of pill bottles. There were the Marrow Cleansing Pills, Broken Moon Breath Returning Pills, Bone Regenerating Pills, and Clear Soul Pills. 

Naturally, some disciples were curious about what he was selling. The female disciples seemed to really like eye candies. It's a pity Zhao Wei didn't know how to play trick or treat. 

"What are you selling, handsome?" A young woman with a cute appearance but a body that screamed pure athleticism approached Zhao Wei as his first customer. 

She had designed her upper clothes such that Zhao Wei or anyone else could get a peak of his well-defined abs. She was also relatively tall like an Amazonian warrior. 

Zhao Wei rubbed his palms against each other as a shrewd smile formed on his lips. 

It was business time. The Pill Merchant mode was on. 

***

Enjoy! 

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