Picking Up a Bargain

On the first day, over 1,300 Low-Grade Spirit Stones were traded.

The restaurant's premises, decorations, and staff were all provided by the market; the Shen Household only provided the seasonings and recipe.

Excluding rent and labor costs, the gross profit margin is between 85% and 90%. In total, the net profit for the day is just over a thousand Spirit Stones.

Steward Wang was also there. He looked at the numbers in the ledger, remained silent for a long time, and finally just swallowed.

The profit is truly enormous.

The next day, word spread far and wide, and business was even booming than the day before, with queues forming outside the door starting at noon.

The event was bustling with activity for three consecutive days, with the venue packed to capacity each day. Over the three days, the total revenue reached more than 3,800 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Three days later, the annual auction will be held the following day.

On the third night, Returning Geese Tower had to close early. After all the guests had left, the staff didn't even dare to rest and kept busy all night.

Tables were removed, chairs were moved, the auction stage was rearranged, and the private rooms were tidied up in preparation for the auction the following day.

The next day, after breakfast, Shen Jingchuan took Xiao Mingshu and Huan'er out and arrived at Returning Geese Tower. The auction was scheduled to start at 10:00 AM, and although it was still early, the long street in front of Returning Geese Tower was already bustling with activity.

Numerous stalls spontaneously set up along both sides of the street, with cultivators coming and going, trading on the spot. It was a temporary market that came with the market, and many people came here to try their luck, hoping to find a bargain.

Shen Jingchuan wasn't in a hurry to go inside; he strolled leisurely along the stalls.

He had seen many spiritual herbs, low-level talismans, and broken Law Artifacts along the way, most of which looked familiar.

Lately, he's been frequenting spirit medicine shops, and he can recognize most common medicinal herbs. As he walked, an inconspicuous stall caught his eye.

The stall owner was a young man, looking to be in his early twenties, with Qi Refinement Fifth Layer. His clothes were tattered, and he still had unhealed injuries. He looked dejected, with his head hanging low, and he had little energy. A dozen or so spiritual herbs were scattered on his stall.

Shen Jingchuan stopped and bent down to examine them closely. He could recognize most of the spiritual herbs at a glance, but two of them had dark gold patterns on their leaves and pale red roots. He examined them over and over, but he had never seen them before.

He asked, "Fellow Daoist, what kind of spiritual herb is this?"

The young man looked up, forcing himself to stay alert.

"This herb is called Blood-Veined Golden Leaf Grass, and it's rarely used by ordinary cultivators. It's not for human use; it's specifically for spirit beasts."

What's the use?

"It can stimulate the latent bloodline of a spirit beast, giving it a chance to awaken its bloodline."

Upon hearing the words "stimulate the bloodline of spirit beasts," Shen Jingchuan's heart stirred.

Isn't this exactly what was prepared for Big Black and the other two?

But he didn't recognize the item. The market was a mixed bag, with all sorts of things, real and fake, and he didn't dare to believe just because a stall owner said something.

He turned to look at Xiao Mingshu, who was walking towards him. Xiao Mingshu picked up a plant, examined it for a moment, then gently put it down and shook her head slightly at him—she didn't recognize it either.

The young stall owner noticed their hesitation and spoke up.

"Fellow Daoist, you don't believe me, do you? I don't blame you. This thing is extremely rare. Look at its texture, its roots—there's nothing else in the world that can grow like this. You couldn't fake it."

Shen Jingchuan didn't reply, but instead focused his Divine Sense into his Heaven and Earth Ring.

"Sister Xian'er, come and take a look, what exactly is this spirit medicine herb?"

Xian'er's figure appeared in his mind. She glanced at the two plants and her voice immediately became urgent.

"Buy it right away! This stuff will be very useful for your three horses, but there are only two."

Shen Jingchuan felt reassured and was about to speak when Xian'er said again, "Wait."

"There's a nail on that stall over there," Xian'er said seriously. "Buy it too. Remember, you absolutely must buy it."

"Okay, I'll go check it out later," Shen Jingchuan replied in his mind.

After speaking in his Divine Sense, he remained expressionless, looking back at the young man with a hint of hesitation on his face.

"Fellow Daoist, I see you're an honest person, so I'll trust you this once," he said. "How much do you plan to sell this herb for?"

Upon hearing that there was a chance, the young man quickly said:

"To be honest, fellow Daoist, I went through a lot of trouble to get these two herbs. There was a huge snake guarding the mountain, and out of the three of us who went in, I was the only one who survived."

"I don't raise any spirit beasts myself, so there's no use for them. Otherwise, I wouldn't be willing to take them out. These kinds of things are rare and hard to come by."

He looked at Shen Jingchuan, "Two plants, I want five hundred Spirit Stones."

Shen Jingchuan didn't rush to answer; he was thinking of Xian'er in his mind.

"Give it to him," Xian'er said. "This kid really doesn't know its value. If this herb were sold in a major market or a major sect, it wouldn't cost more than a thousand Spirit Stones —and I'm talking about the price of a single stalk."

Shen Jingchuan had a clear idea of what was going on, but his face showed a look of disdain for the high price, and his brows furrowed.

"Too expensive." He shook his head. "Three hundred Spirit Stones, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, the young man shook his head vigorously.

"No," he said, his voice lowering. "Two of my brothers who came into the mountains with me have died. They were both men I've risked my life for over a long time. I have to send each of their families at least two hundred Spirit Stones back home to settle them down. Three hundred is simply not enough."

He raised his head, his face stubborn.

"I won't sell it for less than five hundred Spirit Stones, not even one less."

Shen Jingchuan looked at his dark, thin face, which exuded a stubbornness, and suddenly nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Just for your kind heart, I'll buy it. Five hundred, deal."

That young man was not a businessman at all.

He set up his stall here early in the morning. It was his first time doing this kind of business, and he didn't know how to hawk his wares; he just squatted there silently. He did recognize the grass—but that was all.

The man who regularly went into the mountains to collect herbs and hunt was the older brother who came with him. The older brother was very knowledgeable, and before he died, he only had time to tell him that this thing was valuable, very valuable, but he didn't have time to explain exactly how much it was worth.

He himself had no idea what to expect, but he gritted his teeth, mustered all his strength, and quoted a price of five hundred, his heart pounding with anxiety.

The herb had been displayed all morning, and many cultivators had passed by, but no one recognized it, not even asking the price.

To my surprise, this fellow Daoist in front of me didn't even haggle over the price and readily agreed.

The young man was stunned for a moment, then a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Hey! Hey, deal, deal!" He hurriedly said, as if afraid the other party would back out. "Thank you, fellow Daoist! Thank you for your help!"

Shen Jingchuan didn't say much, counted out five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones and handed them over.

The young man accepted the handful of Spirit Stones with both hands and quickly put them away. Five hundred Spirit Stones were enough to cover the resettlement expenses for his two brothers, and also enough for his own recovery.

Shen Jingchuan picked up the two Blood-Veined Golden Leaf Grass and casually put them into his Storage Ring.

After leaving the young man's stall, he strolled a couple of steps and came to a stall next to him.