The Position and a Stroll Through the Market

"Come, come, Nineteenth Brother, try my Red Fang Small-Leaf. It's spirit tea purchased from Jinshui County to the east, and it has a distinctive flavor."

Smiling, Yang Tianjiu brought out the spirit tea and handed Yang Tianyou a cup.

The deep-red spirit tea was clear and bright, and its fragrance filled the air.

Yang Tianyou took a small sip. A moment later, his eyes lit up.

"Thirteenth Brother, this spirit tea can actually nourish essence?"

His voice carried a note of delight. Yang Tianyou was a body cultivator, and aside from cultivating spiritual power, tempering and refining his physique were also important.

He had been searching for a spirit tea that could nourish essence for a long time. He had never expected to find it here with Thirteenth Brother.

"Hehe, I heard you injured some of your essence while fighting that Liu Household cultivator. Take three liang of Red Fang Small-Leaf with you when you leave, and you'll recover it in no time."

Yang Tianjiu spoke with a smile.

"Thirteenth Brother, do you have any more Red Fang Small-Leaf here? I'd like to buy some, preferably with a long-term supply."

"Hm? You... Oh, right, where's my head? You're a body cultivator, aren't you? Red Fang Small-Leaf really is very beneficial for body cultivation."

Yang Tianjiu fell silent for a moment, then said, "Spirit Pills and wondrous medicines that help strengthen the physique are rare in Purple Moon Town, but there are plenty in Yellowstone Market. I'll keep an eye out for more of them for you!"

"Thank you, Thirteenth Brother!"

Yang Tianyou hurriedly thanked him, then took out five hundred Spirit Stones and handed them to Yang Tianjiu to use for the purchases.

"Five hundred Spirit Stones, just like that. It must be nice to have a mine!"

Yang Tianjiu teased.

"Hahaha, how could I compare to you, Thirteenth Brother? You manage the entire Purple Moon Pavilion. Your annual commission and dividends are enough to make me green with envy!"

"What's there to envy? You'll soon be drawing a stipend from the Lineage yourself."

Yang Tianjiu smiled and continued, "The position the Lineage has arranged for you is purchasing steward, responsible for procurement. The annual stipend is eighty Spirit Stones."

"Purchasing steward?"

Yang Tianyou nodded, accepting the position.

"Don't worry, Nineteenth Brother. I know you like cultivating, so unless it's something important, I won't trouble you."

"What are you saying, Thirteenth Brother? We're all family. Whatever tasks there are, just assign them to me. I'm ready to help whenever you need me!"

Now that Yang Tianyou had come to Yellowstone Market, he would naturally follow the local ways. The patriarch had sent him here to work, not to act like some young master.

Besides, Thirteenth Brother had treated him well. Shouldn't he return a peach with a plum and do something in return?

Hearing this, Yang Tianjiu nodded inwardly, gaining a better understanding of this younger brother he was not very familiar with. He was steady, valued relationships, and could put aside his pride—a man suited to getting things done.

And so, Yang Tianyou became a purchasing steward at the Purple Moon Pavilion in Yellowstone Market, specifically in charge of purchasing goods from outside for the pavilion.

Before he took up the post, however, Yang Tianjiu gave him three days off. During that time, Yang Tianyou planned to take a good look around Yellowstone Market.

Early the next morning, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, Yellowstone Market was already bustling.

Such a vast market naturally had more than just immortal cultivators; there were also many mortals. Most were descendants of immortal cultivators, and though they had no chance of walking the immortal path, they could still live very well in Yellowstone Market.

With such a vast difference between their stations, the odd Spirit Stone that an immortal cultivator casually gave as a tip was enough for an ordinary mortal to live happily for a year.

As Yang Tianyou walked along, he saw that fifty or sixty percent of the attendants welcoming and seeing off customers at the entrances of the major shops were mortals. Together with the immortal cultivators, they formed the bustling scene of Yellowstone Market.

As he walked, Yang Tianyou came to a long street.

There were no rows of shops on this street. Instead, numerous stalls were packed tightly along both sides of the broad bluestone road.

This was Rogue Cultivator Street, used mainly by Rogue Cultivators. Of course, descendants of immortal cultivation lineages also occasionally came here to rent stalls and sell Spirit Items they no longer needed.

Unlike the wares in established large shops, the quality of goods on Rogue Cultivator Street varied greatly.

Sometimes, one could buy a pill one wanted for thirty percent less than the market price.

At other times, one might spend a great many Spirit Stones on a Law Artifact, only to discover a major flaw when it came time to use it.

Thus, a discerning eye was extremely important when buying Spirit Items here.

Recalling Thirteenth Brother's explanation, Yang Tianyou came to a relatively large stall and examined the Spirit Items on display without betraying his thoughts.

Spirit medicines, Spirit Material, pills, talismans, Law Artifacts—everything was there. There were even two white Jade Slips, with a line of small characters beneath them reading "fire-attribute Cultivation Method."

Yang Tianyou was a little surprised, but he had no interest in the Cultivation Method.

He squatted down, pointed to a dark-green plant, and asked, "How much for this spirit medicine?"

"First-tier mid-grade Spring-Curtain Grass, eighteen Spirit Stones."

The stall owner was a burly man, with a prominent deep scar running from left to right across his dark face.

His bearing was very gentle, however, and he did not seem like the sort of person who loved to fight.

Hearing Yang Tianyou ask the price, he answered in an even tone.

"How about sixteen Spirit Stones?"

Yang Tianyou ventured.

"Deal!"

"Uh..."

The stall owner's decisiveness left him baffled, but after examining the grass carefully with his Great White Gold Eyes, Yang Tianyou found nothing wrong with it. He had no choice but to pay the Spirit Stones.

Afterward, Yang Tianyou did not leave. He sat down at a tea stall two stalls away, ordered a pot of spirit tea, and watched as he drank.

He noticed that the burly man seemed to be quite well known on this street.

Most of the cultivators who bought from him greeted him with a smile, then bought the Spirit Items they needed without bargaining.

Soon, the man had sold everything, leaving Yang Tianyou, who had been watching nearby, quite curious.

Yang Tianyou beckoned over a mortal boy familiar with the street and asked him about the stall owner.

"You mean Master Yang? He's very famous around here..."

The boy began talking in a torrent, and soon gave him a clear account of the stall owner.

The man's surname was Yang, making him a namesake of Yang Tianyou. He was generous and forthright, and he always sold his goods for a little less than the market price. He never passed off inferior goods as good ones, either; everything he sold was genuine.

Who wouldn't like a seller like that?

The cultivator surnamed Yang had thus quickly gained a group of repeat customers, and whenever he set up his stall, his wares were naturally swept clean in no time.

"So that's how it is..."

Yang Tianyou nodded slightly. There really were all sorts of people, but the cultivator surnamed Yang's approach had quite a few merits. At the very least, it let him sell his goods quickly.

Yang Tianyou tossed the mortal boy a Spirit Stone fragment and continued strolling.

Imitation spirit medicines made with special dyes, Law Artifacts with deeply hidden flaws, spirit beast eggs that could not hatch, all kinds of treasure maps that might or might not be genuine...

One long street, a hundred varieties of tricks. If not for his Great White Gold Eyes, Yang Tianyou would have been cheated several times.

Still, after walking the entire length of Rogue Cultivator Street, he had gained quite a few things.

"The patriarch was right. You can't cultivate by building a cart behind closed doors..."