Poor at Third Watch, Rich at Fifth Watch

The outskirts of the Market.

Qi Feng and Li Han exchanged a glance, awkward expressions spreading across both their faces. But then they lifted the copper gongs in their hands and began beating them with a bang-bang, instantly drawing countless gazes from the street.

"Come one, come all, take a look! We don't do crooked business..."

"Buy good goods without worry; when it's time to strike, strike..."

Under their cries, countless cultivators on this street of human tickets turned their eyes toward them, yet the two men still had to shout on through their embarrassment.

"What is this?"

"Isn't this street all about selling human tickets? Why are there sacks everywhere here?"

In no time, their stall was packed with people. Curious eyes stared in their direction, while Zhang Qing sat inside with a blank look, having no idea what this was all about.

Lin Chang'an emerged with a smile and cupped his hands toward the crowd. "Friends, everyone here is doing business, so I won't waste words. The goods here are divided into two batches. Pick whatever you like."

Yet the onlookers were rather bewildered. At other stalls, one could at least inspect the goods carefully. Why were there only sacks here?

"Are you still selling human tickets? Everyone else lines them up and clearly marks the prices. What's with all this?"

"Exactly. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were selling sacks."

Someone started jeering, and the crowd immediately burst into laughter. Yet Lin Chang'an merely smiled unhurriedly as he looked over the crowd that had gathered to watch the excitement.

"Ours are different from the others." Pointing to the sacks on either side, which were visibly of different quality, Lin Chang'an smiled. "The ones on the left cost thirty Spirit Stones each. The ones on the right cost ten Spirit Stones each."

Under the crowd's puzzled gazes, Lin Chang'an first pointed to the human tickets on the right, whose sacks were so rough they looked cheaply made, and said with a laugh, "There's no need for me to explain what's inside these, is there?"

"The sacks on the right contain human tickets who are older and have exhausted their potential. But I guarantee they can mine and serve as breeding stock after you bring them home. As for how many years they'll last, that depends on heaven's will."

At Lin Chang'an's explanation, the crowd immediately understood. Naturally, they grasped the reasoning: these people were old, and the goods here might well have been discarded by someone else. Perhaps one day their hidden injuries would flare up and turn them into useless cripples.

"There are quite a few people here, but to add a little fun, we slipped in several young and strong human tickets worth at least twenty Spirit Stones."

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Everyone's eyes widened. What was this? The gambling dog mentality? Whoever had good luck could get a bargain.

A human ticket for ten Spirit Stones was not expensive, but it was not cheap either—it was simply the usual price. They could buy one anywhere, but here there was an added element of chance. What if they got lucky?

The moment they understood, the crowd grew lively. People whispered and discussed among themselves. One middle-aged cultivator cupped his hands and looked curiously toward the left. "Then what's the deal with the ones here, at thirty Spirit Stones each?"

Thirty Spirit Stones was rather steep. Young, sturdy ones generally went for around twenty Spirit Stones. Thirty was a little too much, and they were not buying cultivators with particularly high cultivation.

Seeing everyone's attention shift to the smaller number of sacks on the left, Lin Chang'an showed a teasing smile. "These ones are anything but simple."

"As the saying goes, poor at third watch, rich at fifth watch. There's no need to explain that principle, is there?"

As Lin Chang'an's words rang out, the onlookers all smiled. In this godforsaken place, who dared claim their hands were not stained with blood? Every last one of them was ruthless, so of course they understood.

"Second Master Lin, just tell us—what did you slip into the good goods on the left? Don't tell me you even added a female cultivator?"

A cultivator who had long frequented the Market grinned and directly voiced the teasing remark, drawing another burst of laughter.

"You, Cripple Li, you sure know how to dream. Are female cultivators that easy to get?"

"Haha, if there really were female cultivators, I'd buy a few and try my luck."

As Zhang Qing's deputy, Lin Chang'an was effectively the second-in-command. Thus, the low-level cultivators in the Market who knew his standing respectfully called him Second Master Lin.

Upon seeing that familiar figure, Lin Chang'an laughed and cursed, "Keep dreaming. If there really were female cultivators, would they end up here?"

Another wave of laughter rose. Female cultivators were comparatively precious; even older ones would be put up for auction on the black market.

"Still, there really is a special item mixed in here—one no worse than a female cultivator."

Lin Chang'an's words instantly stirred everyone's curiosity. Seeing that he had thoroughly whetted their appetites, he narrowed his eyes, smiled, and cupped his hands. "There's one who broke the rules and got into trouble. But rest assured, friends, he isn't missing any arms or legs."

"This item is no simple one. He is not yet thirty, and his body has absolutely not been overdrawn. So long as you don't go overboard after bringing him home, he can still live for several more decades. And he is at the Qi Refining third layer."

At this point, Lin Chang'an paused. Once he had everyone hanging on his words, he gave a meaningful smile. "He is also an alchemist skilled in refining Qi Condensation Pills."

As Lin Chang'an's laughter echoed, the crowd instantly fell silent. Countless people stared wide-eyed, looking as though they could not believe what they had heard.

Qi Refining third layer, and an alchemist?

Was it real?

"Second Master, did I hear that right?" The man from earlier sucked in a cold breath and blurted out in shock, his eyes wide.

"That's right. But not for you."

Lin Chang'an's words left the man momentarily unable to react. Rather dumbfounded, he said, "Second Master Lin, do you judge customers when doing business?"

"It's not judging customers—it's you!" Lin Chang'an narrowed his eyes at him until the man's scalp prickled and fear rose in his heart. I haven't offended this lord, have I?

"I might dare sell him to you, but would you dare take him home?" Lin Chang'an suddenly shrugged and teased with a smile, "I truly wonder what your old man would say if you brought a male cultivator home."

The crowd instantly understood and burst into laughter. The cultivator awkwardly rubbed his nose, but still stiffened his neck and said boldly, "Second Master Lin, who are you looking down on? He's an alchemist, after all."

Amid the crowd's jeering, Lin Chang'an smiled, looked at everyone, and cupped his hands. "Friends, if you see something you like, feel free to choose. But let me warn you in advance: these have Divine Sense Probing Talismans forbidden on them."

As Lin Chang'an's words fell, everyone noticed the talismans pasted onto the sacks. Li Han's face reddened beside him. Suppressing his embarrassment, he struck the gong with a dong, then raised his voice and shouted.

"Poor at third watch, rich at fifth watch! With ten Spirit Stones, you can't buy a loss, you can't buy a scam! Genuine goods at honest prices, fair to old and young alike! Take them home and they can mine, they can breed..."

Li Han had felt ashamed and awkward when he first began shouting, but after yelling it once, he threw caution to the wind. The more he shouted, the more energized he became.

"I'll take one. Pick one for me."

A burly man stepped forward and loudly pointed at the cheaper sacks on the right. Clearly, someone in the crowd recognized him, and they began jeering with laughter.

The burly man had seen plenty of storms in his day. He merely snorted irritably. "Can't I buy one to breed with the women of my clan?"

The jeering in the crowd quieted at once, and everyone watched curiously to see what kind of goods the burly man would pick.

Almost everyone who came here was selecting breeding stock. Of course, there were also those who cultivated certain evil arts. After all, once they bought cultivators with spiritual roots, they could simply squeeze them dry without any concern.

Ahem, fellow Daoists, please support tomorrow's follow-up reading as well. We're pushing for recommendations.