Inquiries

It is truly rare for ordinary food to taste so delicious and rich.

Especially for first-time tasters, whose palates have not experienced such pure and layered smoky flavors in a long time, the fish head dishes of Anran Town are instantly amazing.

Su Bai was not one to indulge in gluttony, but the Path of Cultivation was long and arduous, and occasionally experiencing the finest human flavors was a way to adjust and relax his State of Mind.

So, over the next three days, Su Bai actually found several highly-rated restaurants in Anran Town and tried all sorts of fish head dishes prepared in different ways.

Steamed dishes offer a fresh and tender flavor, braised dishes offer a rich and savory aroma, and stewed dishes offer a mellow and comforting taste...

Each has its own unique flavor.

It wasn't until the evening of the third day that the initial feeling of amazement gradually faded with familiarity, returning to calm, just like the delicacies I had long been tired of eating in the Imperial Palace, no longer holding any particular novelty.

Three days passed quietly in waiting and occasional strolls through the city.

On the morning of the fourth day, as dawn broke, the Chen Family Cultivation Market's small Auction was about to begin.

The Market is located in a secluded valley about fifty miles south of Anran Town.

The Market established by small cultivation Lineage are naturally incomparable to those large or super-large Market run by major sects or large merchant guilds; they are limited in scale and their facilities are relatively simple.

The Chen Family used the faint Miasma naturally present in the valley as a barrier, and combined it with a rudimentary Illusion Array, mainly to prevent mortals from accidentally entering.

For Cultivator, it is practically useless, as there is no powerful defensive or offensive formation covering it, and their safety mainly depends on the military deterrence of their own Lineage.

Su Bai and Jiang Han walked one after the other, maintaining a certain distance, and Su Bai Wind Flight (Su Bai did not use his sword to avoid Sword Flight) to the valley.

They stopped at the outer edge of the Illusion Array.

Sure enough, as long as one channeled Spiritual Power into their eyes, the thin mist-like illusion before them rippled away, revealing the true entrance to the valley.

A rather simple stone archway stood there, inscribed with the six large characters "Chen Family Cultivation Market," the calligraphy ordinary and lacking any Spiritual Qi.

Beneath the archway stood four Cultivator dressed in matching brown short-sleeved outfits, with swords at their waists. Their cultivation levels were mostly around the fourth or Layer Five of Qi Refining. They were lazily guarding the entrance, responsible for checking those entering and collecting fees.

That's right, to enter this Chen Family Market, you need to pay a "ticket" of one Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Taking advantage of the crowds attracted by the Auction, this was a considerable source of extra income.

The two split up as planned.

Jiang Han strode ahead of him, casually tossing a Spirit Stone into the door. The Chen Family family member guarding the gate, seeing his demeanor (Jiang Han was wearing a nice Robe of Law), didn't ask any questions and let him pass.

Before going inside, Jiang Han activated another pair of Snail Flower and gave one to Su Bai.

This thing can avoid many blocking methods, but its duration is relatively short, only twelve hours.

Perfect for short-term operations.

Su Bai took it, nodded, and put it away.

These little gadgets from the Immortal Palace are indeed quite useful at certain times.

After Jiang Han entered, Su Bai waited quietly for a moment under an old tree not far away, observing the Cultivator were arriving one after another.

After about half an incense stick's time, more than twenty Cultivator landed or walked in from different directions. Their cultivation levels varied, ranging from the Qi Refining Stage Three to the Qi Refining Layer Nine. Most of them were dressed plainly and looked travel-worn, clearly indicating that they were independent cultivators or members of small Lineage from the vicinity.

It seems this Auction indeed quite attractive to lower-level Cultivator.

Seeing that the time was right, Su Bai pulled the veil hanging from his Veil Hat to make sure his face was covered more completely before taking steady steps toward the entrance of the Market.

"Stop!"

A burly Chen Family family member, with a face full of scars and around the Qi Refining Layer Five, blocked Su Bai's path, speaking in an unfriendly tone, "You cowardly fellow, take off your Veil Hat and let me see!"

Su Bai felt a chill in her heart, but she did not react. She gently removed the Veil Hat as instructed.

Beneath the veil, a young and handsome face was revealed, with clear eyes and a radiant complexion, made even more striking by the dim morning light.

The Chen Family family member was taken aback, a hint of jealousy flashing in his eyes. He muttered rudely, "Damn it, he looks respectable enough, why is he wearing Veil Hat? Is he afraid to show his face? Do you want me to introduce you to some connections, so you can become the plaything of some Foundation Establishment senior? That would be better than you being a miserable rogue cultivator!"

Su Bai glanced at him calmly, memorizing the man's somewhat fierce face, and then silently handed him a Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Seeing that Su Bai was so "sensible" as to neither resist nor retort, the Chen Family member, feeling bored, took the Spirit Stone and waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Come in, come in! Don't block the way!"

Su Bai put her Veil Hat back on and stepped into the Market.

The scene inside the Market is more like a miniature, slightly chaotic, ordinary town street.

The Bluestone Slab Road was not very smooth, and on both sides were wooden and stone houses of varying heights, with various shops.

Shops selling medicinal herbs, crude Law Artifact, Forging shops that also repair items, and Pill Shop that emit a faint smell of burning (more like workshops that process low-grade medicinal materials), etc.

Interspersed among them were one or two ordinary restaurants and eateries that served food and drink to low-level Cultivator who had not yet fully Grain Avoidance, or their accompanying mortal servants.

The Market area wasn't large; Su Bai walked along the main street for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before arriving at the central area.

A space had been cleared out, and a temporary wooden auction platform, three feet off the ground, had been erected and covered with a red cloth.

Dozens of simple wooden chairs were placed below the stage, arranged in three rows: front, middle, and back.

"Come on, come on! Seat Ticket! Front row has the best view, 10 Spirit Stone each! Middle row is 5 spirit stones! Back row is only 1 spirit stone each! First come, first served, while supplies last!"

Several members of the Chen Family were energetically hawking and selling these "value-added services."

Su Bai, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted Jiang Han sitting casually in a middle seat in the front row, observing the Cultivator entering the venue with great interest, exuding an air of wealth and attention.

His task was to act as a "fat sheep" to attract the attention of the main forces of the Chen Family.

Su Bai himself doesn't need to be so high-profile.

He even skipped the "standing ticket" for that Spirit Stone and went straight to the back of the auction area, where twenty or thirty Cultivator had already gathered. Most of them, like him, wore bamboo hats or Veil Hat, or simply blurred their faces with Law Technique. They were all low-level rogue cultivators who didn't want to spend more Spirit Stone or attract attention.

Su Bai is not short; even standing in the back row, he can see the auction stage in front of him clearly.

The two arrived at the perfect time.

Not long after, the small Auction officially began as a middle-aged Cultivator in a brocade robe with a small mustache stepped onto the auction stage.

As expected, the Auction, which was aimed at Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, especially those who were mostly independent cultivators, had mostly unremarkable opening items.

Tier One Lower-grade healing pills and Qi-Recovery Pill, several obviously worn low-grade Low-grade Magic Artifact, and some common spiritual herbs that are not yet old...

The Cultivator below the stage were bidding fiercely, especially the rogue Qi Refining in the early and middle stages of Qi Refining. They argued heatedly over a bottle of "Gathering Qi Pill" that could slightly improve their cultivation or a decent Iron Essence Sword.

Su Bai found the scene somewhat boring, his gaze casually sweeping across the crowd as he silently assessed the potential variables.

"Fellow Daoists, please look at the next item!"

The auctioneer raised his voice and took a bottle of pills from a jade tray carried by a maid beside him. "This is the authentic ' Golden Marrow Pill ' from the Jade Mist Sect's Alchemy Institute! It has remarkable effects on strengthening the Late Qi Refining Cultivator!"

"The quality of the Jade Mist Sect's Spirit Pills speaks for itself! This elixir has a fixed price of sixty Spirit Stone per bottle, containing ten pills per bottle! There are ten bottles in total; first come, first served!"

Su Bai's lips twitched slightly beneath the Veil Hat.

This thing... isn't it just a perk for inner disciple, or something you can redeem with fifty Contribution Points?

I wonder which Inner Sect disciple was really short of money, or wanted to make a little profit, that they actually brought their goods to this small Market to sell.

However, even though a bottle costs sixty Spirit Stone, which is ten yuan more expensive than the price for the Inner Sect, the Golden Marrow Pill produced by the Jade Mist Sect is still a hot commodity, especially among independent cultivators in small Market like this.

Sure enough, as soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, several Late Qi Refining of Qi Refining raised their hands to bid.

One of the rogue cultivators, tall and thin with a sallow complexion, was particularly wealthy. He bid up five bottles in one go, paying three hundred Spirit Stone, which drew murmurs of surprise and envious glances from those around him.

Meanwhile, behind the auction stage, there was a "backstage" area simply separated by a curtain.

Chen Ping, the most powerful cultivator in the Chen Family at the Qi Refining Layer Nine, was squinting her narrow eyes as she coldly watched the audience through the curtain.

He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a sinister face, and wore a Dark Red Robe of Law.

"Make a note of the tall, thin guy who bought five bottles of Golden Marrow Pill."

Chen Ping whispered an order to one of her disciples, her voice icy, "After he leaves the Market, find an opportunity to ambush him and bring the Pill back."

"Yes, Brother Ping." The young man quickly replied, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

Standing next to Chen Ping was a middle-aged Cultivator in his fifties with a goatee and a cultivation level of the Qi Refining Layer Eight. He was Chen Ping's Third Uncle, Chen An.

"Ping'er," Chen An said in a low voice, glancing at Jiang Han in the front row, "That kid in the purple robe is here too."

"Last time he sold us Spirit Medicine Ingredients worth tens of thousands of coins, the origin of which is unknown. He dares to come again this time, so he probably has something to rely on. If he has a powerful background, we can't touch him."

Chen Ping's lips curled into a cruel smile, "Don't worry, Third Uncle, after he managed to escape last time, I didn't sit idle. I specially spent Spirit Stone to ask someone to inquire about him."

"This kid's name is Jiang Han. A few months ago, he was Outer Disciple of the Jade Mist Sect, but for unknown reasons, he was Jade Mist Sect Betrayal and is currently on the wanted list!"

"Those spirit medicine of his were probably stolen from the Jade Mist Sect when he ran away. What kind of background could a stray dog have?"

Chen An's eyes lit up, and he stroked his goatee. "So that's how it is! Then... the Spirit Stone on his person?"

"Of course it's ours," Chen Ping said decisively. "More than ten thousand Spirit Stone is enough for our Lineage's expenses for several years. He's offered it to us willingly; how could we let it go?"

Chen An nodded, but then asked with some concern, "By the way, Ping'er, that True Disciple of the Biyou Palace is also resting in the Market today. Should we go and say hello before we act? After all, our Chen Family still wants to establish a connection with the Biyou Palace..."

"No need."

Chen Ping shook her head decisively, her eyes gleaming. "We invited the people from the Biyou Palace here to leverage their reputation and strive to become their vassal, so we can share some of the profits in the future."

"We haven't even gotten any benefits from them yet, and we're already giving away Spirit Stone? That doesn't make sense."

"To deal with a traitor at the Qi Refining Layer Seven, I will personally take action, finish the battle quickly, grab the item, and leave without alerting that True Disciple."

Seeing Chen An Chen Ping was determined and that her analysis was reasonable, Chen An no longer objected, but only cautioned, "Then you must be very careful, lest you capsize in a ditch."

"Don't worry, Third Uncle, I know what I'm doing."

Chen Ping was full of confidence, and her gaze once again fell on Jiang Han, who seemed oblivious to her presence in the audience, as if she were looking at a fat sheep that had already fallen into a net.