After waiting a full two hours, Pan Shi finally finished regulating his breathing. By then, Pan Yu was bored to the point of dozing off, while Black Brow had already left to wander outside. Only Yang An and the other two remained in the cave.
Outside the cave, quite a few cultivators had arrived one after another, and the place gradually grew livelier.
Yang An rose and glanced outside. Quite a few people had already gathered in the relatively open area, and many had clearly begun trading.
"Fellow Daoist Yang, shall we go take a look together?"
"Alright!"
Pan Shi asked for Yang An's opinion, and Yang An naturally nodded in agreement. Pan Yu had already sprung to her feet impatiently and headed happily out of the cave.
The three of them soon came outside and merged into the crowd.
If not for this strange place, Yang An might even have thought this was some mortal marketplace. Aside from the lack of hawking cries, it was practically identical.
What surprised Yang An even more was that among the cultivators who had arrived later, apart from those who looked like normal human cultivators, there were also quite a few like Black Brow—wild mountain spirits that had attained the Dao but had yet to take human form.
Muntjac heads and rat eyes, sharp monkey snouts and sunken cheeks, swallow jaws and tiger whiskers—every sort of bizarre appearance imaginable was present.
Some wore human robes, hiding their bodies beneath their clothes so that only their faces could be seen.
Others simply wore nothing at all, utterly unconcerned with the gazes of others.
In other people's eyes, having consumed Illusionary Insect Corpses meant they could not see the true appearances of these fellows at all.
But to Yang An, they were incomparably real, with nothing concealed.
Had he not accepted the fact that in this world, whether humans or other creatures, all could attain the Dao and cultivate, Yang An would have been more inclined to think that this was not a gathering of cultivators, but a wild dance of demons and monsters stirring up evil.
Who knew whether genuine demons and fiends had mixed in among them? And who could tell?
Yang An felt faintly resistant to the scene, instinctively keeping farther away from those who looked difficult to provoke.
The three wandered around with interest for a while before finally stopping in a less crowded area. Pan Yu seemed to have spotted something that caught her eye.
"What is this? Is it a Dharma artifact?"
She pointed at a palm-sized piece of white jade shaped like a carved flower.
The cultivator displaying the item looked ordinary and rather old. Seeing someone take an interest, he immediately introduced it to Pan Yu.
"Fellow Daoist, you have a keen eye! This item is called the Exquisite Flower Jade. It is indeed a Dharma artifact, and a rare mid-grade one at that. Wearing it allows one to manifest the Exquisite Flower Dharma Image, strengthening oneself.
"If you are interested, Fellow Daoist, you may trade another mid-grade Dharma artifact for it. Pills of equivalent value will do as well."
Dharma artifacts naturally came in different grades, divided into ranks high and low. The Small Sumeru Bag on Pan Yu's person, for instance, was a top-grade Dharma artifact.
To judge the grade of a Dharma artifact without knowing the accompanying art formula, one could only infuse it with a slight amount of Mana and observe the spirit-creature arcs that appeared upon it.
The more numerous and distinct the arcs, the higher the grade; conversely, the fewer and dimmer they were, the lower the grade.
Of course, there were exceptions to everything. Not all Dharma artifacts possessed spirit-creature arcs. They were merely the most commonly used and relatively effective means of judging a Dharma artifact's grade.
Thus, many crafty fellows found room to exploit the loophole. They could even forge spirit-creature arcs.
Take the fellow before them. As he introduced the item to Pan Yu, a smug smile openly appeared on his face, like the expression of someone watching a fish take the bait.
Perhaps the cultivators here all believed that beneath the concealment of the Water-Repelling Lotus Seed, no one could see their expressions. Little did they know that Yang An beside them saw everything clearly and had already reached his conclusion.
This fellow was most likely a swindler!
"Oh? It is actually a mid-grade Dharma artifact? Fellow Daoist, would you allow me to examine it?"
Upon hearing the man's words, Pan Shi immediately intended to inspect it for his junior sister, so he asked.
"Please, Fellow Daoist."
The cultivator acted very casually, giving off a fairly trustworthy impression, but the smile on his face grew increasingly sly.
Pan Shi picked up the Dharma artifact from before the cultivator. He examined it first, then infused it with a faint trace of Mana.
The next moment, several indistinct arcs appeared on the palm-sized carved jade flower. It indeed seemed to bear the characteristics of a mid-grade Dharma artifact.
The instant he saw the spirit-creature arcs, delight immediately appeared on Pan Shi's face, as if he had unexpectedly discovered something good.
"Well? Have you seen it clearly, Fellow Daoist?"
"Mhm, not bad. It truly is a mid-grade Dharma artifact, and its quality is smooth and full as well. Good stuff!"
Pan Shi said with certainty. The way he acted could even make those who did not know better think he was an expert in this field.
Hearing Pan Shi's words, the cultivator could not help but laugh heartily and praised Pan Shi again for his discerning eye.
Seeing this, Yang An could not help sighing inwardly.
On the way here, he had seen Pan Shi warn Pan Yu several times that at the Communal Feast Convention, she absolutely had to be cautious, must not misjudge things, and had to guard against those with ill intent.
Yet unexpectedly, this was only the beginning, and the senior brother and junior sister had already stepped into someone else's trap. They were two little lambs through and through, personally delivering themselves right to the man's doorstep.
If it had been someone else, Yang An would rather have watched the show than interfere, quietly enjoying the spectacle.
But after several days of contact, he had come to understand the temperaments of this senior brother and junior sister. He had formed a friendship with them, so naturally he could not stand by and watch them be deceived.
"Fellow Daoist Pan, why not let me take a look as well?"
He took the initiative to say this to Pan Shi.
Seeing Yang An speak up, Pan Shi naturally nodded in agreement.
Fellow Daoist Yang was a disciple from some hidden great sect. His discernment surely could not be poor. Even the Blood Tumor Pills, a Three Pine Mountain specialty that Pan Shi had previously given Yang An, had been recognized at a glance by Yang An. That alone was enough to show his extraordinary experience.
Naturally, Pan Shi also hoped Yang An could examine it for him. Though he was certain he had not mistaken it and that this carved jade flower was undoubtedly a mid-grade Dharma artifact, Yang An's confirmation would give him even greater confidence.
The cultivator beside them glanced at Yang An, who had spoken, and merely chuckled without stopping him. He was clearly confident that these cultivators before him could not see through its hidden trickery.
Yang An glanced at him and casually accepted the carved jade flower Pan Shi handed over.
The instant the carved jade flower landed in his hand, an information panel immediately appeared before Yang An's eyes.
Exquisite Flower Illusion Jade: Crafted by the cultivator Pang Shan from Five-Colored Illusion Jade, a spiritual item. Infusing it with Mana can trigger five-colored arcs and illusory radiance resembling a Dharma Image, yet it possesses none of a Dharma Image's abilities. Cost of use: Excessive accumulated Mana infusion will cause this item to collapse, producing five-colored illusions and drawing one into the Glazed Dreamscape. The holder of this item will be left utterly exhausted. Status: Can be purified!
Seeing the contents of the information panel, Yang An immediately understood.
Just as he had thought, the cultivator before them was a swindler who faked things to pass them off as real!
Yet the cultivator displaying the item still wore a smug smile, unaware that Yang An had seen his unrestrained expression in its entirety.
A cold smile appeared on Yang An's face.
"If I am not mistaken, this is clearly a spiritual item made from Five-Colored Illusion Jade. Yet you claim it is a Dharma artifact, intending to pass off a fake as real and deceive us. What a fine trick!"
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