At the Da Ji, the Second Cultivator

At the Da Ji, the Second Cultivator

"Is this the Da Ji?"

Lu Qing looked at the bustling scene ahead, somewhat surprised.

This Da Ji was even livelier than he had imagined.

The stalls on both sides were arranged in perfect order, looking exactly like the markets he had seen in small towns in his previous life.

"That's right, this is the Da Ji." Wang Da'an nodded and pointed ahead. "See those stalls? They all have to be rented long-term. Only people who make a living from business rent stalls there."

Lu Qing looked over and saw that the stalls Wang Da'an pointed out mostly sold meat, cloth, or grain.

Wang Da'an continued, "A little farther in, there's an open area. You don't need to rent a spot there, but if you want to sell something, you have to pay one Copper coin as a stall fee."

"If you want to sell fish, A Qing, you don't need to rent a stall. Just go to the open area."

"Who do we pay the money to?" Lu Qing asked.

"Master Ma." Wang Da'an pointed somewhere. "See that man in the Blue Cloth Uniform? He's Master Ma. He's in charge of collecting the temporary stall fees here."

Following his gaze, Lu Qing saw a somewhat lean middle-aged man dressed in blue, smiling as he strolled through the Da Ji.

At the same time, Lu Qing noticed several other men in the same cloth uniforms patrolling the market and maintaining order.

As if sensing Lu Qing and Wang Da'an's gazes, Master Ma suddenly turned around, his eyes somewhat sharp.

When he saw that they were merely two farm boys in ragged clothes, his expression eased. He casually looked away and continued walking.

Lu Qing's heart tightened.

From so far away, Master Ma had been able to sense his and Wang Da'an's gaze. He was likely no ordinary person.

Lu Qing no longer dared stare at him so directly, only watching him from the corner of his eye.

Very soon, he saw a dense White Light emerge from Master Ma's body.

Ma Gu: Deep-minded, fair in his dealings, sharp-eyed, and greatly respected and feared by the people of the Da Ji.

Cultivation: Strong and robust, newly entered the Acquired Tendons and Bones Realm.

Receiving the information provided by his Supernatural Ability, Lu Qing's expression did not change in the slightest, but waves surged within his heart.

A cultivator. Master Ma was a cultivator! No wonder his senses were so keen. He was actually a cultivator, someone beyond ordinary people.

This was the second cultivator Lu Qing had encountered since crossing into this world.

The first, naturally, had been Old Doctor Chen.

Yet though both were cultivators, Lu Qing sensed a difference between them.

First was the light revealed by his Supernatural Ability. Ma Gu's was still White Light, while Old Doctor Chen's had been Red Light.

Clearly, on the path of cultivation, Old Doctor Chen was more profound than Ma Gu.

Was the difference in their realms?

Lu Qing noticed that his Supernatural Ability had judged Ma Gu's cultivation as newly entering the Acquired Tendons and Bones Realm.

Meanwhile, Old Doctor Chen's had been the Acquired Inner Organs Realm.

Did that mean the Inner Organs Realm was stronger than the Tendons and Bones Realm? Were there other realms between these two?

Lu Qing's thoughts turned as he slowly calculated.

"How is it, A Qing? Now that you've seen the Da Ji, didn't you say you wanted to buy some things? What are you buying?"

At that moment, Wang Da'an interrupted Lu Qing's thoughts.

Lu Qing put away his thoughts and smiled. "I'm buying quite a few things. I'll probably need Da'an Ge's help."

"You're buying that much? Did you strike it rich, A Qing?" Wang Da'an's eyes widened.

Lu Qing smiled but did not answer.

Wang Da'an also realized that this was not a suitable place to discuss such a matter.

He stopped asking and patted his chest. "Don't worry. No matter how much you buy, I can carry it all back for you!"

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Da'an Ge."

Lu Qing walked toward the stalls ahead.

The first place he went was the meat stall.

The stall sold pork. Its color naturally could not compare to the carefully raised pork from his previous life.

Yet in Lu Qing's eyes, it was still exceptionally tempting.

He had not eaten a proper feast of meat in a long time!

He picked out two large slabs of fatty meat and several pieces that were half fat and half lean, then prepared to pay.

However, when the stall owner saw the broken silver in his hand, his face filled with difficulty.

"Young man, you must be joking with me. How could I possibly make change for that silver?"

"You can't make change?" Lu Qing froze.

"I can't. I only opened my stall not long ago today and haven't had much business yet. That piece of silver of yours must weigh nearly half a tael. I don't have that many Copper coins to give you in change," the stall owner said honestly.

Wang Da'an was also startled by the silver Lu Qing had taken out. He hurriedly covered Lu Qing's hand and pulled him aside.

"A Qing, where did you get silver?"

"Grandpa Chen gave it to me."

Lu Qing directly pushed the Old Doctor out as a shield.

After all, when they had come down the mountain yesterday, the Old Doctor had instructed him that if anyone asked where the silver came from, he should say it had been given by him.

"Old Doctor Chen really treats you well."

Wang Da'an immediately looked envious. Why could he not become the Old Doctor's disciple?

But he quickly came to his senses.

"No, even if the Old Doctor gave you the silver, you shouldn't have taken it out directly! Who comes to the Da Ji to buy things with silver?"

"But I don't have any Copper coins on me. I only have this piece of silver."

Of course Lu Qing knew silver was valuable, but his family was nearly out of food, and he had many things to buy this time.

Not to mention that there were no Copper coins at home. Even if there had been, they would have been inconvenient to carry.

"..."

That did seem to make sense.

Knowing Lu Qing's family circumstances, Wang Da'an scratched his head, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Young man, do you still want this meat?"

From the other side, the meat stall owner called out.

It was rare for such a large order to come to his door. He did not want to miss it.

"I do want it, but didn't you say you can't make change for this silver?" Lu Qing said helplessly.

The meat stall owner choked.

Now both sides found themselves in a difficult spot.

"What happened here?"

At that moment, a gentle voice sounded.

Lu Qing turned around and saw that the middle-aged man Wang Da'an had called Master Ma was standing behind them.

"Master Ma!"

The meat stall owner and Wang Da'an both hurriedly lowered their heads in greeting.

"Mm. I heard some commotion here just now. Did something happen?" Master Ma asked.

"It's like this, Master Ma." The meat stall owner spoke first. "This Young man brought a piece of silver to buy meat, but I can't make change for it at the moment. We were all in a bind."

"Oh?"

Master Ma immediately looked at Lu Qing.

Even he rarely encountered someone who brought silver to the Da Ji to buy things.

When he clearly saw Lu Qing's clothes, a trace of surprise appeared in Master Ma's eyes.

Lu Qing did not look like someone who should possess silver.

"Youth, may I ask where your silver came from?" Master Ma asked.

"What, do I have to clearly explain where my money came from to buy things at the Da Ji?" Lu Qing asked without changing expression.

"Not at all. I was discourteous." Master Ma dipped slightly in apology, a smile on his face. "I was merely curious. A Youth like you does not seem like someone who could produce silver."

Though Master Ma was smiling, the meat stall owner and Wang Da'an inexplicably felt a pressure descend upon them, and sweat began to seep from their foreheads.

Lu Qing also seemed pressed by that pressure.

A nervous expression appeared on his face.

He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "My master gave me this silver."

"Oh? May I ask who your master is?" The smile on Master Ma's face remained unchanged.

"I don't know my master's name. Everyone only calls him Old Doctor Chen."

"What? That Old Doctor?"

Master Ma's expression changed at once.