Trading Meet

"Bang, bang, bang!" A rapid, forceful knock suddenly sounded outside, abruptly interrupting Zhang Tie's cultivation. He slowly stopped circulating his spiritual energy and was about to ask who it was when a voice called out, "Brother Zhang, are you there?"

"Wait a moment," Zhang Tie replied. He rose to his feet, quickly approached the door, and gently opened it. Standing outside was a scholar dressed in white.

He held a folded fan, which he lightly waved. His face was fair as jade, his brows were like distant inked hills, and his nose stood tall like a peak. Most striking of all was the faint yet distinct scar on his right cheek, utterly out of place with his refined scholar's attire.

His name was Yang Xiu, a descendant of a small local Immortal Cultivation family in Violet Flame City. His cultivation was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. Zhang Tie had met him a few days ago while gathering information.

Yang Xiu had arranged to attend a small private trading meet for Qi Refining stage cultivators with him today. As the time was drawing near, he had come to find Zhang Tie so they could go together.

Over the past two months, aside from gathering information everywhere, Zhang Tie had devoted nearly all his time to refining Spirit Stones without rest and charging the Undying Pearl. At last, he had succeeded. This time, he had absorbed nearly fifteen hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, making his heart ache with the expense.

Moreover, his Qi Refining cultivation had seized this opportunity to break through all the way to the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Perhaps because of the Undying Pearl, his breakthroughs through the eighth and ninth layers had been incomparably smooth, without the slightest obstruction, as though bottlenecks did not exist at all.

"Sorry to trouble you, Brother Yang. Let's set off now," Zhang Tie said, coming back to his senses.

"Most of those attending this trading meet are fellow cultivators at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, just like Brother Zhang. We might find some rare treasures," Yang Xiu said. Seeing that Zhang Tie was ready, he turned and headed out first, with Zhang Tie close behind.

Before long, the two arrived before a pavilion. Above its entrance, the words "Spring Rain Rouge Workshop" were written in bold, sweeping strokes.

They stepped inside. Yang Xiu displayed a small black token, and a maid immediately came forward to lead them toward the rear courtyard.

Upon reaching the courtyard, the maid pushed open a door and entered the room. She walked to a bookshelf, moved a vase atop it, and the bookshelf immediately began to rotate in place, revealing a hidden passage.

The maid handed Yang Xiu two ghost-face masks and said, "You two Immortal Masters may enter on your own. I'll be returning now."

Without waiting for their reply, she turned and left, closing the door behind her. Yang Xiu put on his mask and strode into the hidden passage. Zhang Tie hurriedly put on his own mask and followed closely behind. He soon discovered that the mask was actually a low-grade first-rank artifact.

Clearly, Yang Xiu had attended this trading meet more than once. He looked back at Zhang Tie, then headed down the slanting hidden passage. The two descended the stairs. The passage was not dark; on the contrary, luminous pearls embedded in the walls brightly illuminated the entire tunnel.

After walking around twenty steps, they reached the bottom. Ten more steps ahead, a stone door appeared before them. Yang Xiu pressed his palm against it and pushed hard. The stone door slowly rotated open.

Zhang Tie followed Yang Xiu inside, and the stone door returned to its original state as soon as they entered.

The moment Zhang Tie stepped inside, the space before him opened up considerably. Their entrance was located at the very back of the trading meet. Two rows of stone tables and chairs stood ahead, with tea set out on the tables. Before the two rows was a three-foot-high stone platform, upon which stood another stone table.

To the right of the stone platform was another tightly shut stone door.

The two casually found seats and sat down. At this point, roughly six or seven people had already arrived at the trading meet. He and Yang Xiu sat on the right side. Yang Xiu fell silent, while Zhang Tie studied the mask on his face. He discovered that it not only protected his face and made his features appear completely blurred to others, but could also alter his voice. Zhang Tie secretly found it remarkable.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, three more people entered one after another. At that moment, the stone door to the right of the platform suddenly opened, and a young married woman in a red robe emerged. She had a graceful figure and proper features, and her cultivation was at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

She walked to the platform and said, "Thank you all for taking time out of your schedules to come. I am Liu Wan'er, and I will be presiding over today's trading meet. Everyone has arrived, so let us begin."

After saying that, she stood before the stone table and continued, "There are new fellow cultivators here this time, so I will briefly explain the trading meet's process again.

Everyone will take the stage in order and present the items they wish to trade, as well as what they seek in exchange. If someone is satisfied, a trade may be made. Once everyone has had a turn, you may conduct private trades or leave."

"Then I will go first and set an example." As she spoke, she took a jade box from her Storage Pouch and gently opened it. Inside was a talisman treasure bearing a scissors-shaped design.

However, this talisman treasure looked dull and lusterless, far inferior to the one Zhang Tie possessed. Clearly, it could be used at most one or two more times before becoming useless.

"I am sure you all know what this is, so I will not say more. Although this talisman treasure can only be used twice more at most, it is still a talisman treasure. Even against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it can block an attack or two.

If the timing is right, it might even be able to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Liu Wan'er continued, "I wish to trade for a stalk of Yijing grass. If anyone wishes for other compensation, we may discuss it." She then took out an illustrated booklet from her Storage Pouch. The open page displayed the appearance and description of Yijing grass.

After waiting around ten breaths with no response, Liu Wan'er somewhat disappointedly put away the jade box and said, "Then let us begin trading with the fellow cultivator on the left." With that, she stepped down from the stone platform and found a seat.

A burly man in black took the stage. With a wave of his hand, he produced a large bell-shaped artifact and said, "This is the first-rank high-grade artifact, the Seven Profound Bell. As long as one has sufficient spiritual power, it can withstand the full-force attack of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.

I wish to trade it for a piece of black iron essence." After waiting more than ten breaths without any response, the man in black put away the artifact, shook his head, and stepped down from the platform.

Next, the second and third people took the stage in turn. Some displayed artifacts, some brought out medicinal pills, and others revealed cultivation techniques. A few obtained what they needed, but most left disappointed. Before long, it was Yang Xiu and Zhang Tie's turn.

Yang Xiu wanted to exchange for a storage ring or storage bracelet and was willing to pay with Spirit Stones. Zhang Tie, meanwhile, sought the Compendium of Talisman Crafting, offering either Spirit Stones or artifacts in exchange.

Soon, everyone had taken a turn. Then, the group began conducting private trades, while some simply left. Just as Zhang Tie was considering whether to leave, an elderly woman in black suddenly approached him. She was called an elderly woman because her hair was gray, and she leaned on a cane.

"Would it be convenient for you to speak with me over there?" the elderly woman asked.

"Certainly. Please," Zhang Tie replied. He nodded to Yang Xiu, then walked toward a corner.

"Please take a look. Does this meet your requirements?"

As she spoke, several pages flew from the elderly woman's Storage Pouch. Zhang Tie reached out to catch them and examined them carefully.

They were the table of contents for a book, but it was indeed what he needed. Not only did it include first-rank talismans, it even contained more than a dozen second-rank talismans and three low-grade third-rank talismans.

"What do you want for it?" Zhang Tie asked.

"Five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. No bargaining," the elderly woman replied.

"Deal."

At his words, the elderly woman took out a book while Zhang Tie produced five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. The exchange was completed smoothly.

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