Traveling in Women's Clothing, Qu Mountain Marketplace!

"Grandpa Clan Leader, I want to go see the auction too, broaden my horizons," Li Qingyuan said.

The Clan Leader, Great Elder, Second Elder, and Li Dingzhou all said without a second thought, "No!"

Still unwilling to give up, Li Qingyuan said, "I can disguise myself, alter my appearance, or wear a mask so no one sees my true age."

"Grandpa Clan Leader, I have cultivated for six years now. In all those six years, I have never left Cloud Mist Mountain, nor have I ever seen Willow Crane Island beyond Cloud Mist Mountain."

"This feeling of being trapped in one corner has made my heart feel shackled, feel stifled." Li Qingyuan said earnestly, "I truly, truly want to see the outside world."

"Th-this..." Hearing this, the Clan Leader and the others were stunned.

That was right. Qingyuan had cultivated for a full six years, never stepping beyond his door. He had not even left Cloud Mist Mountain, much less visited Cloud Mist Town.

Looking across the clan, what other Immortal Seedling could do such a thing?

Li Qingyuan struck while the iron was hot. "I have now stepped into the Qi Condensation Fourth Layer and cultivated Spiritual Sense."

"Moreover, I have Diamond Talismans, Wind Blade Talismans, and Explosive Fire Talismans for protection. I also have Masterwork Quality talisman paper, enough to battle a Qi Condensation Sixth Layer cultivator."

"As long as I do not provoke a Late Qi Condensation expert, I can ensure self-preservation."

Great Elder and Second Elder looked toward the Clan Leader and asked, "Clan Leader, what do you think?"

Li Guangao looked at Li Dingzhou and asked, "Dingzhou, you are Qingyuan's father. What do you think?"

Li Dingzhou said, "Clan Leader, in my younger days, while roaming the martial world, I happened to acquire a human-skin mask crafted by a martial-world master proficient in disguise techniques."

"Once this human-skin mask is worn, unless a Foundation Establishment Venerable who has cultivated divine sense probes it with divine sense, not even a Qi Condensation Tenth Layer expert will be able to see through the true face."

"The only fly in the ointment is that this human-skin mask is somewhat unusual and can only be used once."

At this moment, Clan Leader Li Guangao smiled kindly. "Fine then. It is rare for little Qingyuan to ask something of us for the first time. If this old man refuses, would that not make me seem cold and unreasonable?"

"However, you heard what your father said as well. This human-skin mask can only be used once."

"So, taking you down the mountain will happen this once and only this once."

"Really? I can go down the mountain?" Li Qingyuan laughed happily, then bent at the waist in salute. "Thank you, Grandpa Clan Leader."

"And thank you, Grandpa Great Elder and Grandpa Second Elder."

Finally, Li Qingyuan grinned. "Thanks, old man. Hehe."

Li Guangao instructed, "For this auction, this old man will personally lead the team. Second Elder, Dingzhou, you two will accompany me. You must take good care of Qingyuan."

The two nodded. "As you command."

The Clan Leader said at last, "All right. There is still some time before the auction. Go make your preparations."

Everyone clasped their fists in salute. "We shall take our leave."

Half a month later, the Li Clan set out for the Market to attend the annual auction.

"Hyah!"

"Hyah!"

The four Demonic Beasts serving as mounts were Unicorn Zebras. Their manes swayed in the wind like blazing flames, crimson horns grew from their foreheads, and they stood eight feet tall and more than ten feet long, fat and strong.

The four Unicorn Zebras were all First-Tier Early Stage Demonic Beasts, comparable to human Early Qi Refining cultivators.

Clan Leader Li Guangao led the group, accompanied by Second Elder Li Guangzong, Li Dingzhou of the Qi Condensation Fourth Layer, and the disguised Li Qingyuan—a party of four.

Riding his horse, Li Qingyuan wore an awkward expression and complained the whole way, "Father, why is this human-skin mask a woman? And a woman in her twenties, at that?"

Yes, Li Qingyuan was traveling in women's clothing.

He wore a green dress, his long hair coiled and pinned up, with willow-leaf brows, a melon-seed face, and almond-shaped eyes. His appearance was that of a young woman in her twenties. At a height of five feet three inches, he did not look out of place at all; instead, he looked like a delicate girl from a modest household.

Li Dingzhou held back his laughter all the way and said, "Brat, what respectable person would make a human-skin mask?"

Li Qingyuan: "..."

Li Dingzhou added, "It is said that the martial master who crafted this human-skin mask was an Innate Martial Master—and a flower thief at that. He specialized in disguising himself as a caring older sister to swindle young ladies in their chambers."

"If you feel too awkward, then go home."

Li Qingyuan refused. "No."

Li Qingyuan gritted his teeth and said one word at a time, "We're already here."

"Hahaha!" The Clan Leader, Second Elder, and Li Dingzhou burst into laughter at Li Qingyuan's embarrassed expression.

Four days later, the four arrived at their destination—Qu Mountain Marketplace—after traveling through wind and dust and racing more than a thousand li.

Willow Crane Island spanned more than three thousand li in radius.

What did a radius of more than three thousand li mean?

Taking the center of the island as the center point, one could draw a circle with a radius of more than three thousand li.

Thus, Willow Crane Island measured roughly six to seven thousand li from end to end, both lengthwise and crosswise. Its area was enormous.

Qu Mountain Marketplace lay twelve hundred li from the Li Clan and was the primary sales ground for the Li Clan's industries.

This Marketplace had been jointly built under the leadership of the first-rate Qi Condensation Family, the Wang Clan, along with two second-rate Qi Condensation Families, three Third-rate Qi Condensation Families, many Rogue Cultivators, and mercenary groups that hunted Demonic Beasts.

Across all of Willow Crane Island, Qu Mountain Marketplace could be considered quite large. It was also an important stronghold where Qi Refining Stage cultivators dumped their goods and traded Spirit Stones.

"Whoa!"

Before an inn, the four reined in their horses and stopped.

Clan Leader Li Guangao said, "Qingqing, this inn has dealt with our Li Clan for many years. Whenever our clan cultivators entered Qu Mountain Marketplace in the past, most would rest here."

Li Qingqing was Li Qingyuan's current alias.

Li Guangao instructed, "Come, let us settle in first."

"Before the auction begins, we will first sell off the clan's goods and exchange them for Spirit Stones."

The four entered the inn.

Sure enough, both the innkeeper and the waiter recognized the Clan Leader, Second Elder, and Li Dingzhou, and received them with great warmth.

The Unicorn Zebras were also settled in and fed fine fodder according to custom.

That evening, Li Qingyuan followed the three elders back and forth through different shops and streets of the Marketplace, selling their stockpiled Demonic Beast Materials, finished talisman paper, Spirit Rice, spirit plants, and Origin Iron Stone stored inside Storage Bags.

Apart from the finished talisman paper, the clan's other industries had long established mature sales channels and business connections, and were basically sold off in one go.

Spirit Rice was sold to Spirit Rice shops, spirit plants to Rogue Cultivators who refined pills or alchemy guilds, and Origin Iron Stone to Rogue Cultivators who refined artifacts or artifact-refining guilds.

There were also specialized shops that purchased hunted Demonic Beast Materials.

The Clan Leader said, "Starting tomorrow, Qingqing, you will follow this old man and set up a stall to sell talisman paper."

"Talisman paper specialty shops purchase talisman paper at only eighty percent of the Marketplace price."

"Setting up our own street stall to sell talisman paper takes more time, but the returns are higher."

"Mm." Li Qingyuan nodded.

Li Qingyuan thought, I never expected that even after coming to the Cultivation World, I still could not escape setting up a street stall.

In his previous life, Li Qingyuan had been born in an orphanage. Even with social and state aid, money had still been tight, and he often set up street stalls himself.

Early the next morning, the morning market opened. Li Guangao and Li Qingyuan, grandfather and grandson, began setting up their street stall, taking out all kinds of talisman paper.

There were six kinds of First-grade Low-rank Talisman Paper and three kinds of Tier 1 Mid-grade Talisman Paper, nearly two hundred sheets in total. Yet the Clan Leader only took out fifty or sixty sheets for display.

With the calm composure of an old hand, he said, "We cannot put out too much merchandise at once, lest it become difficult to haggle over prices."

Li Qingyuan nodded lightly.

Soon, an old customer appeared.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Li, you have talisman paper for sale again." The arrival was an old man, who smiled and said, "The old rules: two sheets of each First-grade Low-rank Talisman Paper and three sheets of each Tier 1 Mid-grade Talisman Paper."

Li Guangao smiled. "Fellow Daoist Sun, long time no see."

As he spoke, he prepared the talisman paper and said, "The old rules, the old price."

Old Man Sun took out eighty Spirit Stones and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, this old man has supported your business every time and has been your regular customer for many years."

"Could you exchange them for one Masterwork Quality Diamond Talisman and one Masterwork Quality Explosive Fire Talisman?"

Li Guangao pondered for a moment, then said, "All right. You have been an old customer for many years, but this will be the only time."

The two old men completed the transaction, both delighted.

After Old Man Sun left, other Rogue Cultivators and cultivators from other families soon came over.

Some deals fell through, while others succeeded.

Some brought in a huge profit, while others earned only a few Spirit Stones after talking their mouths dry.

Overall, because Grandpa Clan Leader Li Guangao had a good reputation and the talisman paper was of solid quality, his Tier 1 Talisman Paper had earned a small name in the area. Business was fairly good.

By the end of the day, more than half of the talisman paper had been sold. At this pace, everything would be sold out tomorrow.

Before they knew it, the sun was slanting westward.

"Heh, isn't this the Clan Leader of the Li Immortal Clan?" A strange, mocking voice rang out. "The great talisman master has come to sell talisman paper again."