Selling and Trading

Having lived through two cycles of cultivation reincarnation, Lan Chang'an had seen plenty of heartless ingratitude. Cultivators were often very realistic.

Yet he had not expected Zhao Siyao, who had entered a sect, to be willing to honor the joking promise they had made two years ago.

"Mm, there's still one year."

Lan Chang'an pondered. Considering his identity in this life as the young leader of the Raging River Gang, after spending two or three years seeking immortality and the Dao, it was time to return to the mortal world and make a clean break.

Making connections with sect members and building a broader network was always a good thing.

In the Cultivation World, one's backing was very important.

Sects occupied the upper echelons and controlled more channels. When certain great upheavals occurred in the Cultivation World, they could receive news ahead of others.

After bidding farewell to Li Ergou, Lan Chang'an headed to the Mu Family's library pavilion.

Within the library pavilion, Lan Chang'an could only consult basic cultivation texts.

Fortunately, he had not come looking for any immortal secret arts.

Even the Mu Family's lineage-defining cultivation technique might not necessarily catch Lan Chang'an's eye.

He had come to search for books on geography.

From this life's memories, he had already confirmed that this was a different cultivation region from both his previous lives.

Half an hour later.

Lan Chang'an emerged from the library pavilion, deep in thought.

"Great Qing Cultivation World... Liang Kingdom... Chen Kingdom... Feng Kingdom..."

Within the library pavilion, there was very little information concerning regions beyond Liang Kingdom.

This cultivation region was called "Great Qing."

Its territory was vast, encompassing more than a hundred countries.

Not every country possessed a Spiritual Vein of Tier 3 and Above. The cultivation civilizations of some smaller countries were relatively backward, with the Golden Core Realm being their ceiling.

Medium and large countries all possessed fourth-order Spiritual Veins, capable of supporting Nascent Soul Realm cultivation.

The Liang Kingdom where he resided could only be considered a medium-sized country. Its strongest power was called the Blazing Fire Palace, where a Nascent Soul Realm True Lord presided. It ruled this entire region.

Below the Blazing Fire Palace were the four great sects, each with several Golden Core Realm True Persons.

Golden Cloud Valley was one of them.

Following close behind were the Seven Great Cultivation Families, the strongest batch of cultivation lineages in Liang Kingdom.

Each of the Seven Great Clans had a long inheritance, with at least one Pseudo-Core True Person and several Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

They were more than ten times stronger than the Jade Moon Lake Mu Family.

"One palace, four sects, seven great clans..."

Lan Chang'an roughly sorted out the structure of Liang Kingdom's Cultivation World.

The Mu Family he was in was considered a bottom-tier force in the Cultivation World, only somewhat stronger than Rogue Cultivators and Qi Refining Realm families.

"Is this Great Qing region in the same world as the Tianheng Continent of my Previous Life?"

Lan Chang'an could not reach a conclusion. He feared only a high enough realm could confirm it.

In his Previous Life, only after cultivating to the Golden Core Realm had he learned that the vast region known as Great Kun, where he resided, was merely a remote corner of Tianheng Continent.

Rumor had it that the truly prosperous regions of Tianheng Continent possessed fifth-order Spiritual Veins, where Spirit Transformation cultivators could theoretically be born.

Several months later.

Lan Chang'an opened his eyes from meditation. The Evergreen Mana within his body had progressed slowly and steadily.

"Without medicinal pills to assist me, at this pace, it will probably take three or four years before I advance to Qi Refining Third Layer."

That did not even account for bottlenecks.

After all, Lan Chang'an was recultivating. During the Qi Refining Realm, he could ignore bottlenecks.

The Ancient Wood Evergreen Art needed to absorb the Aura of Time and possessed a life-extending effect. Lan Chang'an could understand why its cultivation speed was slow.

"The Cultivation World changes like wind and clouds, and worldly affairs are unpredictable. My cultivation speed is slow as well—I need some means to protect my Dao."

Lan Chang'an understood the need to be prepared in times of peace.

Do not be fooled by how stable and calm cultivation was now, with the wind still and the waves quiet.

Who knew whether the Mu Family might face a calamity of extinction the very next moment?

Lan Chang'an had experienced such things in his Previous Life.

As for means of protecting his Dao, his status as a Martial Arts Grandmaster could improve his chances of survival.

"A Martial Arts Grandmaster must get close to threaten a Qi Refining Realm cultivator. That is a limitation."

Lan Chang'an considered this.

"Why not practice concealed weapons?"

The Celestial Finger Flick he had used to kill that Zheng Family Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator last time could be used alongside concealed weapons.

Combined with the potent poisons of the Cultivation World, concealed weapons might produce an unexpected effect.

Of course, true means of protecting his Dao still had to rely on the immortal path.

"I'll have to return to the old trade of my first two lives."

Lan Chang'an smiled knowingly.

When he had first entered Qi Refining First Layer two years ago, his mana had been too weak. Now that he was at Qi Refining Second Layer, he could put his ideas into practice.

In his First Life, he had been a Talisman Master of exceptional skill.

In his Second Life, after several centuries, he had become a Third-Order Talisman Master.

Talismans were a good choice, whether for protecting one's Dao or earning Spirit Stones.

Having decided on his approach, Lan Chang'an needed to prepare materials and tools for drawing talismans.

He had originally thought gathering enough materials would be rather troublesome.

Before long, he learned from Li Ergou that Jade Moon Mountain Villa held an internal small trade fair in the middle of every month.

The trade fair was held at September Pavilion within the villa.

Seven days later, beneath the full moon.

Lan Chang'an and Li Ergou arrived at September Pavilion.

September Pavilion was built over a stream, antique and elegant, with pavilions, terraces, and waterside halls in quiet refinement.

Mu Family members had set up stalls in the various pavilions, displaying their trade goods atop stone tables.

There were not many people. Including stallholders, there were only several dozen, and some were not cultivators but direct descendants of cultivators within the clan.

After all, the entire Mu Family only had a little over a hundred cultivators.

Lan Chang'an browsed several pavilions.

The stallholders not only sold items, but also sought to purchase cultivation resources.

Two or three stalls sold Talisman Paper, cinnabar, and Talisman Brushes.

However, their quality was somewhat worse than Lan Chang'an had expected, and their stock was scattered. No single stall could provide his full requirements.

"I'll sell off some Spirit Stones first."

Lan Chang'an found an empty pavilion and took out the Inferior Magic Tool and a Wind Travel Talisman from the Zheng Family cultivator he had killed last time for sale.

"Brother Lu, why are you selling a Magic Tool? If you don't have enough Spirit Stones, I can lend you some."

Li Ergou's expression changed.

"No need. I have my own plans."

An Inferior Magic Tool did not mean much to Lan Chang'an.

It was better to turn it into Spirit Stones, earn money through talisman arts, and increase his means of protecting his Dao.

Lan Chang'an was a fresh face.

Some Mu Family members approached his stall out of curiosity. Most had no interest and merely asked casually.

After waiting for quite some time, he finally encountered a sincere buyer.

"How much for this Magic Tool Iron Sword?" The speaker was a withered old man past sixty, with Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation.

Lan Chang'an quoted, "Forty Spirit Stones."

"Too expensive! An ordinary Low-Grade Magic Tool only sells for fifty or sixty Spirit Stones. Yours is an inferior product, and after prolonged combat, it could easily be damaged..."

The old man furrowed his brows and began picking faults.

Lan Chang'an smiled. Was he not simply trying to haggle?

"You're talking about the worst Low-Grade Magic Tools. With a few repairs, mine won't be much worse than those."

"If you truly intend to buy, then thirty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with a Low-Grade Wind Travel Talisman included."

Lan Chang'an could not be bothered to argue further and directly offered a price slightly below market value.

The old man's eyes flickered as he tried to lower the price further.

Lan Chang'an ignored him completely.

"Fine, then we'll trade at that price."

The old man smiled awkwardly.

Just like that, Lan Chang'an bundled up and sold his Spoils of War from last time, receiving thirty-five Spirit Stones.

With Spirit Stones in hand, Lan Chang'an prepared to buy a set of talisman-drawing materials.

"Brother Lu, you want to buy talisman-drawing materials? Why not go to Eldest Miss Mu Xiuyun?"

Li Ergou made a suggestion, his eyes glancing toward a pavilion not far away.

"You mean the Mu Family's young lady?"

Lan Chang'an followed his gaze.

Two beautiful women had just arranged their stall in that waterside pavilion.

One of them was Mu Xiuyun.

Beneath the bright moonlight, the young woman's skin shone like snow, gentle and pure as jade. Her gauze skirt brushed her shoes, while her dark hair and hem fluttered in the breeze, like light clouds drifting from the mountain peaks.

"Eldest Miss is a First-Order Talisman Master."

Li Ergou did not dare look too long and concealed his dazzled expression.

"A First-Order Talisman Master? She should be able to meet all my requirements."

Lan Chang'an remained perfectly composed as he walked toward Mu Xiuyun's stall.

Li Ergou followed closely behind, his heart racing as he secretly thought, As expected of big brother. He isn't the slightest bit intimidated before Eldest Miss.

Seeing Lan Chang'an and Li Ergou approach.

Mu Xiuyun gave a slight nod, signaling for them to look around themselves.

The red-dressed young woman beside her, however, studied the two of them in surprise.

Lan Chang'an calmly surveyed the stall and nodded inwardly.

As expected of a ranked Talisman Master—Talisman Paper, Talisman Brushes, and cinnabar were all present, and the quality was good. It met all of his requirements.

"How much is this Talisman Brush?"

Lan Chang'an picked up an ink-green Talisman Brush.

"This is a Low-Grade Magic Tool, the Azure Record Talisman Brush. It costs seventy Spirit Stones."

A young woman's voice, clear and pleasant as spring water, drifted over.

"What about this one?"

Lan Chang'an switched to a blackened, yellowing Talisman Brush covered in patches of wear.

"This one... the Black Hair Talisman Brush is heavily worn. It sells for twenty Spirit Stones. But I must explain that it can draw at most another hundred talismans before it is completely ruined."

Looking at that Talisman Brush, Mu Xiuyun hesitated slightly, with a trace of reluctance in her eyes.

"I'll take it."

Lan Chang'an could tell that the brush had a good foundation, and her price was fair.

"Also, one small bottle of Spiritual Blood Cinnabar and twenty sheets of First-Order Talisman Paper."

"How much is First-Order High-Quality Talisman Paper? Oh, give me three sheets."

Lan Chang'an bought all the materials for drawing talismans in one go.

Because his funds were limited, he bought only a small quantity of each.

"That will be forty Spirit Stones and thirty taels of Spiritual Sand. I'll charge you forty Spirit Stones."

Mu Xiuyun smiled brightly.

"Eh? I only have thirty-five Spirit Stones. How about we make the deal at that price?"

Lan Chang'an shamelessly said.

In truth, Mu Xiuyun's price was fair.

He was simply trying to shave off a little.

If it did not work, he could return a few sheets of Talisman Paper. It was no great loss.

At those words, the red-dressed young woman beside Mu Xiuyun sneered.

"Boy! You apparently don't know the rules. Sister Xiuyun's stall does not bargain!"

The red-dressed young woman was quite pretty, with fair skin, long legs, a delicate oval face, brows like slender willows, apricot eyes, and full lips.

Li Ergou was thin-skinned and said awkwardly, "Brother Lu, forget it! I'll lend you a few Spirit Stones..."

"You are Lan Chang'an?"

Suddenly, Mu Xiuyun's starry eyes shifted. Her gaze settled on Lan Chang'an, her expression impossible to read.