The Cultivators' Market
All four of them bought books that suited their tastes. Man Gu, out of interest in history, bought a copy of "The Unofficial History of the Great Xia Dynasty".
It contains many stories that even Meng Jingzhou, who knew the inside story, found quite outrageous.
In any case, all four of them were satisfied.
As they walked, the four noticed that there were fewer and fewer mortals around them and more and more cultivators, as if a mysterious force was separating the mortals from the cultivators.
Lan Ting and the other three communicated telepathically. "A repulsion formation has been set up in this area. Mortals will involuntarily move away from here, but cultivators will not be affected."
Meng Jingzhou suddenly realized, recalling information he had gathered during his casual strolls. "It's a market that opens once a month, but this time it must be opening early to coincide with the Spring Festival."
The Spring Festival attracts not only ordinary people, but also cultivators.
This is a legitimate market town, not the kind of black market where murder and robbery often occur. The four of them could even see constables patrolling here.
That being said, many people in the market also concealed their identities by wearing masks or black robes.
This is quite common. Some cultivators hide among the common people as mortals. If they came here with their true identities, wouldn't they expose their true identities?
For example, Lu Yang and his group of four.
The four of them used different methods to conceal their identities: Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu chose to wear black robes, thinking it would create a certain atmosphere; Meng Jingzhou even chuckled a few times.
Lan Ting removed the transformation talisman, revealing her stunningly beautiful face, as pure as a lotus emerging from clear water. She had used her true face when searching for clues about the Demonic Sect in Yanjiang County.
Lu Yang discussed with Meng Jingzhou, "How about I practice a set of imitative boxing and transform into your appearance?"
The response was that Meng Jingzhou slapped the tofu mask onto Lu Yang's face.
Lu Yang put on the tofu mask.
The market town had a distinct atmosphere of cultivation, with a huge protective shield enveloping the entire town and emitting a soft light, quite different from the atmosphere outside. Cultivators who hadn't seen each other for a long time were having a drink at a roadside tavern, chatting about what they had seen and heard recently; cultivators and merchants were arguing about the prices of goods, each trying to extract a few Spirit Stone from the other; the government had set up a fighting arena where cultivators who wanted to duel could fight to their heart's content.
"Take a look! This is a super-strength pill made using our family's Secret Method. Take one, and you'll have boundless strength!"
Lu Yang found it interesting, so he followed the sound and discovered that it was a medical clinic.
It seems this clinic is run by cultivators; the person hawking their wares is either an apprentice or Alchemist.
How many Spirit Stones are in one grain?
The Alchemist apprentice said, "Ten Spirit Stone per pill, buy three get one free, buy five get two free."
The low price indicates that the pill is not intended for someone like Lu Yang, who is in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but rather for Qi Refining stage.
Lu Yang wanted to buy two pills as a souvenir; this was the first time he had seen someone outside the Ask Dao Sect refine pills. "And the effects?"
"It can increase strength for a short period of time, but after the strength fades, one will be in a state of weakness for half a day."
Lu Yang bought one pill and was about to leave when a constable came in. Lu Yang recognized him; his surname was Sun, and he was a follower of Constable Wei.
"I've received a report that your 'miracle pills' involve false advertising."
The Alchemist apprentice was taken aback. False advertising?
Officer Sun explained earnestly, "According to the law, words like 'most' or 'infinite' cannot be used when advertising products."
"Our investigation has revealed that your 'strength pill' is suitable for cultivators below the third level of Qi Refining, and does not have the effect of 'immeasurable strength.' We hope you will correct this mistake after this warning."
The Alchemist apprentice nodded obediently. After Lu Yang left, he heard voices coming from the clinic:
"Take a look! This is a super-strength pill made using an ancestral alchemy Secret Method. Taking one will only give you limited strength!"
Lu Yang suddenly realized that the Ten Oxen Strength Pill refined by Senior Brother Wu Ming was truly flawless, even lacking the most common problem of false advertising in the pill industry.
Meng Jingzhou had seen a lot of things, and his family had a relatively respectable Alchemist, so he wasn't very interested in common objects.
What is this?
Meng Jingzhou picked up a small trinket from the stall; it was two wooden sticks glued together vertically. "A jianbing (Chinese crepe) vendor? This thing is sold in the market too?"
The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a full beard, looking serious and composed. He was resting with his eyes closed, only reluctantly opening them when Meng Jingzhou spoke. He clearly had the air of a master weapon refiner.
"This item is called the Flying Staff. When placed on the head and activated with spiritual power, it will spin into the sky. It can be activated by those with the seventh level of Qi Refining."
Meng Jingzhou was astonished; this small market town was truly a place where hidden talents resided, with such a master craftsman.
Without special means, only Golden Core stage cultivators can fly. If they have special means, such as Lu Yang flying on a sword when he was in the Foundation Establishment Realm, or Lu Yang transforming into a crane using the Imitation Fist, they can also fly.
Regardless of whether it's a general situation or a special situation, the minimum cultivation level required is the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Meng Jingzhou had never heard of someone who could fly at the seventh level of Qi Refining.
At the seventh level of Qi Refining, one's Law Power is thin, making it difficult to control flying magical Law Treasure.
"Seeing that you don't believe me, no problem, I'll demonstrate for you." The middle-aged man with a thick beard said confidently as he took out a wooden puppet.
He tied the flying staff to the wooden puppet, and a wisp of Spiritual Qi emanated from his fingertips as he struck the flying staff.
The flying staff seemed to have just woken up, first spinning slowly, then its speed increased until only a blurry afterimage could be seen.
The flying staff carried the wooden puppet into the sky, seemingly without any problems.
If I had to point out one thing, it would be that when the flying staff rotates, it causes the wooden puppet to rotate as well. The wooden puppet rotates at high speed with its head as the center, keeping the frequency in sync with that of the flying staff!
If a person were underneath the flying staff, their brains would be completely scrambled.
"See? I told you our puppets are high quality. They spin so fast and they don't fall apart. I'm not bragging, but this puppet could even fight Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. And the price is fair too. One price, eight hundred!"
"Go to hell!" Meng Jingzhou finally understood that the other party was just using the name of the Flying Staff to sell puppets!
It is evident that the marketplace is rife with deceit and treachery, and sincere people like Lu Yang Meng Jingzhou are now rare.
Lu Yang and his group of four decided to take a look around the area of the Landing Money Merchant Guild, where things were more organized and the situations they had just encountered would not happen again.
"Would you four gentlemen like your fortunes told?"
A voice rang out beside the four of them. Lu Yang turned around and saw that the person was a fortune teller with a Bagua flag hanging behind him that read, "Calculating heaven and earth is not as good as calculating people." It seemed that business was bleak, as no one was coming.
Seeing that Lu Yang and his companions had noticed him, the fortune teller added, "If it doesn't work, you don't have to pay. Want to give it a try?"
Lu Yang noticed that on his table were: a Bagua plate, dice, the Four Treasures of the Study, nine copper coins, a crystal ball...
Everything that could be used for divination was laid out.
Is it reliable?
And why would there be a crystal ball?