You Fell for It

Within the Yu Dynasty, nineteen provinces were under its rule.

Within each province, various commanderies were governed.

Within every commandery, the various county territories were administered.

To better manage the county territories, the Yu Dynasty classified them according to their overall strength.

Within the Yu Dynasty, county territories were divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.

Qingyang County Territory lay in Yangzhou, in the southeast of the Yu Dynasty. Its superior was Qinghe Commandery. Three sides of the county territory were ringed by mountains, while one side faced a river that led directly to Qinghe Commandery, making it a lower-grade county territory.

Even so, Qingyang County's overall strength still surpassed that of some lower-grade county territories in the remote regions of the Yu Dynasty.

After all, Yangzhou was the most prosperous land within the Yu Dynasty.

Qingyang County Town alone had a population exceeding one million, along with two markets that carried every kind of worldly merchandise.

East Market and West Market.

Now, as the date of Qingyang County's Family Tournament drew nearer and nearer, the markets grew increasingly packed with clamoring crowds.

Meng Haoran and Meng Xiaoran, two brothers of the same generation, were squeezed together by the surging crowd as they struggled forward.

"Xiaoran, where are the Lin Family people?" Meng Haoran called out.

Meng Xiaoran stood on tiptoe and looked around, then raised his right hand and pointed. "Brother Haoran, over there!"

Following the direction of Meng Xiaoran's finger, Meng Haoran saw a group of unfamiliar people standing atop a raised platform.

"Good! I see them. Xiaoran, hurry over!"

Meng Haoran exerted a little strength and pushed through the crowd toward the platform.

On the platform stood a youth Meng Haoran had never seen before, shouting loudly.

"Everyone! Take a look! Come and see! If you pass by, don't miss out!"

The youth waved his hands and repeatedly made exaggerated gestures to draw people over.

"These Spirit Beasts are all fine breeds! We've already sold more than a dozen just now, and these are the last of today's stock! Miss them, and you can only wait until tomorrow!"

The youth continued loudly, "As everyone knows, Spirit Beasts are indispensable for cultivators training and gaining experience. One person with one beast is like possessing a treasure!"

Meng Haoran stared fixedly at the youth before him but did not step forward.

"Brother Haoran, this man is called Lin Jiangfeng. He has lived in the Lin Family year-round, and only recently has he begun frequently traveling between Qingyang County Town and Xinghua Village."

Meng Xiaoran's voice came from behind Meng Haoran.

Meng Haoran nodded slightly and asked, "Why are only the Lin Family juniors on the platform? Where is Lin Qingbai?"

Meng Xiaoran was also looking around as he reminded him, "Brother Haoran, could we have guessed wrong?"

Hearing this, Meng Haoran did not doubt in the slightest. His intuition told him that Lin Qingbai's shadow was definitely lurking behind what was happening on this platform today!

Meng Haoran's gaze swept all around, when suddenly his pupils contracted sharply.

Lin Qingbai was hidden behind a hanging curtain, and another person stood beside him.

"Who is the person standing with Lin Qingbai?"

Meng Haoran did not rush to investigate that person's identity. He merely continued watching Lin Jiangfeng's performance on the platform.

While Lin Jiangfeng's hands continued moving, someone below the platform shouted, "Hey, kid! How much is this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull?"

Hearing this, Lin Jiangfeng hurriedly led the Spirit Beast, the Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull, out of its cage and replied, "Esteemed customer, you have a fine eye! Though this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull is only a young cub, once it grows up, in its prime it can break soil and till fields for you. When you plant spirit plants, it will save you a great deal of time and effort. When it grows old, you can even sell it and recover part of the Spirit Stone cost!"

The man who had asked nodded lightly. "From your introduction, this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull does sound quite good. I have several plots of Spirit Plant Field at home that need planting. Kid, name your price for this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull!"

"Certainly! Esteemed customer, according to market prices, Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cubs generally cost around five hundred Spirit Stones. But take a look at our Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull!"

As he spoke, Lin Jiangfeng stretched out his hand and heavily slapped the Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull on the back, shouting, "Esteemed customer, look! This hide! These muscles! This quality! I'd say that after you buy it today, you won't even need to wait until it reaches adulthood. This Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull will be able to break soil and till the Spirit Plant Field for your family!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Just name the price!" the man urged.

Lin Jiangfeng chuckled. "Hehe! Esteemed customer, you really are impatient. As I said before, the market price for a Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub is around five hundred Spirit Stones. Our Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cubs are superior to those from other sellers, so our price is eight hundred Spirit Stones for one Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub!"

"Eight hundred Spirit Stones? That's far too expensive!"

The man frowned slightly. "If I buy another Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub elsewhere, I only need five hundred Spirit Stones. If I bargain properly with the owner, perhaps eight hundred Spirit Stones could buy me two Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cubs!"

Lin Jiangfeng seemed to have everything under control as he smiled. "Esteemed customer, I do not deny what you say, but can you buy Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cubs of such superior quality in the outside market for eight hundred Spirit Stones?"

"Th... that, I cannot!" the man replied.

"See? If you buy two Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cubs for eight hundred Spirit Stones, you will surely still need to spend a great many Spirit Stones, along with plenty of time and effort, to raise those two cubs."

Seeing the man below the platform hesitate, Lin Jiangfeng pressed his advantage and asked, "Right now, here with us and right before your eyes, is a ready-made Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub of superior quality. If you do not make your move now, when will you?"

The man secretly pondered for a moment, then looked up at the Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub again. He suddenly raised his hand and shouted, "Fine! I'll take this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull!"

"Someone, take payment from this esteemed customer and deliver the goods!"

Lin Jiangfeng immediately beamed with delight. "Come! Who else wants one? There aren't many Spirit Beasts left today! If you're interested, don't hesitate any longer!"

After watching the man take away the Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub, Meng Haoran patted Meng Xiaoran on the shoulder. "Xiaoran, come with me!"

Before long, the two followed that man into a small alley.

Looking at the man's back, Meng Haoran suddenly called out, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment!"

The man leading the Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub heard this and slowly turned around. He sized Meng Haoran up and down before asking, "What is it? Do you need something?"

A trace of cunning flashed through Meng Haoran's eyes as he smiled. "Fellow Daoist, did you just buy this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull in West Market?"

The man lightly nodded at those words.

Meng Haoran gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Fellow Daoist, you fell for it!"