You Fell for It

Within the Yu Dynasty, nineteen prefectures were governed.

Within each prefecture, various commanderies were administered.

Within each commandery, various counties were managed.

To better manage the various counties, the Yu Dynasty divided them into different tiers based on their overall strength.

Within the Yu Dynasty, counties were classified as upper-tier, middle-tier, and lower-tier.

Qingyang County, located in the southeast prefecture of Yangzhou within the Yu Dynasty, was under Qinghe Commandery. The county was surrounded by three mountains on one side and bordered by a river on the other, leading directly to Qinghe Commandery. It was classified as a lower-tier county.

However, even so, Qingyang County's overall strength was still stronger than some lower-tier counties in the remote regions of the Yu Dynasty.

After all, Yangzhou was the wealthiest region within the Yu Dynasty.

Qingyang County Town alone had a population of up to one million people and housed two bustling markets that encompassed all sorts of goods.

The East Market and the West Market.

Now, as the date for the Qingyang County family competition drew closer, the markets became increasingly crowded.

Meng Haoran and Meng Xiaoran, two brothers of the same generation, were squeezed together by the throng of people, making it extremely difficult to move forward.

"Xiaoran, where are the Lin family members?" Meng Haoran shouted.

Meng Xiaoran stood on his tiptoes, looked around, then raised his right hand and pointed, "Brother Haoran, they're over there!"

After speaking, Meng Haoran followed the direction Meng Xiaoran pointed and saw a group of unfamiliar people standing on a high platform.

"Great! I see them. Xiaoran, hurry up and come!"

Meng Haoran exerted a little force, pushing through the crowd, and walked to the platform.

On the platform, there was a young man he had never seen before, shouting loudly.

"Everyone! Look! Look! Come one, come all, don't miss out!"

The young man waved his hands, making extremely exaggerated gestures to attract onlookers.

"All these Spirit Beasts are of good breeds. We've already sold over a dozen. This is the last batch for today! If you miss it, you'll have to wait until tomorrow!"

The young man continued to shout, "As everyone knows, Spirit Beasts are essential for Cultivators to train and gain experience. Having a beast is like having a treasure!"

Meng Haoran stared intently at the young man before him, not stepping forward.

"Brother Haoran, this person's name is Lin Jiangfeng. He has lived in the Lin family for a long time and has only recently been 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 younger generation of the Lin family on stage? Where is Lin Qingbai?"

Meng Xiaoran was also looking around and reminded, "Brother Haoran, could we have been mistaken?"

Hearing this, Meng Haoran felt no doubt. His intuition told him that Lin Qingbai must be involved behind the scenes of what was happening on the platform today!

Meng Haoran's eyes scanned around, and suddenly, his pupils constricted.

He saw Lin Qingbai's figure just as he was hiding behind a curtain. Standing with him was another person.

"Who is the person standing with Lin Qingbai?"

Meng Haoran didn't rush to investigate this person's information, instead continuing to watch Lin Jiangfeng's performance on the platform.

Just as Lin Jiangfeng's actions became more animated, someone from the crowd shouted, "Hey! Kid, how much for this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull?"

Lin Jiangfeng heard this and quickly led the Spirit Beast "Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull" out of its cage, replying, "Good eye, esteemed customer! While this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull is just a cub, once it grows and matures, it can till the land for you. When you plant spirit plants, you'll save a lot of time and effort. In its old age, you can also sell it and recoup some of your Spirit Stone costs!"

The questioner nodded slightly and asked, "Based on your introduction, this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull is indeed good. I have some spirit herb land at home that needs planting. Kid, name your price for this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull!"

"Alright! Esteemed customer, according to market prices, cubs of the Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull usually cost around five hundred Spirit Stones. But look at our Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull!"

Saying that, Lin Jiangfeng reached out and heavily patted the back of the Spirit Beast "Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull," shouting, "Customer, please look! This fur! This muscle! This quality! I believe that after you buy it today, you won't have to wait until it's fully grown. This Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull can help your family till the land!"

"Stop the nonsense! Just give me a price!" the person urged.

Lin Jiangfeng smiled, "Heh heh! You're quite an impatient customer. 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 cub is superior to others, so our selling price is eight hundred Spirit Stones for one cub!"

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

The person frowned slightly and said, "If I go outside and buy a similar Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub, it only costs five hundred Spirit Stones. If I negotiate well with the boss, perhaps I could buy two cubs for eight hundred Spirit Stones!"

Lin Jiangfeng seemed confident and smiled, "Customer, I won't deny what you said, but can you buy a Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub of such excellent quality in the outside market for eight hundred Spirit Stones?"

"This... this I cannot!" the person replied.

"See! If you buy two Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cubs for eight hundred Spirit Stones, you'll definitely need a lot of Spirit Stones, time, and effort to raise them."

Seeing the hesitant look on the person's face, Lin Jiangfeng pressed his advantage and asked, "Now, right here before you, there is a ready-made Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull cub of superior quality. If you don't seize this opportunity now, when will you?"

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

"Someone, escort this customer to the payment and delivery!"

Lin Jiangfeng's face lit up with a smile, "Come! Who else wants one? We don't have many Spirit Beasts left today! If you're interested, don't hesitate any longer!"

After watching the person take away the "Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull" cub, Meng Haoran patted Meng Xiaoran's shoulder and said, "Xiaoran, come with me!"

Not long after, Meng Haoran and the other followed the person into a small alley.

As he watched the person's retreating back, Meng Haoran suddenly called out, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment!"

The person leading the "Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull" cub slowly turned around, sizing up Meng Haoran from head to toe. "What is it? Is there something wrong?" they asked.

A hint of cunning flashed in Meng Haoran's eyes. He chuckled, "Fellow Daoist, did you just buy this Mysterious Earth Barbarian Bull from the west market?"

The person nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Meng Haoran said with a forced smile, "Fellow Daoist, you've been swindled!"