Open for business

Crackle! Pop!

Crackle! Pop!

Crackle! Pop!

Day had only just broken over Qinghe Commandery City when bursts of firecrackers began ringing out through the East Market and West Market.

The people who had lived in Qinghe Commandery City for years were utterly bewildered.

It was neither the New Year nor any other festival, so why were so many firecrackers going off, one burst after another?

Driven by that question, well over half the commoners and cultivators in Qinghe Commandery City headed toward the East Market and West Market.

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

"Today marks the grand opening of our ranked family's He Family Merchant Hall! If you wish to purchase talismans, pills, or other cultivation supplies, come right in! We guarantee quality goods at low prices!"

"Our Ping Lineage's Fan Family Merchant Hall is also opening today! Whatever you need, the Fan Family Merchant Hall will satisfy you! We guarantee honest dealings with young and old alike!"

"Talismans, pills, formations, puppets, magical artifacts—our ranked family's Lu Family Merchant Hall has everything you could ask for! Everyone is welcome to stop by the Lu Family Merchant Hall!"

"Our grand opening is the best time to buy cultivation supplies at bargain prices! Miss out today, and you'll regret it!"

The cries announcing the newly established ranked families' grand openings rang out ceaselessly through the East Market and West Market.

In the past, all the merchant halls in Qinghe Commandery City had been controlled by a handful of high-ranking cultivation lineages: the sixth-rank cultivation families—the Baili Family, Li Family, Jin Family, and Xu Family—and the fifth-rank cultivation family, the Tianhai Family.

Any commoner or cultivator wishing to purchase everyday necessities or cultivation supplies had to visit one of the merchant halls under the sixth-rank cultivation families—the Baili