"The rules of the fair say that no one asks where an item came from. You seem to be breaking them, young man."
The stall owner's face was hidden behind his beard, making his expression impossible to read, but his tone carried a hint of mockery.
"This is an Alchemist Trading Fair hosted by the Pill Tower. Surely you can't sell anything shady here?"
Ling Xi let out a cold laugh.
"Or is there something wrong with where your item came from?"
In truth, at any fair, what mattered most was the judgment of the buyer and seller.
Where an item came from was always something both sides tacitly agreed not to discuss.
But Ling Xi had now brought it up so bluntly that if the stall owner didn't explain himself, everything on his stall would be branded as stolen or shady.
And anything with a questionable origin would be worth only half its value, no matter how valuable it was.
"Young man, you certainly know how to make a case."
A flash of malice crossed the stall owner's eyes, but quickly disappeared.
"I came by this item by chance. There's absolutely nothing wrong with where it came from."
"How much?"
Ling Xi knew the stall owner wasn't telling the truth, but he had no desire to press the matter. He simply asked outright.
"One mid-tier Sixth-grade Pill, or one low-tier Sixth-grade pill recipe."
At those words, several of the Alchemists watching let out sharp breaths.
The owner was asking that much for a jade pendant that looked utterly ordinary. He was practically demanding a fortune!
Even Cao Ying, standing beside him, gave a snort.
She had promised to cover all of Ling Xi's expenses that day.
But she couldn't possibly produce either a mid-tier Sixth-grade Pill or a low-tier Sixth-grade pill recipe.
Though she was exceptionally talented, she was only a Fifth-grade Alchemist at present, still some distance away from reaching the sixth grade.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Ling Xi let out a cold laugh. With the foundation Ling You had imparted to him, he did have a few recipes for high-grade pills.
But he wasn't about to trade a Sixth-grade recipe for an item whose origins he knew nothing about.
"This is just a jade pendant whose purpose is unknown, and you expect me to trade a Sixth-grade Pill or a recipe for it?"
"If you can tell me what this pendant is for, perhaps I'll be willing to trade."
The stall owner raised an eyebrow, wearing a faintly amused expression.
"I really don't know what it's for. But the fact that you've taken a liking to it means it's worth that much."
He was clearly trying to fleece Ling Xi.
"Then keep it and take your time figuring it out."
Ling Xi shook his head and immediately turned to leave the stall.
When the stall owner saw him walk away, his expression shifted uncertainly. He raised his voice to call after him.
"Young man, prices can be negotiated! Let's discuss it some more."
"Young man, don't go!"
Ling Xi didn't look back. If anything, he walked even faster.
"What's so special about that jade pendant?"
Once they were far enough away, Cao Ying finally couldn't hold back her question.
"Nothing. I just thought it looked nice."
Ling Xi shrugged.
"Liar!"
Cao Ying furrowed her brows and glared at Ling Xi in annoyance.
Ling Xi was certainly lying, but he didn't know what the jade pendant was for either.
It was just that the ancient tree carved on it looked a little like the Life Ancient Tree of the Ling Clan.
The Life Ancient Tree was the heart of both the Ling Domain and the Ling Realm. It was said that the Emperor Ling of the Ling Clan had planted it himself.
Over countless years, it had become the Ling Clan's totem.
Ling Xi had a feeling that the pendant might have something to do with the Ling Clan.
But the stall owner had asked too high a price, and Ling Xi didn't have the means to pay it.
Still, on the Dou Qi Continent, buying and trading weren't the only ways to obtain what you wanted!
The two of them continued browsing the Alchemist Trading Fair for a while. Cao Ying bought and traded for some blood from fire-attribute Magical Beasts, but Ling Xi didn't find anything else that caught his eye.
"You should head back first. I still have some of my teacher's friends to visit."
As the Alchemist Trading Fair was about to end, Ling Xi finally spoke to Cao Ying.
"This is Sacred Pill City. If anything happens, just invoke the Pill Tower's name."
Cao Ying didn't think much of it and simply reminded him a couple of times.
After all, she couldn't follow Ling Xi around while he visited his teacher's friends, could she?
"Mm."
Ling Xi nodded slightly, then watched as the Guardian of the Cao Family led Cao Ying away.
He walked to an inconspicuous corner and waved a hand.
A tall figure dressed in a black robe appeared beside him. Through the exposed patches of skin, a layer of shimmering golden light could just be seen.
Ling Xi said nothing, simply waiting quietly.
After a short while, the stall owners who had set up at the Alchemist Trading Fair finished packing and began leaving the venue in groups of three or five.
"Follow him. Once he gets somewhere suitable, take everything he has."
"Remember, everything!"
Ling Xi's gaze sharpened. As soon as he spotted his target, he gave the Heavenly Demon Puppet its orders.
He still hadn't gotten used to this cutthroat fantasy world. Otherwise, his order wouldn't have been limited to just taking the man's things.
The Heavenly Demon Puppet gave Ling Xi a slight bow, then immediately followed the stall owner.
"You wouldn't accept a fair trade, so don't blame me for doing a bit of business without putting up any capital."
Ling Xi shook his head, then leaned against the wall and waited quietly.
He wasn't worried about the Heavenly Demon Puppet failing its task. If the stall owner were a Dou Venerate, he would have set up his stall on the third floor of the fair.
As it turned out, the Heavenly Demon Puppet was incredibly efficient.
After only a quarter of an hour, Ling Xi felt a faint stirring within him.
A gust of wind rushed toward him. The next moment, the Heavenly Demon Puppet's towering figure appeared before Ling Xi once more.
It dropped to one knee and laid everything it had brought back on the ground in front of him.
In addition to the Nakai Ring, it had even taken the stall owner's underclothes.
"This Heavenly Demon Puppet really doesn't cut any corners."
Ling Xi's mouth twitched as he looked at the yellowed garments.
He picked up the Nakai Ring and immediately felt a resistance from within with his soul power.
"Judging by this soul imprint, the stall owner is probably a Sixth-grade Alchemist too."
"But an imprint of this level can't stop me."
The Devouring Power of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol activated, instantly erasing and devouring the soul imprint on the Nakai Ring.
"Just as you'd expect from a Sixth-grade Alchemist. He's got quite a fortune."
Ling Xi's lips curled into a faint smile. Aside from the jade pendant, the Nakai Ring contained some cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, medicinal ingredients, and even a few pills below the fifth grade.
You could say every Alchemist was rolling in wealth.
No wonder there were so many robberies and killings on the Dou Qi Continent. It really was a way to get rich overnight.
Ling Xi took out the jade pendant and examined it closely again, but still found nothing.
"I know very little about the Ling Clan's secrets. I'll have to go back and ask my teacher about this."
He sighed, put the Heavenly Demon Puppet away, and immediately headed toward the Pill Tower.
Before you continue