It was Zhou Qing's first time attending such a gathering, and he kept looking around curiously.
As someone with experience, Yan Xiaohu explained at his side, "Besides the Taiqing Sect, the Five Sects also include the Azure Flame Dao Palace, Azure Feather Immortal Sect, Tianji Gate, and Golden Thunder Sect in our surrounding region. See those people over there? They're from the Golden Thunder Sect."
"This Treasure Exchange Gathering will probably last around a month. You can trade items for items, or use spirit stones directly. Whether you buy a fake or stumble upon a bargain, once the deal is done, the money and goods are settled."
"Of course, it's not just our Five Sects. Members of all sorts of smaller sects will come to join the fun too. During this time, watch out for thieves—after all, everyone has money on them."
Zhou Qing benefited greatly from Yan Xiaohu's passing on of experience.
"Alright, I need to hurry off and set up a street stall. Let's see if I can slaughter a few more fat sheep while I'm at it. But I still need to remind you, Junior Brother—don't buy things lightly. There's basically nothing good here."
"Of course, there are good things, but they're outrageously expensive. Just broaden your horizons!" Yan Xiaohu cautioned.
Zhou Qing asked in confusion, "Third Senior Brother, aren't you coming with me?"
Yan Xiaohu gently patted Zhou Qing's shoulder and said earnestly, "Fourth Child, some things can't be learned by listening. You'll only understand after experiencing them yourself. This Trade Fair is also a form of training for you."
"Whether you find a bargain or suffer a loss, even verbal and psychological battles with people from the Outer Sect—these are all life skills you'll need once you leave the sect. Didn't you say you only have three hundred spirit stones on you? Then spend them with all your might!"
After reminding him, Yan Xiaohu patted his shoulder again.
"Good luck. Take a gamble, and turn three hundred into three thousand!"
Zhou Qing watched his Third Senior Brother quickly vanish into the crowd, and reverence rose in his heart.
Though Third Senior Brother was usually rather unreliable, whenever something truly happened, he showed an unexpected steadiness and decisiveness.
"Thank you, Third Senior Brother!" Zhou Qing bowed gratefully, then began wandering around.
Meanwhile, Yan Xiaohu let out a long breath. He immediately went to his own stall and swiftly laid out all manner of miscellaneous items.
Then he began shouting with an expectant look on his face.
"Fourth Child is still too innocent. A few casual words, and I sent him away. Can't be helped. From past experience, everyone has money at the start, but after a few days, each and every one of them is strapped for cash, only looking and not buying. How would I have time to wander around with you?"
"These days, every stall is the same as mine. There's no good stuff at all—it's all meant to fool people."
Before long, two female disciples dressed in Azure Flame Dao Palace robes curiously came over. Yan Xiaohu's interest immediately rose.
"Two beautiful fairy sisters, you've come to the right place. Everything on Little Hu's stall is genuine. Look at this—this is dragon bone! I painstakingly dug it out of some ruins twenty years ago, just waiting to sell it to a Fated Person today..."
The street stalls were filled with a dazzling array of goods, while the packed crowd surged and bustled. Its sheer liveliness left Zhou Qing marveling.
One had to know that this was only the first day. The entire Five Sects Treasure Exchange Gathering would last a full month.
Zhou Qing twisted his way through the flow of people. The clamor around him instead gave him an inexplicable thrill.
Yet after wandering for only a short while, the Silver Dragon Hand cultivation method within Zhou Qing's body began circulating on its own, bringing with it an intense sense of longing.
Zhou Qing was filled with confusion.
The Silver Dragon Hand was the signature divine ability of Grand Elder Duanmu Shu. Its power was considerable, but unfortunately, Zhou Qing had only barely learned its framework.
Moreover, this technique was exceptionally difficult to cultivate. It would likely take years before he could even get started.
But what was going on now?
Why was it reacting?
Zhou Qing began walking straight ahead. As that longing grew ever stronger, his gaze slowly locked onto one particular stall.
The items on this stall all carried an ancient air: bones, clay jars, medicine bottles, small cauldrons, spirit herbs, and more. There were also quite a few objects resembling burial goods, all caked with fresh dirt.
This sight drew many onlookers, who pointed and talked without pause.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man around thirty. Judging by his clothes, he should have come from the Golden Thunder Sect, one of the Five Great Sects.
His aura was restrained, and his cultivation should have been about the same as Third Senior Brother's. Zhou Qing just didn't know whether he was a core disciple or a True Disciple.
At that moment, Zhou Qing looked like someone who had merely come to join the fun. His gaze swept casually over the stall, but after a moment, it stopped on an inconspicuous bone in the corner.
This bone was as long as an ordinary person's arm. It looked extremely old, with some parts even beginning to rot, giving off a faint stench of decay.
Yet unwashed yellow mud still filled its crevices, making it look as though it had only recently been dug from the earth.
"What kind of bone is this? Could it help with cultivating the Silver Dragon Hand?" Zhou Qing was full of suspicion.
To keep the stall owner from noticing anything unusual and raising the price on the spot, he pretended to inspect the other items with curiosity.
"Ahem, Fourth Child, spotted anything good?" Just then, a familiar voice came from beside him.
Zhou Qing turned his head and saw Yan Xiaohu greeting him with a broad smile.
He could not help but freeze. Didn't you go set up your stall? You even told me to wander around by myself...
The instant Zhou Qing thought this, his pupils abruptly contracted and his heartbeat quickened.
Because above Third Senior Brother's head... there was no remark.
Damn it, Second Uncle!
"What's wrong? Is there something on my head?"
"Yan Xiaohu" touched his head in confusion, but felt nothing.
Zhou Qing's throat went dry. Could this be Sun Wukong's Seventy-Two Transformations?
The disguise was far too lifelike.
From appearance, voice, bearing, and even his eyes, Zhou Qing would never have been able to tell the difference if he had not had his cheat.
"N-No, nothing, Third Senior Brother. How were things on your side?" Zhou Qing asked, pretending he had noticed nothing.
"Yan Xiaohu" sighed. "What harvest my ass? There's basically nothing worth looking at. Though you could buy that bone and try it. It'd be pretty good for scrubbing your back when you bathe."
The moment he said that, Zhou Qing's heart lurched even harder.
Sure enough, this old fox had also seen that the bone was extraordinary.
But when everyone gathered around the stall, including the owner, heard him suggest using that rotten bone to scrub one's back, they could not help feeling a chill run down their spines.
Why not buy it back and make soup with it while you're at it?
Zhou Qing also pretended to retch. Taking advantage of the moment, a thought flashed through his mind as he stared straight at "Third Senior Brother."
"Bind Second Uncle!"
Very quickly, the string of question marks above Second Uncle's head slowly gave way to a golden remark—Amusement Little Brat.
Only then did Zhou Qing finally let out a long breath of relief.
From now on, no matter whom you transform into, don't even think about fooling me again.
But in order not to alert the enemy, Zhou Qing could only continue acting along with him. If he rashly exposed his true face, how could an old monster with such a love of mischief possibly let it go so easily?
Didn't he see that the remark he gave me was Amusement Little Brat? He was plainly treating me as an object for amusement.
If the other party could not understand how he had been exposed before a junior and decided to search his soul, then things would really get interesting.
With his final binding slot used on him, Zhou Qing had never hoped to gain Heart Insight Points from this man. He only hoped that when the man wanted to mess with him, he would be a little more on guard.
Seeing that the other party was not leaving, Zhou Qing worried that someone else might buy the bone. After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward and picked up a broken jar to examine.
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