Picking Up a Treasure

?Chapter Thirteen: Picking Up a Treasure

Jing Feng said, "Follow me. There's a maze formation outside Tingfeng Valley. Don't get lost."

Bi Fan didn't dare be careless. He followed closely behind Jing Feng. It seemed he'd worried too much just now.

Still, Bi Fan remained cautious. He'd suffered humiliation ever since he was a child, and it wasn't easy for him to trust people.

Jing Feng moved carefully, turning left and right several times. At last, the way ahead opened up.

Steep mountains rose on three sides, with only a single passage leading inside.

Beyond it lay a vast basin. Many buildings stood across it, and people bustled to and fro. The place was lively.

"This is Tingfeng Valley. If you see anything you need, just tell me. I've saved up a little," Jing Feng said.

For cultivators, crystal stones were the hard currency of trade. Most precious items were bartered for other goods.

The two Cosmic Bags Bi Fan had obtained contained quite a few crystal stones, mostly low- and mid-grade ones. He had counted them roughly: 113 mid-grade crystal stones and more than 3,000 low-grade crystal stones.

One mid-grade crystal stone could be exchanged for one hundred low-grade crystal stones. The exchange rate for high-grade crystal stones was also one to one hundred. These were basic facts, and Bi Fan knew some of them.

Tingfeng Valley was open to anyone, and no one checked visitors' identities.

As soon as they entered, they heard people bargaining and asking how to trade.

"One high-grade Magic Tool jade fan, to be exchanged for a sword of the same grade."

"One hundred-year-old poria! Anyone interested, come have a look!"

When Jing Feng heard that a jade fan was up for trade, he walked over.

"How do I trade for this jade fan? How many crystal stones?"

"I'll only trade it for a high-grade Magic Tool sword, not crystal stones." The stall owner, a middle-aged man, gave Jing Feng a cold look.

Jing Feng stared at the jade fan, his eyes shining. Unfortunately, he didn't have a high-grade Magic Tool sword. Otherwise, he would've loved to get his hands on it.

The thought of holding the fan and cutting such a dashing figure made Jing Feng itch with longing.

Bi Fan could tell Jing Feng really wanted the jade fan. Though Bi Fan had a high-grade Magic Tool sword, he had no intention of bringing it out to help Jing Feng make the trade.

One shouldn't flaunt one's wealth, and one should never let down one's guard around others.

Bi Fan had heard these sayings often enough to know them well. He was more careful than most people to begin with.

Jing Feng gave the jade fan one last reluctant look, then walked away.

Tingfeng Valley was broad, with numerous streets lined by stalls.

The stalls held all sorts of strange goods: manuals, pills, talisman scrolls, Magic Tools, magic treasures, spirit medicines, refining materials—everything imaginable.

Bi Fan went from stall to stall, hoping to broaden his horizons. From time to time, he asked a price, but never bought anything.

Not long before, Bi Fan had acquired quite a few treasures, which had raised his standards. He really couldn't bring himself to care for ordinary goods.

Jing Feng said, "Little Brother Bi Fan, is there anything you like? I'll buy it for you."

Jing Feng was clever. He wanted to do Bi Fan a favor, so that later, when he asked for the Dragon Sable, Bi Fan would find it hard to refuse.

"No need. If I need anything, I can buy it myself. I have crystal stones," Bi Fan said, shaking his head.

Jing Feng was frustrated. He couldn't understand how Bi Fan, who was only at the Inner Breath Realm, had crystal stones, or why he had no interest in Magic Tools.

Bi Fan seemed enthusiastic the whole time, but he was mostly just curious. From beginning to end, he showed no intention of buying anything.

Jing Feng traded for quite a few small items along the way, but none of them pleased him much. The jade fan he liked best remained out of reach, since he had no sword to trade for it.

Bi Fan and Jing Feng came to a stall displaying nothing but books. There were eighteen in all.

Bi Fan looked through them one by one. Most were cultivation manuals for the Mortal Embryo Realm, mainly introductory methods for cultivating inner breath.

He already had the Qingyang Longevity Art, so he didn't need those methods.

One book caught his eye: an introduction to talisman scrolls, titled Talisman Communicate with Gods. It had a grand-sounding name, and its golden cover glittered brightly. But its contents were nothing more than an introduction to basic talisman scrolls and instructions on how to inscribe them. It had no real value.

"Immortal elder, how much for this book, Talisman Communicate with Gods?" Bi Fan asked.

The stall owner was an old man. He seemed especially pleased to hear Bi Fan call him an immortal elder.

"Young man, if you want Talisman Communicate with Gods, give me ten crystal stones."

Bi Fan was about to make the trade when Jing Feng interrupted him. "Little Brother Bi Fan, Talisman Communicate with Gods only records the most basic knowledge about talismans. A book like that is worth at most one crystal stone. Its cover's wrapped in gold, but it still isn't worth ten."

"Young man, I'm not asking for much. Give me five crystal stones," the old man said. "That's how many I paid for it."

This time, the old man wasn't lying. The book's cover was so finely made that he'd assumed it held some secret, so he'd paid extra to buy it and study it. Unfortunately, he hadn't found anything useful.

Bi Fan readily agreed. "All right, I'll take it."

He took out the crystal stones and traded them for Talisman Communicate with Gods.

After they left the stall, Jing Feng lowered his voice. "Brother Bi Fan, you got fleeced. Talisman Communicate with Gods is worth two crystal stones at most. I even warned you, and you still fell for it."

"It's fine. As long as it's useful to me, it's worth it. In my eyes, five crystal stones is a fair price." Bi Fan clearly had a different way of valuing things.

If something was useless to him, he wouldn't spend crystal stones on it, no matter how precious it was. If it was useful to him, he didn't mind paying a little extra, as long as he felt he was getting his money's worth.

Jing Feng didn't agree with Bi Fan's way of thinking, but he didn't argue. After all, they weren't his crystal stones.

They continued down the street. At nearly every stall, Bi Fan stopped to look things over carefully, using what he'd learned to judge the quality of the goods.

Suddenly, Bi Fan stopped. At one stall, he'd spotted a top-grade magic treasure armor. It had lost its spiritual energy, though, and looked quite ordinary, mixed in with several Magic Tools.

Though this was Bi Fan's first time away from home, he'd heard plenty and knew a few tricks.

He casually picked up a Magic Tool and asked, "How much for this?"

The more you liked something, the more you had to act as if you didn't care. Otherwise, you'd just be asking to get fleeced.

But Bi Fan was even craftier. He picked up the Magic Tool and acted as if he couldn't bear to put it down.

In the stall owner's eyes, he was a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"This is the finest of mid-grade Magic Tools—almost as good as a high-grade one. If you want it, young man, I'll let it go cheap. Five hundred crystal stones." The stall owner was eloquent, talking up a storm, but he'd gone way overboard.

The Magic Tool in Bi Fan's hand was indeed mid-grade, but it was the most ordinary kind. It was nothing like the finest of its grade, as the stall owner claimed.

The stall owner was a real crook. His asking price was already that of an ordinary high-grade Magic Tool.

Bi Fan put the Magic Tool down. "With five hundred crystal stones, I might as well go buy a high-grade one."

Seeing that Bi Fan wasn't easy to fool, the stall owner lowered the price. "Two hundred crystal stones. This Magic Tool really is top quality. It's absolutely worth that much."

"Two hundred crystal stones is still a bit high. How about this? Give me that battered armor too, and I'll pay two hundred for the lot." Bi Fan picked up the armor.

It looked worn and battered, its surface rubbed smooth and shiny in many places.

The stall owner hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

He'd bought the armor himself for just ten crystal stones. Selling the two items together for two hundred still meant he'd make more than double his money. It was a good deal.

The trade was done. Bi Fan put away the two items and left. His plan had worked, and he'd scored a real bargain.

Jing Feng had watched the whole time. He'd wanted to stop Bi Fan, but in the end, he said nothing.

After seeing Bi Fan buy Talisman Communicate with Gods, Jing Feng knew he was a man of strong opinions. There was no point trying to stop him.