Transaction

"Stall Number 69 in Ding District... where is it..."

Wu Tao weaved through Ding District of the market, holding the stall rental certificate. He had spent sixty Fragmented Spirit Stones to rent the stall for two days.

The market was too large, making it a bit difficult to find.

"Little Daoist Friend, what are you looking for?"

Just then, Wu Tao heard Han Tiezhu's voice. He looked up and indeed saw Han Tiezhu standing at his Spirit Rice Stall. Unbeknownst to him, he had found his way here.

Wu Tao stepped forward and said, "Uncle Han, I'm looking for my stall, Stall Number 69 in Ding District. See..."

As he spoke, he showed Han Tiezhu the stall rental certificate.

Han Tiezhu leaned in to take a look and immediately chuckled. "Little Daoist Friend, what a coincidence! Stall Number 69 in Ding District is right next to me. I'm Stall Number 70 in Ding District."

Wu Tao looked at the vacant stall to Han Tiezhu's left and indeed saw a small sign engraved with 'Ding District Number 69'.

"This sign is too small! No wonder it was so hard to find..." Wu Tao grumbled, then turned to thank Han Tiezhu. "Thank you, Uncle Han. Otherwise, I would have had a lot more trouble finding it."

Han Tiezhu smiled heartily and waved his hand. "No need to be polite. By the way, what are you selling?"

Wu Tao walked to the stall, took down the bundle from his back, laid out a piece of cloth, and carefully placed the robe on it. Then, he took out a wooden sign he had prepared earlier and pointed to it for Han Tiezhu. "Uncle Han, look."

Han Tiezhu looked at the wooden sign. It had a line of text written crookedly: 'First-Grade Level Two Gale Robe, Price: Fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones'.

"You're selling robes? That's amazing! It's much more valuable than my Spirit Rice... Little Daoist Friend, why didn't you go to Area A or Area Yi to sell? There are more people there."

Wu Tao said with a wry smile, "Uncle Han, I'm just short on cash. Besides, I think this place is quite good."

"Uncle, how much are you selling your Spirit Rice for?" Han Tiezhu was about to say more to Wu Tao when a Loose Cultivator came up to inquire about the price. Han Tiezhu quickly attended to his customer.

Wu Tao took out a Prayer Mat, sat down on it, and looked at the street. This street was filled with vendors selling miscellaneous goods; he was the only one selling robes.

No one to compete with me, won't it sell quickly?

He looked at the Cultivators walking back and forth on the street, thinking happily in his heart.

"I must sell it within two days."

In two more days, it would be time for the Agency to collect rent. If he didn't sell it, he wouldn't have any Spirit Stones to pay the rent and wouldn't even have a place to stay.

It wasn't very safe outside the city.

It wasn't because of the wild beasts.

Sometimes, Cultivators were more terrifying than wild beasts.

Wu Tao watched the Loose Cultivators walk by. Some of them glanced at Wu Tao's stall, but upon seeing the price on the wooden sign, they immediately retreated and left.

Fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones were indeed more than a little expensive for a Loose Cultivator of a low Realm.

The Original Owner, while mining at the Azure Spirit Sect, only earned three Spirit Stones a month. This First-Grade Second-Level Dharma Robe alone would require five months of not eating or drinking to afford.

Among the Four Arts of Cultivation, Magic Tools, Pills, and Formations were the most expensive due to their high costs. Talismans, on the other hand, were cheaper, with low production costs and being mostly One-time use.

For his Dharma Robe, it only succeeded once in two attempts at refining. It consumed six Starfire Stones and two jin of Demon Silkworm Silk, bringing the cost price to five Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Selling it for fifteen was, by all accounts, not expensive at all.

Furthermore, the costs included stall fees, and transaction taxes upon successful sales.

This didn't even account for labor costs.

Han Tiezhu completed a transaction, earning one hundred Fragmented Spirit Stones, his face beaming with joy. He turned to Wu Tao and said, "I still don't know the name of my young Daoist friend?"

"Li Mo!" Wu Tao still used a pseudonym.

Although Manager Wang didn't care about him, if he ever heard he was still alive, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't harbor murderous intent. Thus, it was better to be cautious.

Han Tiezhu chuckled, "Li Mo, a good name. I'll call you Li, young Daoist. Your Dharma Robe... may I ask what kind it is?... Ah, I'm sorry... I shouldn't pry..."

Han Tiezhu's action was a major taboo in the Cultivation World: never pry into others' privacy. Even if Wu Tao's Dharma Robe had an illegitimate origin, it wasn't something he should inquire about.

If he encountered someone difficult to deal with, who secretly held a grudge, and later found an opportunity to eliminate him, he would regret it immensely.

This sort of thing had happened before.

Wu Tao wasn't angry, he simply said it was fine and let the matter drop.

As for claiming he refined it himself, he wasn't familiar enough with Han Tiezhu to reveal that yet.

A day passed quickly. As dusk fell, the Market closed. Wu Tao had not managed to sell his Dharma Robe, not even a single inquiry.

On the other hand, Han Tiezhu beside him had sold ninety jin of Spirit Rice, earning three Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and was beaming.

Seeing this made Wu Tao envious!

After a day of guarding the stall, exhausted both mentally and physically, Wu Tao packed up his stall, bid farewell to Han Tiezhu, and returned to his lodging. Upon returning, he collapsed into bed, too disheartened to even eat dinner.

The next morning, Wu Tao splashed cold water on his face. When he saw his reflection in the basin, his forehead was darkened, a clear sign.

Could it be that my darkened forehead is why I'm not attracting customers? Thinking this, he took out a long black cloth and covered his forehead before heading to the Market to set up his stall.

"Hoo!"

Taking a deep breath, Wu Tao silently cheered himself on, dispelling his gloomy mood. If the stall owner wore a sour expression, customers would be even less likely to inquire.

"Li, don't worry. Business is like this. I've also had days where I didn't sell a single jin of Spirit Rice for three or four days..." Han Tiezhu comforted him upon hearing Wu Tao sigh.

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Han."

However, Han Tiezhu had no idea of his difficulties.

The morning passed quickly. Someone came pushing a small wooden cart to sell lunch. Wu Tao was hungry and spent one Fragmented Spirit Stone on a meal, one meat and one vegetable. He exclaimed in his heart how expensive it was, feeling like he was eating a boxed meal on a train in his past life.

After lunch, Wu Tao forced himself to cheer up and observed the passersby. As long as someone glanced at his stall a few extra times, he would ask if they needed a robe.

Hard work pays off.

After asking about ten people, a middle-aged man dressed like a Loose Cultivator finally stepped forward and asked, "Your robe is fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones, too expensive. Can you lower the price a bit?"

Wu Tao smiled, "Fellow Daoist, this is a First-Grade Level Two Gale Robe. I can't go any lower, or I'll lose money."

The middle-aged Loose Cultivator said, "A Lightness Talisman is only four Low-Grade Spirit Stones each, and it's even a bit faster than this Gale Robe."

Wu Tao's expression faltered. He patiently explained, "Fellow Daoist, a Lightness Talisman is One-time use. Fifteen Spirit Stones can't even buy four of them. Although it's faster than my robe, my robe isn't One-time use; it can be used for a long time."

Middle-aged Loose Cultivator: "Then where did you get this robe? If its origin is questionable, and the previous owner comes looking for it, won't you lose your life..."

Wu Tao picked up the robe and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, please rest assured. Look, this robe is brand new. It's definitely not of questionable origin; I refined it myself."

"You refined it?" A hint of shock flashed across the middle-aged Loose Cultivator's face, but he quickly concealed it. Shock was not conducive to bargaining. "Then can you show me the Artifact Refiner Certificate certified by the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall?"

"Uh..." This stumped Wu Tao. He really didn't have one.

Seeing this, the middle-aged Loose Cultivator rejoiced, "If you don't have an Artifact Refiner Certificate, how can I believe you refined it? How can I trust its quality? I see you're sincerely selling, and I'm sincerely buying. One price, thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and we have a deal?"

Thirteen stones. Six for rent, one for Zhang Li, one-tenth for transaction tax, which was another thirty Fragmented Spirit Stones. That left... Wu Tao quickly calculated in his heart and shook his head, "Fellow Daoist, I really can't."

"Fine, if you're not sincerely selling, then goodbye!" The middle-aged Loose Cultivator said and left without hesitation.

He was being cornered. When had he ever been in such a position? Wu Tao quickly grabbed his hand and said, "How about this, Fellow Daoist? If you really want to buy it, let's not talk about thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Fourteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and I'll provide repairs within a month if it breaks. How about that?"

This was his absolute bottom line.

The middle-aged Loose Cultivator calculated for a moment and nodded, "Deal!"

Wu Tao breathed a sigh of relief, afraid the man would go back on his word. He quickly wrote out the Transaction Voucher and exchanged the money for the goods.

Watching the man's receding back as he took the robe, Wu Tao felt as if even his back was radiating light. It was too difficult; he had finally sold it.

Wu Tao almost shed tears of excitement.

"Congratulations, Li, on selling the robe. Ah, selling robes is good; the Spirit Stones just pour in. By the way, Li, didn't you want to buy Spirit Rice? Let me weigh it for you..." Han Tiezhu looked at the fourteen gleaming Spirit Stones in Wu Tao's hand, feeling so envious!

Upon hearing this, Wu Tao immediately put the Spirit Stones close to his body, cupped his fists, and said, "Uncle Han, next time, definitely next time."

Now was not the time to enjoy himself.