Trade

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

Wu Tao weaved through Ding District of the Marketplace, holding the stall rental voucher in his hand. He had spent sixty Fragmented Spirit Stones to rent the stall for two days.

The Marketplace was too large, making it a little hard to find.

"Little friend, what are you looking for?"

At that moment, Wu Tao heard Han Tiezhu's voice. He looked up and, sure enough, saw Han Tiezhu standing at his Spirit Rice Stall. Without realizing it, he had found the place.

Wu Tao stepped forward and said, "Uncle Han, I'm looking for a stall, Ding District Number 69. Look..."

As he spoke, he showed the stall rental voucher to Han Tiezhu.

Han Tiezhu leaned closer for a look and immediately broke into a grin. "Well, isn't this a coincidence? Ding District Number 69 is right to my left. I'm Ding District Number 70."

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

"This sign is way 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've had to search all over again."

Han Tiezhu waved with an honest smile. "No need to be polite. Say, what are you selling from your stall?"

Wu Tao came before the stall, took down the bundle from his back, spread out a piece of cloth, and carefully placed the Magic Robe atop it. Then he took out a wooden tablet he had prepared beforehand and pointed at it. "Uncle Han, take a look."

Han Tiezhu looked at the wooden tablet and saw a crooked line of writing: 'First-Rank Level 2 Wind-Speed Magic Robe. Price: fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones.'

"You're selling a Magic Robe? Good heavens, that's something else. It's much more valuable than my Spirit Rice... Little friend, why don't you sell it in Area A or Area Yi? There are more people there."

Wu Tao said awkwardly, "Uncle Han, my purse is empty. Besides, I think this place is pretty good."

"Uncle, how much is this Spirit Rice?" Han Tiezhu had been about to continue talking with Wu Tao when a Rogue Cultivator came up to ask about the price. Han Tiezhu hurriedly attended to the guest.

Wu Tao took out a Prayer Mat and sat cross-legged on it. Looking over the street, he saw that every stall sold sundries. He was the only one selling a Magic Robe.

No one is competing with me. Doesn't that mean it'll sell quickly?

He watched the cultivators passing back and forth along the street, delight blooming in his heart.

"It has to sell within two days."

In another two days, it would be time for the Brokerage Agency to collect rent. If he failed to sell it and had no Spirit Stones to pay the rent, he would not even have a place to stay.

Outside the city was not particularly safe.

It was not because there were too many wild beasts.

Sometimes, cultivators were even more terrifying than wild beasts.

Wu Tao watched the Rogue Cultivators walk past one after another. Some glanced at his stall, but upon seeing the marked price on the wooden tablet, each of them recoiled and left at once.

Fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones was indeed more than a little expensive for low-level Rogue Cultivators.

The original owner had mined in Azure Spirit Sect for only three Spirit Stones a month. Yet this First-Rank Level 2 Magic Robe would cost five months of going without food or drink to afford.

Among the Four Arts of Cultivation, Magic Tools, pills, and formations were the most expensive because their costs were high. Talismans, on the other hand, were cheaper, as their costs were low and most of them were one-time use items.

He had only succeeded once after refining this Magic Robe twice. It had consumed six Starfire Stones and two jin of Demon Silkworm Silk, making the base cost five Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Selling it for fifteen could hardly be called expensive.

And that did not even include the stall fee and the transaction tax due upon a successful sale.

That was without counting labor costs.

Han Tiezhu completed a sale and earned one hundred Fragmented Spirit Stones, his face brimming with joy. He turned to Wu Tao and said, "I still don't know your name, little friend."

"Li Mo!" Wu Tao still used a false name.

Although Manager Wang did not care about him, if Manager Wang ever heard that he was still alive, it was hard to say Manager Wang would not develop the urge to silence him forever. It was better to be cautious.

Han Tiezhu smiled. "Li Mo, a good name. I'll call you Young Friend Li from now on. Young Friend Li, this Magic Robe of yours... may I ask where it... Ah, sorry... I shouldn't have pried..."

Such behavior was a great taboo in the Cultivation World. One should not casually inquire into another person's private affairs. Even if Wu Tao's Magic Robe had come from an improper source, it was not Han Tiezhu's place to ask.

If he encountered someone difficult to get along with who secretly bore a grudge, then found an opportunity to finish him off later, it would be too late for regrets.

It was not as though such things had never happened.

Wu Tao was not angry. He merely said it was fine and let the matter pass.

As for saying that he had refined it himself, he was not yet familiar enough with Han Tiezhu to reveal that.

A day passed swiftly. When the Marketplace closed at sunset, Wu Tao had not managed to sell the Magic Robe. No one had even asked about it.

Meanwhile, Han Tiezhu beside him had sold ninety jin of Spirit Rice and earned three Low-Grade Spirit Stones. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Wu Tao was so envious he could have cried!

After guarding the stall for a day, Wu Tao was exhausted in both body and mind. He packed up his stall, bade Han Tiezhu farewell, and returned to his residence. The moment he got back, he collapsed into bed. He did not even feel like eating dinner.

Early the next morning, Wu Tao scooped up cold water to wash his face. When he saw his reflection in the water basin, his darkened forehead was already painfully obvious.

Could my darkened forehead be why I haven't attracted any customers? With that thought, he took out a long strip of black cloth and covered his forehead before heading to the Marketplace to set up his stall.

"Whew!"

Letting out a long breath, Wu Tao silently encouraged himself and drove away his gloom. If a Stall Owner wore a sour face, even fewer customers would come forward to ask.

"Young Friend Li, don't be anxious. That's just how business is. There were times before when I went three or four days without selling even a jin of Spirit Rice..." Han Tiezhu heard Wu Tao sigh and consoled him.

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Han."

But how could Han Tiezhu know the difficulties Wu Tao faced?

The entire morning soon passed. Someone did push over a little wooden cart selling lunch. Wu Tao was hungry, so he spent one Fragmented Spirit Stone on a meal with one meat dish and one vegetable dish. In his heart, he cried that it was outrageously expensive, giving him the feeling of eating a bento box on a train in his previous life.

After lunch, Wu Tao forced himself to keep up his spirits and watched the passersby. Whenever someone glanced at his sign a few extra times, he would ask whether they needed a Magic Robe.

Heaven did not disappoint those who worked hard.

After asking more than ten people, a middle-aged male Rogue Cultivator finally stepped up and asked, "Your Magic Robe costs fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones. That's too expensive. Can you lower the price?"

Wu Tao smiled. "Fellow Daoist, this is a First-Rank Level 2 Wind-Speed Magic Robe. It cannot be less. Any lower, and I'll lose money."

The middle-aged Rogue Cultivator said, "A Lightness Talisman costs only four Low-Grade Spirit Stones each, and it's even a little faster than this Wind-Speed Magic Robe."

Wu Tao's expression stiffened. He patiently explained, "Fellow Daoist, Lightness Talismans are one-time use. Fifteen Spirit Stones cannot even buy four of them. Though they are somewhat faster than my Magic Robe, mine is not one-time use. It can be used for a long time."

The middle-aged Rogue Cultivator said, "Then where did this Magic Robe come from? If its origins are improper, and the previous owner comes looking for it, wouldn't that cost me my life..."

Wu Tao took the Magic Robe in hand and promised in a low voice, "Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Look, this Magic Robe is brand-new. Its origins are definitely proper—it was refined by me."

"You refined it?" A flash of shock crossed the middle-aged Rogue Cultivator's face, but he quickly concealed it. Shock was not suitable for haggling. "Then show me the Artifact Refiner Certificate certified by Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall."

"Uh..." That stumped Wu Tao. He truly did not have one.

Seeing this, the middle-aged Rogue Cultivator immediately rejoiced. "You don't have an Artifact Refiner Certificate. How can I believe you refined it? And how can I trust its quality? I can see that you sincerely want to sell, and I sincerely want to buy. One price: thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones. If you agree, we have a deal."

Thirteen stones. Six for rent, one to repay Zhang Li, then a ten-percent transaction tax—one stone and thirty Fragmented Spirit Stones—leaving... Calculating swiftly in his heart, Wu Tao shook his head. "Fellow Daoist, that truly won't do."

"Fine. Since you're not sincerely selling, farewell!" The middle-aged Rogue Cultivator turned and left without hesitation.

He's got me by the throat. Once upon a time, I used to squeeze others like this too... Wu Tao hurriedly grabbed his hand. "How about this? If you truly want to buy it, forget thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Fourteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and if it breaks within a month, I'll repair it. How about that?"

This was his final bottom line.

The middle-aged Rogue Cultivator calculated for a moment, then nodded. "Deal!"

Wu Tao let out a breath of relief. Afraid the man would change his mind, he quickly wrote out a Transaction Voucher. Money and goods changed hands at the same time.

As he watched the other man leave with the Magic Robe, even the man's departing back seemed to shine. It had not been easy. He had finally sold it.

Wu Tao nearly shed tears of excitement.

"Congratulations, Young Friend Li, on selling your Magic Robe. Ah, selling Magic Robes really is better. Sell one, and the Spirit Stones come rushing in. Right, weren't you going to buy Spirit Rice? I'll weigh some out for you..." Han Tiezhu looked at the fourteen gleaming white Spirit Stones in Wu Tao's hand, envy filling his heart.

Hearing that, Wu Tao immediately tucked the Spirit Stones close against his body and cupped his hands. "Uncle Han, next time for sure. Next time for sure."

Now was not the time to enjoy himself.