Black Iron Piece

Black Iron Piece

Xiao Ling held Xiao Xun'er's hand as the two of them made their way through the shops. Before long, they arrived at the Miscellaneous Market. Most merchants here simply spread out blankets and laid their wares on them. There was every kind of item—perhaps even Rare Treasures—but far more were worthless trinkets.

Having arrived at the Miscellaneous Market, Xiao Ling wanted to tease Xiao Xun'er. He said, "Xun'er, this is Wutan City's famous Bargain Market. How about you try buying something here today and see whether you lose money or make a profit?"

Xiao Xun'er first lowered her head and pondered for a moment. Then she opened her left palm, clenched her right hand into a fist, and slammed it into her palm, looking as though she had figured something out.

She flashed Xiao Ling a sly smile before saying, "Brother Xiao Ling, just watch."

She then pulled Xiao Ling over to a vendor, pointed at a wooden box on the stall, and asked, "What's the deal with this wooden box? How much is it?"

The shopkeeper was a man in black robes. When Xiao Ling swept over him with his Soul Power, it felt like mud sinking into the sea; he could not sense the slightest fluctuation of Dou Qi. Xiao Ling frowned and quietly grew wary, preparing to make a quick retreat if necessary.

The man in black said, "Only one of these three wooden boxes contains one hundred Gold Coins. Each box costs fifty Gold Coins."

At those words, Xiao Xun'er's eyes lit up. She paid fifty Gold Coins, immediately took the middle box, and held it out before Xiao Ling, blinking at him expectantly.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling had no choice but to open it. When he saw the hundred Gold Coins inside, a trace of realization flashed through his eyes.

Watching Xiao Xun'er's excited expression, Xiao Ling sighed inwardly. A casual joke from me was enough to make her invite a Dou Emperor expert to play along. This girl is truly warm-hearted. I will never let you down in this life.

He patted Xiao Xun'er's head. "Then today, I'll borrow your luck to seek out some opportunities." With that, he took her hand and headed deeper into the Miscellaneous Market.

"Eh? Could this be...?"

Xiao Ling's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at a stall ahead and detected an unusual Soul Power fluctuation from a Black Iron Piece. He immediately led Xiao Xun'er over to the stall.

The stall was not large, with a dozen or so items scattered across it.

The most valuable items were several Magic Cores. Their greenish color indicated that they were probably first-tier Magic Cores.

On the Dou Qi Continent, Magic Cores were also known as Magic Energy Crystal Cores, or even Pill Precursors.

As the name implied, they were energy crystal cores found within magical beasts, filled with extremely violent natural energy.

Under normal circumstances, only magical beasts could devour Magic Cores and directly absorb the natural energy contained within them.

If humans directly absorbed the natural energy within a Magic Core, they would suffer from Qi deviation and shattered Meridians at best, or die on the spot at worst.

Although the energy within Magic Cores was violent and could not be used directly by cultivators, they could shine brilliantly in the hands of alchemists. They were one of the main ingredients frequently used in refining medicine.

After an alchemist refined them with exquisite Fire Control Techniques and mixed them with other medicinal ingredients, calming the violent Dou Qi within the Magic Cores, they could be transformed into pills that increased a cultivator's strength.

Moreover, Magic Cores could not only be used for alchemy, but also in crafting weapons and accessories, adding attribute effects to weapons or granting ornaments certain functions beneficial to cultivation.

Thus, on the Dou Qi Continent, Magic Cores had always been among the most sought-after materials, and their prices remained high.

Xiao Ling crouched down and pointed at the Magic Cores. Seemingly by accident, he glanced at the ordinary Black Iron Piece, then casually asked the rather shifty-looking middle-aged mercenary sitting beside the stall, "Boss, how much are those Magic Cores?"

"Two Wood Attribute Magic Cores and one Water Attribute Magic Core."

As he spoke, the middle-aged mercenary glanced at Xiao Ling and Xiao Xun'er from the corner of his eye. Though they were young, their bearing was extraordinary, and they looked like they could afford Magic Cores. Only then did he smile. "Young master, if you sincerely want them, I'll sell all three to you for fifteen hundred Gold Coins."

"Fifteen hundred Gold Coins for three? Isn't that too expensive?"

Xiao Ling frowned, sounding somewhat angry. "First-tier Magic Cores elsewhere cost four to five hundred Gold Coins each. Why are yours so much more expensive?"

"How is that expensive? They've been this price for years. Young master, these Magic Cores of mine are all top-grade, and the magical beasts they came from were difficult to deal with."

The middle-aged mercenary shook his head. "Several brothers from our Mercenary Group were injured getting these Magic Cores, so they're a little more expensive than ordinary first-tier Magic Cores."

Xiao Ling pondered for a while. "Four hundred and fifty Gold Coins each. If you're serious about selling, I'll take all three at once."

"Four hundred and eighty Gold Coins each at the lowest. Young master, if I sell them any cheaper, how am I supposed to explain it to my brothers when I go back?"

"Four hundred and sixty Gold Coins each!"

Xiao Ling stood up and tugged Xiao Xun'er's hand as if he were about to leave. "It's not as though you're the only one selling Magic Cores. Maybe I just won't buy from you."

"Four hundred and seventy Gold Coins each, how about it, young master?"

Seeing his customer about to leave, the middle-aged mercenary hurriedly called out, "Young master, let's each make a concession. What do you say?"

"Fine! Four hundred and seventy Gold Coins each. Pack them up for me, and throw in a few small gifts." Xiao Ling casually grabbed several inconspicuous little items from the blanket.

Seeing that Xiao Ling had taken nothing but worthless knickknacks worth only a few Gold Coins, the middle-aged mercenary immediately relaxed. Yet he put on an expression as though he had suffered a huge loss and said, "Fine. I found these with great difficulty in magical beast caves, so they must be treasures. I'm the one taking a loss here."

The excitement in Xiao Ling's eyes flashed away. He took out the Gold Coins and handed them over. Once the items were packed up, he took Xiao Xun'er's hand and left.

On the way, seeing how excited Xiao Ling looked, Xiao Xun'er could not help asking, "Brother Xiao Ling, why do you seem so happy? The things you wanted to buy just now should have been those little porcelain pieces, right?"

"Xun'er is so smart. You guessed it. My Soul Power is naturally strong, and this Black Iron Piece gives me a strange feeling. I don't know what it does, but I'll take it back and study it to see if I can uncover any secrets." Xiao Ling took out the Black Iron Piece as he spoke to Xiao Xun'er.

"Brother Xiao Ling, you're so clever. That merchant was obviously a crooked businessman," Xiao Xun'er said with a smile.

"They're all crooked businessmen. The moment they see that you like something, they deliberately raise the price. I have no intention of being a sucker." Xiao Ling put away the Black Iron Piece and stopped thinking about it.

The two strolled among the shops, exchanging gifts with each other. Slowly, they left the market and returned to the Xiao Family beneath the gradually rising sun.