Hearing the hint of contempt in Zhou Xuan's question, the goateed shopkeeper's old face flushed slightly. But he quickly recovered the shrewdness and smoothness peculiar to a businessman.
He rubbed his hands together and gave a dry laugh. "Oh, you're too kind, junior brother."
"These things really aren't anything valuable. Just a pile of worthless odds and ends."
The shopkeeper pointed to the corner, his tone tinged with a hint of mystery. "These things were brought back by a few friends of mine—disciples who like to go down the mountain and train in dangerous places."
"Some, they say, were dug out of the Cave Abode Ruins of ancient cultivators. Others were picked up while fighting powerful demonic beasts."
"To be honest, most of them are useless junk. Their spiritual energy has dissipated, and their Dao Rhyme is all gone."
Then he changed tack, lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously. "Still, there's a bit of treasure hunting involved."
"Maybe, junior brother, you've got a keen eye and can find some treasure in this pile of junk. It's happened before."
"Even if we put that aside, these things may be broken, but if they survived a place like that, the materials themselves can't be ordinary. They must be incredibly sturdy, at the very least."
"Even if you just buy them as extra materials for crafting artifacts, you won't lose out!"
Listening to the shopkeeper's pitch, Zhou Xuan sneered inwardly.
Old fox!
He was dressing it up in the finest words, but all he wanted was to sell a heap of unwanted trash for money.
On the surface, though, Zhou Xuan put on a look of doubt. He walked back over and rummaged through the junk, as if he were genuinely hunting for a treasure.
System, scan this whole pile of junk for anything that can be repaired! he silently recited.
Soon, a string of messages appeared in Zhou Xuan's mind.
[Damaged third-tier Flying Sword hilt, 98% of spiritual energy lost; repair requires 800 Gold Touch Value. No special value after repair.] [Shattered corner of a fourth-tier Formation Disk; core runes destroyed. Repair requires 3,500 Gold Touch Value. Value after repair unknown.] [Unknown Dharma Artifact fragment corroded by Demonic Qi. Warning! High concentrations of Demonic Qi detected. Repair risk extremely high; attempt not recommended!]
Zhou Xuan's gaze swept quickly over them, and he understood.
The shopkeeper hadn't been entirely dishonest. Quite a few of these things had once been high-grade goods—at least fragments of third-tier Dharma Artifacts.
Unfortunately, either they were far too badly damaged, or the cost of repairing them was absurdly high. There was no need, or even any possibility, of repairing them.
To everyone else, they were junk. But to him—
Zhou Xuan's gaze settled on a palm-sized fragment of a Tortoise Shell.
[Shell fragment of a second-tier demonic beast, Black Water Turtle. Can be converted into 5 Gold Touch Value.]
Then he looked at a charred block of wood beside it.
[Remnant of third-tier Thunder-struck Wood, struck by heavenly lightning. Can be converted into 5 Gold Touch Value.]
Excellent!
Zhou Xuan was reassured, but put on an expression of boredom as he casually nudged the two pieces to his feet.
He stood up, dusted off his hands, and asked as if he had little interest, "Shopkeeper, how much for these? If they're too expensive, I'm not buying. They look just like junk."
Seeing that he had picked out two pieces, the shopkeeper's face broke into a broad smile. "Not expensive at all! You've got a good eye, junior brother. How about this: for one Low-grade Spirit Stone, you can pick any three things from this pile!"
Three things for one Low-grade Spirit Stone?
Zhou Xuan was ecstatic. The price was practically a giveaway!
Suppressing his excitement, he pretended to ponder for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "All right, I'll just grab one more, then."
As he spoke, he bent down and casually sifted through the pile of broken metal and rusted junk.
At last, as if grabbing whatever happened to be there, he picked up a tiny, rust-speckled green copper fragment, no bigger than a fingernail, and placed it with the other two items.
"These three, then."
"Of course!"
Afraid Zhou Xuan might change his mind, the shopkeeper hurriedly nodded and gathered up the items, handing them to him.
Zhou Xuan paid one Low-grade Spirit Stone without changing expression. Then, with a thought, he stored the three treasures, along with the Demon Core and Talisman paper he had bought earlier, all at once in his Universe Bag.
When it was done, he felt like a spy carrying a world-shaking secret, his heart still pounding.
To avoid drawing attention, he added, "Shopkeeper, give me some nails and boards for repairing a house, too."
"Huh?" The shopkeeper froze, clearly not expecting this wealthy junior brother to buy such mundane goods.
But he recovered at once and nodded. "Certainly! How many do you need, junior brother?"
Naturally, these things didn't call for Spirit Stones.
Zhou Xuan took out a few taels of silver and paid.
Only then did he realize that gold and silver, the currency of the mortal world, were also accepted in Yunlai Market.
But it made sense. There were quite a few mortal merchants here, and even cultivators couldn't eat Spirit Grain and drink from a Spirit Spring at every meal. They would always have some need for mundane goods.
With everything bought, Zhou Xuan didn't linger.
That mysterious copper fragment felt like a red-hot iron in his hands, making him uneasy. He just wanted to hurry back to his doghouse and take a good look at this heaven-sent opportunity!
After bidding farewell to the excessively enthusiastic shopkeeper, he strode out of the Myriad Things Pavilion and merged into the bustling crowd.
As for the real money pits—the towering pavilions—he hadn't even gone near their entrances.
He knew perfectly well that with the little wealth he had now, he wasn't worth a fart in the eyes of those true Inner Sect prodigies and Aristocratic Clan scions.
A meal had to be eaten one bite at a time, and a road had to be walked one step at a time.
Today's harvest had been enormous. Not only had he earned his first pot of gold and launched his Talisman money-printing plan, he had also unexpectedly obtained that mysterious copper fragment. It was an absolute steal!
With excitement bubbling inside him and a light step, Zhou Xuan headed toward the Marketplace exit.
But just as he was about to leave the chaotic stall area and catch sight of the Marketplace gate, a familiar figure—one so deeply etched into his memory it was almost part of him—appeared before him without warning.
Zhou Xuan's steps abruptly stopped of their own accord.
He froze in place, the joy and ease on his face instantly congealing.
A short distance ahead, a woman in a moon-white Inner Sect Disciple's dress stood quietly before a stall selling spirit herbs.
She had a slender figure and a cool, aloof air. Her long black hair fell like a Waterfall, and her exquisite profile seemed to glow softly amid the noisy crowd, utterly at odds with the clamor around her.
Liu Ruyan!
Zhou Xuan's heart gave a sudden leap, and a rush of complicated emotions swept over him.
He had never imagined he would run into her again here, in this way.
At the same time, as if sensing his gaze, Liu Ruyan slowly turned her head.
When she saw Zhou Xuan standing not far away, a trace of surprise appeared in her usually placid, cool eyes.
Clearly, she hadn't expected to run into this old acquaintance, whom she had already cut out of her life.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze in that instant.
The noisy voices around them and the cries of the vendors quickly faded from Zhou Xuan's ears.
In his world, only that beautiful yet unfamiliar face remained.
But after a moment of surprise, the trace of astonishment in Liu Ruyan's eyes quickly faded, replaced by indifference and distance.
She began walking, slowly approaching Zhou Xuan.
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