The Twin Pride of Flying Swallows

The topics discussed by these cultivators were incredibly broad, ranging from hunting demonic beasts to flirting with women.

Han Changming was a newcomer, filled with curiosity about everything, and listened with great interest.

"Fatty Han, are you peeking at me again? Do you really think I wouldn't dare gouge your eyeballs out?" A woman's voice, filled with anger, suddenly rang out.

Upon hearing the woman's voice, Han Changjiong acted like a mouse seeing a cat; he withdrew his gaze and returned to sipping tea and chatting with Han Changming.

"Seventh Brother, did you offend someone?" Han Changming asked in a low voice.

"A fair lady is a good match for a gentleman. Beautiful things are meant to be appreciated. Ninth Brother, you must learn to appreciate beauty." Han Changjiong patted Han Changming on the shoulder and said with a smile.

Han Changming felt a mix of amusement and frustration. Staring at a young female cultivator with such a lecherous look—it would be strange if he didn't offend someone.

A series of hurried footsteps sounded, and two young women walked over quickly.

A girl in a red dress and a girl in a green dress approached them, the girl in red looking furious.

Seeing the two women, a flash of surprise crossed Han Changming's eyes.

He had bumped into the girl in red earlier; he hadn't expected to run into her again so coincidentally.

"Fairy Ye, what a coincidence! Sit down and have some tea! My treat." Han Changjiong wore a sincere smile and said enthusiastically.

The girl in red glanced at Han Changming and sneered, "They say birds of a feather flock together. So you two are from the same clan. Fatty Han, were you staring at me just now?"

"Fairy Ye, you can't slander me. Am I that kind of person?" Han Changjiong said with a grin.

"Sister, it's not a big deal. Don't bicker with Fellow Daoist Han." The girl in green tugged at the girl in red.

The girl in red glared fiercely at Han Changjiong and said bluntly, "Fatty Han, if you act so despicably again, don't blame me for being impolite."

After saying this, the girl in red and the girl in green left.

Han Changjiong watched the back of the girl in red as she left, his mouth practically watering.

"Seventh Brother, do you know them?" Han Changming asked curiously.

"Yes, they are the two gems of the Ye family on Flying Swallow Island. The one in red is Ye Yufeng, and the one in green is Ye Yuyan. Ye Yufeng is famous for her fiery temper; her nickname is 'Little Chili.' You aren't allowed to compete with me for her." Han Changjiong wore a lovesick expression.

Han Changming thought about it, but he had never heard of Flying Swallow Island.

This was not surprising; there were tens of thousands of islands in the Red Algae Sea, and the number of cultivation families was vast. It was normal that he hadn't heard of Flying Swallow Island.

"The Ye family of Flying Swallow Island is a hundred and eight thousand miles away from our HLD. It's normal that you haven't heard of it. You just need to know that Ye Yufeng is a 'Little Chili,' so don't provoke her," Han Changjiong explained.

Han Changming gave a bitter smile internally, thinking, You tell me not to provoke her, yet you go and provoke her yourself.

A quarter of an hour later, they left the teahouse.

Han Changjiong took Han Changming for a stroll. When they passed a noodle shop, Han Changjiong led Han Changming inside, and they each ate a large bowl. When they passed a steamed bun shop, Han Changjiong bought some more buns, eating as they walked.

These foods were made with spiritual ingredients and contained spiritual energy; consuming them regularly was beneficial for a cultivator's training.

Without realizing it, they arrived at a spacious bluestone square, where a large number of small stalls could be seen.

Most of the people setting up stalls were rogue cultivators. The items on the stalls were diverse, including common cultivation goods like magical tools, talismans, medicinal pills, and formation disks, as well as many strange and peculiar things, such as spiritual flowers that released foul odors, spiritual fish that could fly, and seashells that could play back sounds, leaving one dazzled.

Han Changjiong held two paper bags full of buns, walking forward while stuffing a bun into his mouth, his jaws moving incessantly.

Han Changming followed behind Han Changjiong, curiously examining the items on the stalls.

He saw many strange things, but he didn't buy any. Good steel should be used on the blade; earning spirit stones was not easy.

Han Changming suddenly quickened his pace, grabbed Han Changjiong, and said excitedly via voice transmission: "Seventh Brother, look at the stall on my left. There are a few stalks of five-year-old Green Sun Grass, but he's selling them as Green Moon Grass. There's only a one-character difference, but Green Sun Grass is much more valuable than Green Moon Grass."

Green Moon Grass was fodder for herbivorous spiritual beasts; it didn't have high requirements for its growth environment, was easy to care for, and was relatively cheap. Green Sun Grass, however, was a material for refining first-tier mid-grade talisman paper. Their appearances were similar, but Green Moon Grass had broader leaves and a well-developed root system, while Green Sun Grass had smaller leaves and fewer roots.

Han Changming was a talisman maker, so he was quite familiar with the materials used to refine first-tier blank talisman paper.

Han Changjiong looked toward the stall Han Changming pointed out. There were many low-tier spiritual herbs on the stall, each with a sign indicating its name and price. The stall owner was an elderly man in a green shirt with a kind face.

"Take a close look at those stalks of Green Sun Grass. Check the scent, especially the leaves and roots, to see if there are any signs of artificial tampering. It's not that easy to find a bargain," Han Changjiong said via voice transmission.

Han Changming squatted down, picked up two stalks of spiritual herbs at random to examine them, then nonchalantly picked up a small green stalk and sniffed it. He didn't find anything unusual, so he carefully observed the leaves and roots.

He frowned and put the green stalk down.

The root system was very sparse, and it did indeed look like Green Sun Grass, but the leaves had traces of being trimmed. Clearly, this was a fake.

"Is this young friend interested in these stalks of Green Moon Grass? The price is negotiable," the old man in the green robe said enthusiastically.

Just as Han Changming was about to expose the old man's deception, Han Changjiong spoke first: "No need, we want to look around some more and will come back to buy them later."

"Seventh Brother, how did you know the Green Sun Grass was fake?" Han Changming asked curiously after they had walked away.

If Han Changjiong hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have discovered it was a fake.

"I've lived for decades; do you think I can't tell the difference between Green Sun Grass and Green Moon Grass? He's just trying to fool you rookies who haven't seen the world. It's not that easy to find a bargain. When spiritual herbs are faked, you can see the problem if you observe carefully. There are even people who specialize in refining so-called 'magical treasure fragments' to cheat people; the cost is only a few dozen spirit stones, but they sell them for over a hundred.

Half a year ago, a young member of a small family was cheated out of over a hundred spirit stones. By the time he realized he'd been scammed, the swindler was long gone. Don't hold too much hope for finding bargains; you must treat it with a calm heart. If you had bought those stalks of Green Moon Grass just now, you would have lost at least a few dozen spirit stones—enough to buy a lot of buns. You still have a lot to learn; always think thrice before you act."

Han Changjiong said earnestly, stuffing another bun into his mouth.

Han Changming nodded in agreement. After experiencing what just happened, he realized he was indeed young and needed to learn more from Han Changjiong.