Sell

A short while later, Lu Ye sat in a private room, screens all around blocking prying eyes. The Female Demon cultivator had vanished, but before leaving, she had told Lu Ye to wait here. A steward would soon come to trade with him. If he had any other requests, he could ring the bell beside him, and someone would come attend to him.

A pot of brewed tea sat on the table. Lu Ye poured himself a cup and took a sip, immediately revealing a surprised expression. This did not seem to be ordinary tea—the tea contained a trace of Spiritual Power. Though not much, it was undeniably there.

This discovery gave Lu Ye an even deeper appreciation for the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild's immense wealth. This was merely tea served to guests; who knew how much they consumed in a day? Without substantial reserves, they could not sustain such extravagance.

So he began drinking in large gulps. After finishing an entire pot, no one had come to attend to him yet. Lu Ye was not in a hurry, however, and lightly shook the bell at his side.

At once, a maid from the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild entered. "What may I do for you, sir?"

Lu Ye pointed at the empty pot on the table. "Refill!"

The maid froze for a moment, but she was quick-witted and soon understood what he meant. Covering her lips with a smile, she picked up the empty pot and left.

A short while later, she returned carrying another pot of Spirit Tea and gently set it down. "Please enjoy."

Only after Lu Ye had drunk three pots of tea and was so full he kept belching did a woman finally enter. "I have kept you waiting, Fellow Daoist. This humble woman is Liu Ruyin. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

A faint, delicate fragrance immediately curled around Lu Ye's nose. Looking at the woman who entered, he saw that she was scantily dressed, large swathes of snowy-white skin exposed. Coupled with her soft, syrupy voice, even the tiny private room took on an ambiguous atmosphere.

"No matter." Lu Ye nodded.

The woman called Liu Ruyin pulled out a chair opposite Lu Ye and sat down. She picked up the teapot and personally poured him a cup. As she leaned far forward, the curve of her entire back was soul-stealingly alluring, while the snowy whiteness visible through her parted collar made Lu Ye dizzy.

He hurriedly took a sip of tea to calm himself.

When she had entered, Lu Ye had examined her Spiritual Light. He guessed that this woman was likely at Spirit Stream Tier Three, though her Spiritual Light was not particularly clear. She appeared to be the sort who regularly relied on pills for cultivation.

Setting down the teapot, Liu Ruyin asked, "What does Fellow Daoist wish to sell?"

Lu Ye took out the ores he had prepared for sale from his Storage Bag. Naturally, he would not take everything out at once. This was his first contact with the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, and he did not yet know what kind of character this Merchant Alliance had.

The items he took out were the same ones he had displayed at his previous stall.

As one piece of ore after another was placed before Liu Ruyin, she casually picked up one and inspected it for a moment, then nodded slightly. "This piece of Crimson Essence Iron is of good quality. Unfortunately, it is a little too small. If it were larger, it could be forged into a longsword."

She picked up another piece, and her beautiful eyes lit up. "This piece of Star-Moon Stone is good as well. It contains very few impurities."

Then she picked up a third piece...

Lu Ye witnessed what true professional expertise looked like. This woman named Liu Ruyin knew every ore before him like the back of her hand, and every one of her remarks struck at the heart of the matter, though Lu Ye understood very little of it.

At last, she picked up the Primordial Magnetic Ore. Smiling, she said, "This is quite rare in the battlefield's Outer Circle. It can fetch a good price."

She set down the Primordial Magnetic Ore and looked at Lu Ye. "The Merchant Alliance can offer fifty Spirit Stones for these items. If Fellow Daoist finds the price acceptable, we can complete the transaction."

Thanks to what he had observed earlier in the marketplace, Lu Ye roughly understood the purchasing power of fifty Spirit Stones. Moreover, this price fell within his expectations.

When he had set up his stall before, many people had made offers hoping to take advantage of him. Still, through those offers, Lu Ye had gained a general grasp of the value of his ores.

It could be said that it was not far from Liu Ruyin's quoted price.

He frowned slightly. "A little low."

Liu Ruyin smiled. "It is naturally cheaper than if Fellow Daoist sold them one by one, but would that not save you considerable trouble? The Merchant Alliance is vast and has many mouths to feed. Fellow Daoist should leave us some room for profit."

"Add a little more."

Liu Ruyin raised a hand and rubbed her forehead, looking as though she had a headache. Yet she was lovely to begin with, and instead of making her seem annoying, that expression only added to her charm.

"Very well. Since Fellow Daoist is sincere about selling, I will make the decision to add four more Spirit Stones. But Fellow Daoist absolutely must not haggle any further, or I will have to pay out of my own pocket to make this deal happen." She gazed at Lu Ye pitifully, as though she had suffered some great injustice.

Naturally, Lu Ye did not believe her. Still, seeing her like this, he knew there was no way to raise the price further. "Fine."

Liu Ruyin immediately bloomed like a flower. "How would Fellow Daoist like to receive payment? Spirit Stones or Spiritual Pills?"

"How do you sell your Spiritual Pills?" Lu Ye asked. He was somewhat surprised that they could pay in Spiritual Pills. He had originally intended to take the Spirit Stones and then buy pills, but upon reflection, many low-level cultivators probably did the same. The Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild's method of payment undoubtedly saved a step.

"A bottle of Spirit Nurturing Pills contains nine pills and is priced at ten Spirit Stones."

Lu Ye frowned. "Do not try to fool me. They sell for only one Spirit Stone each outside. Why are yours more expensive?"

Liu Ruyin explained, "Though they are all Spirit Nurturing Pills, the quality of Spiritual Pills refined by different Pill Cultivators differs. The Pill Cultivators refining Spirit Nurturing Pills in the Merchant Alliance are all highly skilled great cultivators, incomparable to those Pill Cultivators outside. If Fellow Daoist does not believe me, you may buy some and compare them for yourself. You will be able to feel the difference. Besides, if the Merchant Alliance's Spiritual Pills truly had quality problems, would so many cultivators come here to purchase them?"

Lu Ye nodded. "That makes some sense. Then give me five bottles of pills, and the rest in Spirit Stones."

"Certainly!" Liu Ruyin nodded and rose to her feet. "Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist."

She turned and swayed her waist as she left the private room. Soon, she returned and took out five bottles and four Spirit Stones, placing them before Lu Ye. "These are your items, Fellow Daoist."

Payment and goods exchanged hands, and each put their things away in their own Storage Bag.

Before Lu Ye could rise, Liu Ruyin said, "It is getting late. Does Fellow Daoist have a place to rest?"

Only when she asked did Lu Ye suddenly recall that there seemed to be no inns or similar lodgings in this marketplace. At the very least, he had not seen any.

Seeing Lu Ye's expression, Liu Ruyin understood at once. "The third floor of the Merchant Alliance and above serves as an inn. For only one Spirit Stone, you may stay the night. I guarantee that Fellow Daoist's rest and cultivation will not be disturbed. In addition..."

She leaned close to Lu Ye's ear, her breath fragrant as orchids. "If Fellow Daoist has any other needs, those can also be satisfied. Simply inform the steward over there."

"I'm not that kind of person!" Lu Ye said sternly, while secretly marveling. The Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild really does every kind of business!

Liu Ruyin had seen plenty of people like Lu Ye and merely acted as if she had not heard him. In a soft, syrupy voice, she said, "This humble woman gets off duty at midnight. If Fellow Daoist wishes for this humble woman to serve you, you may ask the steward to find me then."

Lu Ye's head felt as big as a bushel. "I really am not that kind of person."

A short while later, Liu Ruyin watched Lu Ye's departing back. The smile on her face faded as she said irritably, "What a stingy man!"

Under normal circumstances, cultivators who completed large transactions here would give one or two Spirit Stones as a tip, especially after Liu Ruyin had raised Lu Ye's offer.

This was an unwritten rule.

Unfortunately, it was Lu Ye's first time trading here, so he naturally did not know he was supposed to tip.