Sights at the Market

The Trading Market was located in the northern square of Qingyang Town. It had been jointly established by several of the town's large merchants.

All sorts of goods were sold there, and it drew a huge crowd. It was also one of Qingyang Town's most distinctive places.

The Trading Market was home to businesses owned by various factions, as well as stalls set up by many cultivators. It was a mixed bag, and its reputation stretched for a hundred li in every direction.

However, since there was profit to be made, the various factions tacitly allowed it to exist. Over time, a balance had formed.

When Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun arrived, they saw a sea of people crowding the market. The place was abuzz with noise.

Seeing this, he couldn't help clicking his tongue. As expected of the largest trading market within a hundred li—it was truly bustling.

Shops lined both sides of the straight streets, selling all manner of goods. People streamed in and out, and the place was positively thriving.

There were also plenty of roadside stalls. Many people sat on the ground with nothing but a straw mat before them, their wares laid out on top. With a casual glance, Lin Yiqing spotted several merchants who seemed to be Earth Origin Realm experts.

"No wonder Lin Yun said no one dares cause trouble at the Trading Market. It really lives up to its reputation."

After looking around, Lin Yiqing eventually bought several books on identifying demonic beasts and spirit herbs. They would be useful when he traveled in the future.

The Trading Market was filled with dazzling goods that made the eyes swim. The streets were extremely wide, but even so, the two of them were jostled about rather awkwardly.

At last, they reached a magnificent pavilion. In a secluded corner, they changed into the black robes and bamboo hats they had bought along the way, then put on several layers of thick clothing to conceal their figures.

After that, they wandered the streets for a few more rounds. Only after a long while did they approach a black gate.

A child carrying gold through a crowded marketplace would invite disaster at any moment.

He had no choice but to be cautious. If he openly sold those demonic beast materials and bought valuable items, he might run into bandits before he even made it home.

The Trading Market was a mixed bag, with all kinds of people from every walk of life.

There were plenty of people like Lin Yiqing, whose sensitive identities or questionable sources for their goods made ordinary transactions inconvenient. Underground markets had sprung up to accommodate them.

The underground market Lin Yun had brought Lin Yiqing to was one such place.

From how familiar he seemed, it was clear this wasn't his first visit.

Here, no matter how dubious the origins of your goods, as long as you dared to sell them, you could generally get rid of them without a hitch.

The only catch was that the prices were a little lower than outside, though overall they were still satisfactory.

Outside the black gate, quite a few people dressed much like Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun were coming and going.

Lin Yiqing was rather excited. It was his first time in a place like this.

They walked through a long corridor in the dim light.

Lin Yiqing saw that all the rooms along either side were shut tight. Clearly, the transactions took place inside.

Then Lin Yun led Lin Yiqing into a half-open room. There was a black iron door inside, with a small window cut into it. As soon as they entered, an elderly voice came from within.

"What would the two of you like to trade?"

"Some materials from an Earth Origin Realm demonic beast, a Green Water Snake."

As he spoke, Lin Yun placed the items one by one into the window.

"The demonic beast materials have been cut very cleanly, so they're worth a little more. But the Green Water Snake is too low-grade, so I can't offer much. What do you want in exchange?"

After a moment, the person behind the window spoke again.

"Six Third-Grade Spirit Herbs."

Lin Yun considered it briefly, then ventured a price.

"Too much. Three at most."

The person behind the window named their price as soon as they heard him.

"No. At least four!" Lin Yun immediately protested.

"Three. If you won't trade, then please leave."

The elderly voice behind the window turned firm and uncompromising. Lin Yun said nothing more and had to accept.

Lin Yiqing did a quick calculation. The other party's price seemed fair enough. Materials from an Earth Origin Realm demonic beast weren't rare, and besides, the Green Water Snake was only an entry-level beast.

"Could you please appraise these pills for me?"

After Lin Yun finished handing over the materials, Lin Yiqing deliberately lowered his voice, making his youthful tone sound a little older. Then he stepped forward and passed three bottles of Body Tempering Pills through the window.

Looks like I'll need to learn more about this sort of thing in the future, he thought to himself.

A withered hand reached out from beneath the window and took the bottles. Lin Yiqing then heard some commotion from inside. Clearly, the other party had a way to test them.

"Oh, these are rather unusual. Their medicinal power is roughly equal to that of one or two First- or Second-Grade Spirit Herbs, but they seem to be quite helpful to those in the Body Tempering Realm. What would you like in exchange?"

Lin Yiqing understood. After a brief pause, he said, "Eight Third-Grade Spirit Herbs!"

"Impossible. Your pills are indeed quite helpful to those in the Body Tempering Realm, but their medicinal power isn't particularly strong. And judging by their effects, they're only useful in the early stages. How about four Third-Grade Spirit Herbs?"

"At least five!" Lin Yiqing considered it for a moment, then shook his head and refused.

"Fine. Rarity makes value, so I'll give you five."

The other party was efficient. A moment later, two boxes, one large and one small, were passed through the window.

Lin Yiqing opened them and saw three green fruits the size of longans and two slender, emerald vines about the length of chopsticks, all neatly arranged inside. A faint fragrance drifted from them.

"Third-Grade Spirit Herb, Azure Glaze Fruit."

"Third-Grade Spirit Herb, Green Thorn Vine."

Lin Yiqing took them out and inspected them carefully. Satisfied, he put them away and left the room, continuing deeper into the market.

Around the corner, the view opened up again. A sizable trading area appeared before him. This was the Underground Market.

There were quite a few people in the market, but everyone wore bamboo hats, making their faces impossible to see. The Underground Market was far more secretive than the one above, and its wares were correspondingly more illicit.

Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun walked among the stalls, their eyes sweeping over the wares. There were quite a few good things here, including a fair number of Fourth-Grade Spirit Herbs.

Gradually, the two ventured deeper. Lin Yun made several purchases, buying a few spirit herbs, while Lin Yiqing still hadn't found anything that interested him.

Suddenly, a strange sensation stirred in Lin Yiqing's heart.

He looked around and spotted an old piece of wood covered in moss in a secluded corner of one stall. Some strange force seemed to be tugging at his mind.

Moss covered the old wood. In the dim light, Lin Yiqing could make out some blurry symbols on its surface. Those were what had stirred his mind.

At the sight of it, he froze. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, his heart leapt into his throat, making it hard to breathe. He couldn't help licking his dry lips before he finally steadied himself.

He approached the stall and glanced over it. His gaze settled on a black iron fragment. Pointing at it rather casually, he asked the black-robed figure behind the stall, "How much for this?"

The black-robed figure replied indifferently, "Fifty Yang Yuan Stones."

Yang Yuan Stones were the common currency of this world. Above them were Yang Yuan Pills, with an exchange rate of ten to one. Ten Yang Yuan Stones could be refined into one Yang Yuan Pill, and both were also cultivation resources.

When Lin Yiqing had explored the abandoned cave dwelling of a Heaven Origin Realm expert, he had found several hundred Yang Yuan Pills in the Universe Bag.

"Too expensive."

Lin Yiqing shook his head. The other party was obviously trying to name an outrageous price.

The black-robed figure said nothing, simply spreading his hands. Lin Yiqing was speechless. That was certainly a distinctive way to do business.

"How about fifty Yang Yuan Stones for both of these?"

Seeing that the other party had nothing more to say, Lin Yiqing casually pointed at the old wood.

"These two items will cost eighty Yang Yuan Stones. Take them if you want them," the black-robed figure replied lazily.

Lin Yiqing said no more. He took out eight Yang Yuan Pills from his Universe Bag and handed them to the black-robed figure, then collected the old wood and the black iron fragment before turning to leave.

Afterward, Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun wandered around for another half day before leaving the Underground Market. Once they were out of the trading house, they cautiously spent another half day browsing the Trading Market. Only after confirming no one was following them did they hurry away.