To leave that place of trouble as soon as possible,
the group quickened their pace.
Wu Family Market, which they had thought would take three days to reach,
came into view on the afternoon of the second day.
Though Wu Family Market was called a market, its name sounded like some rural dirt-town, with a rustic air wafting over it.
In reality, however, Wu Family Market was anything but rustic.
From afar, its towering walls and magnificent gates already loomed into view. Faintly, the clamor from within could also be heard.
Along the broad roads paved with sand and stone, merchant caravans from villages far and wide came and went in an unending stream.
They passed through the city gate,
and a broad street paved with enormous bluestone slabs stretched before them, running far into the distance. Shops lined both sides, and cries of hawkers and haggling rang out without pause.
It was every bit as bustling as some of the major county seats from the feudal eras of his previous life.
But then again,
this was a place occupied by cultivators. No matter how remote it was, it couldn't be all that bad.
Most of the shops along the street sold ordinary goods for mortals, and catered to the many mortal guards and martial artists who had accompanied caravans from various villages.
Now and then, these shops also sold goods used by cultivators, trading them to mortal martial artists for treasures they had stumbled upon by chance.
After all, although they were mortal martial artists, there were so many of them that sooner or later some would happen across something valuable.
As for the market catering to cultivators, it was in the designated marketplace to the north.
Mortals were practically forbidden from setting foot there.
It was the so-called forbidden ground of the immortals to ordinary people.
Only those with cultivation could enter.
Everything sold there was for cultivators.
Whenever market day came around, major merchant caravans from Qing City traveled here from afar and gathered together.
They also attracted countless small-time traders who roamed far and wide, hoping to claim a share of the feast at this rare event.
Shen Changchuan and the others had arrived neither too early nor too late.
By the time they got there, the major merchant caravans from Qing City had already arrived.
The huge plaza was packed with individual vendors, while merchant shops from all over occupied the buildings lining both sides.
People streamed past in an endless tide.
And every last one of them
was a cultivator.
Their cultivation levels weren't high; most were at the third or fourth level of the Qi Induction Realm. There were even quite a few who had only just achieved Qi Induction, and were doing odd jobs or heavy labor.
Even so, the sight of so many cultivators gathered together, their clamor shaking the heavens, was profoundly impressive.
It was the first time Shen Changchuan had ever witnessed such a scene.
During the two and a half years he had spent in Tiannan City, he had even avoided visiting the nearby marketplaces, doing his utmost to avoid entanglements with the outside world.
"I never expected it to be so bustling. This means my chances of achieving my goal here are much higher."
Looking at the many cultivators in the vast marketplace, Shen Changchuan felt little excitement.
There were more merchant caravans,
and their wares were more diverse.
That meant his chances of finding what he needed were higher.
Maybe he'd even stumble across a bargain, like in those old-school fantasy webnovels.
It was only a fantasy, but it didn't stop Shen Changchuan from indulging in a daydream.
Still, he knew
that all of it hinged on one thing: having money!
Or, more precisely, Spirit Stones!
Shen Changchuan quickly gathered his thoughts and decided to sell the Spirit Grain for Spirit Stones first.
The group headed to the grain merchants' section among the caravans from Qing City.
Shen Changchuan picked a grain merchant's stall at random and asked about the price.
The reply made his eyes widen.
"What? One Spirit Stone for ten and a half jin of Spirit Grain? Didn't they say it was one Spirit Stone for ten jin?"
"Young master, Spirit Grain is a commodity, so its price naturally fluctuates. It can't stay fixed."
"What's more, there are risks involved in transporting large quantities of Spirit Grain. Transport costs money, and we also have to pay rent to the Wu Clan to trade here. Not to mention the time we spend on the transaction. Once you add up all these odds and ends, one Spirit Stone for ten and a half jin is already a high price."
"If you don't believe me, you're welcome to ask at the other shops. We're not just making up this price."
The shop assistant explained with a helpless look.
How much of that "helplessness" was genuine was known only to the heavens.
Shen Changchuan couldn't help frowning.
Though he hadn't visited many cultivators' marketplaces, some things worked the same everywhere. He could apply what he had learned from buying and selling in his previous life to this world.
If the man said so, then the other grain merchants would surely offer the same price.
But back then, to avoid paying Shen Shiying that five-percent transport-loss fee, he had opted to pay a hundred Spirit Stones upfront.
Now the price wasn't one Spirit Stone for ten jin of Spirit Grain,
but one Spirit Stone for ten and a half jin.
So when he did the math,
hadn't all that effort been for nothing?
"Ah, forget it. It works out about the same as that transport-loss fee anyway."
"If you're selling a pound, you're selling a pound; if you're selling two, you're selling two. Let's just do it."
Shen Changchuan gave a wry smile and could only console himself in silence.
Besides, the Green Origin Spirit-Cleansing Pill he'd obtained was worth far more than all this Spirit Grain.
Was there really any need to fret over a dozen or so Spirit Stones?
There wasn't!
Absolutely no need!
Among cultivators in the Qi Induction Realm, he was already considered wealthy.
There was no need to quibble over this.
Thinking it over, Shen Changchuan felt much better.
His frown eased, though he still couldn't hide a trace of regret.
"Well..."
Just as Shen Changchuan was about to say something to the shop assistant and sell off all his Spirit Grain,
at that moment,
Guo Cheng and the other clan heads read his expression and stepped forward to tug at his sleeve.
"Young Master Shen, could we speak with you over there?"
"What is it?"
Shen Changchuan followed them out of the shop, puzzled, and they went to a corner nearby.
"Young Master Shen, these grain merchants' assistants are all the sort to judge people by their appearance. If they don't recognize you, they offer you these uniformly low prices. But if you're someone they know, you can get a higher, insider price."
"Because I've spent these past years selling Refined Charcoal, I, Guo Cheng, have made a few connections. I can probably get us an insider price. If you don't mind the trouble, you can leave the Spirit Grain sales to us."
Guo Cheng spoke somewhat hesitantly.
But even so, getting the insider price wasn't as simple as he made it sound.
Still, they had all seen Shen Changchuan frown after asking about the price.
And two days ago, when the Black-Clad Men attacked, they had fled before even engaging. There was no way that had made a good impression on this young man, whose strength was so astonishing.
All along the way, every clan head had been anxious.
If they didn't take this chance to help Young Master Shen with a small problem and leave a good impression, when would they?
"Is that so?"
Shen Changchuan was a little taken aback.
He couldn't help cursing inwardly.
Damn,
even in a world of immortal cultivation, doing business still came down to personal connections!
"Wait. You're not planning to pay the difference out of your own pockets and use this insider price to trick me, are you?"
"If you feel guilty about running away when the Black-Clad Men attacked that day and want to make up the difference yourselves, don't bother."
Shen Changchuan suddenly thought of something and glanced at them.
He said it outright.
"I didn't blame you for that day. You were only at the third or fourth level of the Qi Induction Realm. There wouldn't have been much point in you staying."
"In fact, if the enemy were too strong, I'd flee without hesitation too."
"Ah, Young Master Shen, how could you say that?!"
Shen Changchuan's words moved Guo Cheng, the Li Clan head, and the others.
"Rest assured, Young Master Shen. Our families have been established in the Border Wilderness for decades, even centuries. We have a few connections here and there, and we'll definitely secure a better price."
"Then I'll trouble you all."
At that, Shen Changchuan stopped refusing and accepted their offer.
What?
You're saying a single Green Origin Spirit-Cleansing Pill was worth many times more than all that Spirit Grain,
and that as a wealthy man, a dozen or so Spirit Stones were nothing to him?
Don't be ridiculous.
Even a landlord runs out of grain!
Before you continue