Market

Walking along the road toward the inner city, Qin Huaian observed the market's buildings. Most of the outer city consisted of houses like the one he rented, packed in dense rows with only roads about a zhang wide between them. They were crowded as a field of hemp, yet neat and orderly.

As he neared the inner city, standalone buildings with courtyards gradually began to appear, and the roads grew wider as well.

Cloud Field Market's trading venues were all located in the inner city. Trade within the inner city was protected by the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect, and forced buying or selling was forbidden.

About half an hour later, Qin Huaian entered the inner city.

The streets were already bustling with people, with shops standing side by side on both sides. Stalls also filled the roadsides, selling all kinds of cultivation resources: Spirit Grass, Artifact Refining Materials, medicinal pills, Dharma Artifacts, talismans, and more.

"Grain-Repelling Pills, Grain-Repelling Pills! Exclusive formula, unique flavor!"

"Divine Movement Talismans, Spirit Flame Talismans, Vajra Talismans! Essential fine goods for traveling!"

"Fellow Daoist, come have a look! Discounted prices!"

The cries of hawkers rang without end.

Qin Huaian needed to replenish his supply of Grain-Repelling Pills. He did not intend to buy them from roadside stalls, instead heading straight for Rosy Cloud Pavilion, where he usually worked odd jobs and sold Spirit Grass.

Rosy Cloud Pavilion was a shop specializing in the sale of medicinal pills. It also purchased and sold Spirit Grass.

Rosy Cloud Pavilion had several branches in Cloud Field Market and was a fairly large pill shop. The one he visited was one of those branches.

As he entered Rosy Cloud Pavilion, a little girl of eight or nine came running toward him. She wore an apricot-yellow dress, her skin as delicately carved as jade, her bright eyes lively and spirited.

"Brother Qin, you haven't come to play with Lingyun for days!" the little girl said happily as she ran to Qin Huaian's side. She was Shopkeeper Xue's granddaughter. Qin Huaian had often come here over the past few years, and the little girl loved pestering him to play with her.

Qin Huaian did not know why the little girl liked playing with the original owner so much. Could it be because of this handsome shell? That should not be it—the girl was only eight or nine. Or perhaps it was the original owner's kind smile?

"Lingyun!" Shopkeeper Xue came over and shot the girl a glare. Little Lingyun stuck out her tongue, then turned and went aside to play by herself.

Shopkeeper Xue then smiled. "Little Friend Qin, do you have medicinal herbs to sell again?"

"No, Shopkeeper Xue. I came to buy some Grain-Repelling Pills."

"I see. How many would you like?"

"Four bottles. Here are two Spirit Stones."

Shopkeeper Xue accepted the Spirit Stones and said to the clerk, "Wang Gui, bring five bottles of Grain-Repelling Pills for Little Friend Qin."

The clerk, Wang Gui, fetched five bottles of Grain-Repelling Pills and handed them to Qin Huaian with faint displeasure. Hmph, just a temporary worker. He had no idea why the shopkeeper treated him so well.

"Shopkeeper Xue, this..." Qin Huaian hesitated with his words, but his hand had already reached out to take the five bottles of pills.

"Hahaha! Little Friend Qin, just keep selling any medicinal herbs you gather to our Rosy Cloud Pavilion in the future." Seeing Qin Huaian accept the pills without the slightest hesitation, Shopkeeper Xue's eyes revealed a trace of surprise before he burst into laughter.

This Little Friend Qin had shed much of his youthful awkwardness in just a few days.

"Certainly, certainly. Then this junior will not trouble you further." Qin Huaian cupped his hands toward Shopkeeper Xue.

Seeing Qin Huaian about to leave, Little Lingyun hurriedly ran over and grabbed his sleeve. "Brother Qin, play with Lingyun for a little while! Tell me more stories about the Million Mountains."

Qin Huaian crouched down, his expression gentle as he smiled. "Little Lingyun, cultivate diligently. When you grow up, you'll be able to go out and see the world for yourself. Brother has things to do. I'll play with you next time, all right?"

The little girl Xue Lingyun had good aptitude. At such a young age, she had already achieved Qi Introduction. In a few years, when the sect recruited disciples, she had a good chance of entering a sect to cultivate.

After bidding farewell to Shopkeeper Xue and Xue Lingyun, Qin Huaian left Rosy Cloud Pavilion. On his way toward the outer city, he spotted a roadside stall selling Artifact Refining Materials. More than a dozen pieces of material, large and small, were displayed there.

Pointing at one of them, Qin Huaian asked, "Fellow Daoist, how much is this ore?"

"Fellow Daoist, you have a good eye. This piece of Red Copper Ore is of excellent quality. It costs only one Spirit Stone per jin, and this piece should weigh around fifty jin. Shall I weigh it for you?"

Qin Huaian pretended to ponder in silence for a while. "Fellow Daoist, your price is rather high. I'll look around some more."

He then turned to leave. This raw ore was actually so expensive.

"Fellow Daoist, don't go! I'll give you a twenty percent discount—you won't find anything cheaper than mine! Thirty percent off! Thirty percent off is the lowest I can go!"

Seeing Qin Huaian turn and leave immediately after hearing the price, the stall owner hurriedly shouted after him.

Qin Huaian did not slow his steps. His heart was burning hot with excitement. He had to hurry and mine ore—no! He would not be mining ore; he would be digging up Spirit Stones!

After leaving the inner city, Qin Huaian headed straight for the outer city gate. He wanted to take the flying boat back to the mining area.

He only had three Spirit Stones left in hand and would soon be at the end of his rope. Fortunately, the five bottles of Grain-Repelling Pills contained fifty pills, enough to sustain him for some time.

By the time he reached the outer city gate, it was already noon. There was still about an hour until the flying boat departed. Several cultivators were already waiting there. It seemed that quite a few people had learned of the recent increase in Red Copper Ore production.

Qin Huaian found an empty patch of ground and was about to sit down and cultivate when a ruddy-faced, slightly chubby Little Fatty walked over. He cupped his hands toward Qin Huaian and said with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist, you're heading to the Red Copper Vein too, right? Have you been there before?"

One did not strike a smiling face. Qin Huaian smiled back. "What guidance does Fellow Daoist have for me?"

Little Fatty leaned close to Qin Huaian's ear and said quietly, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but that mine is far from peaceful."

"Oh?" Qin Huaian echoed in surprise.

Little Fatty looked around and saw that the others had all stopped what they were doing, holding their breath and focusing their minds as though waiting for what came next.

Everyone present was a cultivator. Though Little Fatty spoke softly, they were not far apart, and all could hear him clearly.

Seeing that he had drawn everyone's attention, Little Fatty's lips curled upward as he continued, "Although this vein belongs to the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect, such a small mine is beneath the notice of a great sect like that. They only send a few outer sect managers to guard the mine entrance.

"There are mine tyrants inside! Do you know what mine tyrants are? They're people who join forces to rob other cultivators of their ore, then hand it over in exchange for Spirit Stones."

"The Yellow Mountain Sword Sect's managers only care about collecting ore and paying out the rewards. So long as things do not become too serious, they turn a blind eye and let it pass."

When he spoke of mine tyrants, the teeth-gritting hatred on Little Fatty's face did not seem feigned. It looked like this fat man had a story of his own.

"When the time comes, how about we mine together? If we encounter mine tyrants, we can help each other. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

Before Qin Huaian could answer, several people gathered around them. One of them, a tall, imposing middle-aged man, said,

"Is that true? We work ourselves to the bone mining for the slightest bit of cultivation resources, yet there are such filthy people doing such filthy things!"

"Exactly, exactly. Does the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect not care?"

"Shh... Is the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect something we can discuss?"

The crowd began talking over one another. At this moment, Little Fatty said indignantly,

"Why don't the few of us form a team? If we run into mine tyrants, we'll join forces and resist them."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Qin Huaian also felt it was a good idea. They introduced themselves to one another. There were seven of them in total. Little Fatty was called Wang Baole and was at the Qi Refining Second Layer; the formidable man was called Jiang Yuan and was at the Qi Refining Third Layer, the highest cultivation among them.

As departure time drew near, more and more people gathered to wait. Some had been there before, while others had been newly recruited by the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect.

At that moment, an enormous flying boat flew over from afar. It was twenty to thirty zhang long and four to five zhang wide. Naturally, it could not compare to the giant ships of his previous life, but seeing such a massive flying boat descend from the sky was still immensely breathtaking.

A hatch opened along the side of the flying boat, and two cultivators stepped out. One of them shouted, "Everyone with work badges, board the vessel. One Spirit Stone per person. Those without work badges may not board."

The work badge was a token issued by the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect to miners. It bore only a number and a sword-shaped emblem. Only with the badge could one enter the mining area.

One after another, the crowd paid their Spirit Stones and boarded the flying boat. As the hatch closed, the flying boat slowly rose into the air and departed.