Venue

Though it was billed as an "underground" trading fair, it was not underground in the slightest. On the contrary, it was conducted openly and aboveboard.

The venue was set in the third-floor hall of a restaurant not far from the government offices.

As soon as Liang Bo and Liang Wen arrived at the restaurant entrance, they saw a beautiful maid approach them and respectfully ask, "Welcome, gentlemen. May I ask if you have invitations?"

Liang Wen handed over two invitations.

The maid opened them and took a look, whereupon her expression became even more respectful. "Gentlemen, please follow me!"

As she spoke, she led them into the hall and up a spiral staircase along the wall, bringing them to a private room.

Liang Bo looked around. The private room was exquisitely furnished, with all manner of fruits, vegetables, and fine wine laid out on the table. Two long couches stood beside it, making it convenient to sit and watch the hall below.

There were roughly a dozen private rooms like this throughout the hall. Besides them, there were also quite a few seats in the hall below, but the conditions there were much worse—not only crowded, but without any fine wine or delicacies.

At this moment, most of the seats in the hall were already occupied, while the private rooms were mostly still empty.

Liang Bo glanced at the crowd below and smiled. "Uncle, it seems the invitations we received are rather special. They even came with private rooms."

Liang Wen said with a trace of pride, "Naturally. Your uncle is, after all, a Human Yuan Realm expert. I may be nothing among those top sects, but among these worldly clans, I am already among the best. What is so strange about having a private room?"

Liang Bo asked in surprise, "So the other private rooms are also reserved for Human Yuan Realm experts?"

"Correct! Among the prominent clans of our Nanyang Prefecture, fewer than twenty have Human Yuan Realm experts overseeing them. At most half of those forces will send a Human Yuan Realm expert to attend this trading fair in person. As for the rest, they are basically first- or second-rank martial artists. Those people can only sit below."

Just then, Liang Bo suddenly heard someone calling him from a neighboring private room.

"Liang Bo, over here!"

Liang Bo quickly turned his head and saw a young girl in a green long dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, sitting in the private room next door and waving at him.

"Zhao Zhao?" Liang Bo was rather surprised. Who else could this girl be but Zhao Zhao? Yet compared to her usual crisp, capable attire, Zhao Zhao was dressed much more ladylike this time, making Liang Bo feel somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Beside Zhao Zhao sat a beautiful middle-aged woman, presumably one of Zhao Zhao's elders.

Unlike Liang Bo, who was merely from a collateral branch of the Liang Clan, Zhao Zhao held a far more distinguished position in the Zhao Clan. She was the clan head's legitimate daughter, and her cultivation talent was also exceptional.

Although she had failed her challenge against a fifth-rank demon beast this year, her chances of succeeding next year were extremely high. She was the most outstanding member of the Zhao Clan's younger generation and deeply favored by its elders, so it was perfectly normal for her to attend the trading fair.

Liang Wen said, "They are from the Zhao Clan. Come, let us go greet them."

"Alright." Liang Bo rose with him and headed toward the neighboring private room.

After exchanging greetings, Liang Bo learned that the beautiful middle-aged woman was Zhao Zhao's aunt, Zhao Rong. She was also the Zhao Clan's true power holder, an expert on the same level as Liang Wen.

While Zhao Rong and Liang Wen were talking, Zhao Zhao tugged Liang Bo over and whispered at a rapid pace, "Liang Bo, help me with something later."

"What?" Liang Bo had not heard clearly.

"It's nothing. You'll know when the time comes." Zhao Zhao did not explain further, merely waving her hand to signal that Liang Bo should not ask any more questions.

Liang Bo was suspicious, but he did not dwell on it. He quietly chatted with her for a while, when Zhao Rong walked over and smiled at Liang Bo. "This young friend must be the one who joined the True Martial Sect, correct?"

"That is indeed this junior," Liang Bo replied, quickly bowing in salute.

Zhao Rong smiled. "You are quite a fine-looking young man. Are you betrothed? What do you think of my Zhao'er?"

Liang Bo was startled. Could this be what Zhao Zhao had meant when she asked him to help her? But how exactly did she want him to help?

He hurriedly looked toward Zhao Zhao, only to see that her face had also turned crimson, her eyes full of astonishment. It seemed she had not known about this beforehand either. Zhao Rong must have thought of it on a whim.

With that thought, Liang Bo quickly answered, "Please forgive me, Madam. This junior is still young, and this is the prime time for martial training. For now, I have no wish to discuss marriage."

The moment he said this, Zhao Zhao visibly let out a sigh of relief, though a faint trace of disappointment seemed to appear in her eyes as well.

Zhao Rong smiled and did not press the matter.

After chatting for a while longer, Liang Bo and Liang Wen took their leave and returned to their own private room.

Liang Wen smiled. "The Zhao Clan clearly wished to marry that girl to you just now. Why did you refuse? I think she is quite a good girl, and her cultivation talent is strong as well. With your families so well matched, it would be a real pity if you let such a marriage slip through your fingers!"

Liang Bo hastily said, "Uncle jests. Your nephew truly does not wish to marry so early."

"Fine, fine!" Liang Wen said with a smile, waving his hand.

At this point, the people in the various private rooms had all arrived, and the trading fair was about to begin.

According to the customs of previous years, every martial artist attending the fair had to produce at least one treasure for trade, and that treasure could not be worth less than one thousand taels of silver.

The first person to step onto the trading platform was a white-haired old man. Holding a suit of dark green armor, he introduced it, "This old man is from the Xicheng Li Clan. The item I have brought for trade this time is a suit of Dark Gold Chainmail, woven from the rare material Dark Gold Stone. Its resistance against blunt weapons and ordinary blades is far superior to that of common armor. Moreover, it is extremely light, weighing only thirty jin, and will not hinder bodily movement. The starting price is one thousand taels of silver. Fellow Daoists, place your bids!"

"One thousand five hundred taels!" someone immediately called out.

"One thousand eight hundred taels!"

"Two thousand taels!"

The bids in the hall climbed ever higher, but no one in the dozen or so private rooms above made an offer. Only after the price had risen to three thousand taels did a voice ring out from one of the private rooms. "Five thousand taels of silver!"

The moment that price was announced, the entire venue fell silent.

Liang Bo asked softly, "Uncle, this armor sounds rather good. Why is the bidding so low?"

He was somewhat tempted by the armor as well. After all, no martial artist could guarantee that an enemy would never strike their body. At such times, a good suit of armor would undoubtedly greatly improve one's chances of survival.

Liang Wen sneered. "And you call that good? How good can armor made from a material like Dark Gold Stone possibly be? Liang Bo, if you want armor, your uncle will give you a better suit later. But as for armor, I advise you to wait until you reach the True Martial Sect and exchange directly for a Human-tier suit. It will be far better than this sort of worthless junk."