"Oh! You want a mid-grade artifact?"
The woman's seductive eyes sized Song Wen up and down. He was an utterly ordinary Corpse Demon Sect disciple, all covered up and secretive. Other than being cautious in his dealings, there was nothing remarkable about him.
Yet such an ordinary outer sect disciple had actually resisted her charm technique. It was truly strange.
A trace of curiosity toward Song Wen arose in the woman's heart.
The woman pointed to a counter beside them and said, "The mid-grade artifacts are over here. I'll introduce them to you one by one..."
"How many Spirit Stones for this small shield?"
After the woman gave a brief introduction, Song Wen pointed at a one-inch shield and asked.
The shield was entirely black, with a ghost head carved into its front. The ghost head was lifelike and exquisitely detailed. It was as though a terrifying ghost creature truly lay crouched upon the shield, ready to burst out at any moment and choose someone to devour.
The woman smiled sweetly, her every gesture brimming with charm.
"You have a keen eye, Senior. This Ghost Head Shield was refined from Yin Spring Stone together with more than a dozen treasures. It is indestructible. Moreover, a Qi Refining Fifth Layer ghost creature is sealed within it, allowing you to command ghosts in battle. It can attack and defend alike. Its price is 200 Spirit Stones."
Song Wen was somewhat surprised by the woman's quoted price. Not because it was too expensive, but because he found it somewhat cheap.
Generally speaking, mid-grade artifacts sold for two to three hundred Spirit Stones. Defensive artifacts were usually priced higher, and a mid-grade defensive artifact would sell for over 300 Spirit Stones.
There was even a ghost creature sealed within this small shield. Its price should have been even higher.
Though surprised by the Ghost Head Shield's low price, Song Wen did not voice the doubt in his heart. He only wanted to complete the transaction as quickly as possible and leave this shop without alerting the woman before him.
"150 Spirit Stones." Cheap or not, he still had to bargain.
"Senior, our little shop runs on thin margins. Prices are non-negotiable," the woman said.
"160 Spirit Stones." Song Wen continued bargaining.
After some back-and-forth, Song Wen spent 180 Spirit Stones to purchase the Ghost Head Shield.
After putting away the Ghost Head Shield, Song Wen immediately left the shop without a moment's delay. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the bustling crowd.
"Xiao He, get out here."
The seductive expression on the woman's face instantly vanished as she harshly shouted toward the shop's rear courtyard.
A moment later, a girl of about sixteen walked out.
"Miss, you called for me?"
The miss said coldly, "Didn't I say that when I'm using the shop's customers to practice my charm technique, I am not to be disturbed? Why did you repeatedly send me voice transmissions just now?"
Xiao He had just wanted to explain when, before she could speak, the miss continued.
"Today has truly been unlucky. I never expected that even a mere Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator could resist this young lady's charm technique."
Her tone was thick with resentment, as though Song Wen were some scoundrel who had toyed with her affections and then abandoned her.
Knowing her miss's temperament well, Xiao He knew that she was in the midst of her anger. To prevent her miss from directing that anger at her, she hurriedly echoed her words.
"That man just now was probably impotent, or else he was a sodomite. Otherwise, how could he possibly resist Miss's charm?"
The miss shot Xiao He a glare and said, "Do not speak recklessly. Either that man possesses a rare artifact capable of resisting spiritual attacks, or he has cultivated a technique that strengthens the soul or stabilizes the Sea of Consciousness."
Xiao He's eyes lit up at those words.
An artifact that resisted spiritual attacks! Or a soul-cultivation technique!
Both were rare and precious things in the cultivation world.
Xiao He made a throat-slitting gesture and lowered her voice. "Miss, should we...?"
Song Wen had only displayed the strength of the Qi Refining Third Layer. Killing and robbing him would be as easy as turning over one's hand, and greed surged within Xiao He's heart.
But the miss shook her head. "Fighting is forbidden within the market. Besides, the Corpse-Baleful Qi on him is dense. He should be a Corpse Demon Sect disciple. Once he leaves the market, he will likely return straight to his sect. We will have no chance to act."
After a brief silence, the miss seemed to recall something and said to Xiao He.
"By the way, you still haven't explained why you kept sending me voice transmissions just now."
While Song Wen had been in the shop, Xiao He had sent her several voice transmissions. Yet every time Xiao He had just begun, the miss forcibly cut her off.
Xiao He said, "Miss, I wanted to tell you that you sold that Ghost Head Shield too cheaply. The Ghost Head Shield cost 200 Spirit Stones, and it was priced at 400 Spirit Stones."
"Ah! Why didn't you say so sooner?!"
The miss hurriedly ran out of the shop and looked around, hoping to find Song Wen's figure.
But where could she still find Song Wen? He had long since vanished without a trace.
"It's over. We lost money on this deal again," the miss muttered bitterly to herself.
"Miss, why don't we find another place to practice your charm technique? If this keeps up, we'll lose our entire family fortune."
It turned out that the two were merely employees of this shop, responsible for selling artifacts.
They had originally thought that, with Miss's charm technique, those male cultivators would surely be so dazzled that they would willingly pay high prices for the artifacts. She could practice her charm technique along the way as well, killing two birds with one stone.
But Miss seemed to have a poor memory. She constantly mixed up artifact prices, and always sold them cheaply.
In just three days, the two had already lost several hundred Spirit Stones.
"Then where else can I practice my charm technique?" the miss asked.
"The pleasure quarters!"
The miss's brows furrowed slightly as though she were considering it. "The pleasure quarters? But I'm not ready yet."
"Ah, Miss! A woman will sooner or later be pressed beneath a man. What difference is there between being pressed by one man and being pressed by ten thousand?"
Song Wen entered a cultivator restaurant, removed his disguise in the restaurant's rear hall, and drank two cups of spirit wine inside. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he leave the restaurant.
Next, Song Wen wandered among the various stalls.
Though most of the items on the street stalls were rather poor, strange objects occasionally appeared.
Since he had come out this time to carry out a sect mission, it was best to prepare a few more means of defense.
After making a round, Song Wen realized he had overthought things.
Rare items did indeed occasionally appear on the stalls, but the chances of him happening upon one were far too low.
"Senior Brother Xu, do you have anything with tremendous power?"
Unable to find what he wanted among the stalls, Song Wen spotted a familiar stall owner and simply asked directly.
This Senior Brother Xu was a Late Qi Refinement outer sect disciple. He had spent years mingling with Rogue Cultivators and possessed broad knowledge, far beyond disciples like Song Wen, who lived within the sect year-round.
Song Wen had bought Corpse-Baleful Qi from him several times, and the two had gradually become acquaintances who nodded to one another.
Senior Brother Xu looked up at Song Wen, a faint smile on his face.
"Oh, it's Junior Brother Extreme Yin. When you say tremendous power, what level of power do you mean?"
"At least something capable of threatening Late Qi Refinement cultivators, or even peak Qi Refinement cultivators," Song Wen said.
"I do have something here that meets Junior Brother's requirements, but..."
Senior Brother Xu spoke somewhat ambiguously. After pondering for a long while, he continued.
"You should take a look for yourself."
Before you continue