Seeing this, Liu Xueqin paid it no mind. She pointed with a delicate hand and continued her introduction:
"The Black Tortoise Iron Shield, a rare mid-grade defensive artifact."
"Made from the shell of a peak first-tier tortoise demonic beast, mixed with black iron and other materials, it was forged by a renowned Artifact Refiner over three days and two nights."
"Not only is it exceptionally sturdy and impregnable, but once activated, it can also circle your body and defend you automatically."
With that, she picked up a palm-sized brown shield and handed it to Liu Yu for a closer look.
Holding the shield, Liu Yu gently stroked its intricate patterns, then turned it over before his eyes to examine it. After a moment's consideration, he asked:
"May I, Hong, try it out?"
"Of course. Please feel free, Fellow Daoist Hong!" Liu Xueqin smiled softly.
Since she had said as much, Liu Yu did not stand on ceremony. He immediately poured his magical power into the little shield.
The brown shield instantly lit up with yellow spiritual light and rapidly expanded to three feet across, leaving his palm to float directly in front of him.
It then began circling his body, just large enough to cover half of him.
If necessary, he could huddle beneath it like a tortoise in its shell and completely block attacks from the front.
A hint of a smile appeared on Liu Yu's face. He was quite satisfied with the little shield.
With a slight nudge of his Divine Sense, the shield flew up and down around him, following his control with remarkable agility.
He did not decide to buy it immediately, however. Instead, he returned it to its brocade box and waited for her to introduce the items in the other boxes.
Liu Xueqin's dark brows knitted slightly. She was a little displeased with his behavior.
But with her face hidden behind the veil of her bamboo hat, she could not read Liu Yu's expression. With a trace of displeasure, she could only continue introducing the next item.
It was a long, narrow talisman, fiery red in color.
"The Black Bird Flame Talisman contains a Mystic Bird Blazing Flame Art cast at full power by a senior at the foundation establishment middle stage."
"This is a second-tier spell that can only be learned upon reaching the foundation establishment realm, and it has always been renowned for its formidable offensive power."
"Even an early-stage foundation establishment cultivator would suffer considerable injuries if caught off guard."
"Our shop acquired this through an exclusive channel. You won't find it anywhere else."
After saying this, Liu Xueqin could not help looking somewhat proud.
Clearly, this talisman was rather rare.
After hearing her explanation, Liu Yu was immediately tempted.
A talisman powerful enough to injure even an early-stage foundation establishment cultivator was truly something one could encounter but not seek out.
If he bought it, he would have a trump card-a lethal ace to unleash at a critical moment!
But the price probably won't be cheap. Otherwise, it wouldn't still be here for me to buy.
Liu Yu thought silently as he put the talisman back.
After introducing the Black Bird Flame Talisman, Liu Xueqin fell silent, fixing Liu Yu with a meaningful look from her beautiful, narrow eyes.
She showed no intention of continuing to introduce the treasures in the remaining brocade boxes.
She lifted her spirit tea and slowly sipped it, as though she were tired and needed a rest.
"."
Behind his veil, Liu Yu's lips twitched. He immediately understood her meaning.
He knew it was time to show his purchasing power.
Otherwise, she would not readily let him see the treasure in the final brocade box.
Before coming to the Market Ward this time, Liu Yu had deliberately accelerated the growth of five spirit herbs, all of them precious, rare varieties.
Moreover, they had all reached a medicinal age of around two hundred years, though their exact ages differed.
He had a rough idea of how many spirit stones the five herbs were worth, but he was still unsure of their exact prices.
Still, he was confident that exchanging them for the treasures in the brocade boxes before him should be no problem.
Wait. I'd better not take them all out at once!
With his palm resting on his Storage Bag, a thought suddenly struck Liu Yu.
To be cautious, he did not take out all five spirit herbs at once, producing only three instead.
With a sweep of Liu Yu's sleeve, three exquisite, lavishly decorated jade boxes appeared on the table.
The three spirit herbs lay inside them.
Over the thirty years of his previous life, he had witnessed plenty of "grand occasions." Through what he had seen and heard, he had also picked up a few basic principles of marketing.
As the saying went, "People need fine clothes, and Buddhas need gold leaf." Even flowers needed green leaves to set them off.
Good packaging would better highlight the spirit herbs' value and refinement, making it easier to fetch a good price.
In any case, the jade boxes and decorations cost next to nothing in spirit stones, so he would not lose out.
Having kept an eye on Liu Yu's movements all along, Liu Xueqin could not help feeling some anticipation for the boxes' contents.
She reached out with her small, snow-white hands and opened the jade boxes one by one.
"Three spirit herbs nearly two hundred years old!"
"And they're all precious, rare varieties! Every one of them can serve as a principal ingredient in pills for consolidating the foundation and nurturing the origin or breaking through a bottleneck in the foundation establishment realm!"
Once she saw what lay inside, she instinctively covered her mouth, her face full of shock.
Clearly, she knew the herbs' value.
Seeing her astonishment, Liu Yu finally relaxed, then sank into thought.
It seems these three spirit herbs are worth even more than I imagined. Trading them for the first three treasures won't be a problem.
But a Qi Refining Period cultivator producing two-hundred-year-old spirit herbs is still far too conspicuous.
In the future, I should avoid selling them directly whenever possible.
As she held the jade boxes and examined them, Liu Xueqin belatedly realized that she had lost her composure, allowing him to glean quite a bit about her position.
That would put her at a considerable disadvantage when bargaining down the price later.
At this point, however, she no longer cared about a few spirit stones. The three spirit herbs had completely captivated her!
If she could acquire them, whether she auctioned them directly or refined them into pills, they would greatly enhance the shop's reputation.
That would draw more cultivators to buy and sell at the Jade Orchid Tower, and business would surely become much more prosperous!
"It seems Manager Liu is very pleased with these three spirit herbs. I'm sure you'll offer me a suitable price!"
Liu Yu spoke first, his words carrying a hint of teasing as he tried to seize the initiative in the transaction.
Returning the jade boxes to the table, Liu Xueqin regained her usual composure. She cast Liu Yu a reproachful glance, then said seriously:
"Since you can produce three rare and precious spirit herbs, Fellow Daoist Hong, you are naturally an honored guest of the Jade Orchid Tower."
"Naturally, I wouldn't slight you by treating you as I would an ordinary cultivator. I'll offer you our most favorable price!"
At this point, she smoothed her long hair and spoke in an exceptionally gentle, sincere tone:
"However, these three spirit herbs cannot be exchanged for all the brocade boxes. They can only be exchanged for the treasures in the first four."
As she spoke, she opened another brocade box, revealing a pale-yellow talisman.
"This is a high-grade first-tier talisman that rarely circulates on the market, used to save your life at a critical moment-the Earth Escape Talisman."
"Made by a Talisman Grandmaster serving as an Attendant at our shop, it allows you to swiftly escape five li through the earth."
"The Divine Sense of a middle-stage foundation establishment cultivator only reaches about five li. With this talisman, your ability to preserve your life will be greatly enhanced."
"If these items do not appeal to you, Fellow Daoist Hong, our shop can also purchase the spirit herbs at a price guaranteed to satisfy you."
"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Hong?"
Sensing her sincerity, and finding these items very well suited to his needs, Liu Yu's thoughts raced.
After calculating that the two sides were roughly equal in value, he was already somewhat inclined to agree.
"Since you're so sincere, Manager Liu, very well! Three spirit herbs for four treasures. Let's make the exchange!"
Liu Yu relaxed his tone and spoke with a smile.
He pushed the three jade boxes toward her, then unhurriedly placed the four items in their brocade boxes and put them into his Storage Bag.
Without betraying anything, Liu Xueqin secretly studied this "Fellow Daoist Hong," finding him increasingly mysterious.
A minor cultivator at the qi refining fourth layer had actually produced such rare and precious spirit herbs.
Had he stumbled upon a fortuitous opportunity, or did he have a source?
"To be frank with you, Fellow Daoist, the treasure in this final brocade box is the most precious of all."
"If you can produce just two more rare spirit herbs like those, you may take it away. I'm certain you won't be disappointed!"
Holding the brocade box in both hands, she presented it before Liu Yu and sounded him out.
"Obtaining three spirit herbs by chance was already an extraordinary blessing from heaven. I'm afraid this final treasure and I are not destined to meet!"
Liu Yu sighed deeply, seeming somewhat regretful.
Inwardly, he tensed, knowing that she had grown suspicious.
It seemed he would have to minimize direct sales of spirit herbs in the future, or sooner or later he would invite a fatal disaster.
With the transaction completed, Liu Xueqin was all smiles.
There was something strange in her gaze, as though she wanted to pierce his bamboo hat and black gauze to see the face beneath his veil.
Liu Yu felt uneasy, but his words revealed nothing. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he took his leave.
Along the way, he passed a Pockmarked Cultivator.
Liu Yu frowned slightly. Still pondering the transaction, he paid the man no mind and hurried toward the inn.
Thanks to readers Tom Su, Changed My Nickname for the Second Time, 14051516068205, A Thought Never Forgotten, and the others for their recommendation votes.
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