The square of this market lay beside the lake. By the time Xiao Hua arrived, quite a few shuttle boats had come across the water, each carrying cultivators dressed alike. They were presumably from the same sect.
Xiao Hua carefully surveyed everything in the square. This was, after all, his first time at a market, and he was quite excited. Yet beneath that excitement was unease. He knew nothing about many things and feared making a fool of himself. Looking at the cultivators who had arrived from the same direction as him, some strode straight into the market without sparing anything around them a glance. Others, like Xiao Hua, paused briefly and looked around before taking cloaks from their storage bags and deftly putting them on, concealing their faces entirely.
Eh? That was a good idea. How had I not thought of it? Xiao Hua was slightly surprised. He knew these people were frequent visitors to the market, then secretly thought, Forget it. This is only my first time here. I'll take a look around first. If there's talisman ink or something similar, I'll buy some with spirit stones. I won't think about anything else yet!
Having made up his mind, Xiao Hua felt steadier and headed toward the square. Before he even reached its edge, he heard someone calling out beside the entrance, "Mihuan, Mihuan! Cheap and fine Mihuan! Only ten high-grade spirit stones..."
"Ten high-grade spirit stones? How could it be so cheap?" Xiao Hua's eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace, running toward the voice.
Unfortunately, he was far from the only one who had heard that cry. By the time he arrived, the stall was already surrounded so tightly by cultivators that not even water could pass through. Xiao Hua grew anxious, but every cultivator