"What caught your eye, fellow Daoist?"
The disheveled old man raised his eyelids and asked lazily.
Li Conglong said nothing. First, he reached out and picked up a short sword covered in green rust, examining it closely.
There was a crack in the blade, and its Spiritual Qi was thin. It was clearly damaged.
"How much for this sword?"
"One hundred and twenty Spirit Stones."
The old man named his price.
Li Conglong sneered inwardly. Thirty Spirit Stones would have been the absolute ceiling for this broken sword.
But his expression remained unchanged. He picked up an incense burner instead and said with a frown:
"This burner is intact, at least, and its quality is passable. Have an artifact refiner work on it, and perhaps it could yield a few taels of copper essence."
"If you're interested, fellow Daoist, the burner is eighty."
Seeing that he seemed more interested in the incense burner, the old man spoke hastily.
Li Conglong did not answer. He set down the burner, picked up an old book, and made a show of looking through it before shaking his head.
"Nothing but common goods. Not worth much."
The old man frowned. Has this pauper come to amuse himself at my expense?
As though casually, Li Conglong picked up a small green bottle from the corner.
"This bottle is rather exquisite. If I buy that burner, could you throw it in?"
The old man glanced at it. He had found the little green bottle on a riverbed. It had little Spiritual Qi, and he had only set it out to fill his stall because of its antique design.
He said offhandedly:
"The burner is eighty, and this thing is an antique too. I'll be generous-take them both for eighty Spirit Stones."
Li Conglong bargained a few