The West Market lay in the southwestern corner of the inner city. It was the most mixed and motley place in Qingshan County.
People of every creed and calling, every trade and occupation, were all crammed into this one area.
Vegetable sellers stood beside blacksmiths, martial performers beside fortune-telling stalls. Voices clamored, and an indescribable mixture of smells filled the air.
At the far end of the West Market, Jiang Fa found a shop with a sign reading "Old Zhang's Fur Shop."
The storefront was small. A bamboo pole stood by the entrance, with several tanned sheepskins and rabbit pelts hanging from it, swaying in the wind.
The shop was piled with all kinds of animal hides, and several intact wolf and deer pelts hung on the walls.
Stacks of tanned cowhide filled a corner, and the pungent smell of curing salts permeated the air.
The shopkeeper was a gaunt old man in his fifties wearing reading glasses. He sat behind the counter, picking dirt from under his nails with a small knife.
He looked up and saw a young man in a martial hall's fitted training clothes entering, then noticed the bulging bundle on his back.
His eyes lit up. He hurriedly put down the knife and stood.
"Selling pelts, sir?"
Jiang Fa set his bundle on the counter and opened it, first taking out the three Azure-Maned Jackal pelts and four Iron-Backed Wolf pelts.
The old shopkeeper picked up an Azure-Maned Jackal pelt, turned it over twice to inspect it, then leaned closer to sniff it. His gaunt fingers stroked the fur several times.
Then he nodded. "Azure-Maned Jackal pelt. Decent condition, and the fur's color has been preserved well."
He put down the jackal pelt and picked up an Iron-Backed Wolf pelt. This time, he examined it more closely, pressing his fingers against the stiff mane along its back before turning it over to check the thickness of the hide.
"Iron-Backed Wolf pelt. Thick hide, intact mane. Above average condition."
"These two are good. As for the other two, these cuts are too long. They've spoiled the pelts, so I can only offer a reduced price."
Jiang Fa said nothing.
He had left those two cuts when killing the Iron-Backed Wolves. There was no helping it-who could spare a thought for anything else when fighting for their life?
The old shopkeeper examined the pelts one by one, then checked the wild boar hide. Finally, he pulled an abacus out from beneath the counter and clacked its beads for a while before saying leisurely, "Three Azure-Maned Jackal pelts. The two in good condition are four taels and five mace each. The jackal king's pelt is damaged, so that's two taels. Eleven taels altogether."
"Four Iron-Backed Wolf pelts. Seven taels each for the two in good condition, five each for the two with cuts. Twenty-four taels."
"One wild boar hide, six taels." He looked up at Jiang Fa. "Forty-one taels in total."
Jiang Fa quickly calculated it in his head. It was slightly below his estimate, but still within a reasonable range.
The old shopkeeper knew his trade. His assessment of the pelts' condition was accurate, and his offer was not too ruthless.
Jiang Fa nodded. "All right."
The old shopkeeper turned and took four ten-tael silver ingots from his cashbox, then counted out a few pieces of loose silver from a drawer to make up the rest. He wrapped them in an old piece of silk and handed them to Jiang Fa.
Jiang Fa took the silver, left the pelts with the shopkeeper, and turned to leave the fur shop.
His next stop was Old Chen's Blacksmith Shop at the entrance to the West Market.
An anvil half a man's height stood outside the shop. A bare-chested, burly man was swinging a heavy hammer, clanging away at a red-hot iron billet as sparks flew in all directions.
Jiang Fa placed the Stone-Skinned Wild Boar's tusks and the Iron-Claw Savage Bear's six iron claws on the anvil.
The old blacksmith picked up an iron claw and studied it against the light, then ran a file over its tip twice. He nodded. "Iron-Claw Savage Bear claws. Good stuff. The tusks are fine material too."
He considered for a moment, then named a price.
"Three taels for the two tusks. I'll give you five for the six iron claws. Eight taels altogether."
Eight taels-two more than Jiang Fa had estimated.
He did not haggle, only nodded.
The old blacksmith fished several pieces of loose silver from his apron pocket, counted them, and handed them to Jiang Fa.
After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Jiang Fa felt the wound on his shoulder beginning to ache faintly again.
He bought a bowl of cooling tea at a roadside tea stall and gulped it down. After resting a little longer, he headed toward the Precious Ganoderma Hall on the main street.
The Precious Ganoderma Hall looked the same as ever, with the same young assistant still standing at the entrance.
When the young assistant saw Jiang Fa, his smile grew even warmer than last time.
"You're here, sir! Please, come in!"
The assistant ushered Jiang Fa into the shop attentively, then called toward the counter.
"Shopkeeper, we have a customer."
The silver-haired old shopkeeper raised his head from behind his abacus. Seeing Jiang Fa, he too showed a hint of a smile.
Business had been slow these past few days. Now that a returning customer had finally arrived, he naturally had to offer proper hospitality.
He rose and came to the front of the counter. Just as he was about to exchange pleasantries, he saw Jiang Fa set the bundle from his back on the counter, untie the knot, and reveal its contents.
The old shopkeeper's pleasantries caught in his throat.
Two plump bear paws, their nails like iron hooks and the pads of their palms thick and full.
An expert could tell at a glance that these were fresh goods, cut off only a few days ago, nothing like old stock that had been stored for over half a year and lost most of its medicinal potency.
Twenty-one stalks of blood-coagulating grass, their roots wrapped tightly in damp mud.
The purplish-red sheen along the edges of their leaves remained as vivid as ever, and their stalks were thick and sturdy. Their quality ranked among the best blood-coagulating grass the Precious Ganoderma Hall had handled in recent months.
But what shocked him most was the beast core Jiang Fa took out last.
It was the size of a longan, earthy yellow all over, with a surface as smooth as porcelain. Beneath the medicine shop's dim yellow oil lamps, it gave off a soft luster.
Jiang Fa placed it on the counter. The beast core tapped lightly against the wooden surface with a faint, crisp sound.
The old shopkeeper picked up the beast core, turned it over several times, then took out a palm-sized crystal lens and carefully examined it against the light.
Beneath the lens, dark red patterns could faintly be seen flowing within the beast core. These were natural patterns left when the blood and Qi essence of a First-Tier High Grade ferocious beast condensed. They could not be faked.
"An Iron-Claw Savage Bear's beast core."
The old shopkeeper set down the lens, his voice still carrying a measure of disbelief.
"A First-Tier High Grade ferocious beast, and top-quality condition. Young man, did you hunt this yourself?"
His tone remained fairly calm as he asked, but he could not conceal the shock in his eyes.
Although an Iron-Claw Savage Bear was only a First-Tier High Grade ferocious beast, an adult's fighting strength rivaled that of a peak Ming Jin martial artist. With its thick hide, tough flesh, and boundless strength, even an An Jin expert would have to expend some effort to deal with one.
Moreover, as one of Qingshan County's foremost medicine shops, the Precious Ganoderma Hall knew something of the strength of the inner-court disciples from the county's major martial halls.
Across all of Qingshan County, the young disciples capable of killing an Iron-Claw Savage Bear could be counted on one hand.
Jiang Fa offered no further explanation, merely saying evenly, "I got lucky."
The old shopkeeper glanced at him and did not press.
Every trade had its rules. A medicine shop bought goods without asking where they came from. Only then could business continue.
He put the beast core back on the counter, then picked up the bear paws and blood-coagulating grass and inspected them all. Only afterward did he sit back behind the counter, pull over his abacus, and clack its beads for a good while.
"Twenty-one stalks of blood-coagulating grass, superior quality. Eighteen taels per stalk, totaling three hundred and seventy-eight taels."
"One pair of bear paws, fifteen taels."
"One Iron-Claw Savage Bear beast core, top-quality condition. I'll give you fifty taels."
He paused and looked up at Jiang Fa. "Four hundred and forty-three taels altogether."
Jiang Fa nodded. This price was considerably higher than his estimate.
The old shopkeeper clearly intended to build a connection. After all, a martial artist capable of killing an Iron-Claw Savage Bear would bring plenty more business in the future.
Jiang Fa nodded. "That works."
The old shopkeeper turned and went into the back room. A moment later, he emerged carrying a rosewood cashbox and took four hundred-tael silver notes from it.
Then he counted out forty-three taels in loose silver.
He wrapped it all in a piece of blue cloth and handed it to Jiang Fa with both hands. "Young man, if you have any more fine goods in the future, bring them straight to the Precious Ganoderma Hall. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the price."
Jiang Fa nodded and accepted the cloth bundle.