The second floor is an exchange, containing multiple areas such as a jade gambling area and a herbal medicine area. Most sellers use small stools and tables as stalls, just like enthusiastic roadside vendors hawking their wares.
Gu Chen glanced around and found that there were many people, but he was the only one dressed casually, which made him stand out. The rest of the men, women, and children were all dressed neatly, as if they were elites from all walks of life.
Everyone around him recognized Qi Ming Qi Ming, and after he went upstairs, people kept greeting him.
"Young Master Gu."
Qi Ming, "Take whatever you like. Just mention my name when you get there."
"Is there anything else, Brother Ming?" Gu Chen asked, his expression slightly tense.
"Yes, I'm meeting a friend upstairs." Qi Ming gave an awkward smile and said, "I heard some noise downstairs, so I came out to check. The guests are waiting upstairs."
"Okay, Brother Ming, go if you need to, don't worry about me." Gu Chen said, "I'm just browsing around, buying a few things."
Gu Chen didn't say much, and Qi Ming nodded. Then he called over a saleswoman from the second floor, gave her a few instructions, greeted Gu Chen, and went upstairs.
"Sir, are you very familiar with Brother Ming?"
After Qi Ming left, the saleswoman blinked her beautiful big eyes and looked at him, asking a question.
The sales assistant was a woman in her early twenties, with fair skin and a pretty face. She had her long hair tied in a ponytail and wore light makeup. Although she wasn't the most stunningly beautiful type, she had a pure and innocent look, especially her beautiful eyes, which seemed to speak volumes.
"We're not that close," Gu Chen said after a moment's thought. "This is our second meeting."
"Second meeting?" The saleswoman's eyes widened. "I've never seen Brother Ming so respectful to anyone before. Little brother, are you from some powerful family? But wait, even if you are some extraordinary young master, in Zhou City, Brother Ming would at most be polite, not this respectful."
Gu Chen said with displeasure, "Don't call me little brother!"
The sales assistant chuckled and said, "You're not happy being called 'little brother'? Are you older than me? By the way, my Zhang Yun, what's yours?"
"This has nothing to do with you, don't follow me." Gu Chen said sternly, "I need to buy something."
"Brother Ming ordered me to go with you," Zhang Yun pouted, "I still need to help you pay the bill later."
"Then you can come along if you want."
Gu Chen ignored her and walked towards the Pottery House.
"Boss, give me a piece of rough stone."
There were many jadeite rough stones here. When the shop owner saw that Zhang Yun was with him, he was very polite and took out a stone about three-tenths of a meter in diameter from under the table. The surface of the stone had grooves similar to those of wind-eroded stones in the Gobi Desert, as well as irregular weathering and etching patterns.
The shopkeeper said, "This rough stone, 300,000!"
"You're here to gamble on jade?"
Zhang Yun muttered under her breath, "So young, and already gambling. Do you know that nine out of ten gamblers lose?"
"I don't need you to reason with me, do I?" Gu Chen frowned.
"I'm giving you some life advice. Don't think that just because your family is rich you can squander it. Learn more about the hardships people face." Zhang Yun shook her head and said, "When I was your age, I was already working, earning less than three thousand yuan a month. Sometimes, with a nasty boss, I wouldn't even get paid..."
"Alright, alright, say one more word and I'll have Qi Ming fire you," Gu Chen said coldly, genuinely afraid this woman would go on and on.
It's clear that this woman didn't come from a wealthy family and harbors some resentment towards the rich.
Perhaps those words had an effect, because the woman immediately shut up.
Gu Chen held the raw stone, gently rubbing it with his palm, and then channeled his inner energy into it. The next moment, the surface of the raw stone showed no signs of damage, but the essence of its central core had already been absorbed into Gu Chen's body.
Cool!
As if he had drunk a soup of eight treasures, a warm force flowed into Gu Chen's meridians and merged with the internal energy in his dantian.
Jade is also a treasure of heaven and earth. This kind of raw jade contains the purest essence of heaven and earth, which is of great benefit to cultivators! After Gu Chen went up to the second floor, he found a gambling stone area but did not immediately buy medicinal materials. That was his plan.
The small amount of essence he absorbed just now was enough for Gu Chen to cultivate for several hours and generate sufficient internal energy.
Seeing Gu Chen staring blankly, the shopkeeper quickly asked, "Young man, do you want it?"
"Let me take another look."
Gu Chen shook his head and walked away to other places.
Next, Gu Chen repeated the process, harvesting the essence of several more jade and emerald stones, accumulating more and more jade essence within his meridians. Even though the sellers were extremely puzzled, after observing the appearance of the raw stones, they couldn't detect anything different.
Even Zhang Yun sensed something was wrong, and after more than ten minutes, she finally couldn't help but interject, "What exactly are you doing?"
"You don't understand," Gu Chen said.
Zhang Yun rolled her eyes and said, "You're not kidding them, are you? You're really bored."
Gu Chen ignored her, but thought to himself, "I mustn't be greedy for jade essence. I've just broken through to the Late Bone-Forge Realm. If I use more than my own internal energy, it will cause an imbalance in my aura, and I'll lose more than I gain."
After cultivating immortality for thousands of years, the most important thing Gu Chen learned was the ability to let go.
Giving and receiving—this is a Zen principle and a subject of study that many people cannot comprehend even after a lifetime of effort.
"Come with me to the medicinal herbs area."
Without waiting for Zhang Yun's reply, Gu Chen walked straight to the medicinal herb area.
Actually, he didn't want Zhang Yun to come along, but since she was the one who would pay for his meals, he figured it would be foolish not to take advantage of the situation, so Gu Chen succumbed to the power of money.
Upon arriving here, one is greeted by a dazzling array of high-grade Chinese herbal medicines, including thousand-year-old red ginseng, snow-capped ice toad, and top-quality winter worms. Gu Chen casually walks to a stall to inquire and is surprised to find that even the golden hairpin grass, which he had previously disregarded, is priced at a staggering 200,000 yuan for a small handful weighing less than two ounces!
This is definitely not a place for ordinary people to afford; buying just a few things here could bankrupt you.
The pill that Gu Chen wanted to refine was called the Luo Heaven Pill.
This kind of pill belongs to the category of second-grade pills. Gu Chen had already collected all the materials in no time.
Zhang Yun muttered from the side, "What a spendthrift."
These items cost over three million yuan in total, which was quite terrifying for her.
Gu Chen finally visited the rare treasures section, where everything was said to be the work of a master craftsman. There were jade cabbages, purple-gold lions holding pearls, auspicious unicorns, as well as antique vases, tea sets, and wood carvings. The sheer variety was dazzling and overwhelming.
He came looking for the medicine cauldron, but unfortunately, he didn't find it.
Just then, "Bang bang... thud!"
Suddenly, several clattering sounds came from upstairs, like heavy objects being struck, followed by Qi Ming's loud roar.
The next second, footsteps came from downstairs, and a group of burly men in black rushed up and blocked the entire stairwell.
These men, with bulging waists, were clearly carrying guns.
In an instant, with their arrival, the entire second floor of Pottery House became eerily silent, filled with murderous intent.
Then, led by this group of people, a middle-aged man in his forties slowly walked upstairs. He was wearing an elegant long gown, which made him look debonair, but also gave him a chilling aura.