The Unscrupulous Merchant

As soon as Ding Chunqiu spoke, the crowd erupted once again.

If they didn't buy a Qi Refining Stage cultivation manual within three days, they would have to wait another thirty years for the next chance.

Not to mention the middle-aged and elderly disciples who were over fifty or even a hundred, the vast majority of those in their twenties and thirties also cried out in dismay.

Before the age of sixty was the best time to attempt Foundation Establishment.

As one grew older, the chances of successfully achieving Foundation Establishment would only decline.

More importantly, the Barbarian Di Secret Realm under the Holy Cardamom Sect's jurisdiction would open in five to eight years.

The Barbarian Di Secret Realm opened roughly once every sixty years, and only cultivators at the early and middle Qi Refining Stage were allowed to enter. It remained open for about two months.

The resources obtained in the Barbarian Di Secret Realm were worth more than what one could acquire outside in over twenty years.

The Holy Cardamom Sect's Qi Refining Stage disciples were all craning their necks in anticipation of the secret realm's opening.

After a round of sighs, a young man in red soon took out his money and bought a cultivation manual outright: just because you were poor didn't mean everyone else was.

Of course, quite a few disciples also approached Ding Chunqiu one after another, trembling as they signed loan agreements.

Looks like I have no choice but to sell some of my Great Kun Moonlight... Tang Yuan thought to himself...

The mass of Great Kun Moonlight Spiritual Qi he had bought from the four Li Household siblings at the Purple Moon Lake Market in the Wanglongbo Desert of the Eastern Heaven Purple Mother Continent amounted to one wisp.

Tang Yuan had divided that wisp of Spiritual Qi into sixteen strands and put them into sixteen separate jade bottles.

The Earth Flood Dragon in the Mystic Spoon had asked for three strands and absorbed and refined them.

At his home in Dangwu Village, Tang Yuan had set aside one strand for each of his five children.

He still had eight bottles on him now.

At the Eastern Huang Gathering, one of the Holy Cardamom Sect's cultivator markets, Tang Yuan had spent a long time haggling with the stallholder Kou Cheng and sold everything he could.

When he finally tallied it up, paid the entrance fee, and exchanged all his Spirit Stones for spirit coins, he had only 2,200 spirit coins on him.

But that was still a long way short of 4,050 spirit coins.

That was right, Tang Yuan intended to buy both the early and middle stages of the Purple Cloud Nine Mysteries Scripture at once.

First, there was a discount for buying them together.

Second, Tang Yuan felt that although he could only study the early-stage cultivation method step by step for now, he could study the middle-stage method in advance.

By studying the middle-stage method beforehand, he could look down from a commanding height and correct his cultivation of the early-stage method.

"Senior Brother Kou, I have another good item, but I'm afraid you won't have the money to buy it," Tang Yuan said in a low voice inside the soundproof barrier.

"Ha, don't underestimate me.

"I've been running a stall for over thirty years, so I do have some savings.

"Never mind 200 spirit coins, I can even come up with 300.

"The question is, how good is your item?" Kou Cheng looked utterly dismissive.

"It's a strand of Spiritual Qi.

"I'm afraid you won't recognize it if I take it out." Tang Yuan wore a mysterious expression.

"Really?

"Stop keeping me in suspense. Let me see it.

"I often go to the scripture repository to study, too.

"There are countless kinds of Spiritual Qi under heaven, but I know all about them." Kou Cheng rubbed his hands together.

Tang Yuan took out a jade bottle, pulled the stopper, and showed it to Kou Cheng for three breaths before immediately putting it back into his Storage Bag.

"Tang Yuan, aren't you being a bit too careful?

"That really is top-grade Spiritual Qi, but I truly don't know what kind it is.

"I didn't get a clear look just now. Let me see it again." Kou Cheng scratched his head.

"Since you claim to know all about Spiritual Qi, if you didn't recognize it just now, you wouldn't recognize it no matter how long you looked.

"Forget it. I'll just have to sell it to someone else." Tang Yuan made to leave the soundproof barrier.

"Wait.

"Even if I can't tell what kind of Spiritual Qi it is, as long as the price is reasonable,

"I can buy it outright, and I absolutely won't go back on my word." Kou Cheng waved his hand.

Tang Yuan held up two fingers.

"Two hundred spirit coins?

"Deal!" Kou Cheng immediately reached for his Storage Bag.

"No.

"Two thousand spirit coins, and there's no bargaining.

"If you don't have the money, I'll find someone else." Tang Yuan looked perfectly serious.

"I know the Purple Cloud Nine Mysteries Scripture you want to learn is expensive, but you've really got some nerve asking that much for this strand of Spiritual Qi.

"One wisp of Spiritual Qi can be divided into ten to twenty strands.

"At your price, wouldn't a full wisp of this Spiritual Qi cost more than 40,000 spirit coins?

"Even second-grade Spiritual Qi, which has a price but no market, only costs 20,000 spirit coins a wisp.

"Tang Yuan, you really are an unscrupulous merchant." Kou Cheng gave a wry smile.

"Hmph, first-grade Spiritual Qi costs 300,000 spirit coins a wisp.

"Don't worry, I'm definitely selling you this strand of Spiritual Qi cheap." Tang Yuan turned to leave.

This strand of Great Kun Moonlight was immortal-grade Spiritual Qi, even better than first-grade Spiritual Qi.

Based on the price of 300,000 spirit coins per wisp of first-grade Spiritual Qi, it wouldn't have been excessive for Tang Yuan to sell this strand of Great Kun Moonlight for 400,000 spirit coins.

But never mind Kou Cheng, even among all the stallholders in the Holy Cardamom Sect, there were few who could produce 400,000 spirit coins.

Besides, if he really sold it for 400,000 spirit coins, it would be far too conspicuous and was bound to attract unnecessary trouble.

After turning it over in his mind, Tang Yuan decided to sell this strand of Great Kun Moonlight for 2,000 spirit coins: the cultivation method he wanted cost 2,000 spirit coins, and selling it for that amount was less likely to arouse Kou Cheng's suspicions.

"The money is easy enough to discuss.

"But I'm not sure whether this Spiritual Qi is actually worth that much." Kou Cheng grabbed the hem of Tang Yuan's robe to stop him from leaving.

"This Spiritual Qi is called Great Kun Moonlight. You must have sensed its form and spirituality just now.

"You can find someone reliable and ask them

"whether this strand of Great Kun Moonlight is really worth 2,000 spirit coins.

"Of course, I might have asked too little.

"But consider it my thanks to you, Senior Brother Kou." Tang Yuan looked confident.

"Great Kun Moonlight?

"Never heard of it.

"But a fellow disciple who runs a stall, an acquaintance of mine who knows a great deal about Spiritual Qi, just happens to be away today. He'll be back tomorrow.

"Can you wait until I ask him tomorrow, and then I'll decide whether to buy it?" Kou Cheng looked pleadingly at him.

"No.

"The longer the night, the more dreams it brings.

"Since I brought this Spiritual Qi to the Eastern Huang Gathering today, I have to sell it today.

"Large amounts of spirit coins are recorded on our own disciple tokens, so we don't have to worry about being robbed of them.

"But this Spiritual Qi...

"Heh, someone might come to steal or rob it tonight." Tang Yuan's expression allowed no room for argument.

"All right, wait for me for half an hour.

"I have some acquaintance with Le Yaoyao, a sect young master.

"I'll go find him and have him ask his Lineage's wise man whether this Spiritual Qi is worth 800 spirit coins." Kou Cheng cupped his hands in greeting.

"All right, half an hour.

"I won't wait past that." Tang Yuan stepped out of the soundproof barrier...

...In less than half an hour, Kou Cheng returned, his face beaming.

But as soon as he entered the Eastern Huang Gathering, Kou Cheng cupped his hands and transmitted his voice loudly: "Fellow stallholders, I, Kou, am determined to have Junior Brother Tang Yuan's bottle of Spiritual Qi today.

"If anyone tries to poach the deal, don't blame me, Kou, for turning my back on the bonds between fellow disciples and fellow merchants."

Tang Yuan's face immediately darkened: if he didn't sell this strand of Great Kun Moonlight to Kou Cheng, he certainly wouldn't be able to sell it at the Eastern Huang Gathering today, and could only go to the Northern Huang Gathering to sell it.

But the journey from here to the Northern Huang Gathering took an hour, and he would have to pass through the Black Skull Dense Forest and Nether Mist Valley.

Seeing that several people were already looking his way, he couldn't rule out someone killing him for his treasure on the road.

"Little Brother Tang Yuan, forgive me.

"I really do like this bottle of Spiritual Qi of yours too much." Kou Cheng cupped his hands in greeting and cast a soundproof barrier.

"Cut the nonsense. Pay up." Tang Yuan curled his lip.

After Kou Cheng handed over the spirit coins, Tang Yuan's face was full of anger. "Brother Kou, what's the meaning of this?

"I only received 1,200 spirit coins. You still owe me 300."

Kou Cheng cupped his hands again. "Junior Brother Tang, I really only have 1,200 spirit coins now, and I just borrowed some of that.

"How about this?

"I have 300 blank formation jade discs here, used to make elementary formations.

"I bought them for 200, and I'll let you have them at a discounted price of 150 spirit coins.

"You can sell them for at least 300 spirit coins.

"I also have a copy of the Hehuan Transformation Scripture, the early- and middle-stage Qi Refinement methods.

"It's a dual cultivation method, comparable to our sect's Yin-Yang Qi Unification Record.

"It's a cultivation method from another demonic sect, but we can cultivate it too.

"This dual cultivation method is worth at least 3,000 spirit coins, and I'll give it to you at a rock-bottom price too, counting it as 150 spirit coins."

What?!

After all that, Kou Cheng wants to dump his unsold stock on me.

Sure enough, there are no merchants without treachery.

But now that things have come to this, if I don't sell him the Spiritual Qi, I might not live to see tomorrow's sun.

But I'm still more than 200 spirit coins short of buying the Purple Cloud Nine Mysteries Scripture.

What am I supposed to do?

Kou Cheng seemed to see Tang Yuan's predicament and said considerately:

"Ding Chunqiu has the Outstanding Talent Merchant Association backing him. If you take out a loan from him and let him make money, you'll have made his acquaintance too.

"Getting to know a few more disciples like Ding Chunqiu, who have backing in the sect, may cost you some money, but for you the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

"To gain, you must give; only by giving something up can you gain something."

Tang Yuan sighed softly and cupped his hands helplessly. "Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother Kou.

"I'll sell you this strand of Great Kun Moonlight."...