Obtaining Law Artifacts
After resting for a night, Shen Ge returned to the market stalls. This time, he intended to buy some talisman paper to keep on hand and see if there was anything else good.
This time, however, Shen Ge had learned his lesson. Instead of going out in the same getup as yesterday, he donned a light disguise. He now looked like a rough fellow in his forties or fifties, with nothing in common with the elegant young man of the day before.
The disguise was not very effective, though. Any cultivator could see through it with a sweep of their Divine Sense.
But this was a peaceful area, with people keeping watch from above. No one would be blind enough to make a move here. Shen Ge had only done it to avoid attracting too much attention; there was no way he could guard against those with ulterior motives.
At the market, Shen Ge swept his gaze over stall after stall. After looking through a dozen or so, he suddenly heard someone cry out in surprise up ahead.
"Am I fucking seeing things? Someone's actually selling Law Artifacts here!"
"Good grief, the cheapest is three hundred Spirit Stones, and they only take Spirit Stones! Who can afford that?"
Hearing that Law Artifacts were for sale, most of the people on the road crowded over.
The market had been open for five months and was long past its busiest, most prosperous period. It was rare to see Law Artifacts for sale even now.
Hearing about the Law Artifacts, Shen Ge's heart stirred, and he followed along with the crowd.
He was in urgent need of Law Artifacts himself. What he was using now could only be considered a shoddy, half-finished Law Artifact, not a true Law Artifact at all.
The stall owner, who looked like a middle-aged man, casually glanced at the crowd around him. Then he closed his eyes, released a wave of pressure, and said coldly, "The prices are marked there. If you can afford them, fork over the Spirit Stones. If you can't, get lost. All this noise around my stall is getting on my nerves."
Standing a little farther back, Shen Ge looked slightly grim. The stall owner was actually in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and he did not look weak, either.
Looks like I'll have to keep an even lower profile from now on. If a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator sets their sights on me, I'll be in trouble.
After steadying himself, Shen Ge looked at the Law Artifacts displayed on the stall. There were three in all: the Folding Feather Fan, the Golden Light Sword, and the Azure Flood Dragon Flag. Of course, Shen Ge had not made up those names; the stall owner had marked them.
Beside the Law Artifacts was a picture of a thorn flower, with a faint charm flowing through it. It looked like an emblem.
Shen Ge did not recognize the emblem, but to be honest, he wanted all three Law Artifacts. The folding fan was a superb tool for showing off, the flying sword would be just the thing to replace his shoddy one, and as for the flag, azure light flowed over it. Together with its name, it was obviously extraordinary.
But Shen Ge did not know the stall owner's background, and he was a little afraid the man was baiting a trap. After all, the cheapest item cost three hundred Spirit Stones, no small sum.
So, to be safe, Shen Ge decided to wait for someone knowledgeable. Once he learned about the stall owner's background and character, he would decide whether to make a purchase.
Sure enough, Shen Ge was not disappointed. Someone in the crowd who recognized the emblem said in surprise, "It's someone from the Wan Household! Doesn't the Wan Household have a permanent Law Artifact shop in Changliu? Why have they come to a little market like this?"
"If they'd come when the market first opened, that would be one thing. There were plenty of good things then, after all. But it's already the middle of the season. Those with Spirit Stones and goods have long since finished trading and left. What's the point of coming now?"
Another person spoke up. "These Law Artifacts can all be considered high-grade. As expected of the Wan Household. What a pity. If I hadn't spent all my Spirit Stones already, I'd buy one no matter what."
The Wan Household? A Law Artifact shop? Looks like they're a Lineage that specializes in selling Law Artifacts. And since they can run a Law Artifact shop long-term, their reputation seems decent enough. They probably wouldn't do something like baiting a trap.
After composing himself, Shen Ge looked at the three Law Artifacts on the stall with a trace of envy in his eyes. A Lineage capable of refining artifacts was practically raking in a bushel of gold a day. And with the guidance of their predecessors' experience, the resources needed to train artifact refiners in the early stages were greatly reduced.
As expected, the predecessors planted the trees, and those who came after enjoyed the shade.
After waiting a little longer, Shen Ge saw that most of the onlookers had dispersed and withdrew to the side as well. He very much wanted to buy them, but there were too many eyes here, and it was not very safe.
Though he had nothing to fear inside the market, Shen Ge was worried that people with ill intentions would lie in wait for him outside.
Three or five people were still lingering in front of the stall, all looking conflicted. They wanted to buy something, but the prices were far too high. Buying even one would practically clean them out.
All of them were at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. At their stage, a Law Artifact was not their most pressing need; what they needed most urgently was a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Buying a Law Artifact now would not increase their chances of Foundation Establishment. Worse, if they failed, they might even be robbed afterward. It really was a case of the gains not making up for the losses.
After hesitating for a while, those people all left as well. At the same time, seeing that no one was buying, a large portion of the surrounding crowd also dispersed.
Shen Ge noticed that several groups had a glint of ruthlessness and greed in their eyes as they looked at those people. The discovery left him feeling relieved. Luckily, he had held something back to play it safe.
After all, lingering and hesitating proved they could afford it. If they had paid the Spirit Stones and bought something on the spot, that would have been fine, since it would have increased their strength and made those people wary. But showing that they could afford it without buying anything? Now that was where things got interesting.
Three hundred Spirit Stones or even more-for such a huge sum, someone would certainly take the risk.
The Foundation Establishment Realm stall owner naturally noticed this as well, but he merely cast a cold glance over them without so much as a word.
He really is cold and aloof, Shen Ge grumbled inwardly.
He lingered in front of the nearby stalls for quite a while. Once the groups he had noticed were all gone, Shen Ge looked around. Seeing that there were not many people left, he quickly headed for the Law Artifact stall.
"I'll take all three. There are twelve hundred Spirit Stones here in total. Count them."
Shen Ge tossed over the Storage Bag he had previously confiscated from the white-haired man, speaking in a slightly urgent tone.
The stall owner opened the bag and took a look. Then he glanced up at Shen Ge and nodded indifferently. "Fine. They're yours." With that, he got up and left without dragging things out in the slightest.
Though the Storage Bag had been taken along with the payment, Shen Ge had no time to fuss over it. He put away the three Law Artifacts, quickly left, and hurried toward the cave abode district.
Divine Sense probing was forbidden in the cave abode district, so Shen Ge took a long, winding route and, after making sure he was not being followed, returned to the cave abode he had opened.
Shen Ge's heart was still pounding when he entered. "Good grief, that was way too exciting! I actually dared to make a purchase with a pack of wolves watching me. Shen Ge, oh, Shen Ge, you really took too much of a risk."
After that complaint, Shen Ge could not wait to take out the folding fan Law Artifact and begin refining it. The only thing to do now was increase his strength until he was so strong that no one dared cross him.