Business at the Trade Market Concluded

Kang Dabao was unaware that his junior brother had found another good thing for him. Before leaving Double Brightness Trade Market, he still had someone summon Deng Baichuan, who was in seclusion, to come and meet him.

"Since you've already made arrangements with the Yue Household, what else is there for me to say? Many of the patrolmen in this Thief-Catching Office unit have left over the years; most of the remaining ones were recruited by you, so you can choose them yourself. There's no need for you to say anything more to me."

Just as Sect Leader Kang Da had predicted, there was no reason for Deng Baichuan, as the disciple, not to support what Acting Sima Gun hoped the New Cloud Alliance would accomplish.

However, despite his support, there was still a hint of resentment in his tone.

Clearly, he was very dissatisfied that he hadn't come to Double Brightness Trade Market to fight Yue Feng with him.

However, despite his dissatisfaction, Deng Baichuan still had some sense of propriety. He knew that Kang Dabao was no longer the same person he used to be, so he refrained from saying anything unpleasant in public.

If the latter were merely Foundation Establishment in one of the provinces, that would be one thing. However, Deng Baichuan, a respectable young man from the capital region, was still only a minor Qi Refinement cultivator, but he considered himself someone he could afford to offend.

Even among Foundation Establishment Rogue Cultivator, the Fire Dragon Daoist is considered outstanding, yet Deng Baichuan, Xu Yingshi, and the others still don't even give him a friendly look!

However, since being scolded by Fei Shuhe in the market last time, Deng Baichuan's attitude towards Sect Leader Kang Da has improved a lot. That woman really doesn't hold back when it comes to her; she deserves to have married such a bad man!

"Should the city commander set a limit? If I bring too many people, will it affect the operation of the market?" Kang Dabao, being a practical and down-to-earth person, didn't care about Deng Baichuan's attitude at all, and only asked the question as a pretense.

"It's alright. Attendant Lan's injuries have healed somewhat, and he's capable of overseeing things. Besides, isn't that fellow surnamed Yue here too?"

Deng Baichuan gave a curt reply, and Kang Dabao simply nodded, thinking to himself that the injury of the Attendant Lan who had been Dao Path by Chen Ye had healed so quickly.

Unexpectedly, his fighting skills were only average, but his ability to heal from injuries was quite impressive. If I see him again next time, I'll probably have to subtly ask him for some pointers; it's a really good skill.

After discussing matters with Sect Leader Kang Da, Deng Baichuan turned and left without lingering, clearly still harboring resentment towards the latter's words and actions.

Kang Dabao didn't want to sit and drink tea alone with Feng En, the market clerk, so he asked to check the list of those on duty.

Just as Deng Baichuan had predicted, the number of patrolmen in the Thief-Catching Office had decreased by at least half.

Fortunately, the old men that Sect Leader Kang Da recruited before, such as the Shao Brother and Sister and the Feng Household Brothers, are still in office. Oh right, they probably haven't paid back the Spirit Stone they owed for treating their injuries back then.

This is a good thing; with these elderly people around, it will be easier for Kang Dabao to use it.

However, Xie Liusheng was still there, which surprised Kang Dabao. He didn't bother to guess the reason, so he marked Xie Liusheng's name. This person was definitely going to be placed in the first row of the battle formation as a vanguard, no question about it.

He circled the people he needed and handed them to Feng En, instructing him to assemble them within ten days and be ready to serve at any time. Then, Sect Leader Kang Da got up and left.

He rode the old donkey around the market again, hoping to find some useful spiritual items.

He had only intended to try his luck, but unexpectedly, he actually found five First Tier Formation-Breaking Pearl.

This item was indeed rare, and even the head of the Sect Leader Kang Da, who loved to take advantage of others, was happy to pay 20% above the market price to buy it.

Kang Dabao had only seen the Formation-Breaking Pearl twice before. The first time was when Sima Fei and Acting Sima Gun used it together to break the Five Aspects Sect's mountain-protecting formation; the second time was when the Lin Household's Jinyi Foundation Establishment broke through his own formation on the Jiazi Xu Mountain.

The formation -Formation-Breaking Pearl used by the Lin Household for Foundation Establishment was clearly of a much lower grade than those used by the two Sima, but it must still be a rare and valuable item; otherwise, they wouldn't have been willing to use it only at the very end.

However, both times left a deep impression on Sect Leader Kang Da, making him realize that the Formation-Breaking Pearl was a valuable item. With it, attacking and destroying enemy formations would be twice as effective.

Even this First Tier Formation-Breaking Pearl is of little use against a major sect like Changning Sect.

However, even in the hands of Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, those Second Tier Formation-Breaking Pearl are extremely rare items. Not to mention that Double Brightness Trade Market is not large and difficult to find, even in large cities like Han City and Xuanwei City, only a few of them occasionally appear when large-scale auctions are held.

After walking around again without finding what he wanted to buy, Sect Leader Kang Da returned to the Chongming Small Pavilion. Jin Shilun and his wife also returned around the same time. Kang Dabao planned to have a good meal, give some instructions to his disciples, and then head to Pingrong County to take a look.

He's a county magistrate, after all. If he hasn't been there in so long, some people with ulterior motives will inevitably find something to criticize him for.

When Kang Dabao stepped into the Chongming Small Pavilion, there weren't many guests. Only Zhou Xinran was smiling warmly as she introduced a low-grade longsword to a young cultivator with a youthful face.

The longsword seemed to be crudely forged; with just a glance, Sect Leader Kang Da could tell it was made by Ye Pingshui.

It was a bit cheaper, though, but even so, the young man was still short of money and hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to buy it.

"Uncle Kang, how are you?" The young man's eyes lit up with surprise when he saw Kang Dabao enter. He carefully put down the long knife in his hand before respectfully bowing and greeting him.

"Oh, it's Xiu Ming? How has Uncle Xiu been lately?" Sect Leader Kang Da was taken aback before realizing who the person in front of him was.

This is Xiu Ming, the Xiu Ming of Master Xiu. Back when Kang Rongquan and Zhou Yixiu went to the Xiu Household to move the big elm tree back, this kid came back with them to pay his respects and became acquainted with Kang Dabao.

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. My grandfather is in good health." Xiu Ming saw that Kang Dabao still recognized him.

"Oh, you want to buy Law Artifact? Xinran, this is your younger brother from the Xiu Household. You should recognize him when he comes again." Sect Leader Kang Da turned around and gave another instruction.

Zhou Xinran could even reply after Kang Dabao finished speaking, Xiu Ming said with a grateful expression:

"Uncle Kang, Sister Zhou Household recognizes me. My grandfather sent me to the market with the He Household's caravan to sell puppets, but I haven't been able to sell any for a long time, so I thought I'd try my luck at the shop. If Sister Zhou Household doesn't buy them, I'm afraid I won't even be able to earn back my travel expenses."

"He's quite sensible," Kang Dabao said, giving Xiu Ming a more Xiu Ming look. Zhou Xinran, standing nearby, chimed in at the opportune moment:

"Uncle-Master, please forgive me. It's not that I'm using public funds to do favors. My puppet-making skills are excellent, but I lack experience in setting up a stall. Those Rogue Cultivator in the market are all cunning, and the prices they offer are really too low."

Fortunately, Xiu was clever and didn't want to sell, so he knew to come back to his own family, which prevented him from suffering a loss.

A hint of approval flashed in Sect Leader Kang Da's eyes, and he thought to himself:

"This girl is very good at dealing with people, and she's also very pretty. We must keep a close eye on her! We don't want her to be married off to another family in the future. This matter needs to be put on the agenda. Let's see which of our disciples is suitable. Hmm, it would be better if she married into my Kang Household. Rongquan is about the right age."

Kang Dabao smiled after hearing Zhou Xinran's words and then asked, "Uncle Xiu was able to refine entry-level puppets back then, so Xiu Ming has learned his ancestor's skills."

Upon Xiu Ming this, Xiu Ming's face showed a hint of embarrassment. "Advanced-grade puppets are difficult to make. My nephew is currently only a fraction of his original size and can't even break even. Therefore, the puppets I sell are all inferior, with strength only at the Blood Refining Realm. They are only useful for protecting the relatives of cultivators and cleaning their courtyards."

"Oh?" Sect Leader Kang Da showed a hint of surprise. He had only said it casually, but unexpectedly, Xiu Ming, Xiu Ming looked to be only eleven or twelve years old, could actually refine an entry-level puppet.

Although the success rate is really low, there are two different things between being able to refine it and not being able to refine it at all. This proves that this kid has great talent in this field.

Wait, is the Xiu Household really that short of Spirit Stone? They'd be willing to send such a precious gem away all by themselves.

"Tsk, Uncle-Master Xiu has gone to great lengths. Why does this old man care so much about his reputation?" Remembering Xiu Ming was still around, Kang Dabao stopped his subconscious shaking and sighing, and turned to Zhou Xinran, saying, "Xinran, bring me the puppet that Xiu Ming made."

"Hey, Uncle-Master, please check if I've misjudged you." Zhou Xinran was even more confident than Xiu Ming, and she took out a humanoid puppet that was at least ten feet tall from her Storage Bag.

He was tall and imposing, with gleaming armor and an impressive appearance.

With such a large size, it's impossible to make a low-grade puppet that doesn't even reach the highest rank using spirit wood; doing so would probably result in a huge financial loss.

Xiu Ming, Xiu Ming chose sandalwood that had grown for sixty years as the main material. After soaking it in the liquid of Vajra Grass, it was dried with Yang Fire and then coated with Qingling Lacquer to enhance its hardness and also to ward off ordinary water and fire.

Then, spirit patterns and grooves are engraved all over the body, and a spirit-absorbing array is constructed. The various parts are secretly connected with black gold threads, one for the transmission of spiritual power and the other for increasing the quality.

The long, Golden Light- handled broadsword in the puppet's hand was forged from spirit ore residue. However, the craftsman lightly plated it with gold after it was formed, making it look more imposing.

As for the jade armor on the puppet, it was utterly insignificant.

Xiu Ming cut ordinary jade into pieces of the same size, laid them out one by one, and crocheted them with bright silver thread, making twelve horizontal and vertical lines, and that was it.

This is merely for show; its actual defensive function is practically zero. In actual combat, this jade armor would likely not withstand even a single blow, depending on the Hardness of the sandalwood itself.

Sect Leader Kang Da is a shrewd businessman. After this cursory glance, he realized that although Xiu Ming had only Xiu Ming a puppet that was not yet at the highest level, he must have put a lot of thought into it.

It took some effort to make this humanoid puppet look so appealing. Compared to other similar puppets, it will not only sell better, but its price will likely be higher. This kid is quite clever.

"What's the selling price? What are the fees?" Kang Dabao became interested. He gently pinched the puppet's shoulder with two fingers, and the ordinary wood immediately made a crisp sound, revealing a crack about the width of a palm.

"The craftsmanship is quite good." The expected scene of puppets exploding and splintering wood didn't occur. Just as Sect Leader Kang Da was inwardly praising this, he heard Zhou Xinran softly reply, "Brother Xiu was very kind; he sold twenty puppets for only eight spirit fragments."

"They even bought it at a fair price?" The thought had barely crossed Kang Dabao's mind when he suddenly felt a little pathetic. How could a Foundation Establishment be so True Cultivator about such a small amount of Spirit Stone? He was secretly delighted.

However, Xiu Ming's price was quite reasonable; he might not have even made half of the sixteen Spirit Stone he received.

Chongming Small Pavilion didn't offer a high price, but if they wanted to sell it, it might cost one or two Spirit Stones.

Those poor, independent Rogue Cultivator would naturally find it expensive, but those with some wealth, seeing that Chongming Small Pavilion Rogue Cultivator something they could afford, might just grit their teeth and buy it. In Sect Leader Kang Da's opinion, the sales shouldn't be too bad.

Moreover, this Xiu Ming.

The thought had barely popped into Kang Dabao's mind Zhou Xinran blurted it out with a smile:

"Master Uncle, your arrival is just in time. My niece was just saying that the elders in the sect are busy with many matters, and the shop is running low on goods. Even with only one puppeteer, it might not be enough. She was thinking of hiring you, Brother Xiu, to stay at the shop as its Puppet Master."

"This girl is truly clever," Kang Dabao thought to himself, praising her again. Seeing Xiu Ming's face turn ashen with a mixture of excitement and fear, he reassured her, "This is a good idea. Xiu Ming, Xiu Ming n't worry, I'll write to Uncle Xiu."

Without waiting for Xiu Ming's reaction, he tossed the long Law Artifact he had been looking at back onto the platform, then took down a much brighter, ancient-looking broadsword from the shelf, and said softly:

"Your brother Ye's craftsmanship isn't quite there yet. Use this one your Uncle Yuan Household for now. Once his skills improve, he'll forge a different magical Law Artifact for you."

"This..." Xiu Ming's fair face showed a look of flattery. He was about to decline when Zhou Xinran readily accepted it for him. "It is a gift from an elder, I dare not refuse. Young Brother Xiu, there is no need to be so formal, please accept it."

"Thank you so much, Uncle, and thank you so much, Sister Zhou Household." Xiu Ming was quite flattered and immediately bowed in gratitude.

"This matter isn't urgent. Xiu Ming, why don't you go home and settle in first, and then come back after informing the elders of your clan?" Kang Dabao asked, "Did you come with the He Household's merchant caravan?"

"The second branch of the He Household's merchant caravan, number B." Xiu Ming that Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't recall, Xiu Ming added, "The one in charge is He Bing'en, the nephew of the He Household family patriarch, He Degong. He's quite kind."

"Oh," Kang Dabao still didn't recognize the name, thinking it must be a rising star who had emerged in the He Household family in the last year or two.

In recent years, taking advantage of his good relationship with the Chongming Sect, He Degong has begun a major overhaul of the He Household family. Many elderly people who had previously held positions without contributing anything have been replaced, and the redundant structure of the caravans has been streamlined.

Thanks to this, the He Household seemed to gradually recover from the impact of He Dezong's death.

He Degong was far less capable than his brother, yet he accomplished what He Dezong had wanted to do but had never been able to, which is quite a sad story.

If He Dezong had been able to accomplish this at the time, he could have accumulated enough resources sooner, and could have found a good secluded cave abode to rent during his retreat. Perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way.

"Xinran you have time, go with Xiu Ming to find that nephew from the He Household and ask him to keep an eye on him on his way to and from the village." Sect Leader Kang Da was too busy to go himself, so he only asked Zhou Xinran go.

After Xiu Ming things with Xiu Ming, he walked to the middle of Jian Su's bedroom. Upon hearing the news, Jin Shilun hurriedly brought in a meal box containing ten meat dishes and no vegetables, dutifully set out the bowls and chopsticks, and then picked up a pot of mellow and fragrant First Tier spiritual wine from the table, intending to pour it for Sect Leader Kang Da.

But the latter stopped him, saying bluntly, "Keep it and sell it elsewhere; it'll be more affordable that way."

"Let's eat together." Sect Leader Kang Da pulled his disciple, who had become slightly plump, to sit down.

Jin Shilun didn't find anything unusual. Although the rules of the Chongming Sect were strict, the relationship between master and disciple was extremely close. In the past, it was common for them to eat and sleep together.

However, in recent years, the disciples have all become successful and scattered in various places, and Sect Leader Kang Da has become increasingly busy, so the master and disciples rarely eat together.

Kang Dabao was a very traditional master. Having not eaten with Jin Shilun for a while, he naturally had to nag, "Have you been practicing your swordsmanship?"

Jin Shilun put down his jade chopsticks, sat properly, and then said, "I have mastered the 'Golden Scale Saber' technique taught by my master, but I haven't made any progress. A year or two ago, I exchanged my merit points from the Scripture Pavilion for a 'Selection of Spirit Saber Techniques,' which is only of the Desolate-Tier Middle-Grade, but I have already mastered it to a minor level."

"It's acceptable; at least they haven't given up on themselves, but it's far from enough." At this point, Sect Leader Kang Da even put down his braised pork knuckle, changing the subject to say:

"After marriage, don't just be attached to your love for your children. It's okay if your swordsmanship is a little lacking; focus on improving your cultivation as soon as possible. You've earned so much wealth as a cook all these years, how come your cultivation is still stuck at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer?"

After Kang Dabao finished speaking, he sighed. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Jin Shilun's sharpness had faded a lot over the years. He seemed to be quite different from the heroic young man who once single-handedly defeated a group of bandits and saved the market in a time of crisis.

I wonder if it's because it spends so much time in the kitchen that its rough edges have been smoothed out by the fire.

"Disciple knows his mistake," Jin Shilun said, a hint of shame on his face, bowing his head in apology.

"There's no right or wrong here. I'm already at the Foundation Establishment, and I hope my disciple can live a good life according to his own wishes. As long as you don't regret it." Kang Dabao wasn't too harsh. He left Jin Shilun, who still looked ashamed, and took the old donkey from the courtyard.

Chongming Sect flourished, the rations for this wretched beast also increased dramatically, to the point that even white alfalfa could no longer satisfy its appetite.

They were eating a peck of Xiaoqingling Valley containing nine fragments of spirit seeds, a delicacy that many Rogue Cultivator couldn't even afford during their birthday celebrations. Jin Shilun was truly sentimental, though a bit extravagant.

However, seeing that the old donkey was eating happily, Sect Leader Kang Da was unusually generous and waited until the old donkey was full before mounting him.

Before leaving, he asked Zhou Xinran to bring out a puppet made by Xiu Ming. Xiao Sanzi's Little Sanzi had been used for over twenty years and should have been replaced long ago.

Now that they had left Double Brightness Trade Market, Pingrong County was not far away. The old donkey's pace had improved considerably, and they should be able to arrive within a day.

Deng Baichuan has indeed done something over the years; the security around the market has improved significantly compared to before. Kang Dabao, using his Foundation Establishment Divine Sense, only discovered a group of three Evil Cultivator hiding in the forest, waiting to do business.

Something must have happened at this moment, otherwise, Sect Leader Kang Da might have put on a good show of pretending to be weak while actually being strong.

However, upon further scanning with his Divine Sense, he sensed something was amiss.

Among the Evil Cultivator, a gaunt old man with white hair was hidden in the forest, unaware that Foundation Establishment True Cultivator nearby. Seeing no business coming his way, he cursed his bad luck and, incredibly, pulled a naked baby boy out from the animal-skin tent behind him.

The lean old man, holding a cleaver with a slit in his wrist, had a blank look in his eyes, as if he were really carrying a chicken or a duck. He was about to slit the baby boy's throat and bleed him, whether for drinking or drinking.

Kang Dabao was careless and failed to notice that there were more than ten children under the age of three in the tent, which was slightly isolated from Divine Sense detection.

Suddenly he became anxious, abandoned the old donkey, and flew through the air, shouting, "You dog! Stop!"

Just then, a withered old hand covered in downy hair beat the Sect Leader Kang Da to the punch, snatched the sledgehammer from the white-haired old cultivator's hand, and with a single backhand slash, sent a huge head flying into the sky.

His two accomplices were so terrified that they immediately fled, but they were caught by Kang Dabao and his companion, who each killed one of them.

Kang Dabao turned around and saw that all the children in the tent were unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief, quickly walked to the newcomer, straightened his clothes and composed himself, and bowed deeply, saying, "Junior greets Lord Shan!"

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