Barter Gathering

The tea in the red jade cups was a deep, rich green. Niu Gui'er and Kang Dabao sat on separate meditation cushions across the tea table as host and guest, but neither spoke for a long while.

"Leading us this time is Bai Bian of Bai Household Stockade. Besides him, there's Daoist Wu of Pine Forest Temple, Gu Laoliu of Five Birds Mountain, and Second Sister Song of Linghe Market."

Niu Gui'er, less patient than Kang Dabao after all, was the first to speak, counting them off. When he came to Second Sister Song of Linghe Market, he paused.

"She's the one who introduced you to us, Fellow Daoist."

"I happen to know Second Sister Song well," Kang Dabao acknowledged with a nod.

He continued, "That man from the Bai Household has reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, but I've heard he's already well into his eighties. Who knows how much of his strength he has left?

"The others are like you and me, only at Middle Qi Refinement. With strength like that, we expect to take the heads of the Four Ghosts of the Liu Household?"

"If it were as easy as reaching out and grabbing them, I'd do it myself. Why would I need to share a cup of the spoils with you?" Niu Gui'er gave a strange laugh at that.

"True enough. Sadly, our cultivation is weak, so all we can do is gnaw on chicken ribs," Kang Dabao said with a frown.

"There's a profitable deal for the taking, but you wouldn't have the guts to do it!" Niu Gui'er's tone grew even more disdainful.

Kang Dabao shook his head and said nothing. He knew Niu Gui'er was referring to the bounty posted by the sixteenth young master of the Yuan Household in Jingnan.

He had heard that a cultivation cauldron the young master had won at a gambling house had escaped. Anyone who caught the cauldron and brought them back to the Yuan residence could claim a second-tier superior-grade Law Artifact.

The matter had caused a great uproar recently. Kang Dabao certainly had no intention of taking that deal.

For one thing, it was utterly unconscionable. For another, if he really ran into a cauldron at the Foundation Establishment Realm, who would end up catching whom?

Quite a few reckless fellows from the Fish Mountain Fellow Cultivators Association, on the other hand, had been thrilled by the news, and several groups had gone out searching.

Whether anyone had caught the cauldron was unknown, but word was that quite a few people had died.

By comparison, the heads of the Four Ghosts of the Liu Household were easier to take.

They were only four Evil Cultivators at Middle Qi Refinement. He did not know what utterly heartless crimes they had committed, but the bounty from the White Sand Demon-Correction Bureau alone was two thousand Spirit Stones, and the bureau would not take a single coin of the spoils. All told, it was a very generous reward indeed.

The two fell silent again. Just then, another knock sounded outside the quiet room.

"Another fellow Daoist must have arrived. I'll go welcome them."

Niu Gui'er had just started to rise and go out when Kang Dabao stood up as well. Niu Gui'er paused, then sneered and walked out of the quiet room first.

Kang Dabao paid him no mind. There was the notorious Niu Gui'er, Daoist Wu, who had murdered his brother and stolen his sister-in-law, Gu Laoliu, who bound ghosts and refined corpses, and the spiteful, unruly Bai Bian of the Bai Household.

Aside from Second Sister Song, whom he had known since he was young, none of those gathered this time could necessarily claim to be any cleaner than the Four Ghosts of the Liu Household. He had to be on guard against them joining hands behind his back to harm him.

"Daoist Wu of Pine Forest Temple greets you both, Daoist brothers."

Outside Niu Gui'er's teahouse stood a long-browed Daoist, his hair and beard white, with an immortal's bearing and a kindly face.

Before Kang Dabao could return the greeting, a short man in colorful clothes made of bird feathers came in from ten zhang away, riding past the teahouse attendant on horseback. He laughed heartily and called out, "Gu Laoliu of Five Birds Mountain greets you all, Daoist brothers."

After another round of greetings and empty pleasantries, the four returned to the quiet room, each harboring his own schemes.

As host, Niu Gui'er poured two more cups of tea. The room grew even hazier with steam, but of course, no one drank.

"I wonder when Brother Bai and Second Sister Song will arrive. I have a suggestion, if you Daoist brothers would care to hear it."

Gu Laoliu was only four and a half chi tall, but he was a sociable man.

He was nearly sixty and had reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. He was the oldest and most highly cultivated of those present, yet he was willing to put on no airs.

By humbling himself and making himself small, he soon became outwardly familiar with the others.

They were tired of exchanging pleasantries after all that talk, so when someone made a suggestion, the others naturally had no reason not to listen.

"It isn't often that I get to meet with you Daoist brothers. This is a perfect chance to exchange what we have for what we need.

"The Four Ghosts of the Liu Household are no easy opponents. Every bit we can improve our strength gives us a better chance. What do you three Daoist brothers think?"

As he spoke, Gu Laoliu stroked the few sparse hairs on his chin and pulled out a palm-sized Storage Bag.

They all thought it was a good suggestion and agreed.

"Then I'll cast a brick to attract jade. I have some first-tier superior-grade Yellow Wood Heart, a fine material for refining Wood Element Law Artifacts.

"I'd like to exchange it for a metal-element Law Artifact. Depending on its grade, the difference can be made up in Spirit Stones.

"I'll trade this piece of Yellow Wood Heart for spiritual goods worth around sixty Spirit Stones. If paid entirely in Spirit Stones, the price will be a little higher: seventy-five.

"What do you say? Does it catch any of your eyes, Daoist brothers?"

Gu Laoliu took out the piece of Yellow Wood Heart, which was the size of a baby's fist, and treated it with great care.

He held it in his palm while the others examined it one by one, and a faint woody fragrance drifted through the quiet room.

As for "fine material," different people naturally had different definitions of the same thing.

To true Foundation Establishment cultivators, Gu Laoliu's Yellow Wood Heart was naturally ordinary stuff; to mortals, it was a supreme treasure.

To low-level Rogue Cultivators like Kang Dabao, it was worthy of being called a fine material.

The other three were all somewhat tempted when they saw it.

Kang Dabao was not thinking of using it himself. If he held on to a material like Yellow Wood Heart until he met a cultivator who urgently needed it, selling it for half again the price would be nothing unusual. He could make a profit simply by reselling it.

He promptly shook his head and dismissed the thought. Right now, it was more important to spend his Spirit Stones on improving his fighting ability.

Meanwhile, Daoist Wu and Niu Gui'er both made offers. Neither called out a price; each took out a long strip of yellow silk, turned away from the others to write his offer, then folded it and handed it to Gu Laoliu.

This was a common way of trading at gatherings of low-level cultivators in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty. The seller would choose the offer that suited him best and make the deal.

The buyers making offers would neither get caught up in a contest of pride and bid far beyond an item's value, damaging their relations, nor haggle with the seller in public and embarrass both sides.

Smiling, Gu Laoliu accepted the two strips of yellow silk and turned his back to compare them.

A moment later, he first said to Niu Gui'er, "I'm afraid I must disappoint you this time, Brother."

Niu Gui'er sighed. Though it was nothing essential, Yellow Wood Heart was hard to come by, and missing out on it was a pity. Still, he cupped his fists and congratulated Daoist Wu.

Daoist Wu accepted the Yellow Wood Heart with his eyes narrowed in delight. After paying the Spirit Stones, he took a short, melon-headed hammer the length of an adult's forearm from his Storage Bag.

"A first-tier middle-grade Army-Breaking Hammer, with two restrictions: 'Like a Mountain' and 'Hardness.' Have a look, Fellow Daoist."

Gu Laoliu carefully took it, circulated a little spiritual power through the Law Artifact, and spent a long time examining and feeling it with great concentration.

The others did not hurry him. A Law Artifact was something upon which a cultivator's life and fortune depended; it could not be treated carelessly in the slightest.

By the time Gu Laoliu had finished his careful inspection, his face was full of delight.

The Law Artifact was made of fine materials. Though its two restrictions were not rare, they were fairly practical in combat. "Like a Mountain" increased the Law Artifact's weight when it was wielded, while "Hardness," as its name suggested, increased its durability.

Gu Laoliu was clearly very satisfied. He took another hundred and fifty-five Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to Daoist Wu, completing the deal.

Pleased to have made a deal, Daoist Wu brought out a first-tier lower-grade Law Artifact to trade, but it was far inferior to the Army-Breaking Hammer he had just produced.

The gathering fell flat. Seeing that the others showed little interest, he brought out two first-tier middle-grade Meridian-Cleansing Pills.

These pills were quite unpopular among Rogue Cultivators. Their main use was to help cultivators who had swallowed too many pills remove pill toxins from their bodies, and who among those present was fortunate enough for that?

Neither item found a buyer, but Daoist Wu was not discouraged. He put them away and stepped down, and Niu Gui'er came forward with a jade bottle.

"A first-tier middle-grade Realm-Breaking Pill, priced at 251 Spirit Stones. It can help cultivators below the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining break through a bottleneck.

"It contains pill toxins. Whether or not you break through after taking it, you must not take another for ten years, nor take any other cultivation-enhancing pills for one year."

This was the genuine article, a truly valuable thing. Looking at the two jade bottles, Kang Dabao could not help being tempted, but Daoist Wu spoke first. "Fellow Daoist Niu, may I have a look?"

"Of course." Niu Gui'er nodded his large head and readily passed the jade bottle to Kang Dabao and Daoist Wu in turn.

Kang Dabao carefully removed the stopper. A faint fragrance wafted into his nose, and when he took a deep breath, he felt refreshed throughout his body, as though even the bottleneck that had held him for years had loosened a little.

That was only an illusion, of course. Though Kang Dabao's cultivation was low, the Chongming Sect had been established for a hundred years, and even in its decline, it had retained some of its inheritance.

Thus, as its seventh-generation sect master, he was not particularly lacking in knowledge. He knew that low-grade pills of this kind actually offered relatively limited help to cultivators trying to break through bottlenecks.

A Realm-Breaking Pill refined by a properly trained Alchemist might increase a cultivator's chances by ten to twenty percent, but the pill Niu Gui'er had produced had clearly been refined with a much cruder technique.

The Alchemist had not even properly removed or blended many of the pill's medicinal properties, simply forcing them into shape before taking the pill from the furnace.

Such a pill might not even be half as effective as a proper one, yet its pill toxins would be worse. Niu Gui'er had made a point of stating the latter just now.

Even so, no matter how severe its side effects, it was undeniably a fine thing.

Pills for breaking through realms were always hard to find in ordinary markets. In all his years as a traveling merchant, Kang Dabao could count the times he had encountered them on his fingers, and each time he had been short of money.

He had been stuck at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer for years without making any progress. This time he was truly tempted, and had already begun calculating how many Spirit Stones the things he owned might fetch.

By contrast, Daoist Wu beside him was clearly even more anxious to obtain it. A faint, vicious glint even appeared in his eyes, and he shot Kang Dabao a furtive glare.

Gu Laoliu had already reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining and had no use for the pill, so Kang Dabao was naturally his only rival.

"Please, fellow Daoists," Niu Gui'er said, naturally pleased by what he saw.

Kang Dabao gave a bitter smile, but there was nothing he could do.

On the yellow silk, he offered only 200 Spirit Stones and a pile of miscellaneous items. It was not that he feared making an enemy; he really had no money left. If he still had that Beast-Taming Talisman, he might have been able to compete.

He and Daoist Wu each folded their yellow silk and handed it to Niu Gui'er.

Niu Gui'er turned away, then handed the Realm-Breaking Pill to Daoist Wu, his face full of delight. He seemed to have gotten a good price.

The clouds instantly cleared from Daoist Wu's face. He treasured the pill as he tucked it into his robes, and cheerfully accepted Kang Dabao's congratulations.

By the look of it, although Daoist Wu, like Li Yunlong, had a face as changeable as a dog's, his wealth far exceeded that of Sect Master Kang Dabao.

He handed a great quantity of valuable goods to Niu Gui'er, making even Kang Dabao envious.

After three transactions, the other three had each gained something, while Kang Dabao alone remained empty-handed.

So when Kang Dabao came forward, the others had already lost some of their interest.

This great Sect Master Kang seemed to be even poorer than they had imagined. They wondered why Second Sister Song, who had always had connections far and wide, had introduced someone like him.

"Gentlemen, take a look." Kang Dabao took out an object: a section of pitch-black beast bone shrouded in black Qi.

"This..." The other three looked at one another. After the gathering had fallen quiet for a while, Gu Laoliu chuckled and said,

"This old man's knowledge is shallow, unlike yours, Brother, with your inherited teachings. What sort of treasure is this? Sorry to trouble you, but please explain it to us."

The other two echoed him.

"I can't say for certain what it is either. I can only venture a guess that it might be the essence bone of some great demon.

"But after keeping and studying it for many years, I've discovered several marvelous uses for it, which I'll share with you Daoist brothers.

"First, it repels insects and beasts. Even Demon Beasts at the middle stages of Qi Refinement are terrified at the sight of it.

"Second, it dissolves blood. Place it lightly against the corpse of an ordinary Demon Beast or cultivator, and the corpse will turn to powder in moments.

"Third, if it truly is the essence bone of a great demon, it must also be a fine material for refining artifacts."

By the time Kang Dabao reached the end, he saw that their expressions remained indifferent, and his own confidence gradually ebbed away.

He had known that everyone who came this time was shrewd and unlikely to fall for it, but he had never expected them to seem utterly uninterested.

He had bought the strange object from a cultivator's descendant on a whim, paying nine Spirit Stones for it.

He had never imagined that after several years, he still would not have managed to fool a single gullible fool with it.

"Repels insects and beasts, and only those at the middle stages of Qi Refinement at that. Fellow Daoist Kang, are you joking? I could go into the mountains and pick up some dried dung from a Demon Beast at the higher stages of Qi Refinement, and I doubt it would be any worse than this 'auction item' of yours.

"Blood-Dissolving Powder isn't in short supply either. Five Spirit Stones' worth would last three generations.

"And as for this so-called great demon's essence bone, do you believe that yourself, Fellow Daoist Kang?"

Daoist Wu gave several cold laughs. He thought this "great sect master" had been a traveling merchant for so long that he took everyone for the sort of gullible fool who had just emerged from a cultivation Lineage.

It was common for goods of mixed quality to appear at small trading gatherings like this. Those with poor judgment who bought such things usually accepted their bad luck.

Those with sharper eyes could simply see through the goods and decline to buy them. Few would publicly criticize an item; why go to the trouble of offending someone?

Whether Daoist Wu really was so blunt and hated evil as a mortal enemy, or simply looked down on Kang Dabao, the traveling-merchant sect master, was unclear.

By ignoring this unspoken rule and exposing Kang Dabao outright, he made the situation awkward at once.

"Ha ha, Brother Wu, those words are a little harsh." Seeing Kang Dabao's face flush red, Gu Laoliu stepped in to smooth things over again.

Kang Dabao cupped his fists to thank Gu Laoliu, then put away the black bone with a stiff face.

He had no desire to trade anything else and stepped down with his tail between his legs. In his heart, he bitterly hated Daoist Wu for making him lose face.

With the atmosphere as it was, Niu Gui'er, as host, could only arrange rooms for everyone in the courtyard. The trading gathering broke up unhappily.

Over the next two days, Kang Dabao joined the others in discussing mysteries and the Dao, without a break from morning until sunset.

After two days, however, he had gained nothing. A rabble of people harboring their own schemes had gathered together; it would have been a wonder if any of them had shared anything of substance.

After listening for two days to Daoist scriptures and Chan principles more mysterious than mystery itself, Kang Dabao felt somewhat dizzy. Not long after returning to his room, he lit a stick of sandalwood incense and prepared to meditate and recover his spirits. Before he had even closed his eyes,

he heard a heavy object fall to the ground in the courtyard.