A Wandering Merchant of the Myriad Realms
After only five days of rest at the Chongming Sect, Sect Leader Kang Da was about to set off again. But this time, he was alone once more.
This caused Yuan Jin Jiang Qing to be so dissatisfied the day before Kang Dabao's departure that they didn't even come to eat dinner with him, leaving Pei Yi awkwardly to drink a cup with him at the table.
Sect Leader Kang Da was focused on important matters and didn't pay any attention to the petty emotions of these two scoundrels.
If the two of them are still begging for a beating when he returns after finishing his business, he'll just take off his shoes and give them a good spanking; it never fails.
Kang Dabao's destination, the Demon Correction Office Division of White Sand County in Jingnan Prefecture, is very close to Zhai Household Market. Riding his Black Blood Colt steed, he should be able to arrive in five or six days.
This time, his Zhai Household Market was different from his last. He went with the intention of going and returning quickly, traveling under the stars and returning at night. After three days, he was only half a day's journey away from the White Sand County Demon Correction Office.
As the sun was about to set, the Black Blood Colt steed under the Sect Leader Kang Da began to pant, its breath steaming. Fearing that he would tire the fine horse, Kang Dabao decided to stay at the fortified village ahead for the day.
The number of cultivators in Jingnan Prefecture is much greater than that in Cloud Horn Prefecture, and the lord of this fortified village has invited three cultivators to serve as offerings.
One glance was enough to tell they were the kind of Dao Path had been completely ruined, and whose strength was negligible. Calling Han Yundao over would be enough to deal with them all.
However, Sect Leader Kang Da was just passing by; he wasn't there to compete with these three for territory.
On the contrary, because of his experience as a traveling merchant in the first half of his life, the Sect Leader Kang Da was a kind-hearted cultivator who knew that "business should be fair." He generously gave him a night's lodging for a single shattered spirit coin.
The next day, when Kang Dabao was about to leave on his Black Blood Colt, he learned that the three idiots had actually started fighting over the shattered spirit stone. In the end, the fight escalated to the point of real violence, resulting in one death and two injuries.
"Hiss, it seems one shouldn't be too generous. If I hadn't given him this fragment of spirit stone, this wouldn't have happened." Sect Leader Kang Da, sitting on his Black Blood Colt, was shocked by the news and began to reflect on his actions.
Not delayed for too long by the fortress lord's tears, Kang Dabao headed towards White Sand County. After leaving the fortress, he traveled for another hour and arrived at a famous mountain.
This mountain is called "Azure Immortal Mountain". It got its name because, according to legend, a powerful cultivator from the Crimson Heaven Realm once encountered an immortal here and ultimately obtained a great fortuitous opportunity to ascend to immortality in a hundred days.
Like all the stories he had heard, Sect Leader Kang Da dismissed this one as nonsense, but the scenery of Azure Immortal Mountain was indeed worth seeing.
Even Kang Dabao, a common man, was drawn to look up. What he saw was a pure green rock, as clear as jade. Among the cracks in the rocks, countless small white flowers grew tenaciously, bursting with a vigorous and upward spirit, making the entire Azure Immortal Mountain vibrant with life.
At first glance, the green rocks are like jade and the flowers are like a sea, a true paradise on earth.
"What beautiful mountains!"
Kang Dabao suddenly heard a slightly shrewd voice, became alert, secretly drew his black blade and concealed it in his sleeve before turning to look at the source of the voice.
"Kang Yilong, a wandering merchant in black robes from the nineteenth rank of the Endless Creation Sect, greets Fellow Daoist Kang. I apologize for my presumptuousness in asking for your help." The speaker was a round-faced, plump cultivator with a mustache.
He wore a blue turban, a hempen Hemp Robe, and black cloth shoes with white soles. He carried a long, thin bamboo basket on his back, looking like an ordinary traveling merchant.
The man first bowed, then stood up and looked at Kang Dabao with a smile on his face. His smile was sincere but also carried a hint of shrewdness, just like many shrewd businessmen.
Kang Dabao didn't assume he had met a fellow traveler here. He couldn't tell whether the person in front of him was friend or foe, nor could he understand what the person who called himself Kang Yilong meant by "the Endless Creation Sect" and "the nineteenth-rank traveling merchants in black robes."
He could only tell that Kang Yilong showed no spiritual energy, appearing like an ordinary person.
"It's like a mortal, getting so close to me and I didn't even notice?! If not Foundation Establishment, then at least Golden Core!" Kang Dabao's first thought was to run, after all, he had experience escaping from Foundation Establishment cultivators before.
But just as I was about to lift my foot, I realized I couldn't even blink.
"Phew, it should be Golden Core cultivator." Thinking of such an existence, Sect Leader Kang Da felt relieved. Since there was nothing he could do anyway, he might as well just accept being prey. Struggling was futile; whatever.
"Hey, why isn't the gourd reacting? Does it only kill those below the Golden Core?"
"Friend Kang, how rude of you! How could you run away before even hearing what I had to say? I know you were once a merchant, and you should know that in business, even if a deal falls through, you can still make connections and friends. How can you act like this, turning tail and running away? That's utterly unreasonable."
Although Kang Yilong's words contained a hint of complaint, his face was still smiling, making it difficult for anyone to feel any ill will towards him.
"Senior, please don't tease this junior. This junior is dull-witted and has Qi Refinement cultivating aimlessly for decades, yet is still just a Qi Refining novice. I am truly unworthy of being called a 'fellow Daoist' by you."
After being lectured by Kang Yilong, Kang Dabao was able to move again, so he put on a mournful face and bowed deeply.
"Get up, get up! What are you doing, fellow Daoist!" Kang Yilong raised a finger, and Kang Dabao was pulled up by an invisible force.
Seeing him stand up, Kang Yilong continued, "Our disciples of the Endless Creation Sect are spread throughout the myriad realms, from immortals at the Mahayana stage to wild demons at the Qi Refinement. We do business with all beings. Regardless of their status, we adhere to only one principle: 'fair trade.' Since we don't distinguish between noble and lowly, then you are my fellow Daoist. Don't refuse."
"Is this 'Endless Creation Sect' really that powerful? They even deal with immortals and Mahayana cultivators? Sigh, their sect motto is 'fair trade'? That sounds perfect for me. Do they accept disciples?"
Sect Leader Kang Da was stunned for a moment, then remained bewildered for quite some time before finally mustering the courage to politely decline. "Senior, it's not that I don't want to do business with you, but I simply have nothing of value to offer, and thus cannot make a deal with you."
"Haha, if I say you can do it, you can do it." Kang Yilong laughed heartily upon hearing Kang Dabao's words, stretched out his finger and drew a line in the sky, then pulled Kang Dabao up and flew into it.
Before Kang Dabao could react, he felt himself being pulled into an extradimensional space, his feet feeling like they were stepping on cotton. He instinctively stomped his feet.
After he made this move, a wisp of cloud rose from beneath his feet and floated to his side, coalescing into the shape of a palm, which slapped Sect Leader Kang Da hard across the face.
After the "smack," Kang Dabao didn't feel much pain on his face, but the sound was so loud that it almost ruptured Sect Leader Kang Da eardrums.
The slap wasn't particularly hard, nor was it fast; it was more of a humiliating gesture. When Sect Leader Kang Da saw the slap coming, he naturally wanted to dodge, but he couldn't, and could only watch helplessly as it struck his face.
"Haha, the spirits here at the Cloud Repository Pavilion are the most mischievous. Fellow Daoist, you'd better not provoke it anymore. If it gets really angry, I, a mere nineteenth-rank wandering merchant in black robes, can't control it." Kang Yilong, standing at a counter, saw Kang Dabao get slapped, and the formulaic smile on his face finally disappeared, replaced by an even more despicable look of schadenfreude.
After hearing Kang Yilong's words, Kang Dabao covered his face and looked at the scene before him.
Kang Yilong seemed to lead him into a typical merchant house, with furnishings and decorations that were inferior to those in Xuanwei City but better Chongming Market. The items displayed on the shelves were not some dazzling high-level spiritual objects.
Based on what we see here, this place doesn't Endless Creation Sect that Kang Yilong spoke of.
Kang Dabao looked down at the ground again and realized that the trading company was actually built on top of the clouds, which was quite unusual.
"Alright, let's begin our business now. Fellow Daoist, do you have any valuable items to sell?" When it came to business, Kang Yilong's face returned to its previous smiling expression.
"Hmm, shouldn't you see what I can buy before asking if I can exchange money for it?" Kang Dabao thought for a while. His cultivation level was low, but he still had a couple of good items on him.
Since keeping it is useless anyway, and given that the Endless Creation Sect has such a powerful background, if it can really be exchanged for some good things, then it's a good thing to do so.
"Oh, I forgot that this realm is remote, and I'm afraid not many people understand the rules of my Endless Creation Sect. It was my fault for not explaining clearly; please forgive me, fellow Daoist." Kang Yilong paused for a moment, then chuckled and took out a small golden scale. "Please step on the scale, fellow Daoist, so that I may weigh your fortune."
"Weigh me? Weigh my luck?" Before Kang Dabao could react, Kang Yilong reached out and grabbed him. Kang Dabao felt himself landing on a golden scale, as if bound by a barrier, unable to move.
Previously, Kang Yilong had appeared somewhat short, but now he was a hundred-foot giant. He was carefully counting the marks on the scale, frowning as he muttered, "Something's not right. How come it's only one jin, fifteen liang, and eight qian? Didn't Deacon Huang say before we came that I should be weighed to ensure I have good fortune this time?"
With a "thud," Kang Yilong placed the weight on the money box in front of him, Kang Dabao felt his body lighten. A ray of Golden Light emanated from the scale pan, lifting him back to the ground and restoring him to his original size.
"Although my Sixteen Golden Star Steelyard is not yet at the Immortal level, there's no reason why it shouldn't be able to accurately Qi Refinement a mere Qi Refining cultivator! Ugh! I've been tricked by Deacon Huang again!" Kang Yilong slapped his thigh in frustration, remembering the opportunity he had worked so hard for over a thousand years to obtain, and his expression turned sour as he looked at Kang Dabao.
"The average cultivator's luck can exceed two jin, but Fellow Daoist Kang's luck is rather ordinary." Kang Yilong said in a gloomy tone, his mood not good.
"I am already fortunate enough to meet you today, senior, and I dare not have any more improper thoughts!" Although Kang Dabao had just stepped off the scale and his mind was still a bit dazed, he still managed to come up with some nice words to answer.
"No, Kang Dabao, you need to think about what you want to buy your own life!"
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