Chapter 71: Lin Family Marketplace
Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Lin Family Marketplace
The moment he stepped into the Marketplace, a wave of boisterous clamor washed over him. It was a stark contrast to the orderly Zhou Family Marketplace. The streets were crammed with stalls on both sides, most run by Cultivators in the Early and Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation. They sold a jumble of miscellaneous goods, all haphazardly mixed together: bloody Low-Tier Demon Beast Materials reeking of gore sat right next to Low-Tier Talismans, and a few poor-quality stalks of Spirit Grass leaned against a sack of freshly harvested Spirit Rice...
The air was filled with the endless sounds of hawking, haggling, and arguing. Lu Zhao walked slowly along the narrow main street, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually over the stalls, but in reality, he was silently gathering information about the place.
’It really is chaotic,’ Lu Zhao thought. The image of the Zhou Family Marketplace, with its strictly zoned areas, came to mind, forming a sharp contrast to this place.
After strolling around for a short while, he had a more concrete feel for the Marketplace and stopped in front of a stall selling Spirit Grass.
The stall owner was a gaunt man with shifty eyes. Lu Zhao casually pointed to a bundle of pale blue-leafed Spirit Grass with extremely thin Spiritual Qi. "Fellow Cultivator," he asked, "how much for this Spirit Grass?"
The stall owner looked up, his eyes quickly darting over Lu Zhao. An extremely enthusiastic smile immediately appeared on his face. "Well now! Fellow Cultivator, you have quite the discerning eye! Truly an expert!"
He picked up a stalk of the so-called "Wood Blue Grass" and began to boast, spittle flying. "See this? This is the best quality Wood Blue Grass in the entire Marketplace! The leaves are full, the color is pure, and its Spiritual Qi content is extremely high! As for the price? I can see you’re a straightforward person, so to make a new friend, I’ll give you a deal. Only ten Spiritual Sand per pound!"
Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then almost laughed in exasperation. Although he didn’t recognize this so-called "Wood Blue Grass" or know its specific use, his experience was enough to tell him it was just the lowest grade of Non-Tiered Spirit Grass. The minuscule amount of Spiritual Qi it contained was barely better than nothing.
In the Zhou Family Marketplace, Low-Tier Spirit Grass of a similar grade and use sold for two to five Spiritual Sand per pound at most. Yet this crook dared to double the price right off the bat? ’Is he treating me like some rich, foolish sheep ripe for the slaughter?’
"Fellow Cultivator, are you treating me like some ignorant child?" Lu Zhao’s face darkened. After speaking in a cold tone, he turned and walked away, his movements crisp and decisive.
"Hey! Fellow Cultivator, wait up!" The stall owner, who called himself Old Wu, grew anxious and reached out to grab Lu Zhao’s sleeve. "Business is all about negotiation! The price is flexible, you can make a counteroffer!"
With a slight flick of his wrist, Lu Zhao made the man’s hand grasp at empty air. Without looking back, he melted into the crowd.
Old Wu watched Lu Zhao’s retreating back and spat on the ground. He sat back down behind his stall resentfully, muttering a few words under his breath.
A bearded stall owner selling ore nearby, who had enjoyed the show, couldn’t help but sneer. "Heh heh, Old Wu, oh, Old Wu, what did I tell you? Too greedy for your own good. You finally ran into a tough out-of-towner, huh? Look at you now, you came up empty-handed!"
Losing face, Old Wu glared back irritably. "Get lost! Stop making your snide remarks! Just mind your own worthless rocks!"
Lu Zhao paid no mind to the exchange behind him and continued his "inspection." He didn’t linger at any single stall for long. For the next while, he browsed around, asking questions here and there. Talismans, ore, Spirit Rice, and even a few fragments of low-quality Magical Artifacts—he would stop and earnestly inquire about the price of each.
"How much for this Protective Talisman?"
"Fellow Cultivator, what about this Black Iron Stone?"
"This Spirit Rice seems to be of average quality, doesn’t it?"
His questions seemed insincere, and at times were so absurd they left the stall owners speechless. Their attitudes gradually shifted from initial enthusiasm to dismissive. He was acting just like a low-level Cultivator, carefully comparison shopping to gauge the market, but too poor to buy anything.
But beneath this facade, Lu Zhao was carefully screening candidates. For one, he wanted to reinforce his persona as an ignorant, out-of-town Wanderer new to the area. For another, he was searching for a target: someone who could get him into the local Black Market.
This person had to meet several criteria: they had to be familiar with the local ways, their moral character couldn’t be too upstanding, and ideally, they would have some obvious weakness to exploit.
The most crucial criterion: the person had to be greedy. Only the greedy could be easily swayed by Spirit Stones. Greed would also drastically lower their willingness to follow the rules, allowing him to get access to the Black Market as quickly as possible.
After a day of observation, Lu Zhao had narrowed his search down to two potential targets.
The first target was Old Wu, the man selling Wood Blue Grass. He was unscrupulous and ruthless, jacking up his prices without hesitation. Greed was written all over his face. A person like that would do anything for Spirit Stones, making him a good candidate.
He had stumbled upon the second target unintentionally during his "browsing." It was a stall tucked away in a corner near the end of the street. The owner was an elderly Cultivator with white hair and a sorrowful face, his Cultivation around the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer. His stall mainly sold a few Low-Tier Talismans: Light Body Talismans, Protective Talismans...
Lu Zhao hadn’t planned on stopping and was about to walk right past when he happened to overhear a middle-aged Cultivator, who seemed to know the stall owner, ask in a low voice, "Old Zhao, how has your son’s injury been these past two days?"
Upon hearing this, the Elder Talisman Master’s body trembled imperceptibly. He heaved a deep sigh, his voice dry and hoarse. "Same as ever. The Pills prescribed by the Spirit Doctor are too expensive, so I can only keep him going with some ordinary Hemostatic Powder for now. These are hard times..."
He trailed off, staring blankly at his stall. In that instant, Lu Zhao clearly saw his despair and helplessness.
’A person driven by Spirit Stones is easy to control, but someone burdened by a loved one’s injury and crushed by the need for them might be even easier to exploit than someone who is purely greedy.’ A thought sparked in Lu Zhao’s mind, and he quietly added this Elder Talisman Master with the surname Zhao to his list of candidates.
As evening approached, the crowds in the Marketplace began to disperse. Lu Zhao checked into the largest inn in the area, the Celestial Guest Tower. It was called the largest, but it was merely a few connected two-story wooden buildings. The rooms were small and equipped with a simple Sound Insulation Restriction.
Lu Zhao sat cross-legged on the hard wooden bed, quickly reviewing the day’s observations in his mind and refining his plan. His initial targets would be Old Wu and the Elder Talisman Master, Old Zhao.
At the crack of dawn the next day, Lu Zhao was already out. He went straight to Old Wu’s stall. Old Wu was busy arranging his "top-grade Wood Blue Grass." Seeing Lu Zhao return, a flash of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by a wide smile. "Well! Fellow Cultivator, you’re back! I knew it! Someone who knows quality goods was bound to return! So, what’ll it be? Still want the Wood Blue Grass? This time, I’ll give you..."
Lu Zhao cut him off. "I’m not here to buy Wood Blue Grass."
Old Wu’s expression shifted from enthusiasm to confusion. Lu Zhao took a step closer, pressed a small, folded piece of paper into Old Wu’s hand, and lowered his voice. "This is my room number at the Celestial Guest Tower. After you close up your stall, if you have time, come find me. I have a deal worth more than five Spirit Stones that I’d like to discuss." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
Old Wu clutched the paper, staring in the direction Lu Zhao had disappeared. Five Spirit Stones! For a low-level stall-running Cultivator like him, that was a considerable sum—enough to buy a decent bottle of Pills!
But then, the wariness honed from years of swindling and cheating made his heart pound. ’What does this guy want? Why me? Is this free Spirit Stones falling from the sky? A trap?’ He subconsciously glanced left and right, then guiltily tucked the note carefully into his robes.
Leaving Old Wu’s stall, Lu Zhao walked straight toward Old Zhao the Elder Talisman Master’s stall. Old Zhao was still watching over his few pathetic-looking Low-Tier Talismans. Lu Zhao walked to the front of the stall and, without a word, silently handed over an identical folded note, pressing it into the old man’s hand.
Old Zhao looked at this somewhat unfamiliar customer in bewilderment. Lu Zhao leaned closer, his voice even lower. "I’m at the Celestial Guest Tower. This is my room number. You must come see me after you close your stall today."
He stared into the Elder Talisman Master’s cloudy eyes and added with emphasis, "Do you want to get more Spirit Stones? Do you want your son’s injuries to heal?"