Chapter 766 - 289: Widespread Summons, Bibao Pavilion, Fifty-Fifty Split
Chapter 766: Chapter 289: Widespread Summons, Bibao Pavilion, Fifty-Fifty Split
By the time Xiao Chen left Alchemist Geng’s courtyard, it was still only 9:45 in the morning.
The sun was shining brightly; it was a beautiful day.
With the strong winds gone, the streets had finally returned to their usual bustling state.
Cultivators, who had been cooped up in their homes for days, now poured out onto the streets.
In an instant, the main streets and side alleys were all a sea of people.
It was as if everyone was trying to make up for the New Year festivities they had missed.
Seizing the opportunity, vendors of all kinds lined the streets with their stalls, forming long, unbroken rows.
As Xiao Chen walked down the bustling main street, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to buy a few things.
Of course, he wasn’t interested in decorations. His attention was focused on the various snacks and delicacies.
"Fresh, crispy fried fish, just out of the fryer!"
"I’ll take ten!"
"Special hundred-flavor candied fruit! Selling it cheap!"
"I’ll take ten skewers!"
"Spiritual Rice Cakes from Funan Island! We only sell these once a year!"
"I’ll take ten pounds!"
...
By the time he’d walked the length of the street, Xiao Chen had sampled nearly every delicacy on offer.
He had spent a good sixteen hundred-plus Spirit Stones in the process.
The sight of him eating and drinking with such gusto made many passing Loose Cultivators do a double take.
Most of the Low Tier Cultivators were envious, but his fellow Golden Core peers were simply astonished by his massive appetite.
’Is this guy part taotie or something?’
’He’s already eaten several hundred pounds, and he’s still not done.’
Of course, some Golden Core Cultivators felt it was rather unbecoming for a distinguished Daoist to be gorging himself on the street like that. It was a clear loss of face.
’He should be in one of the Marketplace’s fine restaurants, seated at a full table. That would show the refinement of a High Tier Cultivator.’
But that didn’t matter. Xiao Chen couldn’t care less.
He had other ways to maintain his prestige and didn’t need to resort to such methods to prove his refinement.
Of course, he wasn’t just wandering aimlessly.
Instead, he followed the main street to the very heart of Tinglang Market, then stepped inside one of its largest establishments.
He had acquired a great deal of miscellaneous items that it was time to offload, especially the numerous Spiritual Artifacts he had no use for. It would be better to exchange them for Spirit Stones.
Today, the major shops were just as packed, with people coming and going in droves.
So much so that the clerks could barely keep up.
Many Cultivators had to browse for Spiritual Objects on their own, only calling loudly for a clerk to assist them once they had more or less made their choice.
At the entrance, however, stood a row of seven or eight beautiful attendants, whose job was to greet and send off customers.
Only when they spotted a Golden Core Cultivator would one of them proactively step forward to greet them.
When the attendant at the front of the line saw Xiao Chen approaching, her eyes immediately lit up.
She hurried over, her voice full of smiles. "Welcome to Bibao Pavilion, Senior. Please, let me know how I can be of service."
"I’m just browsing."
Xiao Chen didn’t reveal his true intentions. "Where do you keep your Spiritual Artifacts?"
Although he had come to sell Spiritual Artifacts, he planned to check their current market prices first. He would use that as a reference for his own transaction to avoid getting a bad deal.
"This way to the third floor, Senior!"
The attendant immediately gave a respectful bow and began leading Xiao Chen.
Her swaying gait was graceful and pleasing to the eye, clearly the result of long and deliberate practice.
On the third floor of Bibao Pavilion, Tier Three Spiritual Artifacts were displayed on the left, while various types of Tier Three Spirit Pills were on the right.
As soon as Xiao Chen arrived, he heard an exclamation from the right: "How have even Water Element Pills gotten so expensive?"
"Who sets your prices? What gives you the right to suddenly raise them so much?"
Someone immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Before the New Year, they were only a thousand Spirit Stones. On what grounds are you charging fifteen hundred now?"
"If you don’t give us a proper explanation today, we’re never shopping here again."
"Not only that, we’ll make sure everyone else hears about this, too."
Turning his head, he saw a group of five Golden Core Cultivators standing there.
Although the other three hadn’t spoken, they were all glaring at the nearby manager, who was forcing a smile. Their dissatisfaction was obvious.
"Please, Seniors, calm yourselves! There’s no need to get upset. We’re in a difficult position ourselves."
The manager quickly held up his hands in a placating gesture and explained, "The price increase was indeed sudden, but it’s not that we wanted to raise them. The situation has simply changed."
"Before the New Year, it’s true that Water Element Pills were only a thousand Spirit Stones in every shop."
"That’s because the entire supply of Water Element Pills for our Marketplace comes from those three renowned Alchemists in East City."
"But starting the day before yesterday, they all sent word that they’d received a conscription notice from the Sword Pavilion. By now, they’ve probably already left for the Sword Pavilion."
"In other words, the supply of Water Element Pills has been cut off."
"And we have no idea when the supply will resume."
"Right now, every shop is raising its prices. If we didn’t follow suit, the other shops would have rushed in and bought up all our stock long ago."
It was quite an explanation.
However, the Cultivators weren’t buying it. One of them demanded, "If that’s the case, why have the prices of other Elixirs also gone up?"
"Don’t tell me you’re suggesting the Upper Sect has conscripted every single Alchemist?"
Another piped up, "Forget it. Let’s just go."
"I heard the Hundred Medicine Workshop next door has connections in the Cangming Sea. I bet they have cheaper Elixirs."
At these words, the manager hurried to stop them. "Wait, Seniors, please don’t go!"
"This conscription from the Upper Sect has had widespread effects. It’s not just our Tingtao Sea—it’s the same for the South Marsh Sea to the east and the Cangming Sea to the west."