Chapter 685: 685 arrives
"Is there anything else you need, fellow Daoist?" The young girl smiled until her eyes squinted.
"No, that’s all. How much is it in total?"
"Altogether it’s 2,250 Spirit Stones. With a 10% discount, it’s 2,025, and we’ll round it down to just 2,000."
Tan Shaoting paid 2,000 Spirit Stones and let them keep it themselves.
The father and his three children continued to stroll. Tan Shaoting frowned at the scene ahead, though the children had already noticed it.
A male cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer was pulling a female cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Level, who looked pitiful, watching her cry like rain on pear blossoms.
The father and his three children stood to the side watching, showing no expressions.
Tan Shaoting was afraid the three children might have some thoughts, but they showed no expressions on their faces either.
"Dad, is this what the book refers to as forcibly taking a common girl?"
Tan Shaoting shook his head, "No matter what the situation is, don’t just look at the surface, and don’t judge the rights and wrongs based on superficial phenomena.
Without investigation, you have no right to speak. Sometimes even after investigating, what you know may not be correct.
So don’t act blindly in anything you do. It doesn’t mean you should be indifferent to everything, but don’t get easily entangled in these disputes."
So the father and his three children stood by, listening to the gossip around them.
"That big stone is really too wicked, if Xiaohua doesn’t want to, then don’t force her." A sleazy middle-aged man said.
"Wang Er, you say it so lightly. Jiang Xiaohua has accepted a 500 Spirit Stone betrothal gift from Big Stone. She used to be honest, but since hearing about the auction and seeing so many people in Four-direction City, this woman’s heart blossomed. She’s out on the streets every day hoping to find someone wealthy and powerful.
If it were me as Big Stone, I’d beat her up. She’s truly a fickle woman."
"Haha, isn’t Jiang Xiaohua the one Big Stone brought back from the street?" Another person watching the commotion said with a laugh.
"Isn’t that the case? Otherwise, it wouldn’t cost 500 Spirit Stones. I heard Jiang Xiaohua belonged to someone before. She accepted 300 Spirit Stones from them and turned to this fool Big Stone. Took 500, gave 200 to her former ones."
As everyone talked and laughed, no one stepped forward to intervene.
When the man finally left with the woman, the crowd, after a while, began to disperse.
"So that’s what it was about?" Qi Wen finally spoke.
Tan Shaoting listened to his daughter’s words and felt helpless because he didn’t want her to be exposed to such matters. He quickly pulled the three away.
Next, the father and the three children started treasure hunting again. Although they didn’t find anything good, it was an eye-opener.
They didn’t return to the base until nightfall.
"Junior Brother Tan, did you take the kids out?"
"Uncle Zheng, the children haven’t seen much, so I took them to broaden their horizons."
"Hahaha, did you gain anything?"
"No, I’m saving the Spirit Stones for the auction."
"So, Junior Brother Tan is also aiming for a Foundation Establishment Pill?" Zheng He’s words attracted the attention of the other five Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators towards Tan Shaoting.
"No, I haven’t thought about the Foundation Establishment Pill yet. Mainly, I want to see if there are any good things for the children."
"Junior Brother Tan, bringing the children like this delays your cultivation. With your Spirit Root, advancing shouldn’t be difficult."
"Now, the children only have me by their side, so I must take good care of them. After a few more years, when they’re older, it will be easier for me."
At night, the base also provided food. The four of them ate with everyone else.
The three children, being beautiful and well-behaved, caught the attention especially because they were favored by the Peak Master of Sword One Peak.
After dinner, the father and the three children started cultivation. They set up an Array Plate so that no one would disturb them.
Instead of cultivating, the four of them nestled together.
Tan Shaoting greatly enjoyed such times, knowing that when the children grew older, they would become more distant, so he cherished such moments now.
There were three days left before the auction. Four-direction City was already overcrowded. On the streets, patrol squads were led by Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.
All the shops were doing brisk business. The Shushan Sect’s shop was also bustling with people.
So Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators were enlisted to maintain order and work as shop assistants.
Tan Shaoting was responsible for maintaining order. There was no choice; there were just too many people.
"Fellow Daoist, you seem very familiar to me." A female cultivator at the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation stood in front of Tan Shaoting, smiling.
Tan Shaoting didn’t even glance her way, considering the absence of his wife meant he had to maintain his integrity even more.
"Fellow Daoist, I really think I know you."
Tan Shaoting still showed no reaction. Inwardly, he was extremely annoyed with this female cultivator, believing her to be shamelessly flirting with him.
Their interaction already caught some attention.
The female cultivator felt embarrassed, having lowered herself to talk to this male cultivator and was met with indifference.
However, upon seeing his handsome face, she felt a pang of desire. Oh, just wait until she tells her Uncle; he won’t escape her grasp in the future.
Not paying attention to her now, there will be times when he’ll come begging. So she charmingly smiled at Tan Shaoting and turned to shop elsewhere.
The shop at the Shushan Sect sold items submitted by disciples to the Task Hall, mostly parts from demon beasts and various Spirit Plants.
Due to the upcoming auction, all shops in Four-direction City had raised their prices, except here, which maintained the old prices. The word spread, attracting many cultivators to buy here.
It wasn’t until closing time at night that things calmed down. However, other shops remained open in the evening.
This time, Zheng He had brought ten Storage Bags, but with so many buyers, the stock couldn’t keep up, so they had to close at night.
The next day was the same, with even more people. There was no choice; the three children also helped, mainly greeting customers. The identical triplets were well-liked for their cuteness.
Helping here, they would also be rewarded when they returned to the Sect, so they didn’t feel any reluctance.
"Little brothers, you’re so adorable. Want to come to the Lao Mountain Sect with me?"
"Auntie, we are disciples of the Shushan Sect."
Qi Hong bluntly retorted, as this woman kept bothering his dad, which was really annoying to see.
"Little brother, how can you call me Auntie? Call me Sister. This bottle of Nourishing God Pill is for you." The female cultivator continued teasing Qi Hong because the other two remained silent.