"Alright, Fifth Junior Brother, now that you've just broken through, it's time to relax a bit. How about we go to the market today?" Song Wuwen smiled and then looked eagerly at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan immediately chuckled upon hearing this, "Fourth Senior Brother, I think you just want to go to that tavern to drink."
Su Yueze, Chai Jingyuan, and He Xidong all burst into laughter at this, though each of them showed a hint of longing in their eyes.
"Fifth Junior Brother, you misunderstand Senior Brother. Of course, drinking is a secondary matter; the main purpose is to show you the world. What do you say, are you going or not?" Song Wuwen laughed along with Su Yueze and the other two, then looked at Li Xuan.
"Since that's the case, let's go," Li Xuan nodded. He had savored the Forget-Worries Dream-Returning Wine last time and found it incredibly satisfying. Now that he had another opportunity, Li Xuan naturally wouldn't miss it.
"Let's go!" Song Wuwen's figure moved instantly, swiftly descending towards the foot of the peak.
Li Xuan, seeing this, immediately circulated the spiritual energy within his body and, along with Su Yueze and the other two, also moved rapidly to follow.
"Fifth Junior Brother, last time I brought you here, I was too focused on drinking and didn't take you to explore properly. Come, today we'll show you the wonders of the market!" At the foot of the Seventh Peak, Song Wuwen patted Li Xuan's shoulder and then strode purposefully towards the market.
Li Xuan nodded and smiled slightly at Su Yueze and the other two, following them with curiosity.
Upon entering the market again, Li Xuan noticed that it was significantly more bustling than his previous visit. Disciples from the Azure Hall were shuttling back and forth along the long street, entering and exiting various shops. Even so, a considerable number of disciples remained on the street.
Of course, in front of some shops, disciples with weaker cultivation had set up temporary stalls, selling treasures they had found. With Song Wuwen's explanations, Li Xuan quickly understood.
Although these disciples' strength was not high, as long as they paid a certain rental fee to the shops, they could set up their stalls outside. Moreover, as fellow disciples of the Azure Hall, no one would refuse them. After all, as long as they didn't block the entrance, there was no issue. In fact, this could attract considerable foot traffic to the shops, which was something the merchants greatly welcomed.
"Fifth Junior Brother, you don't really need to look at these things. Most of the items at these stalls are rejects. Last time, Third Senior Brother, in his stubbornness, insisted on buying some kind of glazed lamp. He spent a full thirty million Taiyuan Crystals, and when he fiddled with it, it turned out to be less useful than a tenth of a Chaos Spirit Treasure."
Seeing Li Xuan's keen interest in the items on the stalls, Song Wuwen said to him.
"Thirty million Taiyuan Crystals?" Li Xuan looked at He Xidong in surprise. A hint of bitterness flashed across He Xidong's face as he helplessly shook his head and sighed.
"Fifth Junior Brother, you don't know this, but we disciples of the Seventh Peak receive five million Taiyuan Crystals each month. Third Senior Brother's extravagance that time consumed half a year's worth of resources. Otherwise, Third Senior Brother's strength wouldn't be slightly weaker than mine," Chai Jingyuan added.
He Xidong shook his head with a wry smile, "Why do you guys keep bringing up my embarrassing past when advising Fifth Junior Brother? But they are right. Fifth Junior Brother, you should ignore the goods on these stalls. If they were truly treasures, why would they be selling them?"
"While we can't deny the possibility of one or two hidden gems among them, it requires a discerning eye."
Li Xuan nodded, slightly retracting his gaze, and followed Song Wuwen and the others forward.
Along the way, Li Xuan saw many stalls, each with different items, but most looked extremely worn and old. As Song Wuwen had said, they were indeed often incomplete. Li Xuan learned from Song Wuwen about the origin of these items: there were many ruins on the Azure Sky Continent, which had become a favorite pastime for many disciples to explore. Most of the items on these stalls came from these ruins. According to Song Wuwen, one disciple had once discovered an intact Chaos Supreme Treasure in a ruin and sold it in the market for a staggering ten billion Taiyuan Crystals.
Huh?
As they gradually moved forward, Li Xuan suddenly felt something, as if a subtle summoning was guiding him. Following this sensation, he spotted a dull gray stone on a stall.
Li Xuan's heart was immediately filled with curiosity. This stone had given him such a feeling. Could it be related to him? Thinking this, Li Xuan shifted his gaze to the disciple manning the stall. As if aware that business was slow, the disciple sat with his eyes closed, not making any effort to advertise his wares.
"Fifth Junior Brother, what's wrong?" Song Wuwen and the other three, who were walking ahead, noticed Li Xuan stop and returned to ask him.
"Fifth Junior Brother, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to something on a stall like Third Senior Brother did?" Chai Jingyuan chuckled wryly, looking at Li Xuan staring at a nearby stall.
Li Xuan smiled and said, "I just think that hair ornament is pretty. If I give it to my wife, she should like it." Li Xuan pointed to a golden hairpin next to the stone. Su Yueze and the other three had already learned that Li Xuan was married during their previous conversations. Hearing Li Xuan's words, they breathed a slight sigh of relief, clearly having worried that Li Xuan might follow He Xidong's costly mistake.
"So that's it. Since it's for your wife, then go ahead and buy it. From what I can see, this golden hairpin has a hint of spiritual aura, but it shouldn't cost too much Taiyuan Crystals," Chai Jingyuan said with a smile and then walked towards the stall.
"How much for this golden hairpin?" Chai Jingyuan looked at the disciple manning the stall and directly asked.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Chai. This golden hairpin is eight million Taiyuan Crystals." Zhang Wude, who was agonizing over how to cultivate without Taiyuan Crystals, suddenly heard a voice. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Chai Jingyuan looking at him. Seeing that it was Chai Jingyuan from the Seventh Peak, Zhang Wude quickly glanced at the golden hairpin on his stall and replied.
"Eight million Taiyuan Crystals? You're selling this ordinary-looking golden hairpin for so much?" Chai Jingyuan frowned slightly. In Chai Jingyuan's opinion, this golden hairpin was not worth eight million Taiyuan Crystals.
"Senior Brother Chai, I know you are a disciple of the Seventh Peak, which is why I'm offering such a reasonable price. For anyone else, I would ask ten million Taiyuan Crystals," Zhang Wude quickly explained.
"Second Senior Brother, let me handle this," seeing Chai Jingyuan's displeased expression, Li Xuan stepped forward and gently held Chai Jingyuan's arm, shaking his head and smiling slightly.
Chai Jingyuan looked back at Zhang Wude, snorted, and stepped aside, clearly showing some dissatisfaction with Zhang Wude's demeanor.
"Esteemed Senior Brother, can this golden hairpin really not be any cheaper?" With Chai Jingyuan stepping aside, Li Xuan smiled at Zhang Wude and asked.
"Ah? Well... forget it. Given your sincerity and the fact that you called me Senior Brother, take it for seven million Taiyuan Crystals," Zhang Wude said with a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes, then shook his head with some reluctance.
"Seven million Taiyuan Crystals? Alright. However, Senior Brother, my Second Senior Brother also mentioned that this golden hairpin might not be worth this price. Considering how reluctant you are to part with it, I will give you eight million Taiyuan Crystals. But as compensation, how about selling me this stone as well? That way, neither of us will lose out," Li Xuan said with a nod, picking up the stone next to the hairpin and smiling.
At that moment, as Li Xuan picked up the stone from the stall, a rumbling sound echoed in his mind. Li Xuan was greatly alarmed and his determination to acquire the stone became even stronger.
"Fifth Junior Brother, this worthless stone, no one would even pick it up if it were thrown on the street. Why are you spending an extra million Taiyuan Crystals to buy it?" Chai Jingyuan exclaimed.
"We are all fellow disciples. Besides, this golden hairpin is for my wife. It feels a bit demeaning to haggle over a gift," Li Xuan smiled and continued to look at Zhang Wude, saying, "Senior Brother, what do you say?"
"Ah? Oh, alright, alright. Since these Junior Brothers like this golden hairpin so much, I'll agree to it. Consider this stone a gift from me," Zhang Wude nodded in agreement. This stone was something he had casually picked up in the ruins, and he was overjoyed that it could fetch a million Taiyuan Crystals.
"Good, deal," Li Xuan said with a slight sigh of relief. With a thought, he tossed eight million Taiyuan Crystals onto the ground in front of Zhang Wude. Then, Li Xuan first picked up the golden hairpin and, without a trace, collected the stone before standing up.
Just then, a voice suddenly called out.
"Wait a moment, that stone, I'll offer two million Taiyuan Crystals."