Just Tell Me If You Want It

Three male cultivators clad in tight-fitting robes crowded around, bending over to inspect the items on the bluestone slab. "Oh? A Qi-Concealing Talisman? That's good stuff! How much for one?" "Five spirit stones apiece! An absolute must-have for home, travel, and mountain hunting! Activate this talisman in a pinch, and even a bramble wolf's nose won't catch your scent!" "That expensive? Why don't you just rob people instead?" "Just tell me if you want it or not!" "Give us a discount. We're heading into the mountains and need to buy many types of talismans. We could buy a whole stack from you." "Why don't you go ask around? Old Daoist Chen's reputation in Dahe Market, my talisman-crafting skill! Besides, I can cut you a discount on the talisman, but when a demon beast pounces at your face, will it take one less bite out of you?" "Three spirit stones for this Qi-Concealing Talisman, plus three Earth Spike Talismans and six Fireball Talismans." "Four! Not a stone less! This Qi-Concealing Talisman is my exclusive specialty—I only produce one a month!" The three male cultivators conferred for a moment and decided to buy the Qi-Concealing Talisman. After settling the bill, their attention shifted to the jade bottles in the corner next to it. "Fasting Pills?" Luo Chen perked up. "One pill fills the belly, and ten will keep you fed for three days and three nights! How many bottles do you want?" "How much?" "Let me tell you, these Fasting Pills of mine use premium first-rank yellow beef as the primary ingredient, supplemented by ginseng and angelica... and finished with the Medicine King Sect's specialty, Hundred-Flower Fragrant Honey! They are truly top quality at a bargain price!" "Are they really that good?" "Come, take a whiff of this aroma. Isn't it intoxicatingly fragrant? Look at this color—absolutely no flour added to fake it! I dare say no one in this area has better quality than mine!" "Eldest Brother, it really does seem more fragrant than the Fasting Pills we bought before." "Exactly! This fellow daoist clearly knows quality when he sees it! I'm afraid you guys were ripped off before. Did those Fasting Pills taste mealy and mushy? That means they definitely used fake beef!" "How much?" "Only one spirit stone for four bottles!" "Why don't you just rob people instead?!" "Just tell me if you want them or not! Pass up this stall, and you won't find goods this fine. Let me tell you, I have plenty of regular customers. In a little while, I'll be sold out and heading home." "A bit cheaper?" "Seeing as the three of you are sincere buyers, how about this: still one spirit stone, but for five bottles! Deal? Consider it making friends. In the future, when I release new pills, I'll give you discounts too!" "All right, give us ten bottles. We still have some leftover stock we haven't finished, but we'll try yours this time." Payment and goods changed hands, and Luo Chen and Old Daoist Chen cupped their hands in farewell, wishing them, "Safe travels into the mountains, and may your harvest be bountiful!" Once the men had departed, the two looked at each other and grinned. Old Daoist Chen even stealthily placed another Qi-Concealing Talisman onto the stall. What happened to only producing one a month? As the sun climbed higher, the rogue cultivator area in the southwest corner grew ever more bustling. Vendors selling pills, cultivation methods, and demon beast meat were everywhere. Shoppers and bargain hunters bustled past in an endless stream, and occasionally one or two disciples wearing the standard Daoist robes of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect could even be seen. Whenever the latter appeared, the rogue cultivators grew especially energized, raising their asking prices by several tenths without missing a beat. Sect disciples were all fat sheep ripe for the shearing! None of this had much to do with Luo Chen, however. Fasting Pills were the most run-of-the-mill commodity imaginable; every sect had them. Moreover, what he made was the lowest grade of Fasting Pills—they could hardly even be called pills, being merely Fasting Powder rolled into pellets. No matter how well he refined such things, they held little competitive edge. By noon, Luo Chen's goods were practically sold out. There were only twenty bottles in total, hardly a large quantity, and that was after six or seven days of saving up stock. One could only say that low-tier alchemists had it truly rough! For a low-tier rogue alchemist without the backing of a sect or clan, life was utterly wretched! There was nothing much to pack up. Giving Old Daoist Chen a few strips of dried beef made from scraps, Luo Chen prepared to leave. Before he left, Old Daoist Chen chewed on the jerky with a swig of water and called after him. "You're releasing a new pill? It wouldn't happen to be that incomplete pill formula you scavenged last year, would it?" "Kid, don't bite off more than you can chew. I've seen far too many rogue alchemists obsess over new formulas, only to lose everything and end up broke." "It isn't easy saving up the few spirit stones you have. You'd be better off heading to Spirit Herb Pavilion to buy two bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills and raise your cultivation a bit." This was a rare piece of heartfelt advice from an old man who was usually stingy and loved taking petty advantages. Luo Chen could hear the sincerity in his voice. In fact, the price the original host had paid for that incomplete pill formula was far greater than Old Daoist Chen knew. However, Luo Chen had other plans, so naturally, he would not reach beyond his grasp. "You'd better watch your teeth, old man. This beef jerky of mine can easily crack them." With a grimace, Old Daoist Chen tore off a bite of the beef jerky. Strands of meat caught uncomfortably between his teeth, but he forced it down anyway. He glared at Luo Chen. "Scram!" Luo Chen chuckled, squeezed through the crowd in a few swift steps, and vanished from sight. ... He was still in the southwest rogue cultivator quarter, but he had arrived at the herb trading area. Having spent years scraping by here, he knew the ins and outs of trading all kinds of goods like the back of his hand. "Sister Wang, did your man just harvest this from the mountains? Doesn't feel dry yet—I'm afraid anyone who knows their stuff won't want it." "Your little brother here will do a good deed today and take ten jin off your hands, barely!" "This piece of fleeceflower root hasn't even reached ten years, has it? Make it cheaper, and I'll take it." "Jade yam, right, give me fifty jin. I used to buy twenty jin for a spirit stone, and now the price has doubled. Give me some discount, at least!" "Forget it, I won't haggle. Just toss in a redwood fruit—this one here, it's nice and big." ... Throughout the afternoon, Luo Chen wandered through the herb area, purchasing the various medicinal herbs he needed in bulk. Because these were street stalls run by rogue cultivators, assessing the quality depended entirely on one's own eyes, and the price came down to personal bargaining. Only after wearing his lips dry did Luo Chen manage to secure most of what he needed. Next, he still had to make a trip to the center of the inner city. Spirit Herb Pavilion, one of the six premier shops of Dahe Market, was situated in the most prominent location at the city's center. Standing five stories high, with flying eaves, painted walls, carved balustrades, and jade masonry, it was truly a sight of breathtaking elegance. However, this place only bought and sold finished pills, so it was not somewhere Luo Chen could afford to patronize just yet. His destination was Hundred Herbs Hall, located right beside Spirit Herb Pavilion. Word had it that both Spirit Herb Pavilion and Hundred Herbs Hall hailed from the Medicine King Sect, though no one seemed to know why they operated under two separate storefronts. Compared to the grand, imposing stature of Spirit Herb Pavilion, Hundred Herbs Hall was far more ordinary. A row of single-story rooms stretched back, appearing plain and unassuming. Yet as soon as one drew near, a dense fragrance of herbs rushed out to greet them. Luo Chen's spirits lifted. He gently set down the large sack on his back near the doorway. The plump shopkeeper narrowed his eyes at the large sack, his nostrils twitching slightly, before shaking his head. Luo Chen paid it no mind and walked up to the counter. "Senior, do you still have conpoy and fire hound whip?" Upon hearing the names of these two medicinal ingredients, the look in the plump shopkeeper's eyes turned thoroughly amused.