All Understood Without Words

"Brother Luo Chen, here's the wooden plank I got ready for you! No one will bother you if it's attached to the stall." Chen Shuyi hauled out a large wooden board from behind and securely fitted it alongside the bluestone slab. "Thanks, little Shuyi! Here, have some of this." Luo Chen grabbed a handful of roasted immortal beans from his storage bag and pressed them into the young girl's hands. Chen Shuyi's eyes lit up. She popped one into her mouth, crunching down with a crisp snap. "Mmm! As expected, the snacks Brother Luo Chen makes are the tastiest!" In the past, most of the snacks Luo Chen had given Old Daoist Chen had actually been taken home for his granddaughter to eat. Otherwise, why would an old man in his sixties constantly crave Luo Chen's spicy beef jerky for no reason? Seeing the girl look so contented and happy, Luo Chen chuckled. As he set out his jade pill bottles, he asked curiously, "Has business been good lately? You have so many talisman skins laid out. Can you really sell them all in a day?" At the mention of business, Old Daoist Chen instantly perked up. "Kid, you probably haven't stepped foot out the door lately, have you?" "What do you mean?" "Foot traffic in Dahe Market has at least doubled compared to before!" Old Daoist Chen pointed at the bustling, fiery market. "There are simply too many visiting cultivators! The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion even specifically opened several trading spots in both the inner and outer city. In their words, this is a trade fair for all five major markets." With his explanation, Luo Chen finally grasped what kind of impact the recent changes in Dahe Market had brought to the local cultivators. Business was extraordinarily easy to do! Perhaps because of its proximity to the Million Mountains, the various cultivation supplies here in Dahe Market were distinctly different from those of the inland regions. When visiting cultivators arrived, they were often eager to buy and ended up purchasing heaps of goods. Likewise, those people would set up stalls of their own to sell items they had brought along. Old Daoist Chen's business had been booming lately! It wasn't his talisman business, but rather his other signature craft—talisman skins! Crafting talismans involved many aspects: talisman brushes, cinnabar, beast blood, and talisman skins. Talisman skins were further categorized into paper, bark, beast hide, and so on. Among them, talisman skins crafted from beast hides had the advantage of holding massive amounts of spiritual energy; talismans inscribed on such skins were often tremendously powerful. As it happened, what Old Daoist Chen excelled at was crafting talisman skins from beast hides. The reason was also simple: thanks to their proximity to the Million Mountains, skins from various demon beasts were easy to procure. When visiting cultivators saw his high-quality talisman skins, they either bought none at all, or bought them in bulk. Looking at Old Daoist Chen's bloodshot eyes, hands covered in calluses, and even the foul stench clinging to him that wouldn't wash out, Luo Chen knew the old man had probably gone on a crafting frenzy over this period. It had reached the point where the stall they previously shared was now completely covered in talisman skins. Even his granddaughter, who usually stayed at home, had been brought along to help hawk goods. With Luo Chen's keen sense for spirit stones and business, he immediately realized this was a golden opportunity for him as well. If he missed this window of time, he might not see another chance like this for a long time! *What a pity. I was too much of a shut-in before and found out about this too late. Otherwise, I would have pulled all-nighters to concoct a few more cauldrons of pills.* *Fortunately, reaching the proficient level in Myriad Wonders Pill alchemy allowed me to succeed nine whole times over the past half month. I have a whopping ninety Myriad Wonders Pills on hand!* Luo Chen was not the type to complain or blame others. Even when he occasionally felt that way, he quickly adjusted his mindset. Right now, he composed himself and laid out all of his Fasting Pills and Myriad Wonders Pills. It had to be said that the wooden board little Shuyi had prepared was plenty spacious. Even after displaying nearly two hundred jade bottles, there was still room to spare. Of course, this was only possible under the current relaxed market regulations, where the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion wouldn't bother checking on them. Under normal circumstances, Luo Chen would have had to pay another spirit stone for the stall fee. Once the pills were arranged, Luo Chen still felt it wasn't enough. After a moment's thought, he produced a brush and swiftly wrote several large characters across a piece of white cloth. As he hung it in front of the stall, Chen Shuyi read it aloud, word for word. "Divine Myriad Wonders Pill: displaying a man's masculine vigor!" "Shoo, shoo! You dead girl, have you no shame?!" Chen Xiuping hurried over, pulling the young girl aside, and glared fiercely at Luo Chen with bloodshot eyes. Luo Chen paid it no mind. Once the sun rose higher and the crowd grew denser, he even began shouting at the top of his lungs. "Look over here, gather round and see! Cultivating immortality brings days of pure glee!" ... It had to be said that in an era where social customs remained relatively conservative, a cultivator shouting so shamelessly was an exceedingly rare sight. Yet precisely because of that, cultivators quickly gathered, one after another. Among them, visiting cultivators formed the majority. "What kind of pill is this?" "Displaying a man's masculine vigor? Hmph, how could we fellow cultivators ever need... why would we ever need such a thing!" "Is it really as good as you say?" "Ahem, it's not that I want to buy it, but rather that I have a friend who suffered an injury in that department during a battle. Cough, cough... you understand. Give me five bottles!" "Give me a bottle. I'd like to see what makes this specialty pill of Dahe Market so special." ... After the first batch of customers finished buying, Luo Chen didn't even pause for a sip of water before raising his voice once more. "Step right up, take a look! The Myriad Wonders Pills that used to sell for eight or nine spirit stones are now going cheap!" "To give back to our loyal customers and welcome fellow Daoists from afar, we're now offering middle-grade Myriad Wonders Pills for just five spirit stones!" "Yes, you heard right! Our Myriad Wonders Pills offer better grade without higher price! For just five spirit stones, you won't suffer a loss, and you won't be fooled!" Another crowd surged over! Squeezed into the corner, young Chen Shuyi watched with wide, dumbfounded eyes. In the past, whenever she heard her grandfather talk about how shameless his stall mate was, she had only thought her grandfather was looking through a narrow crack, viewing everyone in a bad light. Seeing this now, had she been too prejudiced against her stingy grandfather? She wanted to apologize to him. Turning around to look, she found her grandfather's weathered face flushed red, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something but held back. Ever since she was young, Chen Shuyi had been clever and sensible, as well as deeply understanding. Seeing this, she immediately consoled him, "Grandpa, don't be angry. Doing business is just like this; there's no shame in it." Old Daoist Chen's eyes lit up, and he gently rubbed the little girl's head. "Right! My little Shuyi is right! Doing business to earn cultivation resources isn't shameful at all!" Then, before little Shuyi's astonished gaze, Old Daoist Chen gathered his qi into his dantian and roared at the top of his lungs. "Passersby, don't miss out!" "Finest talisman skins!" "Crafted from freshly tanned beast hides, capable of withstanding at least three failed attempts for any beginner! Just ten spirit stones a bundle!" "Guaranteed fresh, still dripping with blood and clinging with demon beast meat!" Before long, a crowd gathered in front of his bluestone stall as well. For a moment, the two small stalls bustled like a surging sea of people. Amidst the clamor, Luo Chen turned his head. As if sharing a telepathic bond, Old Daoist Chen turned around at the same time. The two exchanged a knowing smile, with everything understood without words.