Purchases

After waiting for a while, Li Xiangping and the others simply began chatting on the shore, laughing over amusing memories from their childhood, until they finally saw a faint silver glow rising from the lake. "Is that the boat coming to meet us?" Far off in the center of the lake, a long wooden boat came swaying toward them. Hoisted upon it was a great sail draped with pale white feathers, and spiritual radiance rippled across its hull—clearly an impressive treasure in its own right. Before the boat had even drawn close, a clear shout rang out: "Fellow Daoists ahead, are you heading to the Lake Wangyue market? How is it you've come so late?" "Indeed!" Li Chijing and the others answered in chorus, replying with an apologetic tone, "This is our first time coming to Lake Wangyue market, and we were unfamiliar with the rules, so we ended up missing the hour." "Hahaha, you're too polite, Fellow Daoist." The person laughed heartily, steering the great boat toward the shore. Li Chijing stepped forward, probing carefully with his spiritual sense for a moment. Still feeling some distrust toward the stranger, he asked cautiously, "Are you here to take us to the market, Fellow Daoist?" "That's right!" The man laughed. Seeing that Li Chijing and the others had not stepped forward and were instead watching him warily, he clicked his tongue, puckered his lips, and said, "One jin of spirit rice per person, or spirit items of equivalent value." Hearing him state a price, Li Chijing felt much more at ease. He patted his pouch with his left hand, and a pale green medallion flew out. The medallion hovered in midair, slowly projecting several large characters: "Qingchi Sect, Qingsui Peak." Only then did Li Chijing speak in a clear, resonant voice: "I am Li Chijing, a disciple of Qingsui Peak in the Qingchi Sect, passing through while carrying out important duties. Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for offering us a ride." Upon seeing this medallion, the boat shuddered violently and paused for a few breaths as if verifying its authenticity. Only then did a white-haired old man emerge and step down, replying with utmost deference: "So you are a disciple of an immortal sect! Forgive my disrespect, forgive my disrespect. Please, come aboard." Li Chijing nodded. Once the brothers boarded the vessel, they found that the cabin was fully appointed with a tea table and tea set, and its antique decor was quite luxurious. "None of you had an acquaintance from the market accompanying you, so this old man was terrified and didn't dare leave the cabin to greet you. Only upon seeing this immortal sect medallion did my mind find peace." The white-haired old man smiled, repeatedly begging their pardon. "Not at all. When traveling away from home, caution is only natural," Li Xiangping replied with a smile. The old man continued, "Next time you come, it would be best to arrive at the Zi hour. That is when the surrounding clans enter, making it the most convenient time to purchase spirit rice or sell spirit items." "I see!" After chatting with the old man for a while, they felt the boat shudder abruptly. A faint clamor drifted in, and when they looked out the window, Lake Wangyue market came into view. The market was built upon a small islet in the lake. It was not very large—about the size of half a village. Little lanterns glowing with white light hung along the streets. A fair stream of people moved about at this hour, with passersby pausing from time to time to inspect goods along the roadside and haggle with stall owners. "This old man would never dare accept a fare from you." Once the white-haired old man moored the boat, he hastily refused the spirit rice Li Chijing retrieved from his storage bag, adamantly declining to take a single grain. The brothers had no choice but to take their leave of the old man and set off along the street in high spirits. Li Tongya observed the wares on the stalls, privately comparing them with the Guanyun Peak market. *The items sold are largely similar, but in Lake Wangyue market, most are priced in spirit rice. The wares also tend to be sold piecemeal—spells are split up and sold technique by technique rather than by the complete scroll.* Even as he pondered, he heard Li Chijing chuckle ahead of him. "The wares on these stalls are a mixed bag of good and bad. If you want to buy proper goods, you have to go to a shop counter." Li Tongya froze, recalling how he had spent an entire day wandering around the stalls at the Guanyun Peak market, and was rendered utterly speechless. After a few more steps, the stalls began to thin out, and several storefronts appeared ahead. Li Chijing looked around for a moment, picked a shop that sold magical instruments, and crossed the threshold inside. "Go ask your shopkeeper if he has any interest in fire baleful qi." The clerk who came to greet them stared blankly. Seeing Li Chijing turn his head to gaze at the various magical instruments on the wall without another word, he scurried away in haste. Before long, a bare-chested man bustled in through the back courtyard door, sweeping close like a gust of wind as the numerous iron tools hanging from his body clattered and clinked noisily. "Fellow Daoist, do you have word of fire baleful qi?" The man had a face full of stubble and a rugged appearance, yet his voice was quite gentle. "Indeed. I am Li Chijing of the Qingchi Sect, and I have a portion of fire baleful qi for sale." "So it is a disciple of an immortal sect." The rugged man cupped his hands in greeting and smiled. "I am Chu Minglian, owner of this humble shop in the market. May I ask what price you have in mind for this portion of fire baleful qi?" Li Chijing raised an eyebrow and said in a deep voice, "Seventy spirit stones. Preferably with goods accepted in trade." Used to pinching pennies and snapping every spirit stone in two before spending it, Li Xiangping and Li Tongya instantly widened their eyes, staring fervently at Chu Minglian. Chu Minglian shook his head with a chuckle. "That's a bit steep. I wonder what you have taken a liking to in my shop, Fellow Daoist?" "A talisman brush." Pressed for time, Li Chijing went straight to the point, pointing at two talisman brushes hanging on the wall. "Would you mind introducing them, Fellow Daoist?" "Of course." Chu Minglian nodded, took down both talisman brushes, and picked up the green one to explain, "The shaft of this brush is made of spirit azure jade, and the bristles are taken from the tail hair of a peak Embryonic Breathing weasel demon. It is well-suited for both Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement, priced at fifteen spirit stones." Setting it down, Chu Minglian picked up the other brush, which had a milky-white shaft, and said, "This one has a body crafted from Yeling wood and bristles refined from the tail hair of a Qi Refinement fox demon. It requires at least a Qi Refinement cultivator to wield, priced at sixty spirit stones." Li Chijing waved his hand, naturally pointing to the spirit azure jade brush, and smiled. "We'll take this one." "I also need a storage bag—an ordinary one for Qi Refinement use will do." Chu Minglian smiled faintly, took down a brownish-gray pouch from a shelf, and said in a measured tone, "Three feet square, thirty spirit stones." After some bargaining, Chu Minglian happily exchanged the two magical instruments plus twenty spirit stones for the fire baleful qi. Li Chijing walked out of the shop carrying the storage bag and the talisman brush. Before Li Xiangping and the others behind him even had time to feel the sting of spending so much, they saw Li Chijing step into another shop. "Three hundred sheets of Embryonic Breathing talisman paper for ten spirit stones." Li Chijing pointed at three bundles of brownish-yellow blank talisman paper on the counter and asked in a low voice, "This is indeed qing'ai wood talisman paper, correct?" "Indeed, indeed," the clerk answered hurriedly, recognizing at once that an expert had arrived. Counting out ten spirit stones and handing them over, Li Chijing stowed the talisman paper into his pouch as well. Only then did he pass the storage bag in his hands into Li Xiangping's, murmuring under his breath, "A talisman brush, talisman paper, a storage bag... That still leaves ten spirit stones. How should we spend them?" Watching Li Chijing make purchases with such smooth, effortless ease, the two brothers who managed the family household looked at each other in bewilderment. Li Xiangping hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Let's save the remaining spirit stones at home for emergencies." Li Chijing nodded at that. Looking around at the market where the crowds were gradually thinning, he stretched lazily and asked with a smile, "Is there anything else important the family needs to take care of?"