Chapter 21 Qinglin Square Market (Request for Monthly Ticket)

Dawn.

A thin mist hung in the air.

Qinglin Square sat atop a blue mountain, surrounded by a kind of towering blue trees.

The mountaintop was veiled in a thick fog, making the view unclear. At the foot of the mountain, rows of shacks were built, mostly using the crude timber readily available, making them appear exceptionally cramped and enclosed, with no gutters at the door, allowing sewage to flow freely.

"Is this Qinglin Square? Truly, seeing it is not as good as hearing about it..."

Fang Xing, in a simple blue robe with his hair tied up, was carrying a basket on his back, his face already disguised as an honest-looking youth who didn't seem much different from the locals.

He sighed at that moment, and from a distance, he remotely controlled a realistic simulation of a yellow sparrow to fly down into his basket.

He had gone to great lengths for today's exploration.

He had planned out many escape routes and had worn a junior nano protective suit under his robe, with an electric baton clipped to his waist, fully equipped for any eventuality.

Moreover, all along his journey, he was monitored by simulated bird drones, which kept a constant watch on his surroundings and had already helped him bypass several groups of individuals who clearly looked troublesome.

"Is this really a market for Cultivators, or is it a slum?"

After entering the slums, the first thing that hit him was a repulsive stench, causing Fang Xing to wave his hand in front of his nose.

The roads were muddy and overgrown with wild grass, with occasional bones peeking out...

It looked like a human femur.

"I'll be damned..."

Fang Xing looked ahead at a corner where a fresh corpse seemed to be lying, stripped clean by someone unknown.

A few passersby rushed by with urgency, and now and then you could catch glimpses of eyes peeking through the cracks in wooden boards and windows.

Everyone seemed to act as if the sight of a corpse was completely normal.

'Chaos, disorder... death can come at any time?'

'Surviving in this environment must put a huge strain on one's psyche!'

Fang Xing complained inwardly and then his gaze sharpened.

A tall and lean middle-aged man approached from the front. He was dressed in a gray Daoist robe, and his expression was dark and grim.

More importantly, as the man walked, his gray Daoist robe seemed to shimmer with faint wisps of spirit light!

"Magic Robe? Cultivator?"

A thought crossed Fang Xing's mind, and he quickly followed the example of several nearby Martial Artists, stepping to the side to clear the way in the middle of the road.

Some of the Martial Artists even bowed deeply, their faces bearing humble, ingratiating smiles.

Everything seemed so natural, as if it was an unspoken rule.

'Etiquette and hierarchy, survival of the fittest...'

'If you don't give way and bow, will you be killed? And die for nothing?'

With a heavy heart, Fang Xing exited the slum and continued upward.

The mountain path was paved with blue slate, some pieces already grown over with moss, offering a different kind of scenery.

By the time he reached halfway up the mountain, large buildings came into hazy view, appearing much more orderly, with stone-paved, cleaner grounds.

Several Martial Artists were sweeping nearby, and some were carrying water buckets, resembling servants.

After walking a few dozen more meters, Fang Xing saw an archway with the words "Qinglin Square" inscribed on it.

Once inside the square, there was noticeably more foot traffic, with various stalls lining both sides of the road and an array of exotic goods for sale.

Rare flowers and herbs, vegetables and fruits covered in morning dew, animal skins, bones, gleaming white rice...

And, of course, there was no shortage of unique weapons, peculiar Talismans, and containers of all sorts...

Many people were either carefully inspecting the wares or haggling over prices at the stalls.

Fang Xing watched coldly from the sidelines, largely ascertaining that most deals here were barter-based. Besides that, the most commonly used item was something called "spirit sand," which was the small Crystal Stones he held.

Beyond the stalls, the square also had many shops.

Green Pill Workshop, Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Fire Refining Workshop, Small Talisman Hall, Rain Listening Tower...

Some shop names made it clear what was sold there, while others were more of a guess.

Fang Xing paused briefly in front of Rain Listening Tower when he seemed to hear a soft, enchanting music, immediately realizing what kind of place it was.

"Hey there, young man, want to come in for some fun? It's only a Spirit Stone for one time!"

Perhaps because he had lingered too long, a busty young lady called out to him with an almost seductive gaze, her charm bone-deep.

'Spirit Stone? Seems like it's a higher currency than spirit sand?'

Fang Xing thought to himself but pretended to blush and shyly walked away, eliciting a round of tinkling, mocking laughter behind him.

Half an hour later.

"How much for this 'Vermilion Dragon Grass'?"

After browsing around, Fang Xing stopped at a stall and pointed at a redgrass with thick leaves on the stall.

The stall owner was an old man with the look of a farmer, leisurely smoking a brass-stemmed pipe, puffs of blue smoke rising from the bowl.

When Fang Xing asked his question, the old man didn't hurry to answer; he took another long drag from his pipe before leisurely tapping it on a nearby blue stone slab.

Curiously, the stone slab had a depression in it, as if the old man had habitually tapped his pipe there for a long time.

"Vermilion Dragon Grass is two pieces of spirit sand each... But if you want to sell it to this old man, it's just one piece of spirit sand each."

The elderly man slowly spoke up.

"How did you know?"

A thought crossed Fang Xing's mind, his face showing a bit of panic, like a young man inexperienced in worldly affairs.

"Hehe..." The old man smiled proudly, "Even from a distance of ten feet, I can smell the medicinal herbs in your basket. It's Vermilion Dragon Grass, isn't it? Planning to sell it for a good price, you first go around asking..."

"You truly have... an eye like a torch."

Fang Xing responded with an honest smile.

He had made many preparations for this trip to Qinglin Square, primarily involving "Vermilion Dragon Grass"!

After all, there was quite an abundance of this herb in the territory of that wild Demon Beast pig.

And the risk of picking it with drone technology wasn't too great.

This time Fang Xing had brought twenty fresh stalks of Vermilion Dragon Grass to check out the market.

"To tell you the truth, only Qi Cultivators have any use for Vermilion Dragon Grass... Us Martial Artists just earn a tough living. However, the purchase price in the market of late has risen. Otherwise, usually, you could only exchange two or three stalks for one piece of Ling sand!"

The old man had no business at the moment, so he leisurely chatted with Fang Xing, "Young man... I'm not going to deceive you, even if you take your Vermilion Dragon Grass to a shop, it would fetch the same price, but I can give you a deal, for ten stalks I can offer you eleven pieces of Ling sand..."

"I don't have that many, these few stalks were hard-earned."

Fang Xing shook his head, a hesitant look crossing his face, "I'll take a look around first..."

He didn't say much and just turned away, blending into the crowd.

"Dammit, the threshold of trust with people in this world is too low, I really can't trust them..."

"In comparison, at least shops have better reputations than individuals..."

"I shouldn't be worth a shop going back on its word for such a small profit, but with an individual, it's never certain."

After weighing all considerations, even if the purchase price was a little lower, Fang Xing decided to go to a shop for the transaction.

"Selling Talismans, freshly drawn Talismans... Wind Control Talisman, Fire Rain Talisman, Golden Bell Shield Talisman, Spirit Testing Talisman... Come and have a look, everyone."

At this moment, Fang Xing was drawn by a series of hawking voices and approached a stall, his expression instantly turning solemn.

The stall owner was middle-aged, dressed in a Magic Robe that shone with spirit radiance; he was actually a Cultivator!

"Wind Control Talisman, stick it on your leg and you'll feel like you have the wind at your feet, a travel essential... Going cheap, only one piece of Ling sand for one..."

"Fire Rain Talisman, First Rank Low Grade Attack Talisman, five pieces of Ling sand..."

"Spirit Testing Talisman, it can check for Spirit Roots. As everyone knows, without a Spirit Root, mortals cannot pursue Cultivation. Perhaps some of you exceptional individuals were tested wrongly as children. Today could be your second chance, to defy the heavens and change your fate... only for eight pieces of Ling sand!"

Hearing this, Fang Xing's heart was moved, and he turned his attention to the last "Golden Bell Shield Talisman".

This Talisman was placed in the center of the stall, obviously high-end merchandise.

"First Rank Mid-grade—Golden Bell Shield Talisman, can withstand several attacks from a Qi Cultivator in the Mid-stage of Qi Cultivation, truly a fine product among fine products, selling for only three Spirit Stones, I'm cutting my own throat here..."

Having browsed for so long, Fang Xing already knew that ten pieces of Ling sand could be exchanged for one Low Grade Spirit Stone; he felt that this stall keeper was rather amusing.

He squeezed out of the crowd and compared prices in a few shops, finally entering "Green Pill Workshop!"

His choice was due to the fact that this seemed to be a workshop specializing in Elixirs, so there would naturally be a demand for herbal medicine.

The second reason was the Green Leaf Seal on the signboard, identical to the mark on the bottom of the Qi Blood Pill jade bottle, which gave Fang Xing a good impression.

"Esteemed guest, what kind of Elixir would you like?"

Upon entering the shop, a bright-eyed and white-teethed young girl came up to greet him.

Even though it was clear that Fang Xing was just an ordinary young Martial Artist, there was not the slightest hint of disdain on her face.

'Even though this would be standard service on Chuying Star, it's pretty rare in Qinglin Square...' thought Fang Xing, then he replied, "I'm here to sell herbs... do you buy Vermilion Dragon Grass?"

"Of course, we buy it, one piece of Ling sand per stalk, may I ask how many you have?"

Taken aback for a moment, the girl immediately answered.

"Just these..."

Fang Xing took down the basket from his back and took out twenty stalks of Vermilion Dragon Grass.

"Hmm, freshly picked, although the picking was a bit rough, the medicinal properties are largely intact... A total of twenty pieces of Ling sand, what do you think, guest?"

The girl checked them one by one and quoted a price.

"Agreed!"

Fang Xing was sparing with his words, and he immediately saw the girl accepting the Vermilion Dragon Grass and handing over two Crystal Stones.

"Low Grade Spirit Stone?"

His eyes lit up, and he took the Spirit Stone in hand, examining it closely.

He saw that the Low Grade Spirit Stone was only the size of a fingernail, clear and transparent throughout, with a dense mist inside, which gave off a cool feeling to the touch.

"Are there any other needs that you might have?" The girl seemed eager to make another deal.

"Qi Blood Pill..."

Fang Xing thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "May I know its price?"

"The Qi Blood Pill is for ordinary Martial Artists, very cheap, only one Spirit Stone per bottle." The girl replied with a light laugh, her tone as usual, but naturally carrying a slight air of superiority.

"I'll take a bottle!"

Fang Xing handed over the freshly acquired Spirit Stone, which had not yet even warmed in his hand, and bought a Jade Bottle identical to the one the female Martial Artist had handed over.

After leaving Green Pill Workshop, he looked toward the stalls and then, with a thoughtful expression, entered another building, "Little Talisman Hall."