Chapter 28: Loose Cultivator Gathering!_1

Lu Changsheng walked onto the narrow path.

Up ahead, it seemed endless, as if there was no end in sight.

But after walking about a hundred meters, it was as if he had passed through a layer of lake surface, and the scenery before his eyes suddenly changed.

It transformed into a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, lush with greenery and blooming with flowers of various colors.

Only behind him, where he had just entered, was there a path shrouded in mist.

The valley wasn't large, covering an area of thirty to forty acres.

Around the valley stood buildings and pavilions with ancient charm, resembling a secluded paradise.

In the central area of the valley, at this moment, many people were neatly and orderly setting up street stalls, just like mundane small vendors, surrounded by a bustling crowd.

The scene before him made Lu Changsheng vaguely remember the market days in the countryside of his previous life, the open-air farmers' markets.

If he didn't know that this was a gathering place for loose cultivators, and that these were all cultivators, he might have believed it was just a mundane market gathering.

"There must be a spirit vein beneath this valley."

"However, it must be an ungraded spirit vein; its spiritual energy is much weaker than that of Qingzhu Villa."

Lu Changsheng thought to himself as he headed toward the central area where the stalls were set up.

Here, the cultivators' attires varied widely.

There were scholars, monks, Taoists, and swordsmen...

Some wore longswords and great sabers at their waists, carried giant gourds on their backs, or were accompanied by their spiritual beasts.

Of course, there were also many like Lu Changsheng, who were enveloped in cloaks from head to toe.

"High-quality healing pills, martial elixirs, all at affordable prices!"

"Hundred-year-old ginseng, hundred-year-old polygonum multiflorum, all for just one spirit stone each!"

"A strip of flood dragon tendon to the highest bidder!"

"'Nine Revolutions Golden Body Art', a legacy cultivation technique from a Divinity Transformation true master, just for ten spirit stones!"

"Exotic stones found in ancient secret realms, containing curious treasures inside, don't miss out as you pass by!"

The stall areas were bustling with people coming and going, and many were calling out to sell their wares, making it very lively.

Lu Changsheng shook his head as he saw some stalls even had pots, pans, meats, fishes, fruits, vegetables and other miscellaneous items.

It seemed that this gathering of loose cultivators was a bit more rustic than he had imagined.

Or maybe, this was the real bottom-layer lifestyle of the cultivation world.

Just like ordinary people struggling at the lower echelons of mundane life.

The only difference was that one was in the mundane world, the other in the cultivation world.

Even if it's as poor as Qingzhu's Lu Family, they still have a Foundation Establishment Ancestor presiding and possess their own Spiritual Vein Blessed Land.

After wandering around for a while, Lu Changsheng had a clear idea of the trading fair.

The items for sale at the stalls were diverse, but mostly they were cheap, low-end goods or fakes.

Only a small part were items useful for cultivators.

In the surrounding houses and pavilions, there were a few shops as well.

The items they sold were relatively more formal and high-end.

Given the size of this loose cultivators' spot, it would be impossible for him to sell off the nearly thousand talismans he carried.

If he dared to do so, he would likely find it hard to leave Bullhead Mountain.

Selling off a part shouldn't be a problem, though.

Immediately, Lu Changsheng followed the example of others and found an empty spot. He took out a thick stack of talismans from his storage bag and laid them out in front of him.

On the wooden board he erected next to him, he wrote that basic first-grade talismans cost 1~2 spirit stones each, and buying five would get one free.

Observing the scene earlier, Lu Changsheng didn't see many selling middle-grade first-grade talismans.

So after thinking it over, he chose not to take out the middle-grade first-grade talismans, as it would be too conspicuous.

As for the pricing, items like magic artifacts, elixir medicines, and talismans were always in solid demand and their prices generally remained stable regardless of location.

To make a quick sale, Lu Changsheng decided to go for the buy-five-get-one-free deal.

"Fellow Daoist, for this buy-five-get-one-free deal, can the free one be chosen at will?"

It wasn't long before people began to inspect the talismans and one of them asked.

"If you buy five of the ones costing two spirit stones each, you can choose any you like, otherwise, you can only choose from the ones here that cost one spirit stone."

Lu Changsheng replied, his voice low and hoarse from beneath the black robe.

"Alright."

Immediately, the cultivator took six talismans valued at two spirit stones each and handed ten spirit stones to Lu Changsheng.

Following the first deal, people gradually came forward to purchase talismans.

Talismans were relatively popular among cultivators, as almost everyone would carry a few for self-defense.

With the buy-five-get-one-free offer, and considering that even a layman could tell by the quality of the lines drawn on Lu Changsheng's talismans that they were of good quality, they sold well.

In just over an hour, the nearly hundred talismans that Lu Changsheng had taken out were all sold.

Total earnings: one hundred and thirty-three spirit stones.

"Having a craft really does make money," Lu Changsheng mused with great satisfaction over his first pot of gold.

The cost of producing one hundred talismans was around twenty-two spirit stones.

But now he had sold them for six times the price.

If he had been selling first-grade middle-grade talismans, with each priced between three to five spirit stones, his profit margin could have doubled.

After all, with ordinary talisman-making materials, Lu Changsheng's success rate for making first-grade middle-grade talismans was one hundred percent!

This was also the confidence that allowed Lu Changsheng to leave the Lu Family and stand on his own two feet in this world.

After selling these talismans, Lu Changsheng chose not to continue selling more.

Because other sellers would only put out about ten or so talismans, maybe a few dozen at most; his nearly one hundred was already quite outrageous.

If he sold more, he might very likely draw unwanted attention, so it was better to be cautious.

Subsequently, Lu Changsheng, with his still-warm spirit stones, began to spend.

In one of the shops, Lu Changsheng saw advanced talisman paper and advanced spirit ink for sale.

However, their quality was quite ordinary, some even poor.

Talisman materials were divided into ordinary, advanced, and supreme.

But even within these, there were differences in quality based on the raw materials and the manufacturing process.

The supplies in this shop were not very good.

But with few other options, Lu Changsheng inquired about the prices.

Talisman paper was priced at five spirit stones for a stack of ten, and spirit ink at five spirit stones for a box.

This was five times the price of ordinary talisman paper and ink.

The price was normal.

Using such advanced materials to make first-grade middle-grade talismans wouldn't leave much room for profit.

But for Lu Changsheng, who could produce first-grade superior talismans, it was definitely profitable.

Immediately, after some bargaining, Lu Changsheng spent sixty-six spirit stones to buy all twelve stacks of the shop's advanced talisman paper and three boxes of spirit ink.

He continued browsing but didn't see any supreme-grade talisman paper or supreme-grade spirit ink for sale.

This was to be expected.

Materials for making supreme talismans were a bit too high-end for gatherings of loose cultivators like this.

While meandering, Lu Changsheng noticed a stall selling books on cultivation.

Various records of cultivation, travelogues, and personal notes seemed very interesting to him, and he spent one spirit stone for ten books.

Afterward, he came across a stall selling Five Elements spiritual materials.

After visiting several stalls and shops, Lu Changsheng purchased all the Five Elements spiritual materials he needed for cultivating the Immortal Beauty Technique.

These materials were all first-grade middle-grade spiritual materials, not too expensive nor too cheap, totaling fifty-nine spirit stones.

Having almost spent all his newly earned spirit stones, Lu Changsheng did not leave yet.

He continued to look around, hoping to find a better quality talisman brush for sale.

He was currently using the gold-tipped talisman brush provided by the Lu Family,

Considered supreme amongst ordinary talisman brushes but not yet a magic artifact.

Although it could be used to draw first-grade superior talismans, it was ultimately lacking.

After looking around and finding no suitable talisman brush, Lu Changsheng could only give up.

Reminded that he needed to visit the Crimson Whale Gang to find Li Feiyu and ask the gang to look after his family, he ought to bring something with him as a courtesy.

So, Lu Changsheng bought several bottles of ordinary elixir medicines from another stall.

These ordinary elixir medicines were very cheap, made by alchemy apprentices and not graded.

The price was similar to that of basic talismans, with two bottles for one spirit stone.

Lu Changsheng spent two spirit stones on five bottles, feeling that was enough, and didn't linger any longer.

He reached the narrow path he had come in on and left the valley directly.

Once out of the valley and seeing that no one was around, he finally stowed the things he was carrying into his storage bag.

Then, with caution always in mind, he took out a Featherweight Talisman from the storage bag and used it on himself.

With a light tap of his toes, his body became as agile as a swallow, and he swiftly descended the mountain.

However.

Just as Lu Changsheng had left a short while ago, three figures emerged from the valley.

"The talismans this kid sold were all of extremely high quality, clearly the work of an advanced talisman master," one of them remarked.

"But this kid is only at the third level of Qi Refinement and still so cautious trading in this kind of place. He must be a loose cultivator who's stumbled upon a fortune, and he's bound to have more good stuff on him!" the second one said, eyes gleaming with greed.

The three cast covetous looks in the direction Lu Changsheng had gone, utilized their Wind Control Skill, and chased rapidly.