Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race-Chapter 38 - Zhao Feng_1

38: 38 Zhao Feng_1

38: 38 Zhao Feng_1

“Taoist Friend Li, are you interested in buying a talisman?

I’ll give you a little discount.”

Ye Yutang said enthusiastically.

To conceal his identity, Shen Long had adopted the pseudonym Li Xiao, and over the past half a year, he had made the acquaintance of many Qi Refining Cultivators.

“No thanks, Fairy Ye.

Is Daoist Friend Zhao not setting up his stall today?”

Shen Long asked curiously.

“Daoist Friend Zhao plans to host a gathering, at his residence tonight around sundown.

He must be preparing for that, I guess!”

Ye Yutang said.

“It’s not a guess; I am indeed preparing for it.

Taoist Friend Li, Fairy Ye, both of you must come.

The disciples of the Su Family will also attend tonight’s gathering.”

A rich male voice chimed in.

As his voice fell, a medium-built man in a red shirt approached, his handsome face adorned with a faint scent of herbs.

Zhao Feng, a first-grade Alchemist.

With the Ascension Conference approaching, Cloud Dream Mountain had gathered a myriad of elites, and Zhao Feng was one of them.

In these circumstances, gatherings among Qi Refining Cultivators were frequent.

Making friends widely was beneficial, as no one knew who might be a dark horse before the end of the Ascension Conference.

In the last Ascension Conference, Xuanyang Sect had taken in a Cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root, and before the end of the conference, very few knew of this person’s exceptional Spiritual Root.

Cultivation was not all about ascetic devotion or conflict; the ways of the world were also imperative.

Shen Long was not averse to socializing; making more friends was a good thing.

“The disciples of the Su Family are attending as well!

Daoist Friend Zhao, you have quite an extensive network.”

Ye Yutang said with a smile.

Zhao Feng was an Alchemist who could concoct various first-grade elixirs, and with his wide connections, he held a certain influence among the Qi Refining Cultivators on Cloud Dream Mountain.

“Fairy Ye jests.

It’s just making a few more friends.

The Su Family disciples are aware of Zixiao Sect’s disciple recruitment criteria, so you should come if you’re free.

It won’t hurt to get to know a few more fellow Daoists.”

Zhao Feng said.

Shen Long and Ye Yutang agreed; they were aware of Zixiao Sect’s disciple recruitment criteria.

The recruitment criteria of the five major forces in Qin Country was not fixed and could change occasionally.

Knowing the requirements in advance allowed for better preparation.

After some idle chatter, Zhao Feng departed.

Shen Long started strolling around.

With many Loose Cultivators pouring into Cloud Dream Mountain, some Cultivators sold items they didn’t need to exchange for cultivation resources, and occasionally one would find a bargain.

Of course, there were plenty of scams as well.

“Century-old magnolia flowers, freshly harvested, come and take a look.”

A loud male voice rang out.

Shen Long wasn’t interested, as his knowledge of Spiritual Medicine was limited.

He had acquired a jade slip from an enemy, which recorded the appearance, effects, and growing environments of more than a hundred types of Spiritual Medicines.

Text is dead, and some counterfeit techniques can be incredibly deceptive, even for experts.

One can’t earn Spirit Stones outside their own understanding, so Shen Long was more familiar with Artifact Refining materials, having been directly taught by Sun Huowang and having worked at Soldier Hall for a few years.

In the past six months, Shen Long also had his share of finding bargains, buying Artifact Refining materials at low prices and reselling them for a minor profit of a dozen or so Spirit Stones.

His visit to the Free Trade Plaza was not solely for bargain hunting but also to broaden his horizons.

Some stall owners sold exotic goods, and others would discuss strange and amusing stories of the Cultivation Realm.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Shen Long stopped in front of a small stall.

The shopkeeper was a man in his thirties wearing a green robe, and his stand displayed a wide variety of items, including ores, Monster Beasts materials, and Spiritual Medicines.

“How much for this ore?”

Shen Long picked up a black ore the size of a watermelon and casually inquired.

There were six black ores on the stall.

“This is Profound Iron Ore.

If you like it, ten Spirit Stones.”

The green-robed man replied.

Shen Long nodded, picked up another slightly smaller piece of black ore, and asked, “Is this piece of Profound Iron Ore also ten Spirit Stones?”

“Exactly.”

The green-robed man nodded.

Without bargaining, Shen Long took out ten Spirit Stones and bought the piece of black ore.

He wandered around the area and did not buy anything else.

He left the Free Trade Plaza and came to the entrance of a five-story green attic.

The signboard above read “Baiduan Hall” in large characters.

Shen Long strode in.

The shelves were stacked with Magic Artifacts, ranging from low to high grades.

Some green-robed attendants were introducing Magic Artifacts to the customers, and a ruddy-faced elder in golden robes was sitting behind the counter, flipping through a ledger.

“Shopkeeper Sun, do you buy this Ink Cloud Stone?”

Shen Long walked over, took out the black ore, and said.

The golden-robed elder was called Sun Yousheng; he was a Qi Refining fifth-layer Cultivator and the shopkeeper of Baiduan Hall—a shop set up by a Cultivation family primarily selling Magic Artifacts.

Sun Yousheng took the black ore, examined it carefully, nodded, and said, “Twenty Spirit Stones, how about that?”

“Only twenty?

I spent thirty Spirit Stones to buy it; it should at least be forty.”

Shen Long haggled.

“This is just the raw ore; at most thirty Spirit Stones.”

Sun Yousheng insisted.

“Thirty-five, I can’t go any lower.”

Shen Long declared.

Sun Yousheng said, “Thirty-three at the most, that’s the highest price I can offer.”

“Deal!”

Shen Long agreed, took the thirty-three Spirit Stones from Sun Yousheng’s hand, netting a profit of twenty-three Spirit Stones.

“You youngster have quite the eye, often able to spot bargains.”

Sun Yousheng praised.

“Shopkeeper Sun is joking.

It’s just good luck, nothing compared to you all.

Selling one Magic Artifact earns you more; I can only make ends meet.”

Shen Long explained.

“Being able to spot bargains is a skill as well, not just anyone can do it.”

A pleasant female voice chimed in.

As soon as the voice fell, a youthful girl in a cyan dress walked down from the upper floor.

The girl in the cyan dress had an oval face, cherry lips, and an aquiline nose, embroidered with plum blossoms on her dress.

Her hair was arranged in a Flying-Immortal Hairstyle with a green jade hairpin slanted to one side, light makeup applied, her lips naturally red without the touch of rouge.

“Taoist Friend Li is familiar with many first-order Artifact Refining materials, it’s a pity not to study Artifact Refining.”

The girl in the cyan dress said with a tone of regret.

“Fairy Sun is jesting.

Being familiar with Artifact Refining materials doesn’t necessarily mean one can become an Artifact Refiner.”

Shen Long replied with a smile.

The girl in cyan was called Sun Changxin; she was an Artifact Refiner with a Qi Refinement eighth-layer Cultivation.

Sun Changxin nodded, turned toward Sun Yousheng, and said, “Seventh Uncle, I’ll step out for a bit.

If Taoist Friend Yang comes looking for me, tell him I’m not here.”

“Got it, go ahead with your business!”

Sun Yousheng responded affirmatively.

Shen Long chatted briefly with Sun Yousheng and then took his leave.

At dusk, the sky darkened and the shops brought out their lighting tools.

Cloud Dream Mountain was as bright as day, resembling a city that never sleeps.

Shen Long stood at the entrance of a small courtyard with red tiles, sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman, and quietly waited.

“Daoist Friend Li, what a coincidence!”

A somewhat aged male voice was heard.

Looking toward the voice, Shen Long saw an elderly Daoist in a green robe with a slightly hunched back and a young girl in a purple dress approaching him.

The girl in the purple dress was stunningly beautiful, with creamy skin and clear, water-like eyes.

“Taoist Friend Lu, Fairy Lu, long time no see.”

Shen Long greeted.

The green-robed elder was called Lu Shan, and the girl in the purple dress was called Lu Yudie.

The grandfather and granddaughter duo made a living hunting Monster Beasts, and Shen Long occasionally bought the carcasses of first-order monster scorpions from them to feed to his Iron Tail Scorpions.