Chapter 40: Robbery!
Seeing how Fang Chen didn’t fall for it, he quickly ran up behind him, crying, “Hey! Brother, wait, wait! We can negotiate!”
Fang Chen ignored him. He disliked such dishonest merchants. The items he sold, such as cinnabar, talisman paper, and even those brushes, were all common in Dragon Ridge Lane. The other party was just trying to inflate his prices by exaggerating his products.
Fang Chen arrived near the old woman. He brought out ten Strength Talismans, ten Divine Movement Talismans, and ten Vajra Talismans and placed them on sale.
The old woman's business was relatively slow. Seeing the many talismans in front of Fang Chen, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she couldn't help but ask, "Young man, how long did it take you to make all these?"
"It took me a whole year." Fang Chen said with a smile.
"A whole year? That seems like a waste. You could’ve spent that time on cultivation." The old woman shook her head slightly, but her gaze lingered on those talismans, occasionally showing a trace of greed.
The value of the talismans wasn't small. If he were to sell them all, he would probably be able to buy a treasure with three Soul Imprints.
Soon, customers approached Fang Chen, inquiring about the prices. Fang Chen offered a fixed price of two low-grade spirit stones for one talisman.
Although the production process of Divine Movement Talismans and Vajra Talismans was challenging, Fang Chen could tell that the quality of his talismans weren’t that high. Two low-grade spirit stones seemed about right.
Some people were dissatisfied with the price and left after asking, while others bought several at once.
In less than half a day, the talismans in front of Fang Chen were sold out. Talismans were clearly valuable to cultivators.
If these were Purple Lightning Talismans, the price would’ve been several times higher! Fang Chen thought to himself.
But it was easy to tell that Purple Lightning Talismans were a rare commodity, or even extremely precious. No one was even selling them. Were he to bring them out, he would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention.
The old woman’s business was pretty bad. She had only received three low-grade spirit stones in half a day. Earlier, she had spent several dozen low-grade spirit stones buying the pills she needed. Seeing how many spirit stones Fang Chen made, the greed in her eyes grew.
"Alright, I’m done.” Fang Chen smiled faintly, glanced at the old woman, and got up to leave.
The old woman's eyes flickered slightly. Seeing her meager earnings and empty pockets, she couldn't help but look at Fang Chen with a hint of coldness.
Fang Chen continued to stroll around Dragon Ridge Lane instead of leaving immediately. He went ahead and bought a brush, some cinnabar, and yellow talisman papers, spending a total of five low-grade spirit stones.
According to his calculations, he still had sixty-eight low-grade spirit stones left. Among the cultivators in the vicinity, his wealth was definitely above average.
"Bone Tempering Pills, ten pills for one low-grade spirit stone. Don't be deceived by the low price! Although it only increases bone strength, it's a truly rare treasure. Better not miss out on these!” a stall owner yelled.
The passing cultivators stopped to take a look. As they inspected the pills, they couldn’t help but ridicule the seller. "This thing is indeed rare. But other than increasing bone strength, it’s pretty useless. I don't know which alchemist even bothered refining Bone Tempering Pills. They might be excellent for martial artists, but for us cultivators, they are of little use."
It had to be known that cultivators rarely fought in close combat. And even if they did, their spiritual energy naturally strengthened their bones over time. Bone Tempering Pills were really quite redundant.
Not many cultivators would choose to spend low-grade spirit stones on things that had little use to them, unless it was for their attendants, of course.
However, in the eyes of cultivators, martial artists were nothing more than attendants and servants. They were only there to deal with the miscellaneous tasks. They didn't have to fight. So, few would invest their spirit stones in them. Spirit stones were precious. Why would they waste them on useless people?
"Brother, how many Bone Tempering Pills do you have?" Fang Chen asked casually.
"Not many. Do you want some?" The stall owner said. When saw that Fang Chen didn’t have any attendants by his side, he couldn’t help but frown. He suddenly felt that Fang Chen was here to mock him.
Fang Chen said with a smile. "I’ll take a few. I have some followers back at my cave dwelling. These would serve as rewards for them."
"Cave dwelling?" The faces of those nearby changed slightly. A cultivator with a cave dwelling definitely had a remarkable background. The old woman, who had been observing from a distance, hesitated slightly upon hearing that.
“Sure! I bought these pills at a high price. I have a hundred of them here. Will you take all of them? It’s just a low-grade spirit stone for ten pills.” His eyes lit up when he realized Fang Chen was serious.
He had indeed bought them at a high price. He had bought twenty pills for a low-grade spirit stone. If he sold them all, he would be able to earn five low-grade spirit stones!
Fang Chen frowned. “I don’t need that many.”
"It’s fine. I'll give you a discount. How about nine low-grade spirit stones for all of them? I have a hundred of them here, and they would cost ten low-grade spirit stones if you bought them individually. What do you think?" the stall owner hurriedly said. He was clearly desperate for a deal.
“I’ll take all of them for eight low-grade spirit stones. Otherwise, I think I’ll just buy ten Bone Tempering Pills, ” Fang Chen said.
“Is he crazy?! Why is he buying so many Bone Tempering Pills, is it to just reward his subordinates? Isn’t it better to keep those spirit stones for his own cultivation?”
“Just save them up to buy a treasure. He just needs a little more to get a treasure with one Soul Imprint!”
Everyone broke out into discussion.
Slightly taken aback by Fang Chen’s offer, the store owner gnashed his teeth and said, “Fine! I’ll take a small loss and make a new friend. These pills are yours!”
He was afraid Fang Chen would only purchase ten Bone Tempering Pills and leave the rest. It didn’t matter that he earned a little less. After all, it was profit regardless. It wasn’t as though he had those pills for a long time either.
Thus, the deal was concluded pleasantly.
Fang Chen spent eight low-grade spirit stones and obtained one hundred Bone Tempering Pills. He turned and left without saying another word.
Those pills might be useless for cultivators, but for martial artists, they were considered rare and valuable treasures.
Returning to the carriage, he ordered, “Let’s go. We’re going back the same way we came.”
Tie Ma nodded and drove the carriage away.
Leaving Dragon Ridge Lane, the old woman wasn’t the only one who followed Fang Chen. There were three other cultivators silently trailing behind.
In the sky, Fang Chen's divine soul stared at the figures below.
Apart from the old woman, who was at the fourth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, one of the three was at the third stage. The others were at the second stage. The three of them seemed to be part of the same group.
Clearly, they all shared the same thought.
They seemed to have noticed each other but decided not to act rashly.
After they had traveled about three hundred miles away from Dragon Ridge, the old woman and the group of three rushed to block the carriage’s path.
"Who are you? Why are you blocking my young master’s path?" Tie Ma, veiled in a mask, wore a serious expression. Fang Chen had already instructed him to address him as his young master when they were away to avoid arousing suspicion.
"Young man, I don’t want to be greedy. Just give me forty low-grade spirit stones, and I’ll leave." The old woman smiled ambiguously.
"Heh. It's you?" Fang Chen lifted the curtain and revealed a surprised expression. "Hey, old lady, are you trying to borrow forty low-grade spirit stones from me?"
The old woman laughed. "Borrowing? No, I’m asking for them."
The three cultivators behind her with concealed features added, "We’ll take twenty low-grade spirit stones as well. It doesn't matter if it's a little less."
Fang Chen chuckled in response. "So... You guys are here to rob me."
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