Starry Sky Professional Directory 21
Chapter 21: Qinglinfang City (Requesting Monthly Tickets)
June 29, 2024
Chapter 21: Qinglinfang City (Requesting Monthly Tickets)
Morning.
A thin fog hung in the air.
Qinglinfang City was situated atop a green mountain peak, surrounded by towering green trees. The peak was shrouded in thick fog, obscuring much of the view. At the foot of the mountain, however, rows of shacks were visible, mostly constructed from readily available materials—large, thick timbers—appearing cramped and secluded. There were no gutters in front of the houses, and sewage flowed freely.
“This is Qinglinfang City? It certainly doesn’t live up to its reputation…”
Fang Xing, dressed in a green robe, his hair tied in a bun, carried a basket on his back. His features were disguised; he appeared as a young man with simple, honest features, looking no different from the locals.
He sighed, secretly remotely controlling a lifelike yellow sparrow in the sky to descend and enter the basket.
He had gone to great lengths for today’s exploration.
He had planned numerous escape routes, donned a basic nano-protective suit under his robe, and carried a stun baton at his waist—fully armed.
Furthermore, he had been using a lifelike bird-shaped drone to constantly monitor his surroundings, which had already helped him avoid several groups of people who clearly looked like trouble.
“Is this a cultivator’s market, or a slum?”
Upon entering the shantytown, the first thing that hit him was a foul stench, causing Fang Xing to instinctively wave the air in front of his nose.
The roads were muddy and overgrown with weeds. Occasionally, a piece of bone, stark white, would be visible…
It looked like a human thigh bone.
“Damn…”
Fang Xing looked towards a corner ahead; a fresh corpse seemed to be lying there, its killer unknown. The body had been stripped bare.
Several passersby hurried along, and he occasionally saw eyes peering from the cracks in the wooden boards and windows.
Everyone seemed completely unfazed by the corpse.
‘Chaos, disorder…death around every corner?’
‘Living in this environment must be incredibly stressful!’
Fang Xing muttered to himself, then his gaze sharpened.
A tall, thin middle-aged man approached, wearing a gray Taoist robe, his expression cold and dark.
More importantly, as he walked, faint wisps of spiritual light flickered from his gray robe!
“A Daoist robe? A cultivator?”
Fang Xing’s heart stirred, and he quickly imitated the nearby martial artists, standing aside to give the man the right of way.
Some martial artists even bowed deeply, their faces bearing obsequious and fawning smiles.
It all felt natural, as if it were a matter of course.
‘Ritualistic hierarchy, survival of the fittest…’
‘If I don’t bow and make way, will I be killed? Would it even matter?’
With a heavy heart, Fang Xing left the shantytown and continued upward.
The mountain path was paved with bluish-grey stone slabs, some covered in moss, offering a strangely beautiful contrast.
Reaching the middle of the mountain, large buildings became visible, much more orderly, with paved stone floors and relative cleanliness.
Several martial artists were sweeping nearby, some carrying buckets, resembling servants.
After walking another few dozen meters, Fang Xing saw a memorial archway inscribed with four large characters: ‘Qinglinfang City.’
Entering the market, the flow of people increased significantly. Various vendors set up stalls along the sides of the roads, offering a bizarre assortment of goods.
Exotic flowers and plants, vegetables and fruits glistening with morning dew, animal hides, bones, and piles of white rice…
Of course, there were also various strange weapons, peculiar talismans, and jars and bottles…
Many people were either intently examining the goods or haggling over prices.
Fang Xing observed dispassionately, largely confirming that most transactions were barter-based; the most commonly used currency was a substance called ‘Spirit Sand,’ the same as the crystalline rice grains he carried.
In addition to the stalls, there were many shops in the market.
Qing Dan Fang (Green Pill Shop), Bai Bao Ge (Hundred Treasures Pavilion), Huo Lian Fang (Fire Refining Shop), Xiao Fu Tang (Small Talisman Hall), Ting Yu Lou (Rain Listening Tower)…
Some shop names clearly indicated what they sold; others required guesswork.
Fang Xing paused briefly in front of the Ting Yu Lou (Rain Listening Tower), and the sounds of alluring music reached his ears, immediately revealing its nature.
“Little brother, want to come in and play? It only costs one Spirit Stone!”
Perhaps because he lingered too long, a woman with a half-exposed bosom beckoned him, her eyes almost melting with seductive allure.
‘Spirit Stone? Seems to be a higher-value currency than Spirit Sand?’
Fang Xing’s heart skipped a beat, but he feigned a blush and shyly walked away, eliciting a peal of silvery laughter from behind him.
Half an hour later.
“How much for this ‘Zhu Long Grass’?”
After wandering around, Fang Xing stopped at a stall, pointing to a crimson, jade-like herb with thick leaves.
The stall owner was an elderly farmer-looking man smoking a brass-mouthed pipe; wisps of smoke curled from the bowl.
Hearing Fang Xing’s question, the old man was in no hurry. He took another satisfying puff before calmly tapping the pipe on a nearby bluish-grey stone slab.
The bluish-grey stone slab had a dent in it, apparently worn down by years of the old man’s habit.
“Two Spirit Sands for one Zhu Long Grass… but if you’re selling it to me, it’ll be one Spirit Sand per plant.”
The old man spoke slowly.
“How did you know?”
Fang Xing’s heart skipped a beat, a look of confusion flitting across his face, as if he were an inexperienced young man.
“Hehe…” The old man chuckled triumphantly. “I can smell the herb in your basket from ten feet away. It’s Zhu Long Grass, right? If you want a higher price, go ask around…”
“You’re truly… insightful.”
Fang Xing gave a simple smile.
He had made considerable preparations for this trip to the market, and a significant part of his supplies were ‘Zhu Long Grass’!
After all, there was an abundance of this herb in the wild boar demon beast’s territory.
And harvesting it with a drone was relatively low-risk.
This time, Fang Xing brought twenty stalks of fresh Zhu Long Grass to gauge the market.
“Truthfully, only Qi cultivators use Zhu Long Grass… We martial artists only earn our keep. But the market price has recently risen. Otherwise, you’d only get one Spirit Sand for every two or three stalks!”
The old man, having little business, was relaxed and casually chatted with Fang Xing. “Young man… I’m not trying to deceive you. Even at the shops, you’ll get this price, but I can give you a discount—eleven Spirit Sands for ten stalks…”
“I don’t have that many; these few stalks cost me dearly,”
Fang Xing shook his head, a look of hesitation on his face. “I’ll look around…”
He said no more, blending into the crowd.
“Damn, the bottom line of people in this world is too low, I really can’t trust them…”
“Compared to that, the reputation of a shop is at least higher than that of an individual…”
“My profits wouldn’t be worth a shop risking its reputation… but an individual is different.”
Considering everything, even if the purchase price was lower, Fang Xing decided to trade at a shop.
“Selling talismans, freshly drawn talismans… Wind-Riding Talismans, Fire Rain Talismans, Golden Bell Talismans, Spirit Testing Symbols… Everyone come and take a look!”
At that moment, Fang Xing was drawn to another stall by a shout and his expression became serious.
The stall owner, a middle-aged man, wore a Daoist robe radiating spiritual light; he was a cultivator!
“Wind-Riding Talisman, stick it on your leg, makes you light on your feet, a must-have for travelers… cheap price, one Spirit Sand per talisman…”
“Fire Rain Talisman, first-order, low-grade attack talisman, five Spirit Sands…”
“Spirit Testing Symbol, detects spiritual roots. As everyone knows, mortals without spiritual roots cannot cultivate. Some of you gifted individuals may have been wrongly tested as children! Today is your second chance! Change your destiny! Only eight Spirit Sands!”
Upon hearing this, Fang Xing’s heart stirred, and he looked at the final ‘Golden Bell Talisman.’
This talisman was placed in the center of the stall, clearly a high-grade item.
“First-order, mid-grade—Golden Bell Talisman, enough to withstand several attacks from a Qi Cultivator at the mid-Qi stage, it’s a top-quality item! Only three Spirit Stones—I’m taking a huge loss here…”
Fang Xing had been shopping for a while and already knew that ten Spirit Sands could be exchanged for one low-grade Spirit Stone, so he found the stall owner’s words quite amusing.
He squeezed through the crowd, comparing prices at several shops, before finally entering ‘Qing Dan Fang’!
He chose this shop because, first, it appeared to be a pill shop, and it would definitely need herbs.
Second, the green leaf mark on the signboard was identical to the mark on the bottom of the Qi Blood Pill bottle, giving Fang Xing a favorable impression.
“Sir, what kind of pills are you looking for?”
Upon entering the shop, a girl with bright eyes and white teeth greeted him.
Even though she saw that Fang Xing was just an ordinary young martial artist, there was no hint of disdain on her face.
‘While this is standard service on Aquila Star, it’s remarkable in Qinglinfang City…’
Fang Xing sighed inwardly and then said, “I want to sell medicine… Do you buy Zhu Long Grass?”
“Of course, one Spirit Sand per stalk. How many do you have?”
The girl paused, then replied.
“Just these…”
Fang Xing took off the basket on his back and took out twenty stalks of Zhu Long Grass.
“Mm, freshly picked. Though the technique is somewhat crude, the medicinal properties are largely intact… twenty Spirit Sands in total. What do you think?”
The girl checked them one by one and gave her price.
“Agreed!”
Fang Xing was succinct, and the girl put away the Zhu Long Grass and brought out two crystalline stones.
“Low-grade Spirit Stones?”
His eyes lit up as he took the stones and held them in his palm.
These low-grade Spirit Stones were only about the size of a fingernail, crystal clear, and the inner mist was even denser. Holding them in his palm gave him a cool sensation.
“Is there anything else you need?” The girl seemed eager to make another sale.
“Qi Blood Pills…”
Fang Xing thought for a moment and tentatively asked, “What’s the price?”
“Qi Blood Pills are for ordinary martial artists, very cheap, only one Spirit Stone per bottle.” The girl chuckled and answered. Although her tone remained unchanged, a sense of superiority naturally emanated from her.
“One bottle!”
Fang Xing handed over the Spirit Stones he had just received, still warm in his hand, and bought a vial identical to the one taken from the female martial artist.
Leaving Qing Dan Fang, he looked towards the stalls, then thoughtfully entered another building—Xiao Fu Tang.
(End of Chapter)
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
0 Comments