Chapter 385: Selling Meeting

Qinghong Market is renowned for its spirit beast trade and belongs to the Liang family. This family is most famous for raising a spirit beast known as the Qinghong Bird. A first-tier Qinghong Bird can carry people in flight, and a fully grown one can even transport goods. Many rogue cultivators in the Tianhe Realm dream of owning a Qinghong Bird, as it grants them the ability to fly during the Qi Condensation stage.

The Liang family has two Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Divine Wood Sect: Liang Yanyou, the head of the Spirit Beast Department, and Liang Lingzhen. Chen Mobai has a decent relationship with Liang Lingzhen; both serve as Inspectors in the Hall of Rewards and were among the Foundation Establishment cultivators who followed Chu Zuoshu in the battle at Trembling Mountain Peak. Liang Lingzhen was also present during the practice of the Eight Gates Azure Light Array.

The current patriarch of the Liang family, Liang Jinggui, holds an extremely senior position. He is over two hundred years old, making him the oldest Foundation Establishment cultivator in Jianguo territory. For this reason, he is also known as 'Old Ghost Liang'. Chen Mobai naturally paid his respects as a junior. After a couple of polite words, Liang Jinggui calmly accepted them.

“Nephew Chen, you are a young prodigy. I’ve heard Lingzhen speak of you often, and seeing you today, your reputation is certainly well-deserved.” Despite his white hair, Liang Jinggui's voice was full of vigor. With a wave of his hand, a graceful female cultivator immediately presented a spirit beast bag to Chen Mobai. “As a first meeting gift, this is the Qinghong Bird with the strongest bloodline fluctuations from our family’s latest batch of hatched birds. Please accept it, esteemed nephew.”

Chen Mobai politely exchanged a few words before accepting the gift without further delay. Spirit beast bags cannot be stored in spatial storage bags. Unwilling to hang it on his waist on the spot, Chen Mobai handed it to Luo Yixuan, instructing her to consult with the Liang family’s young female cultivator on how to handle the Qinghong Bird. Meanwhile, Chen Mobai and Liu Wenbai joined Liang Jinggui to discuss renting a shop in Qinghong Market.

The Divine Wood Sect's name holds significant sway within Jianguo. As the overseer for the next ten years, Chen Mobai commanded respect even from the Fu family, who had direct ties to an Old Ancestor, let alone the Liang family.

“Nephew, the Star Heaven Grand Merchant Association is holding a special sale at Tiankui Market. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators will be there. Wang Gongdao has invited me and others to exchange pills, spiritual items, and other resources. Would you care to join us?” After inspecting the Divine Wood Sect's shops and visiting disciples in Qinghong Market, Liang Jinggui proposed that Chen Mobai accompany them.

Chen Mobai naturally agreed but stated that he needed to visit the Guo family first before they could depart.

“The Guo family? Since Madam Guo mysteriously disappeared, their situation has steadily worsened. If not for Guo Bainian still being with the Five Elements Sect, they would have long been annihilated by those powerful rogue cultivators who breached their formations.” Liang Jinggui was clearly very interested in the plight of his neighbors.

Chen Mobai, however, knew that when the Ethereal Stone mine was discovered, the upper echelons of the Divine Wood Sect had already considered eliminating the Guo family. Had it not been for Meng Hong's concerns about the significant repercussions, the Guo family would likely no longer exist.

“What is the origin of this Guo family?” Chen Mobai inquired of Liang Jinggui beside him.

“Many years ago, when we were still part of the Five Elements Sect, Madam Guo became a Dao companion with Jianguo’s former overseer, Ying Chang, who was a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Earth Vein,” Liang Jinggui explained. “Later, when our Divine Wood Sect branched off and occupied Jianguo territory, Ying Chang, for the sake of his wife and children, chose not to leave. Instead, he joined the Wood Vein. Even later, Ying Chang fought on behalf of the Divine Wood Sect. On the front lines, he encountered fellow cultivators from his original Earth Vein and was killed by a mutually destructive spell. His death was considered a sacrifice for the Divine Wood Sect, which is why the Guo family still held ten shops in Qinghong Market.”

Liang Jinggui clearly knew the Guo family’s affairs inside out. Of those ten shops, the Guo family now only retains six, and negotiations are even underway to transfer ownership of these. The Liang family itself is in the process of taking them over.

“The Guo family’s most valuable asset is a jade mine, where spiritual stones are occasionally found alongside the jade. I’ve recently been collaborating with other major powers in Qinghong Market to see if we can collectively acquire this jade mine as well.”

Chen Mobai was slightly surprised after hearing Liang Jinggui’s words. “Oh, has the Guo family fallen into such dire straits? Are they selling off even their ancestral property?” He had heard of the Guo family’s Golden Jade Mine; the Golden Jade Axe in his possession was forged from materials extracted from this very mine. It yields precious third-tier golden jade materials annually and can be mined for several more decades, making it worth at least tens of thousands of spiritual stones.

“Without a Foundation Establishment cultivator to oversee it, the Guo family cannot hold onto such a vast fortune. However, this is also Guo Bainian’s intention: for the Guo family to sell all their assets in Jianguo, acquire a large sum of spiritual stones, and then move their entire family to the Five Elements Sect’s territory. They might not be worse off there.”

Chen Mobai’s expression showed understanding after hearing Liang Jinggui’s explanation. However, he suspected that the Divine Wood Sect might also be subtly influencing the situation from behind. After all, directly annihilating the Guo family would be difficult and create negative repercussions. But leveraging their lack of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, driving forces like the Liang family to expel the Guo family from Jianguo territory, and then finding ways to eliminate them, was entirely plausible. The fact that Liang Jinggui openly discussed acquiring the Guo family’s assets in front of Chen Mobai indicated that he had, at the very least, received an internal hint from the Divine Wood Sect.

Chen Mobai decided to simply invite Liang Jinggui to visit the Guo family with him. The Guo family was clearly unprepared for his arrival, appearing somewhat flustered. After a considerable wait, three elders, all at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, emerged and respectfully welcomed the two men inside.

“The stability of Jianguo’s cultivation world relies on every one of the seven great families. I heard your Guo family has been experiencing some difficulties recently, so I specifically came to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Chen Mobai’s words were perfectly crafted and left no room for doubt. The Guo family’s Grand Elder was visibly moved as he recounted his family’s recent troubles. “Hong Chang of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance and the formidable Dou Yewang have repeatedly attempted to breach our family’s formations. One claims our Guo family’s jade artifact business prices are too high, leaving no livelihood for rogue cultivators; the other claims a disciple of his went missing nearby and that our Guo family, driven by greed, murdered his disciple, demanding we open our formations for his search. Heaven knows it! Isn’t it obvious they’re just taking advantage of our patriarch’s disappearance to seize our family’s mines and spiritual lands?!” As the Guo family’s Grand Elder spoke, he couldn’t help but shed old tears. His family had never suffered such grievances before.

“What are the backgrounds of Hong Xu and Dou Yewang?” Chen Mobai genuinely didn’t know these two and couldn’t help but ask Liang Jinggui beside him.

“The Rogue Cultivator Alliance is an organization that originated from the Eastern Lands. Its purpose is to establish a sanctuary for rogue cultivators under the rule of major sects, preventing large powers from monopolizing all spiritual pills and herbs and arbitrarily setting prices. Although the Rogue Cultivator Alliance within the Eastern Wasteland hasn’t fully developed, it has attracted many cultivators. Hong Xu is one of the rogue cultivator leaders within Jianguo, and he is a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator,” Liang Jinggui explained. “Dou Yewang started out as a rogue cultivator and was incredibly lucky to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill after killing a Qi Condensation disciple. Although he has become more restrained since reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he has gathered a group of fellow rogue cultivators and frequently plunders smaller sects and powers that lack a Foundation Establishment overseer.”

After Liang Jinggui finished speaking, Chen Mobai emphatically slapped his thigh. “Rogue cultivators are the black sheep of our world! If Dou Yewang dares to cause trouble like this again, tell him to come find me at the Divine Wood Sect. As for Hong Xu, I feel he has deviated from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance’s original intention. It’s necessary to correct his thinking, and I will have a good talk with him when I encounter him.”

Chen Mobai’s words deeply moved the Guo family’s Grand Elder. As they departed, he directly slipped a storage bag to Chen Mobai.

“Alas, I cannot accept rewards without merit. Once I resolve the issues with Hong Xu and Dou Yewang, if Elder Guo wishes to express his gratitude, I will certainly accept it without hesitation.”

Under Liang Jinggui’s expression of disbelief, Chen Mobai refused the spiritual stones offered by the Guo family and left with Liu Wenbai.

“Nephew, the Guo family has sold off many assets recently and accumulated a significant amount of spiritual stones. What they offered you was likely a substantial gift.” On the way back, Liang Jinggui reminded him, lest Chen Mobai overlook such a large amount of extra income.

“Patriarch Liang, you need not worry about my integrity. It’s simply that if I were to accept these spiritual stones from the Guo family, I would feel obligated to resolve their problems thoroughly, or else my conscience would trouble me. And frankly, the Guo family is not yet qualified to warrant such a commitment from me.” Although Chen Mobai was not a cultivator focused on cultivating his state of mind, he nonetheless valued uprightness and rectitude. Since childhood, his maternal grandfather had taught him that receiving gifts and undertaking tasks was a transaction based heavily on trust. If you accepted a gift but failed to complete the task, you absolutely had to return the gift. Otherwise, that matter would become a vulnerability hindering your future advancement, and perhaps even the last gift you would ever receive.

Liang Jinggui pondered this, and his estimation of Chen Mobai rose once again.

The next day, their group set off together for Tiankui Market. Seven members of the Liang family joined, seemingly intending to procure items at Tiankui Market. Chen Mobai, his two disciples, and Liang Jinggui sat together on the back of a colossal second-tier Qinghong Bird. There was even a pavilion on its back, where they conversed and drank tea amidst the clouds, truly embodying the demeanor of immortals.

“I heard that this Star Heaven Grand Merchant Association’s sale will feature a Soft Bone Pill formula. If acquired, it could allow low-tier spirit beasts to speak.”

The Star Heaven Grand Merchant Association is the commercial arm of the Star Heaven Dao Sect, a super sect within the Eastern Yue territory. It has long facilitated trade across the six Eastern Regions, exchanging goods and accumulating countless spiritual stones. The special sale itself is a unique form of anonymous auction specific to the Tianhe Realm. The association displays spiritual pills, magical artifacts, and other resources. After paying an admission fee in spiritual stones, all cultivators are welcome to view the items. If a cultivator finds something they desire, they can approach a responsible member of the association and submit their bid. Once the sale concludes, the association compares all bids and then privately notifies the highest bidder to come forward, pay the spiritual stones, and collect their goods.

The advantage of this method is that some cultivators, to ensure they secure a needed spiritual item, will submit a very high price. Furthermore, the association guarantees, on its reputation, that it will absolutely not disclose to outsiders who purchased which items. At the very least, in the Eastern Wasteland, no sect has yet been able to force the Star Heaven Dao Sect to compromise. Most cultivators welcome this type of sale. After all, the Eastern Wasteland has too many rogue cultivators. With guaranteed confidentiality, safety is significantly enhanced.

The Soft Bone Pill that Liang Jinggui sought was a formula originating from Dongli. Its primary purpose is to help demonic beasts refine their throat bones, enabling them to speak even at the first or second tier. However, this particular formula is a genuine high-grade second-tier item, making it quite expensive, and it is anticipated that many will compete for it. Therefore, Liang Jinggui personally came to observe if there were any competitors in beast control. He hoped to see if they could cooperate and avoid bidding against each other; at worst, everyone could simply copy the formula after it was acquired. Of course, if a price is too low, the association also reserves the right not to sell.

“At this special sale, cultivators can also submit their own items to the association for appraisal. The association will then provide a valuation, and if an acquisition is agreed upon, they will take the spiritual items collected from the Eastern Wasteland to hold similar sales in the neighboring Dongwu or Dongyi territories. It’s always a profitable venture for them.” Chen Mobai was very interested in the special sale, so Liang Jinggui elaborated further.

The Qinghong Bird’s speed was faster than Chen Mobai had imagined; their group reached Tiankui Market in just two days. To their surprise, two other Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived simultaneously.

“The Tang siblings.” Liang Jinggui clearly recognized them. The man had a gloomy expression and wore a black scarf, while the woman had an alluring face and was elaborately dressed. Seeing the massive Qinghong Bird in the sky, the Tang siblings knew who had arrived. They offered no greeting, landing and then proceeding directly into Tiankui Market.

“Are these two rogue cultivators?” Chen Mobai, with his Spirit Eye, noticed their impressive cultivation—both were at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage—and couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“They are rogue cultivators from the Snow Country, who frequently come to our Jianguo market to fence stolen goods, seemingly through channels provided by the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.” Liang Jinggui finished speaking, then signaled for the Qinghong Bird to land. A Liang family member was already waiting at the market entrance. After the Qinghong Bird was stored in its spirit beast bag, they all entered together.

“Please take us to the special sale first.” Despite his age, Liang Jinggui remained decisive in his actions.

“Yes, Old Ancestor,” the Liang family’s representative in Tiankui Market immediately replied, leading them towards their destination.

Starfall Market! Chen Mobai nodded slightly as he read the three characters on a stone tablet at the entrance of the central street in Tiankui Market, marking the location of the special sale.

“For this sale, the Wang family’s Old Ancestor vacated ten shops in the market center and rented them to the Star Heaven Grand Merchant Association. Each shop displays spiritual items with different attributes.” Listening to the Liang family deacon’s introduction, Chen Mobai entered the Starfall Market street with his two curious disciples. At the entrance of each shop, a floating plaque was displayed, inscribed with one of the following: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Unique, Pill, Beast, Array, or Rare.