Chapter 1020: Great Zhou Dynasty

Within the Myriad Bug Mountain Range of the Eastern Wilderness, a massive valley housed a nine-story blue pavilion. Over thirty Core Formation cultivators were gathered on the ninth floor, conversing in small groups.

Wang Qingshan and Liu Mei'er shared a table, where two plates of spirit cakes and a pot of spirit tea were laid out.

The intense battles on the front lines necessitated the deployment of more cultivators and supplies. Simultaneously, a large number of wounded were transferred to this outpost in the Myriad Bug Mountain Range for recuperation, making the stronghold increasingly bustling.

According to Liu Mei'er, this exchange fair was initiated by the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the Central Plains cultivation world.

The Great Zhou Dynasty, one of the five major dynasties in the Central Plains cultivation world, also heavily practiced Confucianism. It was unknown what terms the Seven Great Immortal Sects of the Eastern Wilderness had offered, but the Great Zhou Dynasty had dispatched two "Other-Surnamed Kings" and dozens of Core Formation cultivators to participate in the war.

The situation in the Central Plains cultivation world was unique: the imperial family and the "Other-Surnamed Kings" co-governed the land. These "Other-Surnamed Kings" were all Nascent Soul cultivators, while marquises and generals were Core Formation cultivators.

Wang Qingshan had never visited the Central Plains cultivation world, but he had heard that it greatly emphasized etiquette. Among cultivators, if one held an official position, those of lower rank had to first salute higher-ranking cultivators, and then offer a junior's respectful bow, which was quite bothersome.

The Central Plains cultivation world served as a transit hub for the Eastern Wilderness, Southern Sea, Northern Reaches, and Western Desert. Its crucial geographical location and bustling trade made it immensely wealthy. Leveraging these advantages, it strongly promoted the "King's Way," which essentially meant a hereditary rule or dynastic succession.

The three major cultivation worlds of the Eastern Wilderness, Southern Sea, and Northern Reaches all rejected the "King's Way." However, the Central Plains cultivation world had developed for tens of thousands of years, establishing its own complete system. No matter how much external forces disliked it, the cultivators of the Central Plains would not change, having grown up in such an environment. To most of them, the "King's Way" was the Heavenly Dao itself, which all cultivators should obey.

"Almost everyone is here. Shall we begin?"

A fair-faced youth in white robes, wearing a white Confucian turban, a white jade belt, and holding a white paper fan, walked to a round table in the center, looking like a dashing young master. He cupped his fist towards the cultivators present and politely said, "I am Zhao Wenbin. Greetings, fellow Daoists. This exchange fair is hosted by me. The rules are the same as other fairs: all exchanges are voluntary, and I am not responsible if anyone makes a misjudgment."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you jest. If we make a misjudgment, we can only blame ourselves for our bad luck."

"Exactly. This is an exchange fair, not an auction. We know what we're doing. Let's start quickly!"

Zhao Wenbin smiled and nodded, saying, "As the host, I'll go first!"

"Wait, wait, wait for me, Huang."

A somewhat hurried male voice suddenly rang out. A gust of wind swept by, and a flash of yellow light revealed a chubby man in yellow robes with a pockmarked face, appearing beside Zhao Wenbin.

"Pockmarked Huang, it's you! How dare you show your face at this exchange fair? You copied a single spirit art dozens of times and sold it to us under different names. Hand over the spirit stones, or don't blame me for being impolite!" A middle-aged man in his early forties said with a frown, his face filled with rage.

The chubby man in yellow robes was indeed Huang Fugui. Hearing this, he took two steps back, chuckled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and earnestly said, "It's true I copied a few extra copies for sale, but I did it to purchase more strategic supplies. Those supplies have already been handed over to Senior Jun. I had no choice! Every time I see low-level cultivators die because they don't receive timely treatment, this old man feels heartbroken. With my purse so empty, I resorted to this desperate measure. The demon race's desire to destroy our human race never dies. Please, Fellow Daoist Sun, for the sake of humanity, let it go!"

"That's absolute nonsense! If you had sold one or two extra copies, perhaps. But you sold us eight copies, totaling eight hundred thousand spirit stones! My friend told me he saw you at an underground auction, spending generously, buying three bottles of cultivation-boosting pills in one go. You claim your purse is empty? Take out that string of storage beads from your embrace and let everyone see! If you, Huang Fugui, are poor, I'll write my name, Sun Yulang, backward!"

The middle-aged man cursed loudly. He was an elder of the Skywind Trading Alliance, an organization with extensive holdings. To his knowledge, Huang Fugui had copied a spirit art hundreds of times, selling it from the Northern Reaches cultivation world all the way to the Eastern Wilderness. He was clearly rolling in wealth yet constantly pleaded poverty, truly embodying the saying: "A shameless person is invincible."

Witnessing this scene, a smile involuntarily appeared on Wang Qingshan's face.

Huang Fugui chuckled awkwardly and said, "Fellow Daoist Sun, you've misunderstood. Your friend must have mistaken me for someone else. How about this: I'll give you something to settle the debt. Considering how hard I've worked transporting supplies, please be understanding, Fellow Daoist Sun, and don't hold it against me."

He produced an exquisite green jade box, its surface shimmering with fluctuating colorful light.

Sun Yulang's expression softened. He opened the jade box and saw a slightly yellowed belly band embroidered with mandarin ducks, its spiritual light dim. He picked up the yellow belly band with two fingers, noticing that a corner of it was missing.

Sun Yulang flew into a rage, and a startling spiritual energy fluctuation burst from him. Huang Fugui's face changed drastically, and he quickly explained, "Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Sun! This belly band has a missing corner, but it has a map on it. It might be a treasure map! You'll know if you take it back and study it. Even if I had a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare to trick you!"

Although both were Core Formation cultivators, Huang Fugui's cultivation was slightly higher than Sun Yulang's. However, when Sun Yulang got angry, Huang Fugui immediately cowered. Most of the cultivators present showed expressions of amusement.

"Alright, Elder Sun, let's drop this matter. For the sake of Senior Zhang, let it go. Huang Fugui, if you ever sell eight copies of a spirit art to our Skywind Trading Alliance again, we won't be so lenient with you." A ruddy-faced old man in red robes said with a cold expression.

Huang Fugui breathed a sigh of relief, chuckled awkwardly, and said, "I didn't know those shops belonged to your Skywind Trading Alliance. It won't happen again next time."

He walked up to Wang Qingshan, a fawning smile on his face, and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, is it alright if I sit here?"

"No problem, Fellow Daoist Huang, please sit." Wang Qingshan chuckled softly, picked up the teapot, and poured Huang Fugui a cup of spirit tea.

Huang Fugui didn't stand on ceremony; he picked up the teacup and drank. "Good tea!" He then picked up the teapot himself, poured another cup, and took a piece of pastry to eat.

Zhao Wenbin took out a dozen items, placed them on the table, and stated what he wished to exchange for. These included artifact refining materials, pills, talisman-making ingredients, and even magic treasures. These items were not very useful for a sword cultivator. The items Zhao Wenbin wanted in exchange were quite valuable, so Wang Qingshan naturally didn't make a trade. Liu Mei'er, however, exchanged a third-tier mid-grade demon core for a piece of eight-hundred-year-old spirit wood.