Chapter 336: Sales (Part 1)

Wang Ruyan smiled faintly and said, "Qingzhi is with his Thirteenth Uncle; I can't reach him for a while. I will certainly bring Qingzhi to visit you later."

Just then, Wang Qingshan's voice suddenly rang out, "Ninth Aunt."

Wang Ruyan turned her head and saw Wang Qingshan quickly walking towards her.

Upon seeing Wang Qingshan, both Fang Zixu and Ye Yunshang's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

Despite his young age, Wang Qingshan had already reached the second level of Foundation Establishment.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, let me introduce you. This is Wang Qingshan. Qingshan, these two are Fellow Daoist Fang and Fellow Daoist Ye, and that young lady is Fellow Daoist Fang's only daughter," Wang Ruyan introduced.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists," Wang Qingshan said courteously, bowing to Fang Zixu and Ye Yunshang.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, to have reached the second level of Foundation Establishment at such a young age truly shows great promise!" Fang Zixu said with a faint smile, offering a polite compliment.

After some pleasantries, Fang Zixu suddenly recalled something and asked with a smile:

"Madam Wang, Fellow Daoist Qin from Qinyun Ridge is holding an exchange fair, and many cultivation families from the State of Wei will be attending. Are you interested in participating?"

Wang Ruyan's face lit up with delight, and she smiled, "Yes, we are interested! When will the exchange fair be held?"

The Qin family of Qinyun Ridge was an affiliated force of the Huangsheng Palace, with six or seven Foundation Establishment cultivators in their clan. Several of their members had also joined the Huangsheng Palace. More importantly, the Qin family controlled a large territory, including a section in Yunzhou, making them practically neighbors with the Wang family.

"Tomorrow at noon, on the fourth floor of Sanyuan Residence."

Wang Ruyan smiled and accepted. An exchange fair offered opportunities to trade items and expand connections, so she naturally wouldn't refuse.

"Ninth Sister-in-law, Qingshan," Wang Changfei's voice suddenly called out as he walked over, accompanied by Wang Qingzhi.

Wang Qingzhi wore a broad smile, as if he had acquired something valuable.

After brief introductions, Wang Qingzhi and Wang Changfei took their seats.

"Madam Wang, your son is truly outstanding; indeed, a tiger doesn't beget a dog!" Fang Zixu said politely.

"You flatter him, Fellow Daoist Fang. Qingzhi is nowhere near as exceptional as your esteemed daughter," Wang Ruyan replied.

Fang Siruo blinked, then asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist Wang, can you refine puppet beasts? Are puppet beasts difficult to refine?"

Wang Qingzhi shook his head and honestly replied, "I can't refine puppet beasts. Spending all day carving wood is boring. My elder sister likes it, though."

"So what do you like to do then? Do you cultivate all day?"

"Staying indoors and cultivating all day is boring. I prefer growing spirit grains and spirit herbs. Oh, and raising fish. That's much more interesting than arduous cultivation."

Fang Siruo's eyes lit up, and she pressed, "Spirit fish? What kind of spirit fish?"

The two were of similar age, and after a few exchanges, they began conversing freely. Neither set of elders interrupted them, allowing them to chat leisurely.

Wang Qingzhi was straightforward and sincere, while Fang Siruo was quite candid, asking whatever came to mind. Her heart was set on the Dao, and she usually engaged in diligent cultivation, so she listened with great interest as Wang Qingzhi recounted his amusing experiences farming and raising fish.

Their conversation and demeanor were observed by Wang Ruyan and Fang Zixu. Wang Ruyan appreciated Fang Siruo's candor, while Fang Zixu admired Wang Qingzhi's practical and steady nature.

"Immortal Fang, if you ever visit our Wang family stronghold, I'll definitely show you the purple-scaled crucian carp I raise. They're quite plump, and taste excellent whether steamed or braised."

Fang Siruo smiled sweetly and said, "Okay, if my father has time someday, I'll definitely come and try some. Fellow Daoist Wang, if you're free, you're welcome to visit our Fang family. Our Fang family's Green Dew Spirit Tea has an absolutely wonderful flavor."

Wang Qingzhi gave a simple smile and agreed.

"Madam Wang, we still have some matters to attend to. We will certainly pay you a visit another day."

"In that case, we won't intrude any further. See you tomorrow."

Back at their lodging, Wang Qingzhi returned to his room to rest.

Wang Ruyan, Wang Changfei, and Wang Qingshan sat down in the stone pavilion, drinking tea and chatting.

"Thirteenth Brother, Qingshan, what do you think of Fellow Daoist Fang's daughter?"

Wang Changfei pondered for a moment before speaking. "Judging by her conversation and demeanor, she's candid and has a Qi Refining Layer Six cultivation. This is partly due to her diligent cultivation, but she must have also consumed quite a few elixirs. If her aptitude were truly exceptional, Fang Zixu wouldn't let her leave the Fang family so easily. I'm not particularly familiar with the Fang family's situation."

Wang Changfei was already married, and he viewed matters more from a family perspective. He understood the underlying meaning of Wang Ruyan's words.

"I think Ninth Brother got along quite well with Fang Siruo. However, based solely on this brief interaction, we can't truly see Fang Siruo's true nature. Perhaps she's an overbearing and unreasonable young lady behind closed doors, especially since she's an only daughter. If our two families are to form a marriage alliance, I believe we should wait for Ninth Uncle to return."

Wang Ruyan nodded and smiled, "Naturally, I'll discuss Qingzhi's marriage with his father. However, I think Siruo is a good girl. At the very least, Siruo isn't as cunning as Qi Shanshan."

Wang Qingjing knew that Wang Qingzhi liked Qi Shanshan, and as his mother, Wang Ruyan naturally knew as well. However, she felt that Qi Shanshan was too scheming and unsuitable for Wang Qingzhi. If Wang Qingzhi genuinely loved Qi Shanshan, she might agree to let Qi Shanshan be a concubine.

Women are often contradictory; as a wife, she wished her husband to be devoted, but as a mother, she hoped her son would marry several wives and concubines to have many children and grandchildren.

"Qingshan, if you fancy a girl from any family, tell your Ninth Aunt. Your Ninth Aunt will help arrange a match for you. You're not getting any younger, so you can start thinking about settling down."

Wang Qingshan shook his head immediately and said, "Ninth Aunt, I appreciate your kindness, but I don't want to get married for now."

Wang Ruyan smiled, nodded, and didn't say anything further.

The next day at noon, Wang Ruyan and Wang Qingzhi arrived at the fourth floor of Sanyuan Residence on time.

The fourth floor had already been reserved, and all the cultivators present were at the Foundation Establishment stage.

The organizer of the exchange fair was Qin Yunxiang from Qinyun Ridge, a Foundation Establishment Layer Six cultivator.

Over forty Foundation Establishment cultivators attended the fair, most of whom were from the State of Wei.

When most of the attendees had arrived, Qin Yunxiang stood up, cupped his hands to the cultivators, and smiled, "I am Qin Yunxiang of Qinyun Ridge. Many thanks to all fellow Daoists for honoring my invitation to this exchange fair. As the host, I shall start by presenting my humble offerings."

He took out three items: a blue crystal, a cyan porcelain bottle, and a cyan wooden box.

"I offer a Blue Stream Crystal, a bottle of Cyan Glaze Spirit Liquid, and a Tier 2 low-grade demon core in exchange for earth-attribute materials of equivalent value."

Wang Ruyan and Wang Qingshan were not interested in these three items and did not participate in the exchange. However, quite a few cultivators at the fair were interested, and Qin Yunxiang successfully exchanged them for two earth-attribute materials.

Qin Yunxiang set a good precedent, and one after another, cultivators came forward to exchange items. Some exchanges were successful, while others failed.

Wang Ruyan exchanged two Fire Escape Talismans for a Tier 2 mid-grade ice-attribute demon core.

Wang Qingshan traded a Tier 2 beast hide for a Fire Cloud Stone.

About half an hour later, the exchange fair concluded. The cultivators then enjoyed tea and conversation, recommending their unique specialties to others, including spirit grains, spirit fish, talismans, elixirs, spirit beasts, weapons, and formation flags.

Wang Ruyan stood up and said with a smile, "Our Green Lotus Wang family has some rudimentary knowledge of puppetry and can refine Tier 1 and Tier 2 puppet beasts. If any fellow Daoists are interested in puppets, you can contact me."

The puppet beasts refined by the Wang family were currently sold within the State of Wei, mostly near their home base. This was primarily because transporting puppet beasts was troublesome; if there were too few Foundation Establishment cultivators escorting the goods, they could easily be robbed, but the Wang family also couldn't afford to send too many. Most of their clan members were at Foundation Establishment Layer One, and while Wang Ruyan was at Foundation Establishment Layer Four, they couldn't possibly have her escort goods every six months or so.

Wang Changhao and Wang Qingshan were both at Foundation Establishment Layer Two, so escorting goods was still quite risky for them.