Chapter 87: Immortal Cultivator Market

All four bought books they were very pleased with. Out of an interest in history, Man Gu bought a copy of "Unofficial History of Great Xia."

It contained many stories so outrageous that even Meng Jingzhou, who was privy to inside information, found them wild.

In any case, all four were satisfied.

As they walked, the four noticed fewer mortals and more cultivators around them, as if a mysterious force was separating the two groups.

Lan Ting sent a telepathic message to the other three: "There's a repulsion formation set up nearby. Mortals will unconsciously move away from here, but cultivators are unaffected."

Meng Jingzhou suddenly understood, recalling information he'd picked up during his usual strolls: "It's the monthly market. It must have opened early this time because of the 采春 Festival."

The 采春 Festival attracted not only mortals but also cultivators.

This was a legitimate market, not a black market prone to robberies and murders. The four even saw constables patrolling the area.

That being said, many people in the market concealed their identities by wearing masks or black robes.

This was common. Some cultivators lived among mortals, disguised as ordinary people. Coming here openly would surely expose their true identities.

For example, Lu Yang and his companions. The four used different methods to hide their identities: Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu chose to wear black robes, feeling it added to the atmosphere, and Meng Jingzhou even cackled a few times.

Lan Ting removed her transformation talisman, revealing her beautiful face, as pure as a lotus. She had used her true appearance when searching for demon sect clues in Yanjiang Commandery.

Lu Yang discussed with Meng Jingzhou: "How about I perform some imitative boxing and transform into you?" The response he got was Meng Jingzhou slapping a tofu mask onto Lu Yang's face. Lu Yang put on the tofu mask.

Inside the market, there was a strong cultivation atmosphere. A massive protective shield enveloped the entire market, emitting a soft glow, completely different from the outside. Cultivators who hadn't met in a long time shared drinks at roadside taverns, chatting about recent events. Cultivators and vendors argued fiercely over prices, both trying to earn a few more spirit stones from the other. The authorities had even set up an arena where cultivators could freely engage in combat.

"Come one, come all, take a look! 'Vigor Pills' made with an ancestral alchemy secret! Take one, and you'll have boundless strength!"

Lu Yang found it amusing. Following the sound, he found himself in a medical clinic. It seemed this clinic was run by cultivators, and the one shouting the advertisement was either an apprentice or an alchemist.

"How many spirit stones per pill?"

The alchemy apprentice replied, "Ten spirit stones per pill. Buy three, get one free; buy five, get two free."

The price wasn't expensive, indicating the pills were for Qi Condensation cultivators, not Foundation Establishment cultivators like Lu Yang. Lu Yang wanted to buy two as souvenirs, as this was his first time seeing pills made by someone outside the Dao Inquiry Sect. "What are the effects?"

"It can temporarily boost strength. After the effect wears off, you'll enter a half-day state of weakness."

Lu Yang bought a pill and was about to leave when he saw a constable enter. Lu Yang remembered him; his surname was Sun, and he was Constable Wei's subordinate.

"I've received a report that your Vigor Pills involve false advertising."

The alchemy apprentice was stunned. False advertising?

Constable Sun explained seriously: "According to regulations, when advertising a product, words like 'most' or 'boundless' cannot be used. Our investigation found that your Vigor Pills are suitable for cultivators below the third level of Qi Condensation and do not provide 'boundless strength.' After this warning, we hope you will correct this."

The alchemy apprentice nodded obediently. After Lu Yang left, he heard a voice from inside the clinic: "Come one, come all, take a look! 'Vigor Pills' made with an ancestral alchemy secret! Take one, and you'll have *limited* strength!"

Lu Yang suddenly felt that Senior Brother Wu Ming's "Ten Oxen Strength Pill" was truly impeccable, lacking even the most common issue of false advertising found in medicinal pills.

Meng Jingzhou had seen many things, and his family even had relatively legitimate alchemists, so he wasn't very interested in common items.

"What is this thing?" Meng Jingzhou picked up a small trinket from a stall, two wooden sticks glued together perpendicularly. "Is this for making jianbing guozi? Are these even sold in a cultivation market?"

The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a full beard, looking serious and composed, resting with his eyes closed. He reluctantly opened them only when Meng Jingzhou spoke, immediately exuding the air of a master artificer.

"This item is called the 'Flying Stick.' Place it on your head, activate it with spiritual energy, and it will spin you into the sky. A Qi Condensation seventh-level cultivator can power it."

Meng Jingzhou was surprised. This small market truly harbored hidden talents, with such a master artificer. Normally, only Golden Core cultivators could fly in the air. With special methods, like Lu Yang flying on his sword during Foundation Establishment, or Lu Yang transforming into a crane using imitative boxing, flight was also possible. Whether in normal or special circumstances, the minimum cultivation requirement for flight was Foundation Establishment. Meng Jingzhou had never heard of a Qi Condensation seventh-level cultivator being able to fly. Qi Condensation seventh-level cultivators had sparse spiritual power, making it difficult to control flying artifacts.

"I see you don't believe me. No matter, I'll demonstrate it for you," the bearded middle-aged man said confidently, pulling out a wooden puppet. He tied the Flying Stick to the wooden puppet, and a wisp of spiritual energy emerged from his fingertip, striking the Flying Stick. The Flying Stick seemed to awaken, first rotating slowly, then faster and faster, until only a blur could be seen. The Flying Stick carried the wooden puppet into the air together, seemingly without any issue.

If there was one issue, it was that as the Flying Stick spun, it caused the wooden puppet to spin with it. The puppet's body rotated rapidly around its head as the center, maintaining the same frequency as the Flying Stick! If a person were under the Flying Stick, their brains would be thoroughly scrambled.

"See? I told you our puppets are good quality! They don't fall apart even spinning this fast. I'm not boasting, but this puppet of mine could even fight a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The price is fair, too—a flat eight hundred!"

"You scoundrel!" Meng Jingzhou finally understood. The other party was simply using the "Flying Stick" as a pretext to sell puppets!

It was clear that the market was full of deception and trickery; genuinely honest people like Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were rare.

Lu Yang and his companions prepared to visit the Golden Coin Merchants' Association area, which was more regulated and wouldn't have the kind of situations they'd just encountered.

"Four esteemed guests, would you like a fortune reading?"

A voice sounded beside the four. Lu Yang turned to see a fortune teller with a Bagua flag hanging behind him, which read, "Calculating Heaven and Earth is not as good as calculating Man." His business looked dismal, with no customers.

Seeing that Lu Yang and his companions had noticed him, the fortune teller added, "If it's inaccurate, you don't pay. Would you like to try?"

Lu Yang noticed the items on his table: a Bagua plate, dice, the Four Treasures of the Study, nine copper coins, a crystal ball... Everything that could possibly be used for fortune-telling was laid out.

Was he reliable? And why was there a crystal ball?