Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 201 Old Acquaintance
"High price! What price can you offer?" Chen Li asked.

“If they are all of this quality, our Treasure Talisman Pavilion can offer 460 low-grade spirit stones!” The shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, “The price of Water Element Talismans is stable. No matter which talisman shop you go to, 5 mid-grade spirit stones is almost a fixed price. Other shops can only offer this price at most, otherwise they will not make any profit.”

"This price is reasonable!"

As Chen Li spoke, he took out five stacks of Water Element Talismans from his storage bag and placed them one by one on the counter.

"Wow, so many!?"

The shopkeeper couldn't help but gasp softly.

"The inventory accumulated in recent years!" Chen Li replied, then fell silent.

The shopkeeper, sensing the situation, stopped asking questions and began to carefully examine the talismans. He would occasionally frown and pick one out and put it aside. Gradually, the five stacks of talismans were divided into three distinct groups.

Chen Li thought to himself, "As expected of an expert. The set on the left is one of the earliest batches he drew. The quality is rough, and the spiritual energy within is disordered. It belongs to the entry-level of water elemental talismans."

The middle group represents the most skilled level, and most merchant goods are generally at this level.

As for the one on the far right, it belongs to the expert level of high-quality items.

Five hundred sheets is no small number, so Chen Li simply sat down to the side, sipping the fragrant tea served by the guest while patiently waiting.

It took a full half hour for the shopkeeper to finish his appraisal. He let out a breath and pushed the batch of inferior goods he had selected in front of Chen Li:
"The quality of your talismans is somewhat uneven. These forty-two are flawed and we won't accept them. The middle one hundred and sixty-three are of ordinary quality, and our shop can only offer 410 low-grade spirit stones to buy them. As for the rest, we'll accept them as previously agreed at 460. What do you think, friend?"

This price was already beyond Chen Li's budget, but he still made a token attempt to bargain.

In the end, we managed to get the skilled-level batch of goods for 415, which is better than nothing.

The transaction was completed quickly.

Total sold: 19 high-grade spirit stones and 55 mid-grade spirit stones.

Low-grade spirit stones are disregarded.

Chen Li carefully put away the spirit stones and quickly walked out the door.

"It's just hard-earned money." Thinking of the shield talisman he had seen in the shop earlier, which cost as much as a high-grade spirit stone, Chen Li couldn't help but sigh. That was real exorbitant profits.

Shield Rune: Tier 2, Level 7 Rune.

The key point is that even a Golden Core sect like the True Soul Sect doesn't have the method to make such high-level talismans, and they can't be bought on the market at all. It's clear that they are highly monopolized by those major powers.

Knowledge is wealth, and this is vividly demonstrated in this world.

"There are still forty-two Water Element Talismans left. They're useless to me, so I might as well go and sell them at the stalls."

With that thought in mind, Chen Li headed out of the city.

In order not to affect the business of shops in the city, Stanley City strictly regulates street vending, so many independent cultivators spontaneously form trading markets around Stanley City.

Chen Li had never been there. It was a place teeming with all sorts of people and powerful figures, and one could easily be targeted if one wasn't careful.

Who would go there to wander around if they had nothing to do!
On the way, he changed his appearance again.

They left the city quickly.

It was already the dead of winter, but inside the city it was spring-like all year round, so we didn't feel anything yet.

But once outside the city, they immediately felt the chill of winter; the entire land was covered in snow, a silver-white wonderland.

The trading market is located in a mountain valley, dozens of miles from Stanley City.

It's not very big, only a dozen or twenty acres.

An array was set up above.

Based on Chen Li's observation of Qi, this is at least a low-grade third-order array.

This is clearly an organized event.

Moreover, the person behind the establishment of such a trading market on the outskirts of Stanley City, and the tacit approval of it, must be someone of considerable influence.

However, this also means greater security, with strong defensive capabilities.

Chen Li flew down from a distance, paid an entrance fee of one low-grade spirit stone, and then entered with the flow of people.

It was packed with people.

It was bustling and noisy.

First-tier items are common here, and second-tier items are not uncommon either.

Chen Li even saw a group of five people displaying more than a dozen second-tier magic artifacts, openly hawking them. He wandered around and saw several vendors selling water elemental talismans. He went up and asked about the prices, and immediately understood the market situation here.

Each card typically contains four mid-grade spirit stones.

It's a bit lower than the purchase price of shops.

It's easy to imagine that the quality of these talismans sold at stalls is poor; they are basically all entry-level talismans.

Just then, he saw a stall about to leave and quickly went up to stop the Qi Refining cultivator.

After a brief exchange.

The other party very politely left him the animal hides and stools he needed for setting up his stall.

Then he picked up a wooden board, condensed his energy into a protective aura with his fingers, and quickly wrote the price on the board. Then he took out all the Water Element Talismans and placed them on the board.

At first, Chen Li was quite interested.

But after setting up the stall for more than an hour, they only sold three tickets.

Chen Li was getting a little impatient.

Why suffer here? With this effort, I could sit in the talisman-making room and easily draw a few water element talismans to earn back the money.

Just as he was about to pack up and sell the talismans to other vendors at a low price, he suddenly heard a familiar voice:

"Fellow Daoist, could you offer a discount on your Water Element Talisman?"

Chen Li looked up.

Xiao Yuan!?
Although the other person had disguised himself, his skin was much darker, and he had a stubble on his face, people who knew him could still recognize him at a glance.

It's only been half a year since we last met.

The other person had become more slick and had lost some of their former air of otherworldly elegance.

"Hey, Taoist priest, I'm asking you a question!" Xiao Yuan said with some displeasure when he saw that the other party was a little stunned.

"Oh, you mean a discount? I was just about to pack up and leave. What price do you want?" Chen Li asked, snapping out of his daze.

"How much do you want? Are you selling those three mid-grade spirit stones?" Xiao Yuan asked, his eyes darting around.

“Sure,” Chen Li said.

"Really for sale?" Xiao Yuan asked.

"For sale!"

"Would you sell me ten?"

"……Sell!"

“Then I’ll buy the rest.” Xiao Yuan’s eyes widened, a sly glint in them.

"This..." Chen Li was somewhat helpless.

It's not a matter of how much money there is.

He originally intended to sell them to other stall owners at a low price.

This is really... a bit awkward!

"What's wrong? You were so confident just now, but now you're reluctant?" Xiao Yuan deliberately provoked Chen Li when he saw him hesitate.

"Sigh, take it all, take it all," Chen Li sighed.

Fellow Daoist Xiao, you've fallen on hard times.

After the transaction is completed.

Chen Li watched as Xiao Yuan went to other stalls, then got up and found a secluded spot. He quickly changed his robes and boots, and restored his original appearance. Then, pretending to be strolling around, he walked towards Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan was initially surprised and hesitant when he saw Chen Li, but then he was overjoyed and excited:
"Fellow Daoist Chen, it really is you! That's wonderful! I thought I was seeing things. I didn't expect you to have survived too."

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I didn't expect to see you here. When did you arrive?" In contrast, Chen Li was much calmer.

After all, they had met before, and the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land was overshadowed by the previous awkwardness.

“I arrived half a year ago… This isn’t the place to talk. Come on, follow me to my place. We must have a good drink today. You don’t know that besides you and me, many fellow disciples have also come to Chizhu City,” Xiao Yuan said excitedly.