After I left the sect, the entire sect knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

Chapter 90 Purchases made at the black market in Richeng
Most of the good cultivators are picked up by sects and powerful families. Those who end up as plunderers are not very talented or strong.

If the flower-selling organization is powerful enough, it won't be afraid of being discovered like rats in a gutter.

For example, in the Li Dynasty, there was a group of bandits who would occasionally post on trending topics. They would not target lone cultivators, but instead specialize in robbing flying boats and stealing treasures from the imperial court or aristocratic families, and they were known for their arrogance.

The entire Li Dynasty was searching for them, yet they remained unharmed. Their power and methods were clearly extraordinary.

The people around her weren't bothered by the little incident; they continued setting up their stalls and browsing as usual. She also moved between the stalls, buying whatever caught her eye.

Besides alchemy, Mu Feng seemed quite interested in carving, and bought quite a few small wooden trinkets. Before long, he came over from another stall and said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, A-Yang has arrived. I'm going to the bridge to pick him up. We'll meet in front of the restaurant in a bit."

Lin Yan nodded, and then watched as the other person happily ran towards the other side of the river. The young couple wanted to enjoy a romantic stroll through the market, and of course she couldn't go over and disturb them, lest she interrupt their sweet moment.

She wandered aimlessly, her eyes darting between the stalls. It wasn't that she particularly enjoyed browsing markets, but rather that she knew she would be leaving after her auction, so she wanted to buy some things to give as gifts when she left.

There are twelve beauties and two adorable little ones living in her courtyard, so even if she comes out, she has to bring back gifts.

I just finished shopping and bought gifts for twelve beautiful ladies. Now I only need to buy gifts for the two little ones. I wonder what kind of toys Tangyuan and Xiaotu would like…

As Lin Yan walked, lost in thought, a breeze blew by, carrying a tinkling sound. The clear, melodious sound immediately caught her attention.

She was involuntarily drawn in and followed the sound, only to find herself at the end of the area. This place sold all sorts of magical artifacts, both common and uncommon.

Two silver bells hung on the stall, adorned with jade carved into the shape of leaves, making the bells appear like swaying flowers. She reached out and took one of the strings in her hand, feeling the spiritual energy flowing through it. As she shook it, the silver bells rang out with a melodious sound once again.

When this bell makes a sound, it can actually slightly affect the cultivator's mind. If you carry it with you in battle and use an illusion array to assist you, wouldn't the enemy fall into your trap and reveal their weakness because they are not careful?

Lin Yan looked up at the stall owner and asked, "Boss, how much is this bell?"
"Young lady, you have a good eye. These bells are my family heirlooms. If my family hadn't fallen on hard times, I would never have put these two bells up for sale. If you really want them, I'll give you a discount. How about this price?"

The stall owner held up five fingers.

She examined the bell closely. There was no engraving of its magical artifact level on it. When she tried to probe it with her spiritual power, it was like a drop of water falling into a vast ocean—she couldn't detect anything.

Seeing the stall owner hold up five fingers, Lin Yan pondered for a moment before tentatively asking, "Five mid-grade spirit stones?"

The stall owner, his beard bristling and eyes wide, exclaimed, "Young lady, you're joking! It's 500 high-grade spirit stones!"

"Five hundred high-grade spirit stones for a pair of bells?" If the stall owner hadn't looked so serious, she would have thought she was hallucinating.

Lin Yan's interest in the bell's slight ability to influence a cultivator's mind doesn't mean she's some kind of traitor! The hallucinogenic flower seeds of the Myriad Demon Forest can also achieve that.

Five hundred for a pair, that's two hundred and fifty each. I feel like I'll be scolded if I buy one.

Even though she wanted to buy it, she hesitated. Just as she was about to hang the bell back, the stall owner said, "Oh dear, if you think it's too expensive, you can bargain."

As soon as he finished speaking, as if there was a live lesson, a cultivator at the stall selling defensive ornaments next to him started bargaining.

Stall owner: "I'll give you the cost price, 300 mid-grade spirit stones."

Cultivator: "30 mid-grade spirit stones."

Stall owner: "No, this won't do. It doesn't even cover my costs. Please give me a reasonable price."

The cultivator said, "35 mid-grade spirit stones, that's the most I can offer."

The stall owner said, "Add a little more... add a little more..." The cultivator turned to leave, but the stall owner called him back, "Hey, how about 50 mid-grade spirit stones? I'll just take it at cost price."

The monk paid decisively, took the item he wanted, and left with light steps, in a good mood.

Lin Yan blinked, looked at the stall owner, and immediately put her newfound knowledge to use: "Five mid-grade spirit stones, will you sell them?"

The stall owner took the bell back and hung it back on the rack, saying, "Go away, go away, go to the side."

Oh dear, didn't the stall owner say we could bargain? If we do bargain, the other party will get upset...

She turned to leave, but the stall owner called out to her, "Young lady, if you really want it, how about I lower the price to three hundred high-grade spirit stones? This is my family heirloom."

Lin Yan shook her head: "Five high-grade spirit stones, that's all I have."

Stall owner: "..."

"Of course, if the stall owner is willing to sell it for thirty high-grade spirit stones, I can ask my friends to chip in. My friend happens to be browsing in another area."

The stall owner was practically grinding his teeth to dust! This bell wasn't originally his family heirloom; he'd found it by chance in a secret realm.

He thought it was some kind of magical artifact, so he had it appraised, but the appraisal couldn't determine its nature or how to use it.

The materials used to make the bell seem extraordinary, and the sound of the bell is said to have a calming effect.

Since the grade couldn't be determined, and taking it to the Chamber of Commerce for recycling would definitely not get a good price, I thought I'd try my luck on the black market to see if there was any sucker I could fool who would buy it.

The high price of 500 high-grade spirit stones was deliberately set to make others believe that the bell was truly a family heirloom, and also to give the buyer room to negotiate the price.

Who knew this female cultivator had learned to bargain so quickly, and so aggressively at that! "Add a little more, this is my family heirloom!" the stall owner said with a pained tone.

"I don't have enough to spare."

The stall owner had no choice but to sell it for thirty high-grade spirit stones.

Lin Yan took the bell and put it into her storage bag, then took out the spirit stones and placed them on the stall. She then quickly left, afraid that the stall owner would change his mind.

As she wandered into another area, she stopped and stared at it in disbelief.

Are you hallucinating? Not sure, look around more!
It's not a hallucination! Good heavens, there are even plush toys for sale in the cultivation world!
The small ones are about the size of a palm, while the large ones are as tall as a person. There are two stall owners, one in charge of selling and the other in charge of collecting spirit stones.

Honestly, quite a few people are buying them. Most of them are buying the small or medium size.

She walked over, and the stall owner immediately called out, "Fairy, would you like to buy a substitute doll? It can protect you from a fatal attack in a critical moment!"

"Did it jump out to defend itself from the attack?" Lin Yan asked, picking up a palm-sized smiley face doll.

This doll has an excellent feel; it's fluffy and feels incredibly comfortable to touch.

I didn't check for typos. If you see a typo, you can point it out or correct it. The author will correct it if they see it.

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(End of this chapter)