Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 4 First acquaintance
Xu Boyang was slightly startled and stopped. At this moment, he was wearing a mask and a cap, covering himself tightly, so no one should be able to recognize him.

Since they are strangers, then logically there is only one type of person who would block your way.

People from the Fei family in Dongke Town!
The man who came looked very imposing, and he was not wearing anything to obscure his features. He looked very young, handsome and elegant, wearing a light robe and loose belt, and holding a folding fan in his hand, which he gently waved.

Seeing him still fanning himself in such a cold weather, Xu Boyang was speechless for a moment and asked in a deep voice:

"What do you want?"

"Fellow Daoist, you broke the rules of the Ghost Market, and yet you ask me what you want?"

The man smiled lightly and closed his folding fan. Four or five dark shadows appeared around him instantly, silently staring at him hungrily.

"My name is Fei Wenyu, and unfortunately, I'm the manager of this ghost market."

Xu Boyang's heart skipped a beat. He looked at the dark figures behind him holding weapons, and their auras were quite strong. However, he had already prepared himself and said calmly:
"When did I break your Ghost Market rules?"

"You are selling Shenggu Dan to passersby, which is suspected of reselling. Isn't that considered as it?"

Fei Wenyu sneered, took two steps closer, and his voice gradually became higher.
"Look, this isn't your first time here. You're knowingly committing a crime, and you think my Fei family is easy to bully?"

"How can you say you knowingly committed a crime?"

Xu Boyang remained calm, took out two bottles of Shenggu Dan from his arms, held them in his palms, and said coldly,

"The bone-growing pills I bought with spirit stones are still here. The bone-growing pills I'm selling are obtained through barter. I remember there's no rule in the Ghost Market that prohibits bartering. If you don't believe me, you can check it out. Don't make trouble for no reason!"

"what?"

When Fei Wenyu saw the bone-growing pill in his hand, his expression changed slightly. He turned around and whispered, "What's going on? Go check it out quickly."

A man behind him stepped out from the crowd and nodded.

Xu Boyang stared at the man as he left, sneering, "I've been to the Ghost Market many times, and I've paid a fortune in tolls. I never thought your Fei family would treat a regular customer like this, making trouble out of nothing. It's truly chilling!"

"Don't worry, my friend. My Fei family has always acted fairly, otherwise we wouldn't be able to open this ghost market. If it's really my men who misunderstood you, I will give you justice!"

Fei Wenyu was somewhat caught off guard and said with a serious face.

A moment later, the man returned, accompanied by a woman in purple. The woman wore a veiled hat, and the white gauze curtain made it difficult to see her face. She simply said, "I can testify that this fellow Taoist is not reselling anything!"

Hearing the voice and seeing the person coming, Xu Boyang knew it was the person in the brown tent. He didn't expect that he would be willing to come forward and speak up for justice. He immediately bowed and said:

"Thank you girl!"

The purple-clothed woman said calmly, "It's okay."

The man who had been investigating earlier came back to Fei Wenyu and said this. Fei Wenyu slapped him to the ground with his backhand, then smiled and said:
"I'm sorry, it's a huge misunderstanding. So, this is just a small token of my respect. Please accept it."

With a wave of his hand, everyone immediately presented two spirit stones.

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

When Xu Boyang saw the spirit stone, he quickly took it and changed his tone to be friendly.

It would be a waste not to take the spiritual stones that are delivered to your door.

Of course, his idea coincided with that of the woman in purple.

"Useless! Send this fellow Taoist out!"

Fei Wenyu lowered his head and scolded angrily, then bowed and smiled, "I'm sorry for not being strict with my subordinates. Please take care of me. You are welcome to come again next time!"

"Never mind, it's just a misunderstanding."

Xu Boyang laughed secretly, bowed, lowered his head and coughed, said something in a rough voice, then waved his cloak and walked out quickly.

"I'm leaving too!" The purple-clothed woman put the spirit stone into her storage bag and followed.

Xu Boyang was surprised to see the woman following him out, but since there were so many people around and it was not the time to talk, he didn't say anything.

The two of them left the ghost market one after the other.

"What's wrong with the girl?"

Xu Boyang was more than three meters away from her and did not take off his mask. He had seen all kinds of people over the years. They had a deal before and he had shown his wealth, so he had to be on guard.

He looked around and found a way to escape before turning around to ask questions.

Xu Boyang knew his own situation very well. Although he had just embarked on the path to immortality, he was still a mortal with good swordsmanship. The people in this ghost market were all cultivators who had practiced immortal arts, so they naturally knew who was strong and who was weak.

"Well... I saw you bought six and sold ten. That's impressive. How about we start a long-term partnership?"

The woman in purple hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke out.

When Xu Boyang heard this, he burst out laughing and immediately understood what was going on. His guard relaxed a little.

Isn’t this a business that comes to your door?

The woman in purple actually had a lot of grievances that she couldn't express in words. Roughly calculating tonight, she had lost at least thirty spirit stones, which was really painful.

It was my first time going out to set up a tent and set up a stall. I was new here and didn’t know anything. I wasn’t familiar with the market, didn’t know how to bargain, and was soft-tempered, so I was easily taken advantage of.

Tonight, she lost at least two on each of her bone-growing pills, as they were snatched up by people and sold out in no time.

When he heard that Xu Boyang had bartered the items and then sold ten of them at a high price, he finally realized his mistake and decided to try to find someone who was well versed in this business, form a partnership with him, and each make their own money.

"How do you do it?"

Xu Boyang neither agreed nor refused, but was interested and wanted to listen.

"I'm not used to this place. How about I give you the pills for free and you help me sell them. After deducting the cost and stall fee or travel expenses, the profit will be 30% for you and 70% for me."

"That girl has a nice idea. How do I know how much it costs you?"

"But why did she dare to give me the goods for free? She wasn't afraid that I would run away. Could it be that she has already seen that I am still a mortal?"

"Or is it because of the powerful forces behind it?"

Xu Boyang's mind raced, and he had many concerns, but the temptation of the spirit stone was too great. He pondered for a moment and said:
"If you really want to ride, there's no need to go through so much trouble. Just name a price and I'll help you sell it. I'm also selling these things for the Xian family. We've been working together for many years and there haven't been any mistakes."

What Xu Boyang said was very clear: if others can do it, so can you. This model is the same as that of the Wang and Ding families.

The pattern of taking advantage of others is the same.

The most important thing is that you have someone behind you, so don’t try to do anything bad.

"Well... I don't quite understand the pricing..." The woman in purple was a little hesitant.

"It's easy. All you have to do is visit the ghost market once a month. You'll naturally have a range in mind. Remove the highest and lowest prices and take the middle value."

Xu Boyang patiently taught and told the story.
"Leave the rest to me. When you set the price, that's when we'll pay for the goods. We'll pay every three months. If I can't sell it, I'll return it in its original form."

The purple-clothed woman listened roughly and thought the other party's plan was quite good and had no flaws. However, she was worried that the other party might run away after taking the goods, so she asked:
"May I ask your name, fellow Taoist?"

Xu Boyang sneered, "Miss, we don't ask your name, where you came from, or where you came from. This is the rule of the Ghost Market. If not, why don't we all go to the Immortal Market on Xinyue Lake in Wuyin Town?"

"Oh, okay."

The purple-robed girl lowered her head: "Then how do we meet?"

"Every March, on the fifteenth day of the month, I'll stay here for three days. We'll meet at the entrance to the Ghost Market at the beginning of the evening." Xu Boyang cut to the chase. "Okay! Deal!" The purple-clad girl gritted her teeth and agreed immediately.

…………

Yuchuan County, Fengqing Town, Lingxiupu.

Xu family.

Xu Shaoliang went to the kitchen to boil water, then limped into the yard carrying a teapot and two ceramic bowls.

There was a man standing in the yard, wearing a black tight-fitting suit, with a strong waist and tiger back, and a full beard. He was obviously a martial artist.

"Master Tan, tea please."

Xu Shaoliang just turned fifty this year. He has a somewhat hunched body. He has been struggling for more than thirty years. He was born in a poor family. In order to make a living, he practiced martial arts hard. The excessive exercise led to a number of chronic diseases. He is only in his early fifties, but his hair is already gray.

The man came over quickly to take the pot and bowl, saying:

"Mr. Xu, your leg injury hasn't healed yet. Don't be polite. I'll do it for you."

"It's just a minor leg problem, an old one, it's nothing serious."

Xu Shaoliang smiled, picked up a small basket of melon seeds, and said,

"Sit! Sit!"

Master Tan sat down in the yard, took the tea handed to him by Xu Shaoliang, gulped down a mouthful, and then said:

"When did you develop this leg problem, old man?"

"It's too early. This leg was broken when I ran into a group of thugs on Huaining Road. One of them was armed with a meteor hammer and I ended up killing him. Later, the boss asked a famous doctor to see him, and he said he needed to recuperate for half a year."

Xu Shaoliang touched his left leg and smiled.
"But I was young and full of energy back then, lying in bed all day. How could I bear this kind of humiliation? I ran away in less than three months. And what they said turned out to be true. Now it has become a chronic disease that will flare up at the slightest bit of inattention!"

"Old man, speaking of this, when I was young, I was fighting with someone and my hand was broken. Nowadays, the world is full of disputes and it is really unpredictable!"

Master Tan put down the tea bowl and sighed softly.

The two of them were cracking melon seeds in the yard, chatting with each other.

The Xu family's house is not small, but it is a bit dilapidated. It is considered an old house in Lingxiupu. Outside the door there is a clump of green bamboo with lush branches and leaves.

"Dingle bell! Dingle bell!"

Suddenly, the sound of horse bells rang outside the house. Xu Shaoliang was delighted and stood up.

"It just so happens that my son is back!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden door creaked open and a figure rushed in.

"Dad, I'm back."

After returning from Dongke Town, there was no more wind and snow, and the journey was smooth. Xu Boyang escorted the car back home.

"It's good that you're back!"

Xu Shaoliang laughed and took two steps closer. "How is it? Is everything going well?"

When Xu Boyang saw that there were guests at home, he laughed and said, "All done!"

"Good, good, good!" Xu Shaoliang clapped his hands and twirled his beard, feeling very pleased. "Not bad."

"Father, there is a guest at home. This is..."

Xu Boyang glanced at Master Tan and stopped talking.

"Come! Come!" Xu Shaoliang pulled Xu Boyang over and introduced him, "This is Master Tan from Tan Wenli in Fengqing Town. He's a well-known knife expert in town. Your uncle Wang specially introduced him to my family's master. From now on, you must treat him as an elder."

"I understand, son." Xu Boyang bowed and said, "Xu Boyang greets Master Tan."

"How dare you, Young Master!" Tan Wenli quickly returned the greeting. "Young Master is young and promising, and has a brilliant demeanor. If there are any shortcomings in the future, I hope you can give me some pointers!"

The three of them exchanged greetings and then sat down again.

"Where is Xiaode?" Xu Shaoliang asked.

"I asked him to take people to the town to deliver the goods." Xu Boyang brought a large bowl over, filled it with tea, and drank it.

"You kid, the goods haven't been delivered yet, why are you in such a hurry to come back?"

Xu Shaoliang's words were full of blame, but his eyes were full of smiles. Then he said,

"That's quite a coincidence. I calculated the date and estimated that you would all be here today, so I specially invited Master Tan to come over so that you can meet him. Xiaode is a good kid in every way except that his kung fu is too poor. He likes to play with knives, so it's a good opportunity for Master Tan to take a look and see if he can take him as a half-disciple."

"That's all right." Tan Wenli waved his hand. "The young master has just returned, so it's normal for him to have so many people and so many things to do. Otherwise, I'll take my leave first. I'll come visit again after the master has recuperated for a few days."

Tan Wenli observed Xu Shaoliang's words and expressions and could hear the hidden meaning behind his words. He naturally understood that he could not wait any longer. Since he had already met Xu Boyang, today's business was over. As for Hu Xiaode's matter, there would be plenty of time to deal with it in the future. There was no need to make a special trip.

"Okay!" Xu Shaoliang took out a handful of cloth coins from his sack and handed them to Tan Wenli, saying with a smile,

"Then please ask Master Tan to rest at home for a few days. Once the family affairs are settled, I will send someone to invite Master Tan back. Master Tan, take this little tea money and have a drink for two days."

Tan Wenli was unwilling to accept it, but he couldn't bend Xu Shaoliang's arms, so he had to accept it and say goodbye.

After seeing Tan Wenli off, Xu Shaoliang closed the door, turned around and looked at Xu Boyang without saying a word, then smiled and said, "Why, do you understand?"

"Don't you understand this? Am I that stupid?"

Xu Boyang laughed, walked over and helped Xu Shaoliang sit down.

"Tell me." Xu Shaoliang grabbed a handful of melon seeds and started cracking them casually.

"Wang Mingru saw that you couldn't move, and he was worried about a young man like me, fearing that something might go wrong and I wouldn't be able to complete the mission. He found a good person to help me and also keep track of my movements."

Xu Boyang chuckled, and it was unclear whether he was happy or angry.

"Well, it's good to understand."

Xu Shaoliang spat out two pieces of melon seed shells, caught them with his hands, and sighed softly.
"Boyang, your father is old and his legs are useless. You will have to figure out the right and wrong things in the future. Our family is getting better and better, but we are getting closer and closer to the Wang family. It's hard to say whether it will be a blessing or a curse in the future. You have to be careful."

"Don't worry, father. Boyang understands."

Xu Boyang naturally knew the stakes involved. Behind the Wang family was the Ding family, a family of immortal cultivators. The interests involved were complicated and if they were not careful, there would be a disaster of overthrow.

"How are the goods?" Xu Shaoliang put down the melon seeds and asked.

Xu Boyang naturally knew what goods he was asking about, and whispered: "Don't leave anything behind, take everything you ordered, and bring back all the stones."

"it is good."

Xu Shaoliang clapped his hands and nodded, "That's right, let's go to town tonight."

Xu Boyang agreed, and a plan came to his mind. Without saying a word, he picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Xu Shaoliang.

Xu Shaoliang looked at it and said in a smirk, "You bastard, if you have to fart, just let it out. Why are you holding it in? If it's not good, don't tell me."

(End of this chapter)