Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 116 Secret Shop for Selling Stolen Goods

This shop is called "Buqige".

It is quite far from the "Xu Family Medicine Shop" in the South Ward, and is located in the North Ward.

As the name suggests, a mender can repair broken or damaged objects, or collect secondhand objects, refurbish them, and resell them.

Lin Changheng went in, asked about the price, and then shook his head and left.

This shop seemed to know that Lin Changheng's items were stolen, so they quoted a low price.

Only top-grade defensive magical artifacts are offered a buyback price of three hundred spirit stones.

Cut in half directly.

How could Lin Changheng be willing to be taken advantage of?

Unable to accept it, he gave a cold laugh, said nothing more, and left directly.

I went to a few more shops, and the more expensive ones were only 370 spirit stones, about 60% off the original price.

However, this item is almost brand new, with no signs of damage or even much use.

It seems that the Chen family's Jiexiu was either recently purchased or used with extreme care.

The offer is unacceptable.

As Lin Changheng walked out of the last related shop in the market, he still hadn't made a move, and his expression was already quite unpleasant.

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in selling magical artifacts?"

Just then, Lin Changheng, who had only walked a short distance away, heard a low voice behind him.

Lin Changheng turned around and saw a scholar-like cultivator not far away; it was clearly this person who had spoken earlier.

"Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps following me?"

Lin Changheng's cold voice rang out from the street, his tone filled with hostility.

"Fellow Taoist misunderstood."

The scholar-like cultivator was slightly startled and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Then...how did you know about my plans?"

Lin Changheng's tone was aggressive, and his strength at the seventh level of Qi Refining was unmistakable.

It has a strong implication that "if it weren't for the regulations prohibiting fighting in the market, you would be in big trouble."

"I am actually a hired cultivator of a secret shop, and I often wander the streets of the market, looking for potential customers of the shop..."

How could a scholar-like cultivator, who was only at the third level of Qi Refining, have come into contact with a cultivator at the later stage of Qi Refining?

Startled, he immediately spilled the beans, revealing everything.

"Finding customers for secret establishments... and earning a commission, right?"

Lin Changheng's mind raced, but he still spoke coldly.

He didn't know much about secret shops, and this was the first time he had ever heard of such a secret shop in this neighborhood.

"Senior Mingjian."

The scholar-like cultivator scratched his head and smiled, not daring to lie.

"Since you know I'm selling my artifacts, could your secret shop possibly accept them?"

Lin Changheng gave the scholar-cultivator a cold look, indicating that the matter was not yet over, and then his calm voice came.

"Yes, the secret shops can be seen as black markets within the neighborhood, but they still maintain order."

The scholar-like cultivator had already prepared a set of introductory remarks.

"Opened within the neighborhood?" Lin Changheng asked again.

"Yes."

The scholar-like cultivator nodded hurriedly, his heart filled with excitement. This meant that the late-stage Qi Refining senior in front of him was interested, and being able to bring a late-stage Qi Refining customer to the secret shop would certainly earn him a considerable amount of spirit stones!
"Could it be that the Liu and Xu families, who own this place, are simply turning a blind eye?"

"Don't worry, senior. The owners of these secret shops have all taken care of these connections. How could they dare to open a shop in the neighborhood without the consent of both parties?"

The scholar smiled and explained a few things to reassure Lin Changheng.

"Lead the way and let's take a look."

Lin Changheng was intrigued and wanted to see for himself. "If your words are exaggerated or you are deceiving me, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Don't worry, senior, I wouldn't dare!"

The scholar immediately patted his chest and assured him. Seeing that Lin Changheng had no objections, he immediately stepped forward to lead the way.

The two walked for about half an incense stick's time before arriving at the low-rise houses on the edge of the market. They followed the scholar into an ordinary alley, a desolate place overgrown with weeds, clearly untouched by human hands.

"Senior, it's inside."

Seeing the cultivator behind him frown, the scholar immediately spoke respectfully.

"Well hidden."

The two walked along the moss-covered wall for a while before they saw a small door open in the wall.

"Thump thump thump! Thump! Thump thump!"

The scholar took the initiative to knock on the door, following a specific rhythm.

"Squeak."

Soon, the small door opened from the inside, and an old woman's head poked out, looking at the two of them.

His face was covered in wrinkles, and with the shadow cast by the wall, he appeared somewhat eerie. His cultivation level wasn't high either, only around the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"Grandma Wu, it's me."

The scholar quickly spoke up, "This senior in the late stage of Qi Refining happens to have a need and therefore intends to join our secret shop."

"Oh?"

The old woman glanced at Lin Changheng, who was shrouded in a bamboo hat, and seeing that his cultivation was indeed genuine, she immediately forced a smile: "Please come in, guest."

"Senior, the secret shop is inside, but I cannot go in. I wish you a successful trip."

The scholar quickly made way for Lin Changheng to pass, and didn't forget to say something.

Lin Changheng stood still and gave the two of them a cold look, which made them feel a little uneasy before he stepped inside.

"This way, senior."

The old woman closed the door, quickly walked to Lin Changheng and led the way, not forgetting to remind him of the rules of the secret shop, "The secret shop is also protected by the market enforcement team. You must not fight, cause trouble, hurt or kill people, otherwise it will be considered a violation of the market rules and you will be severely punished."

Lin Changheng nodded slightly, not surprised, indicating that he understood.

He was also pondering the necessity of this secret shop's existence.

It should be to avoid the existence of black markets outside the traditional market, share profits, cover demand, and make a profit from everything.

The reason for setting up a secret store is to avoid making things look bad and to preserve the reputation; it can be seen as a front.

This is basically how markets operate; it's just a matter of how well they conceal it.

When Zichuanfang was about to be abandoned, they simply opened a black market in the shantytown outside the market. They weren't even putting on an act anymore.

The room was not large, a small courtyard house. In a woodshed facing east, a secret passage was revealed by moving the firewood aside.

The old woman was quite agile and jumped down directly.

Lin Changheng glanced down and saw light shining through from inside. It was about two meters high, so he jumped down as well.

If there is danger, you can use the [Earth Escape Technique] to escape.

Then, the interior suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious area.

It turned out to be a rather vast underground space.

On the left, against the wall, is a row of small cubicles made of wooden planks, and opposite that, a cluster of stalls.

On the right is a simple wooden platform with many stone benches underneath, which is probably the auction venue.

Now, with no one around, three masked men at the ninth level of Qi Refining stood in the auction hall, conducting the auction.

Below, there were also forty or fifty people, seemingly engaged in bidding, all concealing their identities and not revealing a single detail.

A closer listen revealed that the auction had just begun.

How do I send the photos for purchase?

Lin Changheng had a sudden thought and asked the old woman next to him.

"Guests, you are just ahead."

The old woman pointed to a rather small wooden house on the side of the auction.

"Thank you."

Lin Changheng said something and then quickly went into the house. Inside, a cultivator was bidding, and he was then asked to wait a moment outside the curtain.

Once the burly male cultivator inside came out, Lin Changheng went straight in.

"Fellow Daoist, are you familiar with the rules for consignment auctions?"

(End of this chapter)