Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

Inside the private room on the second floor of Tingfeng House, the spiritual light of the soundproof array flowed slightly, completely isolating the sounds of the market outside the array.

The shopkeeper did not immediately answer Wang Mian's question. Instead, he carefully examined the female cultivator's attire, magical artifacts, and appearance in the painting. He then took out several jade slips from his storage bag and placed them one by one on his forehead.

It took him a long time to put down the jade slip and rub his temples to relieve the swelling in his head.

"Fellow Daoist, I won't beat around the bush with you. The female cultivator in this painting is somewhat special. I'll charge you ten spirit stones for information about her whereabouts. If you want to know the details of her relationship as well, it will cost twenty spirit stones." The shopkeeper quoted the price.

"Twenty spirit stones?"

The value of a half-price magic weapon is so low. These rogue cultivators on Fallen Mountain would fight tooth and nail for a few spirit stones. They dare to ask for an exorbitant price just to find out the background of a mid-stage Qi Refining female cultivator.

He just casually offers ten spirit stones; are spirit stones really that easy to obtain?

Since Wang Mian began his cultivation, he had lived frugally for years, and had only three or five spirit stones in his possession. What he had gained since then was all from risky military ventures.

Under the arduous training, the consumption of spirit stones was like flowing water. When he left Wanxiang Valley, he had left twenty spirit stones to repay Aunt Rong's kindness. Now, to find out a piece of information, he would have to spend another twenty spirit stones.

He only had about twenty spirit stones left.

The storage bag suddenly shrank.

"Fellow Daoist, is the whereabouts of a mere rogue cultivator worth twenty spirit stones?" Wang Mian felt that the other party was treating him like a sucker, and his tone inevitably turned cold.

The innkeeper of the wild market was adept at reading people, tailoring his services to their needs, and ruthlessly exploiting them—his reputation was almost identical to that of the other unaffiliated cultivators in the mountains. As for the kindness the junior cultivators spoke of, that was only relative.

Did you perhaps think he was also a fat sheep?

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's smile grew even more amiable, and he waved his hand repeatedly: "Fellow Daoist, please calm down. If it were an ordinary rogue cultivator, the information would only fetch three or five spirit stones at most, but this fellow Daoist... is somewhat involved."

In this elegant room of Tingfengshe, he had long been accustomed to the scene of rogue cultivators getting desperate over spirit stones. The rogue cultivators of Luopo Mountain were all stingy and impoverished.

Taking the spirit stones from their pockets would be tantamount to taking their lives.

Upon hearing the shopkeeper's words, Wang Mian felt a slight chill. The meaning behind the words was becoming increasingly similar to some of his suspicions.

Wang Mian suppressed the turmoil in his heart: "Storekeeper, please tell me. If this information isn't worth twenty spirit stones, I'll have to negotiate the price with you."

Bai Jiu Niang bared her teeth, her neat, white, and sharp canines standing out prominently.

The shopkeeper readily agreed and reached out to refill Wang Mian's tea.

He didn't doubt that the young cultivator with the mid-grade demonic pet had the power to overturn the table, but he wasn't afraid. After all, if he didn't have a backer, this Listening Wind Pavilion wouldn't have been operating in this wild market for so many years.

Living in this den of thieves on Luopo Mountain for many years, he had heard far too many threats from those who came and went.

The shopkeeper said solemnly, "This woman's name is Zhi Qingfu. She claims to be a rogue cultivator from Luopo Mountain, but in reality, she had already colluded with Zemin, the second son of the Bian family in Fenglei Valley, and became his bedmate."

This is the valuable part of the news; since it involves the Immortal Clan, the price of such news is never cheap.

"Wind and Thunder Valley...the Bian family?"

Wang Mian searched his mind for this somewhat familiar name, and suddenly remembered that he and Bai Jiuniang had once stolen from Linggu's Fenglei Valley.

The image of being chased like a dog by the Bian family cultivators instantly flashed through my memory.

"That's right, it's the Bian family, the immortal cultivation family of Fenglei Valley." The shopkeeper picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Having handled various messages over the years, the shopkeeper didn't need to think too much to understand the sordid aspects involved.

It's nothing more than a matter of gratitude, resentment, and hatred.

Sitting in his chair, Wang Mian held his teacup, piecing together and analyzing the clues in his mind, and finally, the fog-like doubts began to crack.

No wonder!

No wonder that female cultivator who called herself Zhi would inexplicably visit Songlintan that day and leave behind an invitation to the "Evergreen Banquet".

She wasn't there to deliver invitations at all; she was there to scout out the location!

She discovered Wang Mian's appearance, Bai Jiuniang's cultivation level, and the location of the Songlintan Cave, and then informed the Bian family of the information.

The four cultivators who arrived by flying boat that day and laid a trap that nearly took his life were most likely not from the Lü family of Taixi Lake, but rather cultivators from the Bian family of Fenglei Valley.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any recent images or diagrams?" These are all guesses, and he needs to verify whether his guesses are correct.

No one gets up early without a reason, and no story unfolds without a coincidence.

The Bian clan wouldn't use a force capable of annihilating Wang Mian just because he stole a dozen kilograms of spirit grain.

Clearly, there is a more profitable deal, and he has greater value.

Taixi Lake!

The shopkeeper took out a booklet thicker than a brick from his storage bag: "Fellow Daoist, I sincerely request three spirit stones."

Wang Mian's face instantly turned ashen.

Indeed, it's true. If it weren't for the news about him, Tingfeng House wouldn't have sold it for the price of a son with no spiritual root.

"You have my arrest warrant, right?"

The shopkeeper smiled but said nothing.

Wang Mian took out a spirit stone with a dull color from his storage bag and placed it on the table.

The shopkeeper, holding the thick book, shifted his gaze from the spirit stone to Wang Mian, then back to the book in his hand: "Fellow Daoist is not only ruthless, but also lives a very frugal life."

He put away the spirit stones, tore off a piece of the image from them, and handed it to Wang Mian.

After reviewing the bounty map in his hand, Wang Mian confirmed that the cultivator who attacked him that night was from the Bian clan. His expression remained unchanged, but he was already thinking about a revenge plan.

He would accept being killed if he stole from the Spirit Valley.

He refused to accept being assassinated by the Bian family.

"Shopkeeper, where is Zhi Qingfu now?" Wang Mian put away the shadow map in his hand. This was his first wanted poster to date, and it was quite worth keeping.

Many years ago, there was a deceased elder in Luopo Mountain who was wanted by the authorities, and his image was plastered all over one wall of his cave.

He was once a role model for the monks of Luopo Mountain.

He was later torn apart by five horses of the Dragon Scale Horse.

The shopkeeper pulled down the copper bell behind him, asking Wang Mian to sit for a moment. Before long, someone brought him a note. Holding the note in his hand, he said, "Fellow Daoist, the total is twenty spirit stones."

These words made Wang Mian's face turn as black as the bottom of a pot.

Wang Mian and the shopkeeper stared at each other for a moment. The shopkeeper could easily guess what he was thinking and said frankly that he would not charge a penny less, and that the image was half-sold and half-given away, and the information would not be discounted.

In the end, Wang Mian reluctantly handed over the spirit stones to him.

The note also fell into Wang Mian's hands. After unfolding it and glancing at it a few times, Wang Mian put the note into his storage bag.

"Thank you for your patronage. Farewell, fellow Daoist. We look forward to welcoming you back again." The smiling shopkeeper saw Wang Mian rise to take his leave and also rose to see him off: "Fellow Daoist, Tingfeng House will not be selling any information related to you for the next ten days."

This is the rule, and it can also be considered a benefit.

The young cultivator Ning An took the bamboo skewer from the shopkeeper, nodded in response to Wang Mian's probing gaze, indicating that there was indeed such a rule.

"Is the manager of Jin Chan Pavilion fair?" Wang Mian asked him after walking a short distance.

Now that he has very few spirit stones left, he has considered selling his magical artifacts. The two magical artifacts he obtained from the Bian family cultivators should be able to make up for some of the deficit.

He was used to using swords, so keeping knife-like magical weapons was pointless for him.

"Compared to others, he has a reputation for fairness. Why don't you go and take a look before making a decision?" Ning An didn't dare to say for sure, after all, this was Luopo Mountain.

Hearing him say that, I figured he must have a good reputation, so I didn't choose any other options and went straight to the Golden Cicada Pavilion.

As soon as she arrived at the door, Ning An asked, "Is the manager here? We have a customer."

He rang the bell by the door again, and the sound echoed throughout the entire first floor.

The shopkeeper, of medium build and unremarkable appearance, stepped out from behind the counter, glanced at Ning An, then at Wang Mian, and invited him in with a smile.

Ning An was led away by a maid, while Wang Mian was led into a private room by the innkeeper: "Fellow Daoist, are you selling or buying?"

The shopkeeper caught a faint whiff of tea fragrance, and his smile brightened even more. It seemed that the other party was a fellow Daoist who had been sent away by Tingfeng.

Wang Mian took out two magical artifacts: a broadsword and a pair of twin swords, one for sale.

With permission, he picked up one of the magical artifacts, examined it closely, and after a thorough inspection, a faint spiritual light shone from his fingertips. He probed into the artifact, and it gradually began to glow with a sharp, gleaming light.

After inspecting the two magical artifacts, the shopkeeper, having made his assessment, said, "The price is ninety spirit stones. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Wang Mian shook his head. Did they think he was some kind of pig for the New Year?

The ritual implements I sold to Yu Tinghe last time were of even lower quality than these two, and each one would have cost more than this: "one hundred and forty."

The shopkeeper shook his head. Wang Mian's asking price was far too high. A used magic weapon, and he was still selling it in Luopo Mountain for 140 spirit stones. That was wishful thinking.

"I thought you were a wolf, but I was too blind. You're more like a lion, always asking for big sums." The shopkeeper pushed the magic weapon back: "One hundred spirit stones."

After some haggling, they finally settled on a price that satisfied both parties: one hundred and twenty spirit stones.

The other markets were far away, but Luhua Ferry was closer. However, there were probably Bian family spies waiting for him there, so he could only sell his magical artifacts in the open market.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any rare finds?" Wang Mian asked.

The shopkeeper, who was tidying up the magical artifacts, looked up at Wang Mian and tentatively asked, "How powerful of a product do you need, fellow Daoist?"

"The best is someone who can kill someone at the mid-stage of Qi Refining."