Mortal: I have a gathering technique

"Twenty spirit stones? Are you robbing me?!"

Before the round-faced youth could comment, a burly man in a gray robe next to him started cursing.

His outburst was immediately echoed by everyone present.

"Even a perfectly good mid-grade magic weapon in Tai Nan Pavilion is only worth fifty or sixty spirit stones. You're asking for twenty for a piece of junk? Are you crazy for money?!"

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Moon Spirit Pearl. A freshly made one only costs a little over thirty spirit stones. I'd rather have someone else refine one than buy yours."

"Fellow Daoist, this isn't how you earn spirit stones. This is only possible in Tai Nan Market. If this were outside, your stall would have been overturned long ago, you know?"

……

The stall owner's outrageous asking price clearly provoked public outrage.

However, despite the criticism from the crowd, the mustachioed stall owner remained all smiles.

They even have the energy to debate with others.

"Although my Moon Spirit Pearl is cracked, it's not missing anything. I can just spend two spirit stones to buy a Moon Clam Pearl, grind it into powder, and melt it into the pearl. It will be as good as new. Why isn't it worth twenty spirit stones?"

"It's easy to say. You don't need to hire a weapon refiner for smelting. In the current market, even hiring a novice weapon refiner for smelting would cost seven or eight spirit stones, which would almost be the price of a brand new item."

A red-faced man immediately retorted, and then grabbed the round-faced youth who had asked the price, and began to persuade him on the spot:

"Young man, listen to me. Don't try to save a few spirit stones by taking advantage of this. My friend is a weapon refiner, and even if his Moon Spirit Pearl is repaired, its defensive effect will be greatly reduced..."

Before the red-faced man could finish speaking, the bearded stall owner objected, pointing at him and shouting:

"Hey, stop it, stop it! If you're not going to buy, fine, but you're trying to persuade others to buy too. Are you trying to sabotage my stall?"

The red-faced man realized his behavior was inappropriate, but seeing the people around him condemning the stall owner, he immediately straightened up and retorted:

"Who vandalized the stall? I was just trying to help someone in need. You swindler should get out of the market."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"Well said!"

……

As soon as the red-faced man finished speaking, he was immediately greeted with cheers.

However, despite the insults, no one actually dared to take action.

After all, this Tainan Small Gathering has a Foundation Establishment cultivator as its backer, and no one dares to slap a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the face.

Seeing the crowd's anger, Fang Qing had no choice but to temporarily abandon his idea of ​​asking the price. After pondering for a while, he turned and walked towards the pavilion behind the square.

As a market town, this building also houses legitimate shops.

However, because Tainan Valley is too remote, there is only one shop selling goods. The other buildings are either the residences of the market owners or guest rooms for rent.

After approaching the pavilion, Fang Qing headed straight for the highest palace in the middle.

This palace has three floors, with a base of bluestone and a main body of paulownia wood. It is exquisite and luxurious, and it is the "Tainan Pavilion" that the onlookers had mentioned before!

Fang Qing stood in front of the palace, first looking up at the plaque above, and then slowly walked inside.

The first floor of Tai Nan Pavilion is very spacious, with rows of mahogany counters on the left, right and in the middle.

Behind the counter, a maid stood every few steps, around sixteen years old, all dressed in pink dresses, a very pleasing sight.

There were about seven or eight guests in the lobby at this time. After Fang Qing came in, he first looked around and then started looking at the items one by one, starting from the counter on the left.

The items in the counter are mostly talismans and magical artifacts, and they are mostly of medium and low quality. There are only two or three low-level and high-level talismans and magical artifacts.

There wasn't a single intermediate-level talisman or top-tier magical artifact.

Fang Qing didn't care about this, because even if he could afford it, he wouldn't be able to.

When Fang Qing had finished his walk, only three people remained in the hall. Seeing this, Fang Qing quietly asked a round-faced maid:

"Does your establishment recycle treasures?"

The round-faced maid showed no surprise upon hearing this, clearly indicating that Fang Qing was not the first person to ask such a question.

"Is the customer here to sell something?"

The round-faced maid confirmed, and after seeing Fang Qing nod, she immediately led Fang Qing to the second floor, to a private room.

The room was furnished very simply, with just a long table and two armchairs.

Fang Qing sat down in a grand chair and waited for a short while before an elderly man with gray hair walked in.

The first thing the old man did upon entering was to apologize:

"Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. With the Ascension Ceremony approaching, there are too many fellow Daoists coming to sell their items, and time is tight. So, I'll get straight to the point. May I ask what you wish to sell?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Qing nodded slightly to show his understanding, and then without saying anything more, took out a long wooden box from his pocket and placed it in front of the old man.

The old man was quick; without saying a word, he opened the box, glanced at it briefly, and decisively made his offer:

"A hundred-year-old Yellow Dragon Grass can be used as the main ingredient in elixirs for improving mana in the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Its market price is around eighty spirit stones. Recently, due to the Ascension Conference, the price of elixirs and herbs has increased. I am offering eighty-five low-grade spirit stones. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Fang Qing shook her head and held up one finger. "Too little, I want a hundred yuan!"

The old man raised his head, glanced at Fang Qing, pondered for a moment, and then agreed.

Seeing how readily he agreed, Fang Qing no longer regretted not calling him more.

No matter how much you negotiate, the price will only be a few spirit stones' worth of space, so there's no need to go through with it.

However, the price, which was originally eighty, is now one hundred, a quarter higher. The Ascension Conference has had a greater impact on low-grade spiritual herbs than he had imagined.

After obtaining the spirit stones, Fang Qing went straight to the first floor and bought a Golden Armor Talisman with fifty spirit stones.

This Golden Armor Talisman is a high-level, low-level defensive talisman, and its defensive effect is several times stronger than the Vajra Talisman he obtained from the golden light.

Currently, Fang Qing has spells and talismans for attacking and trapping enemies, but what he lacks is a means of defense.

A golden armor talisman can be a lifesaver in a critical moment.

After carefully storing the Golden Armor Talisman close to his body, Fang Qing returned to the square.

After such a short delay, there were hardly any people around the bearded stall owner.

Fang Qing was not surprised by this.

The commotion was so great that most people in the market probably already know the details of those "old magical artifacts".

"However, no one is there to make things convenient for me!"

Fang Qing was secretly delighted and walked towards the mustache stall without making a sound.

When he reached the stall, he looked interested and pointed to the Moon Spirit Pearl, asking:

"How much are these beads?"

"Twenty spirit stones!" the bearded stall owner replied enthusiastically.

Good heavens, they won't even lower the price by a single spirit stone.

Fang Qing raised an eyebrow and pointed to the brick broken into three pieces. "What about this one?"

"That's also twenty spirit stones."

Fang Qing looked up at the man with the small mustache and held up two fingers: "Two pieces!"

The man with the small mustache was probably encountering someone haggling for the first time. He sized up Fang Qing, and after a long while, he said:

"Too few, at least ten. These golden bricks are mixed with gold essence, which is a material for refining magical treasures."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qing rolled her eyes at the other person and got up to leave.

However, as soon as he turned around, he heard Little Mustache shouting behind him:

"Fellow Daoist, please wait! I'll sell them for both!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Qing casually tossed down two spirit stones, put away the brick, and turned to leave.