129: fishing

"Immortal Master, please come this way!"

A waiter, with a respectful expression, led Lu Ming to a seat on the second floor.

"Bring a few of your signature Spirit Dishes!"

Lu Ming ordered, and the waiter bowed and left.

Sitting by the window on the second floor, Lu Ming gazed outside, but in reality, his Divine Sense had already enveloped the entire restaurant.

If one were to ask where information was easiest to obtain, it would naturally be in tea houses and taverns.

Here, Dragons and fish mingle, and sometimes, news spoken inadvertently while sipping tea or drinking wine can be very useful.

Before the Spirit Dishes were served, Lu Ming had already gained a good understanding of the market, and an idea had formed in his mind.

...

A quarter of an hour later.

Lu Ming, having eaten and drunk his fill, walked out of the restaurant and headed towards the central area of the market.

Finally, he stopped in front of a shop named 'Moon Mansion Pavilion'.

This shop, in terms of both scale and decor, far surpassed other shops.

A banner stood in front of the door, embroidered with a large 'Zheng' character.

Clearly, this was the shop opened by the local tyrant Zheng Family in the market.

Behind the shop's counter, a middle-aged man with narrow eyes and slightly thin lips was napping.

This person looked somewhat shrewd and a bit harsh.

His aura indicated a Cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, the same as the cultivation Lu Ming was currently displaying.

Entering 'Moon Mansion Pavilion', Lu Ming walked up and knocked twice on the counter, waking the middle-aged man.

He glared at Lu Ming with some displeasure, but upon sensing the aura emanating from him, his expression softened slightly.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you need?"

The middle-aged man asked indifferently, not at all thinking his service attitude was problematic.

Lu Ming didn't care either; the entire market belonged to them, so a bit of arrogance was understandable, and he wouldn't be able to jump around for much longer anyway.

"Does your esteemed shop purchase Magical Artifacts and Medicinal Pills?"

Lu Ming said in a low voice, looking around left and right as he spoke, appearing very sneaky.

Zheng Qingqi's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, and seeing the man's demeanor, he had a slight guess in his heart.

However, he showed no emotion on his face, but his tone became much more enthusiastic.

"Yes, of course we buy! But it depends on the quality of the items you offer, Fellow Daoist."

Lu Ming cupped his hands and handed over a Storage Pouch.

"Everything inside is for sale, Fellow Daoist, please give me an estimate!"

The Storage Pouch had no Restriction, and Zheng Qingqi's Divine Sense surged into it. Upon seeing the items inside, he was immediately startled.

It was filled with a large quantity of Medicinal Pills and Magical Artifacts. Although they were varied and of ordinary quality, there were many of them.

He became even more certain of his guess: this person was definitely a rogue Cultivator, here to fence stolen goods!

However, such matters were inconvenient to ask about, and there was no need to delve into them.

Moreover, having been a shopkeeper for so many years, this was not the first time he had encountered such a situation.

He even wished more such people would come; acquiring these stolen goods was much cheaper than their usual selling price.

This was a big business deal!

Zheng Qingqi's eyes gleamed, and his smile became even more brilliant.

As a Zheng Family Cultivator, although he seemed glorious on the surface, the internal competition was actually quite fierce.

Especially recently, the Family was in turmoil, with constant competition among various factions.

If he could secure this large business deal, he would not only gain more influence within his faction but also receive a substantial reward.

"My name is Zheng Qingqi, the shopkeeper of Moon Mansion Pavilion. May I know your name, Fellow Daoist?"

"Wu Hong."

Lu Ming was concise, then urged impatiently.

"Shopkeeper Zheng, does this have anything to do with our transaction?"

"Haha, don't rush, Fellow Daoist, I'll appraise it now."

Zheng Qingqi chuckled and began to count.

He inspected everything very carefully, not missing a single detail.

As he checked, he also spoke.

"Fellow Daoist, look here! The Magical Artifact has a chip, so its price must be reduced!"

"This bottle of Yellow Ginseng Pill has lost some of its medicinal properties, so the price will also be lower, only worth twenty Spirit Stones!"

"This Talisman is good, with abundant spiritual charm, but unfortunately, the quality of the Talisman paper is poor, so it won't fetch a high price..."

"This won't do..."

He was actually nitpicking; those problems were minor and did not affect usage at all.

But then again, the other party was a rogue Cultivator, so if he got swindled, he could only accept his bad luck. Zheng Qingqi bet he wouldn't dare to make a fuss.

Moreover, this was his Zheng Family's territory; even a Dragon would have to coil here!

Lu Ming watched with cold eyes, saying nothing.

These items were all 'found' by him on the way; he didn't care how much they sold for.

"But he's really quite ruthless; only twenty Spirit Stones for a Yellow Ginseng Pill, how dare he even say that!"

Zheng Qingqi didn't even bother to keep up the act later, as fabricating excuses also required thought.

A hint of playfulness flashed in Lu Ming's eyes, but he didn't interrupt his performance.

"Fellow Daoist, a total of three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, what do you think?"

After counting, Zheng Qingqi looked at 'Wu Hong's' displeased face with a chuckle and quoted the final price.

He didn't care at all what the man thought of him.

"Is this how you do business?"

'Wu Hong' slammed the table and roared in anger.

"You see, you're getting impatient. It's just business, isn't it?"

"And besides..."

Zheng Qingqi paused, a playful expression on his face, then continued.

"Fellow Daoist, the items you provided are of unknown origin. You wouldn't want others to know you're a rogue Cultivator, would you!"

"You!"

'Wu Hong' pointed at Zheng Qingqi, his body trembling slightly, seemingly enraged.

"I'm not selling anymore, give me back my stuff!"

Zheng Qingqi's smile vanished, and he said coldly.

"Fellow Daoist, don't be ungrateful! Giving you Spirit Stones is a sign of my Moon Mansion Pavilion's integrity. Even if I gave you nothing, what could you do to my Zheng Family?"

The threat in his tone was undisguised.

"Good, good, good, I admit defeat! I originally planned to sell you an Alchemy Legacy..."

'Wu Hong' seemed to be so angry that he blurted it out inadvertently.

Then, realizing his mistake, he quickly shut his mouth.

"Alchemy what!?"

Zheng Qingqi seemed to have detected a keyword. He had been casually leaning back in his chair, but in the next moment, he stood up directly.

Could it be an Alchemy Legacy!

Zheng Qingqi's heart pounded, and his breathing became somewhat rapid. His gaze burned as he looked at 'Wu Hong'.

He hadn't misheard; this person definitely meant to say Alchemy Legacy!

That was a Legacy! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was the foundation of major aristocratic Families and Sects!

What's more, it was an Alchemy Legacy!

If he could bring it back, he couldn't even imagine how great this merit would be!

Perhaps even the Old Ancestor would personally receive him!

"Hmph, what Alchemy? You misheard, quickly give me the Spirit Stones!"

'Wu Hong's' eyes darted around, denying what he had just said, and he patted the counter, urging him on.

"Fellow Daoist, if you have an Alchemy Legacy, you can..."

Zheng Qingqi didn't believe him at all and immediately wanted to press on with his inquiry.

"I said there's no Alchemy, you misheard!"

'Wu Hong' seemed to bristle, interrupting Zheng Qingqi before he could finish his sentence.

Then, feeling he had overreacted, he quickly composed himself and said, feigning calmness.

"Either give me the Spirit Stones or give me back my stuff, stop dawdling!"