Jiang Hao found a spot and set up his stall. After selling five healing talismans and some Ten Thousand Sword Talismans, he packed up his stall. I hope readers remember our domain name.
One must admit, these talismans sell like hotcakes at this time.
In a few days, it might be back to a surplus situation.
Then selling even a few talismans a day would be tough.
Jiang Hao calculated carefully and found he had saved up nineteen hundred spirit stones.
It should be enough to buy a decent magical artifact.
Ideally, something suitable for both the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment stages.
He wandered around and saw many magical treasures, including some long blades, but most were ordinary.
Occasionally, he'd see something for Golden Core practitioners, but the prices were outrageous.
Nineteen hundred couldn't buy them at all.
Plus, some merchants were too greedy, charging over a thousand for a magical item like the Shadow Blade.
He even came across tea leaves for sale, and to his surprise, someone was selling Heavenly Blue Crimson for the same price as Red Sleeve Fragrance, one hundred per ounce.
The vendor claimed it was a rare find, but only had five ounces left.
Jiang Hao took a glance and moved on; though he hadn't seen Heavenly Blue Crimson before, its color was even worse than the Red Sleeve Fragrance he had bought.
He didn't dare take the gamble.
Who knows what that woman would do if she drank a fake; it would be paying to suffer.
It was better to buy something cheap to fend her off for now.
"Come to think of it, that woman still hasn't told me her name. It's been a while since I tried appraising her either."
The first time he appraised her, she was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and nothing could be discerned.
Now, with his mid-Golden Core level, his Divine Abilities should have strengthened and might reveal something.
For a moment, Jiang Hao was looking forward to her arrival.
If he could appraise any artifacts, it would mean knowing more about her with greater strength.
Now he just had to wait for her to come.
The market was bustling, and most of the things for sale were related to Azure Sky Mountain, with some vendors from outside setting up their stalls.
Some folks belonging to unknown sects made Jiang Hao feel uneasy.
These people had various cultivation levels, some were at the Golden Core, some at Foundation Establishment, and even some at Qi Refinement.
The Qi Refinement ones stuck to the fringes.
Anything higher, he hardly ever saw.
After all, there weren’t that many Golden Core practitioners around.
The higher the cultivation, the smaller the market.
Halfway through, Jiang Hao stopped, attracted by a nearby stall.
Two men, who seemed to be about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, ran this stall. Upon seeing someone linger, they plastered on humble merchant smiles:
"Would the daoist friend like to take a look?"
The stall didn't have much, just three magical artifacts: a fairly decent spirit sword and a very ordinary shield.
These alone weren't worth noting. Jiang Hao's attention was drawn to a black-bodied, white-bladed knife lying in the center.
Judging by the material and craftsmanship, it was far superior to the Shadow Blade he had used before.
Though it was still intended for Foundation Establishment, its material and craftsmanship could barely match Golden Core magical treasures.
It could be called top-tier among Foundation Establishment items.
"What's the price for this knife?" Jiang Hao picked up the black knife to examine it and then asked.
Indeed, this was a good knife.
Fitting to be his spirit stone companion blade.
"This black fox blade is the work of a renowned craftsman, and it's not cheap.
But we brothers are eager to sell it. I'll let you have it for three thousand," Li Fei with the sharp chin murmured softly.
Hearing this, Jiang Hao’s brows furrowed—he didn’t have enough money.
Three thousand was actually a fair deal, even a bit cheap; at the Star Pavilion, it would cost over four thousand.
It's rare to find a better blade among Foundation Establishment items.
Jiang Hao felt a slight heft as he hefted it.
He could buy it.
He pondered a bit, then decided to use talismans to make up for it.
He had five healing talismans and twenty Ten Thousand Sword Talismans.
These could account for several hundred.
Coupled with some elixirs, it should be enough.
"Daoist friend seems to be in a bit of a bind? The day is getting late, and we want to leave early too.
How about this, we’ll knock off another five hundred," suggested the short-haired Hong Lai, eager to make the sale.
This sudden discount made Li Fei discontent, but he simply sighed and said nothing further.
Jiang Hao found it odd—was this a lucky break?
A bargain for a high-grade magical item.
After so long without a buyer, it was indeed good luck for him.
Without further hesitation, he offered to pay with talismans.
Though they were a bit hesitant, upon hearing they were healing talismans and Ten Thousand Sword Talismans, they readily agreed.
The transaction finally concluded at nineteen hundred spirit stones, five healing talismans, and twelve Ten Thousand Sword Talismans.
After Jiang Hao made the payment, Li Fei warmly smiled and said:
"I'll help package it for you, daoist friend."
With that, he took the long blade and placed it in a box beneath the stall.
Li Fei then presented the box to Jiang Hao:
"Daoist friend, the deal is done."
Taking the box, Jiang Hao's eyebrows knitted—it felt off.
He intended to open the box to check, but Li Fei laid a hand on it, stopping him:
"Daoist friend, the transaction is complete, you can leave now."
Jiang Hao realized it then.
The magical item had been swapped, and they were threatening him.
At this point, the two stall owners' Foundation Establishment aura pressed down on him.
This was outright robbery.
"Alright." Feeling the weight of their perfected Foundation Establishment, Jiang Hao nodded in agreement.
He took the box and turned to leave.
Just as he thought he had gotten a bargain, it turned out to be a trap waiting for him.
Watching Jiang Hao leave, Hong Fei was a bit worried:
"Li Brother, this guy seemed awfully calm, do you think he might be dangerous?"
"I saw him walking around alone. He doesn’t mix with those around; probably just a solitary inner disciple.
I doubt he could find anyone to trouble us." Li Fei hesitated and then said,
"Better safe than sorry. Once we buy the cultivation resources, let's leave to prevent him from actually finding someone.
Remove the aura suppression and disguise artifacts."
The two retreated to a secluded corner, and when they emerged, they looked like two women.
Completely unnoticed.