Chapter 278
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Chapter 278: Buying and Selling
In the early morning, as the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Wang Chen quietly stepped out of the alley. He was clad in a gray-blue robe, his hair and beard streaked with gray, his face thin and pale, and his body so frail it seemed he could barely lift a chicken. Yet, the subtle aura of high-level Qi Training he exuded made others wary of underestimating him.
The main street was bustling with activity, most shops either open or in the process of opening. Wang Chen, familiar with the streets, made his way to a tea house that served breakfast. He found a seat, ordered a pot of spiritual tea and a basket of buns, and as he ate, he listened to the conversations around him. The patrons, mostly locals, were well-informed about the goings-on in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators, discussing various events with great enthusiasm.
After indulging in the local gossip and rumors, Wang Chen finished his meal of steaming beast meat buns and refreshing spiritual tea, paid, and left the tea house. The prices here were about double those in Dongwu Town, making it challenging for ordinary loose cultivators to settle in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators.
Near the tea house was a large marketplace. Wang Chen had come to set up his stall. After paying the day’s rent to the market manager, he quickly set up his stall in a corner, as the better spots were already taken. There were four such marketplaces in the city, operating on a first-come, first-served basis with no restrictions on items sold, but the rent was steep—fifty spirit fragments for a single day.
Wang Chen was experienced in setting up stalls. Unlike others who shouted to attract customers or hung flashy banners, he neatly arranged the talismans he had crafted the previous night by type. He then leaned back in his wicker chair, placed a goose feather fan on his knee, and closed his eyes to rest.
Despite his stall’s out-of-the-way location, the early market drew many cultivators, and soon someone approached his stall. "Hmm?" The visitor’s eyes swept over Wang Chen’s display, showing surprise. The talismans, neatly arranged by type, glowed with spiritual light and were of nearly perfect quality. In a marketplace often filled with fakes, Wang Chen’s talismans stood out like gold among gravel—impossible to overlook.
"Hiss~" Upon closer inspection, the visitor gasped, "Fellow traveler, your legal symbols are quite pricey!" Wang Chen had divided his display table into three sections: low-level, mid-level, and high-level. The low-level legal symbols were marked at two spirit fragments each, the mid-level at five, and the high-level at a steep ten spirit fragments. While the cost of living in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators was high, the price for first-tier talismans corresponding to the Qi Training stage was only slightly higher than elsewhere.
This was primarily because entering the field of Talisman Making was relatively easy, and the learning costs were significantly lower compared to alchemy, weapon refining, beast taming, puppetry, and other disciplines. As a result, many cultivators took up talisman making as a side job, leading to a massive output of first-tier talismans, which naturally drove down the market price.
Wang Chen’s prices were about 50% higher than the market rate, and the prices for advanced legal symbols were even more exorbitant!
These days, earning spirit stones wasn’t easy for anyone, and most of those who frequented the marketplace were middle- and lower-tier cultivators from the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators.
Such prices were indeed quite off-putting.
Wang Chen didn’t respond. Instead, he simply tossed out a peach wood sign.
On it were inscribed nine bold characters: Clearly marked prices, no bargaining!
“Hmph!”
The visitor snorted and turned to leave.
Wang Chen didn’t even bother to glance at him.
The talismans he had displayed were all master-level works. Anyone who truly knew their worth wouldn’t find them overpriced.
What did "prestige" mean?
It meant he would rather destroy his creations than sell them at a discount.
Buy if you want, leave if you don’t! The price stays the same, no matter how much you buy!
Cultivators came to Wang Chen’s stall one after another, but none made a purchase.
Some were deterred by the prices, while others tried to haggle with Wang Chen, only to leave grumbling when they received no response.
There were also those who hesitated, torn between wanting to buy and being unable to make up their minds.
After all, a legal symbol priced at three to five spirit stones was a heavy burden for ordinary cultivators.
As a result, from morning until noon, Wang Chen hadn’t sold a single talisman!
Wang Chen ignored the curious glances from the surrounding stallholders. He took out a zitan tea table from his storage bag, set up a calming incense burner and a red clay tea kettle, and brewed himself a pot of spiritual tea.
While sipping his tea, he flipped through some books.
A couple of days ago, while wandering around the city, Wang Chen had bought several books from a bookstore.
They would keep him occupied for quite some time.
Though Wang Chen’s business was abysmal, his appearance, attire, and demeanor set him apart from the other stallholders, who exuded a mercantile air.
He was like a pristine lotus blooming in the mud!
By the afternoon, Wang Chen’s business finally saw some activity.
His first customer was a middle-aged cultivator. Despite his shabby appearance, his sharp eyes and commanding presence suggested he was a seasoned veteran—either a battle cultivator or a Hunter Cultivator.
He took five Exorcism Talismans and five Falling Fire talismans, leaving behind twenty spirit fragments.
With this first sale, Wang Chen’s business suddenly took a turn for the better. By the time he closed his stall at dusk, he had sold quite a few talismans, including some advanced legal symbols.
Among them were the Exorcism Talismans.
His earnings exceeded three hundred spirit fragments!
Wang Chen’s Beginner Talisman Making had already reached the level of perfect mastery, and his success rate in crafting first-tier talismans was nearly flawless. Combined with his high prices, the profits were substantial.
Wang Chen was quite pleased with the outcome.
This was just the beginning. Once his reputation grew, earning thirty thousand spirit stones within six months would be no trouble at all.
Of course, thirty thousand spirit stones weren’t enough. He still needed to rent a cave in North Mountain for cultivation.
Add in daily living expenses, and one could never have too many spirit stones.
“Xiang greets you, fellow traveler.”
Just as Wang Chen was packing up to leave, a man in sturdy attire appeared before him, clasping his fists in greeting. “My family head wishes to speak with you. Please come with me.”
Was he being targeted already?
Wang Chen was somewhat surprised.
He had anticipated such a possibility when he decided to showcase his master-level Talisman Making skills to earn spirit stones.
However, he hadn’t expected someone to take an interest on his very first day of setting up a stall.
“I’m just a wanderer, accustomed to a free and solitary life.”
Wang Chen replied calmly, “I prefer not to engage in social niceties. Please convey my apologies.”
With that, he ignored the man and left the marketplace on his own.
Not far from the marketplace, Wang Chen keenly sensed a “tail” following him.
Merging into the bustling crowd, he activated the Perfected Level Breath Concealment Technique and vanished from his pursuer’s sight in an instant.
