The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 34 Baoyu

Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Baoyu

Having already scared the snake during the day, everyone guessed that the Bat Demon would not show up. Just to be on the safe side, that night Quan Shifang still sent Yu Yao and another junior brother to stake out outside Gao Village. By daybreak the next day, as expected, there was no gain.

At this time, Ning Xiaoxian went out to the local merchant teams. Siping County had no market recently, and there were generally two ways for individuals to sell items: one was to make a dead pledge at a pawnshop, and the other was to find a merchant team that had arrived locally. In Nan Zhanbu Continent, not only had the Cultivation Sects become increasingly powerful, but the Demon Clan was also thriving. The life of the common mortals at the bottom was much harder, with heavy barriers between different states and counties, and the circulation of goods mainly relied on merchant teams traveling across various places. When such teams reached their destinations, in addition to purchasing local specialties, they also carried out the business of buying and selling rare and curious items in return.

Ning Xiaoxian had heard from the servants at Huang Mansion that a merchant team from Feng Province had arrived in Siping County this morning, planning to rest here and replenish their goods before moving on. She just happened to have an item to sell, and the merchant team was a better choice. Everyone knows that pawnshops conduct business with ruthless profiteering; the newest and best items taken there are all recorded as starting with "junk", and the silver obtained from pawning them is pitifully little.

The item she had was the fine Mutton Fat Jade Pendant that Shi Jishan lost to her. Yesterday, Changtian intended to keep the item after getting it, but Ning Xiaoxian wouldn’t have it: "Can you extract the One-day Fruit seed without damaging the Jade Pendant? I’ll allow you to drill a small hole in the middle, but it can’t look too unsightly."

Changtian wondered, "What do you want to do?"

She boldly declared, "Take it to sell, of course! Granny’s not exactly rolling in cash, it’d be such a pity to not turn such a good item into ready money." Since the road to the Western Heaven wasn’t just a few thousand li away, she needed to start hoarding money. The little silver she had in her pocket was far from sufficient. Spiritual Objects like Cloud Fragrant Rice could not be revealed before her own strength increased, and although Granny was not well-educated, she understood the principle of inviting trouble by flaunting one’s wealth. Fortunately, that silly woman Shi Jishan gave her a nice item, why wouldn’t she make use of it?

In his lifetime, Changtian had dealings with immortals, cultivators, and demons, mostly using Spirit Stones, and there were very few occasions where mortal silver could be useful. He couldn’t comprehend and asked, "What’s so special about mortal silver?"

She heaved a long sigh, "You don’t know how costly household expenses are until you manage a household! On our westward journey, aren’t we mostly dealing with mortals? Don’t we need to use the things mortals like for trade? If I go all the way without farming or being a middleman, the money will only dwindle. If I pawn this Jade Pendant, we can travel a thousand more li." For an ordinary person wanting to get rich, the difficulty is immense; Mrs. Song’s family worked hard and lived an honest life, but only managed to achieve subsistence.

Well, it looks like I have to engage in some speculating, buying, and selling! The most reliable thing in the world, in another world, is the red banknote; here it is Spirit Stones and silver. I’ll never believe there’s no place where silver isn’t useful!

Changtian listened and pursed his lips, offering no objection. He then stretched out his forefinger and pressed it against the center of the Jade Pendant. His finger was long, fair, and finer than the ladies’, but when it touched the Jade Pendant, it went through as if poking into tofu, silently making a hole straight through!

The core part of the One-day Fruit seed fell into the Demon Transformation Spring with a "plop" sound. He picked it up and put it into his pocket, then casually tossed the Jade Pendant back to her.

Ning Xiaoxian clumsily caught it, angrily thinking to herself, this spendthrift child, daring to casually throw away a priceless Jade! Once she took a look, the Jade Pendant had become a Jade with an outer square and an inner circle, with the hole in the middle perfectly round and smooth, having not even a rough surface—it looked as if it had been meticulously polished by a craftsman. She couldn’t help but secretly praise Changtian the housekeeper for his usefulness!

Finding the merchant team was extremely simple—just head to the busiest group of people on the main street in the center of the county.

The leader of the merchant team, Deng Hao, was a man nearing forty, with a tall and sturdy build and a face weathered by the elements. Though he appeared amiable and honest, his eyes, after more than a decade of wandering and trading, were very discerning. Besides purchasing bulk goods, the team set up a felt tent at the entrance of the largest inn in the county to buy items brought in by private individuals.

However, after lingering for half a day, although many people brought in items to sell, few were of notable value. Among the goods the team acquired, only two ginseng roots barely aged three hundred years and several pieces of decent quality Qingtian stone caught his eye.

After all, this is a small place, he thought dispiritedly. If there were no good items in another two hours, there would be no point in making a display and wasting effort. They would rest for two or three days, and once the last few consignments arrived, they would pack up and leave.

It was now the turn of a young girl dressed in coarse cloth. The item she took out was very small and wrapped tightly in an ordinary handkerchief. The clerk in charge of receiving goods glanced at it and reached out to take it, but she dodged backward and said, "This item is a family heirloom and cannot be exposed to light. Could you please pass a message to the leader for me?"

The clerk, who had been accepting goods all morning with hardly any worthwhile finds, was already irritated. Upon hearing her request, he scoffed, "Everyone in line here claims they’re holding a family treasure. Our leader has high standards, and your item might not catch his eye. Hurry and show it for appraisal—others are waiting behind you."

Ning Xiaoxian, unoffended, said with a smile, "Well then, big brother, I’ll make a bet with you. If the leader takes no interest in my family heirloom, I’ll give you ten silver taels. Otherwise, you’ll owe me ten. How about that?"

Ten silver taels was not a small amount; it was something the clerk could earn in half a month of work. Seeing the girl’s confident tone, he hesitated. Just then, Deng Hao walked over and laughed, "I’ll take that bet! I am the team leader Deng Hao. The girl speaks boldly. Please hand over the item for my inspection."

She did not unwrap the silk cloth but simply lifted a small corner towards him. The clerk saw Brother Hao’s expression suddenly change, and he promptly and seriously invited the young girl into the inn. Stunned, the clerk worried about losing. His pocket, which had just been filled with yesterday’s wages, was still warm, and now it seemed the money would soon fly away.

After catching a glimpse of that lustrous sheen, Deng Hao was overjoyed. He invited Ning Xiaoxian into an inn room and then took the jade pendant for a thorough examination. The more he looked, the more astonished he was. The jade was warm and dense, luminous and pure, with a luster like cream. Even in the height of summer, it felt refreshingly cool to the touch, clearly a top-quality mutton fat jade without a single flaw from surface to core.

Yet this was not its greatest value. As a seasoned trader with some contact with cultivation sects, he knew that these immortal beings also required a special kind of jade—spirit jade. Only a tiny fraction of jade contains spiritual energy, known as "spiritual jade," which can easily be imbibed with divine skills. Cultivators use it to create powerful and uniquely functional jade talismans.

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