"Get lost, I don't even know you."
Wei Songnian's face darkened with irritation as he waved the man away impatiently.
"Hehe."
Lin Antai didn't take offense. With his ever-present grin, he said cheerfully:
"I'm in the same business as Old Wei. Junior Brother, if you ever need something, you can also find me at the small market beneath Chitong Mountain."
Seeing Wei Songnian's face grow darker, Lin wisely chose not to push further. Still smiling, he stepped back.
Wei Songnian ground his teeth and muttered under his breath:
"That Lin fellow is from the Great Bamboo Mountain Lin Clan, right next to our Little Bamboo Mountain Wei Clan. Because of overlapping interests, our clans often clash. Once disciples from both sides enter the sect, our relationship is like steel needles to magnets, always at odds.
The Lin clan has ties with a certain deacon in the Artifact Refining Hall. Lin Antai mostly deals in ores and artifacts."
Of course, Wei knew Lin had only come over to spite him. Whenever he saw Wei bringing a newcomer, he would pull the same trick.
Ji An only shook his head slightly. Where there are people, there will be strife.
Most conflicts stem from interests, but sometimes it's other petty nonsense.
As a spirit farmer, Ji An had always kept his head down by Bihai Lake, tending his fields in peace. He had never run into this kind of trouble before. But as cultivation deepened, crossing paths with different people was inevitable, and contacts, conflicts, and even enmities would follow.
Sometimes, it wasn't that you went looking for trouble; trouble came looking for you.
He had heard of a monster-hunting squad that discovered a century-old Blackleaf Ginseng, one of the main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills.
They sold it to an alchemist of the sect, only for that squad to immediately draw the attention of the alchemist's rival, who made their lives miserable.
And who could they complain to?
The two of them found a corner to sit in. Wei Songnian chuckled:
"Just wait a bit, Junior Brother. The trade fair will start soon."
Before long, a gaunt cultivator walked in, the cuffs of his robe embroidered with dark red flame patterns. He sat cross-legged on the high platform at the front of the hall, closing his eyes in repose.
The buzz of conversation instantly quieted. Wei Songnian leaned closer and whispered:
"That's Chen Shiping, Martial Uncle Chen Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Artifact Refining Hall. He's the resident overseer of this fair and especially skilled at appraising ores and magical tools."
At that moment, the disciple surnamed Cui, who had guarded the entrance, walked in. Bowing respectfully to the high platform, he said:
"Martial Uncle Chen, shall we begin the trade fair?"
"You may."
Martial Uncle Chen didn't even lift his eyelids, answering faintly.
"All right, everyone who intends to come is here. Let's begin."
The man bowed again and then faced the crowd.
"I am Cui Yuan. To break the ice, I'll go first.
This is a low-grade magical tool, the Green Scorpion Sword. Its blade was forged from Violet-Heart Copper and Profound Flame Iron, refined with the tailbone and spine of a fire-attribute scorpion beast, inscribed with twelve layers of prohibitions. It cuts through iron like mud.
If not for a small mishap during the forging, it would have been a mid-grade magical tool.
The price is fifty-four spirit stones. I also accept barter: ores, fire-elemental essences, or Blue-Steel Bamboo of at least first-grade mid-quality."
As he spoke, Cui Yuan produced a two-foot-long crimson-red flying sword. Infused with spiritual power, it glowed with a fiery light, waves of scorching heat rippling outward.
Wei Songnian leaned closer to explain:
"Senior Brother Cui has real talent in artifact refinement. He's been able to craft magical tools on his own for a few years now. His skill in repairing artifacts is also impressive, though his prices are a bit steep. Normally, a first-grade low-tier magical tool can be had for about twenty spirit stones."
Ji An nodded slightly. At this rate, how long will it take me to save up for a full set of gear for monster hunting? Once again, he deeply felt his poverty. He needed to earn a lot more spirit stones fast!
At that moment, a tall, bald cultivator stood up and declared:
"Everyone knows Brother Cui's craftsmanship. One of our squad's weapons has been badly damaged. We'll trade it in, add some ores, and exchange for this sword."
The bald cultivator rolled up his sleeves, revealing corded, powerful muscles. His bronzed skin gleamed faintly with a metallic luster.
"So it's Senior Brother Yang. Please, come up and complete the trade," Cui Yuan said with a smile.
Wei Songnian leaned over to explain:
"That's Senior Brother Yang Lie of Pagoda Peak. He mainly cultivates the body and is said to already be preparing for Foundation Establishment."
The two quickly concluded their transaction and stepped down from the platform.
After that, cultivators went up one after another. Some sold spirit herbs or minerals, others left disappointed. Wei Songnian also took the stage and successfully traded some Senyuan Pills for a spiritual item.
A few times, people asked Chen Shiping for appraisals. He charged one to three spirit stones for each identification, making Ji An sigh inwardly at how easily Foundation Establishment cultivators could make money.
About an hour later, the trade fair came to an end.
Cui Yuan handed over a pile of spirit crystals to Chen Shiping. The Foundation Establishment cultivator left first, and the others soon followed.
"Senior Sister Li, please wait."
Wei Songnian stepped forward, stopping two female cultivators just as they were about to leave the hall. Flattering them, he said:
"Senior Sister, your aura feels even stronger than before. It seems Foundation Establishment is not far off."
"Junior Brother Wei, if you've got business, just say it."
The woman in white robes covered her smile with a hand. At the end of her right brow was a mole the size of a grain of rice.
"Senior Sister, you belong to the Verdant Cliff lineage. I was wondering if you happen to have any spirit peach seeds. This Junior Brother Ji here is looking to purchase some."
He gestured toward Ji An as he made the introductions. Verdant Cliff was the cultivation ground of Elder Ge Ying, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator renowned in the sect for both alchemy and planting.
One of the sect's prized treasures, a second-tier supreme-grade spirit peach tree, was in Elder Ge's care.
Li Lingyu gave Ji An a once-over, her brows lifting slightly in pleasant surprise.
"I wonder if Junior Brother Ji is looking for ordinary first-tier seeds, or second-tier ones. The prices are quite different."
Spirit fruit trees required long cultivation cycles and strict conditions from spiritual fields and planters. Because of this, their seeds were rarely in demand, hard to sell, in fact.
So if she could turn one into spirit stones, she'd naturally be delighted.
"Could it be that Senior Sister has seeds from that supreme-grade peach tree the sect is cultivating?"
Wei Songnian's eyes lit up. If they could get their hands on a seed from a second-tier supreme-grade peach, that would be ideal.
"You wish! A second-tier supreme peach tree takes thirty-six years to flower, another thirty-six to bear fruit, and then another thirty-six to store energy before blooming again. Those peaches are reserved for late Origin Ascension cultivators and even Ancestors. Where would I get seeds from it?
What I do have is a second-tier low-grade peach seed, grown in my master's private medicine garden. And only one."
With a flip of her wrist, a peach seed faintly tinged with red appeared in her hand. She held it up and swayed it lightly before them.
Ji An cupped his hands politely, smiling:
"May I ask how many spirit stones a second-tier low-grade peach seed would cost?"
The higher the grade of the parent tree, the easier it was for the offspring to reach higher ranks as well. Naturally, if he had the chance, he wanted the better seed.
Ji An had confidence in his path of cultivation. Even just reaching Foundation Establishment would grant him two centuries of lifespan, enough time to experiment. If he later cultivated a wood or water technique and stockpiled some longevity pills, living 250 years wouldn't be impossible.
"Three spirit stones. Once this seed matures and bears fruit, the tree will at least be first-tier low-grade, maybe even first-tier high-grade. At that point, a spirit peach tree is practically a money tree."
She lifted three slender fingers, smiling slyly as she winked.
"Senior Sister is right, but still…"
Now came the bargaining. Wei Songnian naturally took charge, speaking smoothly:
"Whether or not the peach bears fruit has little to do with the seller, doesn't it? Senior Sister only parts with the seed she won't be tending it.
Besides, it takes many years of careful attention before the tree even reaches the fruiting stage.
If we bought a first-tier seed for just ten spirit crystals, we'd be able to enjoy peaches much sooner."
He raised a single finger, his voice firm:
"One spirit stone. At most. We're only buying a hope."