"I rush towards you, you are the stars and the sea..."
"Waves upon waves, waves upon waves... one quack, one quack quack..."
Ling Feng, whose bloodline had undergone a transformation and whose strength had greatly increased, was in a very good mood. On his way home, he sang to himself, feeling quite pleased with himself.
After turning a few corners on the wide streets, he finally entered a medium-sized market town in the southern part of the city.
This was the shortest route back to his home.
Looking at the bustling market town, Ling Feng, in a great mood, started to stroll around. In the past, due to his physical condition, he had spent the entire month he was here repairing his chains, and he never had the mood to go shopping like he did today.
"Don't miss out, first-tier magic cores on clearance sale..."
"The Lingnan herb merchant has gone bankrupt. The boss, Huang Hexiang, indulged in drinking, gambling, and whoring, accumulating huge debts, and ran away with his mistress. We had no choice but to pawn our herbs. Original price 199 gold coins, now 99..."
...
Hearing this otherworldly version of a peddler's slogan, Ling Feng felt a strange sense of familiarity, which made him even happier.
After wandering around for a while, Ling Feng slowly entered the depths of the market. There, he saw a crowd gathered.
It seemed a dispute had broken out.
Following the sound, Ling Feng approached and saw two groups facing off. Listening to the surrounding chatter, Ling Feng learned that it was a conflict between the Xiao family and the Jia Lie family.
"Xiao Yan?"
Hearing the heated discussion among the onlookers, Ling Feng looked at a young man in black. His features were handsome and resolute, the kind that grew on you.
"This is my fellow townsman? He doesn't look as handsome as me..."
Ling Feng said somewhat self-satisfiedly after carefully examining Xiao Yan. However, Ling Feng was indeed very handsome, the kind with a roguish charm.
But in terms of looks, Ling Feng was definitely more handsome than Xiao Yan. His predecessor, 'Ling Feng,' had met his demise because of his good looks.
"This guy managed to win over Xiao Xun'er just by sneaking around at night. Every crucial moment, there's always a woman backing him up. He's practically a gigolo, tsk tsk..."
Clicking his tongue, Ling Feng looked at his fellow townsman Xiao Yan, somewhat admiring his womanizing skills.
However, Ling Feng had no intention of having an awkward, tearful reunion with Xiao Yan.
In this world, Ling Feng only trusted himself. He couldn't guarantee that Xiao Yan, his nominal fellow townsman, wouldn't scheme against him.
As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover!
People are kind, but also incredibly treacherous!
"The one hiding behind Xiao Yan must be Xiao Xun'er, or more accurately, Gu Xun'er."
Looking at the green-clad girl behind Xiao Yan, Ling Feng murmured to himself.
"Hmm...this girl is really beautiful, but unfortunately, not voluptuous enough. Not my type. Maybe she'll be better after a few years."
Carefully examining Xun'er behind Xiao Yan, Ling Feng secretly regretted his actions. Although Xiao Xun'er was stunningly beautiful, she wasn't his type.
In Ling Feng's eyes, the most beautiful woman was the well-proportioned type, the type most men preferred.
Slim where she should be, full where she should be, a perfect blend of bone structure and youthful tenderness.
"But forget it, she's already been taken by that big jerk Xiao Yan, so Xun'er is out of the question. But the others, hehe..."
Ling Feng couldn't help but grin wickedly as he fantasized. As for Jia Lie'ao, Ling Feng didn't even glance at him; this guy was just a minor supporting character who wouldn't survive more than a few episodes.
"Right, I remember Xiao Yan had some kind of adventure in this market. I should check it out first; maybe I can get there first..."
Suddenly remembering something, Ling Feng's eyes lit up, and he stopped observing.
"I remember Xiao Yan was looking for a wood-type magic core when he got the black iron piece... Xuan-rank fighting technique, here I come..."
With excitement, Ling Feng browsed the various stalls along the street, passing by several shops.
At one point, Ling Feng stopped, his eyes fixed on the green crystal still stained with traces of blood on the stall, and the black iron piece beside it. A slight smile played on his lips as he thought to himself, "Finally found it."
Ling Feng was so certain because he had also felt a peculiar sensation when he saw the black iron piece. It was this feeling that told him this was what he was looking for.
He touched his pocket, feeling for a gold coin, five silver coins, and thirteen copper coins—his accumulated pocket money from childhood. In
the Dou Qi Continent's monetary system, gold coins were the most valuable, followed by silver coins, with copper coins being the least valuable. One gold coin could be exchanged for one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin for one hundred copper coins.
"Stadium owner, how much are these hairpin and this black iron piece? I'll take them."
After a moment's hesitation, Ling Feng stepped forward, casually picking up a piece of black iron and a wooden hairpin from the stall, and said to the stall owner.
Seeing a customer, the shifty-eyed mercenary stall owner's eyes gleamed with greed, and he smiled obsequiously. "Young man, you really know your stuff. These two items have quite a history..."
"Alright, alright, hairpins like these are everywhere. As for this iron piece, I just picked it up out of curiosity. Don't try to trick me. Hurry up and give me a price; if it's right, I'll take it."
Ling Feng knew very well that the stall owner's smile was a pretext for overcharging. Without giving him a chance, Ling Feng laid his cards on the table.
Seeing this, the stall owner wasn't annoyed, still smiling. "Young man, you seem like a straightforward person. Since that's the case, I won't say much more. One price, one gold coin."
"One gold coin? Are you robbing me! These two items are worth at most one silver coin, and you want one gold coin from me?"
Ling Feng feigned annoyance.
Seeing this, the stall owner remained all smiles. He knew the saying, "Only those who complain are buyers. "
Even knowing his price was high, he understood that business had to be done this way; he wasn't guilty. A shrewd businessman by nature, he'd long since developed a thick skin.
"Young man, I have to make a little profit too."
"One silver coin. Take it or leave it."
Ignoring the stall owner's smile, Ling Feng said directly.
If he showed he really wanted it, he'd be ripped off. Knowing this, Ling Feng deliberately acted nonchalant, as if he could leave at any time, making it harder for the other party to control him. The stall owner
's eyes shrewdly swept over the items in Ling Feng's hands, confirming they were all cheap goods, before saying, "Alright, consider it making friends, I'll sell them to you cheaply..."
"Wait!"
Just as the stall owner was about to finalize the deal with Ling Feng, a Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared.
"Xiao Yan?!"
Looking in the direction of the voice, Ling Feng realized it was Xiao Yan.
"This guy, he actually came so quickly..."
"Stall owner, I'll offer one gold coin for this black iron piece, buy it from me."
Xiao Yan tossed a gold coin directly to the stall owner.
"This guy's trying to take it from me?"
Ling Feng frowned, displeased, but said aloud, "Brother, this stall owner has already sold it to me."
"You haven't paid, so it's not a transaction. And I've already given the owner a gold coin."
Xiao Yan crossed his arms and smiled. His expression seemed friendly, but in Ling Feng's eyes, it was extremely disgusting.
"Don't you know about first come, first served? I've already talked to the owner. Don't you think it's inappropriate for you to interfere like this?"
Ling Feng's voice turned cold. But Xiao Yan didn't care at all, and instead said,
"What's inappropriate? It's all about the highest bidder wins. If you're confident you can bid higher than me, then you can bid against me."
As he spoke, Xiao Yan glanced at Ling Feng's commoner attire, a slight smirk playing on his lips, "But, do you have that much money?"
He's taking advantage of my lack of money!
Ling Feng's eyes narrowed suddenly, a surge of anger rising in his heart, his fists clenching and then relaxing involuntarily.
"Young master, why do you insist on this piece of iron?"
The shrewd stall owner, now suspicious, couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing much, I just find this piece of iron quite unusual and want to play with it. Boss, if you sell me this black iron piece, I'll buy this level-one wood-type magic core from you too, how about it?"
Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't reveal the secret of the black iron piece to the stall owner, and Ling Feng didn't want Xiao Yan to gain an advantage; he really wanted to tell him the secret.
He didn't want Xiao Yan to have what he couldn't have.
However, considering Yao Lao behind Xiao Yan, he held back.
The stall owner, unsure if the black iron piece held any other secrets, hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing to the deal with Xiao Yan.
"Sorry, young brother, this young master's price is higher than yours, I really can't refuse, so I won't do this deal..."
Hearing this, Ling Feng's face darkened completely. He knew that the opportunity he had gained had been snatched away by Xiao Yan.
That's how the world is: profit comes first, and the strong rule!