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Let's set aside the small talk for now.
In Changning Guard City, the most bustling areas are the East Market and the West Market. The East Market mainly consists of various street shops selling local specialties from the towns and villages beneath the city, things like fruits, vegetables, livestock, meat, poultry, household goods, and so on. Ping'an Wang's Fish Stall is located in the East Market.
Wang Shouzhe and his companions, leading their horses, found themselves in what felt like a massive agricultural market, brimming with a wide array of farm products and handicrafts. Besides the large shops owned by wealthy merchants or noble families, there were many independent vendors occupying corners of the market, selling strange and unusual items. These stalls were specially designated by the Changning Government Office for loose cultivators to prevent unmanaged street vending.
Loose cultivators typically don't have anything valuable, but since they often wander from place to place, the things they sell are very diverse and may occasionally include some novelty items.
"Tier two top-grade fierce beast Black-backed Bear's gallbladder, only one available, priced at fifteen Qian Gold, no bargaining." A knife-scarred man dressed in beast hide armor was the loose cultivator operating the stall. The stall was laid with a thick bear pelt, upon which hung an air-dried bear's gallbladder from a branch, with a sign standing nearby giving off an unapproachable aura.
"This bear pelt has a black back and white belly, rich and dense texture; it indeed appears to be the pelt of a Black-backed Bear," household general Wang Zhong quietly remarked, "This bear gall's inner gall bladder is gold and looks quite good. Fifteen Qian Gold isn't expensive; reselling it to the Pill Workshop should earn us at least four or five Qian Gold."
Having been taught from a young age to study fierce beast compendiums, Wang Shouzhe could recognize most ordinary fierce beasts and the materials from their bodies, but he only chuckled, "Let's not be greedy for this bargain." With that, he left without looking back.
"Does the Patriarch think it's from a swindler? I think the color and appearance of that bear's gall are excellent; it can't be wrong." Wang Zhong felt a bit reluctant but obediently followed, casting a somewhat wistful glance, "If the Patriarch isn't interested in a bit of easy money... perhaps..."
"Fool, the Patriarch must have spotted something odd." Wang Yong glared at him fiercely.
"Haha~ the edges of that bear pelt are dry and blackened, indicating it's quite old. Though the bear's gall has been air-dried, the sac still looks fresh, probably extracted no more than three months ago," Wang Shouzhe chuckled, "Wang Zhong, if you want to buy it, I can lend you the money, and you needn't share any extra profit with me."
He couldn't help but secretly find it amusing that compared to Earth, swindlers at market stalls in our Black Tortoise World seem so crude, not even bothering to weave an outlandish tale; it's embarrassingly unprofessional.
"No, no, it's fortunate that I came out today with the Patriarch," Wang Zhong broke into a cold sweat and complained bitterly, "Indeed, loose cultivators can't be trusted; there are too many charlatans and tricksters."
"Our Black Tortoise Clan has homesteads and businesses, a foundation and a base. As long as we protect this foundation, we'll have a continuous stream of cultivation resources," Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "Loose cultivators are rootless wanderers drifting everywhere; all their resources must be self-supported, so their lives are naturally hard, and they easily fall into deceit and theft. Moreover, if they commit a crime, they can easily get away, change appearances, and switch identities with no problem. If loose cultivators could easily obtain resources, then why have our ancestors built careers, expand family properties, sacrificing their very lives to guard the foundation of our family?"
What the Patriarch said made so much sense.
The household generals, Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, gradually grew more and more respectful of Wang Shouzhe; they could already feel the difference between the new Patriarch and the former one, as just a few words could make clear distinctions between the situations of loose cultivators and noble families.
Thus, they grew increasingly wary of the loose cultivators dressed in various attires, occupying stalls with all sorts of miscellaneous items, suspecting each one as a deceiver upon sight.
"How much for this beehive?"
Just then, Wang Shouzhe suddenly squatted down in front of a stall. The stall owner was a somewhat slovenly middle-aged man of about forty or fifty, appearing to be at the Peak of the Third Layer of the Qi Refining Realm at first glance.
However, this was the common state for most loose cultivators; factors like poor aptitude, lack of systematic cultivation methods, absence of elder guidance, and extremely unstable cultivation resources all contributed to making it difficult for most loose cultivators to make a name for themselves.
The stall owner, upon seeing Wang Shouzhe dressed in finery, with two fully armed and formidable household generals behind him, realized immediately that he was no ordinary person.
Instantly, he swallowed back the exorbitant price and smiled ingratiatingly, "This young master, this is a Tiger-headed Spirit Bee nest, which I risked my life to bring back after stumbling upon it in the mountains. You see, there's still quite a bit of spiritual honey and bee pupa in this hive; I want to trade it for two Minor Primordial Cultivation Pills."
At the mention of Minor Primordial Cultivation Pills, he gulped slightly.
"Are you robbing me?" Wang Yong's face changed as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, exuding aggression, "This beehive is barely the size of a head; it could yield about two ounces of spiritual honey at most, and the few bee pupa aren't even enough to stir-fry into a dish; at best, it's only worth a few Qian Gold."
"Oh, dear sir, please don't be angry," the stall owner's face showed a hint of fear as he said, "This beehive is freshly harvested, with many bee pupa still alive. If your family has a Spirit Insect Master, you might even cultivate a Tiger-headed Spirit Bee colony."
Many loose cultivators wander far and wide; their strength isn't impressive, but they do gain knowledge from their travels.
"You're overthinking it. There's no one in the entire Changning Guard Region that has a Spirit Insect Master. It's just that this item is rare, and we take it to enjoy a novel taste," Wang Shouzhe offered ten Qian Gold, "Enough for you to buy one Minor Primordial Cultivation Pill; take it or leave it. If you demand a coin more, I'll walk away."
The stall owner hesitated for quite a while before finally accepting, albeit reluctantly, "This young master, in a county it would indeed be worth twenty Qian Gold, but unfortunately, these bee pupa will be dead by the time they're transported to a county."
Were it not for the fact that the bee pupae wouldn't survive a few days, the stall owner would've truly preferred to travel to a county to sell them, given the ten Qian Gold profit difference. Once the pupae mostly died, the value of the Tiger-headed Spirit Bee nest would plummet.
After the transaction, Wang Shouzhe had Wang Yong pack it up and carry it off; he didn't bother to exchange further words with the stall owner.
The transaction couldn't be called a steal, yet it wasn't a loss either. If gifted to his fifth sister, Wang Luojing, unexpectedly, a miracle might happen, and if she managed to nurture Tiger-headed Spirit Bees, it would add a unique industry to the family.
In the wild, Tiger-headed Spirit Bees were almost extinct, only occasionally found in isolated places; finding them with great effort over half a year might still not yield results.
After strolling about the loose cultivator stalls, no other items sparked interest. Unknowingly, he found himself walking to the middle of the East Market, to his own family's business—Changning East Market Fish Stall.
Ping'an Wang's Fish Stall.
The six characters spanned across three of the shopfronts, and compared to the miscellaneous stalls, the fish stall was considerably more tidy and upscale.
Looking at Wang's Fish Stall, memories surged within Wang Shouzhe, stirring his heart profoundly.
These three shops, along with the courtyard behind them, were the last assets of the Wang Family in Changning Guard City.
After two major wars fifty years ago, the prestige of Ping'an Wang Family plummeted. In an effort to quickly foster a new Spirit Platform Realm expert to support the family, the Wang Family heartlessly liquidated many of their fixed assets in Changning Guard City.
Sadly.
The second uncle Wang Dingtian, who was expected to achieve great things, died at the young age of twenty, not having left any lineage.
The sixth grandpa Wang Xiaohan managed to reach the Ninth Layer in the Qi Refining Realm in his forties and attempted to break through to the Spirit Platform Realm. However, after depleting vast resources, he failed in his attempt; now at sixty-five, Wang Xiaohan remains at the Ninth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
Wang Shouzhe's father, Wang Dingyue, faced an even harsher fate. Lacking resources to support a breakthrough to the Spirit Platform Realm, he recklessly ventured into the Outer Domain seeking opportunity, losing his life as a result.
In truth, if the family had continued to sell off assets, such as the three large farms, they would've been able to gather the resources necessary for Wang Dingyue's breakthrough to the Spirit Platform Realm. However, such an action was a risky all-or-nothing approach. Should it fail, the Ping'an Wang Family would be left destitute overnight.
Wang Shouzhe vaguely sensed that once he reached the Peak of Ninth Layer in the Qi Refining Realm, the family might contemplate selling off all assets for one last gamble on his breakthrough.
However, if it truly came to that, it would only prove Wang Shouzhe's failure as a transmigrator.
"Fourth brother, why are you here?"
Just as Wang Shouzhe was feeling somewhat emotional, a voice filled with surprise reached him.
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