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Let's momentarily leave aside some irrelevant details.
In Changning Weicheng, the East Market and West Market are undoubtedly the liveliest. The East Market mainly consists of various street-side shops selling local specialties from the towns beneath the Weicheng, such as fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry from different animals, fuel, rice, oil and salt, and daily necessities, etc. The fish stall of the Ping'an Wang Family was also among them.
Wang Shouzhe and others, leading their horses and immersing themselves in the market, felt as if they had entered a large farmer's market. All kinds of agricultural products and handicrafts were available. There were not only large specialty shops belonging to wealthy merchants or prominent families but also many scattered peddlers occupying corners of the marketplace. They were selling all sorts of odd items. These peddler spots were specifically set aside by the Changning government office to prevent these Independent Cultivators from setting up stalls everywhere which could be hard to manage.
Independent Cultivators didn't usually have high-quality items, but they often roamed all around. The items they sold were diverse and occasionally unique.
"Top Level Two Fierce Beast - Black-Backed Fierce Bear's bile, only one pair left, priced at fifteen Qian Gold, no haggling." A scarred man, clad in an animal hide armor and an Independent Cultivator, at his stall. His stall was spread out on a sturdy bear hide, on top of which a pair of shadow-dried bear-bile was hanging on a tree branch. There was a sign standing erect, giving the vibe of 'stay away, stranger'.
"This bear hide is black on the back and white on the belly, the texture is thick, it indeed seems to be the hide of a Black-Backed Fierce Bear." The head of the household, Wang Zhong, whispered on one side, "This pair of bear-bile has a golden color and the quality seems good. Fifteen Qian Gold is not expensive, if sold to Danfang, you can at least earn four or five Qian Gold".
Having studied the Fierce Beast Atlas since childhood, Wang Shouzhe could identify most common beasts and the materials on their bodies. He just smiled and said, "We can't be greedy about this kind of stuff." Then, he walked away without looking back.
"Does the family head think that it's a fraud? I think this bear-bile's color and quality are excellent, it can't be wrong." Wang Zhong was somewhat unwilling but obediently followed him. His eyes were somewhat reluctant to leave the stall, "If the family head doesn't care about making a small profit... maybe..."
"Idiot, the family head must have noticed something strange!" Wang Yong gave him a harsh stare.
"Hehe~ The tip of the bear hide is dry and black, obviously, it is quite old. That pair of bear-bile, although shadow-dried, is still bright in color and must have been taken out within the past three months." Wang Shouzhe laughed, "Wang Zhong, if you want to buy it, I can lend you the money. You don't have to share the profit with me."
He couldn't help but silently laugh. Compared to Earth, the stall fraudsters in our Profound Martial World seem so crude. They don't even make up a strange story or anything, not professional at all.
"No, no. Luckily, I came out with the family head today." After a cold sweat, Wang Zhong was like a cat on hot bricks. He grumbled, "These Independent Cultivators are indeed untrustworthy. There are too many scam artists."
"We, the Profound Martial World Prominent Families, have homes and businesses, foundations, and bases. As long as we secure these bases, we will have incessant cultivation resources." Said Wang Shouzhe leisurely, "Those Independent Cultivators are homeless drifters. They have to find everything by themselves, and their lives are inherently difficult, and they are also very likely to be deceived or cheat others. Once they commit something wrong, they can pack up and leave without hesitation. They might even disguise or change their identities. What's the point of our ancestors' hard work, sacrifices, and the establishment of a family business to guard the family's properties if Independent Cultivators could have resources easily?"
What the family head said made perfect sense.
Both Wang Zhong and Wang Yong grew increasingly respectful of Wang Shouzhe. They had begun to notice the differences between the new family head and the previous one, and could clearly distinguish the situation of the Independent Cultivators and the prominent families in just a few words.
From then on, they became increasingly cautious about those random, differently-dressed Independent Cultivators who set up stalls with all kinds of junk along the sides of the road. As soon as they saw Independent Cultivators, they thought they were dealing with frauds.
"How much for this beehive?"
At this moment, Wang Shouzhe suddenly squatted in front of a stall. The stall-owner was a sloppily dressed man in his forties and looked like he had reached the peak of the third level in the realm of Qi refinement.
But this was also the normal state for most Independent Cultivators; having the inability to find systematic ways of cultivation, lacking guidance from elders, and an unstable supply of cultivation resources made it hard for most Independent Cultivators to get ahead.
As soon as the stall-owner saw Wang Shouzhe's lavish attire and the two heavily-armed guards behind him, it was clear that they weren't ordinary people. He immediately swallowed his exorbitant initial price and put on a pleasing smile: "This young master, this is a Tiger Head Spirit Bee Hive, which I obtained by risking my life in the mountains. As you can see, there is still plenty of spiritual honey and bee larvae in this hive. I want to trade it for two Little Pei Yuan Dan."
When it came to Little Pei Yuan Dan, there was a rumbling sound in his throat.
"Are you trying to rob us?" Wang Yong's face changed, and he put his hand on his knife handle, "This beehive is only the size of a head, at most it could yield two 'liangs' of spiritual honey. The little bee pupa isn't even enough for a stir-fry dish. The most it could be sold for is a few Qian Gold."
"Good sir, please don't be angry." The stall owner appeared slightly fearful and spoke, "This beehive is freshly harvested and many of the bee pupae inside are still alive. If your family possesses an Insect Master, it's likely you could cultivate a Tiger Head Spirit Bee colony."
Many independent cultivators roam across the world. Their strength may not be impressive, but their knowledge is extensive.
"You're overthinking. There is not a single Insect Master in the entire Changning region. We purchased this rare item to spice up our meals." Wang Shouzhe took out ten Qian Gold, "This is enough to buy a Little Pei Yuan Dan. Take it or leave it. If you add even a shilling more, I'm walking away."
The stall owner, after much hesitation, niuantly sold at a painful loss, "Young Master, if this were in a bigger town or county, it would be worth twenty Qian Gold. Unfortunately, by the time I get it there, these bee pupae will all be dead."
If the bee pupae could live for another few days, the stall owner would earnestly consider the wearisome trip to sell it at the county, given the difference of ten Qian Gold. Once the bee pupae die off, the value of this Tiger Head Spiritual Bee Hive plummets.
After finalising the sale, Wang Shouzhe told Wang Yong to pack up the hive and carry it away, not bothering with any further haggling with the stall owner.
While this purchase couldn't be considered a real bargain, it wasn't a loss either. If he gave it to his fifth younger sister, Wang Luo Jing, to play with, there was a slight chance that a wonder could happen. If they really managed to cultivate Tiger Head Spirit Bees, that would add a unique industry to the family assets.
Sighting a Tiger Head Spirit Bee in the wild was practically impossible. One would only incidentally encounter them in extremely remote areas. Even with a concerted effort, finding one could take anywhere from six months to a year.
Afterward, they casually strolled around other independent cultivator stalls, but didn't come across any other items of interest. Without realizing it, they ended up at the center of the East Market, near one of their own family businesses—the Changning East Market Fishmonger stall.
Ping'an Wang Family Fishmonger
The six-character name spanned over three shops. Compared to the scruffy stalls, the tidiness and upscale ambiance of the fishmonger were noticeably superior.
Looking at this Wang Family fishmonger, memories overwhelmed Wang Shouzhe, instigating a powerful emotional surge.
These three storefronts, along with the private courtyard at the back, were the last remaining assets of the Wang family in Changning Guard City.
Ever since those two major battles fifty years ago, the prestige of the Ping'an Wang family plummeted. To support the family, and to raise a new Spirit Platform Realm powerhouse as soon as possible, the Wang family resolutely sold many of their fixed assets in Changning Guard City.
Unfortunately.
The highly expected Wang Dingtian met a premature death at the young age of twenty, leaving no offspring behind.
Wang Xiaohan, the sixth grandfather, did manage to reach the peak of the Vital Energy Refining Realm in his forties and attempted to impact the Spirit Platform Realm. Unfortunately, after depleting a massive amount of resources, his attempt was unsuccessful. Today, the sixty-five-year-old Wang Xiaohan is still stalled at the Vital Energy Refining Realm.
As for Wang Shouzhe's father, Wang Dingyue, his fate was even more tragic. At a time when the family's resources were not sufficient to support him in impacting the Spirit Platform Realm, he daringly ventured into the outer region in search of an opportunity. Regrettably, he ended up losing his life.
If the family were to continue selling off their assets, such as selling all three of their farms, they would undoubtedly gather enough resources for Wang Dingyue to impact the Spirit Platform Realm. But if they did so and failed, the Ping'an Wang family would be instantly reduced to penury.
Wang Shouzhe had a vague feeling that when he reached the peak of the Vital Energy Refining Realm, the family might indeed decide to sell off all their assets in a final gamble.
However, if they had to resort to that desperate measure, it would surely signify the failure of Wang Shouzhe, the transmigrator.
"Fourth Brother, what brings you here?"
While Wang Shouzhe was deep in thought, a surprised voice called out.
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