"I'll come back in a month. I want to see if Xiao Yi truly comprehends sword intent," Xiao Chuang declared before departing.
He simply couldn't believe it was possible.
Shao Cheng shook his head slightly. To be honest, he didn't believe it either. However, as a master, all he could do was support his disciples in their endeavors.
"Shaoqing, don't go messing around."
He muttered to himself as he headed towards the Sword Cave. Upon arrival, Shao Cheng noticed that Lü Shaoqing was nowhere to be found; instead, he saw the little bird, Xiao Hong, napping lazily on a tree branch.
"Where did Shaoqing go?" Shao Cheng asked Xiao Hong.
The bird chirped in response, indicating it had no idea.
"Reckless as ever!"
Shao Cheng grumbled. "His junior sister is here, yet he's off who knows where. Isn't he afraid something will go wrong again?"
With no other choice, Shao Cheng sat down in meditation to guard Xiao Yi, as he couldn't be careless after the last explosion incident at the Sword Cave.
Meanwhile, Lü Shaoqing had already arrived in Lingxiao City.
"Now, who should I target first?"
He muttered to himself as he flipped through the small notebook.
"From the Tang family's branch, Tang Yuanwei, who harassed me five times."
"First time: making flirtatious remarks. Second and third times: telling dirty jokes. Fourth time: attempted to get physical. Fifth time: cursed at me."
"He's the manager of Tang's Trading Company. Address: 17 East-South Street, Lingxiao City."
"He frequents brothels."
Lü Shaoqing nodded. "Alright, you'll be the first."
"Five incidents, and he even tried to get physical. Cutting off your hand wouldn't be too much."
Leisurely, he made his way to the Tang Trading Company.
The Tang family was well-known in Qizhou, as a cultivation family with its own businesses like trading companies and caravans. These endeavors collected resources to support their clan.
Upon reaching the bustling shop, Lü Shaoqing noticed the Tang Trading Company's business seemed to be thriving.
"Ah, how should I go about this?"
He found himself at a loss. Being in the city, it wasn't convenient to make a move. After some thought, he decided to stroll around the shop.
The first floor displayed a variety of products: pills, herbs, magical artifacts—everything was available for sale. Both cultivators and ordinary people could be seen browsing.
After wandering around, Lü Shaoqing made his way to the second floor.
Upstairs, it was much quieter, and only cultivators were present. Transparent display cases showcased various items, primarily second-grade pills and magical artifacts.
As he walked around, Lü Shaoqing calculated mentally. If he were to rob the entire place, he might pocket around 100,000 spirit stones. Unfortunately, that was just a fantasy.
Lingxiao City was under the jurisdiction of the Lingxiao Sect. The taxes collected here were a significant source of income for the sect. Anyone causing trouble in the city would be going against the sect itself.
As a disciple of Lingxiao Sect, Lü Shaoqing knew that if he dared to make such a move, the sect leader would kill him without hesitation.
"Greetings, sir. Is there anything you would like to purchase?"
A young attendant approached him politely.
Lü Shaoqing waved him off, uninterested in the common wares on display.
However, as he turned a corner, he spotted an ancient, rectangular item that caught his attention. To his surprise, the ring on his hand suddenly warmed up.
This had never happened before.
"Can I take a look at that?"
He asked the attendant.
The attendant's eyes flashed with curiosity, but he retrieved the item nonetheless.
Lü Shaoqing took it in his hands. It was about a foot long, feeling neither like metal nor iron, neither like gold nor jade. At the same time, the temperature of the ring on his finger fluctuated, sometimes heating up, other times cooling down.
This convinced Lü Shaoqing that the item was extraordinary and made him determined to acquire it.
"How much for this?"
He asked.
The attendant was surprised. "Sir, are you interested in buying this?"
This item had been sitting in the shop for years, unsold due to its undetermined nature.
Lü Shaoqing replied, "Is there a problem?"
The attendant shook his head. "No problem. This item is priced at 3,000 low-grade spirit stones."
"What?"
Lü Shaoqing exclaimed. "You're charging 3,000 low-grade spirit stones for this unknown junk? Are you robbing me?"
"Is this a black market shop?"
Despite knowing the item was valuable and of unknown origin, Lü Shaoqing was reluctant to spend 3,000 spirit stones on it.
Did they think spirit stones were easy to come by?
He had managed to save up just over 5,000 spirit stones over the past two months, still short of the 10,000 he needed. Spending 3,000 in one go was out of the question.
"That's too expensive. Lower the price."
"How much are you offering, then?"
Lü Shaoqing held up one finger.
"1,000 spirit stones?"
He shook his head. "100."
His face twisted in a pained expression as if even that amount was too much.
The attendant was speechless and immediately said, "Sir, please leave."
Was he joking? Who haggled like this?
Three thousand down to one hundred—who was the real robber here?
Did he think this was a charity?
Even if they didn't know what the item was, it was definitely worth more than a hundred spirit stones.
Lü Shaoqing pressed on. "Alright then, what's the lowest price you can offer?"
"The lowest price is 3,000 spirit stones. No bargaining."
Lü Shaoqing scolded the attendant, "Do you even know how to do business? You run a shop and refuse to haggle; how do you expect to sell anything?"
"This item is only being considered by me. If you won't sell it, you must be a spy sent by a rival to ruin this shop!"
The attendant was furious. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Are you here to cause trouble?"
Lü Shaoqing replied, "What? Can't I speak the truth?"
"Did I hit a sore spot?"
The attendant said, "Enough, give the item back and leave. We don't welcome your business here."
The attendant was livid. Better not to do business with such a person.
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded, "Sir, may I take a look at that item you're holding?"