I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World-Chapter 195 - 167: South Market in Tears
Chaotian Palace, Sangzhu Inn, guest room in the backyard.
Jiang Yuebai soaked in a medicinal bath with Dragon Power Bone Forging Powder, her hair pinned up with a wooden hairpin, revealing a slender neck, surrounded by steam, she relaxed and let the medicinal power seep into her bones.
After returning from demon hunting yesterday, the areas on her arm and shoulder that were injured have already healed, leaving only faint red marks.
"Lin Xiangtian’s body refining medicine bath is really good, after just two soaks, I was able to punch through the Copper Bone Beast that ordinary Magic Artifacts couldn’t split open."
Jiang Yuebai held a Bronze Ancient Mirror, looking left and right at the foggy mirror surface.
"I am only sixteen, Qinn Liuniang already wants me to take a Face Stabilizing Elixir, maybe I’ll wait for a couple more years. I want to be a mature female cultivator, but really, what mystery does this broken mirror hold?"
The Condensing Light Mirror has been in Jiang Yuebai’s possession for half a year now, and along with the flute, she hasn’t yet found the key to using them.
The Condensing Light Mirror is fine, at least it can block two or three Spells, the flute is completely useless.
Clearly, as Magic Treasures from ten thousand years ago, they must have special qualities.
Jiang Yuebai soaked until the water cooled, then she put away the Condensing Light Mirror and stood up to get dressed, recently she has grown quickly, and the long sleeves of the dresses she bought when she first arrived at Chaotian Palace have become a bit short.
"Looks like I need to buy a Vestment robe that adjusts in size."
Jiang Yuebai put on Feather Scale Armor under her outer skirt, draped an Ink Pattern White Robe over her shoulders, let down her black hair, and sat at the table to start Talisman Painting.
Nearing the mid-year competition of the Hundred Yang Sect, business at the stalls has been particularly good lately, tomorrow she needs to make fifty more Eighth-Grade Flame Burst Talismans, and also prepare some extra Nine-Grade Fire Bomb Talismans.
After finishing the Eighth-Grade Flame Burst Talismans with her right hand, Jiang Yuebai relaxed her sore shoulder and switched to her left hand to continue drawing Nine-Grade Fire Bomb Talismans.
Her talismans contain a faint trace of Evil Qi due to her unique Spiritual Energy, which is hard for others to detect and makes her talismans far more effective.
After painting the talismans, Jiang Yuebai carved an Hour Array Plate, the Nine-Grade Smoke Fire Array and the Eighth-Grade Fire Prison Array.
The only Elixir sold at the stall is the Blood Boiling Elixir, which can quickly explode Spiritual Energy and increase fire spell power. She focused on refining it for seven days not long ago and has some surplus.
Despite focusing on her stall business during this period, Jiang Yuebai hasn’t deliberately studied talisman, array, and elixir, yet her Skill Level has improved significantly through daily production, and her progress in breakthroughs is already more than halfway.
With the supplies prepared, as the sky brightens, there’s still half an hour until South Market opens, Jiang Yuebai takes out a paper-wrapped spicy rabbit leg from the food storage pouch.
With a slight touch of fire, the rabbit leg sizzles with a mouth-watering aroma, the oil crackling.
Jiang Yuebai takes a bite, the crispness crackling.
"Crispy and crunchy is the best, ah~ so spicy and numbing, so satisfying ah~"
Lying in the rocking chair under the window, Jiang Yuebai eats the rabbit leg while reading the "Fiery Sun Heart Scripture," thinking she’ll take a Dust Suppressing Elixir for detoxification later and it’s as if she never ate the rabbit leg.
The "Fiery Sun Heart Scripture" was found in the Secret Realm of the Land of Azure Flame, from the storage pouch of a Fiery Sun Sect disciple named Duan Yingfei. She previously thought it was a cultivation technique of the Fiery Sun Sect.
It was only upon arriving at Chaotian Palace that she realized it’s available at any book stall in piles, with the purchase of one also gifting the "Ten Thousand Poison Forest Strange Objects Record."
The cultivation technique is a rudimentary technique for the Foundation Establishment Stage, also fire-attributed, but compared to True Monarch Cang Huo’s "Fire Refining Sky Secret Method," it falls far short, though there are some good fire control tips.
Combined with the "Separation Fire Technique," she has learned to simplify and refine, allowing her to become increasingly adept at controlling fire, to the point of being able to move fire at will.
Previously, she always failed when refining the Blood Boiling Elixir, but gradually managed to produce it steadily by relying on this fire control method.
While her alchemy technique has no problem now, her pill furnace couldn’t withstand seven days of nonstop burning and exploded!
She’ll have to buy a new one after closing the stall today.
The sun rises, awakening all things.
The South City Market at Chaotian Palace is bustling, with crowds swarming around, dazzled by the abundance of goods at various stalls.
Cries of vendors resound one after another, bargaining voices are incessant, creating quite a noisy atmosphere.
Usually, South Market wasn’t as bustling as it is right now. It’s only in recent months that it’s surpassed other markets, becoming the most crowded market in Chaotian Palace.
Jiang Yuebai arrived early at her rental stall, and the cultivators manning stalls around her all shuddered with a twitch, their scalps tightening, as several gazes shot towards her.
Completely oblivious, Jiang Yuebai took out a bamboo mat from her storage pouch and spread it out, then covered it with a pure white fur, sweeping it thrice with the Dust Cleaning Technique to ensure it’s spotless.
Next, Jiang Yuebai began setting out her offerings one by one.
Elixir Bottles in a fresh and elegant celadon blue, talismans in redwood carved boxes crisp and tidy, Array Plates polished and shining.
Spirit Grass cleaned of dust and sprinkled with morning dew, ores arranged by color offering comfort, a few lotus pods placed in long-necked vases serving as decor as well as merchandise, Magic Artifacts boxed individually, each distinct in its own right.
Jiang Yuebai meticulously arranged each item with the care of a craftsman handling a piece of art, striving to showcase the best side of everything to the buyers.
Against the background of the white fur, every item on her stall looked high-end and expensive!
Next to Jiang Yuebai, a new young male cultivator, squeezed out of business, watched her stall with his jaw dropped in the vacated space.
Looking at his own stall, a piece of patched dark blue rag spread wrinkle-filled on the ground with minerals, spiritual medicine, talismans, elixirs, and other goods all mixed in a chaotic heap.
The elixir bottles were yellowed and cracked, the talismans wrinkled like they had been crumpled, the spirit grass looked like it was dug out of a mud pit with feet, not to mention other items that were unsightly in appearance.
Without comparison, one would never understand what heart-wrenching meant.
Even though his withered, muddy spirit grass was worth enough to buy half her stall’s items.
The young male cultivator still felt like a fleeing beggar carrying a bundle of worthless junk.
It’s not like we’re at Mountain and Sea Building, who sets up stalls like this...!!
The young male cultivator glanced around; the stall owners had all gradually set up their stalls, and surprisingly, they all had the same fur base and items in boxes tactic!
The young male cultivator wiped his face and finally understood why there was suddenly more foot traffic at South Market; some things were more expensive than elsewhere, yet many people came to buy.
It’s not the items that changed; it’s the people’s hearts that have changed greatly!
"Fellow Daoist, help me shell five iron lotus seeds."
Someone approached, and the young male cultivator felt his temper flaring.
"I’ll shell your head open; who doesn’t sell iron lotus seeds as a whole lotus pod...!!"
Before he finished speaking, the young male cultivator’s eyes widened as he watched Jiang Yuebai next to him deftly help a customer shell lotus seeds one by one, cleaning and boxing them.
"It’s not like I wanted to buy from you; if it weren’t for someone buying out the iron lotus seeds next door, do you think I’d like to come here? And look at your junk?"
Young male cultivator: ......
"Fellow Daoist, buying iron lotus seeds, right? I can shell them right here, immediately!"
"Fellow Daoist, look here, I not only shell them, but if you buy five, you get one free."
Young male cultivator: ......
Is setting up a stall at South Market really this hard now?
"Fellow Daoist, are you new here?"
A burly male cultivator came over to the young male cultivator, nodded his chin towards Jiang Yuebai, and spoke earnestly.
"In our South Market, you’d best not provoke this Shipwreck Wanderer."
"What kind of wanderer? Why would anyone use such an unlucky Daoist Name?"
"The Daoist Name isn’t important!" The burly male cultivator looked pained. "Look at our South Market now; the selling of shelled iron lotus seeds, cleaned and boxed spiritual medicine, minerals with impurities removed, not to mention these fur carpets, all started with her!"
"The most outrageous was when she sold demon beast meat a while back; she even skinned and sliced it for people to take home and boil. I’ve been selling demon beast meat for years, and it was the first time I saw such a thing. Now, every customer that comes by, I have to slice it into pieces for them. The most pathetic thing is my rival has started shredding it, and I heard some are even learning to carve flowers."
The young male cultivator’s eyes hardened, "Isn’t she ruining everyone’s livelihoods, breaking the rules? Why not find someone to..."
The burly male cultivator gave him a look as if he didn’t understand, "Even though we are on the verge of tears, you can’t deny that foot traffic has increased significantly at every stall in South Market, including mine, and we’ve made several times more profit! Plus, take a look at those few magic artifacts on her stall; they’re for display only, not for sale. Do you know whose they are?"
The young male cultivator shook his head.
The burly male cultivator continued, "Three months ago, a South Market bully tried to make a move on her while she was out demon hunting. The next day, her stall had the bully’s famous magic artifact added to it. Two months ago, an East Market bully tried the same, and the day after, another magic artifact appeared on her stall. Last month... sigh!"
"In short, I finally understand why she’s called Shipwreck Wanderer. She’s not wrecking her own ship; it’s anyone who crosses her that gets wrecked! Even the Hundred Yang Sect, which tried to cause her trouble, suddenly backed off for some unknown reason and avoided her. She must have some other identity, and it’s best not to provoke her. Follow her lead more; it has its benefits."
The young male cultivator nodded repeatedly.
"Senior Chenzhou, Senior Chenzhou!"
A young boy pushed through the crowd and ran over, stopping in front of Jiang Yuebai, panting. After catching his breath, he whispered, "Senior Chenzhou, Senior Qinn Liuniang asked me to tell you that the seal of the Ancient Cultivation Cave Mansion has loosened in the past few days; it seems it’s going to reopen. She wants you to join her for a look tomorrow."
Jiang Yuebai’s eyes lit up; she had already inquired thoroughly. Moh Baichun was indeed in the Ancient Cultivation Cave Mansion in the Ten Thousand Poison Forest; otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed here this long.
"Alright, tell Qinn Liuniang we will meet tomorrow at 7:00 AM outside the north gate of Chaotian Palace."
