Contrary to how dates usually went—where the man was the person who planned things out and the woman typically just showed up to look pretty and enjoy herself—this time it was actually Qiao Fenyi who had planned out the entire thing.
She was showing him around the sect, with the both of them still walking hand in hand for some strange reason.
Guess she forgot about it... not that I'm complaining…
Huang Shi gave a slight smile to himself as he looked toward his right and saw Qiao Fenyi's bright eyes looking at all the shops in the distance.
Currently, he and Qiao Fenyi were walking across the business-related areas of the sect, staring at the numerous people trying to either sell their wares, buy some wares, or even barter with each other for things they fancied, as loud screams and haggling echoed in the air.
"This is the sect's marketplace. You can buy all sorts of things here, from pills, weapons, and cultivation techniques to rare spiritual beast materials, etc. Of course, the prerequisite is that you have enough money to spend."
Qiao Fenyi pointed at the spot right in front of them, where numerous stalls were placed. Some of them were bigger, full-fledged stores with bodyguards right at the entrance who required people to give some sort of indication that they had enough money to enter and weren't just wasting their time.
While others were just mats placed on the ground, where people—both young and old—were trying to entice the disciples and elders who came across them to buy from their small stalls.
Huang Shi and Qiao Fenyi were currently staring at one of these stalls, where an old man with a long white beard and a bald head was looking at them with a stoic gaze, acting as if they weren't even there.
In front of the old man were only three things: an emerald gemstone, an old withered blue flower, and a strange book that was almost breaking apart at the seams.
As Huang Shi was staring at the three things in a daze, he suddenly felt a nudge at his head. He saw Qiao Fenyi looking at him with a strange look on her face; it was clear from her expression what she was asking.
Why are you looking at these useless things?
What Qiao Fenyi didn't know was that although two of the things present in this old man's wares were pieces of trash, that emerald gemstone that lacked any sort of spiritual energy pressure was something that the system had specifically told him about.
[Host, that emerald gemstone, when coming into contact with a specific wavelength of spiritual energy, can hold a massive amount of items within its storage space. Not only that, it is very helpful for individuals who practice alchemy because it can ensure that the medicinal herbs and dead spiritual beasts stored inside never rot or get broken down. It is a very good treasure!]
This thing is good! I can probably turn this into some sort of spatial ring for my own use. With this, I won't have to worry about running out of space—
Just as the idea was forming inside of his head and making his thoughts grow excited, another came barreling through as he remembered something he noticed about Qiao Fenyi when he first met her.
Isn't Qiao Fenyi interested in alchemy and medicinal arts? Would something like this be a good gift for her?
Once this thought sprouted inside of his head, it could no longer be contained, and he instantly opened his mouth to speak.
"Old man, how much for all three things you have here?"
The old man with the bald head and long white beard suddenly focused his attention on them, his gaze now having a bit of light as he finally treated them like they existed.
"5000 spirit stones for the blue orchid, 7000 spirit stones for the cultivation scroll, and 10,000 spirit stones for the emerald stone."
Before he could even open his mouth to respond, a high-pitched voice sounded out beside him, screaming at the old man.
"What kind of crazy old man are you? 5000 spirit stones for this blue orchid? This thing is clearly just an ordinary Blueheart Spirit Orchid; not only is it just an ordinary Blueheart Spirit Orchid, it's even withered! It's in the worst possible condition and can barely be used! This thing is at most 1000 spirit stones!"
Next, Qiao Fenyi pointed at the broken-down cultivation scroll with a grim look on her face as she continued her tirade.
"As for this broken-down scroll that seems to be a cultivation technique? Just from its name alone, it already implies that it's a scam! What Supreme Heaven Dominating Fate Art! This thing is not even a proper Elementary Profound Realm technique; it's just a bunch of hogwash! This thing is worth only 500 spirit stones at best! Its only use is for decoration!"
Finally, with anger still marring her features, Qiao Fenyi pointed at the final item in the old man's stall. Her expression shifted for a bit before turning back to normal, but if you knew her well enough, you could see that a strange light was shining deep within her eyes.
"As for this emerald gemstone, this thing doesn't even have any spiritual energy pressure at all; it's clearly just an ordinary mortal item! How dare you sell this useless thing for 10,000 spirit stones?! Do you believe me that if you continue to try to scam people like this, I will report you to the Disciplinary Hall so you can be punished for your actions!"
As the words flew from Qiao Fenyi's mouth like water passing through a stream, smooth as butter, he quickly noticed that this woman seemed to have a talent for haggling with people. The more she spoke, the more the seemingly stoic old man's body trembled, as his eyes went from fierce and intimidating to scared and pitiful.
This woman is terrifying when it comes to things related to money…