43 EVIL KING WANG (1/2)
”Young customer, will that be all?” A finely built middle-aged man smiled courteously while rubbing his hands. This customer of his had been quite needy with his requests, had it not been for the ample resources of his shop he would have been unable to satisfy even a third of his requests. Fortunately, the other hadn't been too harsh on him, leaving ample freedom regarding the brand of the products and therefore allowing him to barely salvaging the deal. Hell, he could still feel shivers running down his spine at the thought of almost losing such a wealthy customer. After all, the amount he was going to make today off this one trade would be that of several weeks' worth!
”Almost done.” A black-haired, golden-eyed replied absent-mindedly, his attention on an old man sitting by the entrance of the shop. This old man was a peak Basic Stage, the heavy fluctuations of the Qi surrounding him announcing he would be breaking through to the Advanced Stage soon. He had originally been thinking about making some spare change off this mid-sized shop, but it seemed like that wasn't going to be a thing. The experienced eye of an old man at a quasi-Advanced stage was not something he felt like testing today. Furthermore, it's not like he was short on money, it was merely an habit from his penniless days. ”I'd also like a couple of spare pieces for each of the main components of the tent's structure to be added as well.”
”That can easily be arranged for, not a problem at all. We are used to requests such as these so it shouldn't take any longer than a couple of minutes, just long enough for my colleagues to place everything in their storage items and bring them over. Oh, now that I think about it, is young customer in need of a storage treasure? I can easily fetch one for a low price-”
”That's fine, I have one of my own already.” Cheng Hao flashed the Heaven&Earth Pouch he kept below the robes: it was the one the group of bandits had gifted him after his 'heroic sacrifice'. The one he had stolen from the Core Sect Disciple Liu Biao was far too expensive for him to show others. He had no intention to cause an uproar right before having to leave Xiao Wu alone for what could very well be weeks, months even. For that reason, he would be using the bandit's in public, as although it would still attract malevolent glances, it was not enough to prompt action: people were not that stupid when it came to backgrounds.
A child with a storage treasure? Their background would be way too much for some Inferior Stages to handle. As for Basic Stages and above, they would barely blink at a treasure so lowly they would be able to buy with some spare change.
”Very well. My colleagues will be bringing everything over soon. In the meanwhile, young customer, feel free to browse our little shop some more. In case anything catches customer's eye, we will be happy to gift it to you to thank you for your patronage…”
At that, the child's eyes gleamed, ”Oh? In fact, this whole shop had caught my eye from the moment I walked in! Does that mean everything present here is up for grab?”
”…”
”Eheh, no need to worry, I was just joking.” Cheng Hao winked playfully at the owner.
Do I look like I'm laughing to you, the middle-aged man shouted in his heart while secretly wiping off the cold sweat on his palms.
”Mph!” The old man sitting by the entrance loudly scoffed almost as if he were warning the child. The smile hidden beneath his long, grey beard however betrayed his amusement.
”Is customer satisfied then, all your needs taken care of?” The shop owner forced a smile.
”Ahem! As a matter of fact, I do need one last thing…” The golden-eyed child rubbed his nose in embarrassment. ”Does either of the seniors perhaps know… where the bazaar's tavern is?”
...
Bazaars didn't merely hold stalls managed by the Sect's cultivators. In fact, most of those selling their goods at the cultivator bazaars present in the Sixth Ring weren't the disciples themselves, but were instead merchants that had disregarded cultivation so as to completely immerse themselves in the wonders of trading. Those people were the wandering merchants; cultivators that dedicated their whole lives to traveling from one sect to another, seeking wealth and status regardless of their cultivation bases.
Now, the largest sects in the Western Continent, a massive continent where the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect reigned supreme at its very center, did not shoo away these people, as more often than not a treasure or two that even Reverend Stage experts would drool over might appear. However, those same mighty existences also would never humiliate themselves by allowing these people to enter and exit their sect at their whim. As higher powers, they had their pride after all, and therefore refused to lower themselves just like that, giving away their hard-earned honor for free...
In other words, those high and mighty sects wanted money.
For a conspicuous sum, these mighty Sects would be opening their doors during the disciple entrance exams that took place several times per year and allow the merchants to temporarily enter the Sect. Unfortunately for the wandering merchants, these periods often did not fit well with those of other Sects and even some, such as the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect, only let those merchants in for at most a week after the end of the examinations. This entailed difficult choices for those wandering sellers, as they would only be able to visit a much smaller amount of the Sects than they would have wished. Over time, the most optimal routes that took into account these timings were calculated, resulting in smaller caravans departing at the same time separately before joining forces on the way, merging into mid to large scale caravans and then later following these paths together, finally traversing dozens of Sects every year.
All those caravans piled together carried mountains of goods and precious treasures in their storage, which more often than not would catch the eye of both rogue cultivators and Spiritual Beasts, attracted by either the astronomical wealth in the merchant's magical purses or the precious ingredients in their treasury.
Therefore, wandering merchants would often hire the very best mercenaries available, all in order to defend themselves in their journey across the continents. Those most experienced among these wandering merchants would not hesitate to contribute a huge amount of money to invite powerful cultivators to make sure each journey would proceed unhindered. Over the years, cultivation bases as high as the Advanced or even Superior Stage would be hired as bodyguards, all so their traveling could proceed on safely.
This time around however, a huge beast horde had formed just outside Four Divine Beasts Mountain Range, which had resulted in the caravan suffering disastrous losses...
”Honestly, had it not been for that brat, we might all have died right there and then!” a merchant sighed as he guzzled down a pint of some exotic wine. Sitting right across him, Cheng Hao furrowed his brows as he listened to the middle aged man's recounting of the events. This person, Gu Qiu, was an acquaintance of his that he had met some months ago, long before he stepped in the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect and his existence tangled with that of Xiao Wu's. It could be said to be ”Cheng Hao's” first friend.
Cheng Hao and Gu Qiu's caravan had crossed paths back then and the two had hit it off rather well. Gu Qiu was a mortal, and yet his skill in the art of trading had acquired him the respect of many cultivators. At their first encounter, even Cheng Hao hadn't been able to stop himself from praising the guy's intellect! It had been Gu Qiu that had explained the geography and history of this world to Cheng Hao, and in exchange Cheng Hao had granted him many unique cultivation methods for him to sell.