Chapter 069: The Taoist Families of Jiangnan (Seeking Recommendations)

After finishing his meal, Lin Zhan decided not to go out again and returned to the premium ice room of the inn. Since he’d already told those men with Young Master Wei that he’d be waiting online, he might as well see if they’d come for revenge—there was no need to worry, just wait and see.

He took out Young Master Wei’s storage ring and swiftly removed the previous spiritual imprint, then sent his consciousness inside to explore. To his astonishment, half the contents were women’s intimate garments. This fellow’s perversion was almost on par with a few of his former university roommates—Lin Zhan could hardly bear to look. He pulled out those unsavory items and burned them all in one go before continuing to examine the rest.

Indeed, in the world of cultivation, you could tell a lot about someone by what they kept in their storage ring. Outwardly refined and elegant, who would have guessed that his private space was so outrageous? Of course, aside from these improper things, there was also something valuable—a set of flying swords, nine in total, each exquisitely crafted and silver-grey, stored in a sheath made from the hide of a golden-boned giant crocodile. The unique texture of the hide felt wonderful to the touch.

Lin Zhan drew one of the little swords, running his finger lightly along the blade, which was icy and sharp. It could slice a hair in half, and the set was classified as a low-grade magical weapon. Embroidered on the sheath was the name “Lingyun.” Normally, weapons of this level could only be properly wielded by cultivators at the Yellow Rank, while Young Master Wei was only at Human Rank Nine. It seemed this Lingyun sword set had been prepared for his future advancement. Unexpectedly, trying to steal a chicken, he lost the rice as well, and now the swords belonged to Lin Zhan.

With a drop of his blood, Lin Zhan formed a pact, gaining the swords’ recognition. Once he fully mastered the first section of the Creation Sutra, he would be able to wield the flying swords, decapitating enemies from a thousand miles away—another formidable option for mid- and long-range attacks. Of course, he still needed to complete his cultivation first.

Lin Zhan spent the afternoon practicing in his room, but saw no sign of Young Master Wei bringing reinforcements. He decided to go out for a stroll, since that evening there was to be a large trade event at a marketplace in Fuyang City. Lin Zhan was curious and wanted to join the excitement. With his spiritual sense, he could still keep an eye on the inn, and if anyone from the Wei family came to cause trouble, he’d know immediately.

Would this trading bazaar be like a street market with vendors, or would it be set up as an auction? Lin Zhan was quite curious. If he came across anything interesting, he’d buy it—that was his initial plan. Heading straight for the market in the east of the city, he soon saw many vendors sitting cross-legged outside the market, their wares spread before them. As people passed, they shouted constantly, competing to see who had the loudest voice and the most enticing pitch.

“Centennial thunderstruck wood! Millennial demon phoenix blood! Rebirth pills, come and take a look!”

“Seven Desolations Sword Manual, one-of-a-kind! Created by the peerless Sword Sovereign! Don’t miss out or you’ll regret it!”

“Selling talismans—Fireburst, Essence, Healing—bundled clearance! Premium detox pills, rapid upgrade pills, all at rock-bottom prices!”

There was even a group that made people want to laugh and cry, with a huge stall and a man standing on one leg atop a tall wooden stump, performing the Lion’s Roar technique as he repeated his spiel: “Lost Mist Ice Plains! The greatest robe-making clan in Jiangnan has gone bankrupt! Clan head Golden Lion squandered everything on wine, women, gambling, and debts—thirty-five billion spirit stones—and ran off with his sister-in-law! We had no choice but to take these robes as our wages! Originally they cost over a hundred, two hundred, three hundred a piece—now all just twenty! Only twenty spirit stones each! Yellow Leopard, you absolute scoundrel! We worked half a year for you with no pay—give us our blood and sweat back!”

With the power of the Lion’s Roar, his words pounded like drums on the hearts of passersby. The woeful expressions of his companions drew even more attention, and the robe stall quickly became the most crowded and lively spot in the marketplace.

Lin Zhan glanced at his own menial disciple’s robe and felt tempted, so he queued up, planning to buy a few as spares for his storage space. Yet as he waited, he noticed something odd. Several people ahead bought robes without trying them on or choosing colors, simply pointing at a few for the assistants to pack up, paying and leaving. But instead of walking away, they circled around, quietly handed the robes to a stall assistant behind the stand, then rejoined the queue.

Suddenly, Lin Zhan understood—it was all a show! The bustling trade was being propped up by shills. In modern times, this would be outright commercial fraud. Lin Zhan couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused—this gang really would do anything to sell a few more robes.

When his turn came, he naturally checked the size, style, and color. The materials and workmanship were decent—at twenty spirit stones, a bit high, but still within reason.

Within reason? In truth, Lin Zhan had no sense of local prices, and with plenty of spirit stones on hand, he didn’t care what was expensive or cheap. In fact, robes of similar quality would cost only ten spirit stones on the open market—half the price.

Just as he was about to make his purchase, he overheard two women conversing in the next queue. Both wore black veils, and from their figures and attire, they seemed to be ladies from a wealthy household. Lin Zhan pretended to continue browsing, but focused his attention on their conversation.

“Miss, we’ve met the head of the Jiangnan Robe Clan, Golden Lion, haven’t we? He never struck me as the type to drink, gamble, or chase women. Besides, I heard their business has been booming these years—they keep expanding, raising the price they pay for beast skins and feathers every year, and Golden Lion himself insisted on the increases. These people making such a fuss—couldn’t it all be a scam?”

“Cuicui, maybe he really did run off with his sister-in-law, or maybe there’s another story.”

“No, Miss, Golden Lion isn’t even married yet, let alone keeping a concubine. If there were a sister-in-law, she’d still be living with her future mother-in-law!”

Clearly, the young lady was kind-hearted and didn’t want to think badly of others. Sure enough, she said, “You little gossip, true or not, we’re just here to buy clothes for father. If we find something good, we’ll buy it and go. Twenty a piece isn’t too expensive.”

Lin Zhan couldn’t help but smile—at least someone else thought the price wasn’t too high, just as he did. But at that moment, Cuicui suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, “Miss, look! The man shouting up there—that’s Golden Lion! He’s the young master of the Jiangnan Robe Clan!”

As Cuicui’s mistress looked up in surprise, Lin Zhan, curious as well, followed her gaze.

If that really was Golden Lion, and he was pulling this stunt just to sell a few more robes, then his ruthlessness toward himself was truly something to behold.