ATPnovel Chapter 5 Making a Small Profit
Chapter 5 Making a Small Profit
After having breakfast, Shen Li began her work, but her mind was still preoccupied with her appointment at the market at noon.
The morning passed quickly, and Shen Li immediately headed to the Heavenly Demon Sect's market.
The Heavenly Demon Sect is located in the Cloud Mist Mountain in the eastern part of the Xuan Tian Continent. It is one of the major sects in the entire eastern continent.
It has over ten thousand disciples in the Qi Refining stage, over a thousand cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage, five great cultivators in the Core Formation stage, and a Nascent Soul ancestor overseeing the area.
A large sect naturally has its own trading market.
The market was a free trading area, but with strict rules that prohibited fighting and fraud.
Therefore, although Shen Li's strength is weak, there is no need to worry about his safety.
However, he was short of money, possessing only a dozen or so spirit stones and not a single pill.
He often lamented: Did the Tai Xuan Sect send me to infiltrate, or was it testing me?
What can an undercover agent with such poor financial resources accomplish?
The market was located at Bixia Peak.
This peak is rich in spiritual energy, making it ideal for planting spiritual plants and refining elixirs. Ninety percent of the elixirs produced by the Heavenly Demon Sect come from this peak.
Shen Li used his magic power to run at breakneck speed and finally arrived at Bixia Peak before noon.
At the entrance of the market stands a tall blue stone tablet, inscribed with the four characters "Bixia Market," written in sharp strokes that exude the domineering aura of a demonic sect.
Further in, there is a wide bluestone street, with disciples' stalls and some shops on both sides.
At this time, the market was bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and bargaining filled the air.
Disciples in the Qi Refining stage sell low-level talismans and magical artifacts, while occasionally, seniors in the Foundation Establishment stage display materials from demonic beasts and rare spiritual herbs.
Occasionally, one can see cultivators dressed in sect steward robes patrolling by, maintaining order.
Shen Li had no interest in strolling around and began searching for traces of Yin Ning Grass in the market.
This herb is rather obscure, belonging to the Yin attribute, and is often used to refine certain special elixirs, making it little known to most people.
Fortunately, before infiltrating the Heavenly Demon Sect, he was forced by the Tai Xuan Sect to cram a course on spiritual plants; otherwise, even if he saw them, he wouldn't have recognized them.
The divination text says to buy at a low price, which means that some people in the market don't know its value and are selling Yin Ning Grass as an ordinary spiritual herb.
Shen Li scanned the stalls along the street, her eyes wandering among the various spiritual herbs and materials.
Half an hour later, he finally spotted his target in an inconspicuous corner.
It was a simple stall with a few ordinary spiritual herbs scattered on it, including the Yin Ning Grass.
Its leaves are slender like needles, with faint silver patterns on the surface.
The stall owner was a young man in his twenties with a refined appearance. He looked more like a down-on-his-luck rogue cultivator than a demonic cultivator.
Shen Li thought to himself: Sure enough, in the cultivation world, the so-called irreconcilable conflict between good and evil is nothing more than a pretext for fighting for resources and territory.
There are good people even in the demonic path, and there are also scoundrels in the righteous path.
He stood in front of the stall and casually asked, "How much is this spiritual herb?"
The young man enthusiastically replied, "Five spirit stones."
Shen Li was overjoyed, but frowned on the surface: "Ten yuan? That's so expensive? This spiritual herb is of average quality. How about a cheaper price of five spirit stones?"
"Eight pieces, no less."
Six pieces.
"Seven dollars, take it or leave it."
Shen Li pretended to hesitate for a moment, then finally took out spirit stones and completed the transaction.
Next, it was sold at a high price.
He found an empty spot some distance from the stall, took out an old cloth from his storage bag, spread it on the ground, and then carefully placed the Yin Ning Grass on it.
They set up a stall and waited for the fish to bite.
......
At this moment, two young disciples, a man and a woman, slowly entered the market.
The man was handsome and dashing, the woman was stunningly beautiful, and both possessed a cool and ethereal air.
The moment the two appeared, they attracted the attention of the surrounding disciples.
"Huh? Isn't that Senior Sister Duanmu Yao, the sect leader's true disciple?"
"Why is she here?"
"Isn't that Pang Sicheng, Elder Pang's great-grandson? I heard that Senior Brother Pang has been pursuing Senior Sister Duanmu."
Whispers rose and fell.
The couple, however, remained calm, clearly accustomed to such scenes.
Pang Sicheng said solicitously, "Junior Sister Yao, your cultivation has improved again? Did you come to the market to buy some pills? I can give you some. My grandfather gave me more than I can use."
Duanmu Yao said calmly, "No need, I'm just taking a stroll. Senior Brother Pang, you go about your business, you don't need to accompany me."
Having said that, she ignored Pang Sicheng and walked into the market alone.
Pang Sicheng's expression stiffened slightly, but he still shamelessly followed.
Shen Li was completely unaware of the commotion at the entrance of the market.
He was eagerly waiting for the buyer to come to his door.
An hour passed, and his stall remained deserted.
Shen Li was anxious.
With the afternoon work time fast approaching, if they didn't leave soon, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves to the disciples in charge.
Just as he was growing increasingly impatient, a clear, cold female voice rang out: "How much is this Yin Ning Grass?"
Shen Li looked in the direction of the sound.
A woman in white, with an extremely beautiful face and a cool demeanor, was looking down at the Yin Ning Grass on the stall.
The sucker has finally arrived!
Shen Li was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm and said indifferently, "Thirty-five spirit stones."
He didn't dare to ask for an exorbitant amount.
When infiltrating the Demonic Sect, the biggest taboo is offending people.
It's not worth getting into trouble for a few spirit stones.
Thirty-five spirit stones was a price that would make the other party feel a little pain, but wouldn't cause them to turn against you.
Duanmu Yao nodded slightly and was about to take out the spirit stones when a figure flashed out beside her.
Pang Sicheng frowned at Shen Li, his tone unfriendly: "Kid, you're really ripping people off. You dare sell low-grade Yin Ning Grass for thirty-five spirit stones? You even dare to rip off Junior Sister Duanmu?"
Shen Li's heart skipped a beat: Duanmu? That's a rare surname.
Could it be the sect leader's true disciple, Duanmu Yao?
It is said that this girl was exceptionally talented, and soon after entering the sect, she was noticed by the sect leader and taken as a disciple.
However, she was a low-key person and never became arrogant because she was the sect leader's disciple. Moreover, she treated other disciples as equals and had a very good reputation within the sect.
If it really is her, I really shouldn't offend her.
I'm an undercover agent, so I have to keep a low profile.
Thinking of this, Shen Li quickly put on a flattered expression and said, "So it's Senior Sister Duanmu! Then I'll sell it at a loss, thirty spirit stones."
Pang Sicheng was still not satisfied and snorted coldly: "No one cares about Yin Ning Grass usually, how much is it worth? I'll give you ten spirit stones."
Ten yuan?
Shen Li was annoyed: This guy is such a busybody. The person in charge hasn't even spoken yet, and he's already babbling on and on.
But the other party clearly had a powerful background, so he couldn't just stand up to them.
So he put on a troubled expression: "Senior brother, I risked my life to pick this Yin Ning Grass on the cliff, and thirty spirit stones is already the lowest price I can offer."
Seeing that this young man was being tactless, Pang Sicheng frowned and prepared to make trouble.
But Duanmu Yao, standing beside him, had already taken out spirit stones and said in a cold tone, "Senior Brother Pang, there's no need to say anything more. Thirty stones, I'll buy them."