The Wandering Immortal

Chapter 23 Bartering for Things
The Taoist priest Ruan took the pill with both hands and examined it carefully. "This pill... was it refined by you, fellow Taoist?"

Jiang Yuan pointed at Qinghe and said, "It was my junior sister who made it herself. Please forgive her for making a fool of herself, senior."

Ruan Daoren unconsciously looked at Qinghe again, but Qinghe never took off her bamboo hat and veil.

"How dare I! I am utterly impressed by my junior sister's skill in alchemy!"

Daoist Ruan pondered in his heart that he had never seen such high-quality pills in Baiyun Immortal Market. Could these two be disciples of some major sect? "How many of these pills do you have?"

Jiang Yuan put the pills back into the bottle. "There are about twenty bottles in total, with more than two hundred pills."

Ruan Daoren immediately gave up the idea of ​​becoming a middleman, as he simply couldn't accept the offer.

"Why don't you rest here for a while, fellow Daoist? When it's light, I'll introduce you two to fellow Daoist Li Qingqing. She is an alchemist and a resident merchant here. She'll surely be able to give you a good price."

Jiang Yuan cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "In that case, I thank you, senior."

It was already late at night, so Master Ruan kept Jiang Yuan and the other man in the pavilion for a chat. Jiang Yuan even specifically asked if there were any cultivation manuals for sale in Baiyun Immortal Market.

Ruan Daoren muttered to himself, wondering what kind of trouble this person had encountered that they were even willing to sell their sect's secret manuals for money.

When the topic of talismans and formations came up, Daoist Ruan became even more convinced that Jiang Yuan must be a disciple of a major sect, with a cultivation level of at least Foundation Establishment, far superior to that of a wandering cultivator like himself.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Daoist Ruan felt that time had gone by too quickly and wished he could keep Jiang Yuan to talk for a while longer. For a cultivator, to be able to meet a master to give him some guidance was an immense opportunity.

As dawn broke, Daoist Ruan led Jiang Yuan to see Li Qingqing, and only then did the two of them get a clear view of the entire Immortal Market.

The narrow valley is about two miles long, with eight or nine small houses scattered around. They are all different in shape, some built against the mountain, some dug into caves as residences, and some with earthen walls and thatched huts.

Even if an ordinary person were to wander in during the day, they would probably think it was just an ordinary little village.

Ruan Daoren arrived in front of a two-story bamboo building and called out loudly, "Fellow Daoist Li, I would like to introduce you to two eminent people. I have some elixirs for you to sample."

Li Qingqing did not show herself, but cursed, "You old geezer, are you senile? I am an alchemist, why would I need to collect pills?"

Master Ruan looked embarrassed and somewhat angry. "You can't refine this pill!"

A moment later, Jiang Yuan saw a woman in her thirties push open the door and come out, looking aggressive. When his divine sense swept over Qing He, he was stunned for a moment.

She naturally recognized the pure and rich wood elemental energy emanating from Qinghe, suggesting she was likely an alchemist, and immediately changed her tone.

"Oh dear, we have distinguished guests at our door! I've been so rude!"

Once inside the house, Daoist Ruan briefly explained the situation, and Jiang Yuan took out a bottle of pills from his cloth bag.

Li Qingqing was surprised. These two didn't even have a storage bag, and the bottles they used to hold the pills were of inferior quality. How good could the pills be?

When Jiang Yuan poured out a pill into his palm, Li Qingqing immediately gasped and glanced at Ruan Daoren in horror. She really couldn't refine one.

Jiang Yuan, of course, noticed the suspicion in Li Qingqing's eyes, so he made up a story.

The story goes that the two siblings came from the north and encountered a powerful opponent while on a sect mission, losing everything they owned. Fortunately, the junior sister knew a little about alchemy, so she gathered some herbs along the way, made some pills, and came to the White Cloud Immortal Market to exchange them for some things.

Li Qingqing glanced at Ruan Daoren from time to time. Ruan Daoren felt that his previous guess was correct, so he hinted to Li Qingqing that it was roughly the same.

He also secretly made a hand gesture, a code word used by people inside Baiyun Immortal City, meaning that he could get it at a low price and would definitely not lose out.

Twenty-five bottles of low-grade pills filled the table. Li Qingqing opened them one by one and saw that each one was indeed a high-quality pill.

"Did you casually refine these pills by the roadside after losing the battle? I couldn't refine this many even in a year, and their quality is incomparable." Li Qingqing composed herself, "How much are these pills worth, fellow Daoist?"

Jiang Yuan remained calm and composed. "I am not familiar with the market prices in Baiyun Immortal Market. If Fellow Daoist Li finds something he likes, you can give me some spirit stones or exchange it for some practical items."

Li Qingqing could tell that Jiang Yuan was very young, but his words and demeanor suggested he was a seasoned veteran, not someone to be easily fooled. Crucially, she couldn't discern his cultivation level yet; if he angered a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the entire Baiyun Immortal City wouldn't be enough for him to handle.

"A bottle of Qi-restoring pills of the highest quality is usually priced at five spirit stones, while the Rejuvenation Pills are slightly cheaper, at only three spirit stones per bottle."

Li Qingqing had already boldly set a price, slightly lower than what she usually sold for pills, naturally leaving some room for Jiang Yuan to bargain.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Yuan readily agreed, "I will do as Fellow Daoist Li says!"

Li Qingqing and Ruan Daoren naturally assumed that Jiang Yuan was in a hurry to get rid of the business so he could get on with his business.

Jiang Yuan, however, had a different plan. Fifteen bottles of Qi-restoring pills and ten bottles of Rejuvenation pills would yield a total of one hundred and five spirit stones, enough to buy some daily necessities. Knowing about the White Cloud Immortal Market, he could come again on the fifteenth of August next year.

To everyone's surprise, Li Qingqing was in a dilemma. She didn't have that many spirit stones on hand, so she had to send a telepathic message to Daoist Ruan, asking if she could borrow some to get the pills first.

Master Ruan replied with a few words, saying that even the two families combined didn't have that many spirit stones, so he made a suggestion.

"Just now, Fellow Daoist Guan mentioned that bartering was also an option. Could you please provide a list? We are quite familiar with the Immortal Market, so we can help you gather the items you need, which will also offset some of the spirit stones."

"So good!"

Jiang Yuan gestured for Qinghe to take out the list. The two of them had already decided what they wanted to buy before they left.

Li Qingqing looked at the contents: two storage bags, two array plates, twenty array flags of various colors, ten jade slips, ten jade boxes, and thirty jade bottles, including small items such as talisman-making pens, talisman paper, and cinnabar. The two families could almost gather all of these.

There was only one thing missing: a material for refining weapons called Golden Silk Bamboo. Even though Daoist Ruan was very knowledgeable, he had never heard of this thing before.

Jiang Yuan looked slightly displeased and paced back and forth in the bamboo house, making Li Qingqing and Ruan Daoren very nervous.

Finally, Jiang Yuan said, "If we don't have the golden bamboo, that's fine. Please, fellow Daoists, gather the rest as soon as possible."

Ruan Daoren ran back to the small attic as fast as he could to get his things, fearing that he might displease Jiang Yuan, or that his formidable enemy might come to Baiyun Immortal City and everyone would be doomed.

Li Qingqing also went to buy some things, and Jiang Yuan whispered to Qinghe about the details of how to use the storage bags.

In just half an hour, everything was gathered and piled up to fill almost half the room.

Qinghe picked up two storage bags and used magic to collect all the items.

According to the previously agreed price difference, Li Qingqing took out another thirty spirit stones, put them in a small storage bag, and handed them to Qinghe.

Without saying a word, Jiang Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and left.

Li Qingqing and Ruan Daoren breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the two leave the Immortal Market. They knew this deal was profitable, so the two began discussing how to split the profits.

Qinghe waited until they left the Immortal Market before saying, "How can a few pills be exchanged for so many things?"

"Those two guys still have money to make, otherwise they wouldn't be able to run so fast."

"I've always heard my husband say that you can make money from elixirs, but I never imagined it would be this easy."

Jiang Yuan thought to himself, "My wife doesn't know how amazing her talent is. Li Qingqing has been practicing alchemy for at least twenty or thirty years. When she saw that Qi-restoring pill, her eyes widened."

(End of this chapter)