Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Chapter 73 Intelligence Insights

He was a man with slightly graying temples, at the third level of Qi Refining. In front of him was an old cloth with several bundles of black willow leaves and other spiritual herbs scattered on it, neatly arranged.

He neither shouted nor looked around; he kept his hands tucked into his sleeves and squinted in the sun.

He exuded a relaxed attitude, as if he didn't care whether the deal went through or not.

This is clearly the kind of cultivator who has spent most of his life in Wuliufang Market, has no ambition, and likes to be greedy for small gains.

Qu Ye walked over, stopped in front of his stall, picked up a bundle of willow leaves and looked at them.

The quality is so-so, but it's quite fresh, obviously just picked.

Setting down the willow leaves, Qu Ye picked up another bundle of unidentified spiritual herbs and casually asked, "Fellow Daoist, how much are these?"

Upon seeing guests arrive, the man opened his eyes and slowly extended a finger: "One spirit stone per bundle. This is insect-repelling grass. Dry it and place it in the spirit field; it can repel some insects that steal spirit rice."

One spirit stone for a bundle of insect-repelling herbs, though still a bit pricey, is better than three spirit stones for a single spirit flower; at least he wasn't being ripped off.

Qu Ye smiled and put the insect repellent grass back on the stall: "I just came from another place, and I'm tired from the journey, so I'm not very familiar with the market here."

He paused, then asked casually, "How long have you been selling your wares here, fellow Daoist?"

"How long?" The man scratched his chin. "I was setting up my stall here when the Tian family patriarch had just established his foundation."

Not bad, a veteran.

Qu Ye nodded and lowered his voice: "In that case, do you know where in this market town it's convenient to buy and sell things?"

"It means accepting all kinds of spiritual items, without asking where they come from, and without taking too much profit."

The man sat up straighter.

He looked Qu Ye up and down, but didn't reply immediately. Instead, he thought for a while.

A moment later, the man pulled his hand completely out of his sleeve, made a two-pointer gesture, and quickly rubbed his right thumb and forefinger together in front of Qu Ye.

Qu Ye remained expressionless, took out two spirit stones, and quickly placed them into the man's hand.

The man weighed the spirit stone in his hand, then tucked it into his sleeve before slowly saying, "At dusk, head west from here, cross two side streets, and on your right, there's a narrow alley that leads to the end. At the end, there are two red lanterns hanging. Knock three times on the door, and if someone asks, just say you want to buy snake wine made with willow root. Remember, it's willow root, don't get it wrong."

"Thank you, fellow Daoist."

Qu Ye noted down the man's words, thanked him, and was about to leave when he was called back.

The man picked up a bundle of black willow leaves from the stall and handed it to Qu Ye, saying solemnly, "Take this bundle of black willow leaves. Don't worry, I won't accept spirit stones. But you must understand, fellow Daoist, this is just a normal transaction between us; I know nothing else."

Qu Ye understood what the other party meant. Without saying anything more, he took the willow leaf, checked it, put it into his storage bag, and turned to leave.

After that, he wandered around other places, occasionally buying any useful spiritual materials he came across, and got a general idea of ​​the situation in the entire Wuliu Market.

Like Yumen Market, Wuliu Market will be divided into four areas: east, south, west, and north.

The eastern district is filled with a continuous stretch of elegant buildings, such as "Xianzi Tea House" and "Zhongmiao Xianfang", and courtyards with half-closed doors can be seen everywhere in the alleys.

It can be compared to the "Spring Street" in Yumen Market, only on a larger scale.

To Qu Ye's surprise, this type of business in Wuliufang Market was much more booming than that in Yumenfang Market.

The female nun greeting customers outside the shop was dressed provocatively, her private parts barely visible, and her face showed an unconcealable weariness.

As for the places where goods are sold, they are located in other areas.

Aside from a few small shops, Qu Ye only found one large shop similar to Tianxiang Pavilion and Ziyun Workshop, called "Tian's Pill Shop".

The shop assistant seemed indifferent, the quality of the pills varied, and the price of the Zengyuan Pill was also higher.

In addition, the monster resources in Wuliufang City are even more scarce.

Most of the materials on the market are from the snake pit, while other monster materials are very rare.

Qu Ye only bought some snake meat on the side to use for further cultivation of the Blood Melting Body Tempering Technique, and did not make any more moves.

When it got dark, he returned to his original spot and headed to the black market as the man had instructed.

Upon reaching the end of the alley, after exchanging the password and paying a spirit stone, Qu Ye successfully entered the black market of Wuliufang.

Unlike the underground caves of Yumenfang Market, the black market here is a long, narrow street.

The streets were lined with monks whose faces were covered by cloth, quietly talking to customers who were interested in buying.

Qu Ye walked along the street for a while, and when she was almost at the end, she found several obviously different stalls.

These stalls were far apart, and the items for sale were not randomly placed on the ground, but placed on several stone tables.

Beside the stone table, several signs were erected, listing the items for sale and purchase.

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Qu Ye went to one of the stalls that bought and sold spiritual items and sold the materials for the Poisonous Kiss Snake, as well as the low-grade magic weapon.

After putting away the spirit stones, he turned around and went to the innermost stall.

The stall had no items displayed, only a sign next to it with four large characters:

News is readily available.

Clearly, this is the place Qu Ye was looking for to gather information.

The stall owner noticed Qu Ye, looked up at him with a probing gaze, and asked, "Fellow Daoist, please sit down. What would you like to inquire about?"

This person did not conceal his face; his cheeks were sunken, and his appearance was harsh, bearing a striking resemblance to the cultivators who sold information in the black market of Yumen Market.

Qu Ye suddenly realized what the other person meant when they mentioned their distant cousin.

Relationships are a family business.

After thinking for a moment, he sat down on the chair opposite the stall owner and asked, "Do you have any specific information about late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in Wuliufang?"

The stall owner nodded upon hearing this: "Of course, it just depends on how specific you want to go."

"The other party's specific location, personality, and some recent examples."

The stall owner squinted, his fingers unconsciously twirling the edge of the tablecloth, as if weighing the weight of the information and how much he could ask for.

"Fellow Daoist, could you please tell me the other person's name or Daoist title?"

Qu Ye thought for a moment, then uttered a name: "Zhang Yanliang."

The stall owner, his expression unchanged, unfolded the tablecloth he had just rolled up and held up three fingers: "Three spirit stones, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"What if we take into account the magical artifacts they use, the cultivation techniques they practice, and their fighting style?"

"Add one more, making it four spirit stones. But I must remind you, fellow Daoist, that I only know what Zhang Yanliang has revealed; I have no idea what his trump cards are."

"Furthermore, I can assure you, fellow Daoist, that my reputation has been the foundation of my years of selling information on the black market. If the information is false, even if you come and destroy my business, I will not hesitate to speak up."

After speaking, the stall owner looked at Qu Ye, waiting for Qu Ye to make a decision.

Qu Ye understood that the other party wouldn't ruin their reputation for a few spirit stones, so without further hesitation, he flicked his sleeve, and four spirit stones appeared on the stone table.

It only costs four spirit stones to learn about Zhang Yanliang's specific situation, which isn't too expensive.

The stall owner put away the spirit stones before speaking: "Zhang Yanliang lost his wife early in life and has no children. He only recently advanced to the late stage of Qi Refining, and is still at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He used to work as a snake hunter in the southern district of the market, traveling between the snake pond and the market year-round to make a living by selling materials from demonic beasts."