Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

Just as she was about to enter into an internal struggle about whether or not to fight her way out, three crisp knocks came from the wooden platform.

A middle-aged man stood on the wooden platform at some point.

He didn't have a hammer in his hand; he used a virtual finger formed from his literary energy.

Three knocks rang out, not very loud, but the hushed conversations in the hall stopped simultaneously.

This person was none other than Ding Xiuyuan, whom Chen Zhuo had met before, and also the manager of Chunfenglou.

He was wearing a dark gray robe today, more formal than when we last met, but his eyes still had that gentle and harmless look.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's trade fair is hosted by Chunfenglou."

Ding Xiuyuan's voice was not loud, but it was clearly delivered to everyone's ears, probably because he used some kind of telepathic technique.

"The trading rules are as follows: Sellers will take turns presenting their items on stage, and the audience may freely place bids. Bidders must present the corresponding exchange item on the spot, and the sellers will choose their trading partners."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, a hint of a smile in his voice:

"Chunfenglou only provides the venue and does not provide any guarantees. You are responsible for judging the authenticity and value of the items."

There are no restrictions on the tokens used in the transaction; jade, points, demon materials, and literary items are all acceptable.

Twenty or thirty people listened quietly, without making a sound.

Ding Xiuyuan nodded and stepped down from the wooden platform.

The first seller then stepped onto the stage; he was a tall, thin, wandering monk who took out a small wooden box from his pocket.

Open the lid, and inside lies a grayish-black bead:

"The eyeball of a peak-level Mirage Demon of the Wandering Soul level, a superior material for crafting illusion-type runes, worth 20 taels of silver, or equivalent points."

Someone in the audience immediately made a counter-offer.

Chen Zhuo glanced at it and saw that the market price for wandering soul-level demon materials was between 20 and 50 taels of silver.

However, since we are currently in a long period of darkness, the price of such items will drop accordingly.

But the demon materials are not of much use to him now.

After all, he is just a newcomer who has only recently started practicing the Way of Literature, and he doesn't have much time to study the methods of making talismans.

Since these older scholars and educated men could not improve their cultivation, they could only study talismans.

Several interested parties wished to make the deal, so they went to a private room to discuss the price in detail.

Although the specifics are unknown, they all seemed quite satisfied judging from their expressions.

The second seller then came up on stage; he was an elderly man from a prominent family. He took out a yellowed bamboo scroll.

"This is a supplementary commentary on the 'Autumn Waters Commentary,' a beginner's guide to landscape painting techniques. There is no starting price; it depends on your sincerity."

There was a few seconds of silence in the audience, and then someone made a bid.

Chen Zhuo glanced at it and realized it was an item with a grade.

【Autumn Flood Notes (White): An old scholar's reflections on the autumn floods; can be equipped】

I only glanced at it briefly before giving up the idea of ​​making a bid.

The main reason is that he already has the cultivation technique, and the blue quality one is obviously much better than the white quality one.

Moreover, martial arts manuals generally do not contain literary techniques.

Chen Zhuo stood in the crowd, carefully examining each item; most of them lacked information panel data.

He had expected this; the absence of information on the control panel was the norm.

"Next!" Ding Xiuyuan's calm voice rang out.

A burly man stepped onto the stage.

He took out a black iron-colored object from his pocket, placed it on the wooden table, and made a loud thud, though the sound was not loud, it was obviously very heavy.

"Earth Vein Black Iron, fist-sized, a material for martial arts weapon forging. In exchange, exchange it for a literary scripture written by at least a scholar, regardless of school of thought."

There was a moment of silence in the audience. Although such a price request was absurd, it was not uncommon.

This is clearly an attempt to pave the way for the next generation to follow the path of literature.

A moment later, two men who looked like scholars simultaneously offered their prices.

The martial artist glanced at the two men, pointed in a certain direction, and the transaction was completed silently.

As Chen Zhuo watched the scholar take the piece of black iron, he assessed the value of these two types of people exchanging goods and services.

During the long night, warriors lacked literary support, and scholars lacked martial arts materials.

This kind of trade fair is essentially a barter market during a special period.

However, after six or seven rounds of testing, he still hasn't found what he truly needs.

Just then, a person wearing an old robe walked onto the wooden platform.

He was rather thin, and his face was not clearly visible. He took out a blue cloth package from his bosom, placed it on the wooden table, and untied it.

Inside was a dark yellow bamboo scroll, its edges somewhat tattered.

The man spoke, his voice hoarse and short:

"Although one cannot directly comprehend literary arts from 'The Travelogue of Mountain Viewing,' there is a section in which a certain practitioner, while observing the mountain terrain on the border of Shengtian Prefecture, drew a mountain map based on the local cultural context."

"The starting price is 50 taels of silver; the highest bidder wins."

The audience below whispered amongst themselves; fifty taels of silver could buy even the most basic scholar's classic text.

Upon hearing that they could not comprehend literary arts, several people who had raised their hands lowered them.

The man in the old robe didn't explain much; he simply placed the scroll of bamboo slips on the wooden table and waited for an offer.

Chen Zhuo stared at the rolled-up bamboo slips, and the panel appeared before his eyes.

"Unable to comprehend literary arts," the old-robed man's statement was indeed true. But as he read on, his gaze lingered on the last line.

[Article Combination: Combining the mountain map with the terrain adaptability skill in the "Marching Log" can trigger the "Landslide" effect. Prerequisites: The four arts skills of Sun, Moon, War, and Speed ​​must reach level 2.]

What he had been thinking about was the combination of literary arts, so that the power of the two literary arts could complement each other when released, rather than being isolated moves.

This unassuming white bamboo scroll actually has the conditions to trigger a combination of literary techniques.

All four literary arts have reached level 2. "Sun" and "War" are already mastered, while "Moon" and "Speed" are still one step away.

Chen Zhuo's mind raced, and he finally said, "A medium-quality Qingshan inkstone."

A medium-quality Qingshan inkstone is of green quality and has a market value of about 50 taels of silver.

The old-robed man's gaze lingered on him for a moment, then looked down at the audience.

No one was willing to pay more, and the inability to directly comprehend literary arts was enough to deter others. Chen Zhuo stood still, waiting with a calm heartbeat.

The old-robed man was somewhat disappointed, but seeing that no one else came forward to trade, he eventually agreed to the deal.

Chen Zhuo stepped forward and placed a spare inkstone on the table. This was one of the many inkstones that had been added to his study in recent days.

Since it can't be equipped, it can only be used for trading.

The man in the old robe took the inkstone, stuffed the bamboo slips into his hand, turned and stepped off the stage, disappearing into the crowd.

Gu Qing'e leaned closer to take a look at the bamboo slips, then frowned and said:

"Since you can't directly comprehend the new literary arts, this scroll isn't worth 50 taels of silver to most people. Junior brother, are you mistaken?"

"Perhaps I misjudged, but during this long night, it's always good to have more things, and besides..."

Chen Zhuo looked down at the tattered bamboo slip in his hand. The bamboo strips at the edges were already a little loose, but when he held it in his hand, he felt a very faint aura.

"I find it useful to me."

Gu Qing'e looked at him suspiciously, then glanced at the rolled bamboo slip, but couldn't figure out what it was.

Just as she was about to say something, her gaze suddenly drifted to the corner of the hall, and she spoke softly:

"Manager Ding has been watching us, no, he's been watching you, junior brother."