darknovel Chapter 3 First Steps into the Market
Chapter 3 First Steps into the Market
Zhang Lin looked around, found a secluded corner, put down the bamboo basket, spread a coarse cloth on the ground, took out the wooden box, opened the lid, and laid out the spirit orchid.
He didn't rush to shout, but sat cross-legged behind the cloth, his eyes slightly closed, looking completely calm and collected.
The senior brothers dispersed to buy the items they needed. As they were leaving, Qi Yuntian glanced at him, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing and turned to leave.
Zhang Lin knew what Qi Yuntian wanted to say.
It was common for the disciples of Shangqing Temple to sell ordinary herbs for a few coins, but the appearance of this Linglan herb was simply too eye-catching.
The twenty-year-old orchid, with its glossy green leaves and shimmering spiritual light, looked like a bright pearl fallen into a pile of rubble when placed on the coarse cloth; it was hard not to attract attention.
Sure enough, within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, someone stopped in front of his stall.
The newcomer was a man in his thirties, wearing a worn blue Taoist robe. He had an ordinary face and a short beard. His gaze swept over the orchid and then lingered on it.
"Fellow Daoist, this spirit orchid..." The man crouched down, reaching out to touch it, then withdrew his hand. He looked up at Zhang Lin, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt, "May I ask, what year is this spirit orchid from?"
Zhang Lin opened his eyes and said calmly, "Twenty years."
The man gasped, looked Zhang Lin up and down a few times, seemingly incredulous.
Twenty-year-old Linglan grass is a rare find, perhaps only a few times a year, in a small place like Qingyun Town.
Those who sell this medicine are either disciples from major sects who are out training and earning some travel expenses, or extremely lucky rogue cultivators who have found wild spiritual herbs in the mountains.
The boy in front of me, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with the cultivation level of the early stage of Qi Refining, was wearing a drab gray Taoist robe. He didn't look like the former at all.
"Twenty years?" the man pressed, his doubt undisguised.
Zhang Lin was not annoyed. He reached out and lifted the spirit orchid, handing it to the man: "Fellow Daoist, please look at the veins. This twenty-year-old spirit orchid has seven veins on its leaves, each one perfectly aligned with the previous one."
The man leaned closer for a closer look, and sure enough, seven silvery-white veins were clearly visible on the emerald green leaves, arranged neatly like harp strings, with spiritual energy flowing slowly from them, emitting a faint sense of coolness.
"Indeed, it's been twenty years." The man's tone changed, becoming more respectful. "My name is Liu Wenyuan, a rogue cultivator. May I ask, fellow Daoist, how much is this Spirit Orchid Grass?"
Zhang Lin's heart stirred, but he remained outwardly calm.
He had scouted out the market beforehand.
A ten-year-old Spirit Orchid can be sold for about fifteen low-grade spirit stones in the market.
The 20-year-old variety has doubled the medicinal effect, but its scarcity is more than doubled; it can easily sell for 50 spirit stones.
But those were the prices in the shops of the city-level market.
In this town-level market, most of the buyers are independent cultivators who don't have many spirit stones in their pockets and can't afford to pay too high a price.
"Fifty low-grade spirit stones." Zhang Lin quoted a relatively high price, leaving room for negotiation.
Liu Wenyuan frowned: "Fellow Daoist, this price is too high."
"Fifty spirit stones can buy a twenty-year-old spirit orchid in a pharmacy in Qingxuan City. How could a small place like Qingyun Town have that kind of price?"
Zhang Lin said calmly, "Qingxuan City is eight hundred miles away. If you are willing to make the trip, you don't need to buy it from me."
Liu Wenyuan was taken aback. After a moment of silence, he said, "Thirty pieces. That's the highest price I can offer."
"Forty-five pieces."
"Thirty-five pieces, no more than that."
Zhang Lin glanced at him, put the orchid back into the wooden box, and made a move to pack up and leave.
Liu Wenyuan grew anxious and grabbed the edge of the wooden box: "Fellow Daoist, wait! Forty pieces, how about forty pieces?"
Zhang Lin stopped what he was doing, pondered for a moment, and slowly nodded: "Deal."
Forty low-grade spirit stones, more than he had expected, were enough for him to do quite a lot.
Liu Wenyuan took out a cloth bag from his sleeve, untied the rope, and poured out a pile of spirit stones. He carefully counted forty stones and pushed them over.
The spirit stones were piled up, their milky white luster shimmering slightly in the morning light, exuding a spiritual aura that warmed the heart.
Zhang Lin didn't rush to collect them. Instead, he counted them one by one, and only put them into his pocket after confirming that they were correct.
Holding the spirit orchid as if it were a priceless treasure, Liu Wenyuan carefully tucked it into his sleeve. He stood up, but instead of leaving, he lowered his voice and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you have any more spirit orchids of this quality?"
Zhang Lin looked up at him.
Liu Wenyuan quickly waved his hand: "Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to probe your background."
"To be honest, I know a few fellow Daoists who have been collecting good medicine. If you still have some, I can help you make connections, and the price is negotiable."
Zhang Lin thought for a moment and said, "Let's see in a few days."
Liu Wenyuan understood and took out a wooden plaque from his sleeve and handed it over: "This is my name card. If you have any goods, please come to my residence in the south of the city at any time."
Zhang Lin took the wooden plaque, which had the three characters "Liu Wenyuan" engraved on it. The handwriting was neat and tidy, indicating that he was a serious person.
He nodded and put the wooden sign away.
After Liu Wenyuan left, Zhang Lin didn't rush to set up his stall again.
A 20-year-old orchid is already eye-catching enough; if another one were brought out, it would probably attract attention rather than people coveting it.
His current cultivation level is only at the early stage of Qi Refining. Although it is not the lowest in Qingyun Town, it is not much higher either.
If someone truly harbors malicious intentions, he might not be able to handle it.
To be on the safe side, he decided to close up shop first.
He folded the coarse cloth and stuffed it into the bamboo basket. He stood up and was about to leave when a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Young fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."
Zhang Lin paused and turned around.
The speaker was an old Taoist priest with white hair, who looked to be over sixty years old. He had a thin face, high cheekbones, and wore a faded blue Taoist robe. A bronze token with the character "Dan" engraved on it was tied around his waist.
The old Taoist's cultivation level was not low, reaching the late stage of Qi Refining, and he was not much worse than the abbot of Shangqing Temple.
Zhang Lin cupped his hands slightly: "What guidance do you have, senior?"
The old Taoist smiled, his smile kind, and pointed to the bamboo basket on Zhang Lin's back: "Just now, I was a step too slow, and that brat Liu Wenyuan beat me to it."
"My surname is Sun, and my given name is He. I run a medicine shop in Qingyun Town, specializing in high-quality medicines. If you have any Linglan grass, young friend, you might as well sell it to me. The price is negotiable."
Zhang Lin glanced at him.
Sun He.
He had heard his fellow disciples mention this name before. He was the owner of the pill shop in Qingyun Town, a rogue cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining, whose pill-refining skills were considered top-notch within a radius of hundreds of miles.
Half of the elixirs that Shangqing Temple refines each year are sold to him.
"Senior Sun, you flatter me." Zhang Lin pondered for a moment and said, "There is indeed another Spirit Orchid, which is similar in quality to the one we just saw."
"It's just that I'm not able to make the transaction today. If you're free tomorrow, I'll personally deliver it to your shop."