Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 485: Thief

The ship was bustling as not every cultivator spent their days in their chambers practicing. After all, the chambers required daily payment. Not to mention that the cultivators who had reached a bottleneck in their cultivation tended to wander around the ship during the day and sit on the deck at night rather than spend their time holed up in a chamber, wasting spirit stones.

The ship was like a small city, equipped with various facilities. It even included dedicated sparring grounds.

Fang Chen wore a silver mask as he walked toward the shop selling spiritual materials. Other cultivators on the way didn't pay much attention to him. Cultivators wore all sorts of attires, and Fang Chen's was already considered quite low-key.

The trading area resembled a bustling street, with many cultivators setting up stalls to sell their goods.

Fang Chen scanned the area and chose a shop named "Dragon Soaring Pavilion." This shop had quite a few customers coming and going, and he felt that they might be able to buy his True Fire Talismans.

Suddenly, a dark, swaying figure appeared in front of Fang Chen. The cultivator to whom the figure belonged seemed to be unsteady, and he was stumbling toward Fang Chen.

Fang Chen easily sidestepped the man, causing him to fall flat on the floor, cutting a sorry figure.

Fang Chen paid no mind and continued toward the shop. However, the cultivator angrily muttered, "Blind fool."

Fang Chen paused for a moment, then turned around. "Are you talking to me?"

The cultivator glared at Fang Chen. "Yeah, what's it to you?"

"Did I offend you in any way?" Fang Chen replied calmly.

“Brother, please come inside.”

Suddenly, a young man stepped out from Dragon Soaring Pavilion with a smile, greeting Fang Chen. Then, he turned to the cultivator and said lightly, "I've told you many times, don't stir up trouble here in the Dragon Soaring Pavilion. Can't you remember? Do you want me to remind you again who’s my backer?"

The cultivator immediately changed his demeanor, smiling awkwardly as he bowed and turned to leave. "It turns out to be Manager Che. I apologize for any misunderstanding with this gentleman just now. It's nothing serious. I'll take my leave first."

However, the next moment, his expression turned incredibly sinister.

Fang Chen looked at the young man. "Manager Che?"

"I'm Che Yuxuan from Dragon Soaring Pavilion, serving as a humble manager here. If you want to do some business, my dear guest, please come inside," Che Yuxuan said with a smile.

"Manager Che, who was that earlier? What is he trying to do?" Fang Chen asked casually as he followed Che Yuxuan into Dragon Soaring Pavilion.

"You don't need to worry too much, sir. That person just wanted to gain some benefits from you. However... it's also better if you don't get into a dispute with him. He's not alone," Che Yuxuan replied. "We have all sorts of people here, but as long as you know how to be tolerant, there won't be much trouble."

Fang Chen was a little surprised, lifting his eyebrows. So that cultivator might have been a pickpocket? According to Che Yuxuan, he had people with him.

"Does the ship owner not intervene?" Fang Chen smiled. "It wouldn't be good if someone caused trouble for them after all, considering we're all guests on this ship."

Chu Yuxuan smiled faintly. "Exactly, they are also guests on the ship, so why would the ship owner intervene?"

He seemed unwilling to dwell on the topic further and quickly changed the subject, asking Fang Chen what he wanted to buy.

"Do you want to buy some medicine or spiritual materials?" Che Yuxuan asked.

"Do you have materials for making talismans?" Fang Chen asked casually.

"Talismans?" Che Yuxuan's eyes lit up slightly, and his tone improved, "Are you a talisman maker?"

"I wouldn't say I'm proficient in this field. I know a thing or two at best," Fang Chen replied casually.

"You are modest. Those who have time to delve into this field are all remarkable individuals," Che Yuxuan flattered without making it too obvious.

He then led Fang Chen to the second floor of the Dragon Soaring Pavilion and instructed his subordinates to bring the talisman materials to the room for Fang Chen to choose.

"All the talisman materials we have are right here. We rarely run into Talisman Masters. We may not encounter one in a decade or two, so we don't keep too many materials on hand. I wonder if these materials meet your standards?" Che Yuxuan asked with a smile.

In front of Fang Chen were several types of yellow talisman paper, talisman brushes, and cinnabar, ranging from low to mid-grade materials in the yellow rank.

Fang Chen chose about three hundred sheets of yellow rank mid-grade talisman paper, six talisman brushes, and three bottles of cinnabar. All the talisman materials were consumables, including the talisman brushes.

Seeing Fang Chen sweep away all the mid-grade, yellow-rank materials, Che Yuxuan couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He became more certain that Fang Chen was just being modest earlier. If he didn't have a high level of confidence in his ability to inscribe talismans, why would he buy such a large batch of materials?

Chu Yuxuan smiled faintly. "Sir, these materials will set you back five thousand two hundred low-grade spirit stones. I can take the liberty to waive the two hundred and odd stones to make it an even number, how about that?"

"Five thousand two hundred?" Fang Chen was slightly taken aback, and his brows furrowed imperceptibly. "That's a bit too expensive."

Che Yuxuan didn't mind and chuckled. "We're at sea, so prices naturally go up. If we were on land, these materials would only sell for three thousand."

Fang Chen looked puzzled. "So, does that mean the prices of talismans will also rise?"

"Naturally. We still have several years before reaching our destination. Although we will make several stops along the way, time is tight. If someone wants to replenish their inventory but doesn't have time to purchase them, any spiritual materials along the way will see a price increase," Che Yuxuan explained. He then asked with anticipation, "Do you have talismans for sale?"

Fang Chen took out a True Fire Talisman and handed it to Che Yuxuan. "Manager Che, take a look at this True Fire Talisman. How much would you buy it for?"

Che Yuxuan's face showed a touch of seriousness as he took the talisman and examined it carefully. "Is this a mid-grade, yellow-rank True Fire Talisman?"

"The spiritual power is thick and rich, and the strokes are vigorous and powerful. The quality of this True Fire Talisman is not low," Che Yuxuan remarked, growing more astonished as he inspected it further. He had never seen a True Fire Talisman of such high quality before. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed perfectly crafted, as if the maker was extremely proficient in this craft.

The better the quality, the stronger the power it could unleash.

"Manager Che, could you give an estimate?" Fang Chen asked with a faint smile.

"If this were on land, a True Fire Talisman of this caliber would fetch at least two hundred and eighty low-grade spirit stones, and that's just our purchasing price. Given that we're at sea now, the price could inflate by about thirty percent," Che Yuxuan considered before saying, "The Dragon Soaring Pavillion can take this True Fire Talisman for three hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones."

Fang Chen chuckled. "That's a bit low."

Che Yuxuan smiled slightly. "We need to leave some profit margin. We are businessmen after all."

"Let's make it an even number, three hundred and fifty. I'll sell all the True Fire Talismans I have on me to your Dragon Soaring Pavilion," Fang Chen proposed.

Che Yuxuan pondered for a moment, then nodded softly. "Alright, I'll take a small loss to nurture the rapport between us. I’ll make it a nice even number. How many True Fire Talismans do you have?"

"Not many, just over a hundred and sixty," Fang Chen replied.

Che Yuxuan nodded, but then his body suddenly stiffened, and he looked at Fang Chen in astonishment. "How many?!"