After a few more days, Lin Huanhuan finally finished gathering all the heavenly treasures for Dong Yuner.
Since Dong Yuner was in a hurry, she headed back first to focus on her breakthrough. Lin Huanhuan, on the other hand, went into Weiyang City, planning to sell the materials she had obtained and take a stroll around the area.
After the last cult attack, Lin Huanhuan had become much more cautious. She had even begun to put in the hard work and effort required for her cultivation. But she was, after all, only a sixteen-year-old girl. It was her nature to love to play, and even though she restrained herself for various reasons, her true personality was hard to change.
As they say, it’s easier to move a mountain than to change one’s nature.
Lin Huanhuan looked inward and realized she had been pushing herself too hard lately. She even felt a strong sense of irritability. She couldn’t go on like this; it would be bad if she hit a breaking point. To relieve some pressure, she decided to have some fun here while selling her materials.
She wandered around casually and first arrived at the local Immortal Market.
This was a formal marketplace, unlike the Ghost Market she had visited before. Everything here was legal and compliant, with traceable origins and almost no fakes, so there was no need to worry about being cheated. Of course, the prices were naturally higher as well.
Similar to a mundane market fair, it opened once every seven days. Lingyun Sect disciples, members of subordinate families, and rogue cultivators would come here to sell pills, magic tools, or even formation flags they had crafted themselves. If one were lucky, they might even find some discarded heavenly treasures.
The biggest difference from the Ghost Market was that this place was run by the Lingyun Sect — an official establishment. There were rules: no fighting and no selling fakes. Violators would be strictly investigated and banned. Furthermore, one-tenth of all proceeds had to be handed over, with stall and shop fees calculated separately.
Today happened to be market day. Over 100 stalls were scattered throughout the streets and alleys in an orderly fashion, along with a dozen or so buildings. Dozens of cultivators moved back and forth, occasionally stopping at a stall to look at something and negotiate a price. The atmosphere was quite peaceful, lacking the gloom of the Ghost Market and instead carrying a bit of the vibrancy of the mortal world.
The only thing that caught Lin Huanhuan’s attention was that most of the passing cultivators were in the Qi Refining stage, with very few at the Foundation Establishment stage.
After a brief thought, Lin Huanhuan didn’t bother hiding her presence and walked in openly. This place was relatively safe, and displaying her strength would earn her better treatment, ensuring she wouldn’t be slaughtered like a fat sheep.
She browsed casually and entered a shop called Yancui Pavilion. Immediately, she saw a slightly strange sight. A young girl sat on a large chair with a high back, wide armrests, and a fluffy cushion. The girl looked like she was enjoying herself, her eyes squinted. She didn’t even notice Lin Huanhuan enter.
Lin Huanhuan’s eyes widened. ‘Isn’t that a sofa? She really knows how to enjoy life. Why didn’t I think of making one?’
Lin Huanhuan cleared her throat, causing the girl to jump. She quickly stood up and offered a fawning smile, explaining rapidly: “No one has come since this morning, so I thought no one would show up. I just lay down for a bit to rest. Please don’t mind. Whatever you do, don’t tell the shop owner, or I’ll be in trouble.”
The girl was dressed in lake-blue clothing and looked playful and cute. She gave a little giggle at Lin Huanhuan. “Since this sister is so beautiful, you must be a kind-hearted person, right? You wouldn’t want to see me punished, would you? Thank you so much, Sister.”
Lin Huanhuan found it amusing. She remembered she had treated that woman named Bai Sixuan the same way last time. She hadn’t expected to experience it from the other side. It felt pretty good.
Lin Huanhuan nodded to show she didn’t mind. The smile on the girl’s face widened, and she let out a sigh of relief.
The girl spoke with a smile, “I don’t know how to address you, Sister. My name is Lin Mengdie, and I’m currently in charge of this branch of Yancui Pavilion.”
“Lin Huanhuan, a disciple of the Lingyun Sect.”
“So it’s Senior Sister Huanhuan from the Lingyun Sect! We share the same surname. Perhaps we were one family 500 years ago. No wonder I felt such a sense of kinship with you, Senior Sister. That must be why.”
“You have a silver tongue,” Lin Huanhuan said. “I think I know why your shop owner let you manage this place alone.”
“Actually, I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t go against my master’s orders. By the way, Senior Sister Huanhuan, are you here to buy or sell? We mainly sell various pills and magic tools, but we also buy materials from demon beasts.”
Lin Huanhuan smiled faintly. “I’m here to sell some materials. I’m not short on pills or magic tools. If I need to buy anything next time, I’ll come to you.”
“Then I look forward to your next visit.”
A flash of disappointment crossed Lin Mengdie’s eyes. ‘I thought I could make a fortune this time. Lingyun Sect disciples are the easiest to trick; I can usually fleece them for quite a bit. What a shame.’
Lin Mengdie had seen that Lin Huanhuan had an extraordinary bearing and had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so she assumed Lin Huanhuan had a significant background. That was why she had been so enthusiastic. She hadn’t expected to have misjudged the situation.
However, since she had already been fawning over her, Lin Mengdie couldn’t suddenly change her tune. She only hoped that Lin Huanhuan would remember this place next time so she could make up for the missed opportunity.
That was what Lin Mengdie originally thought. But when Lin Huanhuan took everything out of her storage bag, her expression finally couldn’t help but turn into one of shock.
“Fire rhino horns, soul-devouring fangs, flying bat wings, soul-breaking stones… There are so many! Did you kill half the demon beasts in the Demon Beast Mountain Range?” Lin Mengdie picked up one of the materials, her lips trembling slightly.
Although it wasn’t quite as exaggerated as she claimed, it was actually close.
Lin Huanhuan smiled faintly. It was mainly because killing those demon beasts had felt so good. Having read the original work thoroughly, she knew that the Foundation Establishment demon kings would never dare to come out. Thus, she had been naturally reckless.
‘It’s just a bit of a shame that the beasts in the Demon Beast Mountain Range are essentially raised by the Lingyun Sect, unlike those at Mount Hutou. Otherwise, if I went there every few days to farm them, I wouldn’t be short on spirit stones at all.’
“As expected of Senior Sister Lin, you are truly amazing,” Lin Mengdie praised, her heart leaping with joy. Then, she began to disparage the materials. “There really are a lot of things here, but the harvesting method wasn’t quite right. Many parts are damaged. For example, this fire rhino horn was cut directly. Its effectiveness is greatly reduced. It could have sold for ninety spirit stones, but now I can only give you sixty at most…”
“Wait, that’s not right,” Lin Huanhuan interrupted. “It’s only missing a tiny bit of the tip. At most, you should deduct five spirit stones. Do you think I’m stupid?”