Chapter 266: The Trade Fair

On the third floor of the Lingxiao Tower, Yin Ling had been waiting for Su Che to emerge from seclusion, aiming to attend the Yuan Ying cultivators’ trade fair. In recent days, she had declined all other guests so that Su Che could find her as soon as he came out.

Today, upon seeing Su Che appear before her, she rushed forward joyfully and asked eagerly, “Brother Tianyu, how did it go?”

She said “Brother Tianyu” quite naturally, but Su Che still felt a bit awkward about it. However, such a trivial matter was not worth worrying about.

Understanding what she was asking, Su Che replied, “It’s not bad. That fragment is useful to me, so I hope to get more.”

As a fox spirit with a thousand years of cultivation, Yin Ling was clever and immediately grasped Su Che’s intentions. She affectionately slipped her arm around his and said sweetly, “It’s good if it’s useful. Brother Tianyu is truly fortunate to have found such a treasure. Then, should we go to the Exotic Treasures Pavilion to inquire about the origin of that fragment?”

“That’s right,” Su Che nodded in agreement.

The two went to the Exotic Treasures Pavilion again and met the monkey demon “Old Hou.”

Old Hou was still working on his jade sculpture. But this time, before Su Che and Yin Ling could speak, he looked up and asked, “Is that thing useful to you?”

Through Yin Ling, Su Che already knew that Old Hou was over three thousand years old. It was hard to imagine to what extent he had transformed into a monkey demon, so it wasn’t surprising that he guessed their purpose right away.

“Yes, it’s somewhat useful to me,” Su Che admitted with a nod.

Old Hou lowered his head stoically, examining the jade in his hands, and remained silent.

“What a peculiar old demon,” Su Che thought to himself.

“Old Hou, Brother Tianyu still needs that fragment,” Yin Ling interjected. “So, we want to know who deposited it.”

“I’ve already said it—have him come back after reaching the Ning Ying stage,” Old Hou replied in a deep voice without even lifting his head. “It’s still a bit early now.”

Su Che felt a surge of realization: “It seems he already guessed that the blood-colored fragment is useful to me…”

“Young man, don’t be too suspicious…” Old Hou glanced at Su Che and said, “It’s just that the fragment has been here for over three hundred years. Although I don’t know its use, I can sense its aura. You also have a similar aura, so I guessed it must be useful to you, and that you’d come back to me to ask about its origin.”

“I see,” Su Che nodded. “So, Old Hou means that my current strength isn’t enough to approach the depositor?”

“It’s not that he’s not qualified, but…” Elder Hou shook his head. “That person is already dead. Where can you go to contact him?”
What?
The pawnbroker is dead? Su Che and Yin Ling exchanged glances, thinking, “Hasn’t this clue been severed?”
Then they heard Elder Hou continue, “His right to inherit his estate naturally falls to his descendants. The twenty spirit stones you paid still need to be given to them.”
Yin Ling nodded gently and said to Su Che, “That’s indeed the rule in our Floating City.”
Su Che had no doubt about the Floating City’s reputation in business, so he asked, “Can we get the information I want through his descendants?”
“No need for such trouble,” Elder Hou said with a dark smile. “Through me, you can find out the origin of those fragments.”
Su Che and Yin Ling were both stunned, thinking, “Talking to this old monkey is really exhausting!”
Yin Ling acted feigningly angry and said, “Grandpa Monkey, can’t you just say it straight? Why always keep us in suspense?”
“Keep you in suspense?” Elder Hou shook his head. “I don’t have the patience for that. It’s just that you keep pressing me. I’ve already said it—come back after reaching the Nascent Soul stage. It’s too early now; going there would be suicide.”
Su Che thought for a moment and said politely, “Thank you for your kindness, Elder Hou. Then I’ll come to trouble you again after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.”
Su Che had already figured it out. The origin of those blood-colored fragments was either an extremely dangerous dead end or related to some powerful organization… In short, without the cultivation level of a Nascent Soul, one wasn’t qualified to touch them.
Yet Yin Ling still seemed dissatisfied. Pouting, she said, “Elder Hou, Brother Tianyu is the treasure of the five Nascent Soul ancestors of the Tianxuan Sect. If he needs such things, the Tianxuan Sect will surely do everything possible to help him. What does individual strength matter?”
Elder Hou remained silent, clearly unwilling to say more.
Su Che took Yin Ling’s wrist and whispered, “Since Elder Hou has said so, there must be a deeper reason. It’s fine. It’s just a Nascent Soul stage—no need to wait too long.”
Just a Nascent Soul stage?
At these words, Yin Ling’s eyes sparkled. Such ambition could only belong to the greatest genius in the cultivation world, right?
Even the eccentric Elder Hou behind the counter couldn’t help but glance up at Su Che, unsure of his thoughts.
Su Che himself didn’t think it was any exaggeration. He had already faced the great calamity of the world—compared to that, what was a mere Nascent Soul stage?

In the future, whether it brings misfortune or great fortune, it certainly won’t be an ordinary path—Su Che was already certain of this in his heart. When leaving the Treasures Pavilion, Yin Ling still couldn’t suppress her slight resentment and snapped in retaliation, “Grandpa Monkey, you’ve practiced your carving skills for decades, yet there’s no sign of improvement. I think it would be more practical if you changed your hobby.” With that, she swung her long hair and dragged Su Che away. Her fluffy tail swayed back and forth, constantly brushing against Su Che’s back… The next three days passed peacefully. Whenever he had time, Su Che continued to infuse energy into the Sumi Divine Seal to prepare for future battles. Finally, at the Shen hour of that day, Zi Xiao brought Su Che and Yin Ling to the entrance of the sixth floor. “Although this trade fair was arranged rather hastily, over forty Yuan Ying-level cultivators have come,” Zi Xiao said softly. “Besides the high-quality spirit stones your sect will provide for you, if you’re willing to offer petals and seeds of the Black Domain Immortal Lotus, you can get even better deals. Decide for yourself how to handle these matters. Anyway, with me here, there’s no need to worry about safety. Be bold and negotiate with those old monsters—there’s nothing to fear.” “Okay!” Su Che was also secretly excited. Such an opportunity for unrestrained trading was truly rare. In the past, even though he possessed treasures, he was afraid of being blamed for them and dared not show them to others. Yin Ling, on the other hand, was even more excited. She sent a message, “Do you really have that Immortal Lotus from the Wasteland God Valley? With such a priceless treasure in your hands, others will beg to trade with you. Don’t rush later; I can help you come up with ideas.” “Okay.” Su Che knew that having served as an attendant in the Floating City for over a hundred years, her experience in every aspect was surely far greater than his. Expert advice must be heeded. At the entrance of the sixth floor, four demon cultivators at the late Golden Dan stage guarded the place. Without the guidance of a Yuan Ying cultivator, Su Che and Yin Ling wouldn’t have been allowed in. After all, this was a high-level trade fair dominated by Yuan Ying cultivators. The sixth floor of the Ling Xiao Tower featured a space expansion formation, making the actual space more than ten times larger than expected, almost like the interior space of a magic artifact. It was truly like an immortal’s cave—complete with gardens, lawns, and flowing streams. The trade fair itself was located in the center, with dozens of jade lotus platforms floating in mid-air, serving as seats for the many guests.

Each lotus platform was quite large, easily accommodating a dozen people sitting in seiza position. Such massive platforms were all carved from a single piece of flawless jade—a feat only seen in the cultivation world. Dozens of these lotus platforms were arranged in a circular pattern, resembling a round-table conference. By now, more than a dozen platforms had already been occupied, usually by a single Yuan Ying ancestor each. Zi Xiao took Su Che and Yin Ling and randomly chose a lotus platform to fly up to. As soon as they sat down, someone asked, “Zi Xiao, the young man beside you must be Tian Yu, the top disciple of your Tian Xuan Sect, right?” The speaker was dressed in the robes of the Hun Yuan Sword Sect. Su Che had seen his portrait before; he must be one of the supreme elders of the Hun Yuan Sword Sect, the “Sword Master Feng Shuo.” In sword sects, only those at the advanced stage of the Golden Dan realm were qualified to be called sword sects, while those at the Yuan Ying realm were called Sword Masters. Since the other party had greeted them first, Zi Xiao and Su Che naturally had to return the greeting. After that, Sword Master Feng Shuo said with a smile, “A few days ago, your Tian Yu sent my sect a great gift. If I get the chance today, I might return the favor with something in return.” “Thank you, Master Feng Shuo,” Su Che replied. “There’s no need for an opportunity for such things. If you want to return the favor, just find any excuse,” Zi Xiao said carelessly. Sword Master Feng Shuo laughed heartily, “I knew you’d still be this carefree.” Sword Master Feng Shuo was already 600 years old in bone age, nearly 400 years older than Zi Xiao, so it wasn’t out of place for him to call him “you kid.” Suddenly, a sinister voice interjected, “Since he’s the top true disciple of the Tian Xuan Sect, you should keep a close eye on him. If he gets killed, your so-called great fortune will surely…” The last two sinister laughs ended his malicious remarks. This person was sitting in seiza on a lotus platform not far away, dressed in a black skeleton robe, with a gaunt face and an eerie aura—clearly an elder demon from the Wan Gui Sect. Su Che had seen him once at the Tai Yi Mountain Gate, appearing alongside the Wan Gui elder demon; his title must be the “Elder Ji E.” Nowadays, although the cultivation world was in chaos, sects like the Tai Yi Sect and the Wan Gui Sect had already completely sided against the Tian Xuan Sect, and surely many people hoped Su Che would die early. Zi Xiao replied with a smirk, “Ji E, I can already see your future. The one who will kill you is none other than Tian Yu beside me. You have at most fifty more years to live—make the most of it. Really, I’m just warning you out of kindness.”

Ejiue Laozu sneered, ready to retort, but then heard Su Che nod and say to Zixiao, “Grandmaster Zixia, your prophecy will surely come true.” Ejiue Laozu’s cold gaze immediately turned to Su Che’s face, filled with murderous intent. Su Che ignored him completely, remaining calm and unperturbed. “Disasters come from one’s mouth! Some people just can’t keep their mouths shut; they like to stir up trouble for no reason. It’s already a stroke of luck they’ve survived this long,” said Wind-Shattering Sword Master, who appeared kind-faced but spoke quite sharply. “In my opinion, fifty years is already too long.” As a sword practitioner, he only valued offense, and his speech reflected that as well. Ejiue Laozu’s expression turned icy, and he said nothing more, his thoughts unknown…