Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

The display of strength that night, what struck Chen Li the most, was that his network of connections had suddenly expanded several times over.

The relationship with the neighbors became much more amicable.

Before that night, many were indifferent or dismissive when Chen Li initiated greetings, but after that event, everyone’s face turned into a smile, their attitude became enthusiastic, and the greeting gesture shifted from being initiated by him to being initiated by them.

Everyone on this street knew of him, or at least had heard of him.

With such a large batch of invaluable goods, Chen Li naturally wouldn’t think of setting up a stall in the market or going door to door to sell his wares, as the former could easily attract ill-intentioned people, and the latter was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and troublesome.

The next morning, Chen Li paid a visit to Qiao Guanyuan.

"What, Chen, you want to transfer a batch of Featherweight Talismans and Amulets?" Upon hearing this, Qiao Guanyuan showed a delighted expression. As his sphere of influence gradually stabilized, he had been preparing to expand to the surrounding areas recently, and demand for such talismans was immense.

"Exactly, they are all top-quality goods from the company, there’s just a bit too much of them, I’m not sure if Qiao would be able to handle it all," said Chen Li.

"I’ll take as many as you have, and I won’t let you down on the price. The current market price for Featherweight Talismans and Amulets is seven and eleven Low-grade Spirit Stones each, respectively. I’ll pay one more for each..."

Just a day had gone by, and the price of talismans had risen yet again.

"Qiao, you are truly generous," Chen Li said with a smile.

Qiao Guanyuan indeed had deep pockets; he did not bat an eye upon facing the more than a hundred and twenty talismans that Chen Li presented.

Both parties carefully counted the items.

Total price: 12 Mid-grade Spirit Stones and 36 Low-grade Spirit Stones.

After the successful transaction, both men relaxed and chatted idly for a moment.

Chen Li once again tactfully declined Qiao Guanyuan’s attempts to draw him in.

In truth, he was clear in his heart that the other party was making a gesture, just for show.

If the other party had no ulterior motives, he should have invited him to join the night patrol group the first time he visited a week ago, rather than waiting several days, until his influence had fully fermented and he could no longer be ignored, before trying to woo him.

The so-called "Two tigers cannot share one mountain."

How could the other party truly want him to join the night patrol group?

Carrying the considerable sum of money as he walked out of Qiao Guanyuan’s mansion’s gate, Chen Li looked back one last time.

The gate was bustling with people coming and going, seeming very busy.

"Power is indeed alluring," he shook his head and strode toward his home with a light step.

As soon as he returned home, Chen Li closed the door and scattered the Spirit Stones from the money bag onto the table.

"I really made a fortune!"

This round of buying low and selling high, after deducting the cost and sorting out the miscellaneous expenses, he had made a net profit of 8 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

A two hundred percent profit.

While Chen Li was excited, he also felt a bit of regret that he had been too conservative initially. If at that time, he had used all 3 Mid-grade Spirit Stones he had on hand to buy talismans, this time he could have earned as many as 14 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

"What a pity, a pity. Alas, it seems I’m just not destined to make a great fortune!"

...

That same day, Chen Li went straight to the market.

"You there, cultivator, you look and look, come and go, always asking the price without bargaining. Are you going to buy or not? Or are you just here to make fun of me?"

Seeing Chen Li hesitatingly enter again, the owner of the magic robe shop in the market was somewhat irritated and spoke bluntly.

"Of course I want to buy it, but everything here is just too expensive!" Chen Li said with a smile on his face.

"The price of robess have always been the same. Other stores have increased their prices during this period, but ours haven’t yet," the shopkeeper said, his face brightening considerably.

"If you were to increase it, even fewer people would buy. Tell me, this first-grade low-tier robe, with just the functions of dust avoidance and spirit focusing, costs six Mid-grade Spirit Stones. That price could get you a slightly better first-grade mid-tier Magic Artifact," Chen Li reasoned.

"Sigh, all you Loose Cultivators think about all day is fighting and adventuring. The material for the robes is mostly spirit silkworm silk, which is rare. From reeling, weaving, manufacturing, dyeing, to embroidering the Formation, each step is meticulous and time and effort-consuming.

"Those rough Magic Artifacts can’t compare to robes. Wearing a robe is not only stylish but also a symbol of status. Isn’t that enough? What more functionality do you need?" the shopkeeper said helplessly.

"But it’s not practical. Look at the current situation; foreign cultivators don’t come here anymore, only the Loose Cultivators that are still here. Who else is going to buy?"

The shopkeeper felt Chen Li hit the nail on the head and sighed deeply, falling silent.

Business at this robe store in Green River District had always been poor, and now it had become even worse. Since the Artefact Sect had pulled out, he hadn’t made a single sale in three days.

"Forget it, forget it. Which one do you have your eye on? I’ll give you a discount," he conceded.

Chen Li pointed at a drab and inconspicuous robe: "That one, for eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and I’ll take it!"

"What? Impossible. That’s a first-grade mid-tier robe..."

...

Ten minutes later.

Chen Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked out of the robe store.

The grey robe was already worn on his body.

After much haggling, he finally bought the robe, originally priced at thirteen Mid-grade Spirit Stones, for the cost of ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

"Sigh, I’m down to just five Mid-grade Spirit Stones now. No matter how much money you have, it doesn’t last long when you’re spending," he lamented. He then fondly stroked his new robe, the fabric as smooth as silk and light as a feather on his body—a stark difference from his previous Daoist robe.

As a first-grade mid-tier robe, being impervious to water and fire was merely a basic feature. It was also embroidered with three major Formations: dust avoidance, Gathering Spirit, and wind transformation. Its only flaw was its lack of significant defensive power.

But then again, one shouldn’t expect much defense from a first-grade mid-tier robe.

The features of Gathering Spirit and wind transformation were what Chen Li valued most.

Gathering Spirit: It gathered the surrounding Spiritual Energy to form a small area of condensed Spiritual Energy.

Wind transformation: It turned strong winds into gentle breezes.

The former was useful for meditation and Qi Cultivation, while the latter reduced wind resistance during running.

His running speed was increasing and the impact of wind resistance was becoming more difficult to ignore. With this robe, he figured he might be able to run... a bit faster when fleeing.

"Grey makes it look a bit old-fashioned; I wonder if it will make me look older when worn?"

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to buy a robe of another color; it’s just that they were all one or two Mid-grade Spirit Stones more expensive.

Perhaps due to the scarcity of dyes, the more vibrant and richer the color of the same robe and style, the more expensive it was. Grey and black were the cheapest.

He couldn’t bear to waste Spirit Stones, nor did he like wearing black, so grey was the only option.

However, he wasn’t one to care about such things. He quickly put the minor flaw of the robe out of his mind.

After leaving the robe store, Chen Li continued his stroll.

Now, the market was a bit more lively than before, with a few stalls set up, but business seemed slow. After looking around and not finding anyone selling Demon Beast Meat, Chen Li bought a pile of ordinary food and turned to head back home.