Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

The morning light was faint, carrying a trace of dimness.

In the distance, mountain peaks were dangerously steep, and like ribbons, wisps of white clouds floated softly, imbued with a cold beauty. They twined tenderly around the peculiar peaks, occasionally dotted with buildings that appeared and vanished like mirages, as if they were the abodes of deities.

The market area was located in a flat basin surrounded by these mountains.

The crisp morning air carried an inescapable faint stench.

Chen Li walked onto the muddy road with a 'calm' expression, stealing covert glances around him. The roadside was overrun with weeds, and piles of household trash and indistinguishable animal droppings could be seen from time to time.

Hastily erected, high and low, large and small self-built shanties were scattered haphazardly.

They lacked any sense of antiquity, these houses were only barely passable as living quarters. Many appeared to have been constructed on a whim, lacking any aesthetic appeal. Some seemed so crudely built that they looked as if they might topple over at the slightest breeze.

Yet, these were not abandoned hazardous dwellings. Judging by the mountains of trash piled up at the door, people quite obviously lived inside.

Chen Li admitted his lack of experience; compared to these 'great gods' of Loose Cultivators who were content with their lot, the original owner of the body seemed more ambitious when set against his peers.

Cultivators occasionally passed by on the road, some brushing shoulders, others greeting with a clasped hands. At first, Chen Li was a bit nervous, hands sweating, frequently fighting the urge to reach for his Willow Leaf Dart.

But after a few encounters, he became more at ease and his confidence grew.

"There are many here who are faring even worse than myself."

"Indeed, the confidence of the mediocre often rests on the basis of seeing who's worse off," Chen Li mocked himself inwardly.

The shantytown was adjacent to the market, naturally not far from it. In fact, without even leaving the shantytown, the market's city wall became visible. The wall wasn't particularly high, about three to four meters, engraved with various intricate Formations from which waves of Spiritual Power faintly emanated.

This was clearly no ordinary city wall.

The flow of people had already become dense, and after taking a few glances at the city wall, Chen Li followed the crowd towards the market's gate.

Suddenly, there was a slight commotion among the crowd.

Chen Li heard the noise, looked upward following the gaze of the crowd, and saw a young Cultivator riding a dazzling flying sword, swooping down with a hiss.

Many watched with envious and complex expressions as they saw the Cultivator stylishly land at the market entrance.

Chen Li couldn't help but touch his Willow Leaf Dart, and suddenly, his usually treasured Magic Artifact seemed less appealing.

"In my lifetime, I must get a flying sword," Chen Li silently vowed, feeling more at peace.

Truth be told, it wasn't a matter of being stylish or not, but rather the consideration that in the face of danger, faster escape was key.

As he squeezed into the market with the crowd, Chen Li was in no hurry to sell. He planned to wander around first, getting to know the environment and price levels.

Apart from the Cultivators coming and going, the market felt much like a rural town fair from the 80s or 90s, with shops and street vendors alike.

The goods for sale were varied and plentiful.

However, most things were strange to Chen Li, only offering him a glimpse of novelty.

He even saw a beast's carcass, skinned and four meters long, its species unknown to him, being swiftly dissected by a vendor while hawking its parts.

Among the stalls, Chen Li saw a few selling Talismans, but they were all made of beast skin materials and considered 'upmarket.' Even the least of them were at the level of the Evil-Repelling Talisman. As for sellers of 'Direction Talisman', 'Silencing Talisman,' and such, there were none to be found.

He had a bad feeling about this.

...

"What... kind of meat is this?"

"Green-headed Milk Tiger meat, tender and fresh, just slaughtered last night. One Gold per pound, want to buy a few pounds?"

...

"Three-year-old Black Dew Fruit, grown in lands rich with Spiritual Energy. How about trying some for freshness' sake?"

"What's the price?"

"Three Gold per piece, buy three get one free."

"Hey, Fellow Daoist, if it's too expensive, you can bargain."

...

Chen Li, with limited funds, found it painful to watch these transactions, yet he maintained a look of nonchalance and composure.

He looked one by one at the food vendors selling 'ordinary' food; the ludicrous prices left him gaping in astonishment, expanding his horizons. Anything slightly good required payment in Spirit Stones, and Gold was practically the cheapest currency here.

Many wouldn't even accept it.

Chen Li estimated the dozen or so pounds of Gold he had on hand, which, at best, would barely suffice for half a year just to fend off hunger. Fortunately, he found this somewhat acceptable, at least he wouldn't starve in the short term.

He tried to acclimate to the Cultivation World's exorbitant prices. When he finally found the Spirit Rice shop, he was struck another blow.

The Spirit Rice shop had the Longevity Sect's sign hanging out front, nearly monopolizing the market here.

Indeed, after strolling around, Chen Li found that about half to two-thirds of the shops were affiliated with the Longevity Sect, with the rest belonging to other forces.

"Shopkeeper, how much is Spirit Rice selling for lately?"

The shop assistant surreptitiously sized up Chen Li before looking snooty and indifferent:

"Low-grade Spirit Rice, ten jin for one low-grade Spirit Stone, and it's always been this price, no selling by the piece."

Chen Li didn't mind the other's gaze.

He just winced internally at the pain.

How expensive it actually was.

These past few days, he had consumed half a Spirit Stone.

"I'll look around some more!"

Rushing out of the Spirit Rice shop, Chen Li no longer planned to wander around and went with trepidation to the Longevity Sect's Talisman shop to try selling the talismans he carried.

Although the purchase price was undoubtedly much lower than selling them at his own stall, he would take it for the time savings and convenience, as long as there was some profit.

Unfortunately, he hoped too much; his low-level talismans weren't even considered for purchase.

Having no choice, Chen Li reluctantly set up a stall on an empty space like those Loose Cultivators.

The Cleaning Talismans he had drawn the most of, he was now too embarrassed to display, only putting out Silencing Talismans and Direction Talismans.

However, after half a day, no one asked about the price. Most people glanced at it and walked past his stall; some with bad attitudes even scoffed intentionally.

Such low-level talismans, many Loose Cultivators could draw, and they didn't have much use, so who would waste money on these commonplace items?

Chen Li kept watch until the sun hung high, but not a single person showed interest, so he had to pack up his stall reluctantly.

Before leaving, he bought some cheap fruits, vegetables, and meats as food for the next few days, and returned home disappointed.

On the way back, Chen Li's heart was heavy as he silently pondered his worries.

He glanced at his attribute panel.

[Name: Chen Li]

[Lifespan: 40/98 years old]

[Realm: Qi Cultivation third layer: 31/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Skill proficiency: 45/200]

[Skills: ]

Talisman-making: Cleaning Talisman proficiency: 94/200; Silencing Talisman proficiency: 32/200; Direction Talisman beginner: 15/100

Spell: Spiritual Power Bullet proficiency: 12/200;

[Divine Skills: None]

"Once the Direction Talisman reaches proficiency, I'll start trying the Evil-Repelling Talisman. There's still more than twenty days before next month's rent is due, I should make it in time."

Despite his self-reassurance, the heaviness in his heart just couldn't be shaken off.

"Sigh, why is life so difficult? Even paying my mortgage every month before I transmigrated wasn't this hard!"

At that moment, Chen Li faintly felt someone's gaze on him and instinctively looked up, only to see it was the female cultivator from next door.

A feeling of bad luck rose in his heart.

He hastily avoided her gaze, pretending not to see her.

But clearly, the female cultivator didn't plan to let him off that easily.

"Yo, Fellow Daoist Chen, changing your diet today? I remember you used to only eat Spirit Rice," the female cultivator remarked, eyeing the vegetables in Chen Li's hand with a teasing expression.

What grudge, what grievance is this!

What's wrong with what I'm eating?

Did I eat your family's rice?

"The Spirit Rice is too expensive, I'm out of money, and my talisman drawing has been failing repeatedly, so these days I can only just barely make ends meet," Chen Li squeezed out an awkward smile, helplessly continuing to lie flat and accept the mockery.

Let them laugh. It won't cost me a piece of flesh.

After finally escaping from the female cultivator's pestering, Chen Li was drenched in sweat.

Ever since he transmigrated, he seemed to have developed a social phobia, afraid of talking to people, afraid of interacting with people.

Chen Li thought it through thoroughly.

He felt the main reason was the lack of security.

Lack of memory, a strange and dangerous world, neighbors whose good or evil nature was hard to distinguish, and suspicious 'good friends' who might be possessed—it made every interaction extremely cautious and utterly exhausting for him.

"Why is living just so difficult!"

PS: New book on the road, please recommend and cast your monthly votes, ahhh.