Back on the boulevard, Li Ling left the Yu Lian Shop area and came to another, larger shop which was more populated. This shop was less of a jack of all trades and dealt specifically with the sale of artifacts and equipment, which Li Ling was currently in dire need of.
The Li Family Spear Technique was already beginning to be useless, and he had not even had a chance to truly flex it. Li Ling needed to get a better spear and probably also a special flying sword, because regardless of his own personal preference, the hard fact was that the cultivation world favored swords among the various weapon types.
At higher levels where even daoist arts could now rend heaven and earth, cultivators still made heavy use of swords and sword-related methods to fight. You would see many sword sects in every region, but hardly any spear, axe or bow sects.
You were more likely to find martial halls dedicated to them, if anything.
This new shop he went to was called The Jianwu Forge, and it was well known even by Li Ling, who had never ventured here before. Just like how a low-income earner or poor person would have heard about a sports car despite not being able to afford one or having never actually physically seen one, so too was Li Ling able to hear the name of this shop because most people bought their artifacts from here.
When Li Ling entered, there was no specific aide to guide him at the onset, not because he was weak, but because it was truly too populated. Luckily, he already had a fair idea of what he wanted as he walked up to the spear section and glanced at a blood-red lance that was similar to a barbed javelin.
He focused on the plaque below it which displayed its details. This weapon was called the Blood Drinking Spear and was a half-step Magic Artifact, which was basically the equivalent of Qi Refinement Perfection or half-step Foundation Establishment. It was a powerful spear that was said to be cursed, drinking the blood of its owner along with its enemies, and one must feed it to keep it happy or else…
Li Ling was left speechless by this flavor text. Obviously, it was one thing to sell demonic techniques, but a marketplace like this would never see actual cursed weapons or demonic equipment, at least not out in the open.
He, and any passerby, could tell that the ominous aura this thing was giving off was pure aesthetics, sort of like having RGB on your computer. Had the cultivation world even adapted the idea of "strength is ephemeral but coolness is eternal"?
But the price was truly sobering, at a whopping 150 spirit stones, no bargaining. Li Ling had spent about 200 spirit stones since coming out of the hunting grounds, and his budget of available spirit stones only had about that same amount left.
If he wanted to get more, he had to sell off the valuable demon beast corpses within Wu Ke's void ring and the ring itself as a whole. That was something he could not do right now because the Langjue Camp would definitely have ways to recognize their assigned spirit rings.
Not to mention the fact that it was hard to believe that a mere Qi Refinement level 4 bloke like him could kill the high-level demon beasts within the hunting ground.
Li Ling signaled over an aide in the shop, which happened to be another young lady. "My master sent me to purchase this spear and one hiltless flying sword."
Scanning Li Ling, the young lady believed him because someone at his level could not even utilize a spear like this, much less afford it, so he had to be buying it for someone else. Well, whatever he wanted it for did not matter to her as long as he had the money to pay and she could get her commission from it.
She bowed to Li Ling, because even if Li Ling was merely at level 4, she was also merely at level 3, just like the previous Qiu Yaoli. "Thank you for patronizing our wares, Dear Sir. May I ask if you have something specific in mind for the flying sword? Length? Material type? Elemental focus?"
Li Ling thought and felt that he would be better off getting one that suited him. "My master is of the earth element and is around the same build as myself. He plans to use the sword for daoist arts and long-distance attacks, so factor that in."
The young lady sized up Li Ling and nodded. "Please follow me, Sir."
She led him to the area for flying swords and indicated to the person behind the counter. They rummaged around in the display cabinets and brought out a sand-colored sword that was 100 centimeters in length, completely without a hilt and with a blade on both sides.
It had a very sharp edge that seemed to slice the eye even just looking at it, and when it moved, it made a "whiim" and "weng" sound, as if it was cutting the air itself. Most importantly, since it did not have any handles or handleable areas, one had to control it with the Object Control Technique to even lift it.
"This is the Mountain Splitting Sword, an earth-element attuned flying sword that can be used for transportation or battle, very fluid and responsive to those with earth-element spirit roots." The young lady explained with a professional manner, smiling the entire time.
"How much is it?" Li Ling was interested, but even if flying swords were cheaper than other custom weapons like the Blood Drinking Spear, it would not be too cheap.
"We have a special promotion ongoing. Since you are making a purchase that exceeds 100 spirit stones, you can get a 10% discount on your final order."
The young lady nodded to the fellow behind the counter, who made the sword hover in the air, moving around tantalizingly near Li Ling. "Its retail price is 50 spirit stones, but along with your earlier selection, the final amount should be 180 spirit stones."
Li Ling chuckled knowingly. "No bargaining, huh? Yet there are also unmarked promotions? Interesting."
The man behind the counter looked away as if to say this has nothing to do with me, while the young lady shamelessly maintained her professional smile. Anyway, the money was not for Li Ling, but for his master, who likely sent him here with an exact budget in mind.
Yes, she had marked up the price a little, but she also left leeway for Li Ling to also embezzle a bit. The actual price of the flying sword was half of that, so by stating 50, she got to eat 5 spirit stones and Li Ling got to eat 20. That was fair, wasn't it?
Li Ling decided to play along and paid the 180 spirit stones. When both items were packaged for him, he collected them into the void ring openly without displaying the ring itself, which made the eyes of those nearby light up again.
However, having heard snippets of Li Ling's conversation and seeing what he bought, they guessed that the ring was not his and he was only temporarily consigned with it, making many discouraged. Even if they could perform a lightning strike operation to seize it, they had to be able to escape any residual tracking or retaliation from the true owner.
Li Ling took his goods and left the Jianwu Forge, pondering whether to rent a place in the middle section of the market now that he was overtly at the fourth level of Qi Refinement. Going back to Ivy Lane with level 4 cultivation would only make him stand out all the more, like a swan among a pack of chickens.
But thinking about it, there was little value in moving too. Li Ling did not plan to spend even more than a month in this marketplace before seeking better pastures for his growth, so moving was just a waste at this time.
In the end, he decided to head back to his old residence and wait out his attackers, harvesting their lives one by one until the jig was up and they realized he was in fact not a soft persimmon they could pick as they pleased.
On his way back, Li Ling inevitably came to the entrance of the outer area, which was now even more crowded than before. The reason for this made Li Ling pause his steps with narrowed eyes, because a squad of Market Guards were surrounding the Yu Lian Shop.
Three of them stood guard at the entrance, glancing at the onlookers with hawkish eyes as usual, but the shoppers of the middle area were not as terrified as those from the outer area. Not only that, Li Ling could see two people standing in front of the shop's entrance while speaking to the leader of this squad.
The first was a middle-aged man with his white hair tied into a ponytail while wearing clean white-red robes, his face extremely cold as his Qi Refinement Perfection cultivation aura was released in waves. Beside him was Cai Dong, whose previous indifference was replaced by an aura of suppressed fury.
Opposite them, the male Market Guard who led this squad was at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, looking like a small team leader more than anything. He was currently sweating slightly while facing the furious duo, as if he was trying to give them an explanation.
Even for the Market Guards, they had people they could bully and those they could not afford to offend, and it seemed like the owner of the Yu Lian Shop fit right into that category.
While Li Ling coldly watched, he planned to turn and pass another route to leave, but his shoulder was suddenly grabbed on both sides by firm hands. Startled, he turned to see who dared touch him, which revealed itself to be two Market Guards at the seventh level of Qi Refinement.
"Hello, Sir. We have reason to believe you are a suspect in a murder case within the market and would like you to come with us for questioning." One of the two said gently, seemingly not trying to escalate the matter.
Their hands on his shoulders squeezed even tighter, which would have been suppressive and painful if he was not far stronger than them. Li Ling could only fall silent and look upwards into the sky with a bleak expression.
"Why did you single me out?" Li Ling asked in a neutral tone, which made the two behind him apprehensive.
One of them signaled to the other Market Guards in the squad, who slowly began to move to encircle the area Li Ling was in. Li Ling saw this but did not say anything, simply waiting for the answer which would decide his next set of actions.
The Market Guard chuckled, happy to continue to delay by talking. "The market array detected the disappearance of a person's life signature in the back alley of Yu Lian Shop and we came to investigate. After inquiring of the shopkeeper, we got your description since you were last seen with the victim, and knowing that the criminal would always revisit the scene of the crime, we simply had to wait."
At this time, the Market Guard squad were no longer hiding as they rapidly came to surround Li Ling, causing attention to fall onto this area. When the shopkeeper and especially Cai Dong saw him, their brows raised as they seemed to see the source of their fury, especially Cai Dong who pointed at Li Ling from afar.
"Young man, don't be foolish. Come with us and submit to the investigation, and you might still have a chance to redeem yourself." The small squad leader warned as he walked over casually, his posture not as tense as his men.
All this time, Li Ling never took his gaze from the sky, sighing deeply as he made a decision.