After Lin Daqiao's explanation, Li Yan understood. Buying things here depended entirely on one's own judgment and luck. It was unlike buying or selling in a shop, where if there was a problem, one could go directly to the shop to settle the account.
"Our trip this time is not for this. We don't have that much time to set up a stall here. It's better to go directly to a shop. Although we'll be charged a commission, it's reasonable, and it's much faster in terms of time," Wen Xinliang said, looking at Li Yan who had stopped to watch.
Li Yan certainly understood. Once the few of them set up a stall, if they wanted to sell all these things, it would probably take several days, which was not what they wanted.
"I understand," Li Yan said. He no longer looked at the free trade area and followed the other two forward again.
The three of them walked through the streets lined with shops. After walking for about half a tea's time, just as Li Yan was getting dizzy from all the turns, a three-story pavilion with an imposing aura appeared before his eyes. The pavilion covered a vast area; the ground floor alone was the size of five or six shops next to it.
Just as Li Yan was feeling dizzy, he saw his fifth senior brother slow down ahead. He looked up and saw a row of shops ahead. A three-story pavilion had a huge golden plaque hanging in the middle of the second floor, with four eye-catching vermilion characters written on it: "Gui Qu Lai Xi." At first glance, one wouldn't think it was a shop. Li Yan had seen this building from afar earlier, but he hadn't paid much attention. He had encountered at least a dozen such large pavilions along the way, and some even had more magnificent and lavish storefronts than this one.
Wen Xinliang did not turn his head, but walked straight towards the main entrance of the ground floor shop. At this time, a tall, thin scholar was standing at the entrance. He looked like a greeter. He was constantly saying a word to the people who entered, and then he would shout into the shop, and a young servant-like person would come out to greet them enthusiastically and lead them in.
On both sides of the main entrance stood two large men, exuding the aura of the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Condensation. They were constantly scanning the people entering and leaving with their large, round eyes. When Li Yan's group approached, the gazes of the three people at the entrance fell on the three of them, led by Wen Xinliang, at the same time. When they saw the attire of the three, the scholar-like greeter hurriedly walked a few steps forward. Before he spoke, he was already smiling, "Yo, I didn't expect you to be disciples of a prestigious sect. Ying Cai pays his respects. Welcome, three esteemed guests, to our shop."
"Hehe, it's nothing. I didn't see Steward Feng here today. He must not be on duty. Hmm, please inform Miss Su Hong that Wen Xinliang of the Malevolent Spirit Sect requests a meeting," Wen Xinliang said nonchalantly after glancing at this person.
Hearing this, the greeter, who called himself Ying Cai, couldn't help but laugh, "So you are a regular customer of our shop. Then you are no stranger. I just came over from a branch in another city this month. Steward Feng will be here the day after tomorrow. For the next few days, I will be serving all the esteemed guests here." The middle-aged scholar, who called himself Ying Cai, spoke with a hearty laugh. In just two sentences, he had closed the distance between them, making it seem as if they were old friends.
Wen Xinliang nodded after hearing this and did not speak, just looking at this person with a slight smile. Seeing this, Ying Cai certainly understood and hurriedly extended his hand in a gesture of invitation, "Hehe, since you are acquainted with Miss Su, you must be our shop's most honored guest. Please come in. I will go and announce you now." Since Ying Cai was a greeter, he was an extremely tactful person and naturally arranged these matters properly.
Then, he beckoned to the inside of the shop, and a handsome young man with bright eyes hurried out. Ying Cai pointed a finger at him, "Xiao Que'er, you will temporarily welcome the guests for me here. I will personally lead these three esteemed guests in."
The young man called Xiao Que'er was extremely shrewd. He bowed and said yes, then bowed deeply to Wen Xinliang's group before going to the shop entrance to greet other newcomers. Some of the cultivators who arrived later, upon seeing Li Yan's group in front, also hesitated for a moment and waited behind.
"Please wait in the hall for a short while. I will go ahead and inform Miss Su. This little bit of time, I'm sure, will not delay your important matters," Ying Cai said with a warm smile to Wen Xinliang, who was standing at the entrance, after arranging the matters outside. Then he went into the shop first, without any intention of waiting for the three of them, letting them do as they pleased. But it was precisely this that made Li Yan feel as if the shopkeeper treated them as if they were old customers of many years, and everything was casual and natural.
Wen Xinliang also had a smile on his face. Although it was not the familiar Steward Feng, he did not feel any sense of unfamiliarity. He nodded slightly to Li Yan and the other two and walked into the shop.
"This shop's business is quite fair. I heard it comes from a place called Wutian. I don't know where that place is. The force behind it does not belong to the eight powers here, but there must be a Golden Core master. This shop not only buys spirit herbs and demonic beast materials but can also take in some items of unknown origin. And it also sells many high-grade spirit artifacts and magical treasures. Some of the spirit artifacts and magical treasures are not something you can see in other shops here, so it easily attracts all kinds of cultivators, and its business has always been very prosperous. We mostly trade here." As the three of them entered the shop, Lin Daqiao sent a voice transmission to Li Yan, briefly explaining the situation here.
After hearing this, Li Yan's mind raced, and he quickly came to his own conclusion. 'It seems this shop is no ordinary business. To dare to openly take in items of unknown origin and still be fine here, the backer is not necessarily just a Golden Core master. There must be more than one, and they should be experts among Golden Core masters. Only in this way can they be so safe after taking in stolen goods. Seventh Senior Brother said that some of the spirit artifacts and magical treasures here are not common here, which shows that their source of goods is also unique and from different sources. It's even possible that some items of unknown origin are re-refined and sold again. The shop's name is 'Gui Qu Lai Xi.' 'Gui Qu Lai Xi,' what a beautiful picture of a constant stream of customers...'
As Li Yan was thinking, they had already entered the shop. The ground floor was divided into several areas. There were counters for selling medicinal pills, an area for selling spirit artifacts, a separate place for selling raw medicinal herbs, and an area for selling demonic beast bones and fur. There was also an area with several small rooms partitioned off, and it was unclear what they were used for.
After entering the main hall on the ground floor, to the left, near the side of the first floor, there was a staircase about four chi wide leading to the second floor.
In the main hall, at this time, many servant-like people were leading different cultivators to look at medicinal pills, spirit artifacts, medicinal herbs, and other things in different areas. And in the area with the partitioned small rooms, only occasionally would a person walk out of a room. For a moment, Li Yan did not understand what that area was for.
Many people on this floor saw Li Yan's group enter. Seeing that they were not guided by a servant, they couldn't help but look a few more times. After seeing the attire of the three, their gazes all averted, and they continued with their own business. Li Yan had encountered this reaction repeatedly since entering the city and had gradually gotten used to this kind of gaze. But he was still a little frustrated that they had not met any other Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators wherever they went today, which made them seem to stand out like a crane among chickens.
Li Yan's eyes swept around, and he quickly discovered a problem. Just as he was about to ask Lin Daqiao, he heard a pleasant and melodious voice, "I was delayed by something. I've made Senior Brother Wen wait for a long time. Please don't be offended."
With the sound of the voice, light footsteps were heard on the stairs to the left. At once, everyone on the ground floor looked towards the sound. They saw a graceful and charming figure appear at the top of the stairs from the second floor. A beautiful young woman was walking down slowly. She was dressed in a light green, form-fitting palace dress, her hair in a high bun. Her skin was whiter than snow, her teeth like jade. Her beautiful eyes were rippling with emotion. The slit on the side of her form-fitting dress was very high, and with each step, a large patch of her fair skin, which made one's heart beat faster, was revealed. And far behind her, Ying Cai was following with a respectful look on his face.
With the arrival of this woman, the first floor instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The silence on the first floor did not make the woman who was coming down the stairs uncomfortable at all. Instead, with a fragrant breeze, her beautiful eyes looked around, and she had already gracefully descended to the first floor. In the eyes of the crowd, she moved with light, lotus-like steps towards Wen Xinliang.
"Oh, our sudden visit was rather abrupt. I apologize for disturbing you, Miss Su," Wen Xinliang said, his lazy expression gone, replaced by a smile. He cupped his hands in a salute.
"Our shop is open for business. How can it be called a disturbance? We are more than happy to welcome you," the woman, called Miss Su, said with a light smile, her jade-like lips parting to reveal a voice like a yellow oriole. This one smile instantly brightened the already dazzling first floor by several degrees.
And although her words were directed at Wen Xinliang, to the ears of the crowd on the first floor, it was as if she were speaking to them, greatly increasing their favorable impression of the shop.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you to Miss Su. These two are my junior brothers. I hope you can take care of them a little when they come to your esteemed shop in the future. Junior Brothers, this is the person in charge here, Miss Su Hong," Wen Xinliang said, stepping aside to reveal Li Yan and the other two. He then pointed to them respectively. The first half of his sentence was for Su Hong, and the latter half was for Li Yan and the other two.
Su Hong's beautiful eyes moved to Lin Daqiao and Li Yan, her smile charming. It was only when her gaze moved to Li Yan that it froze for a moment, then returned to normal. She curtsied lightly, "I greet the two junior brothers."
Although Li Yan had been standing there without speaking, the moment this Su Hong came down the stairs, he had sensed the aura on her. 'Strong, very strong. At least at the peak of the late-stage Foundation Establishment, just half a step away from the Great Perfection stage. No wonder she can be in charge here. But she probably isn't the strongest person in this shop,' Li Yan thought. At this moment, seeing the other party's graceful bow, he hurriedly returned the salute with a smile. Lin Daqiao also smiled and acknowledged it. Although he had been here once or twice, it was only after he had just reached Foundation Establishment in recent years that he had come with others. He did not know the person in charge here.
After her salute, Su Hong looked around. Seeing that most people were still looking here, she couldn't help but smile, "This is not the place to talk. Shall we move elsewhere to chat?"
Wen Xinliang had long been annoyed by the stares here. He immediately agreed, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"Steward Ying, you may continue to take care of the esteemed guests here." Then she looked at the people on the first floor with a smile and a nod before turning to Ying Cai behind her and walking towards the stairs.
Ying Cai bowed with utmost respect and agreed. He then also saluted Wen Xinliang's group and walked towards the crowd of cultivators with a smile on his face.
It was not until long after Su Hong had led Wen Xinliang's group away that many on the first floor began to whisper among themselves.
"This Miss Su is not only beautiful, but her cultivation is also extremely high. I heard she has been in charge of the shop here for seven years. This 'Gui Qu Lai Xi' has become more and more prosperous under her management, and its scale is several times larger than before. Look at the area of this first floor; it wasn't like this a few years ago."
"Of course. This Miss Su is the number one beauty in Peiyang Trading City, and her ability to handle matters is also first-class. Otherwise, how could she have become so successful in this place where good and bad are mixed?"
"Oh, to say she has a certain ability is true, but the most formidable thing is the force behind her. Otherwise, no matter how strong she is, can she be stronger than a Golden Core cultivator?"
"Shh, don't talk nonsense... Brother Li, weren't you looking for a flying needle-type magical treasure? I think I saw one here before..."