83: Chapter 83 Selling

Jiang Yan retracted the Flying Sword and held it horizontally across his palm.

The sword body was slightly heavier than before; the addition of wind crystals had increased the density of the sword blank by about ten percent.

However, the two dark green wind channels on the sword spine generated a faint swirl of airflow after Spiritual Qi was injected, causing the entire sword body to emit a very subtle hum.

That was the sound of wind-attribute Spiritual Qi circulating at high speed inside the sword body, like wind squeezing through a crack in a door.

He casually flicked his wrist, performing a sword flourish.

The tip of the sword traced a pale cyan arc in the air; the Spiritual Qi flowed as smoothly as water, without the slightest obstruction.

After the arc flashed by, a thin cyan streak of light remained in the air, hanging for half a breath before slowly dissipating.

A premium First-Rank Medium Grade Flying Sword. Six Restrictions, wind attribute, with wind-riding assistance.

He placed the Flying Sword into an empty sandalwood sword case.

The sword case had been unearthed from Zhao Xuancheng's Storage Pouch. It was made of sandalwood, with a simple protective Restriction carved onto the lid.

After the sword was placed inside and the lid closed, the moisture-proof Restriction automatically activated, and a faint green light flashed in the gap between the lid and the case.

He pushed open the inn room door and stepped out onto the street.

The clerk at Qianbing Pavilion was slumped over the counter, yawning.

Business was slow in the morning, and he was the only one in the shop.

The clerk's chin rested on his folded arms, his eyelids drooping.

Seeing the square-faced man in the blue shirt from yesterday enter again, the clerk couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids.

"Fellow Daoist, just look around if you need anything." He yawned, his voice slurred. "High Grade Flying Swords are in the iron cabinet, Medium Grade are on the shelves, and Low Grade are in—"

Jiang Yan placed the sword case on the counter and opened it.

A pale cyan Spiritual light surged from the case.

The six Restriction patterns on the sword body were particularly eye-catching in the dim shop, each emitting a very faint halo.

The two dark green wind channels were especially conspicuous, coiled on both sides of the sword spine like two living snakes, the airflow swirls inside the wind channels still slowly rotating.

The clerk's yawn froze on his lips.

He stared at the sword for several breaths. His mouth was still open, but the tail end of the yawn in his throat was swallowed back down by force.

He straightened up, leaned his head forward, then pulled it back, before saying, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment," and turned to run towards the back room.

His steps were fast and short, the soles of his cloth shoes scraping against the blue brick floor with a squeaking sound.

The shopkeeper came out from the back room.

He was a middle-aged Cultivator at Qi Refining Stage 7, with a lean build and a sparse goatee. The tip of the beard had only a few dozen scattered hairs, failing to cover the black mole on his chin.

His cheekbones were high, his eye sockets deep, and his eyeballs spun rapidly in their deep-set orbits; one look and it was clear he was a man accustomed to shrewd calculations.

He wore a purple robe and a brass thumb ring on his right thumb. The surface of the ring was engraved with several identification Restrictions—this was the standard equipment for a Magical Artifact shopkeeper, used to quickly identify the grade and number of Restrictions on a Magical Artifact.

He picked up the Flying Sword from the sword case.

His movements were very gentle, as if holding a fragile antique.

He first held the sword horizontally on his palm to weigh it, then pressed the ring on his right thumb against the sword spine; the moment the identification Restriction activated, a faint yellow light flashed across the surface of the ring.

"Six Restrictions." He said. It was not a question, but a confirmation.

He raised the sword to his eyes and probed the sword body with his Divine Sense.

Jiang Yan watched the changes in expression on his face—first scrutiny, his brows slightly furrowed, making his deep eye sockets appear even deeper.

Then surprise, his left eyebrow arching; finally, pleasant surprise, the corners of his mouth tugging upward involuntarily, pulling his goatee askew.

"Sharpness, Sturdiness, Agility, Wind Blade, Armor-Piercing—" He recited the Restrictions one by one. When he reached the sixth, he paused, brought the sword closer to inspect it, his eyes squinting into slits, "Is this one Wind-Riding?"

He looked up, his gaze shifting from the Flying Sword to Jiang Yan's face.

Those deep-set eyes held unconcealed astonishment.

"A Restriction that saves Spiritual Qi while flying with a sword is rarely seen on the market. Inscribing this Restriction requires a profound understanding of wind-attribute Spiritual Qi; an average Artifact Refiner cannot do it."

He flipped the sword over to look at the two dark green wind channels on the sword spine. "These two wind channels—they aren't original, are they? Were they remodeled onto the existing sword blank?"

"Selling on consignment for someone else." Jiang Yan's tone was flat.

The shopkeeper made an "oh" sound, his mouth pulling into a meaningful smile.

Those rapidly spinning eyeballs swept across Jiang Yan's face once, then again. He clearly didn't believe it, but he didn't press for more.

The first rule of doing business in Black Stone City is not to ask about the origin of the goods.

"A premium First-Rank Medium Grade Flying Sword. Six Restrictions. Wind attribute. With wind-riding assistance."

He put the sword back into the sword case and tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the counter three times.

"Flying Swords of the same grade on the market are priced between 180 and 250 Spirit Stones. The quality of this one—especially that Wind-Riding Restriction and those two wind channels—can sell for the top price of 250."

He paused, his fingers stopping their tapping.

"However, when our shop buys goods, we give at most seventy percent of the market price. 175."

Jiang Yan glanced at him.

Those eyes were very calm.

Not scrutinizing, not calculating, just calm—so calm that the shopkeeper's fingers tapping the counter involuntarily paused for a moment.

"230." Jiang Yan said, and then closed the sword case.

The sound of the lid closing was exceptionally crisp in the quiet shop.

The shopkeeper's mouth twitched. "Fellow Daoist, seventy percent is the industry rule. 175 is a fair price. Although this sword of yours is of good quality, it is, after all, modified and not brand new—"

"220. The sword case is included for free."

The shopkeeper stared at him for two breaths. Those deep-set eyeballs stopped spinning and fixed on Jiang Yan's face.

Then he laughed twice, the laughter echoing in the dim shop before being swallowed up by the walls full of Magical Artifacts.

"Deal." He took out Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch.

220 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Each one was the size of a thumb, the cyan-white fluorescence merging into a sheet on the counter, casting a faint cyan hue over the shopkeeper's thin face.

"My name is Sun Desheng." The shopkeeper said while Jiang Yan collected the Spirit Stones. "Fellow Daoist, if you have any more Magical Artifacts to sell next time, come directly to me. No need to go through the front shelves; just come in through the back door."

Jiang Yan put the Spirit Stones into his Storage Pouch and turned to leave Qianbing Pavilion.

Sun Desheng called out from behind, "Fellow Daoist, what is your surname?"

Jiang Yan did not look back, giving a fake name, "Zhang Yu."

The sunlight on the street had already climbed to mid-air.

The midday sun baked the stone road until it was hot, and the air was filled with the distinct dry heat smell of volcanic rock after being exposed to the sun.

Several Loose Cultivators were squatting in the shade under the eaves, dividing their spoils. The corpse of a Wind Wolf had been dissected into several pieces, with the wolf pelt, wolf bones, and wolf fangs laid out on the ground in categories.

A young man in gray clothes squatted nearby, holding a few Spirit Stones in his hand, bargaining with the monster-hunting Cultivator selling the wolf fangs.

Jiang Yan was not in a hurry to go back. He found a restaurant on the street and casually ordered a few dishes containing a hint of Spiritual Qi.

He sat in a corner of the restaurant against the wall, eating while calculating in his mind.

With the Spirit Stones he had previously accumulated, plus the Spirit Stones from selling the Flying Sword today, he had 380 Spirit Stones in his hand.

380 Spirit Stones. In Black Stone City, that was not considered a large sum.

A First-Rank High Grade Flying Sword costs between 300 and 500 Spirit Stones, a bottle of First-Rank High Grade peiyuan pill costs 180 Spirit Stones, and a First-Rank peak-grade Talisman costs a little over 100 Spirit Stones.

Buying a few items would drain his funds.

But it was more than enough to rent an Immortal Cave.

After finishing his meal, he got up and walked towards the west side of the city.