"Welcome!" Once the unkempt youth saw that there was someone browsing through his stuff, he immediately put his book away and gave a very bright smile. Although his pale face had dirt smeared all over, he gave his best business smile.
"Please have a look, if you see anything that interests you, just let me know!" He said enthusiastically.
Jun Wu Xie forced out a smile as her lips tightened into a straight line. She still felt conflicted on these books as she fiddled her fingers against the warm ring.
"What do you want in return for these books?" Jun Wu Xie asked coldly. She came to this marketplace full of hope and expectations; never had she thought that she would end up trading for some dilapidated gardening books instead.
"All of these? You want all of these books?" The unkempt youth flashed a bright smile as an excited glint flashed across his eyes, as if looking at a fat sheep.
"Yes." She nodded curtly, all she wanted was to quickly get this over with and continue looking for her cultivation technique book!
The unkempt youth grinned as he stuck out one dirty hand emphasizing all five fingers.
"Five Eastern Pearls!"
"......." Jun Wu Xie stared at him blankly, looked at the books and swiftly turned around to walk away.
One Eastern Pearl's value was equivalent to a ton of gold! That would be millions of gold coins worth! This youth's opening price was ridiculously exorbitant!
"Hey! Hey! Don't go! Don't leave!" The youth immediately got flustered as he saw her turn away.
Jun Wu Xie did not even bother with him and continued to walk away as the ring started to glow and suddenly there was a bright burst of light.
"Do not go! Do not go! Do not go!" From her side came an anxious yet tender voice. Jun Wu Xie was startled as she glanced at her right sleeve.
THIS LITTLE LOTUS DARED TO DEFY HER?
For the sake of these dilapidated books he actually defied her and transformed so openly?
Not to mention how eye-catching his appearance was, when he appeared the bright burst of light in such a dark environment was enough to cause an uproar. A strong lotus scent was floating in the air along with his sudden appearance. This had attracted a lot of attention of many people close by and they all had stopped in their tracks and started looking around.
If only she knew how, she would have sent him straight back to that Spirit World he mentioned before!
"Shut up and stay still." Jun Wu Xie growled. No one knew that she had a contractual spirit and if it was exposed here, things will get messy.
During their banter, the unkempt youth had managed to catch up to her and within his hands were those few books she had indicated her interest in.
"Please do not go! If you think it's too much, I can give you a discount. How about four pearls?" He ran in front of her to obstruct her path as he tried to hard sell the books in hand.
Jun Wu Xie knew that Little Lotus would not let her go back without kicking up a fuss if she did not purchase these books. She sighed in resignation as she looked over to the youth and said, "I do not have any Eastern Pearls, only elixirs."
"Huh? Elixirs?" The unkempt youth did not bother masking his disappointment as he scratched his head and his smile slowly faded as he muttered, "What can I do with elixirs from such a place….."
"Well, let's forget about it if you do not have any Eastern Pearls." He turned and walked back listlessly.
Just as he did that, Little Lotus started acting up by struggling and kicking about a fuss.
Jun Wu Xie's face turned completely black.
She deliberated for a moment but finally choked out, "Wait."
The unkempt youth slowly turned his head as he gave a disinterested look as he apprehensively said, "Really very sorry, I'm not interested in elixirs…"
"I know." Jun Wu Xie nodded. The contrast in his reaction was evident.
"I just need you to tell me where can I find a stall in this vicinity that accepts elixirs and I can trade it for something you want?" She asked him in a straightforward manner.
He looked at her as he deliberated for a while as he touched his nose and replied, "There is actually a man trading Eastern Pearls for elixirs, it's just that…the type of elixirs he wants is a bit…Truthfully, I don't think a kid like you has the type of elixirs he wants."
This kid in front of him looked kind of fragile and he didn't want to dash his hopes and have him humiliated in front of so many others. Although such a young kid in Ghost City was rarely seen, at such a young age what kind of elixirs could he possibly have to trade for Eastern Pearls?
"Bring me there" Jun Wu Xie curtly said.
The youth looked at her wide-eyed as he looked back at his empty stall.
"If the trade is successful, other than your four Eastern Pearls, I can give you a bottle of elixir." Jun Wu Xie had seen his reluctance and wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible.
"I really do not want your elixir…If I had wanted elixir I do not need to come all the way here…" He grumbled and muttered to himself. He looked over at this kid in front of him and could not place this nagging feeling within.
Somehow he had felt that there was something different about this kid standing in front of him. The calmness he exuded was very different from all the other people he had came across in Ghost City. Usually young masters from prominent households would be swaggering around with a bunch of people fawning over them. This kid however, despite his young age, seem to emit a confidence that was rarely seen.
"Oh well, I might as well accompany you to that old man's place. Since it's been so many days I've been here and you are the only person to have made an offer." He said decisively as all the apprehension he had disappeared.
Compared to the unkempt youth's stall, this stall selling Eastern Pearls was packed with people as the crowd was gawking at the various treasures lined up.
Nine large luminous pearls were placed around a velvet box. With these luminous pearls surrounding it, the Eastern Pearls seems to be glowing with breathtaking iridescent sheen. Other than Eastern Pearls, this stall also sold many other Spiritual Gems of various grades.
After the contractual spirit has established the bond with their master and formed the ring, such gems and pearls were excellent cultivation resources that could nourish the spiritual energy and amplify the bond.
Such Spiritual Gems were worth much more as compared to normal precious gems. Each Spiritual Gem could make one's cultivation improve by leaps and bounds! However the price was exorbitant, hence these resources are usually limited for the rich and powerful.
Lin Palace had the luxury to secure a few of these in their vault as the Founding Emperor had bestowed them a generous amount to reward them for their military merits.
Jun Xian had especially set aside a few top grade Spiritual Gems for Jun Wu Xie to use once she had become of age but there was no chance to use them.
For now, Jun Wu Xie had little interest in these Spiritual Gems. It was too early to use them as she had not even found a suitable cultivation technique. It was like a baby trying to run before it even learned how to crawl.
The stall owner was a man in his fifties, smoking a pipe as he openly gauged all the patrons surrounding his stall. Even with such a demeanor, the crowd at his stall did not seem to mind, in fact, more people began crowding around.