The shopkeeper looked very young, a female Cultivator around thirty or forty years old.
When she saw He Pingsheng arrive, she couldn't help but sweep her Divine Thought over him, then, shocked, she stepped out from behind the counter and bowed respectfully, looking utterly terrified: "Senior, this Junior only sells items needed by Qi Refining Stage Disciples. Senior, you..."
The female shopkeeper was at Qi Refining Stage Twelfth Level Great Perfection, just one step away from entering the Foundation Establishment Stage. When she couldn't perceive He Pingsheng's cultivation, she understood.
The other party was at least a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.
Calling him Senior was definitely correct.
"Heh heh..." He Pingsheng smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, I'm not here to buy anything!"
"I just came to ask you about something!"
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright... Senior, please ask. Anything this Junior knows, I will certainly tell you everything without reservation!"
Before He Pingsheng spoke, he first took out twenty Spirit Stones and placed them on the counter, saying, "This is this Daoist's payment for asking the Dao."
Only by giving benefits would the other party likely tell him everything without reservation. Otherwise, how could it be possible?
"This..." The female shopkeeper said, "This Junior dare not accept Senior's things!"
He Pingsheng had no intention of taking them back and said, "This Daoist has just arrived from another place and is unfamiliar with everything in Dingxiang City. I will ask you some questions, and if you satisfy me, it is only right that you take these Spirit Stones!"
"Alright!" Hearing that He Pingsheng was from out of town, the woman's vigilance lessened another layer.
Someone from out of town, with no ties to local powers, and the questions wouldn't involve anyone's interests.
Just answer casually.
He Pingsheng asked, "Can you tell me about the Chamber of Commerce and resource trading places in this city?"
"Of course!" The female shopkeeper lowered her voice and said, "The resource trading places for us Cultivators are nothing more than the Chamber of Commerce and various shops!"
"If you are buying items, it doesn't really matter. The largest Chamber of Commerce in this city is the Imperial Family Chamber of Commerce, the best is the Coral Merchant Guild, and the most expensive is the local Dingxiang Chamber of Commerce..."
He Pingsheng's face darkened: Good heavens, the one I just walked into was actually the most expensive Chamber of Commerce?
He felt like cursing.
"These several Chambers of Commerce each have their advantages, but if Senior wishes to buy items more cheaply, it's best not to go to these Chambers of Commerce, but rather to inquire at each of the street-side shops!"
"Small shops like ours are generally cheaper!"
"Of course, the quality of the goods is indeed not as good as theirs, and the variety is not as complete. Whether you can find what you need depends entirely on luck!"
He Pingsheng nodded.
Quality doesn't matter. If I put it in the gathering treasure basin and strengthen it, everything will be resolved.
"If you are selling items... Heh heh heh..." The female shopkeeper smiled and said, "You still have to go to these three large Chambers of Commerce, because small shops like ours on the street, firstly, don't recognize valuable goods, and secondly, lack the strength!"
"Among the three large Chambers of Commerce, the Coral Merchant Guild is relatively fairer!"
"That's about it!"
He Pingsheng nodded, gaining a basic understanding of the local Chambers of Commerce.
"Also!" He Pingsheng said, "This Daoist wishes to reside here for a period of time. I currently have no residence. I wonder where I need to go to purchase or rent a dwelling?"
"Where are they sold?"
This woman runs a shop; she must know.
Indeed, the female shopkeeper said, "This is easy. To buy or sell a house, you must go through the City Lord's Mansion. You can go to the City Lord's Mansion to look and select one!"
"The City Lord's Mansion is still very far from here. You have to take this road, then turn south..."
The woman also drew a map for He Pingsheng.
Actually, there was no need to draw it; He Pingsheng already knew, because He Pingsheng had the detailed map he had just purchased, with all the major buildings in Dingxiang City marked.
Afterward, He Pingsheng asked a few more questions, then got up and left.
Walking straight along the road, turning onto Vermilion Bird Street, and heading south, it wasn't long before he could see the huge and solemn City Lord's Mansion.
At the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion, there was a row of soldiers guarding it. These soldiers were not highly cultivated, all being Disciples of Qi Refining Stage Fifth or Sixth Layer, and they did not inspect the people coming and going.
In a word: free entry and exit.
To achieve this, it could only mean that there was a powerful figure in the City Lord's Mansion, unafraid of any scoundrels.
He Pingsheng followed the bustling crowd into the City Lord's Mansion, and after several turns, arrived at the place specifically responsible for buying and selling properties.
Houses in Dingxiang City were not allowed to be traded privately.
You could buy, but it had to be purchased here at the City Lord's Mansion.
You could also sell, but only to the City Lord's Mansion.
That's how domineering it was.
In a grand hall, there were seventy or eighty personnel just serving Cultivators who came to buy or sell properties.
He Pingsheng randomly chose one and walked over.
"Hello, Senior!" Behind the counter was a sweet-looking woman, whose cultivation was not high, only Qi Refining Stage Seventh Layer. "Senior, are you buying, selling, or renting?"
He Pingsheng said, "I want to buy a residence."
"Alright!" The woman smiled and casually took out a Jade Slip, saying, "Senior, please see. Our City Lord's Mansion's houses are roughly divided into nine grades. Please examine them carefully to see what kind you wish to purchase!"
Nine grades?
He Pingsheng was surprised.
He picked up the Jade Slip and took a look, and immediately understood.
The lowest ninth grade: no Spiritual Qi, a small courtyard ten zhang long and ten zhang wide.
Eighth grade: no Spiritual Qi, a small courtyard thirty zhang long and thirty zhang wide!
Seventh grade: no Spiritual Qi, a large courtyard fifty zhang long and fifty zhang wide.
Sixth grade, no Spiritual Qi, a huge residence one hundred fifty zhang long and one hundred fifty zhang wide.
The bottom four grades had no Spiritual Qi.
Sold according to different sizes!
The top five types all had Spiritual Qi, divided into five levels based on size and the density of Spiritual Qi, with over a dozen different styles.
The highest was the first grade.
A first-grade residence was a three-thousand-zhang mansion with a High Grade Spiritual Vein.
Such residences were generally not purchased by individuals; they were occupied by a group.
For example, a powerful Family, or a very strong Sect.
That's right, a three-thousand-zhang mansion on a High Grade Spiritual Vein, although not as vast as those Sects, could truly support a considerable Sect.
There were indeed Sects in Dingxiang City.
And quite a few of them.
"Eighth grade then!" He Pingsheng put down the Jade Slip and said, "This kind of thirty-zhang small courtyard without Spiritual Qi will do!"
For him living alone, thirty zhang was actually not small.
As for Spiritual Qi?
I don't use Spiritual Qi for cultivation, and I don't have any spiritual plants to grow.
Those courtyards with Spiritual Qi would be a waste of resources for He Pingsheng.
As for the size, thirty zhang was sufficient.
In a thirty-zhang small courtyard, besides a three-story small building, there was also a garden, a pond, and so on.
It was also enough for He Pingsheng to arrange a Formation.
It was even much larger than his small courtyard on Xiuzhu Peak.