Watching the Xuan Wolf Gang members leave, Li Mu hesitated whether to close his stall and leave Qingping Town to avoid being surrounded.
Though they left decisively, this was, after all, their home base.
If they went back on their word, he was alone and would definitely suffer.
However, too many Loose Cultivator customers swarmed over, surrounding him three deep, clamoring to buy Second-Order Spirit Talismans.
For a while, Li Mu truly couldn't get away.
It should be fine, right?
He had already taken out Second-Order Spirit Talismans; the Xuan Wolf Gang wouldn't fight him to the death over two gang members and a bit of Face, would they?
Thinking this, Li Mu settled down and continued doing business. At this moment, Talismans were selling incredibly well.
The quantity of Second-Order Golden Sword Talismans and Golden Armor Talismans was not large, and Li Mu wouldn't sell them openly. The Loose Cultivator customers present were just curious and certainly couldn't afford to buy so many Spirit Stones.
Scarce resources like Second-Order Spirit Talismans were more suitable for sale in places like Wanbao Pavilion.
Sure enough, when Li Mu announced the price of thirty medium spirit stones per Second-Order Spirit Talisman, the Loose Cultivators who were scrambling to buy Second-Order Spirit Talismans immediately quieted down.
"Thirty medium spirit stones! That's too expensive! Can't afford it!"
"Forget it! I'll just buy First-Order Spirit Talismans and make do!"
"Sigh! Boss, can't you make it cheaper? This price is too steep!"
"After all, it's a High Grade Second-Order Spirit Talisman. This price is truly beyond what we can afford!"
...
The Cultivators were willing but unable, sighing repeatedly, and instead began buying First-Order Spirit Talismans.
Li Mu sold First-Order Spirit Talismans widely, heavily harvesting Spirit Stones from the Cultivators' pockets.
Knowing that this young stall owner had Second-Order Spirit Talismans for protection, even if they envied his massive fortune, no one dared to harbor covetous thoughts.
Cultivators who had bought Talismans dispersed in twos and threes, and Li Mu was about to close his stall.
At this moment, five members of the Xuan Wolf Gang returned, escorting a Qi Refining ninth-layer young man of about twenty years old, who walked towards him.
"It's the Xuan Wolf Gang's leader, Duan Pinghai! He's personally here to stand up for his gang brothers!"
"That young man is finished now!"
"Tsk tsk tsk! He provoked the Xuan Wolf Gang and didn't leave; he deserves his bad luck!"
"It shouldn't be that bad! Leader Duan is still a reasonable person..."
...
The Cultivators in the market scattered, whispering among themselves, their words full of schadenfreude from watching the show.
Li Mu frowned, watching the Xuan Wolf Gang members approaching, secretly angry. Were they really going to be relentless?
At the same time, Li Mu was also secretly annoyed with himself for being greedy and careless. He had to learn a profound lesson from this, be more vigilant in the future, and not put himself in any dangerous situations.
Li Mu's Face was full of vigilance, one hand reaching for his Storage Pouch, the other hand loosely clasped, ready to take out a third-order spiritual sword from the storage compartment at any time. Simultaneously, his Divine Sense spread out, gazing at Duan Pinghai, the Xuan Wolf Gang's leader, who was slowly approaching, ready to burst into action at any moment.
There were no Foundation Establishment Cultivators nearby, and Li Mu was confident that if he wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
"Fellow Daoist, are you a High Grade Second-Order Talisman Master?" Duan Pinghai looked at Li Mu and asked directly.
"I am not! My master is. What is the matter?" Li Mu looked at Duan Pinghai and made up an excuse to respond.
"I'd like to reserve a few Second-Order Spirit Talismans from you," Duan Pinghai smiled slightly and explained.
"Reservations are not possible! I only have Spot goods . My master cannot draw Second-Order Golden Sword Talismans, Second-Order Golden Armor Talismans, or other Second-Order Spirit Talismans unless you provide the Talisman formula," Li Mu shook his head and indicated.
"Golden-element Golden Sword Talismans and Golden Armor Talismans, these two types of Spirit Talismans can also be useful. It's too noisy here, not a good place to talk. How about we go into that tavern to chat?" Duan Pinghai pointed to the Fuyuan Tavern about a dozen meters away and suggested to Li Mu.
"Alright! Let me close my stall first." Li Mu cautiously released his Divine Sense to probe the tavern, confirmed it was clear, and agreed.
Duan Pinghai smiled slightly, noticing Li Mu's small action, and was secretly surprised. This young man was not to be underestimated; at such a young age, he had mastered such profound Divine Sense.
After Li Mu packed up his stall, Duan Pinghai enthusiastically greeted him, and they entered the Fuyuan Tavern together.
The Cultivators watching the excitement nearby probably understood what was happening.
It turned out that Duan Pinghai wasn't here to stand up for his gang members, but rather for the Second-Order Spirit Talismans, or even to forge a good relationship with a Talisman Master. As expected of the Xuan Wolf Gang's leader, he knew when to pick up and when to let go!
Inside a private room on the second floor of the tavern, Li Mu and Duan Pinghai sat opposite each other around a wine table.
"I can sell you ten Second-Order Spirit Talismans, thirty medium spirit stones each. If you don't have enough Spirit Stones, you can use Second-Order Artifact Refining Spiritual Ore as collateral," Li Mu said, looking at Duan Pinghai, knowing that the Xuan Wolf Gang controlled some of Qing'an Town's mineral resources.
"The price of the Talismans is quite fair, and being able to trade with Second-Order Artifact Refining Spiritual Ore would be even better! I happen to have a batch of Second-Order Ores that I need to sell, but they haven't been refined yet. Fellow Daoist Zhao, do you think trading with this batch of Ores is acceptable?" Duan Pinghai thought for a moment, took out a Storage Pouch, and poured out several unrefined variegated red gold Ores onto the table.
Li Mu was slightly taken aback, looking at the unrefined red gold raw Ores on the table. His Talent Divine Power - Identify Myriad Spirits immediately took effect, and information about several Ores appeared in the character's virtual frame.
【Red Gold Stone Raw Ore】
【Grade: Second-Order Spiritual Ore (Third-Order Spiritual Ore)】
【Characteristics: Solid, Sharp, Heavy】
【Red gold raw Ore containing a large amount of miscellaneous stones, a small amount of Second-Order Red Gold Stone, a trace amount of third-order geng metal, and a trace amount of Third-Order Taiyi Fine Gold. After high-temperature refining, it can yield a large amount of Second-Order Red Gold, a trace amount of third-order geng metal, and Third-Order Taiyi Red Gold.】
He didn't expect to find such a bargain in this situation. He just didn't know if all the red gold raw Ores in this guy's Storage Pouch were of this type of mineral. If so, he'd hit the jackpot!
Li Mu calmly picked up a piece of red gold raw Ore, weighed it a few times in his hand, and felt its weight.
"I've always bought refined Ores. I don't know, what's the price for this unrefined raw Ore?" Li Mu asked Duan Pinghai.
"Ten catties of Second-Order Red Gold cost 7 medium spirit stones on the market. These raw Ores have an extremely high red gold content; one hundred and fifty catties of raw Ore can yield ten catties of red gold. Deducting the refining cost, one hundred and fifty catties are valued at 6 medium spirit stones," Duan Pinghai estimated the price.
"Refining requires a Second-Order Artifact Refining furnace, and the consumption is not small. Moreover, if the red gold content doesn't meet what you said, I'll also risk losses. One hundred and fifty catties are valued at 4 medium spirit stones, and I'll take them!" Li Mu waved his hand, bargaining.
Duan Pinghai frowned and said with dissatisfaction, "The red gold raw Ores are all here; the purity definitely meets the requirements. If you don't believe me, see for yourself."
"That's the price. If you buy ten Second-Order Spirit Talismans, I'll also give you fifty First-Order Spirit Talismans," Li Mu probed his Storage Pouch with his Divine Sense, confirming that it was indeed the same batch of red gold raw Ores, and then suggested.
"Alright, but the Storage Pouch containing the raw Ores must be returned to me. Such a large Storage Pouch is not cheap," Duan Pinghai thought for a moment and nodded.
"..." Li Mu looked at Duan Pinghai, speechless for a moment.
"You're a big gang leader, is it really necessary?! Tens of thousands of catties of red gold raw Ore, and it's not reasonable for you not to give me a large Storage Pouch to hold them? How am I supposed to take so much raw Ore back? Give me another thirty High Grade First-Order Spirit Talismans, and this Storage Pouch is mine!" Li Mu said angrily.
This large Storage Pouch would be perfect for transporting Wind Spirit Grass, and Li Mu had been planning to buy one! The current situation at Xiao Liang Mountain made it unsuitable for Zhang Baiping to go up there.
"No, such a large Storage Pouch is very valuable, costing fifty medium spirit stones to buy. You'd have to give me at least two hundred. It's not easy for me to support so many people!" Duan Pinghai decisively shook his head, feigning poverty.
...
"It doesn't cost that much. At most, I'll give you fifty more!" Li Mu rolled his eyes at Duan Pinghai.
"One hundred and eighty!"
...
The two went back and forth, clashing and testing each other's bottom lines.
Finally, Li Mu paid an extra one hundred and twenty Talismans, choosing to quickly complete the transaction.