UGB Chapter 245 Sun and Moon Tower
Chapter 245 Sun and Moon Tower
Looking out, in the far distance of the main street, one could vaguely see several tall buildings, four or five stories high. Judging from their exterior decorations, they looked quite luxurious and grand, finally giving Du Fan a sense of the richness of the Nine Provinces Continent.
The sight before him gave Du Fan a lot more confidence for his trip, and he immediately perked up and strode into the depths of the market.
At this moment, his cultivation level had already dropped to the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage through the Concealing Spirit Technique. Cultivators with this level of cultivation belong to the main group in the market, so they would not attract too much attention.
Before long, Du Fan stepped into a small-to-medium-sized cultivation shop. The person in charge of receiving him was a mortal who was around twenty years old and dressed in a waiter's shirt.
"Master, is there anything I can do for you?" The young man's eyes kept darting around, looking very alert, but his attitude was quite respectful and his behavior was very proper.
"Do you sell demon cores here?" Du Fan scanned the area with his divine sense and, finding no other cultivators nearby, lowered his voice and asked directly.
"Yes, Master, what grade of demon core would you like to buy? The pale yellow kind?" The young man wasn't surprised by Du Fan's words. He glanced around and lowered his voice as well.
"Do you have a deep yellow demon core?" Du Fan asked calmly, staring into the other person's eyes.
"Ah? A deep yellow demon core!" This time, the young man could no longer remain calm. His eyes widened instantly, he covered his mouth, and he was somewhat stunned.
"What? No?" Du Fan frowned slightly.
"This matter is of great importance, and I cannot make the decision myself. Please wait a moment, Master, while I consult the shopkeeper." The young man took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to Du Fan, and spoke apologetically.
Du Fan glanced at the other person, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.
……
After a short while, Du Fan sat down in an elegant room. Opposite him sat a middle-aged woman. She was dressed in a dignified and luxurious manner and was quite beautiful. Her cultivation level was at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage.
"Fellow Daoist, I heard you wish to purchase deep yellow demon cores. How many do you require?" The woman's eyes flickered, she smiled faintly, and spoke softly through her lips.
"Ten?" Du Fan glanced at the other person and said casually.
"Fellow Daoist has quite the audacity, asking for ten without even asking the price." The beautiful woman was taken aback at first, then her eyes narrowed, she gave Du Fan a deep look, and said in a deep voice.
"Please forgive me, fairy. I prefer to be straightforward, which saves a lot of time. Besides, the price of such demon cores is basically the same on the market. Do you think your shop would try to rip me off?" Du Fan smiled slightly, cupped his hands in greeting, and said calmly.
"Since you prefer to get straight to the point, I won't beat around the bush either. My shop only has three deep yellow demon cores, each priced at eight hundred spirit stones. What do you think, fellow Daoist?" The middle-aged woman didn't answer immediately, but pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Eight hundred spirit stones?" Upon hearing this, Du Fan frowned and fell silent.
Back in the Nine Provinces Continent, the price of a Spirit Gathering Pill was exactly this amount. However, Spirit Gathering Pills were pills used by cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage, and even cultivators in the early Foundation Establishment stage would take them. Their true medicinal value was naturally above that of the deep yellow demon core. Obviously, in Du Fan's opinion, this price was a bit too high.
"Fellow Daoist, I don't think I need to elaborate on how rare the deep yellow demon core is. Besides, you mentioned before that the market price of this core is basically the same. How could I possibly take advantage of you in this regard?"
"If you purchase with integrity, I can decide to deduct fifty spirit stones from the total price." Upon seeing this, the middle-aged beauty was somewhat displeased, but she did not show it on her face. She parted her red lips slightly and offered a brief explanation.
"Alright, please fetch those three demon cores for me, Fairy. I need to check them first. If there are no problems, we will trade according to the price you mentioned." After a moment, Du Fan's brows relaxed and he nodded.
"Alright, please wait here for a moment, fellow Daoist. I'll be right back." The middle-aged woman finally showed a hint of satisfaction. After giving Du Fan a charming smile, she gracefully stood up, her slender waist swaying slightly before disappearing from the elegant room.
……
After a meal, the middle-aged woman personally escorted Du Fan to the shop entrance. When she tried to ask for Du Fan's name, he just smiled and remained silent, which made her extremely frustrated, but she still maintained a gentle smile on her face.
As Du Fan left the shop and walked away, the middle-aged woman's smile vanished instantly. She took a few steps to the shopkeeper and said in an unquestionable tone, "Investigate this man and see what kind of power he has behind him."
"Yes, Miss, please rest assured, I will handle this matter perfectly." The old shopkeeper quickly bowed, his expression extremely respectful, and readily agreed.
……
"A single deep yellow demon core costs eight hundred spirit stones. Although I currently have a surplus of spirit stones, by the time I finish acquiring this batch of demon cores, I'm afraid I'll have very few left..."
"Forget it, now is not the time to think about spirit stones, acquiring demon cores is the priority!" Du Fan was quite conflicted, but finally gritted his teeth and stepped into the second cultivation shop.
……
When he came out of the shop, the number of deep yellow demon cores on his body had increased by four.
"No, at this pace, it's too much of a waste of time. Most importantly, the first shop has already started sending people to follow me. Although I don't take them seriously yet, things will get a bit troublesome after I enter and leave more than ten shops."
As Du Fan walked slowly down the street, lost in thought, he had unknowingly walked quite a distance. When he suddenly looked up, he immediately saw a tall building standing in front of him.
This pavilion occupies a considerable area, covering more than ten acres. It has four floors from top to bottom. Above the entrance on the first floor hangs a huge plaque with three large, elegantly carved characters: "Sun and Moon Pavilion!"
The exterior of this pavilion naturally exudes a sense of luxury and grandeur, but it still falls short compared to the truly large shops in the Kyushu Continent. However, in a place like Crescent Island, it is a very conspicuous presence.
"Judging by the size of this shop, it could easily rank among the top three in this market. The number of demon cores it contains should also far exceed that of those small shops. Rather than going through numerous arduous adventures, it's better to achieve everything in one fell swoop!"
Du Fan's eyes flashed, and he took a deep breath. Now that he had made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. He immediately strode out and quickly entered the Sun and Moon Tower. At the same time, he slightly activated the Concealing Spirit Technique in his body, and his cultivation level had already recovered to the peak of the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage.
Just as he expected, when his cultivation reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, the attendant who received him was no longer an ordinary person, but a beautiful young female cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining. She had a graceful figure and a sweet appearance.
"It really is true that you get the treatment you deserve based on your strength," Du Fan thought to himself, looking at the beautiful woman with a sigh of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).
"Fellow Daoist, is there anything I can do for you?" The young woman smiled before speaking, curtsied, and said in a soft voice.
Du Fan didn't speak immediately, but instead glanced around with his eyes.
He discovered that there were dozens of monks in the main hall, wandering among the dazzling array of treasures. Each of them had a salesperson dressed as a waiter beside them, who would occasionally speak while smiling.
"Call out your manager. You can't make the decision about the transaction I'm about to make." Du Fan finally turned his gaze to the woman in front of him and said calmly.
"Alright, I understand what you mean, fellow Daoist. Please wait a moment." The woman didn't show much surprise at Du Fan's words. She simply smiled slightly and then walked away gracefully.
……
"Fellow Daoist, please follow me." Before long, the beautiful young woman came to Du Fan again, bowed slightly, and spoke with a smile.
"Thank you for leading the way, young lady." Du Fan nodded without any objection.
……
After a short while, Du Fan was led by the girl to a VIP room.
The room was quite large, about an acre in size, and most of the decorations inside were brownish-yellow. Whether it was the coffee table, screen, ornaments, or the antique paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls, they all carried a sense of vicissitude and had a rather antique charm.
In the center of the room, there is a bronze incense burner that is half a meter tall, from which two wisps of incense smoke rise.
Du Fan wondered if it was just his imagination, but after the two wisps of incense rose into the air, they vaguely transformed into the shape of a pair of sun and moon, which was very mysterious and profound, as if they contained some unknown rules.
"Senior Nalan, the guest has arrived." After the young woman entered the room, her expression immediately became more solemn. She bowed to the depths of the room and said respectfully.
"I understand, you may leave." A soft female voice drifted from behind a screen.
"Yes, this junior will take his leave." The young woman bowed again, nodded to Du Fan, and carefully backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"Fellow Daoist, I am unable to move around easily, please come in and sit down." The woman's voice rang out again.
"I apologize for disturbing you." Du Fan subconsciously cupped his hands in greeting, said politely, and then slowly walked towards the screen.