"Because there isn't much else I can do!" Qing Mu replied. "I'm a tree spirit. So I'm not as smart as humans. The only thing I'm good at is having a great memory and a long life span. Even though I don't earn much, I've been doing this for two hundred years, and I've served many people around here."
~Rounding up, the difference between us is two thousand. So if there are one thousand people who can access the market, it will be two thousand accumulated points….~
~Two thousand points over two hundred years? That's so little!~
As if able to read her mind, Qing Mu continued. "I don't only work as a tour guide, I make connections too. I know everything that has happened here for the past two hundred years, so people come to me when they need to look for certain items."
~An upgraded version of brother six? That's cool ...~
Lu Mingshi thought about it for a while and nodded. "Okay, I'll hire you for today."
Hearing her, Qing Mu flashed her a gummy smile, and his eyes lit up. ~Indeed like a child.~ "Okay, I'm all yours today. Feel free to ask anything. I can bring you anywhere too."
Lu Mingshu had never met anyone like him ever, so she was curious about him. "Qing Mu, are you always here? Don't you need to rest or cultivate?"
"No." Qing Mu smiled. "I'm a tree spirit, and I haven't cultivated to where I can take human form. All trees can do is stand where they grow. It won't affect my cultivation either."
"....." ~Indeed a perfect job for him! Two hundred years in the heavenly wheel is two thousand years outside! Only living things like him, who has a long life span and cannot move, would have such patience.~
"Miss, let me show you the market."
"Okay."
Qing Mu showed her around and introduced the surroundings to her. "The market is where we conduct transactions. Like the forum, but you can check the goods before you agree. The chance of being tricked isn't as high as the forum."
Lu Mingshu couldn't help but nod in agreement. Transactions via the forum require the parties to open up a passage, and they usually wouldn't unless they needed it. When she was still a newbie, she was tricked into buying an abandoned alchemy furnace.
As she experienced more and became stronger, she didn't have any other bad experiences. People with higher cultivation relied more on the heavenly wheel, and their reputation was necessary for business. So such cases were rare.
However, the item sent over may not precisely fit its description. It wasn't anyone's fault, as there may be misunderstandings. So a face-to-face transaction was always preferred.
"Miss, expensive and precious items will always be done via face-to-face transactions. That's why you can't find many good items in the forum."
Lu Mingshu nodded. Indeed, many in the forum didn't have high cultivation. Furthermore, many would treat precious and expensive items with caution and only carry out transactions with a trustworthy party, one that you knew personally.
"Anyway, if you have nothing to do, you can set up a stall too." Qing Mu pointed over to the plaza. "Look there."
Many stalls were set up in the plaza, and there were a plethora of items being sold.
"As for the houses, there are security restrictions put up. If you wish to have a private chat, you can enter the houses, and no one else will be able to eavesdrop." Qing Mu pointed at the buildings, where people entered and left in pairs.
"Miss, do you want to visit the stalls? I know the vendors well, and I can give recommendations!" Qing Mu patted his chest and smiled proudly.
"Sure." Lu Mingshu laughed, seeing him.
There was a huge number of stalls. Qing Mu showed her around one by one, and Lu Mingshu's eyes were opened.
When Qing Mu said he knew the vendors well, he really did. Where they were from, what was good, and how frequently they would enter the whee. He could answer anything without fail.
Not only so, having stayed at the market for a long time, but Qing Mu had also met a vast diversity of people and knew the other worlds well. The way he spoke was so lively that Lu Mingshu could imagine herself in those worlds.
~These two accumulated points were more than worth it!~
Unconsciously, a day has passed, and it was time for Qing Mu to leave. Before he left, Lu Mingshu called him. "Qing Mu, I want to ask something."
"Please. "Qing Mu smiled. "You hired me for the day, so feel free to ask anything."
Lu Mingshu flashed him a smile and bowed. "Thank you so much. Do you know if there are people who sell medicine to heal damaged meridians?"
"Damaged meridians?" Qing Mu frowned. "Oh, yeah. I know two people."
"Who are they?"
"I helped a transaction when I first came. But I haven't seen either of them for a very long time, and I'm not sure if they are still alive. There's a Daoist priest who sells it too, and he comes often."
"Really? When will he be here? How much does it cost?" Lu Mingshu asked hopefully.
"Well, it depends. He doesn't have a constant schedule. Maybe he'll be here tomorrow, or maybe he won't come for a month. As for the price, it's ten thousand accumulated points."
Because it was a face-to-face transaction, more cultivators with higher cultivations were here, with rarer and more precious items appearing.
"Ten thousand?" Lu Mingshu sighed in disappointment. ~Where can I find such a large amount? Huge events like the Qilin festival and Sea of cloud debate rarely occurs. It's considered lucky if I get to participate in one per year! I might need to exchange for items in emergencies too, it will take me at least twenty years to get this amount! Will master be able to break through into the assimilation realm if I take so long?~
"Are there any other things that I can give in exchange? I don't have so many accumulated points."
Qing Mu nodded. "The priest is obsessed with medicine. If you have any rare and precious medicines or herbs, then maybe you can try."
"Rare and precious…..Yeah! The winter-summer stone's liquid, is it possible?"
Qing Mu did some calculations mentally and shook his head. "Precious but not enough. Unless it's the winter-summer stone itself."
~ That's with Xie Lianzhen!~ It's not feasible for her to take it from Xie Lianzhen. Even though she had exchanged two books for him back at the emperor's secret garden, the pills he made were mostly for Lu Mingshu. That's why she handed him the stone when they left. ~Because he deserved to keep it~
"Miss," Qing Mu called her. "If you really need it, I can help you make an appointment with the priest. You can negotiate with him directly and see how things go."
"Sure."
"Thank you so much, Qing Mu. This is your reward for helping, please make an appointment with him." Lu Mingshu handed him a Yuan crystal.
It was as big as a fist and crystal clear—a rare Yuan crystal.
This made Qing Mu giggle and nod happily. "I'll contact you once it's done."
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