Chapter 140: Busy street scene

As he asked this, Li Qi picked up a piece of shredded chicken with his chopsticks and scrutinized Piao Xu.

This fox demon beast was inherently beautiful, with a timid aura that made one want to bully her. Now, under Li Qi's gaze, she turned her face away even more guiltily, making it clear to anyone that she was feeling afraid deep down.

"Hmm, we're planning to check the market to see if we can buy Windwalk Talismans or some cultivation methods for demon beasts, but aren't you still busy with your business, Miss Piao Xu?" Li Qi asked kindly, not wanting to make things difficult for her.

Upon hearing this, Piao Xu quickly replied, "The shop has clerks, and my... that Chang Gui will take care of it. I also have Qi Ya helping me. It's just a half-day's worth of dine-in business that will be delayed, it's fine."

Li Qi then asked, "Speaking of which, that Chang Gui... did you strip him of his consciousness? Turning him into a Puppet?"

"Of course not. If he were a Puppet, he wouldn't be so lifelike. It's just that when I inherited that tiger demon beast's Chang Gui, he had already been refined into this state. Although he still has consciousness, a sliver of his true spirit is completely under my control, making it impossible for him to resist. That's why I ordered him to act for me..."

A Chang Gui is such a thing; it has consciousness, intelligence, and the ability to think. One can even sense that it has emotions, but all its joys, angers, sorrows, and delights are controlled by the tiger demon beast. Even if it were ordered to lure its own flesh and blood to fill the tiger's belly, it would do so without hesitation or any sense of guilt.

"If Sir thinks..." she hastily tried to add after finishing her explanation.

"Never mind. Your own things, you handle them. The Chang Gui is long dead. Strictly speaking, its consciousness is also fake, just a Puppet. However, since it won't delay your business, then would you mind, Miss Piao Xu, leading the way for us? Of course, we'll offer compensation to make up for your loss," Li Qi said.

Piao Xu quickly replied, "There's no need for compensation. You two sirs saved my life; repayment is only natural. How could I accept more compensation?"

Li Qi shook his head and took out a translucent small bead. "Take it. I treat people with integrity. What should be, is. Saving your life is nothing to us, so we shouldn't accept too much compensation. Staying here for free is already enough. To ask for more would be improper."

Li Qi spoke very seriously, as this concerned the Dao he believed in, so refusal was not an option.

Hearing Li Qi's tone, Piao Xu dared not say more and could only accept the translucent bead.

The bead had a transparent shell, and inside, five different colored Qi continuously swirled, looking very beautiful. However, when touched, it was incredibly cold and couldn't be warmed.

"May I ask, Sir, what is this?" Piao Xu asked, puzzled.

"The five strands of ghostly Qi that tried to kill you earlier. The first time, he succeeded. The second time, I captured them with Divine Qi and sealed them into this small bead. If you want to find your enemy, this might provide some clues. I think this is suitable as compensation," Li Qi said.

"Sir has gone to great lengths," Piao Xu said, bowing in thanks.

"No need for that. Now, go tidy up your things. We'll eat first, and then when we go out, you can just show us the way. No need to waste too much time," Li Qi said, picking up his bowl, ready to eat.

There was no other way.

While he was chatting with Piao Xu, the Jade Rabbit had almost finished all the dishes!

If he didn't eat now, there'd be nothing left!

Seeing this, Piao Xu chuckled softly, turned and withdrew. After a moment, she returned with another bowl of crab roe soup.

The crab roe was fresh and fatty, sweet and rich, white as jade and yellow as gold, achieving the ultimate in color, aroma, and taste. Piao Xu fried it with oil, salt, and bean powder, making it sweeter with every chew. Its deliciousness was almost like cheese, and it was soft and boneless—a true delicacy.

Of course, it led to another scramble.

Li Qi didn't win, because Shen Shuibi even used Daoist Art.

He only had one spoon; the rest was devoured by the Jade Rabbit.

He was furiously impotent.

His good mood from the morning was gone.

Leaving that aside, after about two-quarters of an hour, the group set off for the market.

He hadn't known before, but upon arriving, Li Qi truly experienced the prosperity of Qingwu City.

This was a vibrancy and flourishing that places like the Earth Oil Realm in Great Deer Kingdom could never match.

Shen Shuibi seemed to have never seen it either. She had always cultivated in seclusion on Mount Luofu and rarely left home in her life, so she also watched very intently.

She recognized the raw Materials and principles of these things at a glance, but she had never achieved such dazzling effects. It was truly beautiful, captivating her gaze.

As for Li Qi, the country bumpkin, he couldn't get enough. These extraordinary techniques and Daoist Art left him dumbfounded, far more spectacular than any special effects.

For example, a roadside flower shop displayed flowers for sale. The branches and leaves spread out, extending beyond the eaves and tiles, filling the entire house. During flowering season, dozens of blooms—goose-yellow, oriole-yellow, pine-flower-yellow, steamed-chestnut, jasmine, wild ginger, pearl orchid, mountain orchid, sweet osmanthus, cassia—filled the house with flowers. The calyxes burst forth, dense and lush, as large as small bowls. The fragrance wafted through the air, carried by the wind, like enchanting beauties, competing for splendor.

Seeing this flower shop, Li Qi knew where the fragrant flower dew in the morning's porridge came from. Even though it was winter, these flowers still bloomed unceasingly, which must be due to some secret method.

And this was just a roadside flower shop.

Further ahead, some people were playing chess, but not with ordinary pieces. The chessboard was like a plaza, with thumb-sized small figures corresponding to the pieces. Each piece was arrayed with spears and halberds, as if a thousand-chariot country was slaughtering each other.

With each move, all three hundred sixty paths moved in unison, symbolizing the cycles of the heavens, and the pieces, half white and half black, symbolized Yin and Yang.

The chess game's situation, life and death, survival and demise, all affected the every move of the small figures. Playing chess felt like truly manipulating the cunning schemes, bloody and cruel slaughter, and competition between two countries.

Passing by a lake within the city, which seemed to be where nobles resided, it was just after winter, and the accumulated snow had not yet melted, with a vast expanse of rime fog.

Yet, in the lake, the sky, clouds, mountains, and water were a uniform white, but within the white, a few dark spots appeared. Upon closer inspection, it was people boating on the lake, the black within the white being just a trace of a small boat and a speck of a lakeside pavilion.

The black and white traces were like an ink wash painting, creating a very scenic view.

By the roadside, there were people brewing tea and cheese drinks. The cheese was pure white, steaming hot, looking at first glance like jade liquid and pearl jelly, snow-white and creamy. Its aroma permeated the lungs, and sprinkled with honey and cane syrup, it was incredibly enticing.

Shen Shuibi clamored for it, so Li Qi bought three cups, one for each of them.

After tasting it, it was indeed sweet and delicious, with an excellent flavor.

Looking ahead, there were newly built houses for the New Year. The newly constructed pavilions were made of precious and beautiful Materials, regardless of silk or jade, with intricate gold paintings and exquisite craftsmanship, all meticulously built and designed by cultivators with cultivation methods.

Below, there was also a theatrical troupe invited to celebrate the new house, with drums, singing, dancing, and various string and wind instruments. The music permeated the very bones, filled with joy and excitement. The gongs and drums roared, and countless spectators lined the road, even Li Qi and his companions joined in the fun.

Not far away, street performers were putting on a phantom show.

Looking at the phantom show, at first, the stage was covered in a black curtain. Suddenly, with a thunderous sound, the black curtain revealed a scene, displaying light and shadow created by dyeing sheep horns with five-colored Qi on the black cloth. The flames were青黎, their color like the first light of dawn, scattering into beams, then ascending into the moon's grotto. The Realm was magical, appearing and disappearing, with a hundred strange and fantastical changes, utterly inconceivable. The plot was also meticulously crafted, making one forget it was a play. It was practically a holographic projection blockbuster, only it didn't last long, just about a quarter of an hour.

When the phantom show ended, even Li Qi couldn't help but applaud. Shen Shuibi even pulled out money for a tip, causing Li Qi to scold her as a spendthrift.

Passing through a street market, the entire street was filled with vendors, some with shops, some with stalls, some with awnings outside their stalls, and more stalls outside the awnings, stretching inch by inch, covering the entire street.

Walking into it, it was packed, shoulder to shoulder, heel to heel, with people coming to browse.

Within the market, there were various ingenious crafts, rare treasures from Min and Mo, rouge and hairpins, rulers and scissors, small Spiritual Artifacts, decorations, children's toys, musical instruments, and books.

There were genuine and fake items, with merchants and customers bargaining, shouting and clamoring. Even the winter chill was dispelled, and it was hot and bustling, making people feel lively yet also a bit noisy.

Li Qi originally only had about ten gold. After just one stroll through this market, half of it was gone.

It turned out that Shen Shuibi had looked around and spotted a white jade hairpin featuring a Jade Rabbit. She seemed somewhat pleased to be the subject.

Li Qi saw that Shen Shuibi was still wearing the same copper-wire flower hairpin he had bought for her a year ago. A thought stirred in his heart, and he bought the new one.

Shen Shuibi was very happy, holding it in her arms, smiling continuously, seemingly planning to change into it after bathing back home.

In short, in just half an hour on this journey, Li Qi had fully witnessed the prosperity of this place.

Not to mention other pleasures like enjoying beautiful sights and sounds, spending time with women, building grand halls, or composing poetry under the moon—just this level of prosperity alone already surpassed Li Qi's previous understanding.

A pleasure-seeking paradise, indeed. And this was just Li Qi, with little money, only able to wander the streets.

If he were wealthy, the joys here would probably be beyond Li Qi's imagination.

This was the happiness of rich people.

Half an hour later, Li Qi and his companions passed through several markets and found themselves in... an arena?

Here, one could faintly smell blood. There were several circular buildings, from which sounds constantly emanated, seemingly battle arenas?

However, Piao Xu, acting as their guide, stopped here: "We're here, sirs. You can buy Windwalk Talismans here."

"Ah? Here?" Li Qi looked at the arena, somewhat surprised.

There were indeed things here, such as ticket sales, various standardized Spiritual Tools, and many portraits of gladiators, probably for endorsements.

Speaking of standardized Spiritual Artifacts, Li Qi had truly underestimated the industrialization level of this world before. During the Boat Towmen era, it was just that no one bothered with people like them, who were like dust. But in reality, there were also rapidly produced industrialized Spiritual Tools here; it's just that... they weren't very popular.

After all, Spiritual Artifacts, generally speaking, are best when customized or self-made. A person's body is like a small universe; everyone is unique.

Whether using someone else's Spiritual Tool or a so-called standardized Spiritual Tool, they can only achieve sixty to seventy percent of their effectiveness. Only something that perfectly fits oneself can achieve full effectiveness.

This might be why workshop-style handicrafts still exist. After all, things customized according to one's own situation are truly suitable. While standardized Spiritual Tools are cheap, their effectiveness isn't great.

For example, the Tang Blade in his hand was a typical standardized weapon. Every Ninth Grade soldier in the Tang Nation had one, along with matching armor.

However, with the Dao of Reason's methods in the Tang Nation, even such standardized weapons were far stronger than most Ninth Grade Spiritual Tools.

Now, Li Qi had some understanding of the Tang Nation. The Tang Nation was primarily led by three Dao Orthodoxy.

They were Human Dao, Daoist Sect, and Dao of Reason. Among them, Human Dao held absolute authority. The Human Emperor, as an existence above First Grade, also reached an agreement with the Dao of Reason, making the Dao of Reason an appendage of Human Dao.

For some reason, the True Immortals of the Daoist Sect also joined the Tang Nation's faction.

Therefore, the quantity and quality of the Tang Nation's equipment and Medicinal Pills were unimaginable. The Daoist Sect was extremely skilled in Alchemy, and the Dao of Reason's research into artifacts had reached its peak. This was what led to the Tang Nation's millions of iron cavalry, who swept across the world and never truly suffered a defeat.

So, the Tang Blade in Li Qi's hand was far stronger than these standardized weapons in front of him. It could probably cut through dozens of them continuously without effort.

However, his true trump card was still the willow branch tied to his waist, which contained Great Blessing Divine Qi and had never failed him so far.

Hearing the doubt in Li Qi's words, Piao Xu quickly explained, "Sir, don't just see this as a place for wrestling duels. In reality, it's the largest Spiritual Tool and Talismanic Incantation trading center below Ninth Grade in Qingwu City."

"I see. Then please lead the way," Li Qi nodded and said.

Piao Xu nodded and led the two further into the market.

It was naturally incredibly bustling, even more awe-inspiring than the free entertainment outside. Various artisans and refiners were showcasing their skills and products. The sounds of clashing never ceased, and light effects frequently splattered, making it feel like being in a fiery forge, with deadly weapons constantly flying around.

After passing through the specialized area for weapons and armor, the trio quickly turned to the place where Talismanic Incantations were bought and sold.

— — — — — — — — — —

Meanwhile.

In the VIP spectator stands of the arena outside.

This was an entire private box, from which one could overlook the entire arena and observe the situation below.

And now, in this circular arena, the competition was called "The Ever-Victorious Warrior."

It was also the most brutal form of gambling here.

Why was it called that?

Because, in this competition format, every combatant was an ever-victorious one; there was no precedent for someone who had never lost a match to enter the arena again.

The reason was simple: the loser would usually be executed on the spot, which was the bloody moment everyone loved to watch.

Each time, only the victor remained, while the loser was eliminated.

So, this competition format was named "The Ever-Victorious Warrior."

In this private box, a luxuriously dressed man suddenly opened his eyes: "Si Lao, I seem to sense your ghostly Qi below. What's going on?"