Dapeng's Time Travel Life

Chapter 218 The First Steps on the Trade Route Are Beginning with Unexpected Twists and Turns

As dawn broke, the soft light bathed the Qingyun Sect's plaza. The caravan members were already lined up neatly, their spirits high. They wore brand-new uniforms, with Qingyun Sect badges at their waists, and their storage bags were filled with high-quality spirit stones, each gleaming with an alluring luster. Zhang Peng stood at the front of the group, his gaze sweeping over each member, his eyes filled with expectation and trust.

"On this trip, you represent the face of the Qingyun Sect, so you must act with utmost caution. When dealing with various forces, you must demonstrate our strength while remaining humble. The selling price of spirit stones can be adjusted flexibly according to market conditions, but we must never cross our bottom line." Zhang Peng's voice was steady and powerful, echoing across the square.

The caravan leader, Zhao Yu, stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "Rest assured, Patriarch, we will certainly live up to your expectations!" After saying this, he stood up and waved the flag in his hand, and the caravan set off in a grand procession toward the Immortal Cultivation Market.

The Immortal Cultivation Market is located at the intersection of several major cultivation sects, a bustling and vibrant place. Cultivators from all directions gather here, selling rare spiritual items or buying urgently needed materials, their shouts and haggling filling the air. As soon as the Qingyun Sect's merchant caravan entered the market, it attracted many eyes.

"Look, whose caravan is this? They're carrying so many spirit stones."

"Judging from their badges, they belong to the Qingyun Sect. I heard they recently discovered a large spirit stone mine."

The merchants' chatter reached Zhao Yu's ears. He felt secretly pleased, but his face remained impassive. He led his team to a conspicuous stall, neatly arranged the spirit stones, and instantly, a crowd gathered in front of the stall.

"Fellow Daoists, these are newly mined spirit stones from our Qingyun Sect. They are of excellent quality and in limited quantities, so buy them while you can!" Zhao Yu shouted loudly.

A cultivator in a long robe picked up a spirit stone, examined it carefully, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes: "Hmm, it is indeed a good item. How much do you sell it for?"

Zhao Yu smiled slightly and quoted a price. The cultivator frowned slightly: "The price is reasonable, but I need a large quantity. Could you make it cheaper?"

Zhao Yu was already prepared, and he calmly said, "Fellow Daoist, our spirit stones are all carefully selected, and the cost is quite high. However, seeing your sincerity, we can reduce the price by another 50% per stone. This is our bottom line."

After some haggling, the two parties finally reached a deal. The cultivator left satisfied, while business at the Qingyun Sect's stall became increasingly booming, with spirit stones being sold continuously and storage bags gradually bulging.

However, just as the caravan was basking in the joy of the trade, several pairs of eyes were coldly watching them from a corner not far away.

"Hmph, the Qingyun Sect's caravan dares to steal business from our territory!" a man with a fierce face said menacingly.

An old man beside him squinted and said in a sinister tone, "Don't rush. They're just new here and don't know the rules of this market. Let's observe first and find an opportunity to teach them a lesson."

Over here, Zhao Yu was busy negotiating with a major client. Suddenly, a group of people surrounded him, led by the man with a fierce face.

"So you're the Qingyun Sect's caravan?" the man asked arrogantly, glancing sideways at him.

Zhao Yu's heart tightened, but he maintained a smile: "Indeed, may I ask what advice you may have?"

"I wouldn't call it instruction, but you probably don't understand the rules of this market. To do business here, you have to pay protection money to our 'Black Wind Gang'." The man held out his hand, making a gesture as if counting money.

Zhao Yu's expression changed slightly: "We are new to this place and are unaware of this rule. Besides, our business is a fair transaction and does not require protection."

"Hmph, ungrateful!" The man's face darkened, and with a wave of his hand, the people behind him surrounded him, ready to fight.

Seeing this, the other people in the market quickly moved aside, fearing they would get into trouble. Zhao Yu inwardly groaned; he hadn't expected to encounter such a rogue. But he knew that as the captain of the caravan, he absolutely could not disgrace the Qingyun Sect.

"Gentlemen, our Qingyun Sect has always acted with integrity and never colluded with evil forces. If you intend to seize by force, you've miscalculated," Zhao Yu said loudly, straightening his back.

"Oh, you've got guts! Then don't blame us for being impolite!" the man said, throwing a punch at Zhao Yu.