"Young Master, please come in."
Mo Tiange followed behind a female Qi Refining first-layer cultivator. Passing through layer upon layer of curtains and winding around one corridor after another, they finally arrived at a great hall.
This hall was naturally much smaller than the one from the Market Dao Gathering a few days prior, but its opulence and extravagance were truly astonishing.
The floor was paved with jade tiles, the walls were coated with gold powder, the tables and chairs in the hall were made from century-old spirit wood, and even the teapots on the tables were crafted from extraordinary fine jade. Then there were the gemstones inlaid everywhere—even though worldly jewels were of little consequence to cultivators, the cost of furnishing such a hall was absolutely not cheap. Moreover, most of these items carried spiritual energy, clearly not mere mundane objects.
This Hu Family truly lived up to being the number one family of the number one sect, so wealthy and powerful.
Mo Tiange stood at the entrance, her eyes dazzled by these furnishings—it was simply too luxurious.
"Young Master, please register your token."
A voice came from beside her. Mo Tiange turned her head to see another low-level female cultivator standing respectfully to the side. She realized her own lapse in composure, but fortunately, this female cultivator showed no trace of mockery. It seemed commonplace. Thinking about it, it made sense; most cultivators didn't care for jewelry, so such a lavish scene was indeed rare.
Mo Tiange handed over her token. The female cultivator took it, recorded the number, and handed it back, smiling at her. "Young Master, please feel free to look around. If you see something you like, just take it to the back to pay. If you have any questions, you can also ask the maidservants to explain."
Mo Tiange frowned slightly but said nothing, merely nodding before stepping into the venue.
She noticed that this female cultivator, like the one who had guided her in, did not address her as 'Fellow Daoist' but as 'Young Master,' with an extremely respectful attitude. Clearly, they were acting in the capacity of maidservants, not fellow cultivators.
Upon entering the hall, she saw many beautiful female cultivators waiting in the corners, ready to serve the guests—these must be the maidservants mentioned by the token-recording female cultivator. The Hu Family truly had grand ambitions. There were at least fifty or sixty of these female cultivators, their cultivation ranging from the lowest first layer to the fifth layer and beyond. Each surpassed the standard for beauty, their attitudes humble, gentle, and compliant. They were clearly using their charms to please the guests.
Seeing some guests strolling around with the so-called maidservants, laughing and flirting, made Mo Tiange very uncomfortable. Especially considering that the number one family of the number one sect actually used such methods to entertain guests, causing her favorable impression of this Hu Family to instantly vanish.
However, whether she had a good impression or not was unimportant. She was here to buy things, not to make friends. As long as she got what she came for, that was enough.
Looking around, this underground hall, though not as large as the Market Dao Gathering hall, was still quite spacious. At present, the hall was filled with over a hundred tables, yet it still felt roomy. These tables were densely covered with various artifacts, mostly different kinds of materials, with few spiritual tools or pills. This was normal; spiritual tools and pills were never in short supply of buyers. Only various materials that were difficult to identify or had limited uses would become surplus stock. The spiritual tools and pills displayed here were probably just the Hu Family's attempt to fill out the scene.
At this moment, there weren't many guests yet. Most were cultivators at Qi Refining eighth layer and above, with a minority being Foundation Establishment cultivators. There were no Core Formation cultivators. This made sense; although this sales fair was selling so-called top-grade items, what Core Formation and above cultivators needed were invariably heaven-and-earth treasures. How could ordinary top-grade items satisfy them?
These cultivators were each gathered around tables laden with artifacts, commenting and critiquing. Mo Tiange glanced over but found her view blocked, so she walked to the wall and asked a waiting female cultivator, "Excuse me, where are the spirit herbs?"
The maidservant, hearing her question, first bowed respectfully before looking up and saying, "I can take you there, Young Master."
"No need," Mo Tiange refused immediately. Being served like a young master by a female cultivator was something she couldn't bear. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her tone was stiff, so she added, "I'd prefer to wander slowly on my own."
The female cultivator said nothing more, merely pointing in a soft voice. "Over there."
Following the direction, Mo Tiange had already spotted her target. She nodded. "Thank you."
The female cultivator bowed again. "Please feel free. If you need anything, just call for us."
Though her attitude was good, Mo Tiange felt increasingly uncomfortable. She had long known that female cultivators generally had low cultivation levels and thus lower status, but she still couldn't accept such blatant use of female cultivators' charms to serve others. However, it was someone else's custom; what right did she have to say anything? She could only turn a blind eye.
Several tables were dedicated to spirit herbs, with quite a few guests gathered around them. Mo Tiange felt a bit anxious and headed directly for the spirit herb area, silently praying that the Purple Ganoderma hadn't been bought yet. Moreover, it needed to be over five hundred years old; otherwise, it would be an empty joy.
Spirit herbs were naturally one of the most sought-after items. At the moment, most people were circling the few tables with spirit herbs.
As Mo Tiange approached, she saw five or six people crowded around one table. One of them was commenting, "This thousand-year ginseng, though a worldly medicine, wins with its age. Over a thousand years, even a mundane herb becomes a spirit herb. Besides, ginseng has had legends of cultivating into human form since ancient times. Once it reaches over a thousand years, it's completely comparable to a spirit herb."
Another person said, "This Star Leaf Grass is also good. It's a type of spirit herb that doesn't appear easily. Some specific pill formulas require it, so even though its age isn't long, it's worth buying."
"And this 'Neither Flower Nor Leaf'—everyone knows it's a good thing. A hundred years isn't long, but it's not easy to obtain either. However, currently, only the Beauty-Preserving Pill uses this spirit herb, so its use is too limited."
Mo Tiange pretended to be interested, listening for a while. Finding a gap, she glanced at the tabletop but didn't see the Purple Ganoderma, so she moved to the next table. Repeating this process, by the seventh table, she finally spotted her target.
The Purple Ganoderma resembled a lump of purple-black stone, palm-sized, with thick leaves, lying quietly in a box.
Mo Tiange looked at the description above: "Purple Ganoderma, six hundred years, finished product. Five hundred Spirit Stones." She leaned in slightly and gently sniffed its scent—a rich, slightly sweet aroma that matched what was written in the books.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Mo Tiange steadied her emotions and unhurriedly picked up the box, then moved to other tables.
Pretending to browse, she also selected a three-hundred-year-old Dubu Grass before heading to the innermost counter.
The person standing behind this counter was finally not a female cultivator but an elderly man with graying hair and beard, wearing a neat blue gown, appearing very steady.
Mo Tiange handed over the two jade boxes in her hand. The cultivator took them, opened them, and gave her a rather surprised look. "One portion of six-hundred-year Purple Ganoderma, one portion of three-hundred-year Dubu Grass. Total: seven hundred Spirit Stones."
Without hesitation, Mo Tiange paid the Spirit Stones and took the two jade boxes, stuffing them into her Qiankun Bag.
The reason she paid so decisively was that everyone here was relatively wealthy, and seven hundred Spirit Stones for a six-hundred-year Purple Ganoderma and a three-hundred-year Dubu Grass was already considered cheap. If she had been hesitant, it would have raised suspicions about why she came to this sales fair.
Besides, the Hu Family, as the number one family of the number one sect, considered seven hundred Spirit Stones a small transaction. Her buying one or two items likely wouldn't even be remembered.
Now, with the Purple Ganoderma safely tucked in her Qiankun Bag, Mo Tiange finally let out a sigh of relief and felt in the mood to browse the sales fair properly.
Although she had gotten news of the Purple Ganoderma yesterday, she hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. She had imagined many possible scenarios, but none of them had occurred. It was truly fortunate.
No longer driven by a specific goal, Mo Tiange discovered that this sales fair indeed had many good items. Many materials she had only read about in books were laid out on the tables one by one, making her itch to buy them. However, after a moment's thought, she felt it unnecessary—items for special purposes, unless used to refine particular pills or spiritual tools, what use were they? If they couldn't be used, no matter how good they were, it would be a waste.
Occasionally, though, some lucky person would suddenly spot a material they wanted, pick it up ecstatically, and rush over to pay the Spirit Stones.
As time passed, more people gradually arrived. Though the hall was large, it felt crowded due to the many tables.
Mo Tiange selected a few more materials she might use and a large bottle of Spirit-Restoring Pills. After paying, she wanted to find a quieter spot.
But this search gave her a shock.
Jiang Chengxian!
Not far opposite, Jiang Chengxian, along with two other youths wearing Tiandao Sect disciple robes, accompanied by several female cultivators, were walking over together. The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked, seeming very happy.
Mo Tiange quickly circled around a table to avoid them, feeling puzzled.
Had Jiang Chengxian been traveling the same route as her all along? He seemed extremely familiar with these two Tiandao Sect disciples. Was he visiting friends? That also seemed unlikely; it would be strange for this young master to travel over twenty days just to visit friends. But if not visiting friends, why was he so happily together with these two, even attending the sales fair together?
She shook her head, unable to figure it out. However, this Jiang Chengxian was indeed no good. The disciple who had been traveling with him had just died a few days ago, yet here he was, carefree and enjoying himself with other friends.
Of course, she knew it was best not to let Jiang Chengxian notice her whereabouts, lest he find her face familiar and grow suspicious—though Young Master Jiang definitely wouldn't pay attention to a minor disciple like her, they were from the same sect after all, often seeing each other. Recognizing a familiar face would be perfectly normal.
Thus, Mo Tiange kept her head down and slowly made her way through the crowd toward the entrance. Just as she was about to step out, someone stopped her.
"Young Master, my apologies. You can only leave after the sales fair ends."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. "There's such a rule?"
The female cultivator guarding the door nodded. "Yes. Please wait another hour before leaving. At that time..."
"An hour?" She really didn't dare take the risk. But on the Hu Family's turf, she definitely couldn't have her way.
The female cultivator, observing her expression and seeing her reluctance, smiled. "Young Master, even if I let you out, there are Foundation Establishment cultivators from our family guarding the outer entrance, so..."
There was no need to even think about leaving. She sighed. "This... what if I don't want to look anymore?"
The woman still smiled. "Then please wait a little while." With that, she waved, and another beautiful female cultivator came over and bowed.
The door guard said, "Take this young master to rest for a bit."
The female cultivator acknowledged the order and turned to Mo Tiange. "This... Young Master, please follow me."