The Cheap Ghost Head Shield

"Oh? You want a Middle Grade Magical Artifact?"

The woman's bedroom eyes sized Song Wen up. He looked like an utterly ordinary, heavily concealed Corpse Demon Sect disciple; apart from appearing cautious and careful, there was nothing remarkable about him.

However, it was truly bizarre that such an ordinary outer sect disciple could resist her charms.

A trace of curiosity stirred in her heart.

She pointed toward a nearby counter. "This way for Middle Grade Magical Artifacts. Allow me to introduce them to you one by one, Senior..."

"How many Spirit Stones for this small shield?"

After her brief introduction, Song Wen pointed to a shield about an inch in size.

The shield was pitch-black, its front carved with a ghostly visage. The visage was so lifelike and exquisite that it looked as if a terrifying specter were crouched upon the surface, ready to break free at any moment to tear into someone's flesh.

The woman smiled radiantly, exuding a breathtaking allure.

"Senior has an excellent eye. This Ghost Head Shield is forged from Nether Spring Stone and over ten types of precious materials, making it utterly indestructible. Furthermore, a fifth-layer Qi Condensation ghost is sealed within, allowing you to command it in battle. It truly integrates both offense and defense. The price is two hundred Spirit Stones."

Hearing her quote, Song Wen was somewhat surprised. Not because it was expensive, but because it felt cheap.

Generally speaking, Middle Grade Magical Artifacts sold for two to three hundred Spirit Stones. Defensive types were typically more expensive, often fetching over three hundred.

Given that this small shield also held a sealed ghost, the price should have been even higher.

Though astonished by the low price, Song Wen did not voice his doubts. He only wanted to conclude the transaction as quickly as possible and leave the shop without provoking her.

"One hundred and fifty Spirit Stones." Cheap or not, he still had to haggle.

"Senior, our shop operates on razor-thin margins. We do not bargain," the woman replied.

"One hundred and sixty Spirit Stones," Song Wen pressed.

After a bit of back-and-forth, Song Wen bought the Ghost Head Shield for one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones.

Storing the artifact away, he didn't waste another second. He left the shop immediately, vanishing into the bustling crowd in the blink of an eye.

"Xiao He, get out here!"

The woman's seductive expression instantly vanished, replaced by a stern shout directed toward the backyard.

A moment later, a young girl of about sixteen stepped out.

"Young Miss, you called?"

Her mistress said coldly, "Didn't I tell you? When I'm using the customers to practice my charm techniques, no one is allowed to disturb me. Why did you repeatedly send me voice transmissions just now?"

Xiao He opened her mouth to explain, but before she could speak, her mistress grumbled on.

"Today is truly vexing. I never expected a mere third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator could resist this Young Lady's charms."

Her tone carried a heavy weight of resentment, as if Song Wen were some scumbag who had wooed her only to abandon her.

Knowing her mistress's temperament well, Xiao He knew she was venting. To prevent the anger from being redirected at herself, she quickly chimed in.

"That man just now was probably impotent, or perhaps he prefers the company of men. Otherwise, how could he possibly resist your charms, Young Miss?"

The Young Miss shot her a sidelong glance.

"Do not speak nonsense. That man either possesses a rare artifact that counters mental attacks, or he has cultivated a technique that strengthens the soul or stabilizes the Sea of Consciousness."

Xiao He's eyes lit up.

An artifact that counters mental attacks! Or a soul-strengthening cultivation technique!

Both were incredibly rare and precious treasures in the cultivation world.

Xiao He made a swift throat-slitting motion and lowered her voice. "Young Miss, should we... ?"

Song Wen had only displayed the strength of the third layer of Qi Condensation. Ambushing and killing him would be effortless, and greed was swelling in Xiao He's heart.

However, the Young Miss shook her head. "Fighting is strictly forbidden within the marketplace. Moreover, the corpse qi on him is dense; he must be a disciple of the Corpse Demon Sect. Once he leaves the marketplace, he will likely head straight back to his sect. We won't have an opportunity to strike."

After a brief silence, the Young Miss remembered something and turned back to Xiao He.

"Right, you still haven't explained why you kept sending me voice transmissions."

When Song Wen was still in the shop, Xiao He had tried to contact her multiple times, but each attempt had been forcefully cut off by her mistress.

Xiao He sighed. "Young Miss, I was trying to tell you that you sold the Ghost Head Shield far too cheap! Its cost alone was two hundred Spirit Stones, and its retail price was set at four hundred!"

"Ah! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

The Young Miss rushed out of the shop, scanning the street frantically for Song Wen.

But where was he to be found? He had long since vanished without a trace.

"It's over, we lost money on this transaction again," the Young Miss lamented to herself.

"Young Miss, why don't we change locations to practice your charms? If we keep this up, our family savings will be completely bled dry."

As it turned out, the two were merely employees managing the shop's sales.

They had originally assumed that by leveraging the Young Miss's charm techniques, they could leave male cultivators completely infatuated and willing to pay exorbitant premiums for the artifacts, all while honing her skills-killing two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, the Young Miss had a terrible memory for numbers, consistently misremembering the prices and selling everything at a loss.

In just three days, they had already lost several hundred Spirit Stones.

"Then where else can I practice my charms?" the Young Miss asked.

"The brothel!"

The Young Miss knit her brows slightly, falling into deep thought. "The brothel? But I'm not ready yet."

"Oh, Young Miss! As women, we're bound to be pinned down by men sooner or later. What difference does it make if it's one man or ten thousand men?"

Song Wen slipped into a cultivator tavern. In the rear hall, he shed his disguise, drank two cups of spirit wine, and ensured no one was tailing him before finally stepping back out onto the street.

Next, he began wandering among the various street stalls.

Although the items on these stalls were mostly garbage, one could occasionally stumble upon something peculiar.

He was about to head out on a sect mission, so it was best to secure as many hidden contingencies as possible.

After a full circuit, however, Song Wen realized he had overthought things.

While rare items did occasionally appear on the street, the probability of him casually stumbling into one was far too low.

"Senior Brother Xu, do you happen to have anything of immense destructive power here?"

Failing to find anything of interest at the ordinary stalls, Song Wen spotted a familiar vendor and decided to ask directly.

This Senior Brother Xu was a late-stage Qi Condensation outer sect disciple who spent his days mingling with rogue cultivators. His experience and worldly knowledge were far broader than those of a disciple like Song Wen, who spent all his time cooped up inside the sect.

Song Wen had purchased corpse qi from him a few times before, and over time, the two had developed a nodding acquaintance.

Senior Brother Xu looked up, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, it's Junior Brother Jiyin. When you say immense destructive power, exactly what level of lethality are we talking about?"

"Something capable of threatening late-stage or even peak Qi Condensation cultivators at the very least," Song Wen said.

"I do happen to have something that fits your requirements, but... "

Senior Brother Xu hesitated, his tone ambiguous. After pondering for a long moment, he continued, "You'd better just take a look for yourself."

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