studiobondurri Chapter 146: Central Plains identity
Chapter 146: Central Plains identity
Chapter 146: Central Plains identity
Yuan Ming’s gaze shifted from the mid-grade spirit stone in the bald man’s hand to the two black jade slabs. He paused slightly, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Young friend, is this your first time trading runes?" The thin old man asked tentatively.
"Cough, indeed, I have not ventured into this area before." Yuan Ming coughed lightly, speaking with a hint of embarrassment.
"Hehe, no worries, everyone has their first time. This is a Rune Jade Slab, specifically used to record runes. It can record the process of a rune’s initial development for future reference. You just need to gather a bit of mana at your fingertip and sketch the rune on it." The thin old man chuckled, giving Yuan Ming an encouraging look. However, he was secretly delighted, having already pegged Yuan Ming as a prodigal son secretly selling his family’s rare runes.
After all, every rare rune in existence is a product of the heavens and earth, held by ancient sects and cultivation families. They relate to the power of magical tools and treasures, and are considered heritage items. It’s rare for anyone to trade them for spirit stones. What a rare commodity indeed.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming took the black jade slab, and as the old man had instructed, he gathered mana at his fingertip and sketched the "Listening Wind" rune on one of the Rune Jade Slabs.
The originally unremarkable black jade slab lit up with a white light at Yuan Ming’s touch, extending with the movement of his finger. When his finger left, a complex rune glowing with white light was left on the slab, which then disappeared in a flash. The jade slab returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
As soon as he finished drawing, the old man snatched the slab away. With a slight infusion of mana, a white dot lit up on the slab, followed by a complex rune, which then disappeared in a flash. The entire drawing process, even the speed, was identical to what Yuan Ming had drawn.
"Wonderful, truly indescribable..." The old man was entranced, speaking while gesturing in the air, looking utterly lost in thought.
Yuan Ming found this quite intriguing, but without further hesitation, he sketched the "Phantom" rune on the other Rune Jade Slab and handed it to the old man.
"Good, good! I’m Huo Lian. You seem new here, are you a cultivator visiting the Black Rock City market for the first time?" Huo Lian fondled the two Rune Jade Slabs in his hand for a while before smiling at Yuan Ming.
"My name is Yuan Ming, and indeed, this is my first visit to Black Rock City." Yuan Ming replied.
"Nice name, it suits a refiner’s temperament. Keep working hard, your future achievements will be limitless! If you’re not in a hurry to craft a magical tool, you can come to me anytime after you’ve made up your mind." Huo Lian, having fulfilled two wishes in one day, spoke cheerfully.
"Thank you for your kind words, senior. I will take my leave now."
Yuan Ming took the six mid-grade spirit stones from the bald man and was about to leave. Halfway through, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Senior Huo Lian, you’ve never seen these two runes before, right? How can you tell if they’re real or fake? Aren’t you worried about being deceived by someone with a made-up rune?"
Huo Lian, however, was once again engrossed in the two black jade slabs in his hand, completely ignoring Yuan Ming’s question.
"You don’t need to worry about that. Runes are born from the laws of heaven and earth. Those who understand runes can sense the spiritual rhythm within them, even if they are unfamiliar. They can tell if it’s real or fake at a glance."
The bald man explained on his behalf.
"I see." Yuan Ming pondered for a moment, then bid farewell and left.
Gu Yue had been squatting on the side of the street, chewing on a piece of grass, idly watching the passersby. Seeing Yuan Ming come out of the shop, he immediately threw away the grass in his mouth and stood up to greet him.
He didn’t ask Yuan Ming what he had done in the shop, but instinctively felt that Yuan Ming was in a good mood, which was enough.
In their line of work, if the "boss" who hired them was satisfied, it naturally meant benefits for them. After all, although Yuan Ming seemed shrewd, he was also reasonable in his dealings.
At this time, there were quite a few customers in the hall, with voices of conversation and bidding everywhere, bustling with activity.
Yuan Ming glanced at the shelves, which were mostly spiritual materials. He didn’t see the pills and talismans that Gu Yue had mentioned.
"Changxian Tower has five floors, each selling different items. The first floor sells spiritual materials, while the business of pills and talismans is on the second and third floors. As for the fourth floor, it is said to be a private room specially for entertaining distinguished guests, and you must receive a special invitation to go there." Gu Yue saw Yuan Ming’s confusion and explained. When he mentioned the fourth floor, his face was full of longing.
Yuan Ming nodded and began to search among the shelves.
The spiritual materials in Changxian Tower were also arranged according to the five elements. He quickly came to the place where water attribute spiritual materials were sold. After a good search, he finally saw a semi-transparent blue stone box on the top of a shelf not far away. Inside it was a thumb-sized white cold jade, with a chilling aura. Even through the box, a hint of coldness could be felt.
"Ice Soul Stone! A genuine mid-grade spiritual material!" A hint of excitement flashed in Yuan Ming’s eyes.
Before Yuan Ming could walk over, a blue-robed attendant came over. His gaze fell on Yuan Ming, and he said with a smile, "What kind of spiritual materials do the two guests want? Our Changxian Tower has a wide range of goods, good quality and low prices, and will definitely make you feel at home."
"I want to find a few spiritual materials, preferably mid-grade or above. If there are good pills and talismans, you can also bring them to me." Yuan Ming said indifferently.
This time, Yuan Ming spoke in the Central Plains language, with a standard and fluent Great Jin accent, which surprised Gu Yue.
As an information dealer in Heiyan City, he could understand and speak a few words of Central Plains language, but he couldn’t be as fluent as Yuan Ming.
The key point was that when Yuan Ming opened his mouth to ask for things, his tone was obviously much bigger than when they first met. You should know that a single mid-grade spiritual material would cost dozens of spirit stones. Not to mention the pills, talismans were not something ordinary Qi refining cultivators could afford.
If he really bought all these things, it would cost at least a few hundred spirit stones, right?
"The distinguished guest is from the Great Jin, I apologize for any neglect. Please move to the private room on the fourth floor. I will go and invite the steward." The blue-robed attendant was already impressed by Yuan Ming’s Great Jin attire and refined manners. Hearing him speak, he became even more excited and responded enthusiastically in the Central Plains language.
Then, he called another female attendant to attend to Yuan Ming and Gu Yue, and he himself left quickly.
Yuan Ming and Gu Yue, one in front and one behind, followed the female attendant up the stairs to the fourth floor.The second and third floors were just as Gu Yue had said, places where elixirs and talismans were sold; the staircase to the fifth floor was locked by an iron door, and the green-robed attendant informed them that only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage could enter there.
The fourth floor was set up with individual rooms, each meticulously furnished and decorated, with every detail of the furniture and refreshments carefully considered, creating a very comfortable atmosphere.
After the female attendant had settled the two of them, she served two cups of light red spiritual tea and excused herself.
"Sunfire Tea? This is a spiritual tea made from Sunfire Grass that grows near volcano mouths. Drinking it can cleanse the meridians and calm the spirit. Today, I’m fortunate to enjoy this thanks to Brother Yuan." Gu Yue picked up his cup, drained it in one gulp, and his face showed a look of delight.
Yuan Ming also picked up his cup and took a small sip. A warm current flowed from his throat into his organs, then spread throughout his body.
He felt as if he was soaking in a hot bath in winter, his whole body warm and indescribably comfortable. He was also grateful for his fortuitous change of clothes. The humiliation he had felt at the Bi Luo Cave due to his Central Plains identity had completely melted away.
Being a Central Plains person really had its advantages here!