wàn xiān dǎo ， líng wù cǎo jià gé rú cǐ fǎn cháng de bō dòng ， zǎo jiù nào dé fèi fèi yáng yáng le 。
万仙岛，灵雾草价格如此反常的波动，早就闹得沸沸扬扬了。
On the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, the unusual fluctuations in the price of Spirit Fog Grass had long been a topic of heated discussion.
lǐ fán shāo yī dǎ tīng ， biàn míng bái liǎo shì qíng de yuán wěi 。
李凡稍一打听，便明白了事情的原委。
Li Fan learned about the situation after a brief inquiry. As expected, someone had set up a trap to severely exploit cultivators like He Zhenghao who sought to profit from this opportunity.
bù chū suǒ liào ， yǒu rén bù le yí gè jú ， jiāng shì hé zhèng hào zhè bān ， xiǎng yào jiè jī móu lì de xiū shì hěn hěn shōu gē le yī fān 。
不出所料，有人布了一个局，将似何正浩这般，想要借机牟利的修士狠狠收割了一番。
The destruction of the island where Spirit Fog Grass was cultivated was indeed true. After the news was confirmed, many people rushed in to make a quick buck. However, they didn't know that recently, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had discovered a sealed-off cave heaven that was over a thousand years old.
zhòng zhí líng wù cǎo dǎo yǔ bèi huǐ de shì qíng shì zhēn de ， suǒ yǐ xiāo xī dé dào zhèng shí hòu ， xǔ duō rén guǒ duàn jìn chǎng ， xiǎng yào zhuàn shàng yī bǐ 。
种植灵雾草岛屿被毁的事情是真的，所以消息得到证实后，许多人果断进场，想要赚上一笔。
It was said that the interior of this cave heaven was rich with Wood-type Spirit Qi and was filled with various rare Spirit Plants. The Spirit Fog Grass was so abundant that it could be stepped on to crush several plants at once. This information had only been known by the high-ranking officials of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance until the market frenzy over the Spirit Fog Grass revealed the news.
kě tā men bù zhī dào de shì ， wàn xiān méng jìn rì xīn fā xiàn le yí gè fēng bì qiān nián de dòng tiān 。
可他们不知道的是，万仙盟近日新发现了一个封闭千年的洞天。
No wonder the price of Spirit Fog Grass plummeted dramatically afterward.
jù shuō lǐ miàn mù shǔ xìng líng qì chōng pèi ， zhǎng mǎn le gè zhǒng zhēn xī líng zhí 。
据说里面木属性灵气充沛，长满了各种珍稀灵植。
"Looks like my friend He has no chance of making back his losses," Li Fan said with a sigh. "But, this big shot doesn't seem to be very honorable."
líng wù cǎo zhè dōng xī ， gèng shì mǎn dì dōu shì 。
灵雾草这东西，更是满地都是。
Li Fan checked the transaction records in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
yī jiǎo xià qù dōu néng cǎi sǐ hǎo jǐ zhū 。
一脚下去都能踩死好几株。
It was Qing Mu Hua Sheng True Monarch who had first pushed up the price of Spirit Fog Grass and then delivered the final blow during the negotiations, driving down the prices significantly. Clearly, this was someone with insider knowledge.
zhī qián yì zhí zhǐ yǒu wàn xiān méng de gāo céng cái zhī dào cǐ shì 。
之前一直只有万仙盟的高层才知道此事。
Li Fan inwardly chuckled at the thought.
ér zhí dào shì chǎng zhōng rén wéi le líng wù cǎo shā de tóu pò xuè liú ， cái jiāng xiāo xī tū rán fàng chū 。
而直到市场中人为了灵雾草杀的头破血流，才将消息突然放出。
However, given that it was a Foundation Establishment True Monarch, those who suffered losses likely wouldn't dare to seek trouble from him. They could only swallow their losses and accept their bad luck.
nán guài hòu lái líng wù cǎo de jià gé hū rán jiān yī luò qiān zhàng 。
难怪后来灵雾草的价格忽然间一落千丈。
Even Li Fan couldn't help speculating that the island where Spirit Fog Grass had been cultivated might have been destroyed by this Foundation Establishment True Monarch in secret.
“ kàn lái hé dào yǒu xiǎng yào huí běn shì bù kě néng de le 。” lǐ fán xiào zhe wǎn xī dào 。
“看来何道友想要回本是不可能的了。”李凡笑着惋惜道。
"The market is truly treacherous," Li Fan shook his head.
“ bù guò ， zhè wèi dà lǎo zuò shì kě bù tài hòu dào a 。”
“不过，这位大佬做事可不太厚道啊。”
Just as he was enjoying his moment of schadenfreude, He Zhenghao's message arrived.
lǐ fán chá kàn zhe tiān xuán jìng zhōng de jiāo yì jì lù 。
李凡查看着天玄镜中的交易记录。
"Friend, I've sold all the supplies obtained from the Beyond Realm," He Zhenghao's voice sounded weak and drained. "I have earned a total of 2342 points in contribution. According to our agreement, we each get half."
qīng mù huà shēng zhēn jūn 。
青木化生真君。
Although He Zhenghao had suffered significant losses during this investment, he hadn't taken any of Li Fan’s due share.
zhèng shì cǐ rén ， shuài xiān jiāng líng wù cǎo de jià gé lā gāo 。 ér hòu yòu shì zài duō kōng shuāng fāng bó yì shí ， gěi le zuì hòu de zhì mìng yī jī ， hěn hěn jiāng líng wù cǎo jià gé zá xià qù 。
正是此人，率先将灵雾草的价格拉高。而后又是在多空双方博弈时，给了最后的致命一击，狠狠将灵雾草价格砸下去。
With the 1171 points from He Zhenghao and the remaining 125 points, Li Fan's total contribution now stood at 1296 points, enough to last for a while.
míng xiǎn shì zǎo yǐ zhī dào xiāo xī de nèi mù gǒu a 。
明显是早已知道消息的内幕狗啊。
After some thought, instead of immediately closing himself off in meditation, Li Fan searched for Jiao Xiuyuan’s information. This person was known to have obtained a large number of Concealment Talismans from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Talisman Hall and seemed well-connected. Li Fan wanted to buy some Spirit Talismans and see if he could gather any information about Si Kong Yi.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng àn zì tǔ cáo 。
李凡心中暗自吐槽。
The Ten Thousand Immortals Island was roughly divided into three main areas: the inner core, which housed official buildings of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance such as the Council Hall, Martial Arts Hall, Medicine Hall, and Talisman Hall; the middle area with various cultivated caves that could be purchased for a sufficient amount of contribution points; and the outermost region, a mix of commercial and residential zones.
bù guò ， yuán yīng zhēn jūn chū shǒu ， kǒng pà nà xiē chī le kuī de rén yě méi yǒu dǎn liàng gǎn qù zhǎo tā má fán 。
不过，元婴真君出手，恐怕那些吃了亏的人也没有胆量敢去找他麻烦。
The Transmission Square was located at the boundary between the central cave areas and the commercial zone. The residences here provided only basic accommodation without Spirit Qi amplification or connection to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. For cultivation, one still needed to return to the space within the mirror.
zhǐ néng dǎ luò yá chǐ hé xuè tūn ， zì rèn dǎo méi le 。
只能打落牙齿和血吞，自认倒霉了。
Jiao Xiuyuan had set up a shop in this area.
shèn zhì lǐ fán bù jīn è yì chuǎi cè ， nà ge zhòng zhí líng wù cǎo de dǎo yǔ ， dōu yǒu kě néng shì zhè wèi yuán yīng zhēn jūn àn zhōng huǐ qù de 。
甚至李凡不禁恶意揣测，那个种植灵雾草的岛屿，都有可能是这位元婴真君暗中毁去的。
Following the information he found in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror, Li Fan arrived at the correct location: Qianli Hall.
“ shì chǎng zhēn shì xiǎn è a 。” lǐ fán yáo le yáo tóu 。
“市场真是险恶啊。”李凡摇了摇头。
Looking at the slightly crooked signboard, Li Fan stepped inside. The shop was small and cluttered with miscellaneous items; a man's voice could be faintly heard.
jiù zài lǐ fán xìng zāi lè huò de shí hòu ， hé zhèng hào de xùn xī chuán lái le 。
就在李凡幸灾乐祸的时候，何正浩的讯息传来了。
"Listen up, these ten Concealment Talismans will definitely be sold at the agreed price. I don't care what the current market value is..."
“ dào yǒu ， cǐ cì qián wǎng lí jiè suǒ qǔ de wù zī wǒ yǐ quán bù fàn mài le 。” fǎng fú bèi tāo kōng le shēn zi yì bān ， hé zhèng hào de shēng yīn biàn dé yǒu qì wú lì 。
“道友，此次前往离界所取的物资我已全部贩卖了。”仿佛被掏空了身子一般，何正浩的声音变得有气无力。
"What? You're canceling the transaction? Even your deposit isn't worth keeping!"
“ gòng huò dé 2342 diǎn gòng xiàn dù 。 àn zhào shì xiān yuē dìng hǎo de ， nǐ wǒ yī rén yí bàn 。”
“共获得2342点贡献度。按照事先约定好的，你我一人一半。”
Bang!
suī rán hé zhèng hào zài cǐ cì de tóu zī xíng dòng zhōng kě wèi shì sǔn shī cǎn zhòng ， dàn dào yě méi yǒu tān wū diào lǐ fán yīng dé de bào chóu 。
虽然何正浩在此次的投资行动中可谓是损失惨重，但倒也没有贪污掉李凡应得的报酬。
"Damn! Another one! Do you think Jiao Xiuyuan is easy to bully?" A man with a scruffy face and dark skin slammed his fist on the table, angrily shouting.
shōu dào le hé zhèng hào gěi de 1171 diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， jiā shàng zhī qián shèng xià de 125 diǎn ， lǐ fán mù qián de gòng xiàn dù lái dào le 1296 diǎn ， miǎn qiǎng gòu yòng yī zhèn shí jiān le 。
收到了何正浩给的1171点贡献度，加上之前剩下的125点，李凡目前的贡献度来到了1296点，勉强够用一阵时间了。
But he quickly slumped in disappointment. "This is it, I Jiao Xiuyuan never do business that loses money... but now, I've lost so many Concealment Talismans..."
xiǎng le xiǎng ， lǐ fán méi yǒu xuǎn zé lì mǎ bì guān ， ér shì sōu suǒ le yī fān jiāo xiū yuǎn de xìn xī 。
想了想，李凡没有选择立马闭关，而是搜索了一番焦修远的信息。
At this moment, he noticed a customer had arrived. But he couldn't see their face; they must have used a Concealment Talisman.
zhī qián tīng shuō cǐ rén néng cóng wàn xiān méng fú táng zhōng huò dé dà pī de cáng xíng fú ， xiǎn rán tǐng yǒu mén lù 。 zhèng hǎo shùn zhe mǎi diǎn líng fú de jī huì ， kàn kàn néng bù néng cóng tā nà lǐ dǎ tīng dào yǒu guān sī kōng yí de xìn xī 。
之前听说此人能从万仙盟符堂中获得大批的藏形符，显然挺有门路。正好顺着买点灵符的机会，看看能不能从他那里打听到有关司空宜的信息。
Jiao Xiuyuan paid no mind to such people.
wàn xiān dǎo cóng nèi dào wài ， zhěng tǐ dà zhì fēn wéi sān dà bù fèn 。
万仙岛从内到外，整体大致分为三大部分。
"What can I get for you? Array Talismans, magical artifacts, medicinal pills—everything is available here!" He lazily greeted.
zuì lǐ miàn de hé xīn qū yù ， zuò luò zhe wàn xiān méng guān fāng de jiàn zhù 。
最里面的核心区域，坐落着万仙盟官方的建筑。
"How much do you sell Concealment Talismans for?" the other asked.
zhū rú yì shì tīng 、 yǎn wǔ táng 、 yào táng 、 fú táng děng 。
诸如议事厅、演武堂、药堂、符堂等。
Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes lit up. "Ten points of contribution per talisman. How many do you want? If it’s more than ten, I’ll give you an 80% discount; if over a hundred, a 50% discount!"
zhōng jiān qū yù zé shì yí gè gè kāi pì de dòng fǔ ， ruò shì yǒu zú gòu duō de gòng xiàn dù ， biàn kě yǐ zài cǐ mǎi shàng yī zuò 。
中间区域则是一个个开辟的洞府，若是有足够多的贡献度，便可以在此买上一座。
Li Fan smiled. "I don’t need so many, just six will suffice."
bù yòng zài wō jū zài tiān xuán jìng fēn pèi de xiá xiǎo kōng jiān zhōng 。
不用再蜗居在天玄镜分配的狭小空间中。
Pausing for a moment, he added, "And your price is wrong. Before coming here, I bought one in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. A Concealment Talisman that can shield Jin Dan cultivators from viewing costs only 20 points now. Why are you selling these substandard ones so expensively?"
dòng fǔ zhōng xiāng yìng shè zhì yī yīng jù quán ， tiān xuán jìng kōng jiān zhōng néng zuò dào de ， dòng fǔ zhōng dū néng zuò dào 。
洞府中相应设置一应俱全，天玄镜空间中能做到的，洞府中都能做到。
Jiao Xiuyuan's face twitched as he quickly changed his price. "Eight points per talisman, no lower. You must understand the cost of making them!"
ér zuì wài wéi ， zé shì hùn hé zhe shāng yè qū hé zhù zhái qū 。
而最外围，则是混合着商业区和住宅区。
"Fine, give me six," Li Fan didn't haggle further.
chuán fǎ guǎng chǎng 、 tiān xuán jìng yě zài cǐ chù hé zhōng yāng dòng fǔ qū yù de jiāo jiè chù 。
传法广场、天玄镜也在此处和中央洞府区域的交界处。
To avoid exposing himself, Jiao Xiuyuan hurriedly took out six Concealment Talismans.
zhè lǐ de jū suǒ ， zhǐ néng tí gōng zuì jī chǔ de luò jiǎo gōng néng 。 méi yǒu líng qì zēng fú ， wú fǎ lián jiē tiān xuán jìng 。 xiǎng yào xiū liàn ， hái shì yào huí dào tiān xuán jìng kōng jiān zhōng 。
这里的居所，只能提供最基础的落脚功能。没有灵气增幅，无法连接天玄镜。想要修炼，还是要回到天玄镜空间中。
"How will you make the transaction?"
zhì yú shāng yè qū ， zé shì yī xiē dú lì yú tiān xuán jìng jiāo yì xì tǒng zhī wài de ， yóu gè gè xiū shì zì jǐ kāi bàn de shāng pù 。
至于商业区，则是一些独立于天玄镜交易系统之外的，由各个修士自己开办的商铺。
The Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror did not support anonymous transactions. Direct contribution point exchanges would reveal identities. However, Li Fan had prepared for this beforehand.
zhè xiē shāng pù zhōng shāng pǐn de jià gé wǎng wǎng bǐ tiān xuán jìng zhōng de yào dī ， dàn tóng yàng zhì liàng yě méi yǒu shén me bǎo zhèng 。
这些商铺中商品的价格往往比天玄镜中的要低，但同样质量也没有什么保证。
"Spirit Stones," he said and handed over five middle-grade Spirit Stones from his storage ring.
jiāo xiū yuǎn jiù zài zhè lǐ kāi le yī jiān pù zi 。
焦修远就在这里开了一间铺子。
Standardized Spirit Stones were produced by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in collaboration with the Five Elders Association, divided into different grades equivalent to the legal currency of the cultivation world. They had unique anti-counterfeiting restrictions. The exchange ratio between top-grade, upper-grade, middle-grade, and lower-grade Spirit Stones was 10:1.
àn zhào tiān xuán jìng zhōng sōu suǒ dé lái de xìn xī ， lǐ fán lái dào le xiāng yìng de wèi zhì 。
按照天玄镜中搜索得来的信息，李凡来到了相应的位置。
In the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, one lower-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for one point in contribution within the mirror. Therefore, Li Fan's five middle-grade Spirit Stones were worth 50 points of contribution.
qiān lǐ táng 。
千里堂。
"Keep any extra."
tái tóu kàn le yǎn yǒu xiē wāi de pái biǎn ， lǐ fán zǒu le jìn qù 。
抬头看了眼有些歪的牌匾，李凡走了进去。
After receiving the Concealment Talismans, Li Fan naturally asked, "Do you take on business to gather information about cultivators?"
pù zi bù dà ， dì shàng dào chù duī mǎn le zá wù ， yí gè nán rén de shēng yīn yǐn yǐn chuán lái 。
铺子不大，地上到处堆满了杂物，一个男人的声音隐隐传来。
Jiao Xiuyuan immediately became alert.
“ wǒ gēn nǐ jiǎng ， zhè shí méi cáng xíng fú ， kěn dìng shì àn zhào zhī qián wǒ men shuō hǎo de jià gé lái jiāo yì 。 wǒ bù guǎn xiàn zài jià gé diē chéng shén me yàng le ……”
“我跟你讲，这十枚藏形符，肯定是按照之前我们说好的价格来交易。我不管现在价格跌成什么样了……”
He sized up Li Fan and after much thought, gritted his teeth. "Sure, why not? I’m already losing money hand over fist; if I don’t do some private work, my life is unsustainable!"
“ shén me ？ nǐ qǔ xiāo jiāo yì ？ lián dìng jīn dōu bú yào le ！”
“什么？你取消交易？连定金都不要了！”
"What's your name, what’s your cultivation stage?" Jiao Xiuyuan whispered.
pēng ！
砰！
"Si Kong Yi, middle-stage Qi Condensation," Li Fan replied.
On the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, the unusual fluctuations in the price of Spirit Fog Grass had long been a topic of heated discussion.
Li Fan learned about the situation after a brief inquiry. As expected, someone had set up a trap to severely exploit cultivators like He Zhenghao who sought to profit from this opportunity.
The destruction of the island where Spirit Fog Grass was cultivated was indeed true. After the news was confirmed, many people rushed in to make a quick buck. However, they didn't know that recently, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had discovered a sealed-off cave heaven that was over a thousand years old.
It was said that the interior of this cave heaven was rich with Wood-type Spirit Qi and was filled with various rare Spirit Plants. The Spirit Fog Grass was so abundant that it could be stepped on to crush several plants at once. This information had only been known by the high-ranking officials of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance until the market frenzy over the Spirit Fog Grass revealed the news.
No wonder the price of Spirit Fog Grass plummeted dramatically afterward.
"Looks like my friend He has no chance of making back his losses," Li Fan said with a sigh. "But, this big shot doesn't seem to be very honorable."
Li Fan checked the transaction records in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
It was Qing Mu Hua Sheng True Monarch who had first pushed up the price of Spirit Fog Grass and then delivered the final blow during the negotiations, driving down the prices significantly. Clearly, this was someone with insider knowledge.
Li Fan inwardly chuckled at the thought.
However, given that it was a Foundation Establishment True Monarch, those who suffered losses likely wouldn't dare to seek trouble from him. They could only swallow their losses and accept their bad luck.
Even Li Fan couldn't help speculating that the island where Spirit Fog Grass had been cultivated might have been destroyed by this Foundation Establishment True Monarch in secret.
"The market is truly treacherous," Li Fan shook his head.
Just as he was enjoying his moment of schadenfreude, He Zhenghao's message arrived.
"Friend, I've sold all the supplies obtained from the Beyond Realm," He Zhenghao's voice sounded weak and drained. "I have earned a total of 2342 points in contribution. According to our agreement, we each get half."
Although He Zhenghao had suffered significant losses during this investment, he hadn't taken any of Li Fan’s due share.
With the 1171 points from He Zhenghao and the remaining 125 points, Li Fan's total contribution now stood at 1296 points, enough to last for a while.
After some thought, instead of immediately closing himself off in meditation, Li Fan searched for Jiao Xiuyuan’s information. This person was known to have obtained a large number of Concealment Talismans from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Talisman Hall and seemed well-connected. Li Fan wanted to buy some Spirit Talismans and see if he could gather any information about Si Kong Yi.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Island was roughly divided into three main areas: the inner core, which housed official buildings of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance such as the Council Hall, Martial Arts Hall, Medicine Hall, and Talisman Hall; the middle area with various cultivated caves that could be purchased for a sufficient amount of contribution points; and the outermost region, a mix of commercial and residential zones.
The Transmission Square was located at the boundary between the central cave areas and the commercial zone. The residences here provided only basic accommodation without Spirit Qi amplification or connection to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. For cultivation, one still needed to return to the space within the mirror.
Jiao Xiuyuan had set up a shop in this area.
Following the information he found in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror, Li Fan arrived at the correct location: Qianli Hall.
Looking at the slightly crooked signboard, Li Fan stepped inside. The shop was small and cluttered with miscellaneous items; a man's voice could be faintly heard.
"Listen up, these ten Concealment Talismans will definitely be sold at the agreed price. I don't care what the current market value is..."
"What? You're canceling the transaction? Even your deposit isn't worth keeping!"
Bang!
"Damn! Another one! Do you think Jiao Xiuyuan is easy to bully?" A man with a scruffy face and dark skin slammed his fist on the table, angrily shouting.
But he quickly slumped in disappointment. "This is it, I Jiao Xiuyuan never do business that loses money... but now, I've lost so many Concealment Talismans..."
At this moment, he noticed a customer had arrived. But he couldn't see their face; they must have used a Concealment Talisman.
Jiao Xiuyuan paid no mind to such people.
"What can I get for you? Array Talismans, magical artifacts, medicinal pills—everything is available here!" He lazily greeted.
"How much do you sell Concealment Talismans for?" the other asked.
Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes lit up. "Ten points of contribution per talisman. How many do you want? If it’s more than ten, I’ll give you an 80% discount; if over a hundred, a 50% discount!"
Li Fan smiled. "I don’t need so many, just six will suffice."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "And your price is wrong. Before coming here, I bought one in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. A Concealment Talisman that can shield Jin Dan cultivators from viewing costs only 20 points now. Why are you selling these substandard ones so expensively?"
Jiao Xiuyuan's face twitched as he quickly changed his price. "Eight points per talisman, no lower. You must understand the cost of making them!"
"Fine, give me six," Li Fan didn't haggle further.
To avoid exposing himself, Jiao Xiuyuan hurriedly took out six Concealment Talismans.
"How will you make the transaction?"
The Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror did not support anonymous transactions. Direct contribution point exchanges would reveal identities. However, Li Fan had prepared for this beforehand.
"Spirit Stones," he said and handed over five middle-grade Spirit Stones from his storage ring.
Standardized Spirit Stones were produced by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in collaboration with the Five Elders Association, divided into different grades equivalent to the legal currency of the cultivation world. They had unique anti-counterfeiting restrictions. The exchange ratio between top-grade, upper-grade, middle-grade, and lower-grade Spirit Stones was 10:1.
In the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, one lower-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for one point in contribution within the mirror. Therefore, Li Fan's five middle-grade Spirit Stones were worth 50 points of contribution.
"Keep any extra."
After receiving the Concealment Talismans, Li Fan naturally asked, "Do you take on business to gather information about cultivators?"
Jiao Xiuyuan immediately became alert.
He sized up Li Fan and after much thought, gritted his teeth. "Sure, why not? I’m already losing money hand over fist; if I don’t do some private work, my life is unsustainable!"
"What's your name, what’s your cultivation stage?" Jiao Xiuyuan whispered.
"Si Kong Yi, middle-stage Qi Condensation," Li Fan replied.