Chapter 3825 — Seeds Sprout
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
For one thing, the outer street was crowded and full of prying eyes, and it was difficult to find all the materials in a single shop. That meant spending considerable time searching for what he needed, making it easy for someone with ulterior motives to notice him and greatly increasing the chances of running into Yu Jiang.
For another, the medicinal materials available on the outer street were generally of poor quality. Last time, Wei Zhao had possessed only that handful of spirit jades and therefore had no choice but to make do. Fortunately, the single stalk of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass he had obtained through great hardship in the rear mountains had been of exceptional quality, so the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill had not suffered as a result.
This time, however, even with the jade pendant's space replenishing their vital essence, the two stalks of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass that grew from these innately deficient seeds would certainly not compare with the one he had obtained last time.
Thus, if Wei Zhao wanted to ensure a high success rate when refining the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill, he would have to put extra effort into the other spirit herb materials.
In view of these two considerations, the inner street of the marketplace was clearly better suited to Wei Zhao's needs than the noisy outer and middle streets. There was just one problem: not everyone could enter the inner street at will. Whether in terms of strength or status, Wei Zhao was still far from meeting its threshold, and today was not the one day each month when the inner street opened to the public.
Nevertheless, Wei Zhao ultimately managed to slip into the inner street as he had hoped, and he had Hong Zhong, the shopkeeper of the Hong Clan Merchant Association, to thank for it. The last time, Hong Zhong had given Wei Zhao a spirit jade card from the Cloudstep Island Merchant Alliance. With that card to clear the way, the inner-street guards merely gave Wei Zhao a slightly astonished look before letting him pass.
Just as Hong Zhong had said, a spirit jade card of this kind was not something just anyone could obtain. Across the whole of Cloudstep Island, only the tiny handful of people whose identities and standing had been recognized by the Merchant Alliance received such treatment. It was far more useful than identity badges such as those belonging to inner disciples of the Three-Storied Pavilion.
It was no exaggeration to say that in the inner street, a place where the vast majority of the Three-Storied Pavilion's inner disciples had no right to enter, merely displaying a spirit jade card would get even a dog admitted without hesitation. For even if it were a dog, it would still be a dog carrying a spirit jade card. No one had any reason to stop it, much less the standing to do so.
Since it was not the day the inner street opened to the public, the scene Wei Zhao encountered this time was far quieter than on his previous two visits. Calling it deserted would not have been an exaggeration.
Even so, the merchants there did not care in the least. To establish a presence in the inner street, even as the most inconspicuous of businesses, meant that a formidable power stood behind it. Their purpose in appearing there was not necessarily to compete with giants like the Hong Clan Merchant Association for profit. More importantly, they wanted to announce their existence. Even if they could not earn much in spirit jades, they still had to establish a name for themselves in this exclusive district of the upper echelons, lest they be overlooked entirely.
Once inside the inner street, Wei Zhao headed straight for the Hong Clan Merchant Association. Hong Zhong had left a favorable impression on him the last time. Although he had no intention of buying any precious treasures today, his instincts told him that maintaining occasional contact with a seasoned and astute merchant like Hong Zhong could do him no harm.