34 – At The Market, The Second Cultivator

“This is the market?”

Lu Qing looked at the bustling scene ahead with some surprise.

This market was even more lively than he had imagined.

The stalls on both sides were all orderly, looking entirely like the markets he had seen in small towns from his previous life.

“Yes, this is the market,” Wang Da’an nodded, pointing ahead, “Do you see those stalls? Those are rented long-term. Only those who have a steady business will rent there.”

Lu Qing looked and saw that the stalls Wang Da’an pointed to were mostly selling meat, cloth, or grain.

Wang Da’an continued, “A bit further back, there’s an open space where you don’t need to rent, but if you want to sell there, you have to pay a stall fee of one copper coin.”

“Ah Qing, if you want to sell fish, you don’t need to rent a stall. Just go to the open space over there.”

“Who do we pay the fee to?” Lu Qing asked.

“Master Ma,” Wang Da’an pointed to a spot, “Do you see that man in the blue cloth? That’s Master Ma, the one in charge of collecting temporary stall fees.”

Lu Qing followed his gaze and saw a middle-aged man dressed in blue, with a slight build, strolling through the market with a smile.

He also noticed a few other men in similar clothing patrolling to maintain order.

As if sensing their gaze, Master Ma suddenly turned his head, his eyes sharp.

Seeing that it was two young farm boys in worn-out clothes, his expression relaxed, and he nonchalantly moved his eyes away, continuing his stroll.

Lu Qing’s heart tightened.

To be able to sense their gaze from such a distance, this Master Ma was probably no ordinary person.

He no longer dared to stare directly at the man, only observing him from the corner of his eye.

Soon, he saw a strong white glow emanate from Master Ma.

【Ma Gu: Deep thinker, fair in conduct, sharp-eyed, greatly respected by the people of the market.】

【Cultivation: Physically strong, newly entered the Acquired Tendon and Bone Stage.】

Receiving this information, Lu Qing’s face remained unchanged, but his heart was stirred.

A cultivator… This Master Ma was a cultivator! No wonder his senses were so keen, he was indeed an extraordinary person.

This was the second cultivator Lu Qing had encountered since coming to this world.

The first was naturally Old Doctor Chen.

However, despite both being cultivators, Lu Qing sensed a difference.

Firstly, the glow of Ma Gu’s ability was still white, whereas Old Doctor Chen’s was red.

Obviously, in terms of cultivation, Old Doctor Chen was more profound than Ma Gu.

Was the difference in their stages?

Lu Qing noted, according to the evaluation given by the ability, Ma Gu’s cultivation was at the initial stage of the Acquired Tendon and Bone Stage.

And Old Doctor Chen’s was at the Acquired Inner Organ Stage.

Does this mean the Inner Organ Stage is stronger than the Tendon and Bone Stage?

Are there other stages between these two?

Lu Qing’s thoughts turned, slowly pondering.

“So, Ah Qing, we’ve seen the market, do you want to buy something? What do you want to buy?”

At this moment, Wang Da’an interrupted Lu Qing’s thoughts.

Lu Qing put away his thoughts, smiled, “I have quite a few things to buy, I might need your help, Da’an.”

“You need to buy a lot of things, Ah Qing, are you rich now?” Wang Da’an’s eyes widened.

Lu Qing smiled without answering.

Wang Da’an also realized it was not appropriate to discuss this here.

He didn’t ask further, patting his chest, “Don’t worry, no matter how much you buy, I can help you carry it all back!”

“Thanks in advance, Da’an.”

Lu Qing walked towards the stalls ahead.

He first went to the meat stalls.

The stall was selling pork. The quality of the meat did not look as good as the meticulously fed pork from his previous life.

But to Lu Qing, it still looked especially tempting.

He hadn’t eaten good meat in a long time!

He picked two large pieces of fatty meat and a few pieces of half-fat, half-lean meat in one go, preparing to pay.

However, the vendor looked troubled upon seeing the broken silver piece Lu Qing had taken out.

“Young sir, you must be joking with me. How can I break this silver for you?”

“You can’t break it?” Lu Qing was taken aback.

“I can’t break it. I just opened the stall today and haven’t had much business. This silver piece is nearly half a tael… I don’t have enough copper coins to give you change,” the vendor said honestly.

Wang Da’an was also startled by the silver piece Lu Qing took out. He quickly covered Lu Qing’s hand holding the silver and pulled him aside.

“Ah Qing, where did you get this silver?”

“Grandpa Chen gave it to me.”

Lu Qing directly used the old doctor as a shield. After all, when they descended the mountain yesterday, the old doctor had told him that if anyone asked about the origin of the silver, just say it was given by him.

“Grandpa Chen is very kind to you.”

Wang Da’an immediately showed an envious look. Why couldn’t he become the old doctor’s apprentice?

But he quickly realized something.

“Wait, even if the silver was given by the old doctor, you shouldn’t take it out directly. Who brings silver to the market to buy things!”

“But I don’t have any copper coins, I only have this piece of silver.”

Lu Qing knew that silver was precious, but with his family almost out of food, and he had many things to buy this time…

Not to mention there were no copper coins at home, even if there were, they would be just as inconvenient to carry.

“…”

That does make sense.

Knowing Lu Qing’s family situation, Wang Da’an scratched his head, not knowing what to say.

“Young sir, do you still want this meat?”

On the other side, the butcher called out.

It’s rare to have such a big customer, he didn’t want to miss out.

“I do want it, but didn’t you just say you can’t break the silver?” Lu Qing said helplessly.

The butcher was stunned.

Now, both sides were in a bind.

“What’s going on here?”

At this moment, a gentle voice sounded.

Lu Qing turned around and saw the middle-aged man whom Wang Da’an called Master Ma standing behind them.

“Master Ma!”

The butcher and Wang Da’an immediately lowered their heads in greeting.

“I heard some commotion over here. What’s the matter?” Master Ma asked.

“It’s like this, Master Ma,” the butcher began. “This young sir brought a piece of silver to buy meat, and I couldn’t break it for him, so we’re all in a dilemma.”

“Oh?”

Master Ma immediately looked at Lu Qing.

Seeing someone bringing silver to this market to buy things was something even he rarely encountered.

When he saw Lu Qing’s attire, a hint of surprise flashed in Master Ma’s eyes.

Lu Qing didn’t look like someone who could carry silver.

“Young man, may I ask where you got this silver?” Master Ma asked.

“What, do I need to explain the origin of my money just to buy something at the market?” Lu Qing asked calmly.

“Not at all, it’s my mistake.” Master Ma slightly bowed, apologizing with a smile on his face. “I was just curious. You don’t seem like someone who could take out silver.”

Although Master Ma was smiling, both the butcher and Wang Da’an inexplicably felt a pressure, with sweat forming on their foreheads.

Lu Qing also seemed to be affected by this pressure, showing a nervous expression.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, “This silver was given by my master.”

“Oh, who is your master?” Master Ma’s smile remained unchanged.

“I don’t know my master’s name… everyone just calls him Grandpa Chen.”

“What, that old doctor?”

Master Ma’s expression changed immediately.