Chapter 34

"Is this the Grand Bazaar?" Lu Qing was surprised as he looked at the bustling scene in front of him.The Grand Bazaar was even livelier than he had imagined. The stalls on both sides were orderly, reminiscent of the markets he had seen in small towns in his previous life.

"Yes, this is the Grand Bazaar," Wang Da'an nodded and pointed ahead. "Do you see those stalls over there? Those are rented long-term, only for those who run regular businesses."

Lu Qing observed that the stalls Wang Da'an pointed out mainly sold meat, cloth, or grain.

Wang Da'an continued, "Further back is an open space where you don't need to rent a stall. However, if you want to sell something there, you have to pay a fee of one coin."

"If you want to sell fish, A-Qing, you can just go to the open space."

"Who do I pay the fee to?" Lu Qing asked.

"Master Ma," Wang Da'an pointed to a place. "See that man in the blue cloth? He's Master Ma, the one who collects the temporary stall fees here."

Lu Qing looked over and saw a middle-aged man in blue clothes, somewhat thin, walking around the bazaar with a smile.

He also noticed several other men in similar cloth patrolling to maintain order.

As if sensing Lu Qing and Wang Da'an's gaze, Master Ma suddenly turned his head, his eyes sharp. Seeing two young farmers in shabby clothes, his expression softened, and he moved his gaze away, continuing his stroll.

Lu Qing's heart tightened. To sense their gaze from such a distance, this Master Ma was not an ordinary person. He no longer dared to stare directly, only watching from the corner of his eye.

Soon, he saw a dense white light appear around Master Ma.

[Ma Gu: Deep-thinking, fair in actions, sharp-eyed, greatly respected at the bazaar.]

[Cultivation: Strong and muscular, initial stage of the Postnatal Bone and Muscle Realm.]

Receiving this information from his ability, Lu Qing's face remained unchanged, but his heart was turbulent. A practitioner, this Master Ma was a practitioner! No wonder his senses were so keen; he was an extraordinary practitioner.

This was the second practitioner Lu Qing had encountered since coming to this world. The first was naturally Old Doctor Chen. However, despite both being practitioners, Lu Qing noticed differences. For one, the light around Master Ma was white, while Old Doctor Chen's was red. Clearly, in the path of cultivation, Old Doctor Chen was more advanced than Master Ma.

Was the difference in their realms? Lu Qing noted that Master Ma's cultivation was at the initial stage of the Postnatal Bone and Muscle Realm, while Old Doctor Chen was at the Postnatal Internal Organ Realm. Did this mean the Internal Organ Realm was stronger than the Bone and Muscle Realm? Were there other realms between these two?

Lu Qing's thoughts churned as he pondered. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"A-Qing, you've seen the Grand Bazaar now. Didn't you say you wanted to buy something? What do you need?" Wang Da'an interrupted Lu Qing's thoughts.

Lu Qing put his thoughts away and smiled, "I have quite a few things to buy. I'll need your help, Da'an."

"You're buying a lot? Did you strike it rich, A-Qing?" Wang Da'an's eyes widened.

Lu Qing smiled without answering. Wang Da'an realized it wasn't appropriate to discuss this here and didn't ask further. He patted his chest, "Don't worry, no matter how much you buy, I'll help you carry it home!"

"Thanks, Da'an."

Lu Qing walked towards the stalls. His first stop was the meat stall. The pork on display didn't look as good as the meticulously fed pork from his previous life, but to Lu Qing, it was still enticing. He hadn't had a good piece of meat in a long time!

He picked two large pieces of fatty meat and some half-fat, half-lean pieces and prepared to pay. However, the stall owner looked troubled when he saw the silver Lu Qing took out.

"Young sir, you're joking with me. I can't make change for this silver," he said.

"Can't make change?" Lu Qing was puzzled.

"No, I just opened my stall today and haven't had much business. Your silver is almost half a tael; I don't have that many copper coins to give you," the stall owner explained honestly.

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

"A-Qing, where did you get the silver?"

"Grandpa Chen gave it to me."

Lu Qing used Old Doctor Chen as a shield. After all, when they descended the mountain, Old Doctor Chen had said if anyone asked about the silver, he should say it was given by him.

"Old Doctor Chen treats you well."

Wang Da'an looked envious. Why couldn't he become Old Doctor Chen's apprentice? But then he realized, "Even if the silver is from Old Doctor Chen, you shouldn't take it out directly. No one uses silver at the bazaar!"

"But I don't have any copper coins, only this silver."

Lu Qing knew silver was precious, but his family was running out of food, and he needed to buy many things. They didn't have copper coins, and even if they did, carrying them would be inconvenient.

"That makes sense."

Knowing Lu Qing's family situation, Wang Da'an scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"Young sir, do you still want the meat?" the stall owner called.

"I want it, but you said you can't make change for the silver," Lu Qing said helplessly.

The stall owner was at a loss.

"What happened here?"

A gentle voice sounded. Lu Qing turned to see the middle-aged man Wang Da'an called Master Ma standing behind them.

"Master Ma!"

The stall owner and Wang Da'an quickly bowed.

"I heard some commotion here. What happened?" Master Ma asked.

"Master Ma, this young man brought silver to buy meat, but I can't make change for it," the stall owner explained.

"Oh?"

Master Ma looked at Lu Qing. Even he rarely saw someone using silver at the bazaar. Seeing Lu Qing's attire, he was even more surprised.

"Young man, where did you get the silver?" Master Ma asked.

"Why, do you need to explain where your money comes from to buy things at the bazaar?" Lu Qing asked calmly.

"No, that's not necessary. My apologies," Master Ma bowed slightly, apologizing. He smiled, "I'm just curious. You don't look like someone who would have silver."

Although Master Ma was smiling, the stall owner and Wang Da'an felt a pressure and began to sweat.

Lu Qing seemed affected by the pressure, showing a nervous expression. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "The silver is from my master."

"Oh? Who is your master?" Master Ma's smile remained.

"I don't know my master's name, but everyone calls him Old Doctor Chen."

"What, that old doctor?"

Master Ma's expression changed immediately.