Chapter 22: New Annotation: [Fun Little Kid]

Zhou Qing had never attended such a gathering before and kept glancing around curiously.

Yan Xiao, as someone who had been there before, explained beside him: “Besides Taiqingmen, the Five Sects include Cangyan Dao Palace, Qingyu Immortal Sect, Tianji Gate, and Jin Leizong. Those few people over there are from Jin Leizong.”

“This Treasure Exchange Fair will last about a month. You can barter goods or trade directly with spirit stones. Whether you buy fakes or score a bargain, once the deal is done, it’s cash and carry.”

“Of course, it’s not just the Five Sects—smaller sects and factions will also come to join the fun. During this time, watch out for thieves, since everyone’s carrying money.”

…………

Zhou Qing gained much from Yan Xiao’s experience.

"Alright, I’ve got to set up my stall now—see if I can fleece a few fat sheep. But, Senior Brother, I still warn you: don’t buy anything lightly. Almost nothing here is worth it."

“Of course, good items do exist—but they’re absurdly expensive. Just broaden your horizons!” Yan Xiao cautioned.

Zhou Qing frowned, puzzled: "Third Senior Brother, aren’t you coming with me?"

Yan Xiao lightly patted Zhou Qing’s shoulder and said solemnly: “Fourth, some things can’t be learned by listening—you have to experience them yourself. This fair is also a trial for you.”

“Whether you score a bargain or get ripped off, even verbal sparring or psychological battles with outsiders from other sects—these are life skills you’ll need once you leave the sect. You said you only have three hundred spirit stones? Spend them all!”

After giving his advice, Yan Xiao patted his shoulder again.

“Good luck. Risk it—turn three hundred into three thousand!”

Zhou Qing watched his third senior brother vanish into the crowd and felt a deep respect rise within him.

Though Yan Xiao often seemed unreliable, when real trouble came, he displayed unexpected calm and decisiveness.

"Thank you, Third Senior Brother!" Zhou Qing bowed gratefully, then began wandering aimlessly.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiao let out a long breath and rushed straight to his stall, quickly laying out a chaotic array of odd items.

Then he began shouting with eager anticipation.

“Fourth is still too naive—easily dismissed with a few words. No choice: based on past experience, everyone’s flush with cash at first, but by the later days, everyone’s broke and just looks without buying. I don’t have time to waste strolling with you.”

“These days, every stall’s the same—nothing good, just fluff.”

Soon, two female disciples of Cangyan Dao Palace, curious, approached. Yan Xiao instantly perked up.

“Two beautiful immortal sisters, you’ve come to the right place! Everything on Xiao Hu’s stall is genuine. Look at this—it’s dragon bone! I dug it out of an ancient ruin twenty years ago, waiting for the right person to buy it today…”

…………

The ground stalls were packed with dazzling goods; the crowds surged and jostled, their frenzy leaving Zhou Qing awestruck.

Remember, this was only the first day—the entire [Five Sects Treasure Exchange Fair] would last a full month.

Zhou Qing twisted through the throng, the surrounding noise sparking an odd thrill within him.

Yet after only a short while, his internal Silver Dragon Hand technique spontaneously activated, accompanied by a powerful sense of longing.

Zhou Qing was deeply puzzled.

The Silver Dragon Hand was the famed divine art of the Supreme Elder Duanmu Shu—powerful, but Zhou Qing had only barely learned its framework.

Moreover, it was extremely difficult to cultivate; it might take years just to enter its threshold.

But why now?

Why was he sensing it?

Zhou Qing began walking straight ahead. As the longing intensified, his gaze slowly locked onto one particular stall.

The items on this stall carried an ancient aura: bones, pottery jars, medicine vials, small tripods, spirit herbs, and many objects resembling burial goods, all caked in fresh dirt.

This sight drew many onlookers, who pointed and whispered incessantly.

The vendor was a middle-aged man, around thirty, dressed in the attire of Jin Leizong.

His aura was restrained; his cultivation base matched Third Senior Brother’s—though Zhou Qing couldn’t tell if he was a core or true disciple.

At this moment, Zhou Qing appeared as just another curious bystander, his eyes casually scanning the stall. After a moment, his gaze settled on an unremarkable bone in the corner.

The bone was as thick as a human arm, ancient and worn, with patches already rotting, emitting a faint stench of decay.

Yet fresh yellow mud still clung to its crevices, as if it had just been dug from the earth.

“What kind of bone is this? Could it aid my Silver Dragon Hand cultivation?” Zhou Qing wondered suspiciously.

To avoid alerting the vendor and triggering a price hike, he feigned curiosity and examined other items.

“Cough, Fourth, find anything good?” A familiar voice came from beside him.

Zhou Qing turned his head and saw Yan Xiao smiling warmly at him.

He froze—weren’t you supposed to be setting up your stall and letting me wander alone…?

As this thought struck him, his pupils shrank and his heart raced.

Because his third senior brother’s head… had no annotation.

Fuck, Old Man!

“What’s wrong? Is there something on my head?”

“Yan Xiao” scratched his head, confused—nothing there.

Zhou Qing felt his throat tighten. Was this Sun Wukong’s Seventy-Two Transformations?

The illusion was too lifelike.

From appearance, voice, posture, even his eyes—if not for his own ability, he’d never have guessed.

"N-nothing, Third Senior Brother, how’s your stall going?" Zhou Qing asked, pretending he’d noticed nothing.

“Yan Xiao” sighed: “No luck at all—nothing worth a second look. But that bone? You could buy it. Good for scrubbing your back in the bath.”

At these words, Zhou Qing’s heart lurched.

Of course—this old fox had spotted the bone’s significance too.

Yet the crowd, including the vendor, shuddered at the idea of scrubbing their backs with that rotten bone.

Why not just boil it for soup?

Zhou Qing pretended to gag, then subtly shifted his gaze, locking it directly on "Third Senior Brother."

“Bind Old Man!”

Soon, the string of question marks above “Old Man’s” head slowly transformed into a golden annotation—【Fun Little Kid】.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing finally exhaled in relief.

From now on, no matter who you transform into, you won’t fool me again.

But to avoid alerting him, Zhou Qing had to keep playing along. If he exposed the truth too soon, a capricious old monster like this would never let it go.

Didn’t he even label me 【Fun Little Kid】? He’s clearly treating me as entertainment.

What if he wonders how a junior figured him out and decides to perform a soul-search? That’d be trouble.

Binding him as the final slot, Zhou Qing never expected to gain any Heart-Insight points from him—only hoped that when he decided to mess with him, Zhou Qing could stay on guard.

Seeing the man still lingered, Zhou Qing feared the bone might be bought. After brief hesitation, he stepped forward and picked up a cracked jar to examine.

(End of Chapter)