Chapter 177: City Lord

The shopkeeper looked very young, a female cultivator around thirty or forty years of age.

Seeing He Pingsheng arrive, she couldn't help but scan him with her spiritual sense. Then, shocked, she stepped out from behind the counter, bowed respectfully, and appeared terrified: "Senior, I only sell items needed by Qi Condensation disciples here. Senior, you..."

The female shopkeeper was at the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation, the Great Perfection, just one step away from entering Foundation Establishment. Since she couldn't see He Pingsheng's cultivation base, she knew what that meant.

The other party was at least at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Calling him 'Senior' was definitely correct.

"Hehe..." He Pingsheng smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. I'm not here to buy items!"

"I came over just to ask you about something!"

The woman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright... Senior, please ask. As long as it is something I know, I will certainly tell you everything I know without reservation!"

Before He Pingsheng spoke, he first took out twenty spirit stones and tossed them onto the counter, saying, "This is my fee for the inquiry."

Only by giving benefits would the other party be willing to tell everything; otherwise, how could that be possible?

"This..." the female shopkeeper said, "Senior, I dare not accept your things!"

He Pingsheng had no intention of taking them back and said, "I have just arrived from out of town and am unfamiliar with everything in this Dingxiang City. I will ask you a few questions. If your answers satisfy me, it is only right for you to take these spirit stones!"

"Alright!" Upon hearing that He Pingsheng was from out of town, the woman lowered her guard another level.

Being from out of town meant he had no ties to local forces, and the questions he asked wouldn't involve anyone's interests.

It was fine to answer casually.

He Pingsheng asked, "Can you tell me about the chambers of commerce and resource trading venues in this city?"

"Certainly!" The female shopkeeper lowered her voice and said, "For us cultivators, resource trading venues are nothing more than chambers of commerce and various shops!"

"If you are buying items, it doesn't really matter. The largest chamber of commerce in the city is the Royal Chamber of Commerce, the best is the Coral Chamber of Commerce, and the most expensive is the local Dingxiang Chamber of Commerce..."

He Pingsheng's face darkened: Good grief, the one I just walked into is actually the most expensive chamber of commerce?

He had the urge to curse.

"These chambers of commerce each have their own advantages, but if you, Senior, want to buy items more cheaply, it is best not to go to these chambers of commerce, but rather ask one by one in the shops along the street!"

"Small shops like ours are generally cheaper!"

"Of course, the quality of the goods is indeed not as good as theirs, and the variety is not as complete. Whether you can find what you need depends entirely on luck!"

He Pingsheng nodded.

Quality didn't matter; I can just put them in the Treasure Basin to strengthen them, and everything will be solved.

"If you are selling items, however... hehehe..." The female shopkeeper smiled and said, "You still have to go to those three large chambers of commerce, because small street shops like ours either don't know the value of the goods or lack the capital!"

"Among the three large chambers of commerce, by comparison, the Coral Chamber of Commerce is fairer!"

"That's about it!"

He Pingsheng nodded, feeling he had a basic understanding of the local chambers of commerce.

"Also!" He Pingsheng said, "I intend to reside here for a period of time and currently have no dwelling. Do you know where I should go to handle the purchase or rental of a residence?"

"Where are they for sale?"

This woman ran a shop, so she must know.

Sure enough, the female shopkeeper said, "That's easy. To buy or sell a house, you must go through the 【City Lord's Mansion】. You should go to the City Lord's Mansion to take a look and make a selection!"

"The City Lord's Mansion is still quite far from here. You need to take this road, then turn south..."

The woman drew a map for He Pingsheng.

Actually, there was no need to draw it, as He Pingsheng already knew, because he had the detailed map he had just purchased. Every large building in the entire Dingxiang City was marked on it.

Afterward, He Pingsheng asked a few more questions and then stood up to leave.

Following the road straight ahead, he turned at Vermilion Bird Street and walked south. Before long, he could see the huge and solemn City Lord's Mansion.

At the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion, there was a row of soldiers guarding it. These soldiers were not high in cultivation, composed of disciples at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation, and the soldiers did not inspect the crowds coming and going.

In a word: free entry and exit.

To be able to do this, one could only say that there were big shots sitting in the City Lord's Mansion, fearing no petty scoundrels.

He Pingsheng followed the bustling crowd into the City Lord's Mansion and, after several turns, arrived at the place specifically responsible for buying and selling real estate.

Houses in Dingxiang City could not be traded privately.

You could buy, but you had to buy them at the City Lord's Mansion.

You could sell, but you could only sell them to the City Lord's Mansion.

It was just that overbearing.

In a magnificent hall, there were fully seventy or eighty personnel serving the cultivators who came to buy or sell property.

He Pingsheng chose one at random and walked over.

"Greetings, Senior!" Behind the counter was a sweet-looking woman whose cultivation was not high, only at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. "Senior, are you buying, selling, or renting?"

He Pingsheng said, "I want to buy a place to live."

"Alright!" The woman smiled, took out a jade slip, and said, "Senior, please look. The houses in our City Lord's Mansion are roughly divided into nine grades. Please read carefully to see what kind you need!"

Nine grades?

He Pingsheng was surprised.

He picked up the jade slip, took a look, and immediately understood.

Ninth grade, the lowest: no spiritual energy, a small courtyard ten zhang wide and long.

Eighth grade: no spiritual energy, a small courtyard thirty zhang wide and long!

Seventh grade: no spiritual energy, a large courtyard fifty zhang wide and long.

Sixth grade: no spiritual energy, a giant mansion one hundred and fifty zhang wide and long.

The bottom four grades had no spiritual energy.

They were sold according to size!

The top five types all had spiritual energy and were divided into five levels based on size and the density of spiritual energy, with over a dozen different styles.

The highest was the first grade.

The first-grade mansion was a three-thousand-zhang luxury mansion with a high-tier spiritual vein.

Such mansions were generally not purchased by individuals; they were occupied by groups.

For example, a powerful family or a very formidable sect.

That's right, a three-thousand-zhang luxury mansion on a high-tier spiritual vein, while not as vast as those sects, could truly support a not-so-small sect.

It was true that there were sects in Dingxiang City.

And quite a few of them.

"Eighth grade will do!" He Pingsheng put down the jade slip and said, "This kind of thirty-zhang small courtyard without spiritual energy is fine!"

Living alone, thirty zhang was actually not small.

As for spiritual energy?

I don't need spiritual energy for my cultivation, and I don't have any spiritual plants that need to be planted.

Those courtyards with spiritual energy would be a waste of resources for He Pingsheng.

As for the size, thirty zhang was enough.

In the thirty-zhang small courtyard, besides a three-story small building, there were also a garden, a pond, and so on.

It was enough for He Pingsheng to set up some arrays.

It was even much larger than his small courtyard at Show Bamboo Peak. ===== CHAPTER 178 =====