The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Lin Qian stood at the entrance of Houhai Street, staring in bewilderment at the scene before him. After a moment, he turned to Zhang Zide with a puzzled expression. "Brother Zhang, is this the exciting and joyful place you mentioned?"

"Of course!" Zhang Zide flashed a bright smile as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Are you messing with me?" Lin Qian pointed at Houhai Street, his tone exasperated. "This is clearly a market with makeshift stalls selling goods. How is this exciting and joyful?"

"Ah, Lin Qian, you don't understand," Zhang Zide explained, his tone full of enthusiasm. "The vendors here come from all the different branches, sub-branches, and clans of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe. They bring all sorts of strange and rare items from across the sea regions."

"The thrill comes from finding hidden treasures, testing your sharp eye. It's like gambling! Isn't that exhilarating? And if you find something valuable, the joy that follows…"

As he spoke, Zhang Zide closed his eyes and reveled in his own words. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, "Wow! It's such a rush, isn't it?"

However, when he looked up, he realized Lin Qian and Li Yunfeng had already walked ahead into Houhai Street.

"Hey, you two, wait for me!" Zhang Zide shouted as he hurried after them.

Lin Qian walked along Houhai Street, curiously observing the various stalls lining both sides of the street. Vendors were selling all sorts of items: damaged texts, mysterious stones, sealed jade bottles, and even some humans setting up stalls or browsing the market.

Just as Zhang Zide had mentioned, Houhai Street was a trading hub for the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe during the clan assembly. People who came from different parts of the sea region to participate in the event naturally brought their personal treasures to trade.

With the ongoing interest in the ancient human relic, and the presence of human allies at the assembly, Houhai Street was livelier than ever.

As Lin Qian reached the first intersection, he spotted a stall that piqued his interest. The vendor had various texts on display, including manuals on cultivation techniques, soul skills, refining, alchemy, and even some curious stories.

The stall only displayed the directories of the texts, allowing potential buyers to browse through them. The actual texts remained with the vendor.

"Interested in something, Brother Lin Qian?" Zhang Zide asked as he noticed Lin Qian pausing in front of the stall.

Lin Qian nodded, squatting down to flip through the directories.

"Alright, Brother Lin Qian, take your time. I'm going to check out another stall and will be right back," Zhang Zide said before heading off.

Lin Qian nodded and continued browsing. Li Yunfeng also found something he liked and, after a brief word with Lin Qian, wandered off to explore.

"Brother Lin Qian, have you found anything that catches your eye?" the vendor asked with a slightly ingratiating smile.

Lin Qian looked up, surprised. "You know me?"

"After your match earlier today, who doesn't know you? And to think you're a brother of Prince Zhang—what an honor!" the vendor replied with a flattering tone.

Lin Qian chuckled and shook his head, setting down the directory in his hand. "How much for all of these?"

"All of them?" The vendor's eyes widened in disbelief.

Lin Qian nodded. "Yes, all of them. Name your price."

"All together, that would be 100,000 mid-grade soul crystals," the vendor replied, his face lighting up with joy.

Lin Qian frowned. "50,000 mid-grade soul crystals. The actual value of these texts isn't worth what you're asking."

"Well… to be honest, these texts aren't all mine. People back home asked me to sell them, and they set the prices. Altogether, they asked for 100,000, and I'm just following their instructions," the vendor explained, looking troubled.

Lin Qian shook his head. "Let me guess. They probably just asked you to sell them at a fair price. But you're inflating it because you think I won't mind the extra cost."

"Sorry, I don't like being taken advantage of. 48,000 mid-grade soul crystals—take it or leave it."

The vendor's face tightened as he waved his hand. "Fine, fine. But could you at least make it 50,000?"

"45,000!"

"Um…"

Seeing the vendor hesitate, Lin Qian turned and began to walk away.

"Wait! I'll sell them for 45,000!" the vendor called out quickly.

"Deal!" Lin Qian smiled as he turned back and handed over a simple storage bag.

The vendor sighed, accepting the bag before passing Lin Qian another one in return. "I didn't expect you to be so sharp with prices. You really know your stuff."

Lin Qian shrugged. "You were just too greedy. These texts are only worth about 40,000, so I'm already being generous by giving you an extra 5,000. Sometimes, you just shouldn't push your luck."

The vendor sighed again, nodding. "You're right. Even earning an extra 5,000 is already a good deal."

"Hmph, poor people always find excuses for their shortcomings," a cold voice suddenly interrupted, dripping with disdain.

Lin Qian finished stowing the storage bag in the Hua Xia Empire before looking up to see the source of the voice. It was none other than the female disciple from Yunhai Sect—the same one who had called him a coward with impure intentions earlier.

He glanced at her face before briefly looking at her chest, then snorted in contempt. Without a word, he turned and started walking towards Zhang Zide and Li Yunfeng.

The Yunhai Sect disciple's face turned a deep shade of blue, and she angrily shouted after him, "Stop right there! What did you mean by that?"

Ignoring her outburst, Lin Qian continued walking.

"I told you to stop! Didn't you hear me, you lowly scum?" she seethed, her soul power flaring as she formed a sword energy and sent it slicing through the water towards Lin Qian.

Just as the sword energy was about to hit him, it was suddenly crushed by a hand. A man in black robes with gold trim appeared in front of the Yunhai Sect disciple, glaring at her. "What audacity!"