Xi Xi Dao Ren (The Taoist of the Stream)

The city was simply too vast, and with no knowledge of the roads, Ye Chuan decided to ask around at nearby shops after finishing his stroll through the market stalls.

"Excuse me, where is the nearest auction?"

"That towering pagoda over there is the Treasure Pavilion of Tianqian City—the finest auction house within a ten-thousand-mile radius," the shopkeeper replied with a proud grin.

After all, most visitors to Tianqian City came for the auctions, and this was always a lucrative time for local merchants.

"Thanks." Ye Chuan glanced at the trinkets in the shop and bought one with a spirit stone.

"Take care, Immortal!"

Ye Chuan looked up at the distant pagoda and quickened his pace.

Before long, he arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, its grand entrance bustling with cultivators coming and going beneath the imposing plaque bearing its name.

As soon as he stepped inside, someone approached him. "Esteemed guest, are you here to seek treasures? If you’ve come for the auction, it will be held five days from now."

"No, I’m here to sell," Ye Chuan said. "Do you accept cultivation techniques?"

"Of course! Though the Treasure Pavilion only accepts low-grade techniques at minimum—mundane martial arts are not traded."

"None of these are mundane," Ye Chuan replied.

"Ah, in that case, please follow me."

The attendant led Ye Chuan to a VIP chamber. "Please have a seat. I’ll summon an appraiser for you."

Ye Chuan sat down while a maid dressed in a bunny-girl outfit served tea. He glanced at her—mediocre, not even half as charming as Little Ke.

After a while, a middle-aged man entered with a smile. "Greetings, honored guest. I am a first-class appraiser of the Treasure Pavilion. Which technique would you like to sell?"

"Not just one."

"Oh?" The appraiser’s eyes lit up. "In that case, please place them all on the table."

Without another word, Ye Chuan flicked his sleeve—and thousands of manuals piled onto the table, leaving the appraiser and the maid gaping in shock.

"This… this many?" The appraiser stammered, his voice trembling.

Never had they seen someone bring such an overwhelming number of techniques to sell. If someone claimed he had looted an entire sect’s scripture vault, they’d believe it.

At first, the appraiser suspected Ye Chuan was playing a prank with ordinary books. But when he probed with his spiritual sense, his face paled—each one was a genuine cultivation manual, most mid-grade or higher, with quite a few top-tier ones among them.

Cold sweat dripped down his back.

After decades in the trade, this was the largest transaction he had ever encountered. Clearing his throat, he said, "Please wait a moment, honored guest."

He hurried out, and soon, seven or eight more maids entered, fussing over Ye Chuan with tea and snacks—his treatment now a far cry from before.

Ye Chuan remained patient, sitting quietly.

Before long, rapid footsteps echoed outside, and the appraiser returned with a woman in tow.

"I am Mu Qianqian, one of the overseers of Tianqian’s Treasure Pavilion," she said, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the mountain of manuals. "May I ask how I should address you, Immortal?"

"Daoist Xixi," Ye Chuan replied.

"Xixi? What an… unusual name," she remarked with a light chuckle.

"You can be called ‘Money Money,’ but I can’t be ‘Xixi’?" Ye Chuan said flatly.

Mu Qianqian covered her mouth with a laugh. "Daoist Xixi has quite the wit. Now, regarding these techniques—how would you like to proceed with the sale?"

"What are the options?"

"One is to sell them all directly to the Treasure Pavilion. The price may be slightly lower, but we can pay in full immediately," Mu Qianqian explained.

"The other is auctioning them. Are you aware of the auction happening in five days?"

"I am."

"That auction will feature many rare treasures—and I’ve noticed that several of your techniques easily qualify for the event."

"Oh?" Ye Chuan raised a brow. "In that case, sell the lower-grade ones outright and auction the premium ones."

"Understood."

Mu Qianqian seemed unsurprised by his choice and immediately directed the maids and appraisers to begin cataloging the manuals.

The process took time, and Mu Qianqian sat beside Ye Chuan, engaging in small talk. Yet whenever the conversation veered toward sensitive topics, he deftly sidestepped, leaving her subtle advances unanswered.

Tch. Women.

"Director Mu, we’ve tallied 2,300 low-grade, 760 mid-grade, and 32 high-grade techniques," the appraiser reported.

"Is the count correct, Daoist Xixi?"

"Mm." Ye Chuan nodded. He hadn’t kept track, but the numbers seemed about right.

An establishment as reputable as the Treasure Pavilion wouldn’t skim a few manuals.

"Based on our rates, the low-grade techniques amount to 690,000 spirit stones, the mid-grade to 910,000, and the high-grade will depend on the auction," Mu Qianqian said. "The total for low and mid-grade comes to 1.6 million spirit stones. Does that suit you?"

1.6 million?

That much?

Ye Chuan recalled his days of scavenging corpses—back then, he’d be lucky to scrape together a few dozen.

"The price is acceptable." He knew the Pavilion would turn a profit, as some manuals were undoubtedly worth more than the average.

But to him, they were little better than scrap paper. Even the high-grade ones—he only practiced those that caught his eye, discarding the rest without a second thought.

Turning junk into a fortune? Not bad.

"Excellent. Here are 16,000 spirit crystals for your convenience." Mu Qianqian handed him a storage pouch.

Ye Chuan didn’t bother checking, stashing it away immediately.

The pouch’s contents automatically displayed in his inventory, but to the onlookers, his nonchalance only deepened the mystery of his identity—someone who treated such wealth as trivial.

"Daoist Xixi, this is also a VIP token of the Treasure Pavilion. It grants you discounts on future purchases and sales." She presented a jade token engraved with the character "Treasure."

Ye Chuan pocketed it. "I’ll return after the auction in five days."

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, right—do you sell storage pouches here?"

He figured Qian Shuang at home could use some upgrades.