Start with everyday skills and grind your way to immortality.

Chen Qian withdrew his gaze, his brows furrowing beneath the fox mask painted with a strange smile.

The "fish on the chopping block" described in just a few strokes of the pen in the book has now become a bloody reality, laid bare before our eyes.

The chilling ancient saying involuntarily surfaced in his mind:

"Old and thin men are called Rao Ba Huo, young women are called Bu Xian Yang, children are called He Gu Lan, and the same applies to the eyes, they are called Liang Jiao Yang."

In this city of the dead, people are no longer people; they may be goods or firewood.

Chen Qian subconsciously pressed the burning mark on his chest, a self-mocking feeling rising in his heart.

"Am I not also a two-legged sheep, penned up and waiting to be slaughtered in ten days?"

Chen Qian took a deep breath, suppressing his discomfort, and wrapped himself tightly in the large black robe.

He needs to liquidate his assets as soon as possible and sell off all the stock he has accumulated.

His eyes quickly swept across the bizarre and colorful stalls on both sides, searching for a trading opportunity.

The products here are simply pushing the boundaries of human comprehension.

Some vendors had plates of still-bleeding eyeballs in front of them; the eyeballs were of different colors, and the pupils were still rolling around in the plates.

As Chen Qian walked past, the trays of eyeballs seemed to come alive, turning to stare at him with a sinister look that sent chills down one's spine.

It made him a little uncomfortable.

Some of them had rows of dried, unidentified creature limbs hanging from them, with nails as sharp as knives.

There are also lifelike paper figures; if you stare at them for too long, you feel as if they are winking at you.

The lamps lit with corpse oil emitted a ghostly green light, and the pungent, burnt smell assaulted the nostrils.

"We need to exchange money first."

Chen Qian touched the two cold funerary objects in his arms.

But he soon discovered an awkward reality.

He has nowhere to sell it.

Along the way, every open space where there was candlelight for protection and where stalls could be set up was already completely occupied by those old ghosts exuding malevolent energy.

If we go to the dark corners as the guide suggested, we might lose our lives before we even get the money.

"Looks like we'll have to find a local merchant."

Chen Qian stopped and looked past the messy stalls, locking onto a shop located below the rock wall, which was also the busiest place in the area.

Two stark white lanterns hung at the entrance of the shop, and three large, dark characters were written on the signboard.

"Duobaoge" (多宝阁).

If someone dares to use this name in the ghost market, they either have real treasures or they're really shady.

But the advantage lies in the large number of people; under the watchful eyes of many, there might be more discipline than in a dark corner.

Chen Qian glanced inside a few times and strode in.

Stepping over that high threshold and lifting the curtain, the eerie clamor outside seemed to be severed with a single stroke.

The interior of the multi-treasure pavilion did not have the nauseating musty smell that was outside; instead, it was filled with a rich aroma of sandalwood.

But the aroma was too strong, so strong it seemed to be masking the stench of a corpse.

The shop is decorated in a simple and antique style, with antique shelves filled with a dazzling array of items, each gleaming coldly under the dim lights.

Behind the counter stood a middle-aged shopkeeper dressed in a dark purple silk robe.

His face was unnaturally pale, with two patches of festive rouge on his cheeks, making him look like a living person at first glance.

However, if you stare at those eyes for a long time, you will find that the pupils are dilated and do not move.

It looks more like a corpse.

Upon seeing a customer arrive, the innkeeper's rouge-painted lips twitched stiffly, revealing a smile more like a grimace, his voice shrill:

"Please come in, sir. Are you buying or selling?"

Chen Qian felt that the voice made him instinctively want to stay away.

He walked to the counter without saying a word, but took out the celadon pillow from his bundle and gently placed it on the counter.

The shopkeeper's previously unfocused pupils strangely focused the moment he saw the porcelain pillow.

He stretched out a bloodless, deathly pale hand, picked up the porcelain pillow, examined it from all angles, and then brought it close to his nose to sniff it.

"It's of average quality, and there's not much patina on it."

The shopkeeper casually tossed the porcelain pillow back onto the counter with a soft thud, his tone nonchalant. "Fifty taels, that's the most I can give you."

Chen Qian remained calm and composed.

[Skilled at reading between the lines] Quietly and fully activated, attempting to capture even the slightest emotional fluctuation in the other person.

But soon, he frowned.

failed.

The shopkeeper in front of me was like a wooden sculpture that had come to life. His eyelids didn't twitch, his facial muscles didn't tremble, and even his breathing was as calm as still water.

Those murky eyes were like two dry wells, bottomless, revealing no trace of greed or eagerness.

"He's a tough nut to crack." Chen Qian thought to himself, this was the real shrewd businessman in this cannibalistic market.

Since we can't see through it, we have no choice but to take a gamble.

Otherwise, I really wouldn't be willing to accept fifty taels.

"Shopkeeper, honesty is the key to doing business."

Chen Qian was not in a hurry. He reached out and pressed down on the porcelain pillow, as if to retract it, his voice calm and firm:

"The design of children playing among lotus flowers on this piece is characterized by its smooth brushstrokes and sky-blue glaze, a style characteristic of the Dingzhou imperial kilns of the previous dynasty. But none of that matters."

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes behind the mask fixed on the shopkeeper's lifeless eyes, and lowered his voice, saying meaningfully:

"Most importantly, this pillow has a cooling sensation. It calms a living person, but when a non-human object uses it..."

"You're offering fifty taels for this kind of treasure? Are you taking advantage of me because I'm a newcomer, or do you think you're the only one in this City of the Dead who knows its value?"

In fact, Chen Qian had no idea what specific effects this pillow had on non-human objects.

The most ruthless tactic is to leave things unsaid, allowing the other person to fill in the blanks themselves.

But we have to give it a try; even if we don't succeed, there's not much to lose.

The air seemed to freeze for two breaths.

Immediately afterwards, the shopkeeper's previously stiff, deathly pale face twitched very slightly at the corner of his eye.

A slight tremor appeared on his pale face, but it was quickly replaced by the shrewdness of a businessman.

He hadn't expected that this poor-looking man in black robes would actually have some discernment.

But he didn't expect that for Chen Qian, who had activated his "Reading Words and Expressions" ability, this moment of losing control would be enough.

"Hehe, you have a good eye, sir."

The shopkeeper chuckled dryly, but his hand remained firmly on the porcelain pillow. "I was just mistaken earlier. Since we're both sensible people, let's settle on a flat price of one hundred taels! Let's be friends, and I'll reserve the best items for you first in the future."

Chen Qian breathed a sigh of relief after successfully bluffing, otherwise he would have really suffered a huge loss this time.

One hundred taels.

This price has exceeded Chen Qian's expectations.

Outside, one hundred taels of silver is enough to buy a small house in the city and also to acquire dozens of acres of fertile land.

It is indeed an enticing number.

But he did not agree immediately.

The scene of selling Bidens pilosa at the pharmacy involuntarily came to mind.

It's clearly a hot commodity, but it's been driven down to the price of dirt cheap.

"We can't make the same mistake twice."

The more readily the shopkeeper pays, the greater the profit margin for that product.

"One hundred taels?"

Chen Qian shook his head, his tone full of disappointment and sarcasm, "It seems that although Duobao Pavilion has a good reputation, the manager's judgment is still too poor."

Without any hesitation, he grabbed the porcelain pillow, stuffed it into his pocket, and turned to walk out.

The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Behind him, the manager's voice immediately caught up, urgent yet carrying the arrogance of a large merchant house:

"Young man! It's just an old object that can slow down the decomposition of a corpse. It does have some value, but not much! One hundred taels is an astronomical price in this City of the Wrongfully Dead!"

Chen Qian showed no sign of stopping and had already taken two or three steps.

"This City of the Dead is full of desperados, people who risk their lives. These things that can't be eaten or used in combat are useless to them! No one else but our Treasure Pavilion will take them!"

Chen Qian ignored him, his hand already on the heavy curtain, lifting a corner of it.

The eerie chill from outside rushed in instantly, mixed with the cacophony of voices.

"Thank you for your kind offer. Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still be friends. Let's come again next time."

His voice was flat, as if he really didn't care at all.

"Sigh! These young guys these days, at most add twenty taels! One hundred and twenty! If it works out, great; if not, so be it. Business should be a win-win situation; we can't be the only ones who suffer losses, can we?"

"Sir, you can go out and take another look. You'll learn to turn back when you hit a wall."

However, Chen Qian did not stop.

One foot had already stepped over the high threshold, and half of his body had plunged into the darkness outside.

"Hmph, welcome back next time!" the shopkeeper said in a lukewarm tone.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Qian lifted his other foot, about to land.

He really is gone.

"Three hundred and fifty taels!"

"This is the final price! There's absolutely no way you can get a higher price elsewhere! If that's still not enough, then we might as well not do the business!"

The shout was delivered extremely quickly, as if afraid that Chen Qian might be too far away to hear it.

Outside the curtain.

Chen Qian stopped and slowly withdrew his foot, which was about to step into the crowd.

He turned around and looked through the swaying curtain at the shopkeeper behind the counter, whose face contorted in pain, as if a piece of his flesh had been cut off.

Only now, beneath the fox mask, did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"make a deal."

The transaction was completed quickly.

Three silver notes with a face value of one hundred taels and one silver note with a face value of fifty taels were pushed in front of Chen Qian.

After putting away the silver notes, Chen Qian hesitated for a moment, then tentatively took out the black porcelain bottle.

"Shopkeeper, please take another look and tell me how much this is worth?"