Zhou Qing was participating in such a gathering for the first time, constantly looking around curiously.
Yan Xiaohu, having experience, explained at his side, "The Five Sects include the Taiqing Sect, and our neighboring Cangyan Daoist Palace, Cyan Feather Immortal Sect, Phecda Sect, and Golden Thunder Sect. Look at those people over there, they are from the Golden Thunder Sect."
"This Treasure Exchange Conference will last about a month. You can swap items, or you can use Spirit Stones for direct transactions. Whether you buy something fake or hit the jackpot, once the deal is made, it's final."
"Of course, it's not just our Five Sects; members from various other smaller sects will come to join the fun. During this time, you also need to be wary of certain thieves since everyone is carrying money."
...
For Zhou Qing, Yan Xiaohu's guidance was quite beneficial.
"Alright, I need to go set up my stall. I'll see if I can fleece some fat sheep. But, junior apprentice brother, let me remind you, don't buy things easily; there's usually nothing good."
"Of course, there are good things, but they are all ridiculously expensive. Just broaden your horizons!" Yan Xiaohu cautioned.
Zhou Qing was puzzled and asked, "Third senior brother, aren't you coming with me?"
Yan Xiaohu lightly patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Fourth, some things can't be learned by listening alone; you need to experience them yourself. For you, this fair is also a form of training."
"Whether you strike it lucky or suffer losses, or even engage in verbal and psychological battles with outer sect people, these are all essential life skills you'll need when you leave the sect. Didn't you say you have only three hundred Spirit Stones? Then use them up!"
After giving his advice, Yan Xiaohu patted his shoulder again.
"Good luck, take a chance and turn three hundred into three thousand!"
Watching his third senior brother disappearing into the crowd, Zhou Qing was filled with respect.
Despite the unreliable appearance of his third senior brother, in times of need, he displayed unexpected stability and decisiveness.
"Thank you, third senior brother!" Zhou Qing gratefully bowed and then began to wander around.
Meanwhile, Yan Xiaohu took a deep breath and hurried to his stall, quickly laying out various sundries.
He then started shouting enthusiastically.
"The fourth junior brother is still too naive; just a few words and he's off on his own. Based on past experience, everyone has money at the beginning, but by the end, they are watching without buying. I don't have time to wander around with you."
"These few days, every stall is like mine, with nothing really good, all just to fool people."
Soon, two female disciples in Cangyan Daoist Palace attire approached out of curiosity, and Yan Xiaohu instantly perked up.
"Beautiful fairy sisters, you've come to the right place! Everything on my Little Tiger's stall is genuine. Look at this, this is a dragon bone I painstakingly dug up from a relic twenty years ago, waiting to sell to a destined person today..."
...
At the stalls, various dazzling items were displayed, and the crowded scene amazed Zhou Qing.
After all, this was only the first day of the Five Sects Treasure Exchange Gathering, which would last a full month.
Zhou Qing weaved through the bustling crowd, and the noisy environment oddly filled him with excitement.
However, after wandering for a while, the Silver Dragon Hand heart method in Zhou Qing's body began to circulate on its own, accompanied by a strong sense of longing.
This puzzled Zhou Qing.
Silver Dragon Hand was the signature divine technique of Supreme Elder Duanmu Shu, quite powerful, but Zhou Qing had barely managed to learn its basics.
Moreover, it was extremely difficult to cultivate, possibly taking years to get started.
But what was happening now?
Why was there a reaction?
Zhou Qing started to walk straight ahead. As the longing grew stronger, his gaze locked onto one of the stalls.
The items on this stall all had an ancient aura, including bones, clay pots, medicine bottles, small cauldrons, spirit grass, and various items that looked like burial objects, still covered in fresh soil.
This scene attracted many onlookers, who kept pointing and talking.
The stall owner, a man in his thirties, looked like he was from the Golden Thunder Sect, based on his attire.
He had a restrained aura, with a cultivation level roughly similar to the third senior brother's, though it was unclear if he was a core or true disciple.
Zhou Qing pretended to be someone just there to join the fun, seemingly casually scanning the items on the stall. After a while, his eyes rested on an inconspicuous bone in the corner.
This bone was the size of an ordinary person's arm, rather old, with some parts starting to decompose, emitting a faint rotten smell.
But those parts still filled with yellow mud looked like they had just been excavated.
"What kind of bone is this? Could it be helpful for cultivating the Silver Dragon Hand?" Zhou Qing wondered.
To avoid alerting the stall owner and prompting him to raise the price, he pretended to be interested in other things.
"Hey, fourth junior brother, have you found something good?" At that moment, a familiar voice came from beside him.
Turning his head, Zhou Qing saw Yan Xiaohu smiling at him.
Startled, Zhou Qing thought: Aren't you supposed to be running your stall and letting me wander around alone...
At that moment, his pupils constricted, and his heart raced.
Because there was no label above the head of his third senior brother.
Damn, second elder!
"What's going on? Do I have something on my head?"
"Yan Xiaohu" touched his head in confusion but found nothing.
Zhou Qing felt his throat dry, wondering if this was Sun Wukong's seventy-two transformations.
The transformation was too realistic.
From appearance, voice, and actions, even the eyes - without his cheat, he would never have detected it.
"No, nothing. Third senior brother, how's it going on your side?" Zhou Qing asked, pretending he hadn't noticed anything.
"Yan Xiaohu" sighed, "Not much gain so far, but that bone might be worth buying. You can use it as a back scrubbing tool."
Hearing this, Zhou Qing felt a jolt.
As expected, this old fox had noticed the bone's unusual nature too.
But the crowd and the stall owner recoiled at the idea of using the rotten bone for scrubbing, feeling repulsed.
Why not buy it to make soup?
Zhou Qing pretended to gag, taking the opportunity to focus intently on "third senior brother."
"Bind the second elder!"
Soon, the string of question marks above the second elder's head was replaced by gold remarks - 'Fun Little Doll.'
Finally, Zhou Qing let out a deep breath.
From now on, no matter who you transform into, you can't deceive me anymore.
To avoid alerting him, Zhou Qing played along. If he exposed him directly, such a playful elder wouldn't give up easily.
Seeing the remark 'Fun Little Doll,' he realized he was just being toyed with.
If the elder didn't understand how he was exposed by a junior, he might resort to a Soul Search, leading to real trouble.
Binding the second elder was the last slot; Zhou Qing never expected to gain Heart Mirror Points from him, just hoping for self-defense.
Seeing the second elder not leaving, Zhou Qing worried someone else would buy the bone, so after brief hesitation, he picked up a broken pot to examine it.