Tianfeng Academy is located outside the capital city of Tianfeng, backed by Mount Daqi. It is the largest academy in the entire Tianfeng Empire, with a long history and abundant cultivation resources, making it a coveted holy land for every young martial artist.
The annual entrance examination for Tianfeng Academy is just seven days away. If Chen Xiao can get into Tianfeng Academy, even if Chen Feng finds out Chen Xiao is there, he won't be able to do anything to him. Tianfeng Academy is not a place where Chen Feng can act recklessly.
Having made up his mind, Chen Xiao set off for Tianfeng City. Qingyuan City and Tianfeng City are not far apart. Chen Xiao traveled at full speed and arrived before dark.
The sky was already evening, and the setting sun cast its rays. The buildings in Tianfeng City were magnificent, and the streets were wide. It was indeed the capital of a nation, with a prosperity that Qingyuan City could not compare to.
"I need to earn some money," Chen Xiao said, touching his empty pockets with a sigh. He was in great need of money now.
It wasn't that Chen Xiao was greedy for money, but without money, cultivation was impossible. Pills and spirit stones used to assist cultivation all required a large amount of money to purchase.
To earn money, the first thing Chen Xiao thought of was selling formation talismans.
In Chen Xiao's eyes, the level of formation talismans in the Tianfeng Empire was too low. Take Chen Feng, for example. As the head of a family, he didn't even know that formation talismans could be drawn on the ground. Such knowledge was inferior to that of a few-year-old child in the Holy Domain.
In his previous life, Chen Xiao had focused on the path of martial arts and only dabbled in formation talismans, not mastering them. However, even so, the skills he possessed far surpassed those of the people here.
He was confident that the formation talismans he drew would become sought-after items, but before that, he needed to find a shop to sell them for him.
Chen Xiao arrived at a street full of shops. The houses with green bricks and blue tiles were arranged neatly, and the street was bustling with people, lively and extraordinary.
"Huh? Why is the elemental energy here so dense?"
Chen Xiao suddenly stopped, his eyes shining as he looked at a small shop in front of him. The shop was small and dilapidated, with an old plaque bearing four large characters: "Wang Ji Formation Talismans." Coincidentally, it was a shop selling formation talismans.
Although the shop was not impressive, its location was an excellent place for cultivation. The concentration of elemental energy here was rare on the Dragon Martial Continent, where elemental energy was scarce. For Chen Xiao, it was like a pillow arriving just when he was sleepy.
Chen Xiao pushed open the door and walked into the shop. The only young shop assistant inside immediately greeted him with a smile and asked, "Guest, what would you like to buy?"
The young shop assistant saw that Chen Xiao was dressed exceptionally well and assumed he was a young master from a wealthy family, his heart filled with joy. It was the first customer to visit the shop all day, and now they could finally make a sale.
The shop assistant's enthusiastic attitude made Chen Xiao a little embarrassed. After hesitating, he asked, "Do you still have any openings for shop assistants?"
Chen Xiao had changed his mind. He originally only wanted to find a shop to sell his formation talismans, but now he wanted to settle down here first. If he could live here, his cultivation speed would greatly increase.
When the young shop assistant heard his words, his expression changed immediately, and he felt very disappointed. He replied ungratefully, "We're not hiring."
"Don't be in a hurry, little brother. Listen to me first. I don't want any wages, just food and a place to stay." Chen Xiao couldn't help but want to laugh. When had he ever fawned over a young shop assistant like this?
"I already said we're not hiring. Are you never going to stop? You're dressed so well, yet you want to be a shop assistant, truly..." The young shop assistant rolled his eyes and spoke impatiently.
But before he could finish speaking, an old man reeking of alcohol walked in from outside and interrupted him directly, "Who says we're not hiring? You little brat, you dare to make decisions for me, don't you?"
The shop assistant's expression immediately turned fearful upon seeing the old man, and he said with a fawning smile, "Old Wang, I didn't know you were back."
The old man, referred to as Old Wang, had white hair and beard, was very unkempt, his hair messy, and his clothes dirty, as if they hadn't been washed in a long time.
Old Wang waved his hand, signaling the shop assistant to stop talking, and looked Chen Xiao up and down with his hazy, drunken eyes, asking with alcohol-laden breath, "Young man, how old are you? You really don't want wages?"
While Old Wang was sizing up Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao was also sizing him up. Chen Xiao could not feel the slightest fluctuation of elemental energy from Old Wang. It wasn't that Old Wang had no cultivation, but his cultivation was far higher than Chen Xiao's, so Chen Xiao couldn't sense it.
"I'm seventeen this year, and I really don't want wages, just a place to stay," Chen Xiao replied immediately.
"Alright, I happen to be short-handed here, so you can stay," Old Wang decided with finality.
The shop assistant exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? Old Wang, we're not short-handed!"
The shop hadn't had a single customer all day, so how could they be short-handed? What surprised the shop assistant the most was that this old man always nagged him for eating a bit more food, but today he had a change of heart and wanted to take in this young lad.
Old Wang said impatiently, "We weren't short-handed before, but we will be from now on. Starting today, you'll go to the Ghost Market to set up a stall at night."
When the shop assistant heard that they were going to set up a stall at the Ghost Market, his face lit up with surprise, and he suddenly realized, exclaiming incredulously, "Old Wang, did you get a permit?"
"Don't talk so much nonsense. Just do as you're told," Old Wang said, sounding a bit impatient. He lay down on a bed behind the counter and mumbled, "Wake me up in an hour."
With that, he fell asleep, and soon his thunderous snores filled the air.
Since Old Wang had agreed to let Chen Xiao stay, the shop assistant naturally didn't dare to say anything more. Moreover, if they were going to set up a stall at the Ghost Market, they would indeed need a helper, and Chen Xiao had come at the perfect time.
The shop assistant looked at Chen Xiao with an air of arrogance and said casually, "Hey, newcomer, what's your name? From now on, you'll call me Sixth Brother. I'll look out for you, but you have to listen to me, understand?"
Chen Xiao found this Sixth Brother quite amusing and pretended to be scared, cooperating by saying, "Yes, Sixth Brother, my name is Chen Xiao. I'll ask for your guidance in the future."
"Hmph, you have good judgment. Don't just stand there foolishly. Come and help. We have to go to the Ghost Market to set up a stall soon." Little Six had been delighted ever since he heard about going to the Ghost Market, and he worked more diligently than usual.
"Okay," Chen Xiao said, stepping forward to help. As he tidied up, he asked, "Sixth Brother, what is this Ghost Market?"
"You don't even know about the Ghost Market? You must be from the countryside," Little Six said with disdain. Having been born in the capital, he naturally felt a sense of superiority, referring to places outside the capital as the countryside.
"The Ghost Market is the largest trading fair in the entire capital. There's nothing you can't find or buy. It's called the Ghost Market because it's only open at night. Our shop didn't have the qualifications to set up a stall there before. I don't know how this old drunkard managed to get a permit through someone."