Chapter 6: The Old vendor Li Laodao
After more than a month, Long Xuan returned to this market again, but this time he was no longer a buyer; he had gloriously become a small vendor.
Long Xuan covered his face with a cloth and wore a large hat. He casually found a place to spread a white cloth and placed nine insect jars containing small cockroach Gu on it.
He then placed a self-made folding chair beside him and sat down.
Next, he began to think about pricing the Little Strong Gu. It is worth mentioning that this world can be said to have currency, but also not to have currency.
Because spirit stones can only be used to exchange for cheap goods; expensive items cannot be exchanged for spirit stones and must be obtained through bartering.
Strictly speaking, spirit stones do not count as the universal currency in this world.
This is because spirit stones are definitely irregular in shape, come in various sizes, and have different concentrations of spiritual energy.
Can someone use a half-absorbed spirit stone for transactions? Since spirit stones differ, they cannot possibly serve as currency.
Spirit stones are merely equivalents in this world; trading with spirit stones is akin to bartering, not purchasing with money. Therefore, spirit stones cannot exchange for priceless treasures.
Due to the inconsistency of spirit stones, the prices of various goods are mutually agreed upon, rather than uniformly priced in one place.Pricing can only fall within a general range, giving the vendor significant freedom.
However, considering the birth of a new item should first open the market, Long Xuan decided not to price it too high initially.
So, after much thought, Long Xuan temporarily set the price of the freely priced Little Strong Gu at three hundred spirit stones, planning to raise the price once the reputation spread.
Of course, the quality of the spirit stones had to be acceptable; they could not be those with spiritual energy almost fully absorbed or excessively small ones the size of a pinky finger.
For his first time as a vendor, the items on his stall were few, making it look a bit shabby, but there was a long way to go, and his stall would eventually become rich in items.
Then he placed a sign on the stall that described the function and price of the small Little Strong Gu, waiting for the first customer to come and bite.
He felt very novel doing this for the first time.
His arrival immediately attracted the attention of other vendors. The vendor sitting closely to his right was a spirited old man who, upon seeing the items on his stall, said:
"Low-grade Gu insects? The quality of Gu insects is more important than the quantity. The weakest low-grade Gu insects are not popular."
"Moreover, what you have refined are not the Five Poisons but the very unpopular cockroaches, making willing traders even fewer."
"This market has many rogue cultivators selling medium-grade Gu insects, and there are even three selling high-grade Gu insects, all with unique Gu insects."
"People selling low-grade unique Gu insects are everywhere; your stuff has no competitive edge at all."
"No matter! Good wine needs no bush; as long as I have one trader, I can open the market." Long Xuan said confidently.
He had great confidence in the Gu insects he had researched.
Li Laodao was indifferent, truly not believing that such a young kid could research such powerful Gu insects.
Although the sign stated the Gu's functions, he thought it was exaggerated.
How could a low-grade Gu insect have such strong resistance to damage? Such powerful ability could not appear in a low-grade Gu insect.
However, just as he was about to reply, Long Xuan's first customer approached his stall, and Li Laodao wisely kept his mouth shut.
Li Erniu picked up one of the insect jars, opened it to look at the Gu inside, then looked at the sign full of text, showing a surprised expression.
He had never seen this type of Gu insect before; it must be a newly researched variety.
The emergence of new Gu always arouses curiosity; newly created Gu insects could be very strong, very weak, or exhibit strange abilities.
However, new Gu had not been tested in actual combat, and no battle methods had been developed; no one knew which Gu insects it paired best with.
Thus, few were willing to be the first to try it.
But there were benefits too; no one would understand a newly emerged Gu insect, let alone know how to counter it.
Danger often comes from the unknown; having a Gu insect never seen by the enemy can often lead to unexpected victories.
He planned to duel with a nemesis, and the person who knows you best is always your enemy. The nemesis knew all his cards, so having a Gu insect that the opponent could not possibly know might be a good choice.
Li Erniu showed interest and asked Long Xuan, "Can your Little Strong Gu make someone immortal?"
"No, I never said that." Long Xuan hurriedly denied with a wave of his hand.
"I've written it clearly; it's just that it won't die from conventional attacks of the same level. After all, it’s a low-grade Gu insect; there are too many ways of the same level to kill you."
"For instance, if your heart is pierced by a sword, as long as you have the Little Strong Gu, you won't die. But if your heart is torn to pieces, how could you not die?"
"The small cockroach Gu hasn't reached the level of instantly restoring your heart."
"But as long as you keep improving the growth of the Little Strong Gu, its damage tolerance limit will get higher and higher."
"The biggest advantage of the Little Strong Gu is that it eats everything, including paper, leather, cotton, wood chips... you won’t have to worry about its food."
Hearing this, Li Erniu's eyes lit up; this was indeed a very practical advantage.
Gu insects are precious and eat all sorts of strange things. Some even eat gold, spirit stones, and spiritual herbs, often bankrupting wealthy Gu cultivators.
Not being picky about food was definitely a plus.
"That's not bad, after all, it's just a low-grade Gu insect. If you really said it gives absolute immortality, I wouldn't believe it either."
"I'll take this Little Strong Gu, three medium-grade spirit stones, take it."
Li Erniu threw three well-formed medium-grade spirit stones on the stall, then left with the insect jar without another word.
One medium-grade spirit stone equals a hundred low-grade spirit stones. Long Xuan's storage bag space was not big, so he preferred to accept medium-grade spirit stones.
With his first sale successful, Long Xuan joyfully put away the three medium-grade spirit stones and casually shouted, "Don't miss out, high-quality Little Strong Gu, come take a look, you won’t regret it..."
Seeing no one coming for a long time, Long Xuan turned his head to the old vendor he had spoken with earlier, intending to sell to his peers.
"Old man, you must have seen what my Little Strong Gu can do. You’re old, and your legs and feet are probably not good. Trading my small cockroach Gu can be an extra insurance."
"Since we are neighbors, I'll give you a discount and charge you only 299 spirit stones."
Li Laodao immediately blew his beard and glared, "You little rascal, you’re even trying to fool me."
"I don’t believe your Little Strong Gu has such abilities. Although it doesn’t give true immortality, its abilities are still a bit scary."
"Do you know how terrifying such abilities would be in actual combat? You could trade injuries with your opponent, effectively doubling your combat power, no exaggeration."
"This is not an ability that a low-grade Gu insect should have. If your Little Strong Gu really has such abilities, in front of medium-grade Gu insects, I would rather choose your Little Strong Gu."