Chapter 3628 — The Hong Clan Trading Association
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
After all, although ninety-nine percent of the low-level cultivators on the Outer Street and Middle Street could not afford the Inner Street's wares, there were always a few exceptions among them—potential customers such as the scions of cultivation families, whose own strength might be mediocre but whose pockets were as deep as those of the Threefold Pavilion's elite disciples. Thus, Inner Street Open Day had come into being.
Once a month, the marketplace's most mysterious street opened for a single day to ordinary cultivators who normally fell short of the entry requirement. This allowed it to attract more potential customers without provoking resentment from the Threefold Pavilion's elite disciples. In fact, that one day each month gave more low-level cultivators a firsthand understanding of the privileges those elite disciples enjoyed, making them even more envious and jealous. Inner Street Open Day therefore did not make the elite disciples feel that their status had been cheapened; on the contrary, it further satisfied their sense of superiority. It achieved two aims at once.
Sometimes it was better to seize an opportunity than wait for the perfect day. Since he had this rare chance to glimpse the Inner Street for himself, Wei Zhao naturally would not let it pass. He had nothing else to do, after all. Perhaps he might come across some treasure that truly appealed to him—or even find the Heart-Eroding Exquisite Grass, the final ingredient he needed to refine the Heavenly Dao Golden Pill. That was not impossible, either.
Releasing the aura of an expert in the early Foundation Establishment stage, Wei Zhao was waved through after the Inner Street guards gave him a single glance.
Following the flow of people into the Inner Street, Wei Zhao cast a brief look around and immediately saw that it was indeed very different from the Outer Street and Middle Street. The distinction was obvious in both the street layout and the structure of the shops.
Put simply, the Outer Street had no proper storefronts at all; it was essentially nothing more than a row of street stalls. The Middle Street was somewhat better, but in nature it was hardly different from a farmers' market in the mundane world. The Inner Street, however, was a different matter entirely. Nearly twenty shops stood in view, each occupying its own independent pavilion. Their layouts were elegant and imposing, and it was obvious at a glance that this was an upscale district.
Under ordinary circumstances, the Inner Street did not receive much traffic. A shop was considered to be thriving if three or four people entered at once. But today's Inner Street Open Day was clearly an exception. Forget three or four—at this rate, even thirty or forty might not be enough to contain the crowd.
Fortunately, the shops were spacious enough that even so many people pouring in did not make them seem overly crowded. Trained disciples had also been assigned specifically to receive customers. Thus, although the scene looked feverish, it remained orderly enough and did not descend into chaos.
With keen interest, Wei Zhao followed the flow of people from shop to shop, examining each one carefully. As he had expected, the prices of the Inner Street's wares were far above those on the Outer Street and Middle Street.
Outside, an item costing several dozen spirit jades was already considered expensive, and anything priced above a hundred was exceedingly rare. On the Inner Street, however, virtually every item started at several dozen spirit jades. Wei Zhao visited several shops with the crowd and saw almost nothing priced below fifty spirit jades. Items marked at over a hundred, or even several hundred, were everywhere.