C3 There Was a Chance

Luo Shi City is arguably the largest city within a three-thousand-mile radius.

The city's lord, Luo Gen, is a formidable cultivator, having reached beyond the sixth rank of the Foundation Establishment Realm. As such, the Luo family commands great respect within Luo Shi City.

Sunn Ling is well aware of this, yet he remains indifferent.

To him, Luo Shi City is merely an ordinary waystation. The strength of its lord, Luo Gen, is of no concern to Sunn Ling.

Currently, Sunn Ling strolls through the city's marketplace, clad in a white robe, with a leisurely gait.

His reason for visiting is to seek out overlooked treasures.

Sunn Ling is intimately familiar with the book he authored. While he might struggle to recall specific details from the text, he certainly knows where the early treasures are hidden.

In the original story, it was in this very marketplace that he stumbled upon a valuable treasure, which led to a series of fortunate events. Sunn Ling is well aware of this.

Thus, he swiftly makes his way to the marketplace.

The marketplace in Luo Shi City resembles the street stalls found in small towns, with a bustling street lined with both established shops and makeshift stalls.

As Sunn Ling surveys each stall, he is resolute in his quest for the treasure.

His target is a bronze slip, akin to a bamboo strip, except fashioned from bronze.

Engraved on the bronze slip in small seal script are the words "Tian Xuan."

There are seven such slips in total, each corresponding to one of the Seven-star Big Dipper, scattered across the continent. Only by collecting all of them can one unlock their deeper mysteries.

Currently, one of these bronze slips lies within this modest marketplace.

Sunn Ling had arrived at the market by chance, but upon spotting the seal script on the bronze slip, curiosity piqued, and he purchased it. Little did he know, this would lead to the acquisition of many more.

"I recall spending eighty Low-grade Spirit Stones for that bronze slip, didn't I? Tsk, it's a good thing I won those Spirit Stones in the lottery, or I wouldn't have had the funds to make any purchases."

Sunn Ling muses to himself, fiddling with the Storage Ring in his hand.

In the world as we knew it, Storage Rings were a common item. But when Sunn Ling mysteriously found himself transported into his own book, all his possessions were gone.

He had managed to acquire a Storage Ring by taking it from Zhang Qiang, whom he had given a good thrashing. Zhang Qiang, stripped of his belongings by Sunn Ling, had lost all his dignity and was now likely hiding somewhere, cursing Sunn Ling.

After searching the marketplace for quite some time, Sunn Ling still couldn't spot the elusive bronze strip, leaving him immensely frustrated.

Could he have been searching in the wrong place? Or had he simply overlooked it?

While wallowing in his annoyance, Sunn Ling caught sight of a strikingly handsome young man in a green robe examining an object in a secluded corner. It was the bronze strip that had eluded Sunn Ling for so long.

Oh no! Someone was about to beat him to it!

Sunn Ling hurried over to the stall and eyed the young man with a twinge of envy.

This fellow was just too good-looking.

Though Sunn Ling was quite attractive himself, his late nights spent writing had left him looking worn and somewhat lackluster.

The young man, on the other hand, with his fair skin and delicate features, could easily pass for a heartthrob in Sunn Ling's original world.

Sunn Ling couldn't help but feel sour.

It's true what they say: beauties envy each other, and so do handsome men. If someone is better looking than you, it's hard not to feel a bit irked.

"Why does an NPC need to be so darn attractive?" Sunn Ling muttered with a mix of annoyance and admiration, though he was careful to conceal his feelings. He then crouched down next to the stall and absentmindedly picked up a Buddha statue to examine it.

"Ah! My friend, you have quite the eye! This Buddha statue was unearthed from an ancient site deep within the Nether Forest to the northeast. It's an artifact from ages past, shrouded in mystery!" the stall owner exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as he launched into an enthusiastic sales pitch.

Sunn Ling just smiled faintly. If he were to take the stall owner's words at face value, he'd be the biggest fool of all.

After finishing his sentence, he set the Buddha statue down.

Sunn Ling certainly hadn't anticipated that, upon hearing the vendor's spiel, Xiaobai would actually put the bronze slip aside and shift his attention to the Buddha statue Sunn Ling had just placed down.

Xiaobai reached out, picked up the statue, and began to examine it with earnest interest.

Well, isn't this guy a big fool? To believe such tall tales from the vendor?

A smirk played across Sunn Ling's face as he embraced the time-honored tradition of minding his own business, content to simply observe the scene in silence.

The vendor's eyes sparkled with opportunity when he noticed Xiaobai's genuine belief and subsequent handling of the Buddha statue. "This could work!" he thought.

With that, he turned his full attention away from Sunn Ling and started to regale Xiaobai with more extravagant claims.

Sunn Ling just shook his head, amused by the vendor's focus on the easy mark. He was pleased to have some peace and quiet and proceeded to pick up the bronze slip he had been eyeing.

Of course, he maintained a casual demeanor, as if he were just browsing.

The vendor did a double-take when he saw Sunn Ling pick up the bronze slip, seemingly gearing up to launch into another pitch. But Sunn Ling wasn't about to let him get a word in.

With a deft flick of his finger, Sunn Ling sent the bronze slip spinning between his fingers like a graceful butterfly, first twirling on his index finger, then his middle finger.

"This is a nifty little trinket. How much are you asking for it, boss?" Sunn Ling inquired, feigning disinterest.

The stall owner was taken aback by the question. Sunn Ling's demeanor suggested he saw the bronze slip as nothing more than a plaything, and his expression conveyed a lack of serious interest, as if he had just picked it up on a whim.

If the vendor priced it too high, Sunn Ling might not be inclined to buy, given his apparent lack of enthusiasm. But pricing it too low would mean missing out on a profit.

Sunn Ling was well aware of the vendor's inner turmoil, which allowed him to dominate this mental chess match.

"Fifty Spirit Stones, take it," the vendor finally blurted out, his face a mix of reluctance and resolve.

Sunn Ling might have kept a straight face, but inwardly, he was bursting with joy.

Wow, he had just saved himself another thirty Spirit Stones. It was a good thing he had honed his pen-spinning trick during those dull moments of writing. Without that skill, it wouldn't have been nearly as easy to pull off.