Put Away Your Divine Techniques Now!-Chapter 979 - 288: Bustling Affairs

After Chen Yan finished washing up, the fellow had already gone out once and returned, bringing a plate of food.

Breakfast was a type of round pastry with a greenish surface, similar to a pancake.

Chen Yan picked up a piece and glanced at it. It should be made by chopping some kind of green leaves finely, mixing them with flour, then spreading them into a pancake and frying it with oil.

The aroma of fried oil was appetizing.

Taking a bite, it seemed to contain honey or similar ingredients, giving it a sweet flavor.

And further chewing revealed a fresh scent of green leaves, with a bittersweet aftertaste, akin to the smell of some medicinal herb.

"What is this?" Chen Yan asked casually.

Niu Bufan carefully poured Chen Yan a bowl of hot tea before answering respectfully, "Returning to sir, this is a pancake made of bitter hemp leaves.

Fresh bitter hemp leaves are finely chopped and mixed in.

This bitter hemp leaf is a specialty of our Southern Border, with a nourishing effect on the spirit and can expel moisture.

This place has many hills and is quite damp, so this item is the most common food in Southern Border."

Chen Yan nodded: "It tastes good."

He ate two pieces and then put down the food, looking at Niu Bufan: "Tell me, have there been any lively events to watch these days?"

Niu Bufan hesitated, then thought seriously: "This humble one doesn’t know what kind of lively events the sir wants to see..."

Chen Yan sighed: "Just tell me if there’s anything interesting happening in the Four-direction Building."

Niu Bufan pondered for a moment, saying: "The Four-direction Building is all shops doing business. By convention, the first day of each period is a small market, where businesses open to welcome customers for transactions—though in the small market, what is sold and traded is usually ordinary goods.

On the fifth day of each period, however, is the big market, and the hall of the Four-direction Building will be open.

Each business will bring out one or two of their most valuable treasures and send them to the hall for auction. Attending the big market guests is different from the small market where anyone can enter. Instead, one must possess an invitation from any business within the Four-direction Building to be admitted."

After a pause, Niu Bufan said: "Counting the days, tomorrow is exactly the big market."

Chen Yan smiled, saying nothing.

An auction, huh?

Well, isn’t this the standard plot template of the cultivation world?

Anyone who’s read cultivation novels knows that when there’s an auction step in the plot, something is bound to happen.

"Not going! I’m not interested!"

Chen Yan shook his head: "Sir, I don’t have much money in my pocket. Going to an auction is truly just watching emptiness, seeing others squander money to buy things, what fun is that?"

Niu Bufan chuckled honestly: "This humble one didn’t understand these things either, just heard people say that this big market is very lively, many people will come."

"Why?"

"The Heaven-Crashing Ceremony of the Ghost Race is just a month away, and at this big market, it’s said that a sect is releasing five slots to participate in the ceremony for sale, so many will come to bid for these slots."

Chen Yan’s face changed slightly.

The Heaven-Crashing Ceremony—it’s essentially a secret technique of the Ghost Race’s cultivation, now the official name.

But... this kind of slot auction doesn’t really relate to Chen Yan; he couldn’t afford it.

Even if he could, he wouldn’t waste his cultivation to start anew on the Ghost Race’s path.

"Why does the sect sell its five slots?"

"This humble one doesn’t know, but heard from other workers in the building conversation, it’s rumored that the sect encountered some difficulties recently, needed money to buy goods in Southern Border, and hence had to sell the slots..."

Chen Yan chuckled, but secretly shook his head.

A sect that owns five slots is certainly not an ordinary Noble Sect.

How could such a sect lack this little money?

"Is there nothing else lively to watch? Otherwise, this City of No Return is too boring." Chen Yan shook his head.

Niu Bufan spoke softly: "In past years there was some lively events. But now they are fiercely fighting in the south and east of the city, so some lively things that would ordinarily be held might not happen this year."

He showed a few expressions of regret as he spoke.

"Oh, then tell me what interesting lively events happened in past years in this City of No Return?"

Niu Bufan hesitated, seemingly had a longing in his eyes, and spoke softly: "In past years around this time, the Ghost Race territory in the south of the city would hold festivals, where tribes from the mountains would come out... for a courtship meeting."

"Courtship meeting?" Chen Yan’s eyes lit up.

"The sir comes from outside doesn’t know the situation here..." Niu Bufan seemed to smile, with a bit of pride in his tone: "Young women from the Ghost Race tribes are very popular, even disciples from outside sects and families will attend the courtship meeting. Marrying one or two women from the Ghost Race would receive family rewards and bounties."

Chen Yan felt a stirring in his heart, immediately understanding that this was likely the various sects and families hoping to integrate Ghost Race bloodlines.

He showed some interest: "How does the courtship work?"

"It’s hard to say." Niu Bufan smiled: "Our Ghost Race women have fiery personalities, generally not like those from sects and families outside. We raise children more freely here, not restricting their nature much.

Courtship also depends on the woman’s personal choice.

Some girls love handsome guys, some love wealth, some like eloquent men, some prefer talented heroes. Anyway, they set their conditions, those wanting to marry have to demonstrate their divine techniques."

Goodness, like the People’s Plaza in the Shanghai Stock Exchange!

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