Chapter 396: Chapter 396: 96 Lin Jue is Missing

The time was still early, the Shen Family Shop wasn’t open yet, and naturally it wasn’t convenient for Lin Jing to just wait around here…

Therefore.

After confirming the location of the Shen Family Shop, Lin Jing turned around and left the place.

After leaving the Shen Family Shop, Lin Jing walked the streets of Fang Market and thought of Lin Jue.

So much time had passed, he had no idea how he was doing now.

Following that, Lin Jing casually strolled through the Fang Market while looking for traces of Lin Jue.

He had combed through the entire Fang Market without finding any sign of Lin Jue.

Even that dark-skinned boy, Lin Jing did not see him this time either.

Fortunately, Lin Jing still remembered the location of Lin Jue’s house.

Thus, Lin Jing headed towards Lin Jue’s house according to his previous memory.

The ‘slum’ of Bihai City was just the same as the last time Lin Jing came, without any change.

Perhaps having grown accustomed to it, the cultivators living here didn’t find their situation unusual at all.

Some even took pride in being able to live in Bihai City.

Lin Jue’s house was in the very depths of this ‘slum’ and was among the more dilapidated ones.

When Lin Jing arrived at Lin Jue’s house, he saw a layer of dust on the doorknob and knew that Lin Jue must have been away for some time.

Lin Jing immediately activated his Divine Sense and probed into Lin Jue’s house.

The inside of Lin Jue’s house was as tidy as ever, just as he had left it.

But Lin Jue was not at home.

Moreover, a thin layer of dust had settled in the courtyard of Lin Jue’s house.

Looking at it, he must have been away for some time.

“If he hasn’t returned home, where could he have gone?”

Lin Jing then furrowed his brows in contemplation…

“Lin Jue has lived in this Fang Market for so long, he’s quite shrewd, he shouldn’t have provoked anyone without cause.”

“Moreover, he still has the Spirit Stones I had previously given him for support.”

“In terms of living expenses, he shouldn’t be struggling, and there wouldn’t be a lack of Spirit Stones forcing him to do anything unwillingly.”

“The decorations in his room also prove that he must have been living here until not long ago.”

“It doesn’t look like he moved out.”

“If he hasn’t moved, why hasn’t he returned for so long?”

“And…”

“Judging from the dust accumulated in the courtyard, Lin Jue has been away for at least half a month.”

After pondering for a while, Lin Jing had not a single clue.

Afterward, he gave up on contemplating.

As a member of the Lin Family, Lin Jing naturally could not ignore Lin Jue’s disappearance.

It seems.

After attending the trade meeting, Lin Jing would need to stay in here a few more days to search thoroughly.

The inexplicable disappearance of Lin Jue always gave Lin Jing an ominous premonition…

He only hoped that nothing unfortunate had happened to him…

……

It wasn’t yet Zi Time in the evening when Lin Jing, dressed up again in disguise as a burly, stout man, came to the Fang Market of Bihai City once more.

The Fang Market at late-night, the vendors had all packed up and left, and there wasn’t a single person in the entire market, making it eerily quiet.

Even the shops on both sides of the Fang Market had closed their doors.

Lin Jing then directly headed towards the Shen Family Shop within the Fang Market.

He went to the very back of the Fang Market.

When Lin Jing looked at the Shen Family Shop again, the shop’s doors were wide open this time.

There were also two big red lanterns hanging at the entrance.

Subsequently, Lin Jing walked inside the shop.

The shop was small; upon entering, Lin Jing immediately saw a middle-aged cultivator behind the counter,

who appeared to be the shopkeeper of the Shen Family Shop.

This shopkeeper was also a Golden Core Cultivator.

Furthermore, he was at the Golden Core Late Stage.

Seeing Lin Jing arrive, the shopkeeper smiled and said directly,

“Welcome, fellow Daoist, to our humble shop. May I inquire, what are you looking for?”

Lin Jing then replied with a cupped-fist salute,

“Fellow Daoist…”

“I’ve heard that the Shen Family Shop is hosting a trade event, and I’ve come today specifically to attend this trading session.”

After hearing this, the shopkeeper sized up Lin Jing up and down, and then replied with a smile,

“Ah, so you’re here for the trade meeting, my apologies for the oversight.”

Without further ado, the shopkeeper called over a servant and told the servant,

“This Daoist friend is here to attend the trade meeting, take him to the backyard.”

“Yes!” The servant nodded to the shopkeeper.

“Senior, this way please…”

Saying thus, the servant then led Lin Jing towards the backyard.

Soon.

With the servant’s guidance, Lin Jing came to the entrance of the backyard.

Inside the backyard, right past the entrance, there was a fairly large house.

At that time.

The servant stood at the entrance and pointed towards the house inside to Lin Jing, saying,

“Senior, the fellow Daoists attending the trade meeting are all inside. It’s not appropriate for me to enter, so I can only escort you to here.”

After speaking, the servant bade farewell to Lin Jing and left.

Then Lin Jing, upon the servant’s departure, walked towards the house inside the backyard.

Upon opening the door, several people turned to look over.

These individuals, after glancing at Lin Jing and finding him unfamiliar, returned to their own meditations, no longer paying him any attention.

Lin Jing then.

Found a corner to sit down.

After sitting down, he began to take in the entire room.

This room was unlike ordinary rooms.

Below, numerous tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and in the center of the room was a high platform.

The layout of the entire room resembled that of a venue specially designed for trading events.

At this moment, scattered throughout the venue were about a dozen cultivators.

When those people had been paying attention to Lin Jing just now, Lin Jing had likewise glanced over them.

The cultivation levels of these people varied, and there were even Demon Cultivators and Demon Cultivators among them.

There were even some whose cultivation Lin Jing could not discern, which suggested they must have concealed their abilities.

Afterward, Lin Jing waited for some more time.

Subsequently, several more people arrived one after another.

Until finally, there were about twenty cultivators present in the room.

Lin Jing even spotted the two cultivators he had encountered earlier that day.

These two were now greeting another cultivator, which suggested that the three of them were probably acquainted with each other.

Once everyone had arrived, the time also reached Zi Time.

Just then, the shopkeeper who had been outside in the store earlier came in.

As soon as he arrived, several people stood up to greet the shopkeeper.

It seemed that these people were not first-timers here and were familiar with the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper smiled and responded to each of them in turn.

Following that,

The shopkeeper walked straight to the high platform in the center of the room.

He then opened his mouth, addressing everyone:

“Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the small trading event hosted by our shop.”

“This trading event has many familiar faces, of course, and also a few newcomers attending for the first time.”

Having said that, the shopkeeper turned his head to look at Lin Jing and a few other cultivators.

He then nodded to them.

Lin Jing and the others also nodded slightly in response.

Following this, the shopkeeper continued:

“The purpose of our shop’s trading event is to promote exchange between fellow Daoists and, of course, to trade what we each need the most.”

After finishing, the shopkeeper looked toward Lin Jing and a few others, then added:

“Some Daoists are here for the first time and might not be familiar with everything. Let me give you a brief introduction to our trading event.”

“Our trading event is simply to provide a convenient place for you all and does not charge any fees—you can rest assured, fellow Daoists.”

“This rule is well known to the old friends who often come to participate in the trading event…”

As the shopkeeper said this, many cultivators below nodded in agreement.

The shopkeeper then continued:

“Shortly, if anyone has treasures they wish to trade, they can come up on stage to display them, stating what they want in exchange. As long as both parties are satisfied, the trade can be completed.”

“All right…”

“That’s enough talk; you may begin.”

Having said that, the shopkeeper stepped down from the platform.

After the shopkeeper descended, an old man with a stooped back and a walking cane went up on the platform.

Although the old man seemed frail and elderly, there was a faint hint of Demonic Qi emanating from his body.

Clearly, this elder was a Demon Cultivator who practiced the Demonic Path Technique.

However, by his appearance, he did not seem like one of those extremely bloodthirsty types.

This was actually not unusual.

Not all Demon Cultivators were bloodthirsty and cruel by nature.

Some Demonic Path Techniques were more moderate.

Those who practiced such techniques might have Demonic Qi, but were much like ordinary cultivators.

Another type of Demonic Path Technique was more aggressive.

These practitioners’ Demonic Techniques were often harmful to the heavens, and they might even consume cultivators to bolster their own Cultivation.

These individuals were typically the cruel and bloodthirsty kind.

The elder on stage was obviously of the former type.

After stepping onto the stage, he chuckled and then spoke:

“Hehe…”

“Fellow Daoists, without further ado…”

“I wish to use this object in my hand in exchange for a Divine Sense Technique.”

As he spoke, he lifted the object in his hand for all to see clearly.

Immediately, someone exclaimed:

“It’s actually a Fourth Rank Spirit Plant, Jade Heart Vine…”

Another person, upon seeing it clearly, also added in a low voice:

“Mm, this Jade Heart Vine looks like it was harvested not long ago and is still quite intact.”

“But to exchange it for a Divine Sense Technique, I doubt that will be easy…”

The elder on the platform paid no attention to the various discussions below, simply maintaining a smile while looking at the crowd.

After a moment, a middle-aged cultivator stood up and addressed the elder on stage:

“I have a Divine Sense Technique, though it is somewhat incomplete, only cultivable up to the Golden Core stage.”

“If fellow Daoist agrees to the exchange, we can trade right away.”

After hearing this, the elder shook his head…

Clearly, he was not very satisfied with the incomplete Divine Sense Technique.

Then, another voice rang out, and a young cultivator stood up:

“I have a Superior Defensive Magical Treasure that I’d like to exchange for your Jade Heart Vine, I wonder if fellow Daoist would be willing.”

However, the elder shook his head, saying:

“I only want a Divine Sense Technique, I will not exchange for anything else.”

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator said no more and simply sat back down.

Then, after a while, there was no second offer.

Clearly.

The trade was about to fall through.