Upon a brief thank you, the two men found themselves at the fat man’s stall perusing the goods laid out.

”Come take a look, see if there’s anything you fancy!” The fat cultivator’s eyes curved into crescents whenever he smiled.

It was easy to take a liking to him.

“Fair prices guaranteed!”

Caspian did not cast his sights onto the hemlock at first.

He pretended to look around, scanning the merchandise of the stalls next to that one.

There were antlers with stripes that glistened golden.

No one knew what creature they came from.

There were dry, shriveled fingers with pointy nails.

Potted plants bore colorful flowers but with leaves that were completely withered.

Caspian looked at all of them, reaching out to feel them from time to time if he wanted.

The fat man seemed equally uncaring of Caspian’s wandering.

None of these things were of any value, after all.

Caspian hardly gave them a second glance.

Upon putting down a shiv, Caspian moved to pick up the hemlock.

It sank with weight the second he picked it up.

Caspian’s eyes froze slightly.

‘It’s heavier than I expected it to be,’ Caspian thought to himself as he cast the stall owner a glance.

Instantly, Caspian was able to see the flash of panic that briefly overtook the fat man’s features when he picked the hemlock up.

Suspicion arose in Caspian immediately.

Instead of hurrying to inquire about the price, he began to analyze it.

The hemlock looked real and fine at first glance.

The chasm was struck by thunder.

Caspian, having absorbed the Bone of Thunder, knew more about lighting than the average cultivator.

The part of the hemlock that was charred black was caught in a forest fire caused by a lightning strike.

the kind of hemlock

Or so it seemed.

Caspian seemed interested in the hemlock, the fat man put on an

truth… I came across it in a

would come in handy with

fat cultivator seemed to

never mentioned the price

was someone that did business for a

let me take another look…” Caspian nodded, bringing the hemlock

and needed the hemlock, he would have asked

Insight, after all,

chance upon the shop again after passing

weight that came into Caspian’s hands when he picked the hemlock up, on top

hands yet again, fingertips running over the calloused wood, Caspian observed the

out to other cultivators that

gaze would flicker to him every once

that something was

the hemlock, Caspian

were not working well enough, he would have to use his

sense was much stronger than that of cultivators of

as he noticed the fat man looked visibly

was not long before Caspian realized that

was, indeed, something wrong with the

the section that

opening so thin it was hardly

sense, Caspian even discovered that the hemlock was stuffed with a piece

was a lot heavier

was why the hemlock

discovering the loophole, Caspian knew what to

hemlock up to the

to purchase and smiled so brightly

young man! I won’t

Five hundred spirit stones.

How’s that?”

much!” Caspian shook his

it’s not!” the fat man smiled, “Hemlock grows deep in the forest, it’s hard enough to source as

seem like a well-read young

hundred years of growth

to keep from pests

importantly, once it’s been struck, a devastating fire must follow

sure you’d also know, young man, that lightning and thunder usually

are put out with rain barely after they have started to

of coincidences to yield a piece of

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