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.

exactly the kind of hemlock Caspian

Or so it seemed.

interested in the hemlock, the fat man

hemlock, eh? Let me tell you the truth… I came across it in a

would come in handy with

to

never mentioned the price

that did business

me take another look…” Caspian nodded, bringing

how much Caspian wanted and needed the hemlock, he would have

Insight, after all, was something he

would not chance upon the shop again after passing the

came into Caspian’s hands when he picked the hemlock up, on top of the brief flash of panic he saw on the fat cultivator’s face,

again, fingertips running over the calloused wood, Caspian observed

even calling out to other cultivators that passed by his stall

able to see that the man’s gaze would flicker to him

that something was

down the hemlock,

working well enough, he

divine sense was much stronger than that of cultivators of the same realm as

use divine sense as he noticed the fat man looked visibly relieved when

sweep, it was not long before Caspian realized that his hunch

something wrong

laid in the section

an opening so thin it was hardly

discovered that the hemlock was stuffed with a piece

a

why the hemlock was heavier

discovering the loophole, Caspian knew

held the hemlock up to the stall owner and

to purchase and smiled so brightly

me, young man!

Five hundred spirit stones.

How’s that?”

Caspian shook his

the fat man smiled, “Hemlock grows deep in

seem like a well-read young

you’d know it takes at least two hundred years of growth for

years, it has to keep from pests and absorb

it’s been struck, a devastating fire must follow for lightning

lightning and thunder usually come hand in

are put out

lot of coincidences to yield a piece of hemlock that has passed through

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