As Zhang Wenda squatted down, the contents of those qigong books appeared before his eyes.
Crane Soaring Qigong: By mimicking crane movements, it could trigger "spontaneous energy," causing uncontrolled body movements and achieving "spiritual communication."
Bronze Bell Technique: Named after a stance resembling a bronze bell, practitioners could "push people from afar" or generate "external energy."
Chinese Dragon Divine Skill: Using "dragon-shaped" movements, it could harness cosmic energy to cure difficult illnesses.
At first, Zhang Wenda read attentively, but as increasingly absurd qigong techniques appeared, things started feeling off: Tendon-Changing Classic, Nine Yang Inner Skill, Nine Yin White Bone Claw.
Seeing all this, Zhang Wenda withdrew the hand he'd just extended. He glanced at the nearby, gloomy-faced Lamp Spirit, who seemed lost in thought, prompting him to wonder: were fraudsters like Lamp Spirit abundant here?
Just as Zhang Wenda thought this, a suspicious person approached him and whispered nervously, "I'm Qin Shi Huang. I'm Qin Shi Huang."
"I'm your daddy!"
This person's appearance confirmed Zhang Wenda's suspicions. After chasing him away, he once again grabbed Lamp Spirit.
"Are you playing with me? I only want real stuff—these books must be fake."Lamp Spirit widened his eyes in disbelief. "You seriously have to ask me that? How would I know?"
"Aren’t you a swindler? Don't you scammers have some kind of mutual intuition or something, like easily identifying each other?"
"Nope," Lamp Spirit repeatedly shook his head.
At this moment, Aunt Flo, distractedly massaging Song Jianguo's shoulders, remarked, "Don't forget, you should also check for computer viruses. Even if they're real, if they're infected, you'll be in trouble."
Hearing this, Zhang Wenda frowned. He'd finally found the right place, yet problems kept emerging.
After pondering, Zhang Wenda's thoughts again landed on Lamp Spirit. This fellow had lived here long enough and certainly knew the place.
Tiptoeing, Zhang Wenda tapped Lamp Spirit's shoulder. "Buddy, I don’t mean to trouble you, so let's make a deal, alright? You're a local; you must have ways."
"What now? I've brought you here, shown you around. Can’t you just let me go?"
"Don't rush. How about this? If you help me find something satisfying—even just introduce me to someone—I’ll reluctantly give you this treasure." Saying so, Zhang Wenda took out the flattened cup and waved it in front of him.
"That’s mine to begin with, you little robber!"
Dodging Lamp Spirit’s reaching hand, Zhang Wenda tucked the cup back into his pocket. "That's a different matter—you tricked me first, so I stole it back. Think about it; you don't even have to spend money, just find me a reliable place."
Hearing this, Lamp Spirit hesitated. After all, he'd paid a high price for the cup; losing it meant losing an easy business.
After some thought, Lamp Spirit finally spoke again. "Then, how much money have you got?"
Zhang Wenda pulled out the green ticket coins from his pocket and counted, "Altogether, four yuan and eighty cents."
Lamp Spirit almost went crazy. "Are you joking with me? Friend? With this tiny amount, you couldn't even buy a fart!"
"Don’t panic. I earn money every day. Just help me find the right place—I’ll figure out the money myself."
Hearing this, Lamp Spirit reluctantly agreed and began leading them forward.
After just a few steps, Zhang Wenda swiftly hid behind Aunt Flo. Curious, Song Jianguo followed his gaze and saw a red-eyed, purple rabbit looking around and heading their way.
"Mouse, look! A rabbit! Such a big rabbit!" Song Jianguo's eyes sparkled, practically drooling at the sight.
"Stop chattering! Help me avoid it!" Zhang Wenda wasn't sure if Teacher Rabbit was searching for him, but he didn’t want unnecessary trouble now.
Thanks to the ceramic jar's power, Zhang Wenda easily brushed past the rabbit unnoticed.
After climbing out of the ceramic jar, Zhang Wenda saw a three-story dog-fur house standing before him.
Entering, Zhang Wenda saw a high counter covered by thick black cloth, clearly higher quality than outside stalls. Strangely, a large onion sat at the house’s center.
"What do you want?" A deep male voice spoke from behind the curtain.
Since the other person spoke directly, Zhang Wenda immediately stated his purpose.
After Zhang Wenda finished, the figure behind the curtain fell silent briefly before speaking again. "Whether special abilities or qigong, we have them. But first, tell me—what do you want power for? I need to see what's suitable."
"A humanoid monster twice my height. Extremely fast, wielding a very sharp weapon. It’s in the Adult World, not the children's one. Either defeat or kill it; just once is enough."
This time, the silence lasted longer. Just as Zhang Wenda thought he might refuse, the man spoke again. "We have it. And here, we don't need tickets."
Delighted, Zhang Wenda asked immediately, "How much?"
As long as it had a price, earning money wasn't a problem. As an experienced man, he felt confident.
"No money. Do you have Foreign Exchange Certificates?"
Confusion appeared on Zhang Wenda's face at the unfamiliar term. "What are Foreign Exchange Certificates?"
"You don't have any? Fine, then you must trade something else."
"What? Red mercury?" Zhang Wenda remembered the expensive substance someone previously mentioned.
"No, Oil Tyrant. Bring me three drops of Oil Tyrant, and I’ll give you enough Blue Core."
Hearing this, Zhang Wenda's expression became serious, and he pressed his right hand against the Red Core and Yellow Core on his arm.
After thinking, Zhang Wenda quickly asked, "Have you seen this thing before? Where does it come from? What’s a Blue Core?"
"I only sell physical goods, not information," the voice responded and fell silent again.
No matter how Zhang Wenda questioned, he didn’t speak further.
A few minutes later, Zhang Wenda exited the house, mind filled with questions.
"He knows I have these cores? Do others also have them?"
"What does 'enough Blue Core' mean? Could Blue Core easily deal with the scythe-wielding monster? Besides Red, Yellow, and Blue, are there other cores?"
Just as he hesitated whether to spend money on information first, a familiar figure appeared before him.
Huge ears, red eyes, a three-part mouth—if it wasn't Teacher Rabbit from the Youth Center, who else could it be?
The rabbit looked down at Zhang Wenda from above, slowly speaking, "Hasn't anyone told you rabbits have very keen noses?"