() North Wind City, an important town in the western part of the North Hall Province, is also the capital of the White Deer Tribe. This capital, located more than 300 miles on the east bank of the Wanqu River, plays the important task of leading the Ximen family in the west of the large and small states along the river. The location of the North Wind City is one of the few plains in the territory of the North Hall, surrounded by thousands of acres of fertile land, and it is a precious "granary" for the North Hall family living in the extreme north.

The city lord Beitangli, that is, the head of the White Deer Department, is the current owner of the White Deer Knife. The top of the Beitang family seems to have a common characteristic - low-key. Whether it is Beitang Li, the head of the Bailu Clan, or Beitang Gong, the head of the Hanzhang Clan, or even the other nine line master elders, just like the patriarch Beitang Chun, rarely shows up on the rivers and lakes, so that many of the children of the Beitang Mansion don't know what many high-level officials look like. But no one in the Sky Flame Continent dared to underestimate the Beitang family, and its overall strength was the strongest among the four major families.

As everyone knows, the North Wind City faces each other across the river from the West King City, the main city of the Linjia Department of the Ximen Family. In fact, it is said that it is "facing each other", and the distance between the two cities is also six or seven hundred miles, but only these two capitals are the largest near the Wanqu River.

There is a saying:

"The king of the west is proud of the north wind,

The sky is unattainable.

King of the North Wind Gu Xi,

The grass is low and the water flow is long. ”

This poem, which seems to be five words and four sentences, was actually originally two paragraphs of the residents of West King City and North Wind City mocking each other. The meaning of the first two sentences is that the prosperity of the West King City far exceeds that of the North Wind City, and it is a height that is difficult for the North Wind City to reach. The last two sentences refer to the North Wind City looking back at the West King City, "grass" refers to the grass people, and the water flows to a low place, which means to say: "Your prosperity is made by the inferior people, and we don't care about it at all." ”

But after the oral tradition, most people no longer understand the original meaning of these four sentences, and think that they are a praise for the two capitals, and it is even more absurd to spell the four opposing sentences together, which is really laughable.

When Beitang told Xiao Tianhe about the origin of this poem, Xiao Tianhe smiled heartily: "According to the description in the poem, North Wind City should not be as lively as Xiwang City, right?"

"Definitely. Perhaps because of the geographical environment, there are not as many people in the Beitang Mansion as there are people in the other three prefectures, and the leaders of the clan also keep a low profile and rarely show up. In fact, in Beitang Mansion, Beifeng City is already a relatively lively Dazhou City. Beitang said shyly.

"Low-key is the only way to maintain a sense of mystery, so that other families don't dare to provoke. After all, the unknown enemy is the most terrifying. The four major families, the Beitang family, have the smallest number of people, but their strength is the strongest, and I think this is the main reason why the balance can be maintained. ”

"What balance is maintained? The pattern of the four major families each having one side is not new, it has been like this since a long time ago. It is precisely this situation that no one can swallow anyone that makes the Heavenly Flame Continent in a peaceful state most of the time, even after the earth-shattering four-way war, it can still restore a stable situation. Beitang said shyly.

Xiao Tianhe smiled slightly and was silent. "This is also the result of the Demon Lord's deliberate efforts. He thought to himself. Recalling Shi Hao's earth-shattering words, Xiao Tianhe had to admire the mysterious demon lord. Being able to form a stable situation on his own and thus rule the world for a long time is definitely a figure at the top of his game. It is very tricky to become an enemy with such a person, not to mention that Xiao Tianhe still doesn't know why the demon lord is eyeing him.

"Here we are, let's land. Beitang said shyly.

The two landed outside the city. When passing through the city gate, the guards couldn't help but glance at Xiao Tianhe a few more times, after all, carrying a huge tortoise shell on his back was too eye-catching.

Sure enough, as Beitang said shyly, although Beifeng City is very large, there are not many people on the street. Since the Hokudo family is good at using light and soft knives, most of the people who carry magic knives on their backs are foreigners.

Beitang seemed to know the situation in the city very well, and took Xiao Tianhe through the streets and alleys, and came to a circular square in a roundabout way.

"Here, this is the largest demon cultivation item market in North Wind City. Beitang shy introduced.

Xiao Tianhe looked around and couldn't help but smile dumbly: "Well, it's really 'lively', there isn't even a stall." "Isn't it, the square is empty, and it is too far from the square hall that Xiao Tianhe saw in Sealand City at the beginning.

"I'm taking you down the back door, and the main entrance is actually there, so you should be surprised in a moment. Beitang pointed to a bungalow across the square.

The bungalow was characteristic, with three large knife-shaped sculptures rising from the ridge. The pedestals of the left and right handles are high, and the broadsword is tilted towards the middle, overlapping with the middle of the broadsword near the tip of the knife, which is quite imposing.

Xiao Tianhe felt that the three knives were familiar at first glance, and he immediately recognized them after taking a few steps closer, they were the three peerless magic knives of the Beitang family - Luan Feng, Bailu and Hanzhang.

When he got to the front of the bungalow, Xiao Tianhe found that it was the end of a wide road, and the street was full of people, in stark contrast to the empty square behind the house, as if it had been divided into two worlds by the bungalow. The bungalow has no windows, only three open doors directly below the pedestals of the three sculptures.

It was almost dusk, and the three gates were brightly lit, illuminating the steps leading down to the door.

"It turns out that the bazaar was built underground!" Xiao Tianhe exclaimed.

"That's right. This is the northern land, and in the harsh winter, snow and ice can fall, so it is very inconvenient to set up an open-air market. ”

"Then why don't you build a big hall, why dig three feet into the ground and dig a big hole?" Xiao Tianhe was puzzled.

Beitang explained: "Because the terrain is special. This is a huge underground cavern that can be used with a little modification. If you build a big hall on it, it won't be strange if it doesn't collapse. Don't you see that there are no buildings in the square behind the house? ”

Xiao Tianhe followed Beitang shyly

Entering the gate on the far right, the stairs descend in a zigzag shape, as if they were specially dug into the rock, surrounded by walls, until a dozen turns before you come to a straight passage. You can already hear the lively sounds of the market from here.

Passing through the passage, Xiao Tianhe suddenly felt that his eyes suddenly opened up, and an incomparably magnificent cave appeared in front of him. The cave is roughly circular, Xiao Tianhe counted it, there are nine floors from top to bottom, and his location is the seventh layer underground. Each floor is fenced with a height of more than one person, and through the gaps in the railings, you can see all kinds of shops and stalls. Not only that, but there are also three huge "stalagmites" standing in the cave. Several layers of stalagmites have been carved out of the cavern for the purpose of setting up shops, and there are sturdy stone bridges at intervals from the outside of the cave that connect to the stalagmites, with passageways in the middle of the stone bridges and shops on both sides. The nine-story stone bridge is stacked on top of each other, like a tall building. Between the three huge "stalagmites", there is also a circular covered bridge connecting in a circle, and the stone bridge extending from the outside is connected to the covered bridge, and then converges to form a "small square", needless to say, the covered bridge and the small square are also full of shops.

"Good guy! This cave has a diameter of hundreds of zhang, a total of nine floors, how many shops must there be!" Xiao Tianhe was indeed shocked, he looked at the smiling Beitang in disbelief, "You call this 'a little transformation'? I don't think it's an exaggeration to call it an 'engineering miracle'!"

"Haha, as long as you have imagination, what else can't you do?" Beitang walked along the stone bridge towards the "stalagmite" area in the middle, "Because this is a hidden underground demon cultivation item trading market, it is named 'Demon Hidden Cave'." There are a total of nine floors in the cave, the upper three floors are the places where the magic knives are traded, the middle three floors are the places where the elixirs are bought and sold, and the lower three floors are the places where materials are sold. The other two gates at the entrance lead to the upper and middle third floors. Look, ...... ahead" Beitang looked back shyly, Xiao Tianhe didn't seem to be listening to her carefully, "Hey, what are you smirking at?"

"Heh, it's nothing, you continue. In fact, Xiao Tianhe was laughing at the fact that when he first set foot in the path of demon cultivation, the name of a cave he gave at random was actually the same as here!

"Generally speaking, the closer the shop is to the 'stalagmite' area in the middle, the more precious the things are sold. The shops in the most small and medium-sized squares often sell extremely rare and rare items, so the permission to open a store there is to be approved by the administrator. The shopkeepers are also powerful demon cultivators, they don't have to pay the rent of the store, and they don't have to look at the store, as long as they have something they want to sell, they can sell it directly. In addition, unlike other stores, the items sold are often auctioned because they are too rare. Therefore, it is not only necessary to hit the right time to buy things there, but also to have strong financial resources. ”

"Does financial resources mean money?" Xiao Tianhe asked curiously.

"Of course not. Money is not precious to demon cultivators, and the 'wealth' I am talking about is something else. Knife casting materials, alchemy materials, or cast magic knives, refined pills, or sword law books, body law books, alchemy books, etc., as long as the things that the demon cultivator needs can be exchanged in the bazaar, and the specific value of each thing is determined by the market management committee. Because trading demonic items with each other is not as simple as measuring money only in quantity, the Hokudo family has specially established a 'currency' that can only be used to circulate in the demonic cultivation item market, and people call it 'magic coin'. Any magic cultivation item can be exchanged for 'magic coins', and the 'magic coins' after exchange can also be exchanged for any magic cultivation items. Beitang said shyly.

"It's a new and convenient way to do it. Someone who can come up with this idea must be very wise. Xiao Tianhe praised.

Beitang nodded shyly: "That's right." This was an idea that a certain White Deer clan lord came up with, and after reporting it to the patriarch, the patriarch praised it and ordered it to be implemented throughout the territory of the North Hall Mansion. For example, the magic coins you exchange here can also be used in other state cities. Redemptions take place in specially marked shops, one at intervals. Look, the exchange shop of this stone bridge is there. Beitang pointed to a shop with the word "Beitang" hanging on the door, "There is that flag, which proves that it is a shop specially set up by the Beitang family, and any demon cultivation items in the store can be exchanged for magic coins according to the proportion." Due to the fact that the rarity of certain items can change from time to time, the market management will announce the exchange rate of magic coins at the beginning of each month. It's still fairer. ”

"Hmm...... So what's the difference between exchanging and selling?"

"Sales involve renting a store, and it takes time to run a store. Redeeming magic coins saves money and trouble, so the rate is lower. Of course, if you want to exchange items such as not very common classics, you also need to go through the market management committee to evaluate the value. No one wants to buy ordinary classics, rare classics are divided into two kinds, powerful and not powerful, whether it is sold or exchanged, it is time-consuming and laborious, although the powerful can apply for auction in a small square, but how many people are willing to sell the rare and powerful classics? Therefore, the Hidden Cave does not have a special area for selling classics. Beitang said shyly.

"The Beitang family is really smart, and they can collect a large number of demon cultivation items at a very small cost by exchanging them...... No, as long as the Beitang family makes a large number of those 'magic coins', wouldn't they be able to pocket all the things in the bazaar?

Beitang glanced at him shyly: "You have a pretty good brain." True, when the plan was first announced, there were smart people who raised the same objections. But when he saw the 'magic coin' minted by the Beitang family with his own eyes, he readily agreed. Of course, the huge Beitang family would not do that kind of treacherous thing to make magic coins

The material is a special mineral mined from the cold Arctic - cold smoke iron. It is a precious knife casting material, and it is a rare thing to get anywhere in the Sky Flame Continent, so the 'magic coin' itself also has a very high value, so that it will not be too flooded, and it can also ensure the reciprocity of the transaction, which is the same as the use of precious metals such as gold and silver as currency by the people. ”

"I see, it's wonderful. Xiao Tianhe sighed, "It would be nice if the other three major families, or even the entire Heavenly Flame Continent, implemented a unified magic coin system. ”

"It's not easy to find a precious thing that is hidden in all directions to use as currency, and a piece of magic coin is also quite heavy, if you carry a lot of it, it is good in the same province, and it will be troublesome to carry it across provinces. Okay, here we are. Kitado stopped in front of a shop at the intersection of the stone bridge and the circular bridge.

Xiao Tianhe looked up, and the name of the store was "Happy Fang". It's just that the door of the shop is tightly closed, and there seems to be no one.

"No one, we ran for nothing. Xiao Tianhe threw the tortoise shell to the ground with a "bang", "Did you already know that no one was there, and deliberately brought me here for a ride so that others would laugh at me?"

"Hey, if you really want people to laugh at you, I'll go around from the first floor. Look at you poor thing, I didn't have the idea of playing tricks on you for a long time. There were people inside, but she wasn't happy to open the door. Beitang walked to the door and knocked lightly five times, three times heavy and two light. Then, she put her ear on the door panel like a thief and beckoned to Xiao Tianhe. Xiao Tianhe hesitated for a moment, and then walked over and leaned his face up.

I only heard a faint female voice from inside the store, saying: "Dululu, Dulu, the king of heaven covers the tiger!"

"No, it's just this old-fashioned code...... Xiao Tianhe looked disdainful, "Pagoda Town River Demon, hurry up and open the door!"

"Shhh

Xiao Tianhe was completely speechless, where is this, it's a mess.

Not to mention, the door was really open inside, but it was a small door in the door, so small that only a pair of eyes of the person inside were exposed.

"Oh, Sister Rou, you're here, I've been waiting for you here for a few days, and I thought you weren't coming! Come in and sit!" The door finally opened, and a woman came out, middle-aged and plump.

"There was a bit of an accident halfway through, so I'm sorry for the delay. Beitang sneered.

"Sister Rou, I'm going to leave at nightfall, but luckily you caught up. Is this your friend? Yes, the young man looks pretty handsome. The woman looked Xiao Tianhe up and down without any scruples, and saw that he was uncomfortable.

Beitang smiled shyly: "What's the use of being handsome? ”

Xiao Tianhe squinted: "You're stupid! Do you want to explain first, what's going on with this 'Sister Rou'?"

Beitang shyly crossed Erlang's legs and replied leisurely, "Oh, it was my name that told you before. My friends affectionately call me 'Xiao Rou', and since you're already my friend, you can call me that too. ”

Xiao Tianhe shook his head: "Xiao Rou...... I got goosebumps all over my body when I listened to it......"

The woman next to her couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Then you can continue to call me by my name!" said Beitang angrily. Then she turned to the woman and asked, "Are you ready for what I want?"

The woman put away her smile: "Of course. Sister Rou's instructions to me naturally do my best, when have we ever disappointed you? The woman lifted the curtain and went into the inner room, and in a few moments she took out two large copper chests and laid them on the ground. Hearing the dull sound of the box falling to the ground, Xiao Tianhe speculated that there must be something very heavy inside.

Beitang stood up with shame, so happy that he almost pounced on the box: "Wow, you got so much!

"Sister Rou, only this box is what you want. That box was actually something I got for you by the way. However, I also ran through the nine major departments and a total of more than 200 state cities to get it, although the quantity is barely enough for your requirements, but the quality is definitely superior. The woman patted the lid of the box.

Beitang stepped forward and lifted the lid of the box. Xiao Tianhe also stepped forward curiously and glanced inside.

The chest was filled with large and small pieces of gray-black stones. Xiao Tianhe couldn't see any mystery, and wondered in his heart, this kind of stone looks very ordinary, I'm afraid you can find a few baskets on any mountain, what's so rare? That woman also ran through more than 200 state cities to get there?

"Well, that's great! you're there!" said Kitado patted the woman on the shoulder with shame.

"What kind of stone is this, is it so precious?" Xiao Tianhe couldn't help but ask.

The woman smiled and said to Beitang, "You see, this is the case. Those who don't know the value of the goods don't know the value of it, so they won't sell it, and those who know its value are asking for a sky-high price, and it's hard to do some business these days!"

"Don't worry, I can't lose you!" Beitang was in a good mood.

The woman smiled and said, "Thank you for Sister Rou's care." ”

Xiao Tianhe was still the second monk and was confused, looking at the two of them who were smiling and stunned.

"I'll see what this box is. Beitang shy lifted the lid of another box, and suddenly a dazzling light burst out of the box. There were yellow and white chests, and various colors of metal were cut into squares of the same size, neatly stacked on top of each other. This box of things Xiao Tianhe can recognize, it is a high-grade metal material used for casting knives.

Suddenly, a shout came from outside the door: "Okay! Boss, I want that box of things!"