Most workshop bookstores that sell books of skills follow these rules: a thick book allows browsing of the first three pages, a medium book two pages, and a thin book one page.
Every book is enchanted with a forbidden technique that prevents people from seeing the pages beyond; if an attempt is made to snatch it, the book can even destroy itself.
However, stealing books of skills is such a foolish act that neither demons nor cultivators would do it, as it would be a direct provocation to the big powers behind the workshops and tantamount to seeking death.
These are just the stall rules. If you are in a guaranteed shop, you're not even allowed to flip through a single page; the shopkeeper will have prepared an introduction to the book instead.
Tao Qian had originally hoped to enjoy the Cultivation Sword Technique, but as soon as he activated his perception, he couldn't help but be startled.
A throbbing sensation?
Indeed it was there, but what emerged in his mind was not information about the book.
[Record Name: Confusing God Sand.]
[Record Type: Alien.]
[Record Description: This substance is produced by a special devil known as the Gongsheng Demon, which is often a human examining student who participated in the imperial examination but failed to achieve a title, transformed into a deceitful object due to intense resentment and some peculiar incidents. It frequents the households of scholars, smearing books to muddle the readers' spirits. This deceitful object excretes every nine days, grinding its feces into fine sand to smear on books and other objects, producing a confusing effect that convicts people into believing whatever book they hold is the one they desire.]
[Note one: The sand loses its effect upon contact with water or fire, and reveals its true form when blown by the wind.]
[Note two: Prolonged contact with the sand will result in constipation.]
Tao Qian stopped flipping through the pages, silently placed the "Qingming Sword Technique" back on the shelf, and fully opened his Extraordinary Perception.
Indeed, the same throbbing sensation came from all the bookshelves around him.
That is to say, all the "books of skills" in this shop were fakes.
Every single one was a phony, merely smeared with that Confusing God Sand, leading people to mistake every book for a Cultivation Method with "Abnormal Traits."
He stared at Old Fox for a moment, struggling not to show a look of disdain.
That guy, sure enough, couldn't change his ways.
In fact, most of the cultivators, demons and alien species that come to this area are aware that the books of skills sold here come with no guarantees.
Yet customers still come in an endless flow, partly because they have an inexplicable confidence in their own judgment.
And also because everyone knows:
Cultivation Methods, Transcendent books, and the like are completely different from ordinary books.
Cultivation Secret Manuals are extremely important to cultivators; they are not things you can simply read a few times and memorize in your heart.
During practice, one must always refer to them.
Even a slight mistake can be fatal for the practitioner, leading to an instant mutation or death on the spot.
Many Cultivation books are actually hard to come by, requiring the writer to pour their spirit into them to take shape, like the "Nameless Secret Manual" that once benefited Tao Qian greatly. It would be unique and impossible to print in large quantities as in the Mortal World.
The widespread dissemination of something like the "Bai Qin Play Secret Manual" without a doubt, always has a catch.
Among the Four Beasts of She County, Zhang Xian and Yang Ding always carry with them the Meat Demon Possession Technique and Earth Element Manual.
It's not because they are too stupid, but because they must.
"This old fox's shamelessness could make even the most unscrupulous merchants in the mortal world feel inferior."
"You open a bookstore, at least put a few real ones in there, it's just too much that they are all fake."
At that moment, Tao Qian understood the feelings of his senior, Wu Ming; this old thing indeed deserved a good thrashing.
Just as Tao Qian was about to leave in anger, suddenly the door curtain of the shop was forcefully flung open.
A simple and honest-looking man barged in, full of rage, and directly threw a book called "Cow Demon Strength" into Old Fox's arms.
Accompanying the spray of spittle, the man roared, "Old man, give me my money back, your book is fake!"
Originally planning to leave, Tao Qian immediately stopped upon seeing this scene.
The other customers, meanwhile, cast doubtful glances and called off the deals they were about to make with the vixens.
Seeing this sudden turn of events, Old Fox immediately became anxious, fury filled the fox's eyes behind the spectacles.
But he was obviously experienced and remained calm, pinching the book and brushing a furry paw over it before starting to flip through the pages.
As he flipped, a faintly abnormal trait seemed to emanate from the book, even carrying the weak roar of a Cow Demon.
Any cultivator with a bit of experience would recognize this as a Cultivation Secret Manual upon seeing it.
The doubt in the eyes of several customers in the shop dissipated considerably.
Only then did Old Fox leisurely address the honest-looking man,
"Honored customer may have seen, our shop has always enjoyed an impeccable reputation, do not wrong Old Fox."
"One of our store's policies: once money and goods have exchanged hands, returns are categorically not accepted."
"Honored customer, please understand."
While speaking, Old Fox passed the "Cow Demon Strength" back to him.
Unexpectedly, the man came prepared, slapping away the Secret Book and bellowing angrily,
"Don't think you can deceive me again, old thing, my sister just joined Joyful Tower, and she was very angry to see me tricked."
"She said you've been swindling around in several workshops, specifically conning the lower-class cultivators of the Cultivation World and some naive newcomers. Other stalls sell a mix of real and fake goods, but only your shop turns out to be all frauds."
"I don't know what kind of ghostly trickery you used to make these books exhibit special abilities."
"My sister has found out: you, old thing, have no significant backing, and your own cultivation is weak and pitiful. You're only supporting an Energy-Introducing Realm vixen from your clan, said to be your old mother, and presumably the old arms and legs don't have much fighting strength."
"Today, you will have to refund the money, whether you like it or not."
These words caused the situation in the shop to turn on its head.
Those customers who had just let go of their suspicions, glanced at the vixen sharply and left the shop one after another, lifting the door curtains on their way out.
The shop emptied in no time.
The bottom exposed, Old Fox's face turned from pale to green and back again.
The pair of fox eyes glared at the honest-looking man, the pupils flashing, clearly calculating something.
After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "For such wild and absurd accusations, sullying our shop's good name, don't blame me..."
Before Old Fox could finish speaking, his vision suddenly blurred.
It was the big man taking out something that looked like a token from his bosom and just flashing it in front of Old Fox's eyes, causing him to swallow back half of his harsh words.
The anger on his face turned into an obsequious smile, as he bent over and said,
"You are right to reprimand, sir, this money must be refunded, it certainly must."
"Quickly, bring the Silver Coin that rightfully belongs to the customer."
"Add an extra hundred Joyful Money to the account, as it is only right to compensate for the oversight and loss caused to the customer."
After dozens of breaths, Old Fox, with a smiling face and all the niceties said, finally managed to send off the man who was full of rage and apparently had a strong backing.
He twisted inside thinking about the Silver Coins he lost as well as the customers that had been scared away, and turned around intending to blame the vixen attendants for not properly investigating the sucker's background, leading to his loss.
But as soon as he turned around, he saw that the clearly noble Half-Dragon Demon was still lingering in the shop and hadn't left.
Just as he fancied himself lucky, thinking he had encountered a dumb Devil who might help recover his losses,
Suddenly, he saw the Half-Dragon Demon's golden pupils slightly squint, revealing a dazzling smile, accompanied by a sly and scheming aura that felt eerily familiar to Old Fox.
The next moment, he heard Tao Qian slowly begin to speak.
"To err is human; to change, divine. I never expected a fox of your alien species to possess such a rare quality."
"Given that, let's also discuss the matter of compensating me."
Just from these two opening sentences, Old Fox felt as if something went "boom" in his mind, as if his skull would explode, and his face completely froze.
ps: There is another update tonight, don't say it's short, the long one's coming.