Haggling

"Oh! Brother Yan, you're too kind. How can you eat without paying?" Yue Qianchou gently blocked the Spirit Stone offered to him.

"That's not how it works. I took an instant liking to Brother Yue and really want to be your friend. A mere banquet is nothing to me. If Brother Yue thinks highly of me and is willing to be my friend, then please take back this Spirit Stone." Yan Zhuixing said this with a face full of sincerity.

Damn it! Money is a bastard, and it's a bastard to refuse money. Yue Qianchou glanced back at Bi Zicong and the others, and said with a smile, "It's an honor to be friends with Brother Yan. Since that's the case, then I'll accept it without hesitation." He unceremoniously took back the Spirit Stone and stuffed them into his Storage Bag.

Yan Zhuixing nodded with a smile, looked at Xiong Hui and the other four, and asked, "Brother Yue, who are these people?"

"This is my senior brother, and these four are my good friends." Yue Qianchou was unwilling to reveal the identities of Bi Zicong and the other three, glossing over the matter with a casual remark. The five people behind him bowed to Yan Zhuixing in unison, without saying anything.

Yan Zhuixing didn't mind at all, and cupped his hands, saying, "Since you are Brother Yue's friend, then you are my friend too. My name is Yan Zhuixing. Friends, please feel free to come and visit more often when you have time. All expenses for coming to Hundred Flower Inn will be on me."

After thanking them again, the group realized they had benefited from Yue Qianchou's kindness. Yue Qianchou looked out the window and said regretfully, "It's a pity it's getting late, we must take our leave now. We'll have to come and bother you again next time. Please don't take offense, Brother Yan."

Yan Zhuixing nodded and smiled, "Since you are all in such a hurry to go back, I won't insist that you stay. Please!"

The group of people descended the stairs with polite manners, and Yan Zhuixing escorted them all the way to the entrance of Hundred Flower Inn before bidding each other farewell. After watching them leave, Yan Zhuixing turned around and glanced inside the house. Seeing that there were no guests left, the smile that had been on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an indifferent and cold expression.

Shopkeeper Chen, who was following behind him, said, "I didn't expect Yue Qianchou to actually be able to come up with a thousand high-grade Spirit Stones!"

"Hmph! Didn't you see what happened during the day?" Yan Zhuixing sneered, "A Core Formation stage disciple actually managed to get the Daluo Sect and the Wangyue Sect so enthusiastic. Just for that, he's worth more than a thousand high-grade Spirit Stones. Moreover, in front of all the major sects, he publicly beat up the direct grandson of the Qingguang Sect Master's leader. Is this something an ordinary Core Formation stage disciple could do? Yue Qianchou, who exactly are you?!"

"Now that you mention it, Young Master, it is indeed quite strange. Even on the wealthy Fu Xian Island, a disciple in the Core Formation stage would absolutely not be able to come up with a thousand high-grade Spirit Stones," Shopkeeper Chen nodded thoughtfully.

"Uncle Chen, there's something you need to investigate." Yan Zhuixing turned around, looked outside, and said slowly, "I don't believe Yue Qianchou would spend a thousand high-grade Spirit Stones for a few ordinary friends. Didn't you say he only met those four people in the lobby downstairs recently? Find out their backgrounds for me."

Bi Zicong and his three companions insisted on seeing them off, and the other two couldn't refuse their hospitality. The six of them were about to part ways a short distance from the gate of the Cultivation Alliance. Yue Qianchou cupped his hands and said, "Alright, that's enough for now! I've only just settled in here and there are still many things I don't understand, so I won't invite the four of you in for a chat. Heh! I was originally going to treat you all today, but someone stole the spotlight. We're all brothers, so I won't stand on ceremony. I'll make it up to you sincerely next time."

The four men, all from prominent families, had seen their share of hypocrisy. Yue Qianchou's frankness actually brought them closer together. They exchanged smiles, and Bi Zicong laughed, "We've certainly eaten our fair share of good food, but this is the first time we've had a banquet costing a thousand high-grade Spirit Stones per table. That Yan Zhuixing... haha! He clearly has a deep appreciation for Brother Yue!"

"Yes! He came to save me money right after I paid the bill. His appreciation is really timely. But I think he also appreciates the four of you very much!" Yue Qianchou said with a wink after his remark, "It's so easy to talk to smart people."

"No!" Bi Zicong waved his hand and laughed, "Our Four Great Families are no match for your Fu Xian Island. We should leave such appreciation to Brother Yue. We would rather be fools, otherwise we might not be able to sleep at night."

The group burst into laughter, except for Xiong Hui, who stood by with a forced smile, seemingly oblivious to the riddle the five were playing or what they were laughing about.

The Four Great Families also had shops in Hundred Flower Valley, so they didn't need to worry about not having a place to stay. They agreed to meet again with Yue Qianchou and then went their separate ways. Yue Qianchou glanced at Xiong Hui, then looked at the four people who had left, and shook his head slightly.

The next day, Quan Deming and the elders of various factions were busy discussing something. Yue Qianchou spent some time shaking off his sycophant Xiong Hui and wandered around the Hundred Flower Valley market alone. He realized that it wasn't a bad thing that the Cultivation Alliance was located in Hundred Flower Valley; he could buy whatever Utopia needed here.

He casually walked to a stall selling talismans. The stall owner was a kind old man. Yue Qianchou glanced at him and found that although he was quite old, he was only in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. So he pointed to the talisman paper on the stall and asked, "Do you make all the talisman paper here yourself?"

The old man realized that the young man's cultivation level was beyond his comprehension, and immediately nodded and bowed repeatedly in agreement.

"How much are these talismans?" Yue Qianchou asked. The old man was taken aback, then smiled apologetically and said, "My sir, you've made a mistake. I only sell spirit talismans here, not plain paper talismans."

Yue Qianchou frowned and said, "Why not sell? You set up a stall just to earn Spirit Stone, right?"

The old man chuckled and said, "To be honest, these talismans took a lot of time and effort to make. If I set the price too high, you definitely won't be happy, and if I set the price too low, the profit margin will be too thin..."

Yue Qianchou waved his hand, interrupting him, and said, "Stop arguing, name a price you're willing to sell at!"

"Since you put it that way, then let me explain." The old man spread out four different colored talismans on his stall and said, "One level one white talisman costs ten low-grade Spirit Stones, one level two white talisman costs one low-grade Spirit Stones, and one level three white talisman costs one mid-grade Spirit Stones. As for the level four white talisman, as you probably know, the materials required are not ordinary, costing fifty mid-grade Spirit Stones per talisman."

Yue Qianchou understood that the materials the old man mentioned were unusual. Talismans that reached level four standard were usually made from materials with good spiritual conductivity, such as human skin. However, the old man's asking price was indeed high, even higher than the talismans Chen Feng sold here years ago. It seemed he wanted to discourage him. He frowned and said, "Reduce the price of all white talismans by half. I'll take them all."

"Reduce by half? Take them all?" The old man muttered, stroking his beard, looking at the more than a thousand white talismans on the stall, considering whether it was worthwhile to sell at a low profit margin.

Yue Qianchou knew he had bargained a bit too hard, but when he spoke with Chen Feng last night, Chen Feng told him that training new recruits required a large number of white talismans and that he needed to find a solution as soon as possible. Yue Qianchou took this matter very seriously; training a group of talisman-making experts to provide logistical support for the army was worth the extra expense. And since he was in Hundred Flower Valley, solving this problem wouldn't be difficult.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Yue Qianchou frowned and said, "This is the price. Don't think about it anymore. Starting today, I'll buy all your white talismans. This is the deposit for tomorrow." As he spoke, he threw a high-grade Spirit Stones onto the stall.

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