Forced Purchase

The fat shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, rubbed his fingers together, and calculated aloud:

"Meat is precious these days... but this isn't domesticated livestock after all. The meat is tough, and with this snowy weather, it won't keep.

How about this? You seem like an honest fellow, so I'll give you eighty copper coins for all this meat. As for this leaf lard, it's rather rare—I'll give you thirty copper coins for it.

That makes one hundred and ten copper coins altogether. How does that sound?" As he spoke, he pulled out a string of Copper Coin from his robes and gestured for the attendants to move the meat.

When Fang Yuan heard the fat shopkeeper's offer, his heart sank sharply.

One hundred and ten copper coins?

The price was utterly absurd!

He knew the going price for wild rabbits. Some people from the village had taken wild rabbits to the market before, and even one could fetch around twenty copper coins.

If the five wild rabbits from yesterday had been brought to the market, they could have brought back nearly a hundred copper coins at the very least.

The meat and fat from an entire wild boar weighing over three hundred catties were worth only a little more than five rabbits?

The shopkeeper clearly saw that he was an unfamiliar face and had taken him for a gullible fool he could squeeze at will!

His expression instantly turned cold. He pressed down the shopkeeper's hand offering the money, and his voice sank as well:

"Shopkeeper, that price of yours isn't very fair. Do you think I'm young and unfamiliar, so I'm easy to bully?"

The fake smile on the fat shopkeeper's face faded as well. A flicker of impatience and contempt passed through his tiny eyes.

"Young man, don't go talking nonsense. The market has its own prices, and if I named this price, I naturally have my reasons. Your meat..."

Before he could finish, the two attendants who had been moving goods nearby put down what they were carrying and silently closed in.

They stared at Fang Yuan with unfriendly eyes, faintly forming an encirclement around him.

The atmosphere inside the tent immediately grew tense.

Seeing this, the fat shopkeeper became even more arrogant, his tone carrying an outright threat.

"Young man, the roads are slippery in the snow, and your things are heavy. Take the money and head home early to warm up. Otherwise... if you take a tumble or bang yourself up, it won't be worth it."

This was blatant strong-arm buying!

Anger flared in Fang Yuan's chest, but he knew that making a move here would be far from wise.

He drew a deep breath and forced down his anger, though his gaze turned sharp as a blade as it swept over the two approaching attendants.

Fang Yuan laughed in fury. He wasted no more words. His eyes hardened, and he suddenly twisted sideways!

His shoulder dipped, power exploding from his waist and legs. Like a bowstring drawn taut, he slammed viciously toward the burliest attendant blocking his path!

The attendant had never expected this refined-looking young man to attack without warning, much less that he possessed such tremendous strength!

He only felt an irresistible force crashing into him. His chest tightened, and he staggered underfoot.

Thud, thud, thud! He stumbled back several steps before finally falling flat on his backside, his face full of disbelief and shock.

The other attendant and the fat shopkeeper were both startled. Neither had expected Fang Yuan to possess such strength and nerve!

While they stood frozen, Fang Yuan bent down, swung the sack back onto his shoulder in one motion, and moved with clean, decisive efficiency.

The fat shopkeeper opened his mouth as if to call after him, but when he saw Fang Yuan's steady, powerful back, without the slightest hesitation—

—and remembered that demonstrative collision just now—he ultimately swallowed his words, his face turning extremely ugly.

With the meat on his shoulder, Fang Yuan looked around.

Then he headed straight for another tent not far away, one roughly the same size.

The shopkeeper of this tent was a sturdy man around forty, dressed in a neat short coat with thick, powerful arms.

At a glance, he looked like either a trained fighter or an old hunter. He was currently holding an account book and recording something.

He seemed to have noticed the commotion nearby. When he saw Fang Yuan approaching with the meat, he set down his account book and met his gaze openly.

"Brother, selling meat?" he asked directly in a booming voice.

"Mm. A freshly butchered wild boar. Half of it is here." Fang Yuan set down the sack and untied it, revealing the meat and leaf lard inside.

"Shopkeeper, take a look. What price can you offer?"

The sturdy shopkeeper squatted down and carefully inspected the quality of the meat, pressing it with his fingers.

He paid particular attention to the thick slab of leaf lard, even leaning close to smell it.

His movements were highly professional, and his eyes held the scrutiny of an experienced insider.

After a moment, he stood up, dusted off his hands, looked at Fang Yuan, and gave him a price directly:

"This is good meat—a prime adult male wild boar, and the fat is thick too. In this weather, meat won't keep. If I take it, I'll have to bear the risk as well.

How about this? You seem like a straightforward man, brother. Two taels of silver, and I'll take all of it. What do you think?"

Two taels of silver! That was two thousand copper coins!

Compared to the fat shopkeeper's one hundred and ten copper coins, this price was like heaven and earth!

Though it might have been slightly low in peaceful times, in the winter of this disaster year, it was absolutely a fair price—perhaps even a generous one.

Fang Yuan's heart settled. He knew this was what proper business looked like. A faint smile appeared on his face as he nodded.

"Shopkeeper, you're forthright! We'll go with that price."

With the deal made, Fang Yuan did not hurry to have the shopkeeper weigh out the silver.

Instead, his gaze swept through the general store.

This shop truly had a more complete selection of goods than that shady place from before. Aside from everyday oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, needles, and thread—

—it also carried hunting tools and furs needed by mountain folk. On a wooden rack in the corner were even several medicinal herbs that looked to have some age to them.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a brocade box in the most conspicuous spot on the counter.

The box was lined with red velvet, and lying within it was a ginseng root. Its rootlets were distinct, its main body thick and sturdy, and its overall quality looked quite good.

Fang Yuan's heart stirred. He pointed at the brocade box and casually asked, "Shopkeeper, how much is that ginseng?"

The sturdy man had been lowering his head to write in his account book. Hearing this, he looked up and smiled.

"Oh, that? I only acquired it recently. You have a good eye, sir. It's a fifty-year Old Mountain Ginseng, full of medicinal potency. Fixed price: eighty taels of silver."

Eighty taels!

Fang Yuan felt his heart leap, and even his breath caught for half a beat!

The Snow Ginseng in his robes far surpassed the one on the counter, whether in form, color, or that inwardly contained spiritual aura!

Then how much was his Snow Ginseng worth? A hundred taels? Perhaps even more?!

He forcibly suppressed the tempestuous waves in his heart. His face remained impassive as he merely clicked his tongue.

"That expensive?"

The man was not surprised by his shock and patiently explained:

"Brother, good things cost what they cost. With ginseng, the age, appearance, and medicinal potency—even the slightest difference makes the price as far apart as heaven and earth.

Those eighty taels are only the price here at our Rural Market. If it were sent to a major apothecary in the county town or even the prefectural city—

—and happened to meet a wealthy family in urgent need, the price could rise even higher! A true Old Ginseng over a hundred years old—wouldn't each one cost over a hundred taels, perhaps even several hundred?

Those are treasures with a price but no market."

Fang Yuan secretly drew in a breath as he listened, becoming even more determined not to sell the Snow Ginseng in his robes.

This thing could save a life at a critical moment, and it was also key to rapidly increasing his strength. No amount of money could make him sell it!

The man seemed to see that Fang Yuan was interested in mountain goods, so he added:

"Brother, if you hunt any good pelts in the future, or if fortune smiles on you and you dig up rare mountain treasures or medicinal herbs like this, feel free to bring them here.

As for the price, rest assured. I, Hu Lao San, have done business at this market for more than ten years. I rely on the two words 'fair dealing,' and I'll never let you take a loss."