Bargaining

At the sound, an old man around sixty years of age came out of the room.

His hair and beard were white, and he looked a little tired, but otherwise he was in good shape. His body was covered in calluses over muscle, and his dark, gleaming skin made it clear he exercised regularly.

"May I ask if you're Shopkeeper Liu?"

"Young man, that's me. What can I do for you?"

Shopkeeper Liu looked at the young man before him and asked in puzzlement.

After all, in his eyes, the two of them hadn't come to buy anything. It had been a long time since the workshop had made any artifacts.

Besides, they were so young that they surely hadn't come to discuss buying the workshop. What young people would choose such backbreaking work?

"Shopkeeper Liu, it's like this. I heard you were looking to sell the workshop; you've even put up a notice outside. My brother and I are interested in it, so we'd like to talk with you about the matter. What do you think?"

Lu Wanyuan spoke slowly as he looked at the other man.

"Just the two of you? Are you here to make fun of me? I'm asking a thousand Spirit Stones for this workshop. You saw the price I posted, right? Can you afford it? And even if you buy it, do you know how to make artifacts? Can you run an Artifact Refining Workshop here?"

Shopkeeper Liu gave the Lu brothers a scornful look and asked several questions in a row, his expression contemptuous.

Seeing how aggressively the other man pressed them, Lu Wanshan's face immediately darkened. The excitement he'd shown earlier was gone.

What the other man said was true. There was no way he could come up with that many Spirit Stones all at once. Even if Eldest Brother helped, he probably couldn't contribute much. For the past year or so, Eldest Brother had covered all the Lu Family's expenses, and his only income came from the few plots of crops in the Lu Family's rear courtyard. There couldn't have been much profit.

He likely couldn't produce that many Spirit Stones at once, either. At first, Lu Wanshan had thought Eldest Brother could put up some of the money, and he'd cover the rest himself. But Shopkeeper Liu really was demanding a thousand Spirit Stones.

Yet after hearing the other man out, Lu Wanyuan made no move. He simply looked at him and spoke slowly. "Thank you for your concern for my brother and me, Shopkeeper Liu. We're sincere about discussing the sale of the workshop with you."

"Although we're young, we know our own limits and won't act recklessly. Please rest assured."

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Liu immediately put aside his contempt. They really did seem to have come to discuss the matter. After he'd spoken so harshly to the brothers, they hadn't shown any displeasure. Instead, they'd responded calmly and methodically.

"Fine. I do want to sell the workshop, and I've already posted my asking price. If you can pay that amount, we can keep talking. If you can't, then go back the way you came."

"Shopkeeper Liu, you certainly don't mince words. We'd like to get straight to the point, too. The trouble is, we don't have that many Spirit Stones on hand, so we probably can't pay the full amount all at once."

"If you can't afford it, then why are you wasting my time? You'd better leave. I need to go inside and rest."

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Liu immediately ordered them to leave.

"Wait, Shopkeeper Liu. We're genuinely interested in this workshop. It's been closed for months, hasn't it? Otherwise, it wouldn't look like this."

"Over such a long time, plenty of people must have come to negotiate. I'm guessing you weren't satisfied with their offers and none of them met your expectations."

Hearing Lu Wanyuan say this, Shopkeeper Liu immediately replied, "Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be here. I built this place through years of hard work. I'm not going to give it up so easily or sell it for next to nothing!"

Lu Wanyuan kept his eyes on the other man, as if he hadn't heard a thing, and continued, "But if things go on like this, a few more months will pass. During that time, you probably won't be able to do anything, just stuck here, waiting. Maybe the next offer will meet your expectations—but maybe it won't."

"After waiting so long to reach that price, wouldn't it be a bit of a loss? And if you still don't get the offer you want, will you keep waiting?"

"When will it ever end? Keeping this up will surely hold you back from other things. I imagine you have plans of your own, Shopkeeper Liu."

As Lu Wanyuan spoke, Shopkeeper Liu's face shifted between pale and flushed several times.

The truth was, he'd wanted to sell the place long ago. But he'd built it through years of hard work, and the thought of letting it go so cheaply left him unwilling to accept it. Yet if he kept at it, he'd already laid off the workers and stopped refining artifacts. The workshop no longer brought in any income.

He was truly torn. If he hadn't reached the point where he couldn't keep going, he would have carried on struggling.

But he was only a Qi Refining Level Three cultivator, and already old. If he stayed in the Cultivation World any longer, it would be more loss than gain. That was why he'd decided to sell the place, take the money to the mortal world, and live like a wealthy man. Perhaps he might even have descendants with spiritual roots.

This young man had truly struck a chord with him. He was caught between pressing forward and turning back.

The worst part was that if he kept holding on here, his prospects would remain bleak.

"So, young man, what do you suggest?"

Shopkeeper Liu thought for a moment before asking.

"Shopkeeper Liu, you've been in Bayberry Market for many years, haven't you? It's not easy being a rogue cultivator in the Cultivation World, especially as you get older. Time waits for no one. I truly sympathize."

"We came to the Cultivation World to pursue immortality, never imagining that our Cultivation Realm would remain stuck, year after year. As time slipped by and we grew old, we gradually realized that the dream of immortality was drifting farther and farther away."

"With that in mind, I'm willing to meet the price you asked for: a thousand Spirit Stones. But there's one condition. You'll need to agree to certain terms before we pay you."

"Young man, tell me first. What are your conditions?"

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Liu immediately replied.

"They're certainly simple enough for you. First, you need to tell us where you get your raw materials. Also, you'll need to leave us your artifact-refining experience and related skills, or at least give us some instruction."

"That doesn't sound right. I spent decades acquiring all that. Why should I hand it over to you so easily?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. You only need to make us a copy. That won't stop you from selling it to other people, if you want."

"And you're surely going to the mortal world anyway. If so, why not leave those teachings behind? They won't be of any use to you there."

Shopkeeper Liu glanced at the flagpole in the courtyard and then at the courtyard itself. After a moment's thought, he said, "Fine. I agree. I'll give you my artifact-refining knowledge and experience."

"But I don't have time to teach you in person. I want to get the Spirit Stones and leave as soon as possible. I hope you understand."

"Fine, no problem!"

Seeing the other man's response, Lu Wanyuan agreed at once.

"Eldest Brother, isn't a thousand Spirit Stones a little too much? How about we wait a bit longer?"

Seeing his elder brother agree to pay a thousand Spirit Stones, Lu Wanshan hurriedly tried to stop him in a low voice.