After bidding farewell to Xun'er, Hun Han walked along the broad streets, purchasing supplies he would need for the journey—rations, clothes, water, and other daily necessities.
Wutan City was still quite a distance from the Black Corner Region. By Hun Han's initial estimate, even at his fastest, it would take him a month to leave the Gamma Empire.
Beside Hun Han stood a medium-sized market. Familiar with the storyline of Battle Through the Heavens and possessing a god's-eye view, Hun Han knew that Wutan City's markets were controlled by the three major families and a merchant guild. The three families were the Xiao Family, Jialie Family, and Oba Family. As for the merchant guild, it was naturally the Miterer Merchant Guild.
The market where Hun Han currently stood belonged to the Miterer Merchant Guild. After all, Hun Han was Hun Tiandi's thirteenth son. Though his cheap father did not particularly like him, he was still rather well-off. Now that he had been given a second life, he naturally could not make things hard on himself. Everything he bought was of the finest quality. And if he wanted the best and most authentic goods, this market run by the Miterer Merchant Guild was his only choice.
Rather than calling it control, it would be more accurate to say they maintained the market's order and safety. Originally, this had been the City Lord's Mansion's responsibility. Since there were profits to be made, the City Lord's Mansion naturally handed its management over to others.
Anyone wishing to set up a stall here had to pay the managers a certain commission—in other words, protection money. Part of the protection money went to the managers, while the rest found its way into certain people's pockets. Naturally, some people were more than happy with such an easy source of income. Moreover, this method could balance Wutan City's major powers, letting them fight each other like dogs and wear one another down.
"I wonder whether Ya Fei has come here yet?"
Hun Han was curious about this, and it was also why he had chosen this market.
As he moved through the market, all kinds of hawking cries rang out without end.
"Selling pills! Selling pills! First-grade healing medicine—Recovery Pills! Refined by an alchemist from the Miterer Auction House! Only ten Gold Coins per bottle!"
As Hun Han neared the Miterer Auction House, a pleasant, melodious voice drifted over from ahead.
"Pills?"
Curious, Hun Han walked over to the stall.
The stall had an excellent location, right beside the entrance to the Miterer Auction House. Its owner was a sixteen-year-old girl. She wore a long aqua-blue dress and had an oval face, a delicate nose, large eyes, and long eyelashes. A table stood before her, upon which rested ten white Jade Bottles.
The girl's beauty, coupled with her ethereal sales pitch, drew the attention of many people.
Out of curiosity, Hun Han picked up a Jade Bottle, removed its stopper, and poured out the pill inside. A faint fragrance immediately refreshed his spirits. However, the pill in his hand was not round or smooth at all. It looked as though several things had simply been kneaded together at random.
With such an unremarkable appearance, it was hard not to doubt whether the pill had any medicinal effect at all.
"This counts as a pill?"
"Are you sure this isn't a mistake? If it weren't for that faint medicinal scent, I'd think it was just a little ball of dirt!"
"Ten Gold Coins for a bottle of pills? Too expensive, little sister. How about this—you sell me one bottle for five Gold Coins. If you agree, I'll take one!"
A first-grade Recovery Pill could save a person's life at a critical moment. Normally, a bottle of such pills cost ten Gold Coins.
"No. One bottle costs ten Gold Coins. The price is non-negotiable!" the long-lashed girl said seriously.
"These pills don't look all that impressive. A bottle is worth six Gold Coins at most. If you'll sell them, I'll take them. If not, forget it. I seriously doubt their effectiveness. If the price is any higher, I don't want them." A crafty glint flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes.
"No, one bottle costs ten Gold Coins. If you don't want them, then don't block other people's way. It's not as though I have to sell them to you!" The long-lashed girl pursed her lips and refused to yield.
"Tch, what kind of attitude is that? If you had not been somewhat pretty, I wouldn't even have come to your stall. Hmph, what the hell? You're just selling something—look how full of yourself you are!" The middle-aged man had originally wanted to take advantage of her. Seeing her attitude, he felt that his dignity as a customer had been severely challenged, so he cursed as he left her stall.
At his words, mist welled up in the long-lashed girl's eyes. She sniffed hard a few times and forced back the tears that had reached her eyes. Then she continued calling out, "Selling pills! Selling pills! First-grade healing medicine—Recovery Pills! Refined by an alchemist from the Miterer Auction House! Only ten Gold Coins per bottle!"
After that little incident, no one else came forward to ask about the price of the girl's pills.
Seeing that no one approached, Hun Han spoke up. "How much are your pills?"
The long-lashed girl answered, "Ten Gold Coins per bottle!"
Hun Han pointed at the Jade Bottles and asked, "What about the Jade Bottles? If I only want the bottles, would you sell each one for five Gold Coins?"
The long-lashed girl stared at Hun Han in astonishment. Jade Bottles were not expensive. Even the finest ones cost at most one Gold Coin. Hun Han was offering five Gold Coins each, and it stunned her.
Had she encountered a fool with too much money?
Hun Han continued, "I'm asking you. Five Gold Coins for one Jade Bottle—will you sell?"
The long-lashed girl nodded. "Yes!"
Without giving her time to think, Hun Han immediately asked, "What if I only want the pills and not the Jade Bottles? Is that possible?"
The long-lashed girl replied, "Yes."
Hun Han went on, "A bottle of pills costs ten Gold Coins, and a Jade Bottle costs five Gold Coins. If I only want the pills and not the bottles, miss, how much do I need to pay you?"
Without thinking, the long-lashed girl answered, "That's easy. One bottle would only cost five Gold Coins."
"Good!"
Hun Han nodded. "I'll take all your pills."
The long-lashed girl smiled. She had finally made a sale. Delighted, she said, "All right, where's the money?"
Hun Han smiled. "No rush. It'll be here soon."
With that, Hun Han stood beside the long-lashed girl and shouted, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Come take a look! Come take a look! Freshly made pills—Recovery Pills! As the saying goes, smoking damages the lungs, drinking damages the stomach, gambling disrupts society, and spending money at brothels damages both your wallet and your lungs. Why not buy a Recovery Pill instead? Affordable and economical! Not expensive, not expensive—eight Gold Coins a bottle! You get what you pay for! Spend good money on good goods, and if you don't buy it, that's your loss! Limited quantity! First come, first served! Miss this chance, and there won't be another!"
As soon as Hun Han finished speaking, the crowd rushed forward to snatch up the healing pills, which cost only eight Gold Coins per bottle. In an instant, every pill on the stall was sold out.
"Alright, here are your Jade Bottles. There are ten in total, so please take them, miss. And this is the money I owe you—fifty Gold Coins in total. Take it. Well then, it was a pleasure doing business with you. Goodbye, miss!"
Hun Han tossed the bag of Gold Coins in his hand, a happy smile appearing on his face.
"Yes, it was a pleasure doing business with you!"
The long-lashed girl also looked happily at her stall. At last, she had finally made a sale—and sold everything in one go.
Yet as she watched Hun Han's retreating figure, her delicate brows gradually furrowed. Why did something suddenly feel strange? Something seemed off. But what exactly was wrong, she could not figure it out for the moment.
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