Selling Tiger Hide

Qingjiang County Town, West Market.

Xu Mingwei held the reins and walked slowly, a smile of worldly wisdom on his lips.

The sound of horses' hooves on the bluestone slab road was as fragmented as a water clock. The surroundings were bustling with the shouts from wine shops, the clanging of bronze scales in front of rouge shops, and the crisp sound of broken silver falling onto plates in tea houses.

"Father was right."

"The world bustles, all for profit; the world throngs, all for gain."

"When there are more people, there are more needs, and various trades will naturally arise."

"This West Market has many vendors and small shops, but the sum of all their profits might exceed that of the major shops in the East Market."

After a moment.

Xu Mingwei arrived at the Yunlai Inn where Xu Mingyuan was temporarily staying.

Just as he reached the inn entrance, he saw Xu Mingyuan, Zhou Ming, Zhao Dalong, and others walking out.

"A Yuan."

Xu Mingwei suddenly called out.

Xu Mingyuan, who was instructing Zhou Ming, paused slightly, turned his head, and a smile immediately appeared on his face, "Big Brother."

The group walked over quickly.

"Big Brother, why are you here?"

"Young Master." Zhou Ming and the others bowed in greeting.

Xu Mingwei nodded and smiled, "I went into the mountains yesterday and had some gains. I'm here to sell some pelts. Father said the money from the pelts sold would be yours."

"I thought you were familiar with Qingjiang County, so I came to find you first."

"Then you've come to the right place. I've accumulated some connections in the county town over the years." Xu Mingyuan laughed heartily, "If you went directly to a pawnshop or elsewhere, you wouldn't get a very high price."

"Mr. Zhou, you guys go ahead and do as we discussed. I'll accompany my Big Brother with some business first."

"Understood, Second Young Master."

Zhou Ming led Zhao Dalong and the others away.

Xu Mingyuan said, "Big Brother, let's talk as we walk. What good pelts did you hunt this time?"

"Was it a green wolf, or a leopard, or perhaps another silver fox?"

"See for yourself." Xu Mingwei opened the bundle and let Xu Mingyuan look.

"This color, a Fierce Tiger?!"

"The fur texture is good, any damage? This drum must be more than one hide, right?"

"Two, a male and a female, a couple. The male tiger is half a Zhang tall and weighs over a Thousand Jin. The female is slightly smaller, but still more robust than an ordinary tiger," Xu Mingwei explained in detail. "They also have a cub, which we brought home for Xue Ji as a playmate."

"Uh, using a Tiger Cub as a playmate?" Xu Mingyuan was slightly surprised. Most people wouldn't have the guts.

After all, once it grew up, ordinary martial artists wouldn't be able to handle it.

If they weren't careful, even a First-class Martial Artist could be severely injured.

"Father allowed it, saying Xue Ji can raise it without any problems."

"Alright, Father is probably right."

Xu Mingyuan pondered for a moment and stopped dwelling on the issue.

His mind was sharp, and in just an instant, he thought of a way to increase the price of these two hides.

The brothers arrived at the East Market and entered an Antique teahouse.

The teahouse was called 'Shuyue Xuan' and had three floors.

The first floor was a large hall with Eight Immortals Tables everywhere. In the center, there was a Storytelling Stage, where storytellers performed daily, recounting tales of heroes, famous generals, and strange anecdotes.

Most tables were piled high with Snacks like Melon Seeds and Peanuts.

The waiters would occasionally shout in high-pitched, nasally voices, "Coming through!"

The second floor consisted of private rooms.

The Fixed Silver for just one private room was enough for one person in the first-floor hall to listen for half a month.

As for the third floor, it required advance booking.

"A teahouse?" Xu Mingwei looked surprised. "We're selling here?"

"Big Brother, this Shuyue Xuan is the most famous teahouse in the East Market. Its owner's surname is Chang, named Chang Haowen, and he's in his twenties."

"I've heard he has a significant background, and the teahouse is just one of his businesses. I happened to meet him by chance."

At this moment, a waiter hurried over, shouting, "Please sit anywhere you like, sirs. What would you like?"

"I'm looking for Young Master Chang."

The waiter was stunned for a moment, then ran to the counter and said something to a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man glanced over and then walked over, cupping his hands with a smile. "It's Young Master Xu. My young master was just mentioning you the other day."

Xu Mingyuan cupped his hands in return, "Steward He, is Young Master Chang here today?"

"He's in an Elegant Room on the second floor. I'll take you there."

They arrived on the second floor.

"Knock knock~"

"Young Master, Young Master Xu is here."

"Xu Mingyuan?" a magnetic voice came from inside. "Let him in."

"The two of you, please." Steward He opened the door, invited the two in, and then returned to the counter downstairs to continue his work.

The space inside was not small. Several chairs made of goose yellow pear wood were placed around a tea table.

A Youth wearing a silver crown inlaid with jade and magnificent robes woven from red and gold cloud brocade sat lazily.

He had a Jade-like Face and Sword Eyebrows and Star Eyes, with a hint of nonchalant smile always on his lips.

Beside him, a beautiful young girl of sixteen was gently fanning herself with a jade fan, attending to him.

"Brother Xu is here. Please, sit down."

"Oh, you brought someone today."

Chang Haowen turned his head slightly. Seeing two people, he was a little surprised. As he looked them over, he noticed some similarity in their expressions and demeanor. He smiled faintly, "Is it your Elder Brother, or a cousin?"

Xu Mingyuan sat down casually and motioned for Xu Mingwei to do the same. Then he introduced, "This is my Elder Brother, my biological one. His name is Xu Mingwei."

"'Wei' means tall."

"'The mountains of Nan are towering, the majestic fox is graceful.'"

Chang Haowen mused, praising, "A good name, with the imagery of a mountain's grandeur and the ambition to reach the clouds."

"Young Master Chang is too kind."

As Xu Mingwei clasped his hands in a bow, his back was straight like a Green Pine Piercing the Sun. His demeanor was calm, with no trace of flattery or arrogance in his eyes.

Chang Haowen nodded slightly and looked back at Xu Mingyuan, "You're not here to drink tea and chat today, are you?"

"Naturally, I'm here to strengthen our relationship, and to handle one or two matters along the way."

Chang Haowen chuckled, "Go ahead."

"Young Master Chang, please take a look at these two hides and give me your evaluation."

Xu Mingyuan took out two tiger hides from his bundle, and he and Xu Mingwei spread them out.

Chang Haowen's face showed no change as he examined them closely.

"Not bad, they can be considered an unusual breed of tiger. It would be dangerous even for a First-class Martial Artist to take them head-on, and these two tiger hides are perfectly intact."

He pondered for a moment, his eyes rippling, and continued, "Either they were struck in vital spots like the eyes or throat for an instant kill, or they were subjected to Flesh-to-flesh combat and directly blasted to death."

"Whichever it was, the one who killed this tiger is formidable."

"Young Master Chang's eyesight is as sharp as ever," Xu Mingyuan praised with a smile. "However, there's something even more rare."

"Oh? What is it?"

"These two tiger hides, one male and one female, belong to a pair of tigers, husband and wife."

"To protect their Cub, they fought to the death and perished from exhaustion."

"Indeed, impressive," Chang Haowen said, his expression unchanged. He glanced at Xu Mingyuan and then smiled, "Brother Xu, are you telling me this because you intend to sell these to me?"

"What do you think they are worth, Young Master Chang?"

"Purely two hides of an unusual tiger breed, they're worth a thousand taels. Add this story, and they're worth twelve hundred taels."

"Young Master Chang doesn't believe me?"

Seeing his expression, Xu Mingyuan smiled faintly.

"Merchants pursue profit. Exaggerating the value of goods is commonplace."

"If I can prove it's true, would you be willing to pay twelve hundred taels to take them?"

Chang Haowen smiled slightly, unconcerned. "If you can prove it, then spending a little over a thousand taels to acquire them is no issue."

"But how will you do it?"

"It's simple. Young Master Chang thinks what I said earlier was just a story, so the matter of the Cub should be fabricated."

"But unfortunately, the Cub of this tiger couple is currently being raised at my home. Young Master Chang only needs to send someone to my home to take a look. If there is a Cub, then the story is naturally true."

Hearing this, Chang Haowen was slightly taken aback. "Your family wants to raise an unusual tiger Cub?"

"Even if raised from a young age, by the time their Claws and Fangs gleam coldly, they will eventually reveal their Nature from the Forest. If one is not careful, they will pounce and shatter the Feeder's Throat.

Even if it's not a Demon Tiger, taming one requires beast-taming skills, which is a technique close to that of a Cultivator."

Xu Mingyuan lowered his gaze and smiled faintly. "We'll deal with future matters in the future. If it truly becomes aggressive, my family naturally won't keep this Menace."

Seeing that he spoke with such conviction, Chang Haowen believed him by seven or eight parts.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Brother Xu is a Merchant. You told me before that although merchants pursue profit, they also need integrity as their foundation."

"I naturally believe in your character, so verification is unnecessary."

"If your Xu family can truly tame it in the future, please invite me for a visit."

"Haha, thank you, Young Master Chang. However, as for visiting, that will take some time. It's still just a ball of Little White Fluff right now."