Bargain

Nan Li and Dan Hong exchanged a glance. Dan Hong understood and greeted the middle-aged man. "Hello, boss. Are the items on these walls priced?"

"Everything has a different price. Ask me once you find something you like," a lazy, slightly hoarse voice replied.

Nan Li and Dan Hong walked past the three walls in turn. The things here were neither particularly rare nor commonly seen. Dan Hong shook her head, indicating that she had little interest in them.

Nan Li picked up a crystal, then sifted through the dusty Soul Tools. In the end, she selected a storage Soul Tool in the shape of a ring that was barely passable.

The ring was small and easy to carry. Storage Soul Tools of this shape were originally considered high-quality among Soul Tools, but this ring already looked ancient and plain, and the thick layer of dust made it look even shabbier. If not for the purple crystal set into it, which was at least somewhat pleasing to the eye, Nan Li would not have picked it up.

"Boss, how much for these two items altogether?"

The middle-aged man on the reclining chair opened his eyes and lazily glanced at them without getting up. Perhaps Nan Li and Dan Hong were dressed like wealthy young ladies who did not lack money, because Flender lay back down as he named a price. "Eleven thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"Eleven thousand?!"

"The crystal is one thousand. I'll reluctantly let you have the Soul Tool for ten thousand Gold Soul Coins." Flender's expression did not change as he brazenly conned them.

The crystal in Nan Li's hand was precisely the Plate Crystal Tang San had taken a fancy to in the Original Work.

Jiang E Li mercilessly exposed Flender's lie. "Nan Li, when Tang San took a liking to that Plate Crystal, Flender started by asking for one hundred Gold Soul Coins. He only raised it to five hundred after increasing the price twice. And after Flender discovered that Tang San was Yu Xiao Gang's disciple, he directly said, 'It wasn't worth much to begin with,' and planned to give it to Tang San... Your clothes must have made him think he'd found easy marks!"

Dan Hong also said to Nan Li, "The crystal is one thing, but storage Soul Tools are nowhere near as useful as offensive or defensive Soul Tools. Rings may be convenient, but this one does not have much storage space. At this price... it isn't worth it."

Nan Li thought for two seconds, then looked up with a highly deceptive smile. "Boss, I came here to enroll at Shrek Academy. After traveling all this way, I do not have much money left, and I still need to pay tuition afterward. Do you think the price could be..."

Dan Hong watched her with a smile and did not stop her.

Flender opened his eyes and assessed Nan Li, but he did not budge. "This is already the cheapest price I have. Pay if you want it. Leave if you don't."

However, Nan Li had not expected this "unscrupulous merchant" to lower the price anyway. Eleven thousand Gold Soul Coins was barely acceptable, so long as he did not raise the price again and again.

Nan Li pretended to hesitate before slowly walking forward. She handed over a pouch first and said, "Boss, there are one thousand Gold Soul Coins here."

Seeing that Flender had no intention of changing his price, Nan Li smiled sweetly. "Boss, make sure you catch it!"

Nan Li pulled a huge sack from her Soul Tool. It contained ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, and with a clang, it slammed into Flender's sturdy body.

Flender was stunned by the blow. He stared helplessly at the enormous sack.

"Oh dear, boss, how did you fail to catch it?" Nan Li feigned innocence.

"I've paid you, and I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now, see you later!" Nan Li spoke so quickly that she gave Flender no chance to say a word. She grabbed Dan Hong's hand and happily ran out of the shop.

"That little brat!" Flender snorted, but as a money-grubber, he happily looked at the Gold Soul Coins in the sack. They were all money, glittering gold money!

It was not as though Dan Hong lacked Gold Soul Coin deposit cards from the human world, but teasing him like that had been fun.

"Hopefully, we'll get a few promising seedlings this year." As Flender counted the Gold Soul Coins, he recalled Nan Li's Soul Power cultivation. "Strange. I couldn't see her Soul Power cultivation at all. It seems she's quite favored by her family."

He looked at the Gold Soul Coins in his arms and nodded in satisfaction. But when he remembered the little girl's final words, "See you later," his hand stroking the coins paused. "This little one really isn't simple."

"I'm rather looking forward to seeing the little monsters in the new term. I wonder how many will meet the academy's admission standards this year."

"Another source of income!" Flender was in high spirits.

Meanwhile, Nan Li pulled Dan Hong out of the shop. The Plate Crystal had been quite weighty to carry, but she had already put it away in her Soul Tool while paying.

The two found a place to smash open the Plate Crystal. Just as expected, tiny golden particles scattered all over the ground.

That was not the important part. Nan Li took out the Soul Tool ring she had bought for ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, and she and Dan Hong exchanged smiles.

Dan Hong used medicine to wash away the grime on the ring's surface, revealing its original appearance.

"So this is the Soul Tool that 'isn't worth it.'"

Now, both buyer and seller felt that they had gotten a bargain.

"Next comes registering at Shrek Academy." Nan Li was unusually relaxed that day. The warm sun and gentle breeze put her in a pleasant mood. "Dan Hong, what are your plans from here on?"

Dan Hong smiled at her. "During that year in the Star Dou Great Forest, I found quite a few medicinal herbs. Once you officially enroll, I'll find somewhere secluded to refine some medicine. Still, I estimate there is only so much you can learn at Shrek Academy. You may have to go out and gain experience later, so I'll settle near Suotuo City. It will also make it easier for me to look after you."

"Suotuo City is more prosperous than Nuoding City, and the chances of Titled Douluo coming here are greater as well. I'll be safe at the academy, but you must be careful while you're out there alone," Nan Li said seriously.

"Alright, I'm the one protecting you on this journey, so stop worrying about so much. Just focus on cultivating." Dan Hong looked at Nan Li with amused eyes. Though she knew that Nan Li had already lived for nearly two hundred thousand years, Nan Li looked like a ten-year-old child. Her body had not even begun to grow yet, and seeing a child speak with such maturity every day was very amusing to Dan Hong.

"Don't worry. In a few years, it'll be my turn to protect you." Nan Li lifted her chin, speaking with a hint of pride.

Dan Hong tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and answered unhurriedly, "Alright. Then this big sister will wait for you to protect her."

Nan Li fell silent.

Nan Li refused to accept this.

Nan Li looked around, then dryly snorted, "So disrespectful!"

Jiang E Li wore the expression of someone watching a juicy show in the Sea of Consciousness. "Wow, Nan Li, your command of language still needs a lot more practice."

Nan Li took a deep breath. "As an elder, I won't lower myself to your level."

Dan Hong merely smiled without saying a word.