Treasure Forest

After a brief meeting, Yue Wen accepted the commission.

The man was named Guo Yang. He worked as a technician at a factory in the suburbs. His wife had died young, leaving only him and his son to rely on each other. They had barely been getting by as it was. Then misfortune struck again: not long after he lost an arm in an accident, his son went missing.

That was why he looked so haggard.

He had agreed to meet his unscrupulous boss at seven that evening. Yue Wen promised to go early and back him up. If the boss hadn't kidnapped the boy, he would help Guo Yang deal with the gangsters' threats and get the compensation he was owed.

But if the unscrupulous boss had kidnapped the boy, then Yue Wen would rescue him no matter what.

After they arranged to meet that evening, Yue Wen left Zhao Xing'er to watch the office and headed out on his little electric scooter.

There were only three shops selling immortal items in City Seven. Yue Wen chose the largest and most reputable one, called "Treasure Forest."

As he rode his electric scooter into the city center, he passed an endless number of traffic lights. It made him think that living in the suburbs had its advantages after all.

Among the row of high-rises along the river stood a three-story building with a pointed roof. It looked magnificent from afar. A formation shimmered around the grounds as soon as he stepped inside. People outside could see the scenery in the grounds, but not the customers walking around within them. There were more than ten exits, ensuring customers could come and go as discreetly as possible.

Besides its size, Yue Wen had chosen Treasure Forest because it was a major chain with the best protection for customer privacy.

He had nothing to hide, but the item he had come to have appraised had been obtained by killing someone and taking his possessions. He didn't want to attract too much attention; it would be bad if he drew retaliation.

The identity of the black-clad man he had killed the night before was still being confirmed. But if Qi Dian was right and the man had been a heretic cultivator from Flame Ghost Hall, Yue Wen really did need to be careful.

Flame Ghost Hall was one of the more active heretical sects in Tianbei Prefecture. Its members practiced sinister arts such as corpse control, puppet refinement, and spirit manipulation.

Although the Supervision Bureau cracked down on them relentlessly, Flame Ghost Hall's cultivation methods could let cultivators unleash top-tier power for their cultivation level in the early stages. Even at the cost of their future prospects, many people of mediocre talent who were eager for quick gains were still willing to join.

After Yue Wen entered the lobby on the first floor and explained that he wanted an item appraised, the receptionist immediately gave him a mask and a number ticket, then directed him to wait outside a designated room.

Yue Wen went up to the second floor. After waiting about half an hour, his number finally appeared on the display by the door.

"Hello." Wearing a silver mask, he entered the room.

The room was simply furnished, with only a table covered in red silk. A young man with small eyes and glasses sat behind it.

"Welcome. I'm Appraiser 116, Ting Bo." Seeing Yue Wen enter, he introduced himself as well.

"I'd like you to take a look at this, please."

Yue Wen didn't waste time. He took out the half Black Gold Skull at once. Every second in this room cost money, and plenty of it.

"Oh?" Ting Bo put on a pair of white gloves and took the half Black Gold Skull. After examining it intently for a while, he slowly said, "This is... half a black skull."

"Sir, I know it's a skull," Yue Wen said, at a loss for words. "And I know it's only half."

I even know your father's surname and yours.

Good grief.

I'm paying for this. At least tell me something I don't know.

"Ahaha, sorry. I'll explain properly." Ting Bo pushed the Black Gold Skull back in front of Yue Wen and explained, "From what I can tell, there are no ritual formation marks on this skull, so it isn't a magical artifact. But the material is genuine Blackwater Dragon-Patterned Gold, which is quite valuable. It seems to be some kind of token."

"I see."

After hearing that, Yue Wen guessed that the item might be a token used within Flame Ghost Hall. If so, it wouldn't be much use to him.

He asked, "Would you buy it back?"

"Sorry." Ting Bo raised a hand. "Judging by its shape, this item may be connected to a heretical sect. We don't buy treasures with unclear origins like this."

Immortal-item shops were cautious about buying anything connected to heretical cultivators, and Yue Wen understood the refusal.

He lowered his voice and asked, "Then if I sell it elsewhere, roughly how much would it be worth?"

"If I were to appraise it, setting aside the uncertain value as a token, this half-skull is just a large chunk of relatively pure Blackwater Dragon-Patterned Gold. I'd recommend a buyback price of around a hundred thousand, or a thousand Talisman Coins," Ting Bo said carefully.

Talisman Coins were a form of currency used among the Immortal Gates.

For many cultivators from the Immortal Gates, money no longer held much appeal. Meanwhile, immortal items capable of improving cultivation could each fetch astronomical prices, making the market quite chaotic.

Several major Immortal Gates had therefore joined forces and asked the Supervision Bureau to spearhead the introduction of counterfeit-proof "Talisman Coins," a currency specifically for cultivators to use when trading immortal items. Talisman Coins could be exchanged for talismans, pills, and other hard currencies at the top Immortal Gates, anchoring their value.

But Talisman Coins were a high-end currency, generally used only for transactions involving valuable immortal items.

Yue Wen had never used them before.

After hearing Ting Bo's explanation, he had a rough idea of the item's value. He then asked, "Does Treasure Forest sell Purple Jade Branch?"

Chaos Dragon Gang required four materials to prepare. Yue Wen couldn't ask for all of them at once—that would be like giving away the recipe. So this time, he only asked about the first ingredient, Purple Jade Branch.

He planned to obtain the other materials through different channels.

"Sorry, Purple Jade Branch is the highest-grade material used as fuel for pill flames. Our City Seven branch doesn't keep it in stock, but I can check with our main-city shop for you," Ting Bo replied at once. "If they have any, we can have it sent here."

"Good. Sorry for the trouble." Yue Wen nodded.

Ting Bo glanced at Yue Wen, then added, "This kind of material is usually only used when refining Gang with a large flame. In fact, unless you're using one of the world's top cultivation methods, there's no need for such a premium material. Our shop carries the finest Immortal Welcoming Willow and Sky Blue Wood, which should meet your needs. You might consider those."

"I'll think about it. If you have any Purple Jade Branch in stock, let me know first." Yue Wen stood up.

He had no doubts about the materials' necessity. Perhaps the appraiser thought nobody in an outlying satellite city could be practicing one of the finest cultivation methods.

But Yue Wen had the True Dragon Dao Method.

By the time he returned to the office, it was only a little after four in the afternoon.

Yue Wen left Zhao Xing'er to watch the shop and went upstairs to his room to study the Method of Breaking Curses. He was starting to regret hiring an assistant so late.

It was nearly six when the two of them finally set out for the place where they had arranged to meet Guo Yang. They were going to meet his boss together.

"Want to ride on my electric scooter?" Yue Wen asked before they left. "If you don't like it, you can take a taxi yourself."

"I'll just sit on the back." Zhao Xing'er smiled gently. "I rarely take taxis."

At dusk, a handsome young man rode a little white electric scooter, with a beautiful long-haired girl sitting sideways on the back, her hair streaming in the wind. They sped along the elevated road, forming a striking sight on the city streets.

A middle-aged man driving a luxury car passed by. Seeing them, he clenched his teeth and slammed a fist against the steering wheel.

But in a sweet voice, he said into his phone, "Darling, I know today is your son's sixtieth birthday. I'm on my way, so I won't be late. Love you."

"Hey, my wife's fine with it. After all, he's her own father."

Meanwhile, at a factory in the suburbs.

The potbellied boss opened the door and ushered in two broad-faced men in black suits and sunglasses. He immediately greeted them with a smile. "Brothers, I'll have to trouble you again today."

"Manager Chen is an old friend of Tiger Head Gang. It's only right we step in and settle things when you need us," one of the men said coldly. As he spoke, a row of gold teeth flashed.

"We're dealing with some cripple demanding compensation, right?" The other man rolled his neck. "We do this kind of job all the time."

"That's right." Manager Chen smiled. "But let's hurry up and get rid of that cripple first. I've got another favor to ask you two afterward... Someone smashed the car my son just bought today!"

(End of chapter)