The old shopkeeper had never even considered what trouble the man before him might have run into. He simply felt that this fellow was absurdly stubborn.
"Five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones really aren't a problem for me," Feng Jun replied seriously. "But what did I do wrong? Why should I pay?"
The old shopkeeper grinned, revealing his yellow teeth. "You don't have to pay. But after closing, young friend, you'll have to look out for yourself."
Feng Jun became interested upon hearing that. He asked curiously, "So if I pay, I can stay after closing?"
"Staying is impossible, but we can send people to escort you to an inn," the old shopkeeper replied with a smile. "We can guarantee that no accidents will happen on the way. Or we can recommend a few reliable experts to escort you. That would work too."
Feng Jun pondered for a moment before asking, "Could they really dare attack between your tavern and the inn?"
Fighting was generally forbidden in markets throughout the Cultivation World. If they could not even guarantee that much, why would anyone come to their market?
The old shopkeeper rolled his eyes and replied with a helpless laugh, "Fighting is naturally strictly forbidden within the market. But you're connected to bandits, understand?"
Feng Jun pondered for a moment before asking, "If I ask a fellow cultivator to notify my family, how many Spirit Stones would that cost?"
"Still five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones," the old shopkeeper answered unhurriedly. "As long as you pay, leave everything else to us."
Feng Jun hesitated briefly, then continued asking, "You're not in league with those people, are you? You're both asking for five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."
"Young friend, you truly don't know how to speak. Who asks something that directly?" The old shopkeeper