Bankruptcy

The more Ye Tong understood the prices in the county town, the more he felt his own poverty. With a helpless expression, he followed the Medicine Slave. He suddenly remembered a saying he'd heard on Earth: "Money comes and goes, leaving you empty; money pours in like rain, then vanishes like the wind. Earning money bends your back, spending it is light as a breeze; saving money is always just a dream, keeping it is impossible."

Money!

Ye Tong felt a bit envious of Mu Xiaochen. This guy had a fantastic start in life, born the son of a prince, with endless wealth. Perhaps just a word from him would bring in streams of silver.

"Should I find an opportunity to rob the rich and help the poor me?" Ye Tong mused.

A moment later, the two boarded a Kirin Chariot and quickly headed to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in the west of the city.

Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

It was even more magnificent than the Sword Academy. Although it was only one building, its footprint was vast, spanning five floors, each with tens of thousands of treasures. According to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's claim, if you had money, there was nothing you couldn't buy here.

Very arrogant, very presumptuous.

But no one doubted its influence, because the Myriad Treasures Pavilion was owned by the Lan Family, one of the eight great families of the Eastern Mu Continent, possessing deep foundations and abundant resources that were impossible to ignore.

"Welcome, two distinguished guests." As soon as they stepped through the grand entrance of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, a nimble attendant greeted them with a professional smile.

Ye Tong said, "Take us to where we can buy Silver Crystals and Gold Crystals."

"Certainly!" The nimble attendant's eyes lit up, realizing that this pair, one old and one young, were likely big spenders.

Silver Crystals and Gold Crystals were stored on the second floor. Led by the nimble attendant, they soon found themselves in front of rows of transparent containers. One by one, Silver Crystals and Gold Crystals, bathed in the light filtering in, emitted a brilliant radiance.

"Dazzling!"

Ye Tong was stunned. The sheer quantity of Silver Crystals and Gold Crystals before him was truly spectacular. The number of Silver Crystals alone was in the tens of thousands, and the Gold Crystals were no less than ten thousand.

The Medicine Slave followed Ye Tong, his gaze sweeping over the scene. He sighed, "It's been over ten years since I last came here, and not much has changed. It's still this magnificent. As they say, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion is like an iron fortress, with customers coming and going!"

"Hoo..." Ye Tong took a deep breath and said, "Fifty Silver Crystals, ten Gold Crystals."

The nimble attendant's face broke into a wide smile. He efficiently negotiated with the manager on duty, and after a short while, returned with two wooden boxes, placing them before Ye Tong. "Fifty Silver Crystals cost five hundred thousand taels of Blue Silver; ten Gold Crystals cost one million taels of Blue Silver. How would you like to pay, distinguished guests?"

"Damn it, one and a half million taels?"

A wry smile appeared on Ye Tong's face. He nodded at the Medicine Slave, finally understanding what it meant to spend money like water. After this outing, just buying the sword skill manuals, Silver Crystals, and Gold Crystals had cost a total of one million nine hundred and fifty-eight thousand taels of Blue Silver.

The nimble attendant looked at Ye Tong not as a customer, but as a walking mountain of gold and silver. He noticed the Medicine Slave holding the two wooden boxes in his hands and seemed to realize something. His eyes darted around, and he asked with a smile, "Distinguished guests, judging by your appearance, you don't seem to have a Spatial Pouch?"

Ye Tong asked, confused, "Spatial Pouch? What's that?"

The nimble attendant showed a look of "as expected," but without any hint of disdain, he patiently explained, "A Spatial Pouch is a spiritual treasure used for storing items, making it convenient for cultivators to carry things. For example, these two wooden boxes, if you had a Spatial Pouch, you could place them inside its space."

"This is..."

Ye Tong's heart fluttered. He realized that the so-called Spatial Pouch was similar to the spatial rings in novels from Earth. He immediately said, "Take us to see them."

"Young Master!" the Medicine Slave called out urgently.

Ye Tong turned, confused, and asked, "What is it?"

The Medicine Slave said with a wry smile, "Spatial Pouches are very valuable. If we were to buy one, even the cheapest Spatial Pouch would leave us penniless."

"Uh, still no money?" Ye Tong's expression stiffened, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

The nimble attendant's expression shifted. He quickly said, "Distinguished guests, the amount of Blue Silver you've spent today has already exceeded one million taels. If you purchase any more items, you will receive a 10% discount."

Ye Tong thought for a moment and said, "Take us to see them first! We'll discuss whether we can afford them later."

"Certainly!"

The nimble attendant led Ye Tong and the Medicine Slave to the third floor. They walked through corridors, past the entrances of spacious and bright halls, finally stopping in a hall decorated with lush greenery. There weren't many items in this hall, almost all of them being exquisite pouches of various styles.

Glancing at Ye Tong, the nimble attendant explained, "Spatial Pouches have different grades. The One-Leaf Spatial Pouch is the lowest, the Two-Leaf Spatial Pouch is next, and the Three-Leaf Spatial Pouch is the best. The difference lies in the spatial stability and the size of the internal space. You can feel it."

Ye Tong casually picked up a pouch embroidered with a willow leaf pattern. As he injected a wisp of Vital Energy into it, he immediately sensed the space within the pouch, which was about ten square meters.

Afterward, Ye Tong examined the Two-Leaf Spatial Pouch and the Three-Leaf Spatial Pouch. He found that the internal space of the Two-Leaf Spatial Pouch was about one hundred square meters, while the Three-Leaf Spatial Pouch had an internal space of about one thousand square meters. As for their height, all of them had a standard height of five meters.

"The price of these Spatial Pouches is truly... beautiful!"

Ye Tong inwardly gave a wry smile. Forget the Two-Leaf and Three-Leaf Spatial Pouches; even the cheapest One-Leaf Spatial Pouch cost one million taels of Blue Silver, an outrageously expensive price.

"Young Master!" The Medicine Slave noticed Ye Tong's intense gaze and his heart tightened.

Ye Tong inquired, "How much money do we have left?"

The Medicine Slave replied with a wry smile, "Nine hundred and forty thousand taels of Blue Silver."

Ye Tong raised an eyebrow and looked at the nimble attendant, asking, "You said earlier that we could get a 10% discount?"

The nimble attendant replied without hesitation, "That's right, a 10% discount."

Ye Tong nodded slightly and said, "Medicine Slave, pay for it!"

The Medicine Slave pondered for a moment, considering that his Young Master meticulously considered everything he did recently. He no longer hesitated and promptly made the payment.

After the transaction was complete, Ye Tong was too lazy to linger. After all, his pockets were empty. If he found any more good items, it would only lead to frustration.

"Young Master!"

As they strolled along the street, the Medicine Slave followed, chattering, "We only have forty thousand taels of Blue Silver left. If we stay in the county town for half a month, the daily cost of medicinal meals is a considerable expense. If we buy anything else, we'll be in dire straits. Most importantly, the upcoming auction has the Blood Demon Worm, which is very expensive. If we can't acquire a large amount of gold and silver in a short period, our purpose for coming to the county town might be in vain."

As the saying goes, a single coin can stump a hero. Ye Tong was also somewhat troubled. Selling refined pills could earn money quickly, but it was clearly not enough time to earn a million or several million taels of Blue Silver before the auction.

Borrow money?

He pictured Mu Xiaochen's face and immediately shook his head. While Mu Xiaochen wasn't short on money, borrowing would incur a debt of gratitude, and he was very reluctant to owe anyone for financial reasons.

"Right, how could I forget about this?" Ye Tong's eyes suddenly lit up. He thought of a way to make money and immediately said, "Come with me to buy jade raw materials. If we hurry, there's still time."

The Medicine Slave asked in surprise, "You intend to sell jade carvings?"

Ye Tong smiled and shook his head, saying, "To be precise, I'm selling formations."

Ye Tong didn't offer further explanation. After some inquiries, he quickly found a shop selling jade. He used up almost all his remaining Blue Silver before purchasing twelve fist-sized pieces of jade raw material. Rushing back to the Peach Garden Inn, Ye Tong ate something and began to carve according to the patterns in his mind.

However, after only two hours, the Medicine Slave's voice interrupted Ye Tong's carving.

"Young Master, it's time for our appointment." Ye Tong remembered Jin Qiusheng's invitation. He temporarily put down his work, took a warm bath, changed into clean and tidy clothes, and then headed towards the Fragrant Pavilion with the Medicine Slave.

Cai Luan Platform.

The command post in the south of the county town was guarded by hundreds of Patrol Camp soldiers. If any disturbance occurred nearby, they would be the first to arrive and control the situation. The commander of the Patrol Camp on duty tonight was Gao Fengkuo.

Gao Fengkuo was powerfully built with a stern face, exuding a fierce aura. He sat on a carved tiger chair, a ruthless glint occasionally flashing in his eyes. For the past two days, his Gao Family's reputation had been ruined and slandered, bringing him shame as well. Therefore, he harbored deep hatred for the culprit.

"Commander Gao!"

From a distance, a sturdy young man in plain clothes quickly approached Gao Fengkuo and reported, "My subordinates have been hiding near the Peach Garden Inn and monitoring. We've spotted the young man named Ye Tong. He's left the Peach Garden Inn with his old servant and is heading towards Qinghe Street."

Gao Fengkuo's eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and shouted, "Patrol Armor Guard, Patrol Yi Guard, follow me to apprehend the murderer! The other guards will continue to stand guard here."

Instantly, two teams of imposing Patrol Camp soldiers quickly assembled, swiftly mounting their Wind Howl Wolf mounts and following Gao Fengkuo towards Qinghe Street.

The county town at night seemed adorned with brilliant makeup. Colorful lanterns hung all over the streets and alleys. The bustling streets were crowded with people, traffic flowing like a river, and the noise was immense.

This was Ye Tong's first time out in the county town at night. Looking at the faces illuminated by the colorful lanterns and the bright signs on the eaves of the buildings, his heart felt as if it were covered in a layer of everyday life.

"The scenes in ancient costume dramas can't compare to the beauty before my eyes, can they?" Ye Tong mused to himself.

"Make way!" Suddenly, a commotion erupted ahead, followed by a fierce roar.

"The Patrol Camp is apprehending a criminal. Obstruction will be treated as the same crime."

A hundred Wind Howl Wolves galloped, a spectacular sight. The imposing Patrol Camp soldiers were even more arrogant and unrestrained. Slow-moving pedestrians were whipped aside by their spears.

A moment later, the sturdy young man leading the charge raised his right arm. As the hundred Wind Howl Wolves came to a halt, the young man pointed at Ye Tong and the Medicine Slave and shouted loudly, "The culprits who committed murder and robbery are them!"