The Wealth Sender Reappears

Flender's eyes lit up instantly. He snapped his book shut, the wrinkles on his face bunching up into a chrysanthemum.

"Oh! Young Master, what a thing to say! You have an eye for this! Truly an exceptional eye!"

Rubbing his hands together, Flender came around from behind the counter. "Just a moment, please, wait a moment! I'll go fetch your goods right away!"

Jiang Hao's mouth curved slightly in silence as he leaned against the edge of the counter.

Xiao Wu sidled up to his ear and lowered her voice. "How does this guy change his face so fast? Just a moment ago he couldn't be bothered with us, and now he's acting like he's met his own birth father."

"Because a birth father wouldn't bring him money." Jiang Hao gave a flat reply.

Xiao Wu: "..."

Before long, Flender hauled three large crates out from the back room with a great deal of huffing and puffing, lining them up in a row. Each one was caked in dust, evidently having sat at the bottom of his stock for quite some years.

He brushed the dust off his hands, wiped the surfaces with his sleeve, and smiled all over his face.

"Young Master, take a look. These are all fine goods the old man has treasured for many years; you simply won't see them on the outside market!"

Without any nonsense, Jiang Hao walked straight up and lifted the lid of the first crate.

Inside, seven or eight pieces of metal were neatly stacked. They varied in color, including silver-white Starsteel, dark red Red Copper Ore, and a few pieces of Black Iron that gave off a deep blue sheen.

The quality was indeed quite good, even a bit better than the pieces he had picked up in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Jiang Hao nodded inwardly, though his expression remained indifferent as he moved on to the second crate.

The second crate held some even rarer ores.

One piece of metal in particular—pitch black all over, with faint gold patterns flowing across its surface—instantly caught his eye.

"Black Gold-Patterned Steel?"

Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise in his tone.

This was essential metal for forging grade-five Soul Tools, and he had not expected to find it here.

Flender's eyes lit up as he gave a thumbs-up.

"The Young Master has a discerning eye! I acquired this from a Soul Elder when I was young. It's said to have come from the Death Grand Canyon, and the mining difficulty is extreme. You simply can't buy it on the market!"

Noncommittal, Jiang Hao set the Black Gold-Patterned Steel down and proceeded to open the third crate.

After a moment, Jiang Hao withdrew his hand and turned to look at Flender. "The metals here will do. I'll take them all. Name your price."

Flender's eyes rolled as he smiled like an old fox. "Young Master, as you can see, these are all good things, and I don't have much stock left. Since you genuinely want them, I won't beat around the bush with you."

"Everything here bundled together, one fixed price: thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"Thirty thousand!?"

Xiao Wu's rabbit ears shot straight up. "You're selling these few stones for thirty thousand? Why don't you just go rob someone!"

Flender's expression did not change; he spread his hands with a smile. "Young lady, you can't put it that way. Look at this Black Gold-Patterned Steel, this Jade Flame Jade—take any one of them out, and they're priceless treasures. Thirty thousand gold coins is already a very conscience-driven price."

Jiang Hao frowned slightly.

A dishonest merchant was indeed a dishonest merchant. The cost of these stones was at most around eight thousand Gold Soul Coins, yet Flender threw out a figure of thirty thousand right off the bat.

Was he certain that he would definitely buy them?

Just as Jiang Hao was pondering how to haggle, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

Young Master, does my subordinate need to help?

It was Bai Qian's voice transmission.

Jiang Hao started slightly, and then the corners of his mouth curved into an arc.

He had been worrying about how to deal with this old fox, and Bai Qian had arrived right on time.

Fine, come over.

Jiang Hao transmitted back, his expression unchanged as he turned to Flender. "Boss, allow me to consider this."

The smile on Flender's face grew even brighter. "Take your time considering, Young Master. Good things are worth the wait."

In his view, this fat sheep had already taken the bait. Thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins—in the bag!

Just then, the shop door was gently pushed open.

A white figure walked in slowly. His features were refined and his temperament gentle, making him look like a harmless scholar.

Flender subconsciously looked up.

Then, his entire body froze.

Bai Qian walked up to the counter, his calm gaze falling onto Flender's face as he smiled slightly. "Boss, we meet again."

"You-you-you-you-you..."

Pointing a finger at Bai Qian, Flender's lips trembled like a winnowing basket. "Why are you here!?"

He would never forget this face.

Six years ago, it was this exact person who had taken that five-thousand-year Whale Rubber from his hands using a single Silver Soul Coin!

He still kept that Silver Soul Coin to this day!

From time to time he would take it out and look at it twice to remind himself.

"Just passing by."

Bai Qian's tone was flat. "I heard the boss has a batch of good goods here that my young master wants to buy, so I came over to take a look."

"Young Master?"

Flender's eyes widened abruptly. He turned to look at Jiang Hao, then looked back at Bai Qian, checking back and forth several times until cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Jiang Hao smiled and waved a hand. "Boss, this is my person. Don't be nervous."

He could tell now that Bai Qian and Flender seemed to know each other.

Don't be nervous?

Ten thousand mud-horses galloped across the landscape of Flender's heart.

You're telling me not to be nervous, damn it?

This jinx is your man?

Then the thirty-thousand quote I just gave—wasn't that pulling teeth from the jaws of a tiger?

"Ah... Young Master, what I said about thirty thousand just now was actually a joke."

Flender wiped the sweat from his forehead, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying. "How about this, I'll give you a discount on this batch. Ten thousand—ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, and you take them away!"

Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

Bai Qian stood to the side, equally silent, just quietly watching Flender.

"Eight thousand!" Flender gritted his teeth.

Bai Qian still didn't speak; he merely tilted his head slightly, his gaze landing on the Silver Soul Coin at Flender's waist.

Following his gaze down, Flender nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Five thousand! Five thousand Gold Soul Coins! That's the cost price!" Flender practically roared.

Jiang Hao was overjoyed on the inside, but on the surface, he put on a troubled expression. "Boss, this..."

"Three thousand!"

Feeling a sudden chill travel down his spine, Flender cut him off, gritting his teeth. "Three thousand Gold Soul Coins, plus this piece of Jade Flame Jade—I'll give it to you for free!"

With that, he fished out a fist-sized, emerald-green piece of jade from beneath the counter and shoved it toward Jiang Hao with a pained expression.

Goods gone could be found again, money gone could be earned back, but if his life was gone, it was truly gone.

Jiang Hao glanced at the piece of Jade Flame Jade, then looked at Flender's nearly weeping face, and finally nodded. "Deal."

With that, he retrieved two bags of Gold Soul Coins from his Soul Tool and handed them over.

Flender took the money bags, his hands shaking.

This was the second time in his life he had made a losing trade.

Jiang Hao had Xiao Wu pack away the three crates, then picked up the piece of Jade Flame Jade and weighed it in his hand with satisfaction.

Three thousand Gold Soul Coins traded for a pile of grade-four and grade-five Soul Tool materials—absolute bloody profit.

"Let's go, Xiao Wu, back to the hotel."

Finishing up, Jiang Hao called out to Xiao Wu and turned to walk outside.

As he passed by Flender, he suddenly stopped his steps, turned his head, and smiled.

"Boss, whenever you get good goods in the future, remember to save them for me. My person will be visiting often."