Pan Long had money, and he was willing to spend it.
Once that was clear, the elderly Paijiao man's attitude changed at once.
Before, he had been languid, with a hint of resignation beneath his calm. Now his face was all smiles, even a little fawning.
Pan Long sighed at the sight.
"Why go to such lengths, senior?" he asked. "I'm only here to buy a few things..."
The old man looked thin and frail, as though age had sapped his strength. But Pan Long could clearly sense the immense power within him. He had simply locked it all inside his body without letting a trace escape.
Anyone capable of that had to be among the Martial World's finest. Even if he had not entered the True Person Realm, he was an expert at the very pinnacle of the Innate Realm.
Judging by the calm, undisturbed Heaven and Earth Essence around him, either he had reached the Return to the Natural State, or the path he cultivated differed from anyone Pan Long had ever met—perhaps he was a Sorcerer at the Innate Peak, the first Pan Long had encountered.
Either way, a man like that should not have to bend his back for five pecks of rice!
Whatever the reason, the sight left Pan Long distinctly uncomfortable.
The old man paused. Then, realizing what Pan Long meant, he smiled even more broadly.
His earlier smile had seemed false, the typical smile of a "businessman." This one was far more genuine, warm and kindly, like an old man looking at a gifted young junior who lacked experience.
"You have a good eye," he said. "But your thinking is too one-sided."
"One-sided?" Pan Long was puzzled. He did not think it was.
In this world, strength and status went hand in hand.