The Immortal Wife Is Like A Cloud

Chapter 445: Can You Cover the Cost?

Su Jingzhen’s inquiry did not elicit any further response from Bai Suzhen.

Su Jingzhen: “……”

Damn it!

“How much are the items at your stall?”

Su Jingzhen’s gaze once again swept over the items.

He still couldn’t discern if any of them were useful to him.

His attention was particularly drawn to the jade bottle and the rusted sword.

In his view, the jade bottle might conceal some hidden secrets.

Or perhaps the rusty sword, though appearing shabby, was actually a peerless weapon yet to be activated?

As the first person to inquire about prices, Su Jingzhen’s presence clearly excited the old man.

Su Jingzhen pointed at the jade bottle and asked, “What is in this bottle?”

“This is a mystery bottle. If Daoist is interested, you only need to buy it, and you’ll see what’s inside once you open it.

As for this mystery bottle, it’s not expensive—just fifty middle-grade spirit stones.

Or you can trade it for an equivalent value of items. A barter is also acceptable,” the old man said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Su Jingzhen’s eyelids twitched.

A mystery bottle? A blind box?

He hadn’t expected that such things would be popular even in the cultivation world.

Fifty middle-grade spirit stones were equivalent to five thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Two months ago, this would have been a considerable sum for Su Jingzhen.

Now it seemed like just a small amount.

Moreover, spending five thousand low-grade spirit stones on such a mystery bottle meant that the contents might not even be worth five low-grade spirit stones.

“Can the contents of this bottle match its value?” Su Jingzhen asked out of habit.

The old man grinned slyly once more: “As the saying goes, it’s a mystery bottle, all depends on luck.

Good luck can make it worth much more, while bad luck can lead to a loss.

Does Daoist not believe in your own luck?”

Su Jingzhen couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. It was clear that this mystery bottle was something the old man had put together himself.

As a seller, it would be strange for him to offer a loss-making deal.

He remained calm and unperturbed: “And what about this rusted sword?”

His gaze fell on the sword covered in rust.

“Daoist, you truly have an eye for quality. Although this rusted sword may seem unremarkable, it is, in fact, an ancient weapon of exceptional quality.

It’s not expensive—just one hundred middle-grade spirit stones.”

Su Jingzhen’s eyelids twitched again.

He realized that the old man was fishing for big spenders here.

If Bai Suzhen hadn’t guided him to this place, he would have turned and left immediately.

“Alright!

Daoist, please calculate the total price for all the items at your stall.

I’ll take them all.”

Since Bai Suzhen wasn’t responding, buying everything seemed like a good solution.

Given Su Jingzhen’s current assets, even if the items were non-negotiable, he could afford them.

Since no one had visited this stall yet, Su Jingzhen didn’t want to haggle with the old man.

As soon as Su Jingzhen spoke, the old man’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.

“Are you serious?”

Su Jingzhen replied, “Daoist, please calculate the total. We cultivators do not deceive fellow cultivators.

Consider it a matter of fate between us.”

Upon hearing this, the old man’s lecherous grin reappeared, and he immediately said,

“There are five items on this humble stall. Originally, I planned to sell them for a total of five hundred and thirty middle-grade spirit stones. However, since we have a good rapport, I will only charge you five hundred middle-grade spirit stones.

If you have equivalent items to barter, that would be even better.”

As the old man spoke, he excitedly rubbed his hands together.

Five hundred middle-grade spirit stones, which is equivalent to fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones.

In Qingzhou, even for a Golden Core cultivator, that’s no small amount.

The key was that the five items on his stall, to anyone who looked, would seem like a pile of junk.

Whoever bought them would surely be seen as a fool.

“Farewell!”

Su Jingzhen was momentarily stunned but then turned and left.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford the five hundred middle-grade spirit stones.

A single bottle of top-grade Breaking Through Adversity Pill in his storage ring was worth much more than that.

But such an action would be utterly foolish.

He knew many people were watching him at this moment.

If he truly spent five hundred middle-grade spirit stones on this pile of junk, it would certainly attract suspicion from others.

There would be plenty of people looking to cause trouble.

Moreover, this lecherous old man didn’t seem like a trustworthy person. If Su Jingzhen generously paid, there was a possibility that the old man might raise the price on the spot.

It was clear that the old man was eager to sell these items.

Sometimes, retreating can be a strategic move, applicable in any situation.

Besides, so far, apart from him, no one else had visited the old man’s stall.

“Wait, wait!”

Seeing this, as Su Jingzhen had anticipated, the old man appeared quite anxious.

“Daoist, the price is negotiable.

I can lower it; you can make a counteroffer!

Isn’t that how transactions usually work?”

Upon hearing this, Su Jingzhen was amused.

“One hundred middle-grade spirit stones!”

Now that’s haggling.

To everyone’s eyes, this pile of junk probably wasn’t worth even one hundred middle-grade spirit stones.

Offering such a price was already quite generous.

For ordinary cultivators, the most commonly used were low-grade spirit stones, and one hundred middle-grade spirit stones were equivalent to ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

“Why don’t you add a bit more?

If we both make a concession, would two hundred middle-grade spirit stones be acceptable?”

The old man was visibly struggling to accept the drastic reduction to one-fifth of his initial price.

“Deal!

It’s done!”

With that, Su Jingzhen didn’t linger any longer.

Although two hundred middle-grade spirit stones was still a somewhat inflated price, Su Jingzhen didn’t want to drag the matter out further.

At this point, he wasn’t planning to barter; he had plenty of spirit stones on him.

Su Jingzhen directly took out twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones, packed them into a storage bag, and handed it to the old man.

The old man didn’t dawdle either.

He promptly wrapped up all the items with the stall’s covering.

Taking Su Jingzhen’s storage bag, he was about to hand over the items.

At that moment, an out-of-place voice suddenly rang out.

“Wait!

I’ll buy your items for the original price of five hundred middle-grade spirit stones!”

Su Jingzhen’s brow immediately furrowed.

His concern had indeed come to pass.

Since entering the marketplace, countless eyes had been on them.

He knew many wanted to cause trouble but had not yet found the right opportunity.

Now, this seemingly absurd transaction had finally given them a chance to intervene.

Upon hearing this, the lecherous old man displayed a hint of hesitation and looked toward the source of the voice.

It was a young man dressed in luxurious clothes, accompanied by two older men behind him.

This young man exuded an air of someone from a top-tier force.

As he approached, his gaze first swept over Xuening beside Su Jingzhen, and then he turned his attention with a smile to the lecherous old man.

“Throughout history, transactions are won by those who offer the highest price. I’ll pay five hundred middle-grade spirit stones.

You should know how to choose, right?”

Upon hearing this, the lecherous old man immediately withdrew the five items.

He calmly observed the two parties, showing no signs of panic.

He appeared to be watching the drama unfold with a detached demeanor, like a bystander enjoying the show.

“The transaction has not been finalized yet. I dare not offend either side. Please, discuss and decide who will finalize the transaction with me.”

The old man’s smile became even more lecherous.

His attitude had become noticeably more submissive, but deep within his eyes was a glimmer of anticipation, as if he was eager to see Su Jingzhen and the young man come to blows.

“Damn it.”

Su Jingzhen cursed inwardly.

It seemed that having a smooth return to his resting place was now unlikely.

He turned to the troublemaker, “Who are you? I don’t believe I have any grudge against you?”

He knew full well that the troublemaker’s target was Xuening, but he still asked deliberately.

“I am Zhou Xian from the Zhou Family of Holy City.

I have no grievance with Daoist Su. However, I also have an interest in the items at this Daoist’s stall.

I believe transactions are conducted based on the highest offer, correct?

Since we both want the items, it should be settled by who offers the higher price.”

Zhou Xian spoke with a warm smile, but his words were mere deception.

When Su Jingzhen decided to buy the items, Zhou Xian and everyone else watching Su Jingzhen had naturally taken notice.

They all believed the items were a pile of junk. But if Su Jingzhen was willing to pay two hundred middle-grade spirit stones, there must be something unusual about it.

If there was something Su Jingzhen needed among those items, they had to intervene.

As Zhou Xian revealed himself, Su Jingzhen sneered inwardly.

The Zhou Family of Holy City… might as well be called the Supporter of the Evil Moon Sect’s Longyan Branch.

Zou Zeyu’s Longyan branch is located in the territory of the Holy City.

From the beginning, Zou Zeyu had not only offended the Free and Unfettered Sect but also aggressively expanded by collaborating with these top forces.

The Zhou Family was among the first to ally with the Longyan Branch.

When Qingzhou’s landscape was in turmoil due to the Evil Moon Sect’s return, the Zhou Family had already picked their side early.

Without much thought, Su Jingzhen knew that the Zhou Family was merely a scout for the Longyan Branch.

They were also the vanguard for all forces interested in Xuening.

Thus, when Zhou Xian stepped forward, their position instantly became the center of attention in the entire Free Market.

At this moment, the most excited was Shen Yifeng.

“Couldn’t hold back, huh? Zhou Family, that’s a significant presence.”

Shen Yifeng muttered to himself.

At this time, Su Jingzhen turned his gaze toward Shen Yifeng.

“Can you cover it?”