I handed the piece of ore to him with both hands:
“This is a specialty of the Demon Realm—a top-grade material for forging swords. Seeing how extraordinary Senior Brother’s demeanor is, you must be a master sword cultivator, right?”
Zhao Youqian took the ore and looked at it closely, his eyes shifting.
He clearly recognized its worth.
“This… really is Nether Deep-Iron?”
I nodded earnestly: “Guaranteed authentic! If Senior Brother Youqian buys this back to forge a sword, you will definitely become the number one sword cultivator in the cultivation world!”
Su Ning whispered beside me: “Little Junior Sister, you’re boasting way too much.”
I ignored him.
And kept boasting: “Plus, this ore even has beauty-enhancing and skin-nourishing effects! Look at my senior brothers—their swords were forged using Nether Deep-Iron, and look how handsome every single one of them is!”
Senior brothers: “…………”
Does our good looks have anything to do with our swords?!
Yet Zhao Youqian was actually moved.
I pushed further: “The purity of this Deep-Iron is super high. I feel that only someone as insightful as Senior Brother Youqian is worthy of such a fine item!”
Zhao Youqian was thoroughly dizzy from all the praise: “Really?”
I nodded: “Of course! If you buy this piece of Nether Deep-Iron, everyone will say, ‘Look, Senior Brother Youqian has such sharp taste—he recognized this treasures right at a single glance!'”
Zhao Youqian hesitated: “How much?”
I held up five fingers: “Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones!”
Su Ning: “PFFT!!!”
Yan Chuan: “Cough, cough, cough~”
Murong Zhuo: “Little Junior Sister, you…”
Gu Chenguang: “This is way too…”
Zhao Youqian was also stunned.
However, he didn’t refuse immediately.
Because people nearby were already looking over.
Zhao Youqian: “You—the stall next door is only selling for one hundred and fifty!”
Cupping my face with my hands, I looked at him: “But the purity of the stall next door isn’t as high as ours. Anyone can tell this piece is a top-grade product mined straight from the core of the vein! Senior Brother Youqian, you’re so rich—you couldn’t possibly be unable to afford even five hundred, right?”
Provocation tactics—works on my dad every single time.
It works just as well on Zhao Youqian.
Zhao Youqian’s face turned red: “Who says I can’t afford it! I have a mine at home, I’m buying it!”
He pulled out his pouch, counted out five hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and threw them onto the stall.
Then he picked up the Nether Deep-Iron and walked off triumphantly.
After walking two steps, he turned back: “All this demon beast meat, iron ore, and spiritual herbs—I’ll take them all too! How much?”
Su Ning: “…Fifty low-grade spirit stones.”
Zhao Youqian threw out a money pouch: “One hundred! Keep the change! Consider it my reward to you!”
Then, holding that pile of ‘junk’, he strutted off with his head held high.
As he walked, he even bragged to his henchmen: “See that? This is vision! A rich man’s vision!”
The henchmen flattered him frantically:
— “Senior Brother Zhao is so generous!”
— “Senior Brother Zhao will definitely become the number one person in the Dao of the Sword!”
By the time they disappeared into the distance, my senior brothers were still in a state of dazed shock.
Su Ning said in disbelief: “…He actually bought it?”
Yan Chuan began questioning life: “Is he stupid? He got scammed and he’s still this happy?”
Murong Zhuo sneered: “He did that all for the sake of pride—’I’m rich, I’m giving you charity.'”
Gu Chenguang said indignantly: “Still, a person like him just begs to be scammed.”
Su Ning nodded: “Mm, next time he comes back, we scam him again.”
Yan Chuan chimed in: “Mm, Little Junior Sister did a fantastic job~”
Murong Zhuo said proudly: “Just a few words and she got Zhao Youqian to cough up the money!”
Gu Chenguang had already pulled out his ledger:
Street Stall Income:
— Nether Deep-Iron: 500 mid-grade spirit stones
— Junk Clearance: 100 low-grade spirit stones
— Total: 500 mid-grade + 100 low-grade
— Note: Thanks to Young Master Zhao for sending over our cultivation fund.
Su Ning finally snapped back to reality, looking down at me with a complex expression: “Little Junior Sister, how did you know he would buy it?”
I said as a matter of fact: “He said so himself, ‘I’m very rich.'”
Yan Chuan: “He said he was rich and you just believed him?”
“It’s not that I believed him,” I corrected, “it’s that he wanted me to believe him.”
I counted on my fingers: “Look, everything he wears and carries is the absolute best, which shows he cares very much about others thinking he’s wealthy.”
“The moment he arrived, he mocked us, which shows he likes being flattered and put on a pedestal.”
“He said ‘I don’t fight with poor wretches,’ which shows he’s actually scared of fighting and is just talk.”
“For a person like this, claiming publicly that he doesn’t have money hurts more than killing him.”
I threw my hands out: “So that’s why I said, ‘You’re so rich, you couldn’t possibly be unable to afford even 500, right?'”
“Of course he could afford it.”
“And he had to afford it.”
My senior brothers listened to me in silence.
Murong Zhuo muttered: “…So this is what they call ‘precisely targeting the ideal client.'”
Gu Chenguang started a new line in his ledger:
— Little Junior Sister’s Profiteering Genius Talent: S-Rank.
I saw it, but pretended not to.
Suddenly remembering something, I asked my senior brothers: “By the way, why would people from the Qingyun Sect show up on our turf?”
Su Ning explained: “Our sect is located right at the central hub of various sects, so passersby stop here to rest and trade. Plus, the Heavenly Sword Sect has a Grand Protection Array, making it safer than the wilderness.”
Yan Chuan added: “Mainly because over here… we don’t charge toll fees.”
Murong Zhuo sighed: “Because collecting toll fees requires manpower, and we don’t have enough people.”
Gu Chenguang: “Besides, collecting money might lead to fights, fighting might lead to injuries, and injuries require medical expenses…”
Me: “Got it.”
So poor that we don’t even dare to charge toll fees.
This is probably what it means to be so broke that you become cowardly.
I silently noted down this debt in my mind.
When I grow stronger…
When I can beat everyone up…
By then when the time comes, toll fees, management fees, sanitation fees, air freshening fees~
Not a single coin can be missing!
Having sold the ore, my senior brothers were in high spirits.
They took me along and started a wild shopping spree at the market.
Su Ning shouldered two bags of rice: “This is cheap! Buy it!”
Yan Chuan cradled a bucket of oil: “This is cheap too! Buy it!”
Murong Zhuo held up a pink dress: “Little Junior Sister needs to wear new clothes! Buy it!”
Gu Chenguang held a stack of paper and a box of brushes: “Little Junior Sister needs to learn to read! Buy it!”
I held the new dress—light pink, embroidered with small butterflies, so cute.
This was the first time I had new clothes since leaving the Demon Realm.
Not picked up from the ground.
Not given as handouts by others.
Bought specifically for me.
Holding the dress, I giggled stupidly the entire way back.
Once shopping was finished, my senior brothers brought me back laden with goods.
By the time we returned to the Heavenly Sword Sect, it was already dusk.
The sun was setting, casting golden light across the cliff face and coating those pitch-black cave entrances in a layer of warm glow.
While my senior brothers were busy organizing the bought items, I sat at the entrance of the cave dwelling, staring blankly at the sunset.
“What are you thinking about?” Gu Chenguang walked over and handed me a piece of candy.
I took the candy—it was maltose, very sweet: “Thinking about Eldest Senior Brother.”
Gu Chenguang sat down beside me: “Eldest Senior Brother is very strong, no need to worry.”
I nodded: “Mm.”
But I was still worried.
The Phantom Beast Ruins secret realm had a 3-star difficulty rating.
Although Eldest Senior Brother was strong, what if?
What if he encountered a formidable spiritual beast? What if he ran into people with ill intentions? What if…
I shook my head, driving those unlucky thoughts out of my mind.
Ate the candy.
The candy was very sweet.
Yet my heart still felt a bit empty.
At night.
I couldn’t sleep.
I tossed over.
I turned over again.
Even though I managed to scam Zhao Youqian out of five hundred mid-grade plus one hundred low-grade spirit stones today…
For someone with a Chaos Spiritual Root like me, this tiny amount of money was merely a drop in the bucket.
I recalled Eldest Senior Brother taking on a dangerous mission just to buy me Origin-Nourishing Pills.
Recalled my other senior brothers setting up a stall to sell junk just to earn spirit stones.
Recalled my senior brothers saying that after the elders learned I had a Chaos Spiritual Root, they worked even harder at part-time jobs to earn spirit stones:
And finally, I recalled that insult Zhao Youqian threw out today: “Poor wretches.”
I didn’t care about being insulted.
I cared about the fact that what he said was the truth.
No.
I have to do something.