The guard didn’t obey the steward’s order. Just as the old man was about to close the door, the guard reached out and stopped it.
He said, “Steward Wang, that young man is truly an honored guest. I really didn’t misjudge this time. You’ll know if you just go take a look.”
Steward Wang looked annoyed and said, “Eh~ I say, what did that brat give you that made you bold enough to go against me?”
The guard quickly replied, “N-no, he didn’t give me anything!”
This steward was stingy in every way. If he dared take out that second-rank beast core, he was certain it would be confiscated. He wasn’t that foolish.
Seeing how stubborn the guard was, blocking the door and not letting him return, Steward Wang sighed helplessly, “Alright, alright, I’ll go take a look… Sheesh, you’re the only one with the guts to pester me like this.”
Reluctantly, the grumbling Steward Wang walked to the private room. Just as the guard described, the person inside was wrapped up tightly, dressed in plain clothes, completely unremarkable—instantly killing his interest in any kind of reception.
“You’re the one who said you had a big deal to discuss with me?”
Hun Yu saw that it was this very old man. In his previous life, this man had made things difficult for him more than once, constantly rejecting him at the door.
“What? I don’t look the part?”
Steward Wang looked down his nose and said, “You’ve seen for yourself—everyone who comes here is either a noble or a favored disciple of a major sect. Forgive my poor eyesight, but I really don’t see how you qualify to talk business with me.”
Hun Yu let out a light “Oh?” and said, “Is that so? According to you, anyone who does business here must be dressed richly and write their nobility all over their clothes? And people like me must be poor nobodies?”
Steward Wang curled his lips and said, “Not too far off. Though many experts like to keep a low profile, I’ve seen enough of those types to spot their disguises at a glance. That air of authority, that domineering behavior—tsk tsk—but you? You don’t look like a master at all, more like a backwoods thug.”
A smile flickered at the corner of Hun Yu’s lips. Suddenly, he released a powerful aura from his body, then immediately retracted it. Looking at the steward with playful eyes, he said, “Oh? Would this count as a master’s demeanor?”
At the moment Hun Yu released his aura, both the guard and Steward Wang were blasted off their feet. Their bodies flew backward and crashed into a table and chairs, shattering them into splinters.
The guard was too stunned to speak, silently thankful that he hadn’t dared attack earlier—otherwise… Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
As for Steward Wang, who had also been flung across the room, he was utterly shaken. His face turned pale, drenched in cold sweat, and his eyes were full of terror.
Ignoring the pain in his body, he scrambled up and repeatedly bowed and cupped his fists. “This fool didn’t recognize a true expert. Please, Lord, don’t take offense. My eyes were blinded by sand and wind today—I mistook a master for a fraud. I deserve death, truly deserve death. Please don’t lower yourself to my level…”
Hun Yu smiled faintly. For the first time, he felt how satisfying it was to “play the pig to eat the tiger”—to feign weakness, then strike hard. For the first time, someone who used to bark orders and drive him away now stood trembling in fear, bowing in respect.
The days of being looked down upon and having his dignity trampled everywhere were gone for good. This feeling… was truly wonderful.
But Hun Yu had serious business to attend to and didn’t want to waste time. He casually said, “Do you buy beast cores? What about demonic beast corpses?”
Steward Wang, hearing that Hun Yu didn’t intend to pursue the matter, quickly stood up straight and said, “Yes, Lord! We buy both beast cores and demonic beast corpses!”
“What’s the market rate?”
Steward Wang calmed his shaken nerves and organized his thoughts. That previous shock had left his mind blank.
“Lord, we only accept second-rank beast cores and corpses or higher.”
Hun Yu paused for a moment, frowning slightly. He coughed and said, “Oh? Only second-rank and up?”
Luckily, his storage ring wasn’t large enough. Otherwise, the lower-rank ones would be nothing but junk. If he pulled those out, this guy might just laugh at him.
Steward Wang froze, sensing a shift in Hun Yu’s tone, and quickly corrected himself, “U-uh… if it’s from you, Lord, of course we’ll take them. Hehe… we’ll take them!” The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Hun Yu didn’t waste words and said, “Good. Find a spacious and private place. I’ve got too much—this room won’t hold it.”
Steward Wang pulled a bitter face and wanted to slap himself. He cursed silently—what a fool he was to offend such a powerhouse for no reason!
First-rank demonic beasts were practically worthless. Even ordinary people could hunt them. Taking them in would just mean piling up garbage. At first, he thought this man had only one or two, and he could bend the rules. But now it sounded like the man had a lot of them? He wanted to cry. How much would that cost him?
Looking at the nearby guard who was gloating, Steward Wang’s face turned green with frustration. It was all this idiot’s fault. If he had to compensate for the loss, he’d make sure the guard shared the burden too.
“Please, this way. We have a large appraisal warehouse over there. Let’s head there.”
“Lead the way.”
Fuming inside but not daring to show it, Steward Wang had no choice but to bark at the guard, “Didn’t you hear the Lord’s words? Still standing there like a post? Want me to lead the way myself?”
“O-oh! Yes, sir! This way, please!”
Inside the warehouse, Hun Yu looked around and finally felt assured.
However, he didn’t immediately take anything out. Instead, he asked first, “What are the current rates for beast cores and demonic beast corpses?”
Steward Wang replied, “According to the current market, a first-rank beast core is worth at most 50 spirit stones, and a corpse is 30 spirit stones. Of course, if you prefer to exchange for spirit herbs or pills of equal value, that’s also possible. For two sets of first-rank beast cores and corpses, we can give you 115 spirit stones. That’s the highest price in Tsar City.”
“A second-rank beast core is worth 200 spirit stones, and a corpse is worth 130. If there are third-rank cores or beasts, the price increases significantly. After all, third-rank beasts require at least a high-level Spirit Profound Realm cultivator to defeat. Their cores and corpses have high utility. A third-rank core ranges from 850 to 2,300 spirit stones, depending on the beast’s nature and bloodline. Corpses also vary based on species—if it’s a mutated beast, its body will be worth more too, typically between 615 to 1,550 spirit stones. Of course, the better the preservation, the higher the price.”
Hun Yu nodded. He thought to himself that this old man wasn’t too bad. He hadn’t tried to lowball him, and the prices seemed fair.
He had once bought one for Mu Qingwan, spent a long time picking it out, haggled for ages, and visited almost every shop in that city just to save a few spirit stones—so he was very familiar with the market rates.