Zhao Fan frowned. “Can’t you merchants label something as genuine for once? You label it as a replica, so how am I supposed to argue with the System?”
He searched for “bulletproof vest,” “night-vision goggles,” “military binoculars”...
Same thing.
They were all “civilian outdoor gear,” “tactical models,” or “toys.” Not a single seller dared claim their items were real.
As he scrolled through the search results, the sound of the young eunuchs practicing their punches and kicks came from outside the courtyard.
Zhao Fan’s thoughts shifted. Martial arts? He seemed to remember seeing people sell them online in his previous life. Everyone knew they were fake, but people were indeed selling them. So he typed four characters into the search bar: martial arts manuals.
The results made him pause.
《Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms》《Nine Yin Manual》《Six Meridians Divine Sword》《Dugu Nine Swords》… They were all there.
The prices ranged from a few yuan to several thousand.
Every seller’s description was wildly exaggerated: “authentic ancient manual,” “lost secret art,” “hand-copied secret edition,” but the reviews were all the same: “Fake,” “Don’t buy,” “Just a few sheets of waste paper.”
Zhao Fan stared at the screen, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.
The first three purchases were guaranteed genuine.
It didn’t matter what the seller sent. Once it reached him, even a fake would become real.
Those sellers peddling Truth just weren’t bold enough. They labeled their wares “replicas,” thinking they’d blocked off every avenue. They had no idea— there was still a way through when the mountains seemed to end and the river ran on.
In that case, he’d better choose carefully.
He flipped through more than ten pages, then suddenly stopped.
A familiar title appeared before his eyes:
《Sunflower Manual》.
Price: 2.95 yuan, free shipping.
The seller’s description consisted of just one sentence: “Same as the one in the martial arts novels, complete and unabridged.”
There was only one review: “A scam. Don’t buy.”
Zhao Fan stared at the page as his mind began racing.
He knew it was fake, and the seller knew he knew it was fake.
Getting genuine martial arts for 2.95 yuan would be a miracle. No, in his previous life, there simply wasn’t a genuine version of this thing.
But the System had said his first three purchases came with an Authenticity Guarantee!
But did the System even have that kind of ability? Could it really turn a martial arts manual into the real thing?
In Zhao Fan’s memories, his Imperial Father was a Grandmaster-level expert, which meant martial arts definitely existed in this world.
Yet as the Ninth Prince, he had never practiced martial arts. He couldn’t remember studying any martial arts texts, either.
He had, however, studied quite a lot about the human meridians. That made no sense.
So, uncertain, he asked the System, “System, can you make this one real? Come on, System, I’m not unreasonable, and I won’t make things difficult for you. If you can’t do it, I’ll give you another chance: give me an interest-free loan of eight or ten million taels of Silver, and I won’t choose this martial arts manual.”
To his surprise, the System didn’t hesitate at all. It replied directly:
【Of course. It can certainly be made real. In addition, after the Host purchases this manual, anyone taught this cultivation technique by the Host who comes to believe in martial arts after learning it will have their loyalty to the Host unconditionally set to one hundred percent.】
Zhao Fan’s breath caught.
One hundred percent loyalty?
That was incredible!
Unwilling to give up, he pressed the System further in his mind:
“System, what if I buy a cultivation technique for becoming an immortal? For example, 《Eight-Nine Mysterious Art》. Could you make that real, too?”
【Yes. As long as the Host purchases it within the first three, what arrives will be genuine.
However, the System makes no guarantees as to whether the technique is suitable for cultivation by the people of this plane, how long cultivation will take, or whether it can be successfully cultivated.】
Zhao Fan understood.
The Authenticity Guarantee meant the item itself was real, but whether it was useful, and how to use it, was his own problem.
He returned to the 《Sunflower Manual》 page and glanced at the price again: 2.95 yuan.
But each of his first three purchases required him to throw in a hundred taels of Silver.
In other words, he’d have to pay a “service fee” of one hundred taels of Silver to turn this 2.95-yuan book into a genuine copy.
One hundred taels of Silver—one hundred thousand yuan—in exchange for a genuine martial arts manual and an entirely loyal eunuch squad.
Worth it. Absolutely worth it.
Still, before placing the order, he decided to ask a few more questions. Better yet, he’d get the seller to hype up this 《Sunflower Manual》 a little more.
The more miraculous the claims, the better.
No matter what the seller claimed, the System would make all of it true.
He opened the seller’s chat window.
“Boss, is this 《Sunflower Manual》 genuine?”
The other party replied quickly: “Dear customer, everything we sell is an authentic ancient manual.”
“Can it cultivate internal energy?”
“Of course! This is the complete edition. It explains everything from beginner to expert in detail. Just practice according to the book.”
“Boss, are you sure? Can people with poor aptitude cultivate it, too? How long does it take to become a top expert?”
What Zhao Fan was really thinking was that the simpler the seller made it sound, the better. Ideally, even a fool could cultivate it, and the shorter it took, the better. Ideally, someone could become a Grandmaster in a single day.
The System guaranteed authenticity, after all. But the other party wasn’t playing along.
“Dear customer, rest assured. This book has been a bestseller for three years, with rave reviews. You can definitely become a top expert very quickly.”
How quickly was “very quickly”? Well, since he wasn’t getting the answer he wanted, Zhao Fan decided to try another approach.
He looked through the seller’s shop and asked, “Boss, what about your 《Nine Yang Manual》? Is that genuine, too?”
“Dear customer, authenticity guaranteed! We’re running a promotion right now. If you order this 《Sunflower Manual》, I’ll throw in a 《Nine Yang Divine Skill》 as well. Buy one, get one free!”
Zhao Fan: “...”
Buy the Sunflower Manual and get the Nine Yang Divine Skill for free? That could work. He just didn’t know if the System would count the free one, too.
Never mind. He’d buy it first and see.
Zhao Fan exited the chat window.
His finger hovered over “Buy now” for two seconds, but he still didn’t tap it.
There was one reason: he had no silver on him.
He knew there were exactly one hundred and fifty taels of cash silver in the storeroom. One hundred of those taels had been sent over last month by his Eldest Brother, Zhao Lingyu, who had said, “Buy some furnishings. Don’t let people laugh at you.”
The rest of his Monthly Allowance wouldn’t arrive until the end of the month. By his count, that was still twelve days away.
Zhao Fan knew that if he bought the Sunflower Manual, he’d be down a hundred taels.
The remaining fifty taels wouldn’t last until the end of the month. They wouldn’t even cover food for the dozens of people in the prince’s residence, let alone the servants’ Monthly Allowances.
But that wasn’t something he needed to worry about right now.
So he called toward the door, “Someone!”
Xiao Shunzi immediately came in and bowed. “Your Highness!”
Zhao Fan glanced at him and said directly, “Go get Steward Wang.”
Xiao Shunzi acknowledged the order and hurried out.
Before long, a middle-aged eunuch in his forties, fair-faced and beardless, hurried into the main hall.
He wore a faded indigo robe and a gray, drab waist towel, making him look even more threadbare than his master.
The man was Wang Demao, the chief eunuch of Zhao Fan’s prince’s residence. He had been transferred from the Imperial Household Department and had been at the residence for less than a year.
Wang Demao bowed. “Your Highness, you sent for me?”
Zhao Fan got straight to the point. “Steward Wang, how much cash silver is in the residence storeroom?”