Protector Jun Mo

"Oh? Now you need the Ironflame Plant as well?" Wu Meng said with a playful smirk. "But what makes you think that I will sell it to you?"

Guo Fei let out a bitter smile. He could not help but feel regretful at this point.

The Yin Heart Stone was for someone else, which was why he could be so forceful in his actions when trying to bring down the price.

If it worked out, then good. He would have contributed to clinching a good deal.

Even if it did not work out, then so be it. After all, the price was really too high anyway.

There would not be much of a difference to him no matter how things turned out in the end.

However, that did not apply to this Ironflame Plant, because this was something that he himself desperately needed!

In fact, he had been trying to find one for the longest time, only for all of his efforts to end up in vain. Now that he had finally come across one, he could not help but feel his heart palpitating in excitement.

At this point, he would actually be willing to fork out any amount to obtain this Ironflame Plant, even if it meant that he would be grossly overpaying.

But looking at the current situation, even if he was willing to pay, the other party might not be willing to quote him a price!

"Sir, I apologise for my lack of propriety just now. If I have offended you in any way, please feel free to scold or reprimand me," Guo Fei suddenly said with a smile, causing Ting Yi and Wen Xian to raise their eyebrows at him.

Although they knew that their Senior Martial Brother Guo Fei had been looking for the Ironflame Plant for a long while, they never imagined that he would suddenly act so submissively just to stand a chance of obtaining it!

"Not bad, at least you are not too stubborn," Wu Meng nodded in satisfaction. "I am someone who prefers to be given the soft approach rather than the hard approach. Since you are already willing to put your pride aside, there is no need for me to make things difficult for you any longer. You can have it for one hundred spirit stones, no less than that."

"One hundred spirit stones!" Guo Fei exclaimed in shock.

"Why? Am I charging too high a price? Are you going to report me to the administrator again?" Wu Meng narrowed his eyes.

"No, no! Not at all!" Guo Fei hurriedly shook his head. "One hundred spirit stones, it is!"

One hundred spirit stones was indeed extremely high – multiple times the market price, in fact. However, Guo Fei truly needed the Ironflame Plant if he wanted to progress in his cultivation.

Time was precious. This search had already taken him far too long, so he no longer wanted to wait any longer.

Even though one hundred spirits stones was a high price, for the sake of his future, it would still be well worth the cost!

"Junior Martial Brother Lin Que, Junior Martial Sister Ting Yi, Junior Martial Sister Wen Xian, would you be willing to lend me twenty spirit stones each? I'm afraid that I'm still lacking that much," Guo Fei turned to his companions and asked in embarrassment.

Lin Que was the last member of their group of four, and had come over as well after noticing the commotion.

Twenty spirits stones was no small amount to them. But seeing that their Senior Martial Brother Guo Fei was asking so sincerely, the three of them willingly lent him the spirit stones.

"Here is one hundred spirit stones!" Guo Fei eagerly passed it over to Wu Meng. "Can I have the Ironflame Plant?"

"Of course!" Wu Meng beamed widely while passing the Ironflame Plant over to Guo Fei. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you."

"It's my pleasure as well!" Guo Fei said while carefully putting away the Ironflame Plant.

"Senior Martial Brother Guo Fei, what about the Yin Heart Stone?" Ting Yi asked after seeing that Guo Fei was already about to walk away.

"Oh! About that, we have no other choice. The price is simply too high, so we can only go back and let Protector Jun Mo know about this. We will leave the decision to him," Guo Fei said.

He could make the decision regarding the Ironflame Plant since he was the one paying for it. But for the Yin Heart Stone, they were ultimately asking about it for someone else, so it was still up to that person to decide if it was worth paying this much.

"Mm, okay then," Ting Yi nodded and followed the group away, but not before shooting one last hateful glance at Wu Meng.

Even though Guo Fei was feeling nothing but joy after finally obtaining the Ironflame Plant, Ting Yi was different. She was still rather bitter about how Wu Meng had treated them earlier.

On the other hand, Wu Meng could not care less about the young lady's glare, and was happily putting away his newly acquired spirit stones instead.

It had been yet another great deal for him!

"How did you know that they needed those items?" Zhang Wanqing finally asked after the cultivators left.

She had been by Wu Meng's side all along, and no one even mentioned the cultivators on their way here. Despite that, Wu Meng was still able to bring out items that they specifically needed.

Unlike the cultivators, Zhang Wanqing did not believe that it was a mere coincidence. But at the same time, she simply could not think of any other reason why.

"This much is nothing. When the time comes, you will naturally understand," Wu Meng patted her head with a smile.

Zhang Wanqing: "..."

She could not help but feel that Wu Meng was treating her like a child.

Yet despite her irritation, Zhang Wanqing understood herself well. Even though they might not be too far apart in terms of age, she had to acknowledge her own ignorance when it came to the world beyond Green Seed Village.

In Wu Meng's eyes, she might really seem to be as clueless as a child!

There was no helping it, though. She had never left Green Seed Village for all seventeen years of her life, so this was inevitable.

As Wu Meng said, she would just have to try and learn as much as she could while following his lead. That way, regardless of how long it took, she would eventually be able to understand more about the world, including the world of cultivators!

After putting away the spirit stones, Wu Meng continued to sit there and wait.

"Are you waiting for the cultivators to come back?" Zhang Wanqing guessed.

"You are quite smart," Wu Meng nodded.

"What if they don't return by the end of the day?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

In her opinion, the cultivators had only just left, so it was unlikely that they would return anytime soon. If that was the case, wouldn't they just be wasting their time here?

As for another customer coming along to purchase the Yin Heart Stone... what are the chances of that?

Or was Wu Meng going to make another coincidence happen?

"Trust me, they will return soon enough," Wu Meng replied confidently.

Zhang Wanqing was surprised by Wu Meng's confidence, but chose not to question him any further. There were still far too many things about the world of cultivators that she did not understand, so she decided to just wait patiently beside Wu Meng.

In the end, things turned out just as Wu Meng had predicted.

Not even an hour had passed when the four young cultivators from before returned to Grand Sky Square, this time with a new addition to their group.

After entering Grand Sky Square, the five of them walked right past every other store to arrive before Wu Meng.

"Greetings, Young Sir," the newcomer respectfully clasped his fists towards Wu Meng. "I heard that you are selling the Yin Heart Stone. May I ask if that's true?"

This new person was Protector Jun Mo of the Five Elements Valley, a middle-aged looking man bearing a short goatee.

In fact, he was also the person in charge of taking care of this group of young cultivators. It was only with his accompaniment that they had been allowed to leave the valley.

In the world of cultivators, members of an established faction were usually divided into four main levels.

Disciples were the building blocks of a faction, and were also the most numerous. These were people who had been accepted into the faction to receive its teachings. In return, they would usually be tasked with performing certain jobs for the faction. After disciples managed to either attain a certain level of progress in their cultivation or accrue a certain level of contribution to the faction, they would be allowed to progress to the next stage, effectively graduating from their status as mere disciples.

Those who were not as talented would usually take on the position of a deacon. Just like disciples, deacons had many responsibilities, though they usually handled tasks that were too important to be left to mere disciples or servants.

Those who were more exceptional could be promoted to the position of a protector. These members were generally more highly looked upon in terms of their combat capabilities, and were given tasks that required a certain level of strength. They had a higher status in comparison to deacons, though deacons could also be promoted to be protectors if their strength increased to an acceptable level.

Above them all were the elders. There were usually only a few of them in each faction, and they were all respectable individuals who possessed exceptional capabilities. Elders were responsible for controlling the operations of the faction, and were the go-to people when a higher decision needed to be made.

Of course, there was also the faction leader who had the final say over everything that happened within the entire faction. Apart from that, certain factions also had retired ancestors who remained hidden in the shadows.

That being the case, it could be seen from his title that Protector Jun Mo had a rather high status in the Five Elements Valley.

Despite that, he was still acting humbly towards Wu Meng.

This meant that he either had a great personality, or just really needed the Yin Heart Stone!

"I have already told your companions earlier, you can have it for one thousand spirit stones," Wu Meng answered nonchalantly. "The price is not negotiable."

"I understand," Protector Jun Mo had already heard everything from the four youngsters, so he had expected this response. "However, one thousand spirit stones is quite a huge amount, so I don't have that much on me right now. Is it possible if I trade it for something else?"

Zhang Wanqing gasped in amazement as a piece of jade appeared in Protector Jun Mo's hands with just a simple flick of his wrists. It seemed as though the jade simply appeared out of thin air!

This simple reaction made the four young cultivators at the side feel much better about themselves.

That's right, they are cultivators. That's the kind of reaction that they should have been receiving from the start!

However, Wu Meng shook his head in an unimpressed manner. "Your piece of Skyfrost Jade is nowhere near the value of one thousand spirit stones."

The four young cultivators, especially Ting Yi, had to forcibly suppress their urge to retort that the Yin Heart Stone was not worth one thousand spirit stones either!

On the other hand, Protector Jun Mo's eyes narrowed as he confirmed the conjectures in his heart.

As a cultivator, his lifespan was far longer than that of mortals. Even though he looked to be a middle-aged man, he had actually lived for a very long time and knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

Most cultivators would not be able to identify the Skyfrost Jade even after examining it for a while, yet Wu Meng was able to name it with a single glance. That alone was proof of his capabilities.

In other words, he was no random merchant!

Even if he was not a powerful cultivator, he would at least be a skilled appraiser.

Protector Jun Mo sighed helplessly in his heart. It would be tricky doing business with such a person...

"In that case, may I know how many spirit stones you would need on top of the Skyfrost Jade?" Protector Jun Mo asked.

"Since we are talking business, I will be straightforward here. In all honesty, I am not one bit interested in your Skyfrost Jade!" Wu Meng waved his hand dismissively. "If you really insist on using it as part of the trade, I can reluctantly accept it for one spirit stone. In that case, just add on another nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine."

"You...! Do you even know who you are speaking to?!" Ting Yi could not help but speak up at this point.

Even they had to be respectful towards Protector Jun Mo, so how could she bear to see this young man treat him so carelessly?

"Ting Yi, stop," Protector Jun Mo immediately held her back.

Since Protector Jun Mo had already said the word, Ting Yi could only step back reluctantly.

"Don't worry, even though I don't fancy your Skyfrost Jade, that does not mean that you cannot give me something that I want," Wu Meng said with a smile. He was rather pleased with Protector Jun Mo's attitude.

"May I know what it is that you need? As long as it is within my means, I will definitely find it for you," Protector Jun Mo answered while putting away the Skyfrost Jade.

"There is no need to search too far. I believe that you already have what I need," Wu Meng replied. "I can smell the scent of Violet Earth Incense on you. I shall accept that in exchange for the Yin Heart Stone."

Protector Jun Mo widened his eyes in shock.

It was one thing for Wu Meng to be able to identify the Skyfrost Jade since it had already been brought before his eyes, but to discern the scent of Violet Earth Incense on him...?

That was simply treading on the lines of impossibility!

Not even the leader of the Five Elements Valley would be able to do so, much less a random merchant!

Yet it remained a fact that Wu Meng was able to do just that.

That alone should have raised red flags in any other situation, but Protector Jun Mo brushed it off because he was simply not in the right frame of mind to think about that right now.

Instead, he was solely focused on the fact that Wu Meng wanted to trade the Yin Heart Stone for the Violet Earth Incense.

The Violet Earth Incense might be a precious item that had proven rather useful for him so far, but its value was nowhere near a thousand spirit stones. Moreover, if he could get his hands on the Yin Heart Stone, he would also no longer need the Violet Earth Incense.

So, if Wu Meng was really interested in trading the Yin Heart Stone for his Violet Earth Incense, then Protector Jun Mo was more than willing to oblige!

"Deal!" Protector Jun Mo answered. "I left the Violet Earth Incense back at the Five Elements Valley. Please wait here while I go back and retrieve it."

"No, that will not do," Wu Meng instantly declined. "Who knows if you will return after leaving? I don't have time to wait here all day for someone who might not even show up in the end."

"This..." Protector Jun Mo was startled by the rejection.

The young cultivators were only allowed to be here because of his presence, so it was not like he could ask them to stay here on his behalf.

"Since you seem so desperate for the Yin Heart Stone, I shall make an exception just for you," Wu Meng said with a smile. "I am willing to follow you back to the Five Elements Valley. We can complete the transaction there."