Chapter 160 You can’t afford to offend me
"Sixth grade?" Shui Wuhen exclaimed in surprise. In his memory, apart from the largest auction house, the highest-grade magical tools in this commercial district were also sixth grade, and those were in the best shops, not in such a small shop. Could this small shop also have sixth-grade tools?
While the chubby shopkeeper was explaining the basics to Zhong Shan, he was also closely observing the expressions of the three people. Among them, the one holding a paper fan seemed the most casual, as if he had seen all this before. The jade pendant on his waist, a Condensed Spirit Jade, indicated he wasn't poor. Moreover, the person who appeared to be a complete novice had an extraordinary demeanor and showed no fear at the prices of the magical tools. Plus, they came as a group of three.
The chubby shopkeeper made a mental note: "Wealthy but inexperienced." Such people were the easiest to swindle.
Was Zhong Shan easy to swindle? In business, Zhong Shan prided himself on being second to none. His inquiries were just because he saw no need to pretend to know everything. A small loss now was worth it for greater gains later. Of course, making Zhong Shan suffer a loss was not an easy task.
"Sixth grade? Let me see," Shui Wuhen said, surprised.
Seeing Shui Wuhen's direct approach, the shopkeeper squinted his eyes and smiled, "Sure."
With a flip of his hand, the shopkeeper suddenly had a bundle of small flags.
"Yo, Shui Wuhen, long time no see," a mocking voice came from outside the shop.
Hearing this voice, Shui Wuhen frowned, and everyone looked towards the entrance.
Outside the shop, three figures slowly walked in. Two of them, dressed in black, looked like bodyguards and stood behind a man wearing elaborately patterned clothes, who walked in with a strange smile on his face.
"Young Master Mo," the shopkeeper immediately recognized him. Mo Young Master? He called him 'Shui Wuhen'?
The shopkeeper quickly realized who the troublemaker was and forced a bitter smile. Originally planning to overcharge a bit, he now dared not even if he had ten times the courage.
"Young Master Shui, I didn't recognize you earlier," the shopkeeper quickly apologized.
Shui Wuhen nodded, not paying much attention.
"Mo Yanbing?" Shui Wuhen said with disgust.
"Who is he?" Nan Batian asked, noticing Shui Wuhen's disgust.
"The son of the North City Supervisor," Shui Wuhen explained quietly.
"What good treasure is this, Boss? I'll take it. Xiaosan, pay for it," Mo Yanbing immediately claimed the item the shopkeeper was holding without knowing its details.
"Mo Yanbing, I saw it first. Today, I have guests. Let's pick another day to compete," Shui Wuhen said immediately.
Hearing this, Mo Yanbing's eyes flicked to Zhong Shan and Nan Batian. He thought, "It's precisely because you have guests that I want to make you lose face."
"I'm buying my stuff. How is that competing? Xiaosan, hurry up and buy it," Mo Yanbing insisted.
The shopkeeper wore a bitter smile. The North City Supervisor and the South City Supervisor had always been at odds, and their sons were constantly against each other. This had happened many times before, always as a laughing stock. But today, it fell on his shoulders. He couldn't afford to offend either side.
"Boss, how much for this?" Shui Wuhen asked, clearly not wanting to be outdone by Mo Yanbing.
"Ten thousand top-grade spirit stones," the shopkeeper replied immediately.
"What?" Mo Yanbing shouted in surprise.
"What kind of junk is worth ten thousand superior spirit stones?" Mo Yanbing exclaimed.
"A sixth-grade array, the Misty Veil Array," the chubby shopkeeper replied.
"Sixth grade? Ten thousand?" Mo Yanbing was taken aback, then stared at the shopkeeper in astonishment.
A sixth-grade array for only ten thousand? That's ridiculously cheap.
Shui Wuhen also looked at the shopkeeper in surprise.
"Actually, this array was sold to me by a customer who was short on money. It's a family heirloom array, and I didn't add a single spirit stone to the price. I bought it for ten thousand spirit stones," the shopkeeper explained quickly.
"Did the guy hit his head on the door? Or were you bewitching him? Ten thousand superior spirit stones, and he sold it to you? Why didn't he sell it to other shops? A sixth-grade array is worth at least fifty thousand!" Mo Yanbing exclaimed.
"He went to other shops, but I offered the highest price, so he sold it to me," the shopkeeper said innocently.
"Uh? Tell me, what exactly does this array do? It can't even fend off a Nascent Soul cultivator, can it?" Mo Yanbing questioned.
"No, it can't," the shopkeeper replied.
"Uh? What about a Golden Core cultivator?" Mo Yanbing asked in surprise.
"It can't even fend off an Innate Stage cultivator," the shopkeeper admitted.
"What kind of sixth-grade array is this?" Mo Yanbing asked, perplexed.
"But once the array is activated, it can make the spiritual sense of outsiders pass right through," the shopkeeper explained.
"Wait, wait, what do you mean by 'pass right through'?" Mo Yanbing asked.
"That is to say, if someone uses their spiritual sense to scan a large area, they won't detect anyone inside the array. The array has a unique function that can confuse spiritual senses, making others overlook the array entirely. It creates a strange energy that fills in the surroundings within the array, specifically targeting spiritual senses," the shopkeeper said.
"That sounds impressive! Even more than fifty thousand superior spirit stones wouldn't be enough," Mo Yanbing exclaimed.
Shui Wuhen also stared at the shopkeeper, acknowledging that an array capable of confusing spiritual senses was indeed worthy of being called a sixth-grade treasure.
"But it has a weakness," the shopkeeper said with a bitter smile.
"Weakness? What weakness?" Mo Yanbing demanded.
"Please follow me to the backyard, and I will demonstrate," the shopkeeper offered.
"Let's go," everyone agreed.
The shopkeeper called a clerk to watch the store and led the six of them to the backyard.
The backyard was quite spacious. On a patch of grass, the shopkeeper arranged eighteen small flags in a specific pattern and inserted them into the ground. He then performed a hand seal over the array.
"Wong~~~~~"
The eighteen flags trembled lightly, then suddenly emitted a thick, black mist, quickly enveloping the entire array. A vast area was shrouded in this dark mist.
"Xiao San, go inside," Mo Yanbing commanded.
A man in black immediately stepped inside.
Through the mist, they could still see the man in black, but Mo Yanbing and Shui Wuhen looked astonished.
"Really, the spiritual sense can't detect him," Mo Yanbing remarked in surprise.
"Yes, young masters, the spiritual sense cannot detect him. But, the eyes can still see him. While the mist doesn't affect us cultivators, the array is practically useless for defense. At best, it's a novelty," the shopkeeper explained.
"You could add an illusion array outside," Mo Yanbing suggested.
"Add an illusion array? Wouldn't a spiritual sense immediately detect it? What use is this array then?" Shui Wuhen scoffed.
"Do other arrays have the ability to confuse spiritual senses?" Zhong Shan pondered and asked.
"No, other arrays at best can isolate spiritual senses, preventing them from probing inside. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent ten thousand superior spirit stones buying it. It's just that I haven't been able to sell it for years," the chubby shopkeeper shook his head.
"In that case, I'll take this array," Zhong Shan declared immediately.
The shopkeeper knew this array was rare, which is why he bought it at a high price. But after being rejected by customers for a long time, he had lost confidence in it. Zhong Shan, being a savvy businessman, immediately became interested upon seeing its nature.
"Rare goods are valuable." Zhong Shan always adhered to the saying, 'If you can buy it with money, it's a bargain, no matter how much you spend.' As the shopkeeper had mentioned, only this array had the ability to conceal spiritual senses. Regardless of its flaws, it was still invaluable.
Seemingly useless, it just hadn't been utilized in crucial situations yet. Once it found its stage, it would be irreplaceable.
"Oh, you want it? How about I gift it to you?" Shui Wuhen immediately offered.
After all, in Shui Wuhen's eyes, Zhong Shan had just come from Kaiyang Sect, where the economy wasn't prosperous, and Zhong Shan couldn't possibly have ten thousand superior spirit stones.
Hearing Shui Wuhen's offer, Zhong Shan frowned. Although he knew Shui Wuhen meant well, such kindness should consider the occasion.
Sure enough, a sudden voice came from beside them.
"Shopkeeper, I'll take this array," Mo Yanbing grinned. He glanced at Shui Wuhen, teasingly.
Another round of contention began.
Shui Wuhen frowned and said, "Shopkeeper, I bid eleven thousand spirit stones."
"I bid twelve thousand," Mo Yanbing smiled.
"I…" Shui Wuhen was about to speak again.
Zhong Shan patted Mo Yanbing on the shoulder, stopping Shui Wuhen's voice.
The shopkeeper, on the other hand, was sweating profusely, not daring to interrupt. He could only let the two talk and wait to see who would offer the higher price in the end, so he wouldn't incur the wrath of the other party.
"I'll set the price myself when buying something," Zhong Shan smiled faintly.
Shui Wuhen nodded, realizing his own impulsiveness just now.
Seeing Shui Wuhen stand behind the man in front of him after he spoke, Mo Yanbing narrowed his eyes. Who is he?
Zhong Shan smiled slightly at Mo Yanbing and said, "My friend, I have set my eyes on this array, not Shui Wuhen. I hope you understand."
Zhong Shan was polite first and then firm, even directly addressing Shui Wuhen by his name, clearly attempting to confuse Mo Yanbing about his relationship with Shui Wuhen.
"What? I want it. Will the shopkeeper dare not sell it to me?" Mo Yanbing said coldly.
Seeing Mo Yanbing persist, Zhong Shan took a deep breath and chuckled, "Then let's see who has more spirit stones!"
"Hahaha, Shui Wuhen, who is he to you?" Mo Yanbing suddenly laughed loudly. It seemed as though he wanted to probe Zhong Shan's identity through Shui Wuhen, looking at Zhong Shan with a hint of doubt in his eyes, but his disguise was well-maintained.
"It doesn't matter what my relationship with Shui Wuhen is. What matters is, you can't afford to offend me," Zhong Shan's tone was very light, so light that it seemed perfectly natural.