Seeing how intensely curious both of them were, Cao Yan spoke up to explain.
"The Core Formation Prodigy Ranking is published by an organization called the Tianji Pavilion.
"Supposedly, no one knows who founded the Tianji Pavilion, but they seem to know everything under the heavens. Any piece of intelligence can be bought, so long as you have the money!
"Someone once joked that as long as you're rich enough, even if you want to know what color underwear any Domain Lord's Dao companion is wearing... they can find out for you."
At those words, even Li Guanqi was stunned.
He had not expected this Tianji Pavilion to be so terrifying.
Although the rumor certainly had an element of exaggeration, it still reflected the organization's immense power and dread.
Before long, the items laid out before Li Guanqi began dwindling one by one.
After all, practically everything in front of him was genuinely useful.
Spirit talismans, medicinal pills, dharma artifacts, and the like.
All of it had been scavenged from the Dark Blood Alliance's lair, and before leaving, the three of them had destroyed the place entirely.
A den that harmed people was better off wiped out anyway.
Li Guanqi had no idea what had possessed Ye Feng to take that dudou in the first place.
Earlier, when Li Guanqi handed the dudou to Miao Rongchang, he had clearly sensed that Ye Feng was rather reluctant to part with it.
Beside them, Miao Rongchang spent an agonizing morning sighing and groaning.
With Li Guanqi right next to him, he had not managed to sell a single thing.
Comparing people could drive a man to an early grave; comparing goods made you want to throw yours away.
That was precisely the bind he was in.
People bustled back and forth along the street, but it was as if none of it had anything to do with him.
It was not until midday that the old man, gnawing on dried jerky and swigging wine, muttered, "This old man took a loss today, a total loss."
Hearing the old man deliberately grumble so loudly beside him, Li Guanqi chuckled inwardly.
What the old man was doing was just like a child deliberately running up to someone and saying,
'I've eaten the candy you're eating, but I've never had that flavor of yours.'
Li Guanqi cleared his throat, turned to look at the old man, and chuckled softly. "Elder Miao, this junior truly did take advantage of you today.
"How about this... I'll pick out a couple of items at random, and you give me a friendly price."
Hearing this, Miao Rongchang's eyes instantly lit up. He put away what was in his hands, stood up, and brushed off his backside.
He then pointed at his stall and said, "Done! Rest easy, pick whatever you like, and I'll give it to you at wholesale cost!"
Ye Feng could not help but look exasperated, muttering under his breath, "This crap even has a wholesale price?!
"So this old geezer gets his junk in bulk?"
Li Guanqi was not annoyed in the least and said with a smile, "Then I'll just pick out a couple of souvenirs."
The reason he intentionally called them souvenirs was to expose the old man's game, making it harder for him to ask for an exorbitant price when it came time to settle.
Li Guanqi casually picked up a few items, all of which looked like colorful trinkets.
Yet as the old man watched him pick, he praised his discerning eye every step of the way.
In the end, Li Guanqi picked four or five pieces that carried faint fluctuations of spiritual power, looked up at the old man, and said, "Add them up, then. How much is the wholesale price for all of this?"
Putting on a show of careful deliberation, the old man counted them up and said, "One hundred and seventy spirit stones. Since we hit it off, call it one hundred and fifty!"
However, before the old man could even finish, Li Guanqi dropped the items, turned, and walked away.
Miao Rongchang lunged forward, grabbing Li Guanqi's thigh and hanging half his body off him as he yelled in a panic, "One hundred!! One hundred!!
"That really is wholesale cost!!!"
Li Guanqi sorely wished he could stomp a foot right into that wrinkled face. Looking down, he snapped, "Old man, don't be so greedy! Giving you three to five spirit stones for this junk would already be too much!!"
The old man blinked, genuinely taken aback, and actually blurted out, "You buy from his supplier too?"
Beside them, the faces of Ye Feng and Cao Yan darkened. Good grief—a casual guess had actually hit the real wholesale price right on the mark!
Li Guanqi said in exasperation, "Ten spirit stones. Not a bit more, or I don't want them!"
The old man released his grip and wrapped everything up with astounding speed, packing the items in the blink of an eye.
Squatting on the ground, Li Guanqi pointed at the broken half-pendant stepped on under the old man's foot and said, "Throw in that little trinket as a bonus, or else I still feel like I'm getting ripped off."
Lifting his foot, the old man hastily snatched up the broken half-pendant, rubbing and wiping it frantically in his palms.
With his eyes reddening slightly, he said, "Look at my memory! How did my ancestral treasure of a jade pendant end up under my foot?
"To be honest with you, young friend, nothing on my entire stall is real except for this very piece."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi's face darkened completely.
Even the rather introverted Cao Yan muttered under his breath, "Old fox."
Caressing the jade pendant in his hands, Miao Rongchang put on a convincing display and said, "As you can see, I am old, frail, and poorly endowed with talent. My greatest dream in this life is to break through to the Core Formation realm to extend my lifespan.
"This ancestral jade pendant is rumored to contain the power of a mighty expert... and since I hit it off with you, young friend!
"Today! I shall make a decision that goes against my ancestral teachings!"
Li Guanqi closed his eyes and muttered a curse, "Hit it off, my ass..."
"Eighteen thousand!
"For just eighteen thousand, it's yours!"
Li Guanqi wanted it, but he was no fool.
Although the sword spirit had said it was interesting, he had no idea what it actually did, not to mention it was only half a piece.
Li Guanqi simply rose to his feet without the slightest hesitation, tossed down ten spirit stones, swept up his purchased goods, and turned to leave.
The old man was taken aback. How was this so different from what he had imagined?!
Wasn't the kid supposed to look terribly anxious and start haggling with him?
Then he would act reluctant and distressed before finally selling it to him for eight thousand eight hundred and eighty!
Why wasn't this young fellow playing by the rules?
He grabbed Li Guanqi's arm and blurted, "Eight hundred and eighty! I've shown enough sincerity, haven't I?
"Any lower and it really won't do! I bought this with real silver and gold!"
Li Guanqi curled his lip. Judging by this old rascal's character, it would be surprising if he had spent eighty-eight spirit stones on it.
Then Li Guanqi flatly stated, "Eighty. Sell it if you want to. It's only half a piece anyway; I'm just buying it as a novelty to play with."
Hearing that, the old man gritted his teeth and shoved the jade pendant into Li Guanqi's hand.
Without another word, Li Guanqi paid the spirit stones to the old man and returned to his stall.
The old man stashed the spirit stones away with a look of pure delight, confirming Li Guanqi's suspicion that the old scoundrel couldn't have spent much of anything on that jade pendant!
After tucking the spirit stones into his robes, Miao Rongchang sidled up to him with a sly, roguish grin.
"Heh heh, young friend, you were after that jade pendant right from the start, weren't you?
"Clever as you are, I've seen through little tricks like yours plenty of times.
"Though until you asked for that jade pendant at the very end, I really did think you only wanted the other junk."
Li Guanqi shrugged. He had not expected the old fellow to be such a shrewd fox; after all that, he had caught on to Li Guanqi's little scheme from the beginning.
One had to know that back when he used to go down the mountain to shop, this tactic had never failed him once.
Yet the more Li Guanqi thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Watching the old man snicker, he could not help saying, "Presumably... placing that jade pendant at the corner to weigh down your cloth was deliberate on your part too, wasn't it?"
Miao Rongchang burst out laughing. "Clever! You're a natural at walking the martial world, kid."
By this point, Cao Yan was feeling a bit bored. A few items remained unsold on their stall.
Watching the throngs of people coming and going along the street, he could not resist sending a voice transmission: "Brother Guanqi, I want to take a casual walk around."
Li Guanqi nodded slightly, then produced a high-grade storage bag containing three thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Passing it to him, Li Guanqi smiled and transmitted back, "Go ahead. Buy whatever you like; don't be stingy.
"If there are suitable alchemy ingredients or talisman-crafting supplies, feel free to buy whatever you need."
Taking the storage bag, Cao Yan felt a swell of warmth and gratitude looking at the spirit stones inside.
Keeping his thanks in his heart, he nodded, smiled, and got up to leave.
Chapter 206