The Transaction

Inside the International Building, Zhang Yuanqing followed the blonde, blue-eyed Annie into a spacious, luxurious office. On the brown leather sofa in the reception area, Bill Tarantino had already been waiting for a while. Today, he was dressed casually in a black shirt with the collar and cuffs unbuttoned, a glass in hand, looking utterly relaxed. "Ah, my friend! It's so good to see you again." Showing a warmth completely unlike their previous encounter, Mr. Bill set down his glass, stepped forward enthusiastically, and spread his arms to give Zhang Yuanqing a hug. Guiding his big client toward the sofa, he asked cordially, "What would you like to drink?" "A Coke!" Zhang Yuanqing replied. Bill Tarantino blinked in surprise, then hurriedly turned to his assistant. "Annie, send someone to buy some." There was actually no need to buy any. As a foreign enterprise, the company had many Caucasian employees who drank Coke, and the freezers in the lounge area were stocked with boxes of it. Annie brought back a case of canned Coke, unpacked one, and poured it into a glass. Then she took out an ice tray from the freezer and dropped in a few small cubes. "Please enjoy, Mr. Zhang~" As she placed the beverage on the coffee table, she deliberately bent low, giving the young guest an eyeful of her fair, creamy cleavage. *The Desire profession is such a pain. Seducing you at every waking moment—enduring it is miserable, but giving in isn't an option. Downright toxic...* Zhang Yuanqing almost wished he could pluck out his eyeballs and toss them right in to measure the depth of that valley. Seeing the young man so entranced by her body, Annie smiled brilliantly, seemingly having regained her confidence around him. *Ahem! Ahem!* Mr. Bill cleared his throat. Annie tactfully reined in her flirtatious demeanor and stood straight beside her boss. "Have you made up your mind, Mr. Zhang?" Bill Tarantino straightened his posture, interlaced his fingers, and adopted a serious expression. "I can provide you with relevant information regarding the group that uses those pills and explain it in detail, which will take around thirty minutes. In addition, I've prepared a document for you to read alongside my explanation, allowing you a much clearer, more comprehensive understanding of that circle. "If you have no objections, I'll have Annie draw up the contract. Just as we agreed last time—ten million!" Although he still hadn't confirmed whether Chen Shu's son was a Spirit Realm walker, and despite the organization's rule forbidding the disclosure of Spirit Realm walker secrets to ordinary mortals... In the face of ten million, what did those rules matter? For a hundred percent profit, capital would do anything. Besides, information about Spirit Realm walkers was hardly a secret to anyone already inside the circle. Trading low-cost intelligence for ten million in cash to close a magnificent deal was a temptation no member of the Void profession could resist. Zhang Yuanqing crossed his legs, picked up the glass, took a sip of the icy soda, and smiled. "I am indeed quite interested in information on foreign Spirit Realm walkers. After all, the only ones I know of so far are Mr. Bill's Void profession and Ms. Annie's Desire." Across from him, Mr. Bill and Ms. Annie froze. *He knew all along...* *He really is a Spirit Realm walker... And not just any walker—he understands our professions quite well. He's definitely not one of those ignorant wild walkers...* After a few seconds, Mr. Bill wiped the stunned look from his face and weighed his words carefully. "Then the purpose of your visit today is..." He felt a pang of regret and disappointment that such a low-cost, high-yield transaction had fallen through. "I really did come to do business with you, Mr. Bill," Zhang Yuanqing said, framing his thoughts. "I have a friend who wants to buy some items and materials, but couldn't find them anywhere on the black market. Remembering that Mr. Bill belongs to the Void profession, I came specifically to pay a visit." Hearing this, Bill Tarantino perked up, a wide smile returning to his face. "What do you need to buy? Our Merchant Guild possesses a rich variety of items and materials. As long as the price is right, you can buy anything in the Spirit Realm world." "An item capable of concealing one's aura, and a batch of relatively high-quality Transcendent-stage yin materials," Zhang Yuanqing said, pulling out his phone and displaying the list he had compiled in the car. When he decided to approach Bill Tarantino to buy an item, the thought had struck him: why not seize this chance to gather the materials for refining a yin corpse as well? Kill two birds with one stone! Bill took the phone, examined the materials carefully, and let out a sigh of relief. He smiled. "We have all of these materials in stock right now. The total value is roughly four million. For your mother's sake, I'll give you a ten percent discount." Then he frowned, considering the rest. "As for an item that conceals one's aura, your request is a bit too vague. Some items have aura concealment as a secondary effect, while others don't conceal auras directly but achieve a similar result. Some can hide your aura over a long period, while others only block it briefly. "Furthermore, you need to tell me your budget and the ideal tier of the item. Transcendent stage and Saint stage command completely different price tags." Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment. "I'd like to take a look at the items before making a decision." What he needed was an item capable of shielding him from a Dominator-level powerhouse. However, he couldn't state that outright, as it would make his motives too easy to deduce. After all, a quick probe into recent Songhai intelligence would reveal that Heavenly King Demonic Eye was hunting down Yuanshi Tianzun and the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter. Asking to inspect an item's attributes before making any commitment was quite a bold request, as item stats were generally kept confidential. Yet he was confident Mr. Bill would agree, because the items being inspected were merchandise in inventory, not items Mr. Bill used personally. Sure enough, after deliberating for a few seconds, Mr. Bill nodded. "No problem, but I must remind you: if you intend to buy items with cash, you need to be prepared for an astronomical sum. Aside from our Merchant Guild, most Spirit Realm walker organizations only accept bartering and refuse cash outright." Items were produced solely in the Spirit Realm—rare and exorbitantly valuable. Paper currency, on the other hand, was essentially scrap paper. Considering the reckless money printing practiced by governments worldwide, many organizations flatly rejected currency. Even when they did accept it, the markup was usually steep. *What, looking down on this Tianzun? Think I'm broke? Well, fine, I really don't have that much cash...* Without showing any weakness on the surface, Zhang Yuanqing said, "I understand." Mr. Bill smiled and immediately opened his guild inventory, reaching into the empty air. When he pulled his hand back, he was holding an engraved bronze box. The box was antique in style, covered in verdigris, and adorned with traditional Chinese engravings that exuded a rich, classical flair. Mr. Bill introduced, "This is an item I traded for from the Taiyi Sect last year. It originated from a supernatural dungeon—a female ghost's makeup box. Smear the blood clay inside the box onto your face, and your aura will turn yin-aligned. Vengeful spirits and yin corpses will regard you as one of their own, sparing you from their attacks." *The box only masks the aura of the living by tricking vengeful spirits into thinking you're one of them. But to Heavenly King Demonic Eye, your aura doesn't matter; as long as you're a Spirit Realm walker, you're fair game...* Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. Seeing this, Mr. Bill put away the makeup box and produced another object. It was a tattered, filthy hat with severely worn leather, utterly unremarkable to the eye. Mr. Bill introduced it enthusiastically. "This is called the Scavenger's Hat, an item of the Void profession. Its functions are Treasure Seeking, Agility, and Concealment. The Agility and Concealment are designed to let the user run faster and hide better after finding treasure. "Its concealment doesn't mask your aura; rather, it makes others 'disregard' you, just as nobody pays attention to a beggar on the street. People have worn it to slip into wealthy men's vaults, women's restrooms, and even military bases. "Someone even wore it to assault members of the opposite sex, and the victims bizarrely ignored their assailant. Of course, this only works against ordinary people. With Spirit Realm walkers, the moment you display hostile intent, you'll be noticed immediately. "Its drawback is that it attracts misfortune." *What a ridiculous item. It doesn't truly mask one's aura, so Demonic Eye would definitely detect me. Well, maybe Demonic Eye would glance at me and disregard me the next second, but the misfortune downside is horrible. What if I put it on and turn around only to see Demonic Eye standing right behind me?* Zhang Yuanqing murmured thoughtfully, "I'd like to look at a few more." The hat could serve as a backup; if there were truly no other options, buying it would do. Like an eager sales clerk patiently dealing with a demanding customer, Mr. Bill brought out a third item. It was a thin sheet of human skin. "Flawless Human Skin. Don it, and you can transform into anyone's likeness. You will take on the target's personality, habits, manner of speech, and everything else without exposing a single flaw. Even those closest to them won't see through it," Bill said in a low voice. "It has two drawbacks. First, you must take it off within sixty minutes; otherwise, you will become the target forever, unable to revert. Second, while transformed, you will fully inherit everything belonging to the target—what your culture calls karma. "Its previous owner took on the target's karma during a transformation and was hacked to death by the target's sworn enemy. The owner before that disguised himself as a call girl to get close to a gang leader; that night, he was taken by over a dozen men, and he couldn't refuse because assuming the karma is mandatory. "Though that poor fellow ultimately completed his mission, he suffered severe psychological trauma as a result." *What kind of trash items are these? There are way too many absurd flaws! The functionality is mind-blowing—a dream come true for spies and secret agents—but the drawback is insane. Never mind anything else, if I turned into a woman, wouldn't I end up getting banged?* Zhang Yuanqing said, "A-Are there any others? Mr. Bill, I need something with a single, straightforward function and a drawback that isn't so severe." "A single function..." Bill thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up. "There actually is such an item! I acquired it years ago, but could never sell it." He reached out and retrieved a black face mask emblazoned with a white skull. Bill said, "This item comes from a foreign evil profession. It's called the 'Silencer,' and its function is very simple: sealing. Once you put on the mask, all your skills will be sealed, reducing you to an ordinary person. "Though it isn't true concealment, its effect surpasses most concealment abilities. It carries three drawbacks: first, a Transcendent-stage Spirit Realm walker who wears it will lose all their abilities, though taking off the mask removes the seal. "Second, you cannot speak while wearing it. "Third, it induces lethargy." Zhang Yuanqing's eyes sparkled. *This is the one.* Although the mask had three drawbacks, they were all trivial and completely bearable. Having his abilities sealed was a nuisance, but taking off the mask lifted the seal instantly. It was highly flexible and not troublesome at all. "Mr. Bill, how much for this item?" he asked. Bill smiled, looking delighted. "A Transcendent-stage item never exceeds ten million. Its function is fairly specialized, falling into the auxiliary category, so the price ranges between five and seven million. For your mother's sake, let's call it six million." "For my mother's sake, shouldn't it be five million?" "No, no, no. My friendship with your mother is worth at most one million." "Fine, I'll be sure to tell my mom that Mr. Bill is a fair-weather friend." Seeing that he couldn't haggle the price down any further, Zhang Yuanqing gave up and asked, "Mr. Bill, I plan to barter." "Good! That's even better." Bill Tarantino rubbed his hands together happily, his eyes full of anticipation. "May I see your item?" Zhang Yuanqing reached into his inventory and pulled out an incense burner. It had a three-legged bronze base, topped by an ebony toad carved in a crouching posture with its mouth open wide toward the sky. He intended to sell this very burner. The conditions for using the Heavenly Toad Censer were far too stringent. Ever since acquiring it, he had only used it once; it had mostly sat in his inventory gathering dust. With Zhang Yuanqing's permission, Mr. Bill picked up the censer with utmost care, his posture and expression resembling that of an archaeologist handling a precious relic. After reading through the item's details multiple times, Bill Tarantino broke into a delighted smile. "What a fine piece! Its flaws are obvious, but its effect is astounding. Used at the right time and place, it can yield returns far exceeding its worth." Watching the foreigner fawn over it, Zhang Yuanqing felt obliged to warn him, "Mr. Bill, it's best not to take this thing out; keep it stored in your inventory at all times. You wouldn't want a whole tribe wiped out on your account, would you?" Reluctantly setting down the censer, Bill returned to his businessman persona. "I can offer ten million for it." *Ten million? Isn't that exactly enough to cover the materials and the item? Him offering that much means the Heavenly Toad Censer is worth even more...* Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath. "Mr. Bill, for my mother's sake, how about fifteen million?" "Oh, heavens, please stop bringing up your mother! She and I are merely ordinary business partners." "Then, Mr. Bill, how about for my sake?" "..." At that moment, Annie, who had remained quiet the entire time, smiled coquettishly and chimed in, "Mr. Zhang, I believe ten million is a fair price. If you agree, I'll take Mr. Bill's place and invite you to dinner tonight." Her suggestive, flirtatious gaze practically broadcasted that once dinner was over, she would be his for the taking. Faced with the alluring hints of someone from the Desire profession, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't prevent a slight stir down below. It wasn't that he was lecherous; it was the woman's professional traits at work. *Theoretically speaking, getting a stunner's company to bridge the price difference isn't a bad deal. But the Desire profession is way too messed up. Until I figure out how to enjoy the benefits without paying the price, any man who touches a woman of this profession is asking for misery...* Summoning immense willpower, Zhang Yuanqing suppressed his wandering desires and said gravely, "If this transaction includes Ms. Annie's body, then you will have to pay me an additional compensation fee for personal distress. "My virginity is worth five million." "..." Annie's exquisite, seductive face twitched violently. She was reminded of yesterday's deeply unpleasant encounter. After a round of fierce haggling, the Heavenly Toad Censer was ultimately sold for twelve million. Of that amount, 9.36 million went toward purchasing the Silencer and the large batch of yin materials. The remaining 2.4 million in cash was packed into a carry-on suitcase and handed to Zhang Yuanqing. Zhang Yuanqing watched the accountant run every stack through a bill counter to ensure there were no counterfeits. Before leaving, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "How much longer will Mr. Bill remain on the mainland?" "I won't be leaving anytime soon," Mr. Bill said with a weary smile. The president had refused to see him, sending back a two-word reply: *Gun duzi!* *Roll a newborn calf? Why roll a calf? Was the president hinting at something?* Failing to grasp the president's meaning, Bill had brought in a translator. The translator took one look, then placed a finger over the word *duzi*, covering "calf." Only then did Bill see the light: the president wasn't telling anyone to roll a calf; he was telling Bill to roll out—to get lost. "Alright. When another good opportunity comes up, I'll come find you again." Zhang Yuanqing was extremely satisfied with this transaction. Bill instantly beamed. "Allow me to see you down." When Bill returned to the office, he found his assistant, Annie, sitting on the sofa with a dazed, blank expression.