“Do you really have things you don’t need that you intend to sell?” Old Hao asked, his face filled with surprise.
Of course not. I just wanted to sell some extra Calming Pills.
Chen Mu, not knowing what to say, ambiguously replied, “I do intend to sell some stuff.”
“Then you must be careful,” Old Hao quickly composed himself, frowning in thought.
“Tongtian Square is known for buying low and selling high. Unless it’s a really good item, it’s not worth selling there.”
“But the Underground Market is not safe, with all sorts mixing together, it’s easy to run into trouble,” Old Hao said earnestly.
“You’ve just arrived. It’s better to first get a handle on things for about half a year to a year, get to know the surroundings. Then go to the Underground Market, that way it’s safer.”
Chen Mu looked at Old Hao with gratitude.
Such a sincere man, always thinking ahead for others.
As a stranger here, if I rashly ventured into the Underground Market to sell Calming Pills, it would certainly invite malicious scrutiny.
“I wonder, Old Hao, could you possibly take me there?” Chen Mu sincerely asked.
Waiting a bit wasn’t a problem, but getting a look first wouldn’t hurt.
Old Hao had been mixing about in the Lower Courtyard at the foot of Jilong Mountain his whole life, he knew the place inside out. Having him as a guide to get acquainted with the Underground Market would be beneficial.
“Why are you so stubborn!” Old Hao pursed his lips tight, his brows knitted.
You must not laugh, definitely must not laugh!
It was so close, just a hair away from failing to control that urge to curl the corners of his mouth!
“Alright then, I’ll go back and find you a connection, I’ll take you to an acquaintance to have a look first,” said Old Hao, shaking his head as he got up and walked away with his hands behind his back. Explore more at empire
Chen Mu saw him to the door and watched his swiftly disappearing figure, filled with emotion: “What a good man!”
…
In a field of intermingling yellow and green, overrun with weeds, the Yellow Bud Rice Fields lay before a stone house situated at the edge of the land.
Old Hao glanced at the declining fields and his eyelids twitched hard.
Without even bothering to curse, he hurried forward and knocked on the door: “Shang Huan, Shang Huan! Open up, I bring good news!”
“Uncle Hao, what’s this…” the small-eyed, chubby Shang Huan said in surprise, seeing Old Hao.
“That Brother Chen has finally come to his senses!” Old Hao said with an expression of indescribable complexity.
It wasn’t easy.
He had been dropping hints for months, openly and covertly prodding, and finally persuaded this fellow.
“He’s planning to sell treasures?” Shang Huan’s small eyes suddenly went round.
“That’s right, Uncle Hao. I was about to give up already. Come in,” Shang Huan couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t stay calm; it was just that these outsiders really had some treasures, one way or another.
If he could get his hands on them and resell them on the Ghost Ship on the Tongtian River at a higher price, the profit, tsk tsk…
It’s said that someone had earned three times the amount of White Jade Coins!
“So what treasures does Brother Chen have?” Shang Huan couldn’t contain his excitement.
“I haven’t seen the item yet, but he’s already thinking of selling,” Old Hao said with a laugh.
“Not easy at all,” Shang Huan laughed along.
“This brother is too honest. He was told to farm in the Lower Courtyard, so he farms. He doesn’t even think about himself,” Old Hao sighed.
“I’ll bring him over tomorrow. You can’t just quote any price,” Old Hao warned Shang Huan.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Hao, I absolutely won’t swindle him!” Shang Huan promised with a sincere face.
“You’ve misunderstood,” Old Hao shook his head and said seriously, “What I mean is, if you can cheat him, do it for all you’re worth!”
Shang Huan: “…”
Isn’t this old man even more ruthless than me?
“Uncle Hao, isn’t business supposed to be about longevity?” Shang Huan asked, puzzled. Wasn’t that how he used to persuade him?
Old Hao looked emotional: “This brother is an honest man.”
You’re going to cheat an honest man?
“This honest man is probably just going to make this one-off deal,” Old Hao said helplessly.
“Do you believe if he exchanges for White Jade, buys the Unity Secret Technique,”
“He’d ignore everything else and spend his days farming and practicing in his ten-acre land.”
“Then how are you going to do business with him?” Old Hao said with a helpless look.
“I don’t want to cheat him either, but he’s just too honest.”
Shang Huan: “…”
Honest people eat your rice? And you still bully them like this!
Shang Huan’s face showed deep pain, “I’ll listen to you!”
Who could refuse to earn a little more money?
In the uneven Yellow Bud Rice Fields, Chen Mu lay in mid-air, tossing Bigu Pills into his mouth like candy, “…”
So honest people should just be conned by you folks?
Chen Mu felt extremely wronged.
Old Hao, Old Hao, to think I regarded you as a sincere man. Your heart is pretty dark too!
Can this world ever get better? How come I run into such heart-wrenching villains everywhere?
Chen Mu was filled with grief and indignation.
I was just about to open up my heart and sincerely make an old friend. And then you turn around and swindle me.
“Well, then you can’t blame me!” Chen Mu thought bitterly.
Phew!
Once again improved, with the addition of nightshade, the 3.0 version of Mesmerizing Divine Smoke quickly volatilized and spread throughout the room.
“Uncle Hao, this task is tough on you, but after we succeed, your cut will definitely not be short,” Shang Huan promised earnestly, extending one index finger.
Old Hao was suddenly overjoyed, “You, Shang Huan, have loyalty, giving me twenty percent, good, very good!”
Shang Huan’s expression changed, “Uncle Hao, look carefully, it’s ten percent. You can’t just inflate the price out of nowhere!”
Old Hao suddenly displeased, “Take a look for yourself, how many fingers did you extend.”
Shang Huan: “This is obviously… Ouch, darn, why are there three fingers now!”
The two looked at each other, perplexed, and suddenly felt weak in their limbs. Their eyes rolled back, and they slumped to the ground with a thud.
A cloud of black smoke appeared in the room and slowly spread around, filling the whole room in the blink of an eye.
The bag of Yellow Bud Rice in the corner, the air-dried Exotic Beast Meat hanging from the beams, a string of White Jade Coins hidden in the crevices of the wall, as well as the precious items on Old Hao and Shang Huan’s bodies, all vanished in a blink of an eye.
Outside the courtyard, Chen Mu had a pained expression on his face as he turned his back to the room’s door.
“I have no intention to harm others, yet others intend to swindle me.”
“I didn’t want this.” Chen Mu looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with profound disappointment.
“I farm earnestly, yet behind my back, you plot to deceive me.”
“This is too much to bear!”
“Since it’s come to this, I will give you a lesson!”
“Let you see for yourself the treachery of this world!”
…
The next morning, Old Hao appeared in front of Chen Mu’s place with a dark expression.
Looking at Chen Mu slowly inspecting the Yellow Bud Rice Fields and occasionally bending over to pull out weeds, Old Hao tried hard to compose his facial expression.
“I hope Brother Chen can bring out some good stuff.”
“To make up for last night’s losses quickly.”
“Otherwise, this year is going to be tight.”
He instinctively pulled out his smoking pipe but eventually refrained from lighting it.
“Need to save it.”
Old Hao steadied his mood and leisurely walked into the fields.
“Brother Chen, the task is done. Let’s meet tonight,” he said.
“If you want to sell anything, you can prepare it in advance.”
Chen Mu’s face beamed with a smile, “I thought about it carefully and feel what Old Hao said makes sense.”
What do you mean? When did I talk sense?
Old Hao was a bit confused.
“I’m new here, best to settle in for half a year or a year first.”
Don’t do that! Old Hao panicked, if you get settled, then I can’t settle down.
Suppressing the anxiety in his heart, he coughed and said in a feigned gentle tone, “But if you don’t exchange for some White Jade Money, you’ll end up in debt this year.”
Chen Mu’s face was the picture of innocence, “No worries, Old Hao mentioned before, my talent for farming is pretty decent.”
Chen Mu smiled cheerily, “Old Hao, I trust you!”
Old Hao: “…” Can you not trust me?
After all this back and forth, there’s no cut left?
Darn!