Chapter Seven Hundred and One – The City Market
When Zuo Mo thought about how the average looking woman could have possibly been from before when his memories had been erased and his appearance changed, his mind could not remain calm.
Because he was going to start forging mo weaons three days later, the Tang Family’s “protection” eased off greatly. Other than a few guards, Zuo Mo only had A Gui with him most of the time.
Zuo Mo was someone all of Bu Zhou City knew, especially when he had announced in such a flamboyant fashion that he was about to forge mo weapons. He was the population topic of discussion.
Consequently, when Zuo Mo walked on the street, people continued to greet him. Of course, there were also people that were pointing at him in secret.
Zuo Mo’s mind was full of his own thoughts.
Maybe he could find a chance to probe this woman’s origins?
Suddenly, a guard said, “Daren, this is the biggest materials market in Bu Zhou City. However, the majority of the items here are normal materials.” He was puzzled. It was mostly low level mo weapon masters that came to these markets for normal materials. They did not have enough mobei to buy rare and expensive materials.
Good mo weapons usually required good materials.
Even the best mo weapon master could not forge an earth mo weapon with normal materials. He felt very puzzled when Grandmaster Xiao Yun Hai had requested for them to take him to visit a market for normal materials. In his view, what the Grandmaster needed was the top kind of materials. Didn’t he want to forge earth mo weapons?
But the higher-ups had ordered for them to unconditionally cooperate with Grandmaster’s request if it was possible.
Zuo Mo’s stray thoughts faded. He nodded. “Let’s go in.”
When they walked into the market, a wave of noise came at them. The stalls were organized neatly with large amounts of materials on display. The sound of bargaining, arguing, and cursing filled the air. It was possible to see the flushed faces everywhere.
The guard couldn’t help but freeze. As one of the best among the Tang Family guards, the places he visited were usually elegant ones. It had been a long time since he had come to such a dirty and chaotic place.
He glanced at Grandmaster out of the corner of his eyes. He saw that Grandmaster’s expression was composed and without any unease.
In reality, Zuo Mo wasn’t just at ease, he was slightly excited when he saw such a familiar scene. His stray thoughts were thrown away.
It was like he was fired up, his eyes red, and his fighting spirit rose.
The surroundings were filled with the sound of bargaining! Again! Bargain bargain bargain!
“One hundred and eighty mobei? Are you joking? The quality is normal, oh, and there are three flaws. The quality can only be considered above average, you dare to ask for one hundred and eighty mobei? One hundred? Don’t joke, I’ll give you eighty at most … …”
“Fifteen mobei, I want one hundred, are you going to sell? No? Let’s go!”
“I just said so. You still make a profit, don’t think that I don’t know … …”
The guard leader gaped. Grandmaster was invincible as he bargained his way down.He felt that everything that was happening in front of him was incomprehensible. A great grandmaster was arguing furiously with other people for just a few mobei, this this this … …
Shouldn’t grandmasters sit in the private rooms, drink the best wine, and elegantly pick the treasures surrounded by beautiful females?
Zuo Mo forgot himself in bargaining and felt great pleasure.
But gradually, he found the situation wasn’t quite right.
“Ten mobei, sell?”
“Sell sell sell!”
Zuo Mo looked with puzzlement at the shop owner. The shop owner’s expression was excited as though he wanted to sell immediately. This wasn’t right, ten mobei was definitely just above cost. He had given the other one mobei above. He hadn’t expected the shop owner to agree immediately. Something was strange!
Was there something wrong with the wares?
Zuo Mo flipped it over and inspected it for a long time. He was even more puzzled. There were no problems!
Suppressing the bewilderment he felt, he took two hundred of the material. His gaze landed on another kind of material. “Will you sell for seven mobei?”
“Sell sell sell!” The shop owner nodded repeatedly.
Zuo Mo raised his head and couldn’t help but curse, “How can you do business like this? Sell for seven mobei? Are you crazy? This costs at least ten mobei, is something wrong with your head?”
The shop owner nodded with a dumb smile.
Zuo Mo stilled. Was this person really stupid? He raised his head and the excitement quickly receded. He immediately discovered the strangeness in the surroundings. The noisy market was silent.
What was this … …
Zuo Mo hurriedly looked around. When he saw everyone’s gazes were on him, he understood. Cough cough cough, he hurriedly raised his head and puffed out his chest. He pointed at the things he had bought and said to the guard, “Oh, put these away.”
“Yes!” The guard leader’s face was burning. Today was really a great embarrassment! He raised his head and glanced at Grandmaster. Grandmaster’s expression was normal as though nothing had happened. As expected of Grandmaster, his face was thicker than normal people!
Suddenly, a middle-aged person walked forward with an excited expression. “Respected Grandmaster! Welcome! We feel honored by your arrival!”
“Hello hello!” Zuo Mo smiled.
“Please give us a list for what Grandmaster requires. We do not have anything good, but the quality of our low- level materials is not bad!” the middle-aged person said respectfully.
Zuo Mo had come because he needed to use low-level materials. He had prepared a list before coming but hadn’t expected that he would use it at this time. While he could not experience the pleasure of bargaining, it would save him effort. Zuo Mo handed the list to the middle-aged person.
The middle-aged person seemed to have a reputation here. He handed the list to the servant behind him and the servant went away to gather materials.
“Does Grandmaster need assistants?” the middle-aged person inquired.
The guard leader spoke in displeasure, “Are you qualified to be Grandmaster’s assistant? Hmph!”
The mo weapon masters in the surroundings were silent. While the guard leader’s words were harsh and not easy to hear, but it was the truth. The mo weapon masters that were in this place were not very good.
But Zuo Mo was moved. “If they have talent, they may be able to learn from me.”
His words were pretentious but the effect was excellent.
The mo weapon masters in the surroundings became excited. Many of them had desirous expression. Even the middle-aged person was slightly excited. But he was experienced and did not lose his calm. “How do we judge for the talent that Grandmaster speaks of?”
After thinking, Zuo Mo said, “Use mo weapons, the grade doesn’t matter, just let me have a look.”
The guard leader felt disdain but he could not speak now, otherwise his actions would mean not giving Grandmaster face. The mo weapon masters here were not good ones. The mo weapon masters at Bu Zhou City who had talent were almost all part of the Tang Family.
These toads wanted to eat the meat of a swan?
They were delusional!
He didn’t understand. Grandmaster actually agreed to such a boring and meaningless matter?
There were countless mo weapon masters in the Tang Family that wanted to be Grandmaster’s assistant. While this grandmaster liked to boast, he was still a grandmaster!
He could not understand Zuo Mo’s way of thinking.
A pile of mo weapons were quickly laid out and presented in front of Zuo Mo. The guard leader took a glance and then snorted. There wasn’t even a single colonel level mo weapon here.
Zuo Mo ignored the sneer of the guard leader. His gaze swept across the mo weapons.
His gaze suddenly stopped on a dagger mo weapon.
He took out the dagger, raised it up and asked, “Who made this mo weapon?”
A youth with a slightly pale complexion walked out of the crowd. His face was flushed and he was excited. “Grandmaster, I made it!”
Zuo Mo then asked him a few questions. The youth responded smoothly and Zuo Mo confirmed that he was the one to forge the dagger.
Zuo Mo nodded. “Starting today, you are my assistant.”
Gasp!
The people around shouted in shock. Disbelief and joy floated into the youth’s face. The middle-aged person was also very excited. He went forward and hugged the youth. Then he said solemnly, “Sproutling, be good and learn from Grandmaster!”
His fellows came up to congratulate him. Everyone knew that this opportunity would alter Sproutling’s fate.
The guard leader’s face was not very good. He hadn’t thought that Grandmaster would really select an assistant from here. As a guard of the Tang Family, he naturally put the Tang Family first. There were so many Tang Family mo weapon masters waiting for the opportunity but an outsider had gotten there first. While it was not his mistake, he could not escape being connected to this.
“Grandmaster, shouldn’t this … …” he couldn’t help but speak.
Zuo Mo’s expression darkened. “Do I need to report my actions to you?”
Hearing this, the guard leader’s heart jumped and he hurriedly said, “Grandmaster is joking, this one doesn’t dare. But Grandmaster is of high status, and your safety should be prioritized. This person is unknown … …”
Sproutling’s face paled.
Zuo Mo impatiently interrupted the guard leader. “I have my own way of conduct!”
The guard leader gritted his teeth and persisted. “If something happens to Grandmaster, and the patriarch assigns blame, this one … …”
“A Gui, throw him out,” Zuo Mo said coolly.
A Gui who had been silently standing next to Zuo Mo suddenly disappeared.
The guard leader was shocked .Before he could react, his neck was gripped and he wasn’t able to use his own strength. Woosh, he flew out of the market. He smashed onto the ground, and wasn’t able to get up for a while.
The faces of the other guards changed. They were about to move but when they saw that A Gui didn’t seem to have moved at all, their faces were ashen white. Their fighting spirit that had just started to burn immediately disappeared.
A Gui’s undying shen power had a great qualities. It had no color and was extremely deceptive.
“What’s your name?” Zuo Mo asked Sproutling in a gentle gone.
Sproutling gathered his courage. “Grandmaster, I don’t have a name, they all call me Bean Sprout or Sproutling.”
“No name, your parents?” Zuo Mo asked.
“They are dead.” Sproutling said in a low voice.
Zuo Mo was slightly surprised. He suddenly thought of himself and felt emotional. But he quickly raised his head and patted Sproutling’s thin shoulder. “Your way of thinking is good but there are some mistakes. Is there a small mo weapon pool here?”
The middle-aged person knew that Zuo Mo was going to teach Sproutling and was overjoyed. He hurriedly said, “Yes yes yes!”
Zuo Mo looked at the mo weapon masters in the surroundings with desire on their faces and smiled. “You can all come watch.”
All of the mo weapon masters cheered!
Zuo Mo definitely would not have thought that his accidental action would … …
Translator Ramblings: Zuo Mo can’t stand seeing other people deliberately not making a profit.