Old Lei made Wun Fan put his right hand on the breastplate. Old Lei’s mental energy travelled through Wun Fan’s hand and lingered on the breastplate to confirm its properties.
“Mutesoul metal?” In all honesty, Wun Fan was a little upset over Old Lei calling Green Sea Town a rural town. After all, there was nothing wrong with Green Sea Town in Wun Fan’s mind. However, Wun Fan had indeed never heard of the name ‘mutesoul metal’. Something that could impress even Old Lei was probably no ordinary item.
Judging from how confused the stall owner looked, he didn’t know the value of his product either.
“Mm, purchase it, kid, even if it’s expensive. I’ll teach you how to make good use of it later,” his voice vanished after saying that, and Wun Fan’s mind returned to silence.
Old Lei was always like this, appearing out of thin air and vanishing without any warning. He hardly ever explained anything properly. Wun Fan was confident that Old Lei wouldn’t harm him, so he asked about the price, “How much are you selling this for?”
Upon hearing Wun Fan ask for the price, the stall owner ignored his unease and immediately slipped back into his role as a merchant. He started talking about the price, “Young Master Fan, this set of armor is nothing valuable. I dug it out of a mountain one time. If you really want it, you can have it for just thirty silver coins.”
“That expensive?” The price made Wun Fan speechless for a moment. He didn’t expect a random set of armor dug out of nowhere to cost thirty silver coins. No wonder everyone was always talking about how expensive it was to be a martial artist.
Wun Tung scoffed coldly, “Spare me your little tricks. Young Master Fan might not be familiar with market prices, but an ordinary set of metal armor only costs a dozen silver coins at best. You must be tired of living if you’re trying to scam Young Master Fan.”
As he said that, a vicious aura erupted from him and pressed in on the stall owner. The stall owner’s body was pinned to the ground and he even seemed to have wet himself a little. The sudden burst of aura affected the other stall owners nearby. However, when their furious glares landed on Wun Tung, they immediately cooled off. Their hostility was instead towards the stall owner on the ground.
Are you kidding? Sir Wun Tung always took care of the stall owners in the market. He was famous for being a fair and reasonable person. All the stall owners were confident that you could not find someone else in the town who was as powerful as Sir Wun Tung, while also being as reasonable as him. If Sir Wun Tung was pissed off, there was no question that it was definitely the fault of that stall owner.
This display of power gave Wun Fan a better understanding of Wun Tung’s power. His aura was only slightly weaker than the third elder. It was no wonder the people of the market were so respectful towards Wun Tung.
“I am sorry, so, so sorry. I’ll sell it for however much you want, Sir Wun Tung,” the stall owner got on his knees and kowtowed several times, begging for Wun Tung’s forgiveness.
Wun Tung took out a small pouch of silver coins. He counted the coins and threw them at the stall owner, “I’ll take it for eleven silver coins.”
“Yes, sir,” the stall owner was green with regret now. The rule of the market had always been haggling and bargaining. That said, it was his fault for not recognizing the circumstances and actually being foolish enough to try and scam the Third Young Master of the Wun Clan in the Wun Clan’s territory. Once again, greed often only leads to more poverty.
Wun Fan remembered Wun Ching Yeung’s reminder not to bully the stall owners with the Wun Clan’s name. After all, life wasn’t easy for them either. However, Wun Fan was not rigid in his thinking either. If somebody tried to take advantage of him, he wouldn’t hesitate to punch back.
I don’t break off the tip of your needle for a small piece of iron, you don’t scrape my Buddha statue for a small piece of gold leaf.
Wun Fan’s philosophy in life was very simple. I don’t take any advantage of me, but you don’t try and take advantage of me either. Wun Tung had no intention of pursuing the matter any further. After all, haggling was normal in the market. Everyone had to make money one way or another. He had already gotten a significant discount by using the Wun Clan’s influence as leverage.
Wun Siu Lan knew Wun Fan didn’t have a storage ring. She very thoughtfully took out the ring on her necklace and bent over to touch the ring to the armor. Her soul energy surged into the ring and the entire set of armor had been put away.
She turned to look at Wun Fan to get the credit she deserved. However, Wun Fan only scrunched his nose and sniffed the ring like a pervert, “Smells good.” He even seemed to be revelling in the fragrance. Wun Siu Lan blushed and clicked her tongue at him.
However, all of this was seen by Wun Tung, who thought of it as inappropriate and unseemly.
He coughed lightly as he said, “This way please, Young Master Fan.”
Wun Fan patted himself on the head. He forgot Uncle Tung was still here with them. He’s probably added another unsavory tag to his impression of him now. He might even think of him as a pervert that’s even got his sights set on his sister.
Wun Fan quickly restrained himself and behaved properly.
However, as he walked, he continued to glance enviously at Wun Siu Lan’s storage ring, which could put away anything that she needed. He had asked Old Lei about it before. Old Lei told him that he would be able to truly use the Spiritstartler Ring only once he had soul energy. As for the mutesoul metal; Old Lei had said that it was to be used for training and that he should save his questions for later.
Wun Fan was familiar with Old Lei’s personality and so, he didn’t ask any more questions. At any rate, he understood now that Old Lei would never do anything bad to him. That was the most important thing.
“Uncle Tung, where are we going now?” Wun Fan saw that Wun Tung kept leading the two of them forward, but never stopped for even a moment, apart from when he stopped to buy the armor earlier. It was obvious that Wun Tung was trying to bring the two of them to a certain destination in mind. Wun Fan couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
Wun Tung immediately replied when he heard the question, “The items that the young master is looking for are not rare, but some of the herbs are quite uncommon. Half-century black angelica and redpitch fruits are hardly found in Green Sea Town, though their seeds can often be found in the Stall Zone. Ten-year-old treehearts and giant purplebee honey, on the other hand, are sold solely by the Chan Clan.”
“Our destination is the Hundred Treasures Hall, run by the Chan Clan.”
“Thank you for leading the way, Uncle Tung,” Wun Fan smiled as he said. He was suddenly reminded of what he knew about the Chan Clan.
The Chan Clan, one of the four major clans of the Nap-Lan Empire. Its name was hidden in the widely spread poem crafted by wandering bards.
Wind and clouds bid the rising storm, raging seas flood the crimson dust. ‘Dust’, the character for Chan.
Wind, the military clan. Cloud, the martial clan.
Crimson, the political clan. Dust, the mercantile clan.
As a mercantile clan, the Chan Clan’s empire encompassed the entirety of the Nap-Lan empire. They were incredibly wealthy. Two of their most famous businesses included the Hundred Treasures Hall and Thousand Relics Auctions. The Hundred Treasures Hall specialized in selling herbs, weapons, and all sorts of strange artifacts. Meanwhile, Thousand Relics Auctions only held auctions once every three years, selling only the most extraordinary and unusual items. They always made enough of a profit to last for three years until the next auction.
A hundred treasures fill the hall, a thousand relics make the mountain.
These two phrases revealed the scope of the Chan Clan’s wealth!
It was almost certain that Wun Fan would be able to find what he needed in the Hundred Treasures Hall. He would be able to continue his training again. Wun Fan gripped his fists tightly at the thought of that. Determination gleamed in his eyes as he swore to himself, “Three years. I have already lost three years. I must get these three years back as fast as I can!”321Please respect copyright.PENANAEQCBtVOuhD
The Hundred Treasures Hall, Wun Market, Green Sea Town.
Inside a study in the backroom of the hall, a young girl was sitting at a table. She looked as if she had only recently turned eighteen. She looked dignified and elegant, giving off the impression of a prim and proper lady. Her features were delicate and beautiful and her skin was white as jade; a beauty of the ages. She wore a white silk blouse, paired with a soft yellow skirt, a fashion style that was unlike the usual outfit of the average person in Nap-Lan Empire.
Her eyes brimmed with intelligence and looked almost as if they were glowing with light. Her hair was bound up in a ponytail, revealing her white forehead. Two strands of hair framed her face, further bringing out her air of wisdom and brightness. Her every movement was elegant and mature, showing off her proper upbringing. She had a friendly smile on her face, but the look in her eyes made it seem like everything in the world was well within her control. A jade medallion hung by her slender waist, the characters for ‘like’ and ‘moon’ carved on it. This was the person in charge of the Chan Clan’s assets here in Green Sea Town, lineage daughter of the Chan Clan, Chan Chi Yuet.
A couplet hung inside the room:
Ten years the fireflies mirror the moon, seven lines read with every breath; manners and word.
Two mountains the books memorized and learned, five carts of knowledge seen and heard; clarity in mastery.
The room was decorated simply but appropriately!
Piles of bamboo slips and scrolls filled the table as the beautiful young girl reviewed the records. The brush moved like flowing water and drifting clouds in her hands; like a majestic dragon coursing in the air. Her penmanship was pretty and neat.
The girl didn’t seem to take any time to think. Whenever she finished reading a report, she would immediately write down her comments. Her silhouette, busy in work and writing, was elegant, moving and a feast for the eyes.321Please respect copyright.PENANARqcAHDfT8v