The two disciples walked away and came back with an old man. The two of them behaved respectfully and walked behind the old man, always keeping a fixed distance of three paces.
The old man was of average build and height, dressed in robes reminiscent of those from the Tang Dynasty of Wun Fan’s previous life. He had a thin face, sunken eyes, and bronze skin carved with the marks of age. His eyes were half-shut, covering his light-brown pupils, behind which unusual experience and acumen hid. His hair was frost-white, but he had combed it with plenty of wax and care; it was immaculate. The old man walked with firm steps, his hands behind his back, giving off the impression of a man who made no mistakes.
Wun Fan observed the reactions of the disciples and the way in which the old man carried himself. The old man must be the person who runs the Wun Market. He might even be Wun Ching Yeung’s right-hand man when it came to matters regarding the market. Dressed in apricot robes, the old man walked before Wun Fan and Wun Siu Lan and bowed slightly as he spoke, “Greetings, Young Master Fan and Young Mistress Siu Lan. This old servant hears that there is something you wish to buy and came here to offer his services. Please, tell me your wishes.”
“Don’t be such a stranger, Uncle Tung, ok? Dad is going to give me a good talking to if he knew I let you greet me like this,” Wun Siu Lan hastily grabbed Wun Tung by the arm and stopped him from bowing.
Wun Fan had heard of Wun Tung’s name. He wasn’t sure about his fighting prowess, but the market prospered under his management. He dealt with all affairs fairly and impartially, winning him the respect of everyone in the market. He obeyed the clan master’s orders without question and was a deeply loyal and righteous individual. Moreover, by seniority, he was a brother of Wun Ching Yeung, which meant he and Siu Lan had to address him as ‘Uncle’.
Wun Tung had a stern face that made people a little uneasy in his presence. However, when Wun Siu Lan put her arm around his arm, he simply smiled blissfully and adoringly at her and said, “Brat, you made a mess yesterday. Even the clan master had to hurry back to deal with you. Even the mayor got worried and rushed over as well. I have been with the clan master for over ten years and I have never seen him look so worried.”
“Hehe,” Wun Siu Lan usually wore a mask and a cold face on top of that, making it hard for most people to approach her. However, when she smiled and acted cute, there were almost no adults who could say no to her. The interaction between Wun Tung and Siu Lan surprised even Wun Fan. He had never seen her be so close to another adult other than Wun Ching Yeung and the great elder.
“Greetings, Uncle Tung. I have long heard about you,” Wun Fan put one hand over a fist and greeted. He was his senior after all, and it was important to pay his respects. He didn’t expect Wun Tung to be so indifferent to him, even replying with a frown, “Spare the courtesies, Young Master Fan. I am but a lowly servant.”
Mm? Why did he seem a little hostile to him? Wun Fan was confused. To his knowledge, he had never offended Wun Tung. Could he have offended someone related to him somehow?
“Uncle, don’t be so cold to Fan. It wasn’t his fault the fight started yesterday,” Wun Siu Lan was very sensitive to most things, even more so than most adults. She immediately deduced the reason for Wun Tung’s attitude towards Wun Fan. It was most definitely because he was upset that Wun Fan had gotten her involved in the fight yesterday. She quickly started putting on her cute moves again, “Come on, Uncle, don’t be angry at him, please?”
Wun Fan couldn’t help but think Wun Siu Lan was actually kinda cute when she did this. He let slip a smile. Who knew Wun Siu Lan would immediately turn over and start winking at Wun Fan aggressively, as if bragging to him, “See how popular I am?”
I knew it. My little sister can’t possibly be this cute.
Wun Fan made faces back at her and swore he would teach her a lesson when they got home. He then spoke up, “What happened yesterday was an accident. I didn’t know Wun Ping was going to attack me out of nowhere. I wished things could have gone differently. I hope you can forgive me, Uncle Tung.”
“No, not at all, Young Master Fan. It is my duty to help the clan master to the best of my abilities,” Wun Tung places his hands inside his robes once more, but his expression was softer now. He didn’t seem to be any friendlier to Wun Fan, but the hostility had vanished when he spoke, “May I know what Young Master Fan is looking for?”
Wun Tung was a smart person. The clan master could simply inform him if there was anything he wanted to purchase. He had no reason to send anyone else to purchase those things for him.
Moreover, the person he sent was not a servant, but the young master and the young mistress? It didn’t take much thinking to know that Wun Fan was the one who wanted to purchase those things. As such, he skipped all the small talk and simply asked Wun Fan what he wanted.
“Haha, you are truly amazing, Uncle Tung,” Wun Fan knew his intentions had been exposed after hearing what Wun Tung said. He showed no awkwardness and had no intentions of hiding what he wanted, “I would like a half-century black angelica, aconite root, southyellows, sap from a thirty-year-old liquidambar, redpitch fruits, undeath worms, giant purplebee honey, sweetscent fruits, red skullcaps, blue echeveria, gallbladder of a blue-spotted snake, ten-year-old treeheart.”
“I would like three to four portions of each item. If the herbs are not available, I am fine with the seeds of the missing herbs as well!”
The two disciples behind Wun Tung took out a book and each of them started writing down half of the list of herbs. They didn’t need any instructions from Wun Tung. His subordinates were sharp and quick to the initiative. It was evident how good Wun Tung was at choosing and employing the people who work for him. He turned around and indicated for Wun Fan and Wun Siu Lan to walk with him. He led the way, while the two disciples stepped aside. One of them followed behind, while the other walked in front of Wun Tung and the two kids.
Wun Fan’s shopping journey had officially begun!
Wun Tung led the two of them through the market, weaving left and right as he patiently explained the layout of the Wun Market.
The market was split into two different areas; the Stall District and the Shop District. Some martial artists didn’t like the word ‘district’ and just called them the Stall Zone and the Shop Zone.
The Stall Zone consisted of stalls opened by less powerful martial artists. All sorts of goods could be found there, from metal ores and herbs to historical artifacts and relics. You could even find weapons, treasure maps, and many other strange things in the Stall Zone. That was why some people also called the Stall Zone the Peddler’s Zone. However, the quality of goods there was not guaranteed and was often very inconsistent. You could even call it treasure hunting.
There were times when you could find incredibly valuable items in the midst of all that junk, but it was a test of your judgment.
After the Stall Zone came the Shop Zone. The Shop Zone was where all the brand names could be found. Many old, trusted brands of Green Sea Town would open up shops here. The quality of the goods here was guaranteed. Moreover, their products were not limited to materials, but to finished, processed goods as well. Naturally, this meant that their prices were higher than the goods of the Stall Zone. According to Uncle Tung, everyone in the market had to obey the two rules of the Wun Clan—no coercion, no fraud. Every merchant and customer of the market will pursue any breach of these rules to the bitter end!
Wun Fan couldn’t help but be impressed when he heard what Wun Tung said. The Wun Clan had the obligation of protecting the market, but the people of the market also had a duty to keep up the reputation of the market. These rules were a good move; they put everyone in the market on the same side.
The image of Wun Ching Yeung was elevated even further in Wun Fan’s mind.
“With regards to the list of herbs that Young Master Fan reported earlier, we can find most of them in the Shop Zone, with the exception of half-century black angelica and redpitch fruits. Those will be a little harder to find. Moreover, some of those herbs will be cheaper in the Stall Zone. Wun Ming will help you purchase those. Everything will be on the market’s tab.”
Everything had been taken care of. Wun Fan was a little stunned to see this. To think that Wun Tung had been able to make all these arrangements in a matter of seconds! More importantly, he had never seen him open his mouth to give out any instructions!
What was this black magic? Was he actually able to communicate with his subordinates with just a glance?
Moreover, everything was being put on the market’s tab. Wun Fan couldn’t help but be glad to hear this, but also a little bitter, “I would have asked for more portions of the herbs if I knew he was going to be so generous.”
The three of them walked through the Stall Zone, where the crowd was tremendous. The voices of people shouting, hollering, and bargaining never stopped in the background. However, as Wun Fan passed by one of the stalls, Old Lei’s voice suddenly rang in his head, “Stop right there, kid. There’s something valuable.”
Wun Fan immediately stopped in his tracks and looked at the stall beside him. The owner of the stall sat on the ground, organizing his products on the mat as he shouted, “Take a look, take your pick. You’d rather have seen it than miss it!”
Sheesh, this man is not quite professional enough. Wun Fan almost wanted to teach him how a proper peddler shouts and advertises his wares.
The stall owner put on a kindly smile when he saw Wun Fan stop to look. He was very friendly and immediately called out to Wun Fan, “Hello, handsome boy, why don’t you take a look and pick something.”
However, the stall owner quickly saw two people standing behind Wun Fan from the corner of his eye. Of course, he recognized the great Sir Wun Tung, who was known by everybody in the market. The other girl had a mask on her face. Her eyes brimmed with energy and she gave off an otherworldly aura. Who else could it be, if not the Third Young Mistress Wun Siu Lan of the Wun Clan?
The stall owner suddenly panicked a little. He looked at the medallion hanging from the waist of the boy. ‘Fan’. Only an idiot wouldn’t recognize the situation. Wasn’t that the infamous Mr. Level Six? Rumors say that he had turned things around, however, and had just single-handedly defeated a dozen of Wun Ping’s lackeys yesterday.
“Greetings, Sir Wun Tung, Young Mistress Lan, and Young Master Fan,” the stall owner’s expression changed and he quickly stood up and bowed.
“How dare you! How could you address the Young Mistress and Young Master after myself?” Wun Tung’s face was stern and furious. The stall owner was practically crying in fright when he saw this. Wun Tung might not like Wun Fan much, but the proper courtesies needed to be upheld, especially in front of people who were not part of the clan.
That said, putting Siu Lan’s name in front of Wun Fan? Hah.
The stall owner didn’t think he would run into such important people today. There wasn’t even anything valuable in his stall.
“This humble one is sorry, so sorry. Greetings Young Mistress Lan, Young Master Fan, Sir Wun Tung,” the man quickly corrected his greeting. At the same time, his gaze shifted to his goods. He started to carefully examine his wares. There shouldn’t be anything valuable here. These were all just ordinary ores and ordinary pieces of armor.
“No worries,” Wun Fan wasn’t the kind of person to obsess over small details. It was just a greeting. He could deal with being called Mr. Level Six, let alone with having his name called out last. Wun Fan followed Old Lei’s instructions and locked onto a full set of armor on the stall.
The set of armor consisted of five pieces; two handguards, two shin guards, and a breastplate. The armor was faded and dull, with an extremely ordinary design. On closer inspection, you could even notice rust stains on it. It was probably something that had been put away for a very long time.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Mutesoul metal, and five pieces of it too. You’re a lucky kid. Who would’ve thought we could find something like this in a rural town like this? Amazing,” Old Lei marveled to himself curiously.
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