As a lineage daughter of the mercantile Chan Clan, internal politics was an everyday occurrence for Chan Chi Yuet. However, she was able to survive every trial that came her way through her incredible instincts and ability. It was only then that her father allowed her to join the power struggle within the clan, giving her complete authority over the Hundred Treasures Hall of Green Sea Town. It was important to note that the current clan master of the Chan Clan had twenty-five sons and daughters. Not every one of them was capable enough to vie for power.
It was obvious that Chan Chi Yuet had to be capable in her own right to stand out.
She had a feeling that Wun Fan was not as simple as he seemed. He might only be eleven years old, but even she came up with the idea to revolutionize the Hundred Treasures Hall when she was only twelve years old.
Age didn’t seem to necessarily correlate with ability, especially in Heaven’s Martial World. The children always seemed to mature faster. Chan Chi Yuet could not underestimate anyone.
She gathered her spirits and reset her mentality.
However, Chan Chi Yuet still had one thing she needed to clarify. All those things that Wun Fan just said, were they his own words, or were they taught to him by someone else? If it was someone else, was that person the Wun Clan’s clan master Wun Ching Yeung?
Chan Chi Yuet’s solemn expression slowly faded away and her composed smile appeared on her face once again. The beautiful lady made her way toward Wun Fan, while Siu Ji followed closely behind. Chan Chi Yuet showed herself as she clapped, drawing the attention of Wun Fan and his two companions. Both Wun Siu Lan and Wun Tung looked at Chan Chi Yuet with some measure of wariness in their eyes.
“Thank you for the praise, Third Young Master. I have never expected someone other than myself would be able to understand the intricacies of the Hundred Treasures Hall so well,” Chan Chi Yuet said with a coy smile. Her smile might seem courteous, but the pride brimming in her eyes was obvious. Wun Fan could feel her pride and confidence in just the few words she had spoken!
Wun Fan took a good look at the woman, she was dressed completely differently from most people, in a silk dress with a long hem. She didn’t fit in with the customers of the shop, but the way she dressed blended well with her aura of intelligence and brilliance. Her eyes were full of spirit and energy glowed in her pupils, revealing an extraordinary confidence behind them. Her skin was white as the moon, so pale it almost seemed see-through and so soft it seemed like it would break at the lightest touch. She was truly an incredible beauty. Her eighteen years of age made her flush with an aura of youth that complemented her intellectual allure.
“I am Chan Chi Yuet, manager of Green Sea Town’s Hundred Treasures Hall. I have long heard of the name of the third young master of the Wun Clan. Truly, you exceed your reputation. Welcome to the Hundred Treasures Hall. If there is anything I can do to help the third young master in any way, I will do my best,” Chan Chi Yuet nodded and offered cordially. She spoke in an appropriate and courteous fashion, always maintaining a professional attitude, which revealed her nature as a merchant.
“Haha! I am Wun Fan and this is my sister, Wun Siu Lan. I won’t need to introduce him, I suppose. Market supervisor Wun Tung and my uncle by seniority in the clan,” Wun Fan thought for a moment and replied. Chan Chi Yuet was being very courteous to them and he had to respond in kind. He said, “Your reputation precedes you as well, Miss Chan. Your name is constantly spoken of in Green Sea Town. I have always admired your beauty and truly, meeting you far surpasses any expectations I might have had.”
“Green Sea’s lady of the moon, wrists as white as frost and snow,” Wun Fan suddenly closed his eyes and recited these words. Wun Siu Lan glared at him viciously and even Chan Chi Yuet felt a little awkward hearing him.
However, as the manager of the Hundred Treasures Hall, she wasn’t so thin-skinned as to be phased by this. The awkwardness quickly faded from her face as she sincerely praised, “You are very talented and eloquent, Wun Fan, but surely you jest. Miss Siu Lan is far more elegant than I am. I am envious just seeing you stand by her side.”
She was truly born to be a merchant. She had not only become more intimate with Wun Fan just by changing her manner of addressing him but had even managed to praise Wun Siu Lan in the same breath. She was very effective with her words.
Wun Fan put on a proud expression and started bantering, “Who would’ve thought that Miss Chan would be interested in my sister? Aren’t you a real ladykiller, huh, Siu Lan!” Having said that, Wun Fan brought his hand to Wun Siu Lan’s face and lifted her chin. Wun Siu Lan stared at him viciously and swore to herself, Don’t you worry, Fan, I promise you, you’re gonna die a horrible death tonight.
Cough. Cough. Chan Chi Yuet coughed several times. She seemed to have been taken off guard by Wun Fan’s nonsensical hogwash. Her expression became awkward again.
Wew, seems like it worked, Wun Fan saw that small instance of awkwardness from Chan Chi Yuet and gloated in his own mind, A young brat like you thinks she can work me like that? Wun Fan had seen plenty of prideful people in his previous life. People like that always kept a professional and courteous distance with their words. The best way to deal with those kinds of people was to pile on the nonsense and confuse them.
Just so happens, Wun Fan was good at talking nonsense.
Chan Chi Yuet seemed to realize that her usual way of dealing with people wouldn’t work on Wun Fan. She decisively abandoned this plan.
“Never mind,” Chan Chi Yuet sighed and finally took her mask of courteousness off. She then started talking sincerely, “Young Master Wun, shall we talk business?”
“A good idea, heheh,” the way this girl did business was very much to Wun Fan’s liking. She changed her approach immediately after realizing it was ineffective. She was a decisive person. He couldn’t be bothered to beat around the bush either. It was a waste of his time as well.
“Young Master Fan, this place isn’t the best place to talk. Let’s move to the meeting hall in the backroom to talk. Is it ok if it is just the two of us?” Chan Chi Yuet glanced at Wun Tung and Wun Siu Lan. Her intention was clear. She didn’t want the two of them to disrupt their conversation.
“No.”
“No!”
Both Wun Tung and Siu Lan objected instantly. Was this a joke? A lineage young master being alone in a backroom with someone else? What were they going to do if an accident happened?
“Ok,” Wun Fan replied boldly and nodded at his companions to indicate that he will be fine. Wun Fan wasn’t rash. His greatest trump card was still Old Lei. He didn’t believe that the Chan Clan would send a martial artist above Martial Colonel to assassinate him. If the two clans were to go to war over this, Chan Chi Yuet would be the person at fault. He didn’t think a merchant would do something that would harm their own benefit.
Wun Siu Lan tried to advice Wun Fan against it several times more, but she couldn’t convince him. She had no choice but to let him go with an angry face. Meanwhile, Wun Tung secretly passed him a whistle and whispered, “Young master, whisper if anything happens.”
Wun Fan accepted the whistle and put one hand over a fist as he said to Chan Chi Yuet, “Please.”
Having said that, Wun Fan followed Chan Chi Yuet and Sui Ji into a hallway. He could still see the worry on Wun Siu Lan’s face as he left.
The three of them entered a hall, decorated in a simple fashion. Despite the scale and size of the Hundred Treasures Hall’s business, it did not employ luxurious decorations at all, unlike the commercial designs of most other shops. The maidservants had already served up hot tea in front of Wun Fan’s seat.
“Young Master Wun, let’s cut the small talk. I believe the reason the three of you have come to the Hundred Treasures Hall is this, isn’t it?” The two of them sat across each other. Chan Chi Yuet clapped her palms lightly and Siu Ji took out a wooden box. She slowly opened it in front of Wun Fan.
“We don’t usually display these two items for our customers. Even we don’t have too much stock of them,” Chan Chi Yuet smiled faintly, as if victory was within her grasp.
A thick and sweet smile drifted by Wun Fan’s nose when the wooden box was opened. Several bottles filled with a glowing purple liquid was contained within. Sweet smell, purple liquid; Wun Fan instantly guessed that this was giant purplebee honey. As for the few pieces of dried wood beside the bottles that were shaped like hearts; those were ten-year-old treehearts.
Wun Fan thought for a moment and immediately fell silent. If Chan Chi Yuet had prepared all this and had even guessed what items he needed so accurately, she must have something she wanted.
Everyone had an ulterior motive. Especially in the case of someone who put that much thought and preparation into their meeting. They were either after fame or wealth.
“Old Lei,” Wun Fan asked in his own mind, “Are these things giant purplebee honey and ten-year-old treehearts?”
“Indeed, and there are three portions of them.” Uncontrollable excitement flashed through Wun Fan’s mind when Old Lei confirmed the items. However, he didn’t show his emotions and simply smiled at Chan Chi Yuet, waiting.
Chan Chi Yuet wasn’t in a hurry either. She simply waited for Wun Fan to start speaking first. Under this circumstances, whoever spoke first was going to lose the initiative. Wun Fan knew as much. Back when he was the leader of his team and had to negotiate contract payments with his clients, he became well-versed in the tricks of negotiations.
He didn’t believe that Chan Chi Yuet would have done all this without a request in mind.
The unmoving boulder doesn’t budge against the shifting tides.
After twenty minutes of this silence, Chan Chi Yuet seemed to realize that her little trick had failed. Seeing as the success of the Hundred Treasures Hall and Thousand Relics Auctions hinge on this boy, there was no reason to be stubborn. It would be extremely foolish to be stubborn when it was her own future and career hanging in the balance.
She smiled brightly, narrowed her eyes and shook her head as she said, “Well then, Young Master Wun, allow me to be honest with you.”
“Haha, and I thought Miss Chan only called me here to sit down idly,” Wun Fan flashed an honest smile, but was secretly happy. He was the winner of this non-violent exchange.
“I just want Young Master Wun to answer one question of mine,” Chan Chi Yuet’s intelligent eyes were brimming with curiosity as she looked at Wun Fan, “Since, when did the Wun Clan have a Grade Six alchemist?”
“Ah?” Wun Fan opened his eyes, as if in perplexity. He looked at Chan Chi Yuet as if he didn’t understand her question at all. His acting skills were so convincing that, for a moment, even Chan Chi Yuet thought Wun Fan wasn’t lying.312Please respect copyright.PENANAc5wg6ZZTGi