Chapter 17: Standing Against Injustice
Meanwhile, Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City was still seated across from Song Jixin, carefully holding the small teapot with the mandrill inscription on the bottom in both hands. At the moment, he was inspecting the inscription on the bottom of the teapot with great care and attention, as if he were appreciating the gorgeous body of a stunning beauty.
He had already been inspecting every single inch of the teapot for close to an hour, occasionally blowing on it and massaging it with his sleeve as he did so, and it seemed that he couldn't even bear the mere thought of putting it down. There were always some people or things that made one fall in love at first sight, and this teapot was exactly one such item in Fu Nanhua's eyes.
Even though this was only something that had slipped through the cracks, Fu Nanhua was convinced that he had stumbled upon a brilliant treasure. Out of the many sects in the southern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Old Dragon City was one that ranked near the top. Hence, Fu Nanhua was someone who had truly seen the very best of what the continent had to offer, and that was why Cai Jinjian had been willing to concede her inferiority to him at every turn earlier.
Song Jixin yawned lazily as he shifted to a more comfortable posture in his chair, then said, "Brother Fu, now that you've already confirmed the authenticity of the item, isn't it time that we discussed the price?"
Very rarely did anyone refer to Fu Nanhua as "brother" under such an informal setting, so he was struck by a hint of vexation, but he patiently suppressed those feelings as he reluctantly set down the teapot, then smiled as he said, "I'm sure you can see my sincerity, Brother Song. I have been fully transparent from the very beginning, revealing to you the true value of this teapot, and I've also made no effort to disguise how fond of this teapot I am.
“I've done all of this to avoid a heated bartering process that would not only be a waste of time, but also harm the brotherly bond that we share. Brother Song, I already see you as a close confidant on my future cultivation journey. Right now, I'm content to do business with you, and if we take a solid first step together and further deepen our bond, I can see myself entrusting even my own life to you at some point in the future."
In the face of Fu Nanhua's sincerity, Song Jixin leaned back and shrugged with a smile as he said, "I'm a very vulgar and materialistic man, Brother Fu. Of course, I do cherish friendships, but if someone is talking to me about brotherly bonds while discussing business, I simply can't help but doubt the sincerity of their words. Whenever they bring up our brotherly bond in the future, how do I know that they're not thinking about swindling me out of my money?"
A cold look appeared on Fu Nanhua's face upon hearing this, and he leaned against the back of his chair while gently tapping the table with a finger in silence.
Song Jixin seemed to have been completely oblivious to the change in Fu Nanhua's attitude, and he continued, "The fact that I'm calling you Brother Fu and willing to bring out this teapot to show you should already be a sufficient display of my sincerity. Both of us want this deal to work out, so let's not waste any more time going around in circles.
“Here's what'll happen: you give me a price, and I'll nod or shake my head. I'll give you two chances to state prices, and if I refuse both times, then I'm afraid that'll be the end of the story. After that, no matter what you try to offer me, even mountains of silver or seas of gold, I won't be selling."
A sincere smile reappeared on Fu Nanhua's face as he said, "The jade pendant that I gave you earlier is a first-time meeting gift from me to you. It's called an Old Dragon Rainbringer, and it's not a particularly powerful immortal treasure, only able to clear the mind, cleanse the organs, and cool down the wearer during hot weather. It's particularly useful during meditation, and its effects will be greatly enhanced if used alongside a mantra of Daoist origins."
Fu Nanhua then placed an embroidered pouch onto the table before pushing it toward Song Jixin as he continued with a serious expression, "This bag of copper coins is known as Offering Coins, one of the many types of items offered to deities and other objects of worship. They're generally offered to City God Temples or statues of different deities to be held in the mouth, in the belly, or atop the palm, all for different purposes and effects.
“Most importantly, these coins may appear to have been minted using gold, but in reality, the material used is gold essence, which is far more precious than gold and is a material that's considered to be exceedingly rare even by immortals. I can't say that this bag of gold essence Offering Coins is more than enough value in exchange for this teapot, but at the very least, it's definitely a fair price. This, in addition to that jade pendant, would undoubtedly make you the winner of this transaction, Brother Song."
After introducing what he had to offer, Fu Nanhua fell silent, awaiting Song Jixin's response.
Song Jixin was also silent for a moment, then blinked in an incredulous manner before asking, "That's it?"
"That's it," Fu Nanhua confirmed with a wry smile.
Song Jixin instantly flared up with rage upon hearing this, slamming a palm down onto the table as he launched into a furious tirade. "Do you take me for an idiot? Do I look like a stupid child that you can just swindle as you please? Before coming into the town, each of you had three pouches of copper coins, one of which is given to the gatekeeper, so it stands to reason that the other two pouches are to be exchanged for the two treasures that each of you is permitted to take from this place.
“Each pouch is supposed to contain no fewer than 20 copper coins, yet look at this flat pouch of yours! Are there even 12 copper coins in there? How dare you speak of sincerity when you're clearly trying to commit daylight robbery!"
Fu Nanhua began to tap his finger more heavily against the table, and he was also doing so at a faster rhythm.
Song Jixin’s heart abruptly shuddered, and he was inexplicably struck by a sense of shortness of breath. His face quickly became flushed, and his eyes were becoming bloodshot. He hurriedly pressed a hand over his own heart to find that it was beating violently like a drum, almost as if it were threatening to punch its way out of his chest.
Fu Nanhua gradually slowed down the tapping of his finger, and only then did Song Jixin's complexion begin to improve.
A faint smile appeared on Fu Nanhua's face as he said, "Seeing as the first price has been rejected, I'll just have to offer a second price. I'll give you 24 gold essence Offering Coins for this mandrill teapot. What do you say?"
Song Jixin was sweating profusely as he pondered the offer. He could see that Fu Nanhua was growing impatient, and he was just about to say something to defuse the situation when Fu Nanhua began to increase the speed of his tapping once again, seemingly as a form of vengeance for Song Jixin's earlier tirade.
Song Jixin clasped both hands over his chest, and his face was twisted in agony, but he was still glowering at Fu Nanhua with a defiant look in his eyes.
Fu Nanhua was almost unable to suppress the urge to put an end to Song Jixin's life right there and then, but for the sake of the greater good and his own future in cultivation, he reined in his temper, stopping the tapping of his finger and sparing Song Jixin from a painful demise.
Song Jixin was panting heavily with a fervent look in his eyes, and he suddenly began to laugh in a hoarse voice.
Fu Nanhua was extremely perplexed by this, and he could see that there seemed to be no resentment in Song Jixin's eyes. However, he didn't find this to be particularly alarming. After all, the path of cultivation was laden with all types of strange and inexplicable things, and he had encountered more than his fair share of baffling individuals. Hence, he merely asked, "What are you laughing about?"
Song Jixin's breathing gradually began to even out, and he sagged back in his chair as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, but his eyes were still as bright and piercing as ever as he replied, "I can't help but be ecstatic whenever I think of the fact that I'm also going to develop the same powers as you and possess the ability to kill with the tap of a finger."
Fu Nanhua smiled and offered no response, seemingly not all that surprised that Song Jixin would think this way.
In Fu Nanhua's, eyes, people like Song Jixin were the easiest to deal with, so long as he stayed above them, but they could also be the most difficult type of people to deal with if they were to overtake him.
However, as the young master of Old Dragon City, Fu Nanhua was convinced that after successfully attaining his fated opportunity here, there was no way that he would ever be overtaken by a child who hadn't been taken from the town by anyone up to this point.
Song Jixin took a glance at the teapot and half-full pouch of copper coins on the table, then raised his head as he said, "I have two conditions. If you agree to those conditions, not only will I sell you this mandrill teapot, I'll also show you something else that's at least of the same caliber."
Fu Nanhua fought down the elation that was rising up in his heart as he maintained as calm a facade as he could muster up and asked, "What are your conditions?"
Song Jixin didn't waste any time and immediately told Fu Nanhua what he wanted. "Firstly, I want you to give me three pouches of gold essence coins, not two."
"I can do that," Fu Nanhua replied without any hesitation.
Song Jixin stared intently into his eyes, radiating silent skepticism.
Fu Nanhua smiled as he said, "You can choose whether to believe me or not. Now that I've accepted this condition, you must bring out the item that's worth two pouches of gold essence for me to see in person."
"Of course," Song Jixin replied with a nod.
"What's your second condition?" Fu Nanhua asked.
"I want you to kill someone for me," Song Jixin replied.
Fu Nanhua shook his head in response. "Seeing as you're aware of how many copper coins are in each pouch, I'm sure you're also aware that outsiders like myself cannot just kill the townsfolk in here as we please. Otherwise, we'll be immediately evicted from the town, and there's even a chance that we could be stripped of a portion of our aptitude.
“The sages are even capable of depriving us of future fated opportunities through unfathomable means, so not only will we be forced to suffer the consequences of our actions, even our clans could be negatively impacted as well."
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Perhaps the circumstances will change over time, and you might want to reconsider then," Song Jixin said with a faint smile.
"I'm curious, who do you want to kill?" Fu Nanhua asked with a smile.
"I'm still considering that question myself," Song Jixin replied, telling only a half-truth.
Fu Nanhua picked up the teapot again, stroking its smooth surface as he said in a nonchalant manner, "In that case, I'll just have to wait and see."
Across from him, Song Jixin unconsciously massaged his own neck as a sinister look appeared on his face.
After Cai Jinjian had been taken to Gu Can's residence by Zhi Gui, the maidservant had departed on her own to go and visit the shops on Apricot Blossom Alley. Cai Jinjian pushed the gate open before entering the courtyard, upon which she was instantly rooted to the spot, not daring to move even a single inch. She stared at the old man sitting on the bench as she asked in a trembling voice, "May I ask if you are the River Severing True Lord of Lake Shujian?"
"Oh? How do you know of me?" the old man asked.