Chapter 332: Chapter 332: Too Poor
"Haha, a Tier Three Yellow Ginseng Grass, of all things!"
Jia San’s brow twitched in exasperation. He then said coolly, "Sir, Tier Three Spirit Medicines are considered low-tier. We buy those back on the first floor. The second floor only deals with Tier Four and above."
"You must at least know the price, right?"
"My apologies, sir. The second floor doesn’t appraise low-tier Spirit Medicines. If you wish to know the price, please go downstairs," Jia San said coolly.
In truth, Jia San knew the buyback price for Yellow Ginseng Grass. He had simply lost all interest in assisting Ye Xuan and couldn’t wait to send him packing to the first floor.
"Haha, Your Highness, they buy back low-tier Spirit Medicines downstairs. Everything on this floor is High Tier. You’d best head down."
"Or maybe you could pull out some High-Tier Spirit Medicine and have Jia San appraise that for you?"
"Hehe, now you’re just being funny. This kid probably couldn’t even produce a single Tier Four Spirit Medicine."
"Hahaha! What a country bumpkin! He doesn’t even know a simple rule like that."
Everyone burst into laughter, the contempt in their voices impossible to miss.
Ye Xuan frowned. He could sense that every customer on the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion carried an air of arrogance.
Wukong Ridge was an incredibly chaotic place. Though it was rich in treasures, it was often looked down upon by the other powers of the Dream Realm Plain. In the eyes of the citizens of a vast nation like the Sky Empire, it was nothing more than a barbaric, untamed land.
Consequently, Martial Artists from Wukong Ridge were easily discriminated against whenever they ventured out. As the saying goes, excessive pride is a mask for insecurity. This fostered their contempt for those from smaller powers.
Although Ye Xuan was well-dressed, his accent wasn’t the one popular among the major powers of the Dream Realm Plain. The people from Wukong Ridge noticed it instantly. Combined with the questions he had asked and the Spirit Medicine he presented, they naturally concluded that Ye Xuan and Jin Lin were country bumpkins from some small, surrounding nation. Thus, they began to ostracize them.
’Is Wukong Ridge really that special?’ Ye Xuan scoffed internally. The sheer arrogance of these people was laughable.
The middle-aged man, Jia San, saw Ye Xuan being mocked but simply stood to the side with a smirk, saying nothing.
"Is this how your Treasure Pavilion does business?" Ye Xuan asked, staring at him coldly.
Ye Xuan couldn’t be bothered to take the customers’ mockery to heart. The world was full of snobs who judged a book by its cover, and he couldn’t be bothered to deal with them.
However, Jia San was a member of the Treasure Pavilion’s staff. His cold attitude was what truly irritated Ye Xuan.
"What is going on here?" Just then, an elderly man in fine robes walked over. Seeing the slight commotion on the second floor, he asked with displeasure.
Jia San jumped when he saw the old man and said with a hint of panic, "Steward Liu, it’s like this..."
He quickly explained what had happened. "This customer wanted to inquire about the purchase price of a Tier Three Yellow Ginseng Grass. I told him to ask on the first floor, and he became dissatisfied with me..."
"You may go downstairs for now." The old man shot him a cold glance, having already grasped the situation.
He turned his gaze to Ye Xuan and offered a slight smile. "Honored customer, it is true that we handle the buyback of Spirit Medicines below Tier Three on the first floor. However, since you’ve asked, it’s no trouble for me to tell you."
"At our Treasure Pavilion, the purchase price for Yellow Ginseng Grass is four thousand Profound Coins per stalk. If you have a large quantity, the price is negotiable. The Treasure Pavilion is quite busy today, so please forgive any previous offense."
This Steward Liu was clearly a shrewd businessman. His words were perfectly crafted. In a single statement, he subtly pointed out that the provocateurs were the other customers—something he couldn’t control—absolving the Treasure Pavilion of blame. He both explained the establishment’s rules and soothed Ye Xuan’s feelings.
Ye Xuan nodded. A price of four thousand Profound Coins per stalk was mediocre at best—a standard buyback price. However, his Yellow Ginseng Grass came from the Floating Light Secret Realm and possessed far richer medicinal properties than those from the outside world. At this price, he would be taking a loss.
"Show me the Spirit Medicines you have here." At such a price, Ye Xuan clearly had no intention of selling his own.
"May I ask what tier and what kind of effects you are looking for in a Spirit Medicine, sir? And for what purpose?" Steward Liu was clearly far more experienced, and his questions were much more professional.
"I’m not limited by tier or effect, but they must be rare Spirit Medicines. I have no need for common ones. If you have what I need, and the price is fair, I’ll take them all," Ye Xuan stated.
’I have more than enough money on me, anyway. It’s never a bad idea to stock up on rare Spirit Medicines.’ Ye Xuan even had a mind to buy out the Treasure Pavilion’s entire collection of prized herbs.
Steward Liu’s eyebrow shot up at Ye Xuan’s words. ’He wants to buy all of our rare Spirit Medicines? Does this boy have any idea how much that would cost? Does he think the Treasure Pavilion is some second-rate apothecary from the countryside?’
"Hahaha!"
Ye Xuan’s declaration sent the surrounding customers into another fit of laughter.
"Did that guy just say he’s going to buy all of the Treasure Pavilion’s rare Spirit Medicines? Does he have any clue what that’s worth? Not even the great noble families of Black Stone City would dare make such a claim," the onlookers sneered.
"Honored guests, this is the Treasure Pavilion. I hope we can all maintain a pleasant shopping environment," Steward Liu said, clasping his hands in a formal gesture toward the laughing customers.
"Of course, of course."
"Since Steward Liu has spoken, we should tone it down."
The laughing customers quickly composed themselves. Steward Liu wasn’t just a manager at the Treasure Pavilion; he was a high-ranking member of the Tianya Commerce Association. None of the guests present dared to disrespect him.
Although they stopped laughing, they continued to stare at Ye Xuan with mocking, taunting smirks.
They were dying to see just how Ye Xuan planned to buy out the Treasure Pavilion’s entire stock of rare Spirit Medicines.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Steward Liu led Ye Xuan to a counter in the back. Pointing to the herbs in the display case, he said, "This is the Treasure Pavilion’s counter for rare Spirit Medicines. Inside are all Tier Five Spirit Medicines of various types. I wonder, young man, are you planning to use them for Alchemy, or do you have another purpose in mind?"
"Your Highness, these count as rare Spirit Medicines? Where I’m from, this is basically trash. This king... uh, I mean, sometimes I can eat hundreds of these a day."
Jin Lin said, looking utterly bored. He had no idea why His Highness had even entered this shop; he wouldn’t give any of the Spirit Medicines here a second glance.
At Jin Lin’s words, everyone’s heads snapped toward him, their eyes fixed on him.
’What an outrageous boast! Eating hundreds of stalks a day? Does he think it’s pig slop? Besides, Spirit Medicines are always decocted, refined into pills, or used to temper one’s martial soul. Who just eats them raw?’
Steward Liu glanced at Jin Lin, his expression darkening.
Ye Xuan glanced at the crowd, not bothering to explain. He knew Jin Lin wasn’t joking.
"Most apothecaries sell these Tier Five Spirit Medicines. I want something you can’t find elsewhere—something of higher quality. Do you have anything like that?"
Ye Xuan briefly scanned the items in the surrounding displays. They were all common Tier Five Spirit Medicines, none of which caught his interest.
He swept the area briefly with his Soul Sense and discovered something interesting inside a sealed cabinet in the farthest corner. The fluctuations of medicinal energy emanating from it were quite strong, and his interest was piqued. "Steward Liu, what Spirit Medicine is in that cabinet in the back?"
Steward Liu glanced at Ye Xuan, wondering if the young man had come specifically for the Spirit Medicines in that cabinet or had just mentioned it casually.
"This cabinet contains High-Tier Spirit Medicines that my Tianya Commerce Association has sourced from all over the Dream Realm Plain. They are all Tier Six or higher. However, they are not cheap. They are worth at least tens of millions of Profound Coins, and some cannot be purchased with Profound Coins at all. They require Profound Stones or other treasures for trade. Young man, are you sure you wish to buy?"
Steward Liu narrowed his eyes, weighing his options.
"Bring them all out. Let me have a look," Ye Xuan said.
When Steward Liu saw that Ye Xuan didn’t even blink at the mention of tens of millions of Profound Coins, he began to feel uncertain. He couldn’t tell if Ye Xuan was genuinely prepared to buy or just putting on a front.
Still, he was here to do business, and there was no reason to refuse a potential sale. He opened the sealed cabinet, revealing over a dozen different types of Tier Six Spirit Medicines, each one emitting rich fluctuations of Profound Qi.
’The Dream Realm Plain truly lives up to its name,’ Ye Xuan couldn’t help but think, nodding to himself. A single apothecary in one city could casually present over a dozen Tier Six Spirit Medicines. In the Thirteen Nations Alliance, you’d likely only find a few in the national treasuries of the five great powers.
He glanced at the herbs and quickly identified all of them. Before, he would have been tempted by these Spirit Medicines. But after his journey to the Floating Light Secret Realm, he had at least a hundred Tier Six Spirit Medicines on his person, all of them top-quality specimens. As a result, these still failed to impress him.
’It seems this Treasure Pavilion doesn’t have anything truly good after all.’
A hint of disappointment couldn’t help but cross Ye Xuan’s face.
"None of these Spirit Medicines are of any use to me. Steward Liu, does the Treasure Pavilion truly have nothing better?" Ye Xuan was losing his patience.
"You still find these lacking?" Steward Liu sized up Ye Xuan, his tone turning dismissive.
In his eyes, Ye Xuan was just a troublemaker. ’If you can’t afford it, just say so. No need to pretend the Spirit Medicines aren’t good enough for you.’
"It’s not that they’re lacking, but that they aren’t what I need."
Ye Xuan shook his head. He was an Alchemist. In the eyes of an Alchemist, there were no bad Spirit Medicines, only Spirit Medicines one had no use for.
Steward Liu sneered. "Then what is it you need? A Tier Seven Lord Level Spirit Medicine? Is that it?" He glanced at Ye Xuan and said proudly, "It’s not that our Treasure Pavilion doesn’t have Tier Seven Lord Level Spirit Medicines, but they can’t be purchased with money alone. I wonder, young man, which family do you belong to?"
"Does that have anything to do with family?" Ye Xuan frowned. "Do I need to register my name just to trade Spirit Medicines at the Treasure Pavilion?"
"Of course it does. Our Treasure Pavilion is affiliated with the Tianya Commerce Association. Our finest Spirit Medicines are reserved exclusively for major powers and our most valued regular customers," Steward Liu stated proudly.
