After a day of rest at the inn, Li Banfeng and Little Fatty hired a carriage and set out.
Li Banfeng thought Qin Xiaopang would take him to a very special place.
But in reality, the place Qin Xiaopang took him to was Li Gou.
Standing on the street, Qin Xiaopang cautioned him, "Brother, that guy is too crafty. Don’t listen to his sob stories or his difficulties. You must have a price in mind, and you definitely cannot sell for lower than that price!"
Li Banfeng had an expected price in mind.
His target was five thousand per Elixir, and he wouldn’t sell for less.
His reasoning was simple:
He also remembered the Peddler’s advice that Cultivators must not neglect their cultivation, not even for a day.
Having made up his mind, Li Banfeng asked Qin Xiaopang, "Aren’t you coming with me?"
Qin Xiaopang shook his head and said, "I’m not in a hurry to sell my Elixirs. They are such good Elixirs; I can’t bear to sell them cheaply.
"I originally wanted to go with you to bargain a bit. However, the last time I went to his place to buy Weapons, I spoke too hastily and damaged our rapport. So, I won’t mess things up for you this time.
"After you’ve completed the deal, I’ll wait for you at the steamed bun shop on the street corner."
Despite the secretive talk, the place Little Fatty had found for him turned out to be Feng’s Grocery Store.
However, Li Banfeng would never have guessed that the grocery store would also purchase Elixirs without Little Fatty’s guidance.
Once he entered the store, Shopkeeper Feng greeted him with a smile, "Boss Li, you’re back. How was the business trip?"
Li Banfeng smiled and said, "The harvest was not bad. Here I am, looking to sell my goods to you."
Shopkeeper Feng was taken aback. "Boss Li, we don’t accept Snake-Patterned Chrysanthemums here; I don’t have the Alchemy recipe."
"It’s not Snake-Patterned Chrysanthemum. Let’s find a place to talk."
Shopkeeper Feng ushered Li Banfeng into the back room, where Li Banfeng first took out 1,300 dollars.
"Five hundred for the Sickle, eight hundred for the shovel. Paying off the debts!"
Shopkeeper Feng laughed as he accepted the money. "Boss Li is so generous! I wonder what goods you are looking to sell here?"
Li Banfeng took out a Snake-Patterned Pill and handed it to Shopkeeper Feng.
Shopkeeper Feng took the Elixir, put on his reading glasses, and after a long look, he nodded and said, "The quality is good, better than the Elixirs from the Medicine Shop."
Li Banfeng sipped his tea and laughed, "Shopkeeper Feng knows his goods!"
Shopkeeper Feng also chuckled, then handed the Elixir back to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng was puzzled. "What does this mean? You’re not buying?"
Shopkeeper Feng shook his head. "It’s not that I’m not buying. It’s just that I need to explain the rules first. I run a grocery store, not a Medicine Shop. Although I can do the business, this is not my specialty.
"In a Medicine Shop, this Elixir would be worth twelve thousand, but here, I cannot offer such a price.
"I don’t practice Alchemy. When buying and selling, I must make a profit margin. Moreover, the Elixir will be kept here, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to sell it. Therefore, I have to press the price down a bit. I’m afraid it might not satisfy you."
Li Banfeng nodded.
"Name your price."
Shopkeeper Feng extended five fingers. Li Banfeng assumed he meant five thousand. But then Shopkeeper Feng said, "Fifty percent. The most I can offer is fifty percent of its value—that’s six thousand per pill."
This price had no room for haggling. Shopkeeper Feng was being frank. That was the maximum he could offer, as the Elixir was of unclear origin and he would be taking on significant risk.
Of course, there was a reason Shopkeeper Feng didn’t push the price down further—he needed a favor from Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng nodded.
But though he was satisfied internally, Li Banfeng didn’t show it on his face. "Six thousand is a bit low," he said, "but how many can you take, Shopkeeper Feng?"
Shopkeeper Feng stroked his mustache. "That depends on how many Boss Li wants to sell."
"Sixty-five pills. Can you handle that?"
Shopkeeper Feng nodded. "I can handle it."
"Shopkeeper Feng is a straightforward person. Deal!" With that, Li Banfeng pulled out a bag and poured out the Elixirs.
After Shopkeeper Feng counted the Elixirs, he nodded and said, "Boss Li is also straightforward. For such a large quantity, other stores might have had to pay on account, but here at my store, I’ll give you cash on the spot."
With a wave of his hand, Shopkeeper Feng called over his assistant.
The grocery store had only one assistant, a man named Shengzi. Shopkeeper Feng whispered a few words to Shengzi, who went behind the shelves and through a small door. A short while later, he came back with a leather case.
Boss Feng opened the case in front of Li Banfeng. It contained thirty-nine bundles of banknotes, each worth ten thousand.
The store might not seem large, but this Shopkeeper Feng truly had the means.
"Three hundred and ninety thousand. Please count it."
Li Banfeng smiled. "Could I not trust Shopkeeper Feng?"
Li Banfeng counted it three times and then stowed the leather case away.
After accepting the Elixirs, Shopkeeper Feng smiled and said, "Boss Li, thank you for your patronage. We’ve made the deal, but we have to be clear about the rules.
"I didn’t ask about the origin of the Elixirs. And in the future, who I sell these Elixirs to, and for what price, you cannot inquire either."
"Rest assured, I won’t break your rules."
Li Banfeng was in no mood to ask about these things. With the money in hand, he immediately went to the station, bought a ticket, and hurried back to Yuezhou.
Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave with the money case, Shopkeeper Feng called out, "Boss Li, please wait a moment. The item you wanted—I’ve been keeping it for you."