Elder Qiu said in a deep voice, “What’s the matter? Little friend, are you not satisfied with the price that Stone Cauldron Alms offered?”
Lin Xun shook his head. “No.”
Before he could explain, Elder Qiu’s face darkened. “Young man, I have to remind you that your batch of treasure comes from the Chi Family and is no different from stolen goods. If you weren’t a friend of Third Young Master, you wouldn’t even get half of the 64,000 gold coins we quoted. We already offered you a very good price.”
His voice contained a hint of anger. He seemed to think that Lin Xun didn’t know what was good for him.
Shi Yu couldn’t help but frown as he fumed, “Elder Qiu, I didn’t invite you here to lecture my friend!”
“Third Young Master, please calm down. I am just reminding him out of kindness and have no malice,” Elder Qiu stated calmly.
“You…”
Shi Yu was about to say something when Lin Xun interrupted him with a smile, “Everyone, you have misunderstood. It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with the price but, in my opinion, friends and business can’t be put together. So, please take back the friendship price and just offer me the market price.”
The experienced treasure appraisers were all taken aback. They couldn’t believe what they had heard.
Even Shi Yu was stupefied. Anger rose to his heart. He thought that the old men’s attitude had annoyed Lin Xun and so he felt ashamed and embarrassedMy friend had come all the way to ask me for help but you guys made things difficult for him. If this matter were to spread out, how am I going to face people in the future?
“It’s sometimes good for young people to have tempers, but you are letting emotions affect your decisions. If you insist on the market price then won’t that make us look too heartless? How would Third Young Master think of us?”
Elder Qiu snorted coldly, thinking that Lin Xun was pretending to take a step back to deliberately gain sympathy from Shi Yu and make them feel uncomfortable. It was a sinister intention.
Shi Yu was already a little mad. He suddenly grabbed Lin Xun by his arm, took him into a quiet room on the side of the main hall and whispered, “Lin Xun, you don’t need to care about what those old men say. Although they have irritating personalities, they’re skilful masters. Out of everyone in the entire headquarters, they only listen to my father. Even I don’t dare to fight against them.”
In the end, he sobbed, “This is the truth. Although I am the son of Fortune God Shi and look very well-off, I often don’t have the freedom to act independently in Stone Cauldron Alms.
He sighed again, “I thought those guys would do me a favor and give you as many benefits as possible, but I never thought that it would become like this. Damn it, how am I going to lift my head high in front of you again?”
It seemed that Shi Yu, the third son of Fortune God Shi, wasn’t as carefree and leisurely as he seemed. He also had troubles and worries.
Lin Xun was a little speechless. After a moment, he said, “Compared to me, you are very lucky. At least you are the well-known Third Young Master while I, the successor to the Lin Family, am all alone.”
It was very miserable.
When they compared their so-called ‘happy’ situations, Shi Yu suddenly laughed unkindly, “When you say it like that, I do feel a lot happier. If you have anything unhappy in the future, just say it out loud and make everyone else happy...”
Lin Xun couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “Get lost!”
Shi Yu cackled for a while before he could stop. “When we go back out there, listen to me and accept the price. When I get a chance in the future, I will help you teach those old men a lesson!”
There was a chilling intent in his voice.
As the third son of Fortune God Shi, he would inherit Stone Cauldron Alms one day in the future. So whether or not he stood up for Lin Xun, he had to find opportunities to beat those disobedient to him!
This was the path that those with power had to take. If he didn’t make the old men obey him, his so-called power would be nothing but a joke.
However, Lin Xun smiled slightly. “If you believe me, just listen to me this time.”
They returned to the quaint room.
The group of old men was still there, growing impatient. They had only come out of respect for Shi Yu. Otherwise, how would people of their status waste time on a youngster?
They were at the headquarters of Stone Cauldron Alms!
Every day, an unknown number of rich and noble people lined up outside to see them!
“Elders, Shi Yu and I have discussed and decided to sell the batch of supplies at the market price,” Lin Xun stated bluntly.
The old men cast a suspicious glance at Shi Yu.
Shi Yu thought for a moment and finally said through gritted teeth, “Just do as he said.”
Elder Qiu suddenly said indifferently, “If that’s the case, let’s do it that way. But I still have something to say. Young man, we have already given face to you. Don’t blame us if you regret it.”
Lin Xun smiled. “Of course.”
Lin Xun’s indifferent reaction baffled the old men a little. They shook their heads and tried not to think about it anymore. Never mind, Third Young Master’s friend can’t affect our positions in Stone Cauldron Alms!
“Third Young Master, this matter is settled then,” Elder Qiu said with a cupped fist salute.
Unexpectedly, Lin Xun said with a smile, “Hold on Elders. I have some other treasures that need to be sold. Can I ask you to take a look at them and offer a fair market price?”
Shi Yu suddenly narrowed his eyes, knowing that Lin Xun had counterattacked!
He was very curious as to what treasures could make Lin Xun so confident that he could use them to teach the old men a lesson?
They were in the headquarters of Stone Cauldron Alms, which distributed the rarest treasures gathered from all across the world and the four seas!
As extremely experienced and senior treasure appraisers in the headquarters of Stone Cauldron Alms, what sort of treasures had they never seen before?
Therefore, if Lin Xun wanted to teach them a lesson, he would need to bring out treasures that would astonish them. Otherwise, they would disdain him for being a rural bumpkin.
“Hey, it seems that this little brother is unwilling to admit defeat.”
“Do you want to test our treasure appraisal ability? Hahaha, I haven’t encountered such a situation in a long time.”
Those old men were surprised at first, but then they laughed disapprovingly.
Elder Qiu scrunched his brows and said, “Young man, I have important affairs to attend to so I don’t have time to waste. If you want someone to appraise your treasures, you will have to ask someone else.”
He thought Lin Xun was deliberately provoking them, and he had no time for such childish tricks.
He felt that it wouldn’t only waste their time, but also make their Third Young Master think they were bullying his friend again.
He turned around and left.
He was halfway out of the door when a gasp of surprise rang behind him.
“This treasure is...the Nine Twisted Heart Iron?”
“Impossible, the Nine Twisted Heart Iron only exists in the depths of the Spirit Burial Sea thousands of miles away. It’s a mysterious underwater treasure and has never been seen in the empire for hundreds of years.”
“The appearance, aura, color, and waves of energy coming from it are very similar to the legendary Nine Twisted Heart Iron.”
“Let me look at it closer!”
Elder Qiu was startled. Nine Twisted Heart Iron? Absurd!
That kid is so young and he came to ask the Third Young Master for help, so how would he have such a legendary treasure on him?
However, he still couldn’t help but turn around. He noticed that the other treasure appraisers were wearing all sorts of expressions as they crowded around Lin Xun like they had discovered a rare treasure.
His gaze shifted down to Lin Xun’s hand and he saw an item that was twisted like a vine, thick as an arm, around one foot in length, and enveloped in a dark-blue, dreamy, divine light. Additionally, it exuded a mysterious aura as frantic as the seawater and as cold as snow.
Elder Qiu’s pupils shrank and his heart pounded. That…that is the legendary Nine Twisted Heart Iron?
It’s a remarkable treasure that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years. It’s no different from being extinct! Its value is immeasurable!
As a treasure appraiser, he wanted to pounce toward the legendary treasure like a pervert who had just spotted the most beautiful woman.
However, he forcibly resisted the strong urge because he had previously claimed that he had important affairs to attend to and had no time to waste. If he turned around, wouldn’t that be a slap in his face?
“Hmph! Perhaps that might not be the Nine Twisted Heart Iron! It's still not too late to change my mind when the other treasure appraiser verifies it.”
Elder Qiu coldly snorted, but he still couldn’t stop himself from staring at the item in Lin Xun’s hand. He was conflicted and fighting his urge.
As Shi Yu watched their reactions, he couldn’t help but marvel at Lin Xun’s ability. He is a silent thunderbolt. He turned the situation around with just a few words!
However, Shi Yu was also a little astonished that Lin Xun possessed such a legendary, rare treasure. The Nine Twisted Heart Iron could be called an earthshaking rune material.
From what he knew, the Nine Twisted Heart Iron had an unbelievably mysterious effect when used as a rune material for forging aeth engines for large battleships!
Shi Yu vaguely remembered that his father Fortune God Shi had said that the most valuable item on the emperor’s imperial battleship was the aeth engine constructed from a Nine Twisted Heart Iron and several other rune materials!
Rumor had it that the imperial battleship could tear apart the void, and soar above the sapphire sky, and even Cyclic Derivation cultivators couldn’t shake it.
If the treasure in Lin Xun's hand is a complete Nine Twisted Heart Iron...
Shi Yu trembled. He was certain the treasure would be considered a top, earth-shaking treasure in the Stone Cauldron Alms headquarter!
But, where did Lin Xun obtain such a legendary treasure?
It only exists in the depths of the Spirit Burial Sea
At that moment, apart from Elder Qiu, the other treasure appraisers’ eyes blazed fanatically. They understood the value of the Nine Twisted Heart Iron better than most cultivators in the world!