Chapter 45: Bargaining

Indeed, in every sense of the word, Li Tan deserved the reputation of being well-read.

Before his rebirth, he had studied at a renowned academy across the continent, spending nearly all his time in the library. Over five years, he read countless books, and eventually gained enlightenment, breaking through a cultivation bottleneck that had long held him back.

“You really have no shame. I’ve heard you spent a lot of time hanging out with your shady friends at places like the Red Mansion, wasting your youth.”

Lin Cui pouted with a hint of smugness.

Thinking back to his mischievous youth, Li Tan felt a sense of nostalgia and didn’t refute her words—after all, they were true.

“Hmph, why aren’t you saying anything now?”

Lin Cui pressed on, but Li Tan pretended not to hear and suddenly walked forward again. Lin Cui angrily stomped her foot and quickly caught up.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you were going back?”

“This isn’t the part of the city where the Li family resides, is it?”

Lin Cui asked as she looked at the colorful goods on the nearby stalls.

“Just browsing around, hoping to find something valuable.”

Li Tan answered briefly and stopped again in front of a stall full of medicinal herbs.

“Treasure hunting? Hmph, you actually believe in that? How could anything good really end up in a place like this? They would’ve been snatched up already.”

Lin Cui scoffed.

“That’s not necessarily true. Even the best appraisers can make mistakes.”

Li Tan examined the medicinal herbs on the stall, stood up, and moved on. His attention especially turned to the mercenaries who had returned from the Domain of Fallen Immortals. If not for the previous accident, Zhou Tong and the others would probably be doing business here too.

“Pfft! You actually think you can spot a treasure that even appraisers missed?”

“Why not?”

“Come on! That’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. How could you possibly find it? Whatever, if you think you’re so great, go ahead and find one. Talking is useless.”

Lin Cui dismissed his words with disdain.

Ignoring her, Li Tan pulled out a five-leaved herb from the stall, his eyes lighting up slightly. He put it back and asked the vendor.

“What kind of herbs do you sell here?”

The burly man behind the stall seemed to perk up his ears like an alert animal and quickly put on a smile.

“These are all medicinal herbs freshly brought back from the Domain of Fallen Immortals. Look at this one—it can be used to make low-grade healing potions. And this one here is an essential ingredient for Juxi Powder. All top-quality stuff. Since you’re young, Uncle will give you a deal—ten gold coins, and you can take whichever you like.”

Li Tan didn’t even bother to look at the items the man mentioned. Instead, he kept glancing sideways at the herb he had just handled, all while continuing to talk with the vendor.

“A bottle of low-grade healing potion is worth only one or two gold coins. You’re charging ten gold coins for just an ingredient? That’s way too expensive.”

“Alright then, eight gold coins. Take both. After all, my brothers and I risked our lives to get these.”

“Six gold coins.”

Li Tan cut the price sharply without hesitation. Lin Cui took a step back, clearly trying to distance herself from him.

“Sir, six gold coins is just too low!”

“Shopkeeper, these herbs can probably be found at the outskirts of the hunting grounds, right? And your mercenary team probably faced little danger going in, as long as you were careful?”

The shopkeeper’s mouth twitched, and he made a show of looking pained.

“Alright then, six gold coins.” Li Tan’s eyes flickered, and he grabbed a few random herbs from those the shopkeeper had introduced.

“How about throwing these in as a gift?”

The shopkeeper stiffened as he looked at the herbs Li Tan had picked, but then he relaxed and generously waved his hand.

“Fine, take them.”

Li Tan tossed six gold coins onto the counter and gathered a large bundle of herbs into his arms. Since it was too much to carry, he called Lin Cui from behind to help.

“Sir, is this young lady your sister?”

The shopkeeper, sitting on a small stool, smiled broadly.

Li Tan shook his head.

“No.”

“Oh, then she must be your girlfriend, hehe.”

“Girlfriend? I guess you could say that.”

“You speak quite humorously, young miss. How long have you been with this young gentleman?”

Li Tan smirked slightly. Lin Cui, for some reason, blushed slightly and gritted her teeth.

“We’re husband and wife.”

“Eh?”

The shopkeeper looked curious, but Lin Cui stomped her foot angrily, shot Li Tan a glare, grabbed the herbs, and dragged him away.

“Li Tan, what are you doing buying all these weeds, thinking they’re treasures? Too bad, Miss tells you, these herbs combined aren’t worth even one gold coin.”

Lin Cui said mockingly.

“I know.”

Li Tan said, then threw away most of the herbs in his hands, keeping only one.

“If it’s too much trouble, you can throw yours away too.”

Lin Cui frowned and noticed the herb Li Tan had kept.

“What is this?”

Since Lin Cui was present, Li Tan couldn’t place the herb into the desolate tower and had to carry it in his hand as he exited the marketplace, then turned to ask her.

“What do you think?”

Lin Cui lowered her head in thought for a moment and then looked up in surprise.

“You bargained with that man for so long just for this?”

“It seems you’re not completely hopeless. If I had directly asked to buy this herb, those greedy merchants would surely have jacked up the price or even refused to sell it at all, hehe.”

“Hmph, making things so complicated. So what exactly is it?”

Li Tan carefully tucked the herb into his pocket and yawned.

“Why should I tell you?”

“You! Tell me now!”

Lin Cui angrily quickened her pace, walking slightly ahead of Li Tan.

“Why should I tell you what I bought with my own money?”

Li Tan shrugged indifferently.

“Being so secretive, you probably just mistook some useless weed for a treasure.”

“If that’s what you think, then so be it.”

Li Tan was clearly determined not to tell her the truth. The reason was simple—this herb’s appearance had been completely unexpected.

It was Yanghun Grass, a rare herb known for nourishing one’s spiritual consciousness or refining one’s mental energy.

For Li Tan, who cultivated the Yun Ling Method, its effect was nearly negligible. But for Jiang Xin’s soul dwelling inside the Soul Jade, it was a priceless treasure.

With it, Jiang Xin’s soul would recover its intelligence much faster.

So although it wasn’t an absolute necessity, Li Tan was more than happy to obtain it. Coming all the way to the market had definitely been worth it.

Seeing that Li Tan wouldn’t tell her, Lin Cui gave a few sarcastic remarks and gave up. Probably because of her long steps, she slowed down and was soon left behind by Li Tan. Looking at his back, she felt an inexplicable sense of oddity.

How could someone like him be labeled a good-for-nothing?

Even without cultivation, he was clearly no ordinary person. At the very least, he was far superior to those so-called talented young men from noble families who fawned over her.

Could it be that Li Tan had been pretending all along?

If so, why would he do that?

What was his purpose?

“Hurry up. If you get lost, I won’t have time to come back for you.”

Without turning his head, Li Tan called out. Lin Cui, who had fallen far behind, snapped out of her thoughts, bit her lip in annoyance, and quickened her pace forward.