Chapter 198: You Should’ve Said You Liked Hearing It
Zhang Sheng was so excited he was about to scream!
It’s just that he gets like this whenever he’s excited.
But he managed to restrain himself by biting down hard on his fist.
’His favorite part of the Immortal Cultivation Game was all these Magic Treasures!’
But his money...
Wasn’t enough!
An Xiu seemed the calmest, but in reality, his heart was anything but still. He examined the items one by one, and like Honghuang, found no shortage of treasures that caught his eye.
He picked out a Flying Sword that was crackling with intermittent flashes of electricity and asked for the price, "How many Spirit Stones for this Flying Sword?"
Almost every Sect Disciple in their group now knew Palm Thunder, so a Thunder Element Magic Treasure would match their affinity and be the most suitable choice.
Nan Qi glanced at it and said with a beaming smile, "Sixty Mid-grade Spirit Stones."
Even though they knew a good Xuan-grade Magical Treasure could sell for a sky-high price, the three of them still gasped.
He and An Xiu had enough to reach sixty combined, but obviously, the two of them couldn’t just buy one sword.
Nan Qi knew it was normal for disciples of this Level to be short on cash, so she explained, "This is a Thunder Element Magic Treasure, the strongest among offensive types. It’s perfectly normal for the price to be a bit steep. Some are even more expensive, reaching prices equivalent to top-grade spirit stones."
But those were for the chosen few of this Level and wouldn’t appear on the open market.
Besides...
Generally speaking, even for a disciple from the Sea View Sect, it would be difficult to save up dozens of Mid-grade Spirit Stones at this Level relying solely on Sect rewards, unless they had a powerful family background.
When these three came in, their expressions were calm, a clear sign they were confident.
’So young and so wealthy, their status in their Sect must not be low. They must be from a Major Sect.’
’After all, they were recommended by Zhai Xiaotian...’
Nan Qi thought to herself.
Honghuang glanced at An Xiu. "You want this one?"
An Xiu pursed his lips.
He did want it, but wanting wasn’t enough to get it.
Honghuang thought for a moment. "Why don’t you buy it first?"
An Xiu shook his head, gave Honghuang a silent look, and sent him a private message.
[Let’s apply to the Sect.]
How would they apply? By taking a loan from the system, of course. They would just have to pay interest.
An opportunity like this wouldn’t come again.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to borrow from Fan Guzhou’s group, but for one, as players from the second wave, they weren’t familiar with them.
And for another, Fan Guzhou had just contracted the Feique Sect’s Spirit Fields a few days ago, an endeavor that required a massive drain on his manpower and finances. A Magic Treasure this expensive was likely something he couldn’t afford to lend out.
The system didn’t object. "I’ll just make one thing clear first: if you can’t pay it back, you really will have your account banned. Think it over carefully."
There can be no order without rules.
The system could provide a safety net, but the players had to be aware of the consequences.
Otherwise, Song Jiulai’s money really wouldn’t be safe.
An Xiu had known this all along, but Honghuang’s scalp tingled. [It’s taken us months to save this much. If we can’t pay it back...]
An Xiu, however, had a clear plan. [If it really comes down to it, we’ll just have to pay our way out of it. We can buy Spirit Stones from other players with real money to repay the loan.]
Honghuang was shocked. [You’re betraying our oath! Do you remember? On that night, all those years ago, from the moment we first stepped into this game, we swore! We would be the ones to fleece the game, not the other way around! Are you going to break that sacred vow?!]
An Xiu: [A man’s oath is no different from a dog’s bark.]
Honghuang: [...]
Honghuang wiped his face and declared to the system, "I want to take out a loan!"
System: "You got it! How much?!"
Honghuang and An Xiu discussed it for a moment. Combined, they had over sixty, enough for one sword. First, they needed to see how much a second Magic Treasure would cost.
They would apply together and split the cost, which would mean less interest.
Over on the side, Zhang Sheng saw the two of them muttering to each other. Though he didn’t know what they were discussing, he didn’t pay it much mind.
His mind was captivated by the various Magic Treasures.
He stared at the Magic Treasures without blinking, as if he were looking at the most beautiful things in the world.
He was filled with both envy and an unstoppable urge to buy them.
Nan Qi had seen many people come to buy Magic Treasures, but for the Cultivators who could afford these Xuan-grade Magical Treasures, items of this Level were merely transitional. Many of them even owned more than one.
It was rare to see anyone show such passionate joy for a Xuan-grade Magical Treasure.
Nan Qi’s eyes darted, and she suddenly said, "How about this? Seeing as it’s your first time here, and hoping you’ll give me your business again, I’ll give you a twenty-percent discount this time, how about it?"
Honghuang nearly jumped for joy. "May you have a safe and peaceful life, you good person!!"
A twenty-percent discount would save them over ten, possibly even over twenty, Mid-grade Spirit Stones. If she wasn’t a good person, then who was?
Even Zhang Sheng’s heart fluttered at the words "twenty-percent discount."
His face flushed red with excitement, and he stammered out a few words, "A... a kind... h-hearted... b-beau... beautiful... lady!"
Honghuang was even more effusive. "How could there be a woman in this world as beautiful and kind-hearted as you? You are like the bright moon in the sky, a living Goddess!"
An Xiu was even more solemn. "Thank you, Senior! Your kindness will surely grant you a smooth and unimpeded path in your Cultivation!"
Although Nan Qi had only offered the discount because she saw their love for the Magic Treasures, as mentioned before, it was rare in the Cultivation World for anyone to give such direct compliments.
What’s more, these few weren’t just spouting insincere flattery the moment they walked in.
It felt more like genuine gratitude for her discount.
Besides, the eyes of all three were so clear and earnest, their praise felt refreshingly sincere.
It was mainly men, especially male Cultivators, so many of whom were rotten at the core. Nan Qi had seen plenty in Liu Xian City.
Some who were a higher Level than her would come to buy things, and she disliked the hidden, lecherous looks they gave her.
In reality, An Xiu and the other two weren’t exactly paragons of virtue, but they were at least normal people. Furthermore, the game made it clear that you couldn’t just stir up trouble. The three of them were battle-maniacs, focused on increasing their combat power. When they saw someone like Nan Qi, they would only think, ’She’s pretty.’
And that was it.
Nan Qi was overjoyed by the praise, making her even happier about giving the discount. With a grand wave of her hand, she summoned another dozen or so Xuan-grade Magical Treasures, their auras even more potent than the last batch.
However, these Magic Treasures were rather special.
"These are Magic Treasures I’ve refined myself. While they are all very powerful, they can only be used once. I usually have trouble selling them, so I’ll throw them in as a bonus. If all three of you buy something, I’ll give each of you one of these Disposable Magical Treasures for free."
Zhang Sheng’s eyes instantly went wide.
An Xiu and Honghuang grabbed his arms from either side. "Brother, just buy one!"
They also sent a private message: [Worst comes to worst, after the tournament, the three of us will just go live on First Mountain!]
The system was also shocked. "So it was her!"
Song Jiulai was out walking his Black Blood Lion. He’d been delaying his work due to the low success rate of his Nine-Turn Puppetry Technique, but hearing the system’s exclamation, he asked, "What is it?"
"The seller of that Disposable Magical Treasure you got ripped off on—I’ve found her. She’s the owner of the True Treasure Pavilion in Liu Xian City. And you were right, she probably hasn’t been out adventuring much. You spent fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones on a single disposable, but these three players just got one for free by blowing a bit of smoke."
Song Jiulai: "..."
’Why? Just why?!’
’Was it just because I didn’t flatter you back then, my lady?’
’You should have just said you liked hearing it!’
’I could have flattered you for three days and three nights straight!’