Chapter 259: Monster Shop Owner (3.5k)
The woman in the green qipao also heard the commotion. Seeing Lin Yu’s somewhat spoiled face, she paused for a moment, then casually put out her cigarette butt. With a wry smile, she replied, “Miss Lin, I apologize… I don’t have the authority to change the price of our shop’s most prized possession.”
While the woman in the green qipao was speaking, Lin Yu’s gaze was already fixed on the White Snowball. She gave a signal to the bodyguards following her, and they immediately cleared a path through the crowd for two people to pass.
“Hey, who the hell do you think you are? Acting so arrogant!”
“I’m a mid-level Battle General, and this is the first time I’ve been pushed aside like this. This damned girl is looking for death!”
Immediately, shouts and curses erupted from the crowd. Anyone who came here with thoughts of the White Snowball was at least a Battle General level expert. How could they tolerate being shoved aside like common folk?
“Hmph!” An old, cold snort sounded, and ripples of air spread out, casting pressure over the entire alchemy shop. The glass display cabinets creaked ominously.
“Battle King level expert?!”
Everyone looked towards the Elder in Blue behind her. The elder exuded an aura of natural authority, clearly someone who had held a high position for a long time. Their expressions changed drastically, and their voices became as if they were suffocating ducks. The curses immediately ceased.
Seemingly satisfied with their reactions, Lin Yu slowly scanned the crowd, relishing the feeling of being admired. Then, with a faint smile, she took her grandfather’s arm and sweetly said, “Grandpa, I’ve wanted this White Snowball for a long time. Let’s buy ten of them to use.”
At this point, she was at least ten body lengths away from Su Jiu and the other person. Due to the earlier events in the darkness, Lin Yu hadn’t yet realized that Su Jiu and the other person were the ones she wanted revenge on. Glancing at them as ordinary customers, she turned away.
“Alright…”
The Elder in Blue, stroking the girl’s head with affection, then looked around calmly. Finally, amidst the fearful gazes of the crowd, he turned to the woman in the green robe with a frown and said, “I’m an old acquaintance of your shop owner. Exchanging one intermediate magic crystal for ten White Snowballs should be about right.”
“Patriarch Lin, isn’t this price a bit too unreasonable? The materials alone for the White Snowball are extremely expensive, made with premium Battle General materials, powdered intermediate ice magic crystals, and meticulously crafted by an Alchemy Master over seven days to produce just one…”
“Exchanging one intermediate magic crystal for ten White Snowballs, our shop won’t even break even. The cost alone—the powder from one intermediate ice magic crystal is only enough to make five White Snowballs. Our shop is merely charging a small handling fee.”
Hearing the Elder in Blue’s rather domineering words, the woman in the green robe’s expression turned sour. However, she dared not refuse and could only bitterly explain the high value of the White Snowball.
“Stop with the nonsense. Are you going to sell it or not? I can add three beginner magic crystals to the price. Don’t try to rip me off.” The Elder in Blue’s voice was already laced with displeasure. The surrounding pressure subtly increased, and even the slightly fragile crystal lamps began to fall, hitting the ground with crisp shattering sounds.
Su Jiu glanced at the Elder in Blue, not in a hurry to grab the White Snowball. Instead, she watched the unfolding events with keen interest. As her level increased, Su Jiu’s perception grew stronger. The moment the Elder in Blue entered the shop, she felt an aura comparable to his locking onto them.
“Slap!”
“Ooooh…”
Just as Su Jiu was about to enjoy the show, a sharp sound was followed by a tingling sensation that shot from her rear to her head, filling her with shame. Su Jiu quickly looked behind her, only to find Bai Zhi’s hand still there, emitting a white glow—a signal for private communication:
“An aura that doesn’t seem human swept past. I could feel a distinctly demonic aura from that invasive feeling. It should be a half-demon like you.”
Suppressing her shame, Su Jiu, with a dark expression, turned her back and slowly removed Bai Zhi’s small hand from her behind, pushing away the strange thoughts. Frowning, she asked, “Can demons open shops disguised as humans?”
“In such a remote area, with no mental power experts around, he can directly tell people he’s using an avatar, and no one can do anything about it. Besides, aren’t you one too?” Bai Zhi shrugged. Noticing Su Jiu’s flushed face, her eyes, which had been emitting small white flowers, suddenly held a hint of teasing. She tiptoed and leaned close to Su Jiu’s ear, her voice soft and sweet as she changed the subject,
“What’s wrong? Just a little spank and your face is already this red? Aren’t you a flirtatious fellow? No way? No way? Are you that sensitive?”
Glancing at Bai Zhi, who was mocking her like a mischievous little girl, and seeing her crescent-like eyebrows seeming to say “Sister is no good,” Su Jiu’s fists clenched…
Her fists hardened!
She forced herself to calm down, knowing she would have plenty of opportunities to teach this flower spirit a lesson later. But she grew increasingly angry. Taking a deep breath, she tightly grasped Bai Zhi’s fair hand, tilted her head, her forehead covered in black lines, but with a slight smile, she said amicadaely, “Tonight, I want to drink the raw sap of a plant demon. I hope Sister Bai Zhi can contribute some.”
Bai Zhi, who thought she had finally managed to fluster the flirtatious Su Jiu, stiffened upon hearing this. The feigned flirtatiousness vanished from her face. Thinking of Su Jiu’s blood clan ability that could make her “damp,” a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She quickly transmitted mentally, “Sister Su Jiu, I was just joking… I was wrong.”
Admitting defeat in time was important. Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be an apology in this place…
“Wrong? What did you do wrong… You did nothing wrong.”
Ignoring Bai Zhi, Su Jiu gently stroked the back of her hand with her finger. Every time she touched a faint blue vein, she would pause slightly. This peculiar touch made Bai Zhi’s full legs involuntarily tense, wanting to close together…
“Ahem, Patriarch Lin, I don’t recall ever meeting you. One intermediate magic crystal and three beginner magic crystals, how about we make it four magic crystals for a slightly more acceptable price?” Just as Su Jiu and Bai Zhi were communicating with subtle actions, a deep, elderly voice came from the stairs leading to the second floor, carrying a slightly hoarse tone.
Hearing the voice, Su Jiu turned her head and saw an old man in a white long gown walking leisurely. His hair and beard were all white, and his eyes were downcast. His emaciated body, wrapped in the long gown, made him appear somewhat short, like the description of a dwarf in an anime. Most eye-catching were his erect, raccoon-like ears.
Unlike the avatars of others, the old man’s eyes also held a hint of raccoon-like intelligence. His ears genuinely twitched. With a wave of his hand, the pressure in the entire room instantly dissipated into the air.
“Li Wu, you’ve actually advanced to Initial Stage Battle King?” Seeing who was speaking, the Elder in Blue’s eyes paused slightly, and he said with some surprise. He had dared to attempt a forceful purchase because he knew the shop owner was only a High-Rank Battle General.
“Does advancing matter, or not advancing matter…” The short old man’s raccoon-like ears twitched, and he smiled faintly as he reached for his storage bag. Twelve White Snowballs, emitting a chilling aura, appeared before him, spinning slowly like a pinwheel, with a chilling aura lingering around them. As they spun, they seemed to leave a long trailing tail.
“I only have thirteen White Snowballs. The alchemist who mastered the core process is no longer here, so these are the last thirteen. If Patriarch Lin is willing to offer four intermediate magic crystals, I can sell them all to you.”
“Half-demon… As he got closer, I could feel his aura seemed a bit unstable, as if it were fluctuating?”
Su Jiu’s eyes fell on the old shop owner, a hint of confusion flashing in her mind, but she didn’t speak it aloud.
As if sensing Su Jiu’s gaze, the old shop owner’s eyes suddenly opened wide. He slightly raised his head, his gaze meeting Su Jiu’s. Looking into those eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well, he couldn’t help but let out a soft sound of surprise.
That feeling of being stared at by a fierce beast—was it her?
“What’s wrong? Shop owner?” Hearing the short old man’s surprised exclamation, the woman in the green qipao also paused, asking in confusion.
Seeing how young Su Jiu and the other person looked, and thinking she had sensed wrong, the short shop owner frowned and shifted his gaze back to the Elder in Blue. Seeing his frown, he said with a faint smile, “Well? Have you decided?”
“Grandpa… we must get this White Snowball. Without the frost suppression, the Crimson Flame Sparrow can break through the encirclement at any moment.” Miss Lin Yu, hearing the short shop owner, then looked at her grandfather, who seemed reluctant to spend a large sum of money on a beast-catching ball. She quickly turned back, grabbed the Elder in Blue’s hand, and pouted coquettishly.
“Alright, alright…”
Unable to resist his only granddaughter, the Elder in Blue let out a helpless smile. Then, looking at the short shop owner, knowing he was also a Battle King, he no longer acted so arrogantly. He said calmly, “Brother Li Wu, give my Lin family some face. Two intermediate magic crystals for these White Snowballs, I’ll take them all… We are both involved in businesses related to bird-type monsters, so we might need to interact in the future.”
“Two? Heh, Patriarch Lin certainly knows how to joke.”
Hearing his words, the short shop owner’s expression immediately turned cold. He understood the implication—offending the Lin family in Yunpu meant nothing, even if you were a Battle King.
With a cold snort, he narrowed his eyes and said loudly to the crowd around him, “Today, I intend to sell these White Snowballs at a bargain. Three intermediate magic crystals for all thirteen. Is anyone willing to purchase them?”
As soon as the old man finished speaking, a murmur of noise arose from the crowd. It seemed someone had an idea and was about to speak when a cold snort rang out, and the surrounding atmosphere solidified once more.
“Could it be that someone wants to snatch them up with me?”
Patriarch Lin Heng narrowed his old eyes and said calmly. He stamped his foot forward, and a green domain spread from his toes. Numerous small vortexes of wind appeared around him, and the wind whistled against the glass with sharp explosive sounds, like a warning.
This caused those who had just harbored a desire to buy to tremble, and they retreated. They looked at Lin Heng, enveloped in green airflow, with fear, finally remembering how powerful a Battle King was. They truly had their hearts clouded with grease to compete with a Battle King for something.
Looking at the reactions of those around him, Lin Heng nodded with satisfaction, feeling proud. He looked at the short shop owner’s displeased face and was about to speak when he was interrupted by a female voice.
“Three intermediate magic crystals, I’ll take them all.”
