Chapter 453: Buying Medicine at a Low Price (Part 2)

Although he had money, it didn't come from the wind.

Naturally, he wouldn't be foolish enough to buy at 500 spirit stones and sell at 500 gold coins.

Was this kid mentally ill or having a seizure? Otherwise, how could he say something so stupid?

Turning his head, he saw the young man not far away, who smiled slightly and nodded: "Not bad!"

"Haven't you caused enough trouble? Do you know who my teacher is, spouting nonsense and wild talk here?"

Seeing him go too far, even daring to provoke his teacher, Liu Chang, the appraiser, could no longer hold back and stepped forward.

"Who? Sharp-eyed, able to spot the key at first glance at a treasure... if I'm not mistaken, he should be an appraiser!"

Zhang Xuan glanced sideways.

"Since you know, my teacher is..."

Liu Chang was about to introduce his identity when the old man interrupted: "Enough. Since you know I'm an appraiser, you should know I'm not short of money, nor will I sell what I've already bought!"

He had figured out that this guy was simply mentally deficient. Too lazy to argue further, he looked at the attendant: "Pack all these up for me, along with the few items I requested earlier. Bring them all to my residence!"

"Yes!" The attendant nodded.

With that, several medicinal herbs and a few treasures were brought over.

Zhao Ya and the others glanced over and couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.

Though few in number, each item was exceptionally precious, with a marked price no less than three hundred spirit stones.

Together, they probably exceeded two thousand spirit stones. To take out so much at once without changing expression showed the old man's immense wealth, truly astonishing.

Faced with such a figure, the teacher wanted to buy what the old man had purchased for 500 spirit stones with just 500 gold coins...

Wasn't that a bit too much?

They looked at the teacher in confusion, wondering what he would do, when they saw the young man, hands behind his back, shaking his head with a look of regret.

"Sigh, I thought a big shot and an appraiser would have good judgment when buying things. Who knew you'd spend a fortune on fakes and leave? This taste... is truly hard to understand!"

His voice carried a sigh, as if disappointed that someone wouldn't live up to expectations.

"Fakes? Do you know who my teacher is? Spouting nonsense here..."

His teacher had let him off, but this guy still wouldn't back down. Hearing this, Liu Chang's face darkened, and he was about to explode.

Was there no end to this?

If the teacher didn't bother with him, that was fine, but now he dared to say they bought fakes? Was he asking for death?

"Sigh!" Facing the rebuke, Zhang Xuan didn't care at all. He sighed again and shook his head involuntarily: "Poor eyesight is one thing, but not admitting it..."

"And the worst part is calling yourself a big shot. How embarrassing. Forget it, since you won't listen and want to buy fakes, I won't meddle. Let's go!"

With that, he waved his hand and prepared to leave with Zhao Ya and the others.

"Hold on! Who said you bought fakes? If you don't make yourself clear, don't think you can leave..." Seeing that this guy was hinting that the teacher had bought fakes but wouldn't admit it, Liu Chang could no longer hold back and blocked his way.

At the same time, his aura burst forth, true qi flowing, full of power—he was actually a Mortal Realm first level Life Extension expert.

Also at the Life Extension level, he, having a famous teacher and training in the Ten Nations Alliance, was naturally much stronger than Ding Hong, who had broken through on his own.

If he really attacked, even though Zhang Xuan had improved recently, he would probably find it hard to contend.

However, facing the aura emanating from the other, Zhang Xuan didn't care at all. Instead, he glanced sideways: "What? Bad eyesight so you couldn't find the real thing, and you won't let others speak? I kindly warned you, but you feel embarrassed and want to keep us here?"

Pretending to be Yang Xuan, he had seen this kind of situation many times. Without this confidence, how could he bluff?

"Bad eyesight? Do you know who my teacher is? How many people in Honghai City beg him to appraise their items..."

His face turning pale with anger, Liu Chang was about to continue when the old man slowly walked over.

"Enough!"

Waving his hand, the old man looked over: "You say I bought a fake. Which one is fake? What evidence do you have?"

Though it was just an ordinary question, it carried strong confidence, giving a sense of intense pressure, as if one wrong word would bring punishment.

"Evidence? You really want to know?"

Zhang Xuan smiled.

"If you have sound reasoning and proof that I indeed misjudged, I will naturally admit it. But if you're spouting nonsense and talking rubbish just to show off, I might not mind, but I'm afraid... Liu Chang won't let it go!"

The old man's tone carried authority.

Directly saying he was blind and couldn't recognize goods—if it was just nonsense, even if he didn't act, his student Liu Chang wouldn't let the other off.

"This guy is really a headache..."

Watching this, Zhao Feiwu rolled her eyes.

In her view, if he really wanted to buy the Calming Grass, he could just pay the money. Provoking a big shot was the stupidest thing to do.

He really was a troublemaker—wherever he went, he caused trouble. Couldn't he just be peaceful?

Wouldn't it be simpler to just pay up obediently?

If Zhang Xuan knew what she was thinking, he would probably cry bitterly.

You're the daughter of the alliance leader, a proper princess, not short of money. It's easy for you to talk. If I had money, who would risk getting beaten to death just to show off?

...

"Show off? You think too much!"

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and looked at the pile of items the old man had just bought: "This emerald bamboo—did you just buy it?"

"That's right. This emerald bamboo cost the teacher three hundred spirit stones. It's the only one in all of Honghai City!" Liu Chang nodded with a cold smile: "What, you think there's something wrong with it?"

The item was right in front of them, with a price tag below. There was nothing to deny.

Besides, he didn't think it was fake. Not only had the teacher personally appraised it, but he had also examined it carefully—there was no mistake.

"Do you know the effects of emerald bamboo? And what do you intend to use it for?"

Ignoring his words, Zhang Xuan walked around the bamboo, lightly touched it with his finger as if confirming something, smiled slightly, and then asked.

"Emerald bamboo is a special spiritual herb. Its leaves can be used as medicine and are the main ingredient for refining [Emerald Linglong Pills]. This pill can give one a Linglong heart, eliminate inner demons, and bring peace of mind. It is extremely helpful even for Mortal Realm third level Yin-Yang experts."

"As for... the stem, it is very hard and can be used to forge spiritual weapons like the [Emerald Bow and Harmless Arrows]. The Emerald Bow is a low-grade spiritual weapon. Paired with Harmless Arrows, it can pierce the body so fast that it leaves no wound, killing instantly. It is one of the weapons many Mortal Realm experts are willing to pay a high price for."

"Of course, there is another use: it can be made into a formation base to create special formations. But this effect is weaker than the first two and not worth mentioning!"

The old man spoke calmly while stroking his beard.

His tone was calm and confident, displaying his extensive knowledge and impressive insight.

Emerald bamboo—others knew it was precious but didn't know its uses. As an appraiser, he knew a thing or two; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent a full three hundred spirit stones to buy it.

"Not bad. Most people only know that emerald bamboo leaves can be refined into pills, but know little about making bows or formations. Knowing this much is decent!"

Praising him, Zhang Xuan looked over again, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Since it has these effects, do you plan to use it for a formation base, forging a bow, or refining pills?"

To refine pills, not only the leaves but also the stem must be used as a fire starter—like burning beans to cook beanstalks—to achieve the best effect.

To forge a bow, it needs to be soaked in special medicinal solutions while fresh to make it tougher. But doing so would mix the leaves with other substances, rendering them unusable.

As for making a formation base, it's similar to the other two uses: formation patterns must be carved, and the bamboo must be reforged, which also affects the leaves, making them unusable.

Although emerald bamboo has three uses, one bamboo can only be used for one purpose; otherwise, trying to do everything would ruin it completely.

"Of course, to refine pills! Though the other uses are not weak, they are far inferior to the former!"

Frowning, the old man didn't know what these questions meant but still patiently explained.

The Emerald Linglong Pill was useful even for Mortal Realm third level experts, incredibly precious. Each pill could sell for a sky-high price, far beyond what the Emerald Bow or special formations could match.

To recoup the 300 spirit stones spent on emerald bamboo and make a greater profit, naturally, one would use its greatest effect. The others were just minor side paths.

"Since you want to refine Emerald Linglong Pills, then I say you bought a fake!"

Having learned what he wanted, Zhang Xuan said.

"Fake? Emerald bamboo is entirely emerald green, like jade, with large gaps between branches and leaves, unmarked by a knife. Each branch has three leaves, and each leaf has seven veins, no more, no less..."

The old man didn't answer, but Liu Chang quickly listed the identification methods for emerald bamboo, dozens of criteria, each matching the bamboo in his hand perfectly: "These are the methods to identify emerald bamboo. Even I, without the teacher's confirmation, know this is absolutely genuine, a true product. You say it's fake? Fine, if it's not, what is it?"

"These are indeed the methods to identify emerald bamboo!" Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile, not denying it.

"Huh? You know that, and still say it's fake?" Liu Chang was taken aback.

"You recited it well, and the identification methods are correct. This is indeed emerald bamboo, a genuine product!" Zhang Xuan said with a light laugh.

"Previous generations all confirmed it this way. You dare deny... Huh? What did you say... It is? Then why did you say it was fake..."

"Are you messing with us?"

They had expected him to deny it, but he directly admitted it was emerald bamboo. Everyone was stunned.

Even Zhao Feiwu and Jin Conghai raised their eyebrows.

He had been so confident and made such a fuss, and now that it was genuine, what was all the fuss about?

He swore up and down that they bought a fake, then admitted the item was real... Even if he had split personalities, this was too much!