Chapter 119: A Hefty Price

Before I could finish my sentence, Li Zijian was completely stunned by the scenery of Qulong Town. His expression mirrored my own when I first arrived—a look of utter disbelief.

“So this is the real Qulong Town,” I said.

Just as the words left my lips, another person came in behind us. It was Old Li. He seemed far less intimidated, having visited before, and soon after, Chen Chen followed him in. Although Chen Chen didn’t shout or make a fuss, I could see beads of sweat as large as peas forming on his forehead.

“Come on, let’s walk around and take a look,” I said.

So the four of us began to wander through Qulong Town. For Li Zijian and Chen Chen, it was their first time here, so everything felt novel—they looked as if they wanted to buy out the whole place. Li Zijian, in particular, was fascinated by the rings and necklaces. Those rings were all storage rings, and indeed, they looked exquisite.

“How about we buy what we need first, then take our time exploring? After all, the shops never close here,” I suggested, glancing at Chen Chen. He nodded in agreement, so I led everyone toward the Cultivators’ General Store.

It was at this very store that I had bought my Winged Shadow Blade Technique—the quality was trustworthy. The place was easy to find, and after weaving through a few alleys, we arrived at the entrance.

I glanced at the security guard at the door. He clearly recognized me and gave a gesture, inviting us in.

Inside, I saw Mr. Yu, the shopkeeper, lounging comfortably in his chair, sipping tea.

“Mr. Yu, business is booming, I see!” I greeted him with a cupped fist. When Yu Yue saw it was me, he hurried to his feet.

“So it’s you, my young friend! Here to support my humble business again, hahahaha…”

With his hearty laughter, he led us upstairs.

The second floor was set up for receiving guests—a huge, worn sofa, a small coffee table. On the table were not only cigarettes but also freshly brewed tea.

I lit a cigarette, and Yu took a seat opposite us.

“I truly appreciate you all visiting my little shop,” he said.

I waved my hand and replied, “Mr. Yu, we’re here today because my friend is looking for a good weapon. Do you have anything suitable?”

I pointed to Chen Chen as I spoke.

“Hahaha, I like your straightforwardness, young man! Of course I have weapons—spears, staffs, sabers, swords, hammers, forks, rakes, axes—you name it,” Yu said with a grin.

“We’d like to look at spears,” I replied.

Upon hearing this, Yu led Chen Chen and me upstairs, leaving Li Zijian and Old Li to rest.

I’d been up here before, but the innermost part still held surprises. Yu used his key to unlock a door, and the sensor light flickered on, revealing an array of weapons. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call this a treasure trove.

Most of these, however, seemed ordinary—nothing particularly special.

“Mr. Yu, we want something high-end. These won’t do,” I said.

Yu paused, then chuckled, “Naturally, for you I’d only show the best. Forgive me for my poor hospitality.”

With that, he moved a weapon rack aside, revealing a hidden door behind it. He gestured for us to enter.

The secret door opened into a narrow passage, barely wide and tall enough for one person at a time. After about ten meters, we entered a small room.

Here, the weapons were all of much higher quality, each displayed in a transparent case or held by individual clamps. There were long swords shimmering with golden light, sabers with blue patterns, and a two-meter-long black staff—all dazzling to the eye.

But what caught my attention most was a spear tucked into a corner.

This spear was unlike any I’d ever seen. Its shaft gleamed with a bluish hue; according to Yu’s introduction, it was made from snow lotus wood, a rare material from Snow Lotus Mountain, worth a fortune. It was said the spear would even emit flashes of light at night.

The spearhead itself was over thirty centimeters long, silver-white, and gleamed sharply under the lamp. Where the head joined the shaft, a purple cord was tied.

This spear was the masterpiece of a renowned craftsman, forged over more than a decade. While not a spiritual weapon, it was second only to one.

As Yu sang its praises, I could see Chen Chen’s heart waver. I asked, “How much for this spear? If the price is right, we’ll take it.”

Yu thought for a moment and held up five fingers.

“Five hundred thousand?” I asked tentatively.

Yu leaned in and whispered, “My friend, don’t insult your old pal. I’ve never wanted to sell this spear, but since it’s you—five million, fixed price.”

Five million! That was an astronomical figure for me right now. Chen Chen heard the price, too, and bowed his head in disappointment.

“Ah well, business or no, we’re still friends. Feel free to look around. If you’d like, stay for dinner—my treat,” Yu said smoothly, offending no one and keeping his own treasures’ value intact.

But even pooling all our money, we were nowhere close. We had no choice but to head back.

As we retraced our steps, we regrouped with Li Zijian, but a thought suddenly struck me. I asked Chen Chen to wait and pulled the shopkeeper aside to the pawn counter.

“Mr. Yu, I’d like to pawn a few items.”

“Of course, just lay them out.”

I took out all the odds and ends from my storage ring and spread them on the counter. They weren’t worth much individually, but there was quite a lot.

Yu, calculator in one hand and item in the other, began appraising everything. After a few minutes, he estimated the lot at just over three hundred thousand. I handed him my bank card and asked him to deposit the money directly.

Now I had over a million in my account, but that wasn’t the main point.

I then produced a yellow box—the very one that had contained the Ghost King’s token, which I’d always suspected was valuable. Now seemed the perfect time to have it appraised.

When I placed the box on the counter, Yu’s eyes lit up. He picked it up and examined it carefully.

After a long moment, Yu gently set the box down, took a deep breath, and said, “My friend, this box alone is worth more than four million!”

I was stunned. I’d expected it to be valuable, but not this valuable.

“All right, I’ll pawn it. Old friend, could you let me trade this box for the spear?”

Without hesitation, Yu agreed, and pulled me back into the secret room.

He placed the spear into a ring and handed it to me. “The ring is yours as well.”

I thanked him, pocketed the ring, and said my goodbyes. “We’ll be off now. Next time, we’ll stay longer.”

Yu, sensing our urgency, didn’t press us. “Of course, of course—next time, dinner’s on me.”

He saw us to the door before returning inside.

Looking at the dazed and disheartened Chen Chen, I patted him on the shoulder and drew out the spear.

With a whoosh, the spear appeared instantly in my hand. Chen Chen was taken aback, staring in astonishment.