Chapter 450: Grave Robber
Chapter 450: Grave Robber
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
The gold coin was a generally accepted currency within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. However, along with the rise in the rank of the kingdom, its use grew less and less frequent.
One couldn't buy a spirit stone even with a million gold coin. To offer fifty gold coin for something valued at fifty spirit stones? You must be joking!
By the side, Zhao Feiwu's eyebrows twitched and she nearly puked blood.
It took her so much effort to haggle the price down from a hundred to fifteen, yet this fellow offered fifty gold coins?
It was just a moment ago that she said that the other party might as well rob a bank... Why does it feel like Zhang shi was the one who should be robbing a bank instead?
In a sense, Zhang Xuan's offer wasn't any different from daylight robbery.
"Fifty... gold coins?"
Appraiser Liu Chang was still worried that the other party might offer a higher price. Thus, when he heard Zhang Xuan's words, he nearly burst out laughing.
Where did this countryside bumpkin come from?
Spirit stones and gold coins were two different trading currencies with completely different values. I offered fifty spirit stones, yet you went ahead to offer fifty gold coins. Why don't you just tell the vendor to give it to you instead?
You sure are thick-skinned!
Appraiser Liu Chang glanced at Zhang Xuan in disdain.
To declare an offer of fifty gold coins so brazenly, you're probably the only one in the entire market.
"I apologize, but I'll have to turn down your offer..."
Recovering from his shock, the owner hurriedly shook his hands.
He'd thought that the other party was some rich gongzi, young master, or something similar. In the end, he turned out to be just some poor bloke.
To think that he had wasted so much time on the other party.
"Do you think that my price isn't high enough?" Zhang Xuan didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled calmly in response.
The vendor fell speechless.
This was no longer a problem of whether the price was too low or not, but that the offer was as good as offering nothing!
Have you ever seen anyone holding a stalk of grass to purchase anything?
"Appraiser Liu Chang, I'll be selling this item to you then. May I know if there's anything you're interested in as well? I'll wrap it up for you together..."
Having lost his patience for the countryside bumpkin, the vendor turned his attention to Liu Chang.
"Does that mean that you aren't going to sell it to me?"
Zhang Xuan shook his head and a look of pity flashed across his face. "Sigh, I was thinking that I could solve your insomnia and nightmares if you'd sold the item to me. Since you aren't interested, let's forget about it then!"
After leaving behind these words, Zhang Xuan placed the scale back in place, turned around, and prepared to leave.
"What did you say?"
The vendor had intended to ignore Zhang Xuan regardless of what he said, but upon hearing those words, his body immediately stiffened and his face turned pale, "Friend, please wait a moment!"
To cultivate was to go against heaven, forcibly absorbing the spiritual energy from environment to nourish oneself. Under normal circumstances, it was rare for one to suffer from insomnia and nightmares. But for some reason, for the past half a year, he found himself unable to fall asleep, and even if he managed to doze off, he would immediately be jolted awake.
If it was just a day or two, he would still be fine with it. Yet, it continued on consecutively for half a year. Despite his powerful cultivation, his mind was already reaching its limit.
Privately, he had consulted many physicians but they were all powerless against it. Yet, the person before him had pointed out his problem and offered to give him a solution to it. How could he not feel agitated?
"Recently, do you find yourself being jolted awake frequently, sweating profusely whenever it happens? Also, when you fall asleep, does your body convulse slightly?" Knowing that the other party would definitely stop him, Zhang Xuan smiled and turned around.
"You... how did you know?" The vendor's body trembled in shock.
Due to being unable to sleep, even though he could make up for his lack of rest through cultivating day and night, his face was still unnaturally pale.
Most physicians could tell that much, but... Waking up sweating profusely and convulsing in his sleep, these were symptoms that only he knew of. He hadn't told anyone about it before, not even his wife.
How did the other party learn of it? And to even point it out directly.
"I can solve your problem!" Zhang Xuan said calmly.
"Solve my problem?"
The vendor's body trembled in agitation, unable to believe that he would be freed from his agony.
"You are free to choose whether to believe my words or not, but... this is the only chance you're going to get. If you don't solve it soon, your lifespan will take a toll and you won't live for much longer!"
With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan spoke indifferently.
Even though Zhang Xuan wanted the Dragon Scale Amulet, he needed the other party to place his trust in him first. Otherwise, it would be futile no matter how much he spoke.
"I..." The vendor hesitated.
After a moment, he gritted his teeth, turned to the middle-aged man and said, "I apologize, Appraiser Liu Chang, but it seems like I can't sell this item to you anymore..."
Money was important, but what could be more valuable than one's life?
For the past half a year, plagued by this affliction, he had spent more than fifty spirit stones on consulting physicians but it was to no avail.
If the person before him could truly solve his affliction, then he didn't mind giving the artifact away to him.
As for whether he should believe the other party or not... Just by how the other party was able to determine the symptom of his affliction, his eye of discernment was already superior to the physicians he had consulted before. Perhaps... the other party might really be able to solve his affliction.
"Hmph, there are many untrustworthy fellows loitering around the markets nowadays. You should be careful!"
Not expecting his fifty spirit stones to lose out to the other party's fifty gold coins, Appraiser Liu Chang turned to Zhang Xuan and stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"I don't think that it's a concern of Appraiser Liu whether I am trustworthy or not!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.
"Hmph, very well..."
With an awful complexion, Appraiser Liu Chang flung his sleeves and left.
It would be humiliating if a well-respected appraiser like him were to cause trouble just because he couldn't buy an item.
But of course, that was if he didn't know the value of the artifact he had just missed.
He had only wanted to buy it due to his curiosity after finding himself unable to identify the artifact.
In truth, he didn't really think that it was a huge loss just because he'd failed to obtain it.
Even so, to be outdone by a countryside bumpkin despite putting in so much money, he still felt a little enraged.
"Friend..."
Upon seeing Appraiser Liu leaving with a displeased expression, the vendor turned to Zhang Xuan.
If that fellow had truly been speaking just for the sake of it and was unable to solve his affliction, he really might burst into tears.
Offending a 2-star appraiser in this market was truly an unwise move.
"Don't worry, since I'm able to see through your affliction, I'll surely cure you of it. Show me your punching routine!" Zhang Xuan said.
"Yes!" Without much hesitation, the vendor began executing his fist art, causing a huge gust of wind to blow.
To think that even an ordinary vendor's cultivation would reach Half-Zongshi, as expected of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.
With sufficient resources and master teachers, its overall strength was innumerable times above that of Tianxuan Kingdom.
"Alright, that's enough!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.
As the other party's cultivation was far beneath him, Zhang Xuan was able to see through most of his problem through his Eye of Insight. Even so, if he wanted to cure him completely, he needed the help of the Library of Heaven's Path to determine the root of the illness.
"You've quite a few valuable objects on you, but if I'm not wrong... you obtained them through depraved means. The objects have an ancient tone to them, and there's a slight green shade to their surface. This is caused by a lack of air ventilation. On top of that, an aura of death is exuding from you... If I'm not mistaken, your expertise is digging graves!"
Walking up to the vendor, Zhang Xuan looked around before speaking nonchalantly.
"Yo-you..." The vendor's face paled, and he nearly fell to the floor in fright.
Digging graves was a nicer way to put it. In truth, he was a grave robber.
No matter how powerful an expert was, regardless of whether he reached Zhizun realm or Transcendent Mortal realm, it was impossible for him to escape the sands of time. Eventually, all would be swept away by the river of history. After their deaths, these people would be buried in a tomb along with their most prized possessions.
And it was exactly through digging these places and selling the artifacts of the dead that the vendor's business could grow to such a scale.
However, he had hidden this fact well. Many of his close friends weren't aware of it. Thus, having his main trade being exposed by Zhang Xuan left him light-headed, and he nearly fainted from shock.
"You don't need to worry, I've no interest in your business!"
Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan continued, "I'm just talking about the origin of your affliction.
"If you'd only dug up ordinary tombs, there wouldn't be any problems at all. However, eight months ago, you dug up the grave of a Transcendent Mortal. Am I mistaken?" Zhang Xuan looked over.
"This... No, you aren't!" The vendor clenched his jaws.
"Unfortunately for you, that Transcendent Mortal was betrayed by his wife and killed by his good friend, causing his resentment to linger in the world even after his death... If my judgement doesn't fail me, you must have taken a personal possession of his and carried it along with you." Zhang Xuan continued asking.
"... Yes!" The vendor nodded his head as he stared at that the fellow before him as though he had seen a ghost.
The other party's tomb was shabby and there was nothing of value there except for a personal amulet. Since it seemed as though it was at least worth something, he'd taken it along with him... How did this fellow know about something so private?
On top of that, to describe it so clearly as though he had seen it himself?
"It's precisely due to the resentment contained within this object that you found yourself suffering from insomnia and convulsions when you finally fall asleep... It's actually not too difficult for you to solve your problem. You just have to return to the tomb, pay respects to the owner, return the amulet, and treat his descendants well. If so, your affliction should disappear!" Zhang Xuan stated.
In truth, the affliction this vendor was suffering from was kind of similar to that of Apothecary Chen Xiao back then.
The latter took possession of an apothecary's cauldron while disregarding his promise toward the other party. As a result, he was cursed.
On the other hand, this vendor had been plagued with the resentment of a Transcendent Mortal expert for a long period of time. It would've been bizarre if there hadn't been anything wrong with him!
If he didn't resolve the issue soon, his longevity would definitely be reduced significantly. Most probably, in less than a few years, just as with Apothecary Chen Xiao back then, the aura of death would shroud him, claiming his vitality.
Zhang Xuan's words from before claiming that the other party wouldn't live for long wasn't just fear mongering.
"Master, thank you for your guidance!"
Given how the other party's analysis was spot-on, the vendor already felt significant trust toward Zhang Xuan's words, and he was filled with gratitude for him.
All along, he thought that it was a problem with his body. Never in his dreams could he have imagined that it would be due to this.
"This item... Master, please take it!"
Upon learning the method to curing his affliction, the vendor immediately passed the Dragon Scale Protective Amulet over.
He had no idea what use this artifact had, but no matter of how expensive it was, he didn't think that it could be more valuable than his life. In a sense, he had profited from this deal.
Zhang Xuan nodded his head and kept the amulet. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he took out a pile of gold coins. There were precisely fifty of them in the stack. "Here is your money!"
"There's no need for it..."
The vendor shook his hands, turning down the payment.
Rather than taking this measly sum of money, he might as well just give the amulet away. At the very least, he could win the goodwill of the other party in this way.
"Why is there no need for it? Since we've agreed on the price, if I don't pay you, wouldn't it be no different from robbery?" Zhang Xuan spoke righteously.
"This... Alright then!" Left with no choice, the vendor could only accept Zhang Xuan's payment.
"This works as well?"
Taking the entire happening into sight, Zhao Feiwu felt as though her understanding of the world was being overturned.
Buying a treasure worth fifty spirit stones for fifty gold coin, and for the seller to even thank the buyer for it...
That was way too incredible!
As the daughter of the alliance head of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the princess of an empire... She had seen many formidable physicians, but to tell that someone was sick and even deduce that the other party was a grave robber...
You aren't a physician at all...
You must be a fortune teller instead...