Chapter 215 (1/2)

Chapter 215: Bartering

The page boy nodded without thinking. ”Then I'll take you to the event. Follow me closely. It'll be bad if you end up in the wrong place.”

”Alright.” Jun Huang and Nan Xun followed the page boy to a more brightly lit room. They were stunned by what they saw.

There were a great many people here, including important officials and their companions. Everyone had something of great value with them.

This was the annual trading market. Only bartering was allowed. Money was as useless as a piece of paper here.

None of the partic.i.p.ants were regular peasants. Jun Huang realized how lucky they had been. If they had not followed the finely-dressed man and were thought of as his servants, the guards watching the door wouldn't have let them in.

To enter the market, however, they had to go through another round of checkup. The guard frowned when he saw that they were empty-handed. ”Where are the valuables you'll use to barter?”

Nan Xun took out a fine piece of antique jade. It was from the chief of the tribe he had conquered at the border. Of course, the chief's attempt to bribe Nan Xun failed. He still took out the tribe in the end.

He found the jade when he was cleaning up the battlefield. He took it on a whim. After meeting Jun Huang and knowing that she was a jade lover, he had been thinking about giving her the jade, but alas, he couldn't find a good excuse. He didn't expect it to be of use today.

The guard checked over the jade and concluded that it was a rare piece of great quality. He let them in without another word.

Jun Huang had never seen this piece of jade. She raised an eyebrow at Nan Xun. ”Didn't expect you to hide this from me.”

”I… I wanted to give it to you as a gift, but haven't had the chance,” explained Nan Xu. ”If I didn't have to care about what other people thought, I would have given it to you already.”

Jun Huang curved her lips and chuckled, smoothing away the uncertainties in Nan Xun's heart. He stayed closely at Jun Huang's side.

Once they entered the market, they realized that their imagination paled in comparison to the real thing. They had a.s.sumed that the market would be similar to the other ones, only that people traded with items rather than currencies. They were wrong.

Jun Huang had thought that Nan Xun's jade was a rare enough items. Inside, though, almost all the items being traded were more valuable than the jade. Luminous pearl from the South Sea, jade scepter from Mount Penglai… The varieties of items here was beyond anyone's imagination.

Their entrance attracted a couple people's attention. One of them set his eyes on the jade in Nan Xun's hand. He came up to them with a smile. ”Is the gentleman interested in a trade?”

Nan Xun looked over at him. It was a middle-aged man holding a bracelet of Buddhist prayer beads. Behind him were two page boys. He looked like a wealthy man.

Before Nan Xun could say anything, Jun Huang spoke up, ”What are you offering?”

The middle-aged man turned to Jun Huang. Appreciation flashed through his eyes after he got a good look at Jun Huang's handsome face. Nan Xun narrowed his eyes and stepped in between them. His sharp gaze settled on the man.

Even though Nan Xun didn't take any obvious action, the man, who had built his own business in this large city, noticed Nan Xun's protectiveness. He smiled awkwardly. ”The gentleman seems like an extraordinary man, and you sound like an honest sort. I'll gladly make acquaintance with someone like you.”

The man's words got on Nan Xun's nerves. He took Jun Huang's hand and led her away. The man stopped him with a servile smile. No one knew if he wanted a trade for the piece of jade, or for Jun Huang. ”Why don't the gentlemen hear me out?”

”I think we can give him an opportunity,” Jun Huang said calmly. ”We have the time.”

Nan Xun thought for a moment before nodding. ”As you said.”

They entered a room in the corner. This served as a negotiation s.p.a.ce for visitors of the market. The middle-aged man sat on one side, while Jun Huang and Nan Xun sat shoulder to shoulder on the other side.

For a moment, none of them talked. The man poured each of them a cup of tea, drafting a speech in his head.

Nan Xun and Jun Huang didn't intend to start the conversation. Jun Huang played with Nan Xun's jade with her head lowered, while Nan Xun drank his tea and threw glances at Jun Huang every once in a while. Finally, the middle-aged man couldn't stand the silence. He said, ”The piece of jade looks pure and refined. Is the gentleman willing to part with it?”

”What are you offering in return?” Nan Xun asked directly. He didn't want to waste his time.