207 Ouyang Yan (1/2)
It was clear that the Golden Chambers took the matter regarding the Rainbow Pills very seriously. They had even deployed one of their few Earth Knights, a person of great stature within the Chengzi Kingdom.
Xue Wei was surprised, but he had never had any malicious thoughts involving stealing the Rainbow Pills so it did not matter that there were such strong experts present.
”You have to be careful,” Bai Tianyi transmitted through voice-compression with an alert gleam in his eyes. ”Although the Golden Chambers has been friendly and positive towards us, who knows what greed might do to them. If things go wrong and with an Earth Knight present, we will be incapable of escaping.”
”Reward and danger go hand in hand,” Xue Wei answered seriously. ”We could retreat now, but then we will not get our hands on the Rainbow Pills we so much need. As we are, we are just not strong enough to continue on our journey.”
”I have to admit that there is reason in what you say,” Bai Tianyi sighed, but he remained tense, keeping an eye on everything around them. If he felt too much danger, they would be leaving at any moment.
Hei Gou, on the other hand, was calm and relaxed. ”The Golden Chambers is aware of us having a Formation Master in our midst. If they truly coveted only our formations, they would've made a move on us a long time ago. The fact that we are still safe and sound means that they can hold back their greed,” he reasoned seriously.
Both Hei Gou and Bai Tianyi made sense, but their opinions were diametrical opposites. In the end, Xue Wei decided to continue the endeavor while exercising greater caution.
As they reached the second floor, the atmosphere in the hall changed drastically. It was much heavier and silence covered the entire floor.
The girl guided them towards the opposite end of the stairs, where a middle-aged man was standing. There were stern-looking cultivators throughout the entire floor. The moment that Xue Wei, Bai Tianyi, and Hei Gou went up the stairs, all these eyes turned towards them.
The oppressive air was overwhelming and made the hairs on Xue Wei's arms stand on end.
Bai Tianyi had seen many things in his life. He did not believe that one place would be completely impartial. In fact, he was absolutely sure that everyone worked on the principle of self-gain, so he never trusted anyone completely, especially not an establishment like the Golden Chambers that made a profit from exploiting others.
Hei Gou was much more inexperienced, and his inexperience is what let him remain naively calm. Although he understood the underlying dangers, he also knew that they had been treated well until now—so why would things suddenly change?
This was also Hei Gou's personality. He was a positive and rather carefree person.
As they reached the middle-aged man, he lifted his head and looked straight at them with narrowed eyes.
”If it is not the infamous Ye Xiao,” he said with a smile yet not a smile on his face.
”I assume you are here to trade for the Rainbow Pills,” he continued. Xue Wei nodded his head.
The man's eyes narrowed further, but in a way that made his face contort with undisguised joy. ”I know you previously traded quite a few formations for a Rebirth Pill back in Golden Crow City,” the middle-aged man continued.
Xue Wei understood that the negotiations for their business deal had started the moment they came into contact with this man.
He was slightly stunned because they were discussing something like this in public. Still, he did not say anything. He nodded his head again to acknowledge what the man had said.
”I am Zhou Yuan,” the man introduced himself. ”I am the leader of the Medicinal Pill Workshop here in Cloudsoar City. Although our branch's Golden Chambers is not as prominent as the branch back in Golden Crow City, I am of the impression that the Rainbow Pills are of much more value than the Rebirth Pill.”
The man was smiling. He knew the situation with the Rebirth Pill and how they had been adamant on buying it back then, but now he was using it to raise the price of the Rainbow Pills.
Xue Wei was somewhat depressed. He was not willing to cheat the Golden Chambers as they had shown him ample respect, but he was not willing to be cheated either. This man was clearly out to scam him.
”We have some formations,” Bai Tianyi took the word. His immature, light voice caught every person on the floor by surprise.
They had never expected that the first to speak would be a child they had overlooked. ”We have formations, but it's not like we're dying to get our hands on some Rainbow Pills. Were you thinking we'd pay an exorbitant price for them?”
”We have these Flameward Formations. They are increasingly rare. We offer one Flameward Formation, alongside one Paralyzing Formation and one Spiritual Energy Bomb for each of the Rainbow Pills. It is not up for discussion. If you are not interested in our offer, then feel free to decline it and we will be on our way.”
His words, coupled with the tone, took them all by surprise. They had never expected that this young child was allowed to make the calls, but the way Xue Wei just stood behind the little boy with a slight smile on his face told them that the he had the authority to do so.
The man's narrowed eyes widened in surprise. He had thought that they would begin a discussion on the worth of the items, but the price offered by the child was already rather tempting to accept right away.
If they really changed their mind because he hesitated, was it not a great loss for the Golden Chambers?