Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 72

After explaining the navy-blue thunder bead, the owner stopped introducing items, seemingly having no intention of showcasing the remaining items in the well-sealed silk box on the table.

Han Li, having discerned the other party’s intentions, simply smiled faintly. It meant that unless he revealed how much he possessed, they wouldn’t disclose any more.

Just in case, besides the two millennium-old spiritual herbs, Han Li had brought almost all of his assets in his storage pouch. Two mid-grade spirit stones and nearly a hundred low-grade spirit stones!

However, the spirit stones could not be recklessly wasted, and he had to try to resolve the situation with the spiritual herbs first.

In fact, Han Li only anticipated that millennium-old spiritual herbs had long disappeared from the cultivation world, and that their prices would be high. He had no idea how many spirit stones or magical artifacts they could be exchanged for.

While he needed to think more about the shield and the golden mother-child charms he had seen earlier, he absolutely had to succeed in trading for the Heavenly Thunder Bead. He didn’t immediately reveal the two spiritual herbs but instead took out a small wooden box from his storage pouch that looked precious at first glance.

Inside was, of course, one millennium-old spiritual herb. Han Li intended to enhance the value of the item by presenting it in such a presentable container, just as people are treated differently depending on their attire.

Without opening the lid, he presented the wooden box directly to the other party. The owner, who had been closely observing Han Li’s actions while drinking tea, immediately took the box and examined it, then carefully opened it.

“Hmm?”

The shopkeeper’s expression changed as the contents were revealed.

“Brother Li, are you trying to exchange this Yellow Essence Mushroom for a treasure from Manyu Tower? It’s a common spiritual herb, and unless it’s over three hundred years old, it won’t be worth much.”

Despite the other party’s noticeably colder tone, Han Li didn’t retort. Instead, he poured some fragrant tea into his own teacup, just as the owner had done earlier, and leisurely began to savor it. This relaxed behavior startled the owner, who lowered his head again to look at the spiritual herb in the wooden box.

“Gasp!”

The owner, after looking at the spiritual herb again and again, gasped as if he was shocked by something. He immediately pushed back his chair and moved the wooden box to the brightest spot in the room, examining the spiritual herb from all angles.

“Impossible. Could it really be over a thousand years old? Or is it just the appearance?”

Seeing the other party’s flustered face and hearing his sighs, Han Li finally felt completely at ease. The value of a millennium-old spiritual herb was definitely higher than he had expected, not lower.

The chances of exchanging for the desired item had now greatly increased. After a long while, the owner finally realized that he was being rude to his guest.

It was clearly rude and unsightly, but this was not the time to worry about such things.

Completely captivated by the item before him, the owner was determined to keep it at Manyu Tower at any cost if it was truly a top-grade item over a thousand years old. Just the fact that such an item was being traded would greatly enhance his and Manyu Tower’s reputation.

The problem was that he had never traded a millennium-old spiritual herb before, so he couldn’t confirm whether the item in the wooden box had the potency of a millennium-old herb.

However, even if it wasn’t quite a thousand years old, it was definitely over seven or eight hundred years old, making it an extremely rare item.

“Hey!”

The shopkeeper, still fiddling with the wooden box, shouted towards the lower floor, calling for a servant.

“Bring Elder Jeong here. Tell him there’s a precious item that needs his appraisal.”

After giving the strict order, he began to chat with Han Li while waiting for the so-called Elder Jeong.

However, he never mentioned the spiritual herb, acting as if they had both forgotten about the wooden box.

Soon, the sound of an old man with white hair being helped up the stairs by a servant could be heard.

The owner gave his seat to the old man and stood beside him. From this, Han Li could tell that the shopkeeper respected this old man.

“What kind of item is it that even you can’t appraise?” the old man asked in a trembling voice, gasping for breath.

“Elder Jeong, could you please take a look at this item? I think it’s a millennium-old spiritual herb, but I’m not sure, so I’ve asked you to confirm it,” the owner explained politely and handed the wooden box to the old man.

“A millennium-old spiritual herb?”

“Please examine it carefully. Is it really a millennium-old Yellow Essence Mushroom?”

The old man narrowed his eyes and focused his mind, examining the shape, color, and even the surface patterns of the spiritual herb inside the box. At the same time, he brought the box to his nose and smelled it several times.

Finally, Elder Jeong placed the wooden box on the table. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then opened his eyes and spoke.

“Congratulations. This is definitely a Yellow Essence Mushroom that is over a thousand years old. Moreover, it was harvested from the ground not long ago, so I guarantee that its potency is fully intact, making it a top-grade item among top-grade items.”

Upon hearing the news he wanted, the owner respectfully escorted the old man back downstairs. Then, he happily looked at the box in his hands again and again.

“Shopkeeper, it seems we still have things to discuss regarding the trade.”

“Oh… Ah! I was momentarily distracted. I apologize, Brother Li.”

“Haha! It can happen. Still, seeing the shopkeeper’s happy expression, I think you’ll offer me a deal that won’t disappoint me.”

Only then did the owner remember that the spiritual herb was not yet Manyu Tower’s. A flush rose to his face, and Han Li seized the opportunity to probe him.

The owner calmed his excitement and returned to his original polite demeanor, placing the item back on the table.

“Brother Li, since you can obtain a millennium-old spiritual herb, you must not be an ordinary cultivator. I am also a man of business, so I will not deceive you and will offer a fair trade.”

After thinking for a moment, he spoke again in a sincere and earnest tone.

“You can exchange this spiritual herb for the two items I showed you, or you can exchange it for the last item I haven’t shown you yet. If you are not satisfied with any of these, I can offer you a satisfactory amount of spirit stones here. What do you think, Brother Li?”

From Han Li’s perspective, the other party seemed to be offering a reasonable price. It was higher than the minimum amount he had in mind. He was ready to agree to the trade, but he had to know the identity of the last item first.

Before Han Li could speak, the owner wisely opened the last box and pushed it in front of Han Li.

“This is what we can call the treasure of our tower. I wonder if you can recognize it.”

Han Li was shocked when he saw the inside of the silk box. Surprisingly, it was a talisman, and the golden brick-like pattern drawn on its surface emitted a brilliant golden light, as if it were alive. Seeing the talisman, he suddenly remembered the gray sword talisman he had obtained in the previous battle.

‘Could it be the same kind of talisman?’

Han Li took a deep breath and spoke in an uncertain tone.

“A Talisman Treasure?”

“I never thought you would recognize it. Only a very few cultivators know about such treasures, so I am impressed by your insight, Brother Li.”

Han Li shook his head with a wry smile at the owner’s surprised words.

“You’re flattering me too much. I’ve only heard of Talisman Treasures, but I know almost nothing about them. Shopkeeper, you must know something about Talisman Treasures. May I ask for your guidance?”

This was truly sincere. If he could learn about Talisman Treasures through this opportunity, he could resolve his long-standing confusion.

The owner was surprised by the unexpected request, but since it wasn’t a secret, he readily shared all the information he had about Talisman Treasures.

Talisman Treasures had an incredible origin; surprisingly, they could only be made by cultivators at the Core Formation stage or higher [a high level of cultivation].

It was a talisman where a high-level cultivator who could create magical artifacts sealed a portion of the magical artifact’s power into a specially made talisman, allowing other cultivators to temporarily use the power of the magical artifact.

Talisman Treasures possessed the characteristics of both talismans and magical artifacts, so some cultivators called them Pseudo-Magical Artifacts and pursued them.

Pseudo-Magical Artifacts were very special, and while only cultivators at the Core Formation stage or higher could make them, any cultivator could use them. However, cultivators below the Qi Refining stage [the initial stage of cultivation] could not fully control the Talisman Treasure, so they could not unleash its full power.

Even if it was the same item, only a cultivator who had completed Qi Refining could unleash its full power by using the Mind and Spirit Refinement Technique. Although its power was not enough to cause a tsunami or collapse a mountain, it was still far superior to other magical artifacts.

Therefore, any cultivator at the Qi Refining stage or higher coveted Talisman Treasures, and in battles between cultivators of the same level, Talisman Treasures or magical artifacts became weapons that could overwhelm the opponent.

Once a Talisman Treasure had used up all its power, it was nothing more than a useless piece of paper. Therefore, it was also important to use Talisman Treasures appropriately.

Moreover, making Talisman Treasures was not easy. Since magical artifacts themselves could only be made by Core Formation stage cultivators or higher, their numbers were small, and when used to make Talisman Treasures, the magical artifacts would lose some of their power.

Even though making Talisman Treasures seemed foolish, many high-level cultivators would leave them behind for their descendants before they died.

And when a Talisman Treasure was made, not only the power of the magical artifact but also the original owner’s vitality would be greatly damaged.

Therefore, the items that cultivators usually left behind before they died often included a magical artifact that had lost its power and several Talisman Treasures that had sealed the power of the magical artifact.

After hearing a detailed explanation about Talisman Treasures, Han Li looked at the Talisman Treasure in the silk box again.

“The Golden Light Brick Talisman Treasure was purchased by Manyu Tower from a small to medium-sized family after spending a lot of spirit stones, and it has never been used. It is an item that is comparable to your millennium-old spiritual herb, Brother Li.”

The owner explained as if he had suffered a great loss. However, Han Li did not believe the other party’s words at all.

At best, they would both get what they wanted, and it was definitely not a loss for the other party. It was clear that the other party coveted his spiritual herb more than the Talisman Treasure.

“So, what do you think? Have you decided which item you want, Brother Li?”

Han Li hesitated, unable to make a decision at the owner’s smiling question. In fact, he was so satisfied with all of them that he didn’t want to miss out on any of them. In particular, the Golden Light Brick Talisman Treasure would definitely be of great help in the future, so he had to get his hands on it.

“Since I’m satisfied with all the items, I’ll have to take them all.”

After thinking for a long time, he finally made a decision. It wasn’t a bad idea to finish all the transactions at Manyu Tower. It would be less noticeable to others, and only Manyu Tower would have to deal with the repercussions of the millennium-old spiritual herb.

“You’re going to take them all? You’re joking.”

The owner’s face darkened, thinking that Han Li was being greedy and trying to take all the treasures with just one millennium-old spiritual herb.

In response, Han Li took out another wooden box of the same size as the one he had just taken out from his storage pouch.

“I’ll exchange two millennium-old spiritual herbs for all the items in your silk box!”

His voice was gentle, but it contained a firmness that indicated that this was the only condition. The owner, surprised by the second wooden box, forgot to respond to Han Li’s condition and first opened the box to examine the spiritual herb. It was clear that the newly appeared spiritual herb was also a millennium-old one.

With a face full of questions, he looked at the man wearing the bamboo hat once more. However, since Han Li was wearing a bamboo hat that covered his face, the owner could not read his expression no matter how hard he tried.

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