Chapter 58: Bluffing
Behind the counter of the Black Moon Merchant Guild stood a man who appeared to be in his early thirties. He glanced at Yun Che as he walked in, and even faced with his bizarre outfit, his eyes remained utterly indifferent. He asked flatly, "Buying or selling?"
Yun Che wasted no words. He raised his right hand and slapped three crimson-red pills onto the counter. His voice was icy as he said, "Three Fire Spirit Pills. Name your price!"
Those three crimson-red pills were the Fire Spirit Pills Yun Che had refined from the Fire Spirit Grass he had gathered earlier in the Flame Dragon Cave.
"Fire Spirit Pills?" A hint of movement finally flickered across the clerk's rigid face. He picked up one, gently touched it with his finger, and suddenly his expression changed dramatically as he blurted out, "T-ten... ten-perfect purity Fire Spirit Pills!!"
The formation of a pill involved the collection and storage of materials, the choice of refining tools, control of the flame, and the technique of refinement—all processes that could lead to the loss of medicinal potency. Especially during the refinement stage, even the most advanced alchemists found it nearly impossible to prevent all potency from dissipating. Thus, a pill with six-percent purity was considered top grade; seven or eight percent was rare and superior; nine percent was only seen in the super sects... and now, here before him, were three pills with perfect ten-percent purity, the legendary "perfect pills" that were theoretically impossible!
This was a first in all his years at the Black Moon Merchant Guild. The clerk was thoroughly shaken, his hands trembling slightly as he held the pill. After a long while, he finally managed to calm himself. Realizing that such a distinguished customer must not be slighted, he turned and called upstairs, "Old Pu, hurry! Big business! Quickly!"
No sooner had his voice faded than a rather thin old man slowly descended from the stairs. The stairs were wooden, but his footsteps made not the slightest creak. His eyes appeared gentle, but the light within was as sharp as a cold blade. This man was the well-known and widely recognized Black Moon shopkeeper of New Moon City—Pu He.
"Big business?" Pu He walked over, glanced casually at Yun Che. His gaze was calm, but held a hint of arrogance.
"Old Pu, l-look at this!" The clerk took the Mysterious Pill and presented it to Pu He with trembling hands.
Pu He gave him a glare and said disapprovingly, "Hmph, you're getting less and less impressive. A mere little Mysterious Pill gets you this excited! Is it supposed to be a Heavenly Xuan Pill or something? Carrying on like that—won't it make outsiders think we at the Black Moon Merchant Guild have never seen the world!"
Pu He scolded him coldly while casually taking the Mysterious Pill from his hand. The moment it touched his palm, his voice cut off abruptly, and his entire hand gave a start. He quickly brought it close to his eyes, channeling his profound energy to carefully sense the power within the pill. After a few breaths, his whole body shuddered again, his beard twitched, and he let out a cry of shock that was at least an octave higher than the clerk's: "A H-Heavenly... Xuan... Dragon Pill!!"
The clerk secretly rolled his eyes at him... He was the one who said I was making a fuss, and now he's shouting even louder than me!
"Hmph! Just a mere King Xuan Pill makes all of you carry on like this. The Black Moon Merchant Guild really is getting more and more impressive."
In the midst of Pu He's extreme shock, a cold, hoarse voice came from beside him. He quickly composed himself, looked at Yun Che, examined him carefully, then set down the Flame Dragon King Xuan Pill with care and put on a respectful demeanor. "Esteemed guest, might I... might I ask your distinguished name?"
When he had first descended the stairs, he had glanced at Yun Che and seen his stiff, corpse-like face, inwardly sneering—because no one in New Moon City dared to act cocky inside his Black Moon Merchant Guild. But now, Pu He felt that Yun Che's demeanor was perfectly normal. Someone who could produce a Heavenly Xuan Dragon Pill—what kind of existence was that? Why would he bother putting on a good face for a small-town Black Moon branch?
He had taken a good look at this "middle-aged man" and was secretly astonished, for this person's eyes were far too deep and sharp—so deep that he could not see through them at all, and so sharp that it seemed everything about him was laid bare.
Yun Che's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze and voice suddenly turning several degrees colder: "Since when did the Black Moon Merchant Guild add the rule of asking for a customer's name when doing business?"
At that moment, Pu He suddenly sensed a flash of killing intent... Though it lasted only the briefest instant, it made every hair on his body stand on end. He had killed many people in his life, and had nearly been killed by many others, so he was very familiar with and sensitive to killing intent. But in all his years, he had never felt such terrifying killing intent as that moment. He couldn't imagine how many people one would have to kill to possess killing intent so fearsome... ten thousand? a hundred thousand? Or... a million that would shock even gods and ghosts?
Even the legendary Asura of the Purgatory might not have killing intent stronger than this.
Pu He's heart was completely on edge, cold sweat pouring from his back. In all the years he had been in New Moon City, this was the first time he had broken into a cold sweat. A man with a pale, icy face, terrifying killing intent, and the ability to produce a King Xuan Pill without batting an eye... what kind of realm must he be in! With killing intent like that, perhaps killing people was as casual as eating a meal. If he were displeased...
Thinking this, Pu He's cold sweat grew even heavier. He quickly lowered his head, his expression even more respectful. "No, no, Pu would never mean that! It's just that anyone who can slay a King Xuan beast, and a King Xuan True Dragon at that, is a peerless powerhouse worthy of admiration. I was momentarily overwhelmed by reverence and spoke out of turn."
He desperately wanted to know just what realm this "terrifying person" was in, but even if he had a hundred times the courage, he would not dare to probe Yun Che's profound strength level.
"Hmph!" Yun Che gave a cold snort.
The killing intent vanished without a trace. Pu He breathed a secret sigh of relief and carefully asked, "King Xuan Pills are incomparably precious. Not just in New Moon City, but in the entire Cang Feng Empire, you'd be lucky to see one in a century. May I ask why such an esteemed guest would wish to sell such a treasure?"
"It's useless to me," Yun Che said expressionlessly.
Useless to him? Pu He's heart did another frantic leap... Dismissing even a King Xuan Pill with such disdain—just what realm was this man in?
Pu He gave a wry smile and said, "Esteemed guest, Pu's heart desires nothing more than to keep this King Xuan Dragon Pill. But I dare not deceive you—this King Xuan Dragon Pill is far too precious. Its value is beyond estimation. Even if Pu were to mortgage this entire Black Moon branch to you, it wouldn't be worth a fifth of this one pill."