Chapter 41: Martial Market Bank
"Your Highness, the Ninth Prince, there are only two seventh-grade True Martial Treasure-level refining furnaces in the entire Yunwu Commandery. One is held by the president of the Inscription Rune Guild, and the other is the one before you."
Qin Ya led Zhang Ruochen into the weapon vault, stopping beneath a three-meter-tall bronze refining furnace. This time, they were not alone; the Ninth Princess, Shan Xiangling, and Mo Hanlin had also followed along.
Zhang Ruochen studied the large cauldron before him and nodded. This bronze cauldron satisfied him greatly. "This refining furnace must be quite expensive, right?"
If it weren't, it would have been bought by another refiner long ago.
Qin Ya smiled faintly, her lips curving. "Naturally, it's very expensive. When other refiners ask about the price, I tell them it starts at two million silver coins. Since it's Your Highness, the Ninth Prince, I naturally offer a half-price deal—one million silver coins. I can't go any lower."
"One million silver coins? That's far too expensive! Are you robbing us?" The Ninth Princess glared at Qin Ya with displeasure.
Shan Xiangling was also secretly shocked. The entire Chiyun Sect's annual income was only about five hundred thousand silver coins. A single refining furnace was being sold for one million silver coins. Too expensive!
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Not expensive. It's very cheap. A seventh-grade True Martial Treasure weapon costs at least one million silver coins. A seventh-grade True Martial Treasure-level refining furnace is even more costly, starting at two million silver coins. Boss Lady, doing business like this—aren't you afraid of losing your shirt?"
"What use are more silver coins to fill the emptiness within? If Your Highness, the Ninth Prince, would spend a night with me, I'd give you this refining furnace for free. How about that?" Qin Ya's eyes were seductive, her gaze lingering on Zhang Ruochen with a captivating charm.
Zhang Ruochen coughed dryly. "I'll gather the one million silver coins as soon as possible. I hope you'll hold off on selling the furnace for now. I… I'll take my leave!"
With that, Zhang Ruochen hurried out of the weapon vault as if fleeing for his life.
The Ninth Princess caught up. "Ninth Brother, are you really going to buy that furnace? One million silver coins is no small sum. The royal court gives each prince and princess a monthly allowance, but there's no way to scrape together a million silver coins."
"I receive three thousand silver coins a month for expenses, which is the most among the princesses. You probably get at most five thousand silver coins a month, right?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Ninth Sister, rest assured. Without relying on the royal court's allowance, I can quickly gather the one million silver coins."
A seventh-grade True Martial Treasure-level refining furnace wasn't something you could find just anywhere, so he couldn't miss this opportunity. Once he had the furnace, he could continuously refine space rings. Would he still lack silver coins then?
He still had eight hundred thousand silver coins left, all deposited in the Martial Market Bank.
How could he earn the remaining two hundred thousand silver coins?
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the space ring on his thumb. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and a smile appeared on his face. "The Martial Market Bank!"
Qin Ya emerged from the weapon vault, her smile fading as she watched Zhang Ruochen, the Ninth Princess, and Shan Xiangling leave. "During the year-end assessment, he could already split his mind in two, which means he has cultivated his spiritual power to above the twentieth level."
Mo Hanlin, standing behind Qin Ya, was visibly moved. "He's only sixteen. It shouldn't be possible for him to have reached the twentieth level of spiritual power."
"I thought so too, since a person's energy is limited—it's unlikely for someone to have both extraordinary martial arts talent and such remarkable spiritual power. But since he came to buy a refining furnace, it suggests he wants to become a refiner. Perhaps his spiritual power is indeed formidable."
Qin Ya narrowed her eyes. "Mo Hanlin, go to the Inscription Rune Guild and check. The Ninth Prince must have been there recently. I want to know exactly how strong his spiritual power is."
"I'll investigate immediately!" Mo Hanlin bowed to Qin Ya and withdrew.
"Young man, you're making me more and more curious." Qin Ya extended her crimson tongue, lightly licking her red lips, smiling like a fox spirit.
Riding in the carriage, Zhang Ruochen, the Ninth Princess, and Shan Xiangling headed toward the Martial Market Bank.
The Ninth Princess asked, "Ninth Brother, why are you going to the Martial Market Bank? Do you have a million silver coins deposited there?"
Zhang Ruochen chuckled. "I did have a million silver coins, but I've used quite a bit. Now I have about eight hundred thousand left."
Hearing this, Shan Xiangling's eyes brightened slightly.
"Eight hundred thousand silver coins? How is that possible? Ninth Brother, where did you get such immense wealth?" The Ninth Princess was naturally shocked and somewhat skeptical.
Not to mention the Ninth Princess, even the head of any family in the royal city would find it difficult to produce eight hundred thousand silver coins at once. The Lin family could scrape together one million two hundred thousand silver coins to buy a spirit-level lower-grade sword technique, but that was the entire family's wealth, not Lin Fengxian's personal fortune. If Lin Fengxian could produce five hundred thousand silver coins at once, that would already be impressive.
Zhang Ruochen didn't bother to hide it. Once he bought the refining furnace, the amount of wealth he possessed would be exposed anyway. Besides, with his current status, there probably weren't many in the royal city who would dare to openly seize his silver coins.
Shan Xiangling said softly, "Even if the Ninth Prince has eight hundred thousand silver coins, he still needs another two hundred thousand to buy the refining furnace."
Zhang Ruochen replied, "That's why I'm going to do business with the Martial Market Bank. As for what kind of business, I can't tell you yet."
The Martial Market Bank would undoubtedly be very interested in space rings. A spatial storage treasure would be extremely useful to them. Doing business with the Martial Market Bank would maximize the profit from the space rings.
The Martial Market Bank was built magnificently, with heavily armored guards stationed around it at all times. In terms of defense, it was second only to the Yunwu Commandery's royal palace.
As Zhang Ruochen, the Ninth Princess, and Shan Xiangling stepped down from the carriage, a figure approached.
"Greetings to the Ninth Prince and the Ninth Princess! This old man is the Ninth Steward of the Martial Market Bank. I pay my respects to you both." An old man with a goatee immediately came forward, a smile on his face, bowing respectfully to Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Princess.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "You recognize me?"
The Ninth Steward smiled. "If this old man didn't recognize the Ninth Prince, I wouldn't be fit to be a steward of the Martial Market Bank."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Good, that makes things easier. I have a considerable business to discuss with the Bank Master. Please, Steward, arrange an introduction."
"Heh! Who do you think you are? Just a prince, and you dare to ask the Bank Master to negotiate with you personally? It would take the Yunwu Commandery King himself for that." Liu Chengfeng walked out of the Martial Market Bank's main entrance, chest puffed out, his expression arrogant, with a hint of hostility in his eyes.
It seemed he deliberately wanted to compete with Zhang Ruochen, as he was also accompanied by two young, beautiful maidservants, around fourteen or fifteen years old, both quite pretty. However, compared to the Ninth Princess and Shan Xiangling, his maidservants fell far short in both beauty and bearing.
Liu Chengfeng said haughtily, "If you really have business, with my status, I'm more than qualified to discuss it with you."
Zhang Ruochen sized up Liu Chengfeng and said flatly, "The business I want to discuss—your status isn't sufficient to handle it."
"What? Do you know who I am?" Liu Chengfeng's face turned cold.
"Not really," Zhang Ruochen replied.
Liu Chengfeng said, "Then listen carefully! I am Liu Chengfeng, son of the Martial Market Bank Master. Even if you haven't seen me, you must have heard my name, right?"
"Sorry, I haven't," Zhang Ruochen said, ignoring Liu Chengfeng entirely, and addressed the Ninth Steward. "Steward, please inform the Bank Master. If he refuses to see me, I'll leave immediately."
"Please wait, Ninth Prince."
The Ninth Steward immediately went to report to the Martial Market Bank Master.
If this had been the old Zhang Ruochen, he wouldn't have received such attention. But now, after his performance in the year-end assessment, he had already drawn the covert interest of the major powers in the royal city. No one would underestimate a top-tier genius; who could say whether he might one day become the king of the Yunwu Commandery?
Seeing Zhang Ruochen ignore him, Liu Chengfeng grew even angrier, feeling humiliated in front of Shan Xiangling.
"Just wait! My father won't see you. With your level of martial arts cultivation, in my father's eyes, you're nothing but a little grasshopper." Liu Chengfeng sneered.
Zhang Ruochen simply folded his arms and waited quietly, not bothering to respond to Liu Chengfeng.
The Ninth Princess and Shan Xiangling also showed disdain in their eyes, feeling that Liu Chengfeng was utterly lacking in manners and far too arrogant—a world apart from the Ninth Prince.
...
"The Ninth Prince? He wants to do business with me?"
Liu Chuanshen stood with his hands behind his back by the lake, his aura radiating like a towering mountain, giving an impression of lofty grandeur.
"Yes, Bank Master. If you don't wish to see him, I'll send him away now. However..."
"However, what?"
The Ninth Steward remained kneeling and continued, "There's another matter. The identity of the mysterious person who sold the spirit-level lower-grade sword technique at the Central Auction House last time has been uncovered. It was the Ninth Prince. He has a total of eight hundred thousand silver coins deposited in the Martial Market Bank."
"Oh! At such a young age, he possesses such vast wealth. What kind of fortuitous encounter has he had in these past few months?"
A smile appeared at the corner of Liu Chuanshen's mouth. "It seems I can still meet him. Perhaps he'll bring me a surprise."