Chapter 254: I Am the Worst at Bluffing
Translator: E.3.3. Editor: Vermillion
In the face of such an imperious juvenile and his ridiculous proposal, Bu Fang really didn't know what to say.
Someone actually wanted to purchase Whitey. He has got… quite a unique taste. Bu Fang twisted his head to look at the chubby Whitey, inspecting the puppet up and down. There was nothing extraordinary about it from head to toe, and plus it was just so fat. How could someone be interested in it?
There were tons of rich folks visiting Fang Fang's Little Store back in the Imperial City on a daily basis but none had proposed to purchase Whitey. This young lad before his eyes was indeed a bold one.
"Whitey, did you hear that, it turns out you've still got some admirers in this world." Bu Fang patted Whitey's plump, white belly with a solemn expression and muttered seriously.
Whitey's robotic eyes flickered red. It's fan-like hands raised up to touch its own round head… Its face was filled with bewilderment.
"So, what do you think? Name a price." The corners of that young man's mouth curled as he peered at Bu Fang with a smile.
The children and servants standing behind this young lad also looked at Bu Fang with taunting glances.
What did the Xiao Family of the Southern City have the most? Money of course! As one of the most influential households around here, though their spheres of influences—in terms of territory and status—was not at its best, it had certainly made a lot of money over the past few years. Xiao Meng's reputation alone was enough to uphold the Xiao household. That he came from the Xiao Family in the Southern City was a big deal.
"No, it's more than you can afford." Bu Fang looked as if he suddenly remembered something. A trace of pity was stamped across his face as he gazed at the young man calmly.
"More than I can afford? What a joke… A thousand golden coins, and this iron puppet is mine!" The young lad sneered coldly. He dismissed Bu Fang as calling bluff.
It was just a metallic lump of a puppet. Was it going to launch for the moon or need it feed on crystals?
A thousand golden coins… The corners of Bu Fang's mouth twisted. Then he ogled at the juvenile as if he was looking at an idiot. Any leftover dish he normally recycled in Whitey was easily worth more than a thousand golden coins. Did this young lad take him as a beggar?
"A thousand golden coins… Haha." Bu Fang sneered coldly with a deadpan face.
Whitey's robotic eyes flickered. It shot a look at Bu Fang, and then at that young man.
"You country bumpkin, don't be so greedy. Consider it an honor that I take interest in this puppet!" The young lad was simply furious. A thousand golden coins for that shabby lump of iron and he don't find that enough? Since when did yokels become so insatiable?
Bu Fang scrunched his brows into a frown, pursed his lips, and then let out a light sigh. "Stop the nonsense, it is truly more than you can afford."
Stop the nonsense my ass! The young man glared, and with the wave of a hand, summoned a large bag of golden coins. As the pouch hit the floor with a thud, a few coins fell out.
"Here's two thousand golden coins. Is that enough? My mother once said one should not be too avaricious in life." The juvenile retorted.
Bu Fang exhaled a soft breath, extended a hand, and patted the young lad's head, "Knock it off already. You cannot buy this thing with golden coins."
The youngster widened his eyes, gawking at the palm Bu Fang placed over his head. He was completely dumbstruck… Since when were we this close?
Yet after that, something even more astonishing occurred. He watched as the man before him snapped his fingers. A sparking crystal then surfaced on his hand.
Bu Fang announced solemnly: "If you want to buy it, you'll need to use this."
Crystals… Are you freaking kidding me. How could this lump of iron be comparable to crystals?
"What are you even saying…" The youth questioned him hotly.
However, just as he opened his mouth, Bu Fang threw his hand up and flung the crystal at Whitey. The crystal made a full 360˚ twirl in the air and, with a click, dropped into the iron puppet's open stomach.
"Creak——"
Whitey's stomach closed up once more, emitting the sound of crystals being crushed. It gave everyone huddling in that circle goosebumps, including the youngster. This lump of iron really… did feast on crystals?!
"And that's why I said you can't afford it. Everyone who knows me is aware that I am the worst at bluffing." Bu Fang patted Whitey's chubby, white belly and uttered gravely.
Then, he left the crowd with Whitey to continue his stroll.
Once Bu Fang was almost out of sight, the juvenile finally snapped back. His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Who on earth was that guy? A puppet that feeds on crystals, how remarkable! If he has crystals on him… then he's definitely not some poor peasant! Could he be some kind of puppet master invited here by First Uncle?"
"Young master Yu, this fellow is a friend of Lady Yanyu. He has been arranged to rest in a remote room…" A servant familiar with the whole story bent over to inform him.
"Ridiculous! Are these lame rooms suitable for guests? Since he is sister Yanyu's friend, he shouldn't be given such a dingy room. Which freaking moron made that decision? You, go arrange a top quality guest room for that young man, right now!" Xiao Yu was very much disturbed. He pulled a long face and scolded that servant.
That servant's face froze. He immediately hurried off with that order.
Xiao Yu put away the bag of golden coins lying on the ground, but his eyes were still sparkling. Then, he tailed Bu Fang like an obedient puppy.
"Distinguished senior, the price is still negotiable… ten crystals? Or perhaps twenty?"
…
The Xiao residence loft was an older building that was there ever since the Xiao Family first moved to the Southern City. As the Xiao generation grew and its business developed in the Southern City, many buildings were subsequently demolished and rebuilt. Only this loft remained in its original state, just like the old times.
Xiao Yanyu pushed open the worn-out doors of this loft and stepped in carefully.
There was incense burning inside the loft, which released a relaxing scent that pacified one's heart.
She took several steps along the halls and arrived at a small room. Pushing open the doors, she was hit with the rich, refreshing aroma of tea.
"Grandpa." Xiao Yanyu bowed slightly.
An old man, with a face full of wrinkles, sat cross-legged inside the room. He glanced at Xiao Yanyu with affectionate eyes and smiled: "Lassie, here you are."
"Sit down and have a cup of tea. This is the Sunshine Flow Tea that I asked an uncle of yours to purchase from the Jianning county. It tastes very good."
The elder handed a teacup to Xiao Yanyu, then skillfully grabbed the teapot and lifted it high up in the air. A faint yellowish tea streamed out of the mouth of the teapot, filling the entire cup.
Xiao Yanyu took off her veil and thanked her grandpa. Then, she brought the teacup to her lips and took a small sip.
A rich fragrance of tea dissipated within her mouth. Once the taste of bitterness had faded, it was replaced by a slight hint of sweetness. The surging spirit energy in the tea also filled Xiao Yanyu's body, making her feel like she was bathing in sunshine.
"Haha, the younger generation nowadays seldom enjoy a cup of tea. But your father told me about your expertise in brewing tea. Maybe you can make this old bag of bones a cup when you've got the time." The elder chuckled.
The Sunshine Flow Tea of the Jianning county was famous in the Light Wind Empire. Of course, its notoriously high price was also well-known.
"Grandpa, don't tease me. Yanyu is happy to make tea for you anytime," Xiao Yanyu responded with a gentle smile.
The elder brushed his long beard and laughed heartily. After some more light chitchat, he finally moved on to the main topic of their discussion.
"My girl, do you know why grandpa called you back from the Imperial City?" The old man exhaled a long breath. He drank a sip of tea before asking her.
Xiao Yanyu did not respond and instead silently waited for him to continue.
"If neither you nor Xiaolong returned, then the Xiao Family of the Southern City… would be in grave danger," The elder explained.
Xiao Yanyu immediately narrowed her eyes, and her face was sober as ever. She arched an eyebrow and asked in perplexity: "What exactly does that mean?"
The old man cast a meaningful look at Xiao Yanyu, and then fished out a black jade bottle from his pocket.
"This is the elixir your Second Uncle purchased a month ago from a mysterious seller."
Xiao Yanyu retrieved the jade bottle and poured out a single black pill. An awfully pungent smell instantly shot up her delicate nose, putting a frown on her face.
"What is this smell…"
"I don't know the name of this elixir since it was purchased by your Second Uncle. It has the ability of advancing one's true energy cultivations. In fact, your Second Uncle reached the sixth level echelon after consuming this pill." The elder recounted with a face that neither expressed happiness nor sadness.
Xiao Yanyu lifted her brows. Sixth grade Battle-Emperor? Wasn't that something worth celebrating? Could it be there was a problem with the elixir?
"Yes… it's exactly what you have on your mind. There is something wrong with this elixir, something awfully wrong." A trace of bitterness crept over his face.
"Although your Second Uncle has successfully reached sixth grade cultivation, every time he trains at night and circulates his true energy, he would feel searing pain all over his body. On top of that, another side effect is the rotting of his skin."
Xiao Yanyu gasped and immediately threw the pill back into the bottle. Rotten skin was something unimaginable, especially to a young lady.
"Hmmm… no problem was detected when we first examined the elixir. And so, when the Xiao Family began selling this elixir, problems obviously followed. However, the mysterious sellers appeared once more and offered another kind of elixir, which acted as the remedy to the symptoms from the earlier batch of pills."
Xiao Yanyu narrowed her eyes, already sensing an ill-spirited conspiracy behind all of this.
"Their demands weren't outrageous, only that either you or Xiaolong come back to the Southern City… but don't worry, they only want you here physically, without intentions to harm you. Otherwise, this old fellow would be the first to turn them down!" The elder took in a deep breath and clarified.
Xiao Yanyu kept her calm composure—in a way that exceeded her grandpa's expectations.
"Does grandpa happen to know the identity of these mysterious group of people?" Xiao Yanyu inquired. They wanted her in the Southern City… but without intentions to hurt her. Yet there was that bizarre seventh grade spirit beast outside of the city walls at this very moment.
Who were these people? And what were they after?!
The elder swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue. At the end, he uttered: "I can only speculate that it may have something to do with restraining your father. Perhaps, it is… related to King Yu."
King Yu?! Impossible! If the force of influence supporting King Yu was able to summon such a formidable seventh grade spirit beast, they didn't need this extra step here. Even her father couldn't necessarily conquer this kind of spirit beast!
"That's all I can say… If I didn't call you back, your Second Uncle would probably rot to death. Plus, the Xiao Family business would also be devastated by this disastrous elixir. That is not a loss we can suffer." The old man exclaimed helplessly.
Xiao Yanyu didn't say anything else. She left the loft in deep contemplation.
As she trod through the Xiao residence gardens, her eyes dimmed. Someone who could summon a seventh grade spirit beast, but only to hold her father back… what was the true purpose behind their actions?
Suddenly, Xiao Yanyu was dumbfounded when she caught sight of a distant sight. Her eyes immediately froze.
Owner Bu… what are you doing?!
What she saw was Bu Fang carrying a youngster with one hand, walking around the Xiao Family garden with a deadpan face. Following behind him was the chubby Whitey.