"Have you heard? Someone on Three Rivers Street is offering two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines in exchange for a Laughing Bodhi!"
"No way! Since when has the Laughing Bodhi been worth that much?"
"Exactly, brother—if you've got one, you'd better hurry over and grab the deal. Miss this chance, and it'll be gone!"
"Sigh, the Laughing Bodhi might only be quasi-Celestial-grade, but with decent quality it counts as Celestial-grade. I don't even have an Earth-grade Spiritual Medicine, let alone a Celestial-grade one."
"Tell me about it! Whoever has a Laughing Bodhi right now is making out like a bandit. Earning a Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicine for nothing—that's a gift from the heavens if I ever heard one."
"Heh, I reckon the people who actually have a Laughing Bodhi are probably old experts. They might not even be willing to trade right now!"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Shows how little you know. Why do you think that man is willing to offer two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines for a Laughing Bodhi? Do you even know what a Laughing Bodhi is used for?"
"Isn't it for detoxification?"
"Heh—if he's this desperate for a Laughing Bodhi, it means someone's life hangs in the balance. Anyone he'd willingly part with two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines to save must be awfully important. And if he's willing to spend two, maybe he'd even go three or four?"
"Now that you mention it, it does sound like a pretty good opportunity to squeeze him for all he's worth."
"Heh, come on—let's go watch the show. This is going to be a good one. You absolutely can't miss this kind of chance."
Jiang Chen sat cross-legged in the most conspicuous spot on Three Rivers Street, paying no attention to anyone around him. On either side he had placed a signboard. One read: "Two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines for one Laughing Bodhi." The other read: "One day only. No exceptions after today."
It was a crude method, but undeniably the most direct one.
As for the words "one day only, no exceptions"—those were something Jiang Chen had deliberately added. Although he had a three-day window, writing it this way was a small trick of his.
He wanted to test whether Frost Moon City actually had a Laughing Bodhi. If it did, anyone who saw those eight words would surely show up today.
As for haggling, that was a matter for later.
One way or another, Jiang Chen couldn't let anyone push past his floor. Setting a one-day deadline was also a way of telling these people: bring it out and trade now. If you want to haggle, forget it—after today, the deal was off.
Two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines was already far more than generous. This was not a fair trade at all. Whoever possessed a Laughing Bodhi had a golden opportunity to get rich.
But human greed knew no bounds, and Jiang Chen didn't dare be too optimistic. Some people, seeing how desperate he was, would certainly try to extort him with an outrageous price.
That was precisely why he had specified one day only—if they didn't seize the chance, there would be no more opportunities tomorrow.
He believed that anyone who had a Laughing Bodhi would think long and hard about whether to grab this chance to pocket two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines.
It was a battle of psychology.
Jiang Chen appeared to be deep in meditation, but in truth he was using his divine consciousness to observe his surroundings. Most of the people gathered around were just spectators. Forget a Laughing Bodhi—many of them probably didn't even have a single ordinary Earth-grade Spiritual Medicine.
But Jiang Chen was firmly convinced that in a city as vast as Frost Moon, someone must have a Laughing Bodhi. Perhaps those people were already mixed into the crowd, or had sent subordinates to gather information.
"Hey, friend—do you really have two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines?" someone asked tentatively.
Jiang Chen replied flatly, "Show me the Laughing Bodhi, and you'll naturally earn the right to see my Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines."
He wasn't about to be foolish enough to produce his Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines first. Even though this trade was inevitably disadvantageous to him, Jiang Chen had no intention of showing his hand too early.
"I know a friend who has a Laughing Bodhi. I've already told him about this. But he's in seclusion and can't come right now. He said if you're willing to trade, you could go find him."
Jiang Chen smiled coolly. "I'm right here. If someone wants to earn two Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines, the least they can show is a bit of sincerity. If he won't come, someone else will."
"You can't really say that—the Laughing Bodhi is still a Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicine. Frost Moon City's Spiritual Medicine output isn't exactly bountiful to begin with. The Laughing Bodhi is surely very rare."
Jiang Chen merely smiled without answering, and said nothing more.
After that, a steady trickle of people came to probe him, but Jiang Chen held firm to his bottom line. Without seeing the Laughing Bodhi, he absolutely would not produce his Celestial-grade Spiritual Medicines.
As the standoff continued, the crowd outside grew larger and larger, yet not a single person could actually produce a Laughing Bodhi.
Although Jiang Chen felt a flicker of anxiety, he also knew this was his only option. It was even a somewhat risky one.
But beyond this, he truly had no choice.
So even though his heart was uneasy, he could only grit his teeth and keep waiting. He was certain that as long as someone in Frost Moon City had a Laughing Bodhi, they wouldn't be able to sit still for long.
Sure enough, as the sun dipped low in the west and evening approached, a man in resplendent robes finally strode over. Behind him trailed a pack of bodyguards, fierce as wolves and tigers.