At a hidden restaurant somewhere in the royal capital, Bai Zhanyun — heir of the White Tiger Marquis — and Hong Tiantong — heir of the Vermilion Bird Marquis — were huddled together, scheming in hushed voices.
"Brother Bai, that kid's got some nerve. He doesn't give a damn about either of us. And especially you, Brother Bai — you arrived at almost the same time as him, yet he snatched the Dragon Bone Solaris Grass right out from under your nose. That's just unforgivable!"
Hong Tiantong was clearly the craftier one, his words dripping with unmistakable provocation.
"Hmph! Jiang Chen, offending me, Bai Zhanyun — you're courting death!"
While Bai Zhanyun was still fuming, one of his tracking subordinates rushed in with a report.
"Young Marquis, that kid didn't go back to the Jiang Han Marquis Manor. It looks like he headed to the Pine Stone Pavilion."
"The Pine Stone Pavilion? What's he doing there? Is he planning to buy spirit stones?" Hong Tiantong was puzzled.
Hearing this, Bai Zhanyun broke into a strange, knowing grin. "The Pine Stone Pavilion, you say? You're sure you didn't see wrong?"
"I've been tailing him the whole time. There's no mistake."
Bai Zhanyun laughed with genuine delight. "Jiang Chen, you absolute fool — you've just walked into your own humiliation! The owner of the Pine Stone Pavilion is my cousin-uncle!"
His pride swelled even further. "Brother Hong, come on — let's go watch the show. We'll embarrass this kid good. And while we're at it, we'll take back that Dragon Bone Solaris Grass!"
The Pine Stone Pavilion wasn't far from where they were. The two quickly made their way over and slipped in through the back entrance.
……
The Pine Stone Pavilion was a shop that specialized in spirit stones and unusual minerals. It was enormous — the most prestigious establishment of its kind in the entire royal capital.
Jiang Chen had come here not to admire stones, but to commission a custom stone slab.
He'd spent a good while browsing the shop, drawing on his extensive experience with appraisal from his previous life, before locking in on a particular stone. The price had already been negotiated.
He was just waiting to pay when the shop owner, Boss Song, hurried out with an apologetic smile. "Young sir, I'm terribly sorry. I've just been informed that the Yang-Reclining Stone you ordered was actually reserved by someone else yesterday."
"Who reserved it? What a coincidence!" Jiang Chen was taken aback. What are the odds?
"None other than yours truly!" A grating voice rang out from behind, and Bai Zhanyun swaggered into view. "Jiang Chen, what an unfortunate coincidence! I've already claimed this Yang-Reclining Stone. You want it? Hand over the Dragon Bone Solaris Grass. If I'm in a good mood, I might consider letting you have it."
Jiang Chen was no fool. The moment he saw Bai Zhanyun — and behind him, the smirking Hong Tiantong — and then looked at Boss Song, he understood everything in an instant.
So Bai Zhanyun really had nothing better to do with his time. From the Alchemist's Hall all the way to the Pine Stone Pavilion, the guy was determined to make a nuisance of himself.
Though Jiang Chen did find it rather pathetic that the owner of the Pine Stone Pavilion could be bullied by a marquis's son. It really lowered his estimation of the man.
"How interesting. Boss Song, so you're telling me you won't sell me this stone?" Jiang Chen asked calmly, betraying nothing.
Bai Zhanyun barked, "Jiang Chen, I already told you — hand over the Dragon Bone Solaris Grass, and I won't compete for this stone. Otherwise, don't even dream of touching the Yang-Reclining Stone!"
"Oh? And what if I insist on having it?" Jiang Chen said with a faint smile.
"Ha ha ha! You think I'd hand it over to you? Even if I bought this Yang-Reclining Stone just to prop open a latrine back home, I still wouldn't give it to you!"
"Your family latrine must feel very honored. So — we're done negotiating?"
"Negotiate my ass! Either hand over the Dragon Bone Solaris Grass, or get lost!" By now, even Bai Zhanyun probably realized that getting Jiang Chen to surrender the herb was a lost cause.
Jiang Chen let out a hearty laugh, utterly unbothered. He couldn't be bothered wasting his breath on a moron like Bai Zhanyun. It wasn't as if he were buying this for himself, anyway.
This was equipment being purchased for a princess of the royal house. Jiang Chen saw no reason to argue. If this fool Bai Zhanyun wanted to arm-wrestle with the royal family, then let him try.
"Boss Song, you seem like a smart man, but you've done something remarkably stupid," Jiang Chen said lightly, shaking his head with a soft sigh. "Right now you're refusing to sell to me. I'm afraid that when the time comes, you'll be begging to sell — but it'll be too late."
With that, Jiang Chen didn't spare Bai Zhanyun or Hong Tiantong another glance. He turned and strolled toward the exit at a leisurely pace.
He had just reached the main hall when a shop assistant came rushing over, face pale with terror. He whispered something in Boss Song's ear, his expression one of pure dread. He didn't even dare to make eye contact with Jiang Chen.
The moment Boss Song heard it, his face went white — as though every drop of blood had been sucked out of his body. His complexion drained to a ghastly pale, and his mouth turned bitter with despair.
He practically cried out, "Young Lord Jiang — please wait! Please wait! The Yang-Reclining Stone is yours! The Pine Stone Pavilion won't charge you a single coin, and we'll deliver it to your manor right away!"
Boss Song's attitude did a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, leaving Bai Zhanyun and Hong Tiantong utterly stunned.
Bai Zhanyun in particular nearly jumped out of his shoes.
"Cousin-uncle, are you out of your mind? We already had a deal!"
Boss Song looked like he wanted to cry. "I'm begging you, little ancestor — stop making life hard for your cousin-uncle. When immortals fight, don't drag us mortals into the middle!"
Bai Zhanyun exploded. "Immortals? Bah! What kind of immortal is Jiang Chen? The Eastern Kingdom has a hundred and eight marquises, and his father's Jiang Han Marquis doesn't even rank! Cousin-uncle, you're afraid of him?"
If it weren't for the fact that Bai Zhanyun's father was a marquis, Boss Song would have rushed over and beaten him senseless — pummeled him until he couldn't take care of himself — and then spat on him a few times for good measure.
This brat was the very definition of a disaster waiting to happen, dragging poor Boss Song straight into the grave!
Boss Song practically lunged forward and threw his arms around Jiang Chen's leg. "Young Lord, I, Song, was blind — I beg you, please accept this! The Yang-Reclining Stone is a humble gift from old Song to you."
As the saying goes, show mercy where you can. Jiang Chen had never intended to make too big a deal out of a small shop owner anyway.