This pile of Blue Smoke ancient jade was worth tens of millions of Heavenly Ling Shi, at minimum.
Hua Ming cleared his throat, paying no attention whatsoever to the shop assistant's look of distaste. "So, about the discount — how does it work?"
"No discounts." The shop assistant shot Hua Ming a glare, clearly displeased with this meddler. He felt the man was entirely superfluous.
"No discounts? Don't you go bullying my employer because he's from out of town. I, Hua Ming, am a local power in Golden Oriole Valley. There isn't a single ancient jade dealer in Golden Oriole Valley that doesn't offer discounts. At the very least, given my employer's status, you ought to offer something."
"Your employer is…?" The shop assistant cast a glance at Jiang Chen.
"Hmph. My employer is a figure from one of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms. As for his exact identity — that's for you to guess. It's not every day someone of his caliber graces our Blue Smoke Island Domain with his presence. Surely you wouldn't want to leave a poor impression on such a distinguished guest?"
Hua Ming certainly knew how to borrow authority from someone else's prestige.
Jiang Chen watched Hua Ming assign him an identity out of thin air and could only smile bitterly. Still, he made no move to deny it.
Since Hua Ming had already said it, there was no point correcting the record.
"Very well." The shop assistant sized Jiang Chen up for a moment. "Since you're an honored guest, we'll treat you as a premium member — ten percent off. If the purchase is substantial, you can enjoy a fifteen percent discount."
Jiang Chen suddenly broke into a grin. "I'm just buying a few pieces for fun. Nothing big."
The moment these words left his mouth, the shop assistant and Hua Ming nearly collapsed. Hua Ming had just finished boasting, and now Jiang Chen was saying he only wanted to buy a few pieces for fun…
He had assumed Jiang Chen would go all out, the way he had with the Heaven and Earth Spirit Mushroom — dropping millions or even tens of millions in a single transaction.
A few pieces?
How much could that possibly be worth?
The shop assistant's expression turned awkward. "Sir, if the purchase doesn't exceed ten thousand, the discount becomes… difficult to arrange."
If it was just a few pieces, the total wouldn't even reach three thousand Heavenly Ling Shi. How could they possibly offer a discount on such a transaction? There was no precedent in their shop for that.
"It doesn't matter, as long as the goods are quality," Jiang Chen said, perfectly at ease.
After some effort, he managed to squeeze his way into the crowd. Standing among the other shoppers, he began examining and sorting through the pieces just like everyone else.
As he drew closer to the pile of ancient jade raw stones, the seal on his divine sense flickered with the same fluctuation he had felt before — a frequency he recognized all too well.
"It really is here." Jiang Chen began his search with patience.
First, he scanned the raw stones already in other people's hands. He found nothing of particular value among the pieces they had already claimed.
A weight lifted from his heart. If the good piece had already been taken, that would have complicated matters enormously.
Since it hadn't been claimed, that meant it was still buried somewhere in the remaining pile. Jiang Chen took his time, matching the pace of the crowd as they rummaged through the stones, his divine sense fully deployed, scrutinizing every raw stone that was picked up.
There was no denying it — more people meant faster searching.
Then, in an instant, his divine sense flared. Among the stones being turned over and passed around, one particular raw stone made his senses stir.
"That one?"
Jiang Chen moved with lightning speed. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached straight for that piece of raw stone.
But the moment he seized it, another hand closed around the opposite end.
It belonged to a middle-aged cultivator with a hawk-like nose. The man squinted at Jiang Chen and spoke in an eerie, singsong tone. "Friend, first come, first served. That one's mine."
Jiang Chen smiled. "It looks to me like I got my hand on it first."
"Oh? But I spotted it first." The hawk-nosed cultivator's voice turned cold as he fixed Jiang Chen with a hard stare. "Friend, you should follow the rules. You showed up after I did — don't you know the etiquette?"
Jiang Chen shook his head. "All I know is that my hand touched it first. That makes it mine."
Neither was willing to budge an inch.
The hawk-nosed cultivator's irritation grew. He glared at Jiang Chen and barked, "You want to fight me for it? You sure about that?"
"You're the one trying to take it from me. Let's not get that mixed up," Jiang Chen replied, his tone light but his resolve curiously unshakable.
Their friction drew displeasure from those around them.
"If you two are going to bicker, take it somewhere else. Don't bother the rest of us."
"Seriously, it's just one raw stone. Pick another one. You don't actually think you're going to strike it rich, do you? What are the odds?"
"Exactly. What a waste of time and breath."
The onlookers clearly thought both of them were fools — squabbling over an unremarkable stone, as if something were wrong with their heads.
But neither man was willing to yield.
Seeing that Jiang Chen refused to release the stone, the other man secretly resorted to foul play. He channeled a thread of cunning force through the jade — a powerful jolt of electricity shooting into the stone, intending to give Jiang Chen a rude shock.