"Let's go check it out."
The shop's door was open, and it looked somewhat dim inside. The moment the two of them stepped in, a peculiar wave of energy caught their attention. It felt similar to what they had sensed inside Spirit Hall, but weaker. Thanks to Great Master's teachings, Tang San understood that this was caused by a Soul Guide.
Soul Guides all carried fluctuations of Soul Power. If no one was using one and binding it to their own Soul Power, the energy would leak outward.
Most Soul Guides had no offensive capability—they could only perform simple auxiliary functions. Even so, Soul Guides were extremely rare. Every Soul Guide that had been passed down could be considered an antique, since the methods for crafting them had long been lost.
There was only one person inside the shop, and no counter in sight. Various items hung on three walls, all looking quite old and not remotely valuable.
That sole occupant sat in a wooden reclining chair, eyes closed, gently rocking back and forth.
He appeared to be around fifty years of age. Though not exactly young, he had a sturdy, thickset build. The reclining chair, which looked reasonably solid to begin with, creaked under his weight as it swayed.
The man's face was quite distinctive—his chin jutted forward slightly, his cheekbones were broad, his face was flat, and he had something of an aquiline nose. If one had to compare it to anything, the best one could say was that his face resembled a shoe insole. Even with his eyes closed, he managed to look somewhat crafty.
A pair of black-framed crystal spectacles sat on his face, the frames a rigid square shape that gave off a strangely odd impression no matter how you looked at them.
Tang San and Xiao Wu's entrance didn't wake him. He continued rocking in his chair, breathing evenly.
Xiao Wu looked around curiously. "Xiao San, are all of these Soul Guides?"
Tang San shifted his gaze from the middle-aged man to the items hanging on the walls. To be honest, he said, "I'm not sure about that either. Unless you test each one with Soul Power, you can't really tell just by looking."
As he spoke, he walked over to the wall, and his gaze fell upon a crystal roughly the size of a human head. His eyes instantly froze.
The crystal didn't look particularly impressive. It was transparent, but contained large patches of dark-yellow impurities. It hung in the position closest to the door. Yet this very crystal made Tang San's heart race in an instant, light flickering rapidly in his eyes. He never would have imagined that he could find a crystal like this—in a shop like this, in a spot like this.
Xiao Wu naturally noticed the change in him. "Xiao San, why are you staring at that worthless crystal? I doubt you could find one worse than this even if you tried. It has no luster at all, the transparency is poor, and it doesn't even have a tint. Amethyst is what's truly precious. You're not actually thinking of buying this thing, are you?"
To Xiao Wu's surprise, Tang San nodded with absolute certainty. "I want to buy this crystal. I just don't know how much it costs."
"Not expensive. One hundred Gold Soul Coins." A lazy, faintly magnetic, hoarse voice drifted over. Perhaps because the owner had something of a thick tongue, his words were somewhat slurred. Fortunately, only Tang San and Xiao Wu were present, and the shop was very quiet, so they could just make out what he said.
Tang San didn't respond, but Xiao Wu whipped her head around. "A hundred Gold Soul Coins for this piece of junk? You might as well go rob someone!"
The middle-aged man in the reclining chair opened his eyes, though he didn't leave his seat. "One hundred Gold Soul Coins is the cheapest price I have here. Buy it, pay up. Don't want it? Please leave."
With that, he closed his eyes again.
Xiao Wu was furious and moved to argue, but Tang San held her back. "Fine. I'll take it."
Over these past few years, Tang San had managed to save up a modest sum. His daily expenses were minimal, and most of his income had been set aside. In particular, after reaching the rank of Great Soul Master, the subsidy he received from Spirit Hall each month had increased to ten Gold Soul Coins. Between the two of them, Tang San and Xiao Wu now had over seven hundred Gold Soul Coins.
"Xiao San, are you feeling all right?" Xiao Wu raised her hand and pressed it to Tang San's forehead to check whether he had a fever.
Tang San gave her a look, then shook his head gently. His right hand swept lightly across Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night at his waist, and a pouch containing exactly one hundred Gold Soul Coins appeared in his grasp. He turned and walked over to the middle-aged man, holding it out.
The middle-aged man didn't even open his eyes. "Your money isn't enough."
Tang San said, "This is one hundred Gold Soul Coins."
The man's muddled voice came through flatly. "But my crystal is selling for two hundred Gold Soul Coins."
This time, Xiao Wu couldn't contain herself any longer. "You're extorting us! Just now you said a hundred, and now it's two hundred. No wonder you don't have any business. Xiao San, let's not buy it. Let's go."
Tang San shook his head at Xiao Wu and looked at the middle-aged man. "Are you certain you won't change your mind?"
That crystal might be useless to anyone else, but to him, it was more precious than any heavenly treasure. Forget two hundred Gold Soul Coins—even if it cost ten thousand, as long as he had the money, he would buy it without hesitation.
The middle-aged man said lazily, "All right, then. Five hundred Gold Soul Coins. Final offer. Pay up and it's yours. Otherwise, please leave."
From a hundred to two hundred, and now from two hundred to five hundred—this time, even Tang San's patience was wearing thin. He put away the pouch and said to Xiao Wu, "Let's go."
Xiao Wu shot the middle-aged man a venomous glare. "We should have left a long time ago. Dealing with a crook like this is practically an insult to our intelligence."