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Chapter 57: Earning Money To Buy You Clothes
Yue Qiang led Yin away from Deng Fang’s bracelet store, avoided the crowd and found a slightly secluded place to talk.
“Let’s seek out that old man at the market entrance.” Yin said, “When we passed by earlier I already felt that he wasn’t normal. Coincidentally, this bracelet seller Deng Fang agrees with this, so we should be able to acquire some information.”
“I don’t think we’re in a hurry.” Yue Qiang said, “We can walk around the market for a little longer. Right now I’m actually slightly interested in Deng Fang’s brother, Deng Yuan.”
He wanted to gather a bit more information and make some preparations before meeting the old man at the market entrance once more. The reason for that was the trading market’s name.
Green Cow Village.
This wasn’t the first time Yue Qiang heard the name ‘Green Cow Village’. In fact, he had heard about it several times back at Yue Village. No doubt that the place behind this very backwater name was something that’s beyond his imagination.
The treasure his village had protected for tens of years, and sought after by a powerful Boss like General Zhao Yan himself, was in fact nothing more than just a nose ring once used by a cow in Green Cow Village. Originally, he thought that he would not be able to come in touch with such an extraordinary existence at his current level, but he did not think that his destination would have a name that’s called ‘Green Cow Village Trading Market’.
“I think we can walk around the market for a little longer and gather more information. That brother of Deng Fang, Deng Yuan seems to be a know-it-all type of character, so I think we can talk to this Deng Yuan first.” Yue Qiang said, “Plus, we need to buy you a new set of clothes. Not only this military uniform is way oversized, it’s completely torn up, not to mention that it’s empty on the inside…”
“If you are not afraid to spend money.” the girl said.
Yue Qiang continued to lead Yin around the old town, and they quickly discovered their target, Deng Yuan.
Their target was simply too eye-catching. He was impossible to miss even if they tried.
As compared to Deng Fang’s desolate stall, Deng Yuan’s was obviously a lot more crowded. His business skills were obviously superior, with a large group of people surrounding his stall and a white cloth beside it as well stating, ‘The Venomous Yuchang Blade That Surpasses Zhuan Zhu’*.
*Zhuan Zhu is an assassin in the Spring and Autumn period. He killed King Liao with a dagger hidden in a fish, and the blade was hence named ‘Yuchang (Fish Belly)’.
Although his writing was as ugly as ever, in terms of loftiness, it was far better than ‘quality guaranteed’.
The Yuchang Blade was a legendary weapon that was rumored to be able to cut through gold, jade and steel like they were mud. In the hands of the assassin Zhuan Zhu, it took the life of a King of State and became very famous.
Yue Qiang’s curiosity was piqued as well, as he pushed his way through the crowd with Yin and looked.
There was a fellow inside the stall who looked like Deng Fang, but was incredibly shifty-looking. What he held in his hand was… a fish bone.
Yue Qiang stared blankly.
If he remembered correctly, the Yuchang Blade was named the way it was because it was hidden inside a fish’s belly, and not because it was made out of a fish bone. Plus, a fish bone was limp, brittle and uncomfortable to wield. Could it really be used as a weapon?
Yue Qiang was even more curious now and paid close attention. While holding the head area of the fish bone, Deng Yuan circled around his small stall once and said,
“Look well, my dear customers! My Venomous Yuchang Blade is a masterpiece that exceeds the Yuchang Blade wielded by the assassin of the previous dynasty, Zhuan Zhu!”
Deng Yuan clasped his fists together and saluted the people wherever he went, looking wickedly pleased with himself, “This fish is extraordinary. It hails from the place of profound ice ten thousand depths beneath the western sea. It is cold and poisonous, and I, the untalented one commissioned a master to use seven-seven forty nine days to finally catch it, and then spend eight-eight six four days to finally refine it into one Venomous Yuchang Blade. This blade is extremely rare, and it will sell for only two thousand knife coins today!”
Once Deng Yuan was finished introducing his fish bone, he continued to clasp his fists and saluted at all directions.
Yue Qiang was completely dumbfounded by his words, when Yin suddenly closed in behind him and spoke in a low voice, “It looks a little like the bone of a bighead carp. I saw it selling at the fish stall just now…”
Both praises and doubts came from the surrounding crowd. A peddler that looked rather rich asked, “May I know exactly how is your blade venomous?”
The wicked pleased look on Deng Yuan’s face grew even more profound as he caught a thin, old dog that was so starved that it was literally skin and bones, saying, “Please observe that this is a strong and healthy mastiff, my dear customers (he raised the thin, old dog into the air and showed it off everywhere). However, I only need to stick my Venomous Yuchang Blade in its mouth before this mastiff will suffocate and die in no time.”
Deng Yuan let go of the old dog once he was done speaking. The old dog that was about to be starved to death sniffed the fishy smell on the bone, quivered, and immediately jumped forwards to bite off a fish bone. Before long, the old dog began to pant repeatedly. Then its limbs went stiff, and it passed away.
The surrounding crowd clicked their tongues in wonder at the sight.
“It truly is extreme poisonous. This dog may not be all that strong and healthy, but it died in no time at all.”
“It is true that it passed away very swiftly.”
“Did you guys not notice that the fish bone is missing a fork…”
Yin, whose eyes were still closed and standing behind Yue Qiang closed in again and said in a low tone, “It probably choked on the fish bone, and choked to death…”
The peddler he voiced his doubts earlier looked extremely surprised by the turn of events and said, “Truly, a rare treasure indeed. I will buy it.” And then he bought the fish bone.
Is it Yin and I having a keen eye, or are these people too stupid?
Yue Qiang looked closer and found that the peddler had bought the fish at 2,400 knife coins.
A thought flashed across his mind, and Yue Qiang clicked Deng Yuan’s avatar to check his stats.
The ability to check one’s stats seemed to have been blocked off partially by the system as well. Now, he could only see Deng Yuan’s stats, but not his skills. Very soon, Yue Qiang found the line he wished to see.
Charisma: 12 (A fellow with a silver tongue)
Yue Qiang made a simple fractional calculation in his head and nodded on the inside as if he realized something.
On the other side, the crowd quickly dissipated after Deng Yuan had sold his Venomous Yuchang Blade. He did not leave the market, and instead bought yet another big fish from the fish stall and waited quietly for a while. Then he switched to another street, put up his sign ‘The Venomous Yuchang Blade That Surpasses Zhuan Zhu’ and restarted his business once more.
Yue Qiang had been following behind him with Yin all this time. When he saw this, he came to a decision and said to Yin at his back, “Do you know how to write?”
“Yes. Are you planning to…?” Yin asked curiously.
“Help me write down a few words then.” Yue Qiang did not answer her question and instead ordered directly, “Write down the six words, ‘Genesis of Bane, God of Spears’.“
Yin pulled a cloth from her body, wrote the words and passed it out to him.
Yue Qiang accepted the written cloth, found a bamboo stick and strung the cloth on it. Then he arrived beside Deng Yuan’s stall, and plunged the stick right beside Deng Yuan’s.
Yue Qiang’s bamboo stick was just a little taller than Deng Yuan’s, and his cloth was just a little longer than Deng Yuan’s as well.
“What are you doing?” Yin grew even more curious. This position was too close to Deng Yuan’s, and the other party’s eyes were already looking at him strangely.
“Earning money to buy you some clothes.” Yue Qiang took out his blackish iron rod and displayed it at the place that caught the most eyes, saying casually.
Be a true seller ! You can sell anything !
Wow don’t sell the rod!! It’s actually a decent item!!! Sell the frying pan!