Kapitel 16: Encounters, Shock and Sale

The Monk was not left to wait for long.

The Golden Providence Merchant Union was an extremely large organization, they had enough attendants and employees to attend to all potential buyers and sellers.

The fat attendant who had tried to shoo Mo Yangling earlier was just one of many. He was likely just trying to show off and impress other clients, hoping to be able to more easily approach prominent guests.

'Seems like attendants get some sort of benefit off of sales or something similar to that. At least that's how these things would work in companies back on earth.'

The Monk had also done his time in a regular job before he had become a criminal.

But, oh well, that was a story for another time perhaps. At the very least Mo Yangling wasn't too keen on reminiscing about his past.

The Monk yawned and stretched his body a bit, feeling his muscles loosen up a bit as they expanded,

'Damn, I smell pretty nice actually! I never really noticed this, but Origin Spring seems to have a pretty refreshing scent...'

The monk felt disgusted even thinking about it, but at the very least he now knew that the cultivators crying about him were just full of shit.

But of course, not everyone was keeping away from the Monk.

"Hm? I have not seen you around before brother."

From the side, a neatly dressed white man wearing red robes approached the monk.

He seemed to have rather sharp features and a more slender build. His hair was also long, but caught neatly in a small bun, whilst also flowing down to his back.

Mo Yangling didn't recognize the young man at all. He looked to be around 20, but could easily pass off as younger too.

"Oh, I have not been here before." The monk yawned as he turned and spoke to the youngster who had approached him.

He had no clue why the young cultivator would approach him, but he didn't really care to find out either.

'I'm not sure how easily I relate to younger people like him, he also doesn't seem to have the best of intentions by that mischievous glint in his eye...'

"Hm? Well, may I ask what your name is brother? Many call me Young Master Luo, but my full name is Luo Qiu, I am the second son of the Luo Family." The Young Master quickly introduced himself, a proud smile on his face as he spoke of his family's name.

Mo Yangling blinked a few times, remembering that the Luo family was one of the founding families residing in the walls of that expansive capital alongside the Mo Family.

In the background, the Monk could see a few other cultivators in the distance eyeing him up and snickering when looking in between him and Luo Qiu.

'Well, at least the kid's polite, though it still seems like he is not that well-intentioned. Friends in the background seem to be egging him on to pull something funny.'

"My name is Mo Yangling, I am originally from the Mo Family, the Clan head's son, though I was banished not that long ago..."

The Monk didn't really need to mention the last part, everyone within the Capital already knew of his banishment anyway.

"Oh! You are that Mo Yangling?!?" The Young Master seemed a bit surprised, his eyes studying the Monk's broad shoulders and burly arms.

"I heard many rumours, but seems that you have changed a lot in just a year!" Luo Qiu's tone seemed to have lost its mischievousness, his eyes gaining a look of curiosity instead.

"Well, hard times change men, help them evolve into what is ultimately needed for survival." The Monk sighed as he remembered a few quotes from his past life and mixed them together.

Luo Qiu nodded when hearing his words too.

"Young Master Mo sure is wise!

Even if you have a late start, it is good to hear that you have joined us in the path of immortality!

I am sure that the Mo Family will accept you back with open arms too."

The Luo Family's second young master was a lot more cordial than the Monk had expected. Even bowing slightly with a martial salute the monk stood up to return.

The other people in the background had also stopped snickering like hyenas and were now busy muttering amongst each other.

"You are too kind, Young Master Luo. I would love for us to go get a drink, but I am in a bit of a hurry right now!" Mo Yangling turned towards the corridor where his attendant had left.

The fat attendant was already waiting for him there, likely listening in to their conversation too.

"I am sure we'll have the opportunity after the Great Family Banquet this week! I hope to see you there, Young Master Mo."

"Hoh? I'll speak to the Clan Head about attending it then!"

Luo Qiu shook hands with the Monk, each going their own way, the Monk heading to sell his Origin Spring, and the Luo Family's young master returning to his friends.

"Brother Luo, how come you gave that much face to some newbie cultivator? Even if he's part of the Mo Family, he won't ever be able to catch up to us, who have been cultivating since young."

One of the cultivators, a member of a branch of the Luo Family named Luo Yun, was the one to question Luo Qiu's intentions.

His eyes were filled with scrutiny as they landed on the back of the departing Monk.

"Brother Yun, there is very little in this world that you lose by treating situations like these carefully."

Looking in the direction the monk had vanished, Luo Qin's eyes were filled with intrigue.

'I am already a Middle Stage Martial Soldier.

But I couldn't sense his cultivation at all when shaking hands with him either.

Has he perhaps only cultivated external arts? That's possible, but that's not what the Mo Family is known for.

Mo Yangling may not be as simple as he was before... .'

As the young masters and cultivators frolicked and looked around for items to purchase and show off, the Monk was already sitting in front of the appraiser that had been assigned to him.

It was an old man, face covered in a thick and long white beard, his body skinny and frame rather withered by age.

He was however wearing golden robes, clearly a few grades above the attendant from earlier, his chest proudly displayed 3 platinum stars, something that the Monk didn't quite know the meaning of.

But he knew how to read the man's name at least...

'Elder Gong Gen, huh? Three star appriser.'

"Greetings, young cultivator. May I see the objects you wish apprised and sold?" The old man extended his palm towards Mo Yangling.

The Monk nodded, slowly reaching into his clothes and pulling out the slightly crooked waterskin he had handcrafted.

"The liquid inside is what I am selling..."

The old appraiser didn't judge the poor quality of the container, instead, he motioned for a younger female assistant who was sitting on the side to bring a few tools.

A small vial alongside some other apparatus that the Monk didn't recognize was immediately placed on the table.

As soon as he poured out the Spring Origin into a flask, his eyes widened.

'This smell...'

Gong Gen's moustache trebled for a moment before he quickly grabbed a much larger container and poured all of the liquid into it, closing the lid.

His hand trembled slightly before he quickly raised his gaze towards the Monk.

"You... How much do you know about this?" The old appraiser could be seen trembling slightly as he spoke, he now handled the liquid almost as if he were handling the most precious of trinkets.

This immediately raised the Monk's expectations, but he didn't let that show on the outside.

'If I seem too ignorant, then this guy will most definitely take advantage of my inexperience.'

"Origin Spring in its purest form gathered from the heart of the Chen Lu Forest. I was lucky to escape with my life whilst gaining this much of it. But many die to get even a drop of it."

The monk quickly exaggerated everything that the Dragon of the Valley had told him about the magical piss.

'Even if I end up exaggerating, I'll still be in a better position than if I try to act humble or tell him I've got no clue just how valuable this is.'

"..." The old appraiser's gaze bore deeply into the Mo Yangling's eyes. But the Monk didn't falter one bit, his gaze was as serious and knowledgeable as ever.

"You are correct, Young Master Mo Yangling. Yet, instead of going directly towards a higher-up, you came to an appraiser at our Golden Providence Merchant Union... I think you understand why this looks a bit suspicious on our end..."

The Monk's confident smile twitched a bit as his own identity came back to bite him in the ass.

'God damn it, so this old guy ain't just a regular appraiser then... He's likely one of the old dudes that handles matters related to the noble families or something.'

"Vajra be damned, are you going to buy this or not? The Mo Family and I are not in the best of terms currently. I have yet to reunite with my father after my banishment.

This is purely the result of my hard work and good luck, I do not wish to share this with the family as well."

The Monk scowled annoyed at having to explain himself to some old fucker.

The old 'appraiser's eyebrow twitched slightly.

'What's a Vajra? But more importantly... How come he has not used this treasure, and wants to sell it instead?

Reports say that he is at best a Low Ranking Martial Soldier, he could benefit from this greatly even if he has already consumed some of it before...

Most young cultivators would kill to have something like this, and yet he doesn't seem interested at all.'

The Origin Spring was considered a blessing to young and old cultivators alike. As with all medicine, of course, the more one drank the lesser its effects.

Still, for someone in the beginning stages of cultivation, it wouldn't really make a difference. They would easily be able to jump through entire realms. Their only real worry would be building a good foundation.

'A few Martial Masters could easily break through into the next realm with this much and still have some leftover...

It seems that Mo Yangling still does not have any interest in cultivation after all... Hah, what a disappointment.'

"Very well, as an Elder of the Golden Providence Merchant Group, I shall stand by you as a customer. I promise to give you a fair price that is truly worth the effort you have put into getting this in the first place."

The Monk nodded, the smile returning to his face as he ignored the slight disappointment in the Elder's tone.

The old man stroked his beard as he eyed the Origin Spring with care and placed it within a special container. A pear-shaped flask with a round flat bottom and a cap on the top of it, to prevent any spillage.

He then placed that container into a large ornate box that another assistant had brought in.

"100 Million Gold Taels, that is more than one would usually get for selling it, and there are few groups that could pay this much in one go in the first place."

The old man was already used to dealing with nobles and making exceptions, but he couldn't do much in the current situation either, as they were dealing with a highly valuable product.

"When selling this in the market, we may be able to do so at twice the price, but without our connections or those of the Mo Family you are unlikely to get an offer like ours elsewhere."

The Monk blinked a few times, most of the Elder's words entering one ear and going out the other as he heard the amount offered.

'100 Million Gold Taels!?? That's like, three years' worth of revenue for the Mo Family or something... All for scooping up Brother Ren's piss...'

"I am satisfied with the terms of your offer. I would like to only make one change...

Can you subtract the price of and provide me with a clean set of clothes, preferably yellow and red robes without any sleeves?"

Gong Gen nodded, quickly agreeing to the terms.

Normally he could have included the clothes as a gift, but as he judged the Young Master to be unpromising he decided against it.

The money was given to the Monk in the form of a stack of papers that could be taken to the bank and exchanged into money, as it was too large a sum to be carried around in person without a few carriages to haul it.

Each thin banknote was worth around 1 million Gold Taels, and the monk was also given a nice package for them which fit right into the chest pocket of his new clean clothes.

All in all, the Monk left that building satisfied with the money he had earned.

He was also now wearing a sleeveless red robe with yellow highlights. It was tight around the torso, showcasing his muscles, whilst also having loose pants, allowing for decent mobility.

It felt a lot better than wearing rags certainly. Even as a monk he always made sure he was clean and proper, they were all judged based on that as well after all.

The only thing he found unpleasant about the Golden Providence Merchant Pavilion was the distinct lack of weapons that were to his liking.

'I'll worry about a weapon another time... For now, I should head to the Mo Family.'