13: Chapter 13 Market Transactions

By the time Ye Tian dragged his exhausted, blood-stained body back to his small courtyard, the sun had already set.

When his mother saw him covered in wounds, with his left arm almost soaked in blood, her face turned pale with fright, and the sewing basket in her hands dropped.

She hurried forward, her lips trembling, unable to speak a complete sentence, only frantically trying to help him stop the bleeding.

"Mother, it's fine, just flesh wounds." Ye Tian's voice was hoarse as he avoided his mother's hands. He first carefully unloaded the heavy oilcloth bundle from his shoulder in the corner of the courtyard. "Just get some fresh water and clean cloth."

He didn't want his mother to touch those hideous wounds and clotted blood scabs.

His mother's eyes instantly reddened, and she went to fetch water in silence.

Using the cold water, Ye Tian gritted his teeth and washed his wounds.

The deepest claw mark on his left arm almost reached the bone, his right fist was torn open, and his back was a burning mess.

He sprinkled the last bit of ordinary Golden Sore Ointment powder onto them and wrapped them tightly with torn strips of cloth.

By the time he finished all this, the sky had turned completely dark.

Under the oil lamp, as his mother looked at his pale, exhausted face and his tightly wrapped arm, her tears finally fell.

"Tian'er... how about... don't go into the mountains anymore, we..."

"Mother," Ye Tian interrupted her, "We won't starve. I'll find a way."

He stood up and pointed to the bundle in the corner. "These skins and meat, I'll go to the market to exchange them tomorrow. Then I can buy food and medicine, and even get us some winter clothes."

His mother looked at the bundle seeping with dark red bloodstains, opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately just nodded silently and turned to the stove to heat up food.

That night, Ye Tian slept very fitfully.

His wounds burned with pain, and in his dreams, the scarlet vertical pupils and sharp claws of the Azure-scaled Leopard flashed repeatedly, along with that last eerie throb of the stone bead.

As soon as dawn broke, he got up.

His left arm was still heavy and painful, but the recovery power of Body Refinement Level 2 had begun to show, and a slight itching sensation came from the wounds.

He untied the oilcloth bundle in the corner of the courtyard.

The pelt of the Black-maned Wild Boar was relatively intact, save for a few knife cuts, and its tusks were also in good condition.

The few pieces of prime meat were bright red, emitting a faint scent of blood.

The most valuable items were the sharp claws painstakingly stripped from the Azure-scaled Leopard and a few of its hardest leg bones, which still bore uncleaned blood streaks and a fierce Evil Qi.

He sorted and tied these items, then slung them over his shoulder; they were heavy.

This was what he had nearly traded his life for.

The Ye Family Market was located at the eastern end of the settlement. It was usually bustling with people, mostly clan disciples and nearby independent cultivators coming to trade for their needs.

When Ye Tian arrived, the market had just opened.

With his injuries and the blood-scented cargo on his back, he immediately attracted many gazes.

Some were curious, some surprised, but most were indifferent or showed a faint sense of exclusion.

He walked straight toward "Hundred Treasures Pavilion," which bought and sold beast Materials.

Sitting behind the counter was a fat manager surnamed Qian, who was squinting his eyes and dozing off.

"Manager Qian." Ye Tian unloaded the goods from his shoulder and placed them in front of the counter.

Manager Qian was startled awake. He impatiently lifted his eyelids, glanced at the bloody items on the floor, then at Ye Tian, and said lazily, "What do you have?"

"One Black-maned Wild Boar pelt, a pair of tusks, and forty catties of prime meat. Six Azure-scaled Leopard claws and three leg bones," Ye Tian said calmly.

"Azure-scaled Leopard?" Manager Qian sat up slightly straighter, carefully examined the claws and leg bones, a flash of surprise in his eyes. He then looked Ye Tian up and down. "You killed it?"

Ye Tian didn't answer, only asking, "Do you take them? What's the price?"

Manager Qian slowly picked up his teacup and took a sip before drawling, "The Black-maned Boar pelt has multiple damages and is of poor quality; I'll give you ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones for it. The tusks, five. The prime meat, one Spirit Stone for five catties. As for these leopard claws and bones..."

He drawled, poking them with his finger. "Tsk tsk, quite a bit of damage, significant loss of Evil Qi, mediocre quality. Three Spirit Stones per claw, five per bone."

Ye Tian's brows furrowed instantly.

This price was suppressed way too low!

A pristine Black-maned Boar pelt was worth at least twenty Spirit Stones, and the tusks could sell for eight.

Materials from an Azure-scaled Leopard were even rarer; a single intact claw would normally start at ten Spirit Stones!

This fat man was clearly making things difficult on purpose!

"Manager Qian, this price isn't right," Ye Tian said in a low voice.

"Not right?" Manager Qian set down his teacup, a sneer squeezing onto his fat face. "What's not right? With your junk and your half-crippled body, it's already good enough that you could get these. You still expect a sky-high price? Sell it if you want, if not, take it and leave. Don't block the people behind you!"

There was no one behind him at all.

A surge of suppressed anger rose in Ye Tian's chest, but he forced it down.

He knew this Manager Qian was a distant relative of Ye Hao's branch.

He took a deep breath and tried to argue, "Manager Qian, the Black-maned Boar pelt only has minor injuries; it won't affect the tanning. The Azure-scaled Leopard Materials are filled with Evil Qi, they're definitely not..."

"I said it's not worth it, so it's not worth it!" Manager Qian interrupted impatiently, his voice rising. "A trash who sweeps the Ancestral Hall, who had some dog-shit luck and picked up some cheap goods, yet you dare to haggle with me? Get lost!"

Before he finished speaking, he actually waved his hand, and a gust of Qi swept out, knocking the beast Materials in front of the counter to the ground!

The boar meat was covered in dirt, and the leopard bones rolled aside.

"You!" Fury flared in Ye Tian's eyes. His right fist clenched violently, causing his wounds to split open and blood to seep through the cloth strips.

"What? You want to make a move?" Manager Qian sneered as he stood up, his fat face full of disdain. "Just because you've gathered a bit of Qi, you've forgotten who you are? I've been a manager in this market for over ten years, and no one has dared to show their teeth to me!"

Some clansmen nearby were drawn over, pointing and whispering, but no one stepped forward.

Many had playful expressions, enjoying the spectacle.

Ye Tian's gums were almost bleeding from how hard he was biting down.

Strength!

Without strength, one couldn't even achieve a fair trade!

The things he had risked his life for were being trampled upon at will!

Just as he was about to lose control, an old and majestic voice rang out:

"What is going on?"

The crowd automatically parted to make a path.

The Second Elder walked over slowly, his gaze sweeping over the messy beast Materials on the ground, then looking at the ash-faced Ye Tian and the arrogant Manager Qian.

Manager Qian's expression changed slightly, and he immediately put on a flattering smile, bowing as he said, "Second Elder, what brings you here? It's nothing, really. It's just that this Ye Tian brought some inferior goods to fool us. I was just discussing the price with him, and he was being stubborn."

The Second Elder ignored him, walked to a rolling Azure-scaled Leopard claw, bent down to pick it up, and ran his fingertip along the edge, feeling the residual sharp Evil Qi. He then looked at the other Materials.

"Azure-scaled Leopard claw, bone patterns dense, Evil Qi condensed and not dissipated. It's a recent hunt and of excellent quality." He spoke calmly, looking at Manager Qian. "What price did you offer?"

Manager Qian's forehead instantly broke into a sweat. He stammered, "This... I saw that he's young and feared the source... so..."

"So you suppressed the price?" The Second Elder's voice remained calm, yet it made Manager Qian's legs go weak.

"I wouldn't dare! My eyes were clumsy, truly clumsy!" Manager Qian wiped his sweat repeatedly.

The Second Elder tossed the leopard claw back to Ye Tian and said to Manager Qian, "Accept them at market price. Twenty Spirit Stones for the Black-maned Boar pelt, eight for the tusks, and two Spirit Stones for ten catties of prime meat. Twelve Spirit Stones per Azure-scaled Leopard claw, and twenty per leg bone. Deduct accordingly for any damaged parts."

Manager Qian's face turned pale; this price was more than double what he had just offered!

But he didn't dare to have the slightest objection, saying repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! I will follow the Second Elder's instructions!"

He hurriedly squatted down, personally picking up the beast Materials with care, re-weighing and calculating them. His movements were swift and respectful, a complete contrast to before.

Soon, he held out a heavy small cloth bag and respectfully handed it to Ye Tian. "Young Master Ye Tian, please count it. It's a total of one hundred and forty-six Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Ye Tian took the bag; it felt heavy in his hand.

Without even looking at Manager Qian, he bowed to the Second Elder. "Thank you, Second Elder."

The Second Elder looked at his bandaged arm and pale face, saying calmly, "If your strength is insufficient, don't try to be a hero. You only have one life."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The crowd dispersed with whispers, their gazes toward Ye Tian now holding a bit more complexity and scrutiny.

Manager Qian sheepishly retreated behind the counter, not daring to look at Ye Tian again.

Ye Tian gripped the bag of Spirit Stones tightly. It was heavy, but it couldn't suppress the humiliation and coldness in his heart.

Without strength, even fairness requires the charity of others!

He turned silently and walked toward the grain and medicine shops. He bought plenty of rice, flour, meat, and vegetables, as well as better Golden Sore Ointment and ordinary medicinal Materials for strengthening the foundation. Finally, he bought two sets of thick cotton winter clothes for both his mother and himself.

As he left the market carrying his purchases, he took one last look back at the bustling crowd and the sign of the "Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

He needed power.

More, and even greater power!

Not just for the Family Grand Competition, and not just to avoid being humiliated again.

But even more so to truly grasp his own destiny and ensure his mother would no longer live in fear.