184: Chapter 184 Price War

Shenbing Pavilion's reaction speed was very fast; it truly lived up to its reputation as a long-standing establishment in the capital.

In just half an hour, massive discount posters covered the entire wall. Several hostesses wearing qipaos with hot figures stood at the entrance, holding exquisite brochures and enthusiastically soliciting passing martial artists.

"Shenbing Pavilion's Centennial Celebration! 20% off storewide! The A-rank 'Wind-Breaking Blade' price slashed by two million!"

"Buy now and get top-tier maintenance fluid for free! Plus, on-site guidance from a Grandmaster Level blacksmith!"

One had to admit that the Qin Family's foundation was indeed profound. Tangible discounts and high-quality weapons that one could see and touch held immense appeal for practical martial artists.

The crowd that had originally been drawn to the commotion at Myriad Treasures Pavilion was quickly pulled back by more than half.

After all, although Lin Fan's storefront looked intimidating, the inside was empty, featuring only a few massive metal shelves filled with identical black metal boxes, without even a decent display item.

"Tsk, what blind box? Making it so mysterious—who knows if there's just a rock inside?"

"Exactly, nine thousand nine hundred for one isn't cheap either. If I pull a piece of trash, won't I lose a fortune?"

"Better to go to Shenbing Pavilion. A 20% discount is a real deal; I've been eyeing that Wind-Breaking Blade for a long time."

Watching the crowd flow back, Qin Fu stood on the second-floor terrace of Shenbing Pavilion, tea cup in hand, a victor's smile on his face.

"Hmph, a mere brat dares to contend with me? Doing business relies on genuine goods at fair prices, not glib talk."

However, Lin Fan, facing him from across the way, wasn't flustered in the slightest.

He moved a chair to the shop entrance and sat there leisurely cracking melon seeds.

"Brother Fan, everyone's run off!" Zhao Wujing asked with a straight face, "Should we also set up some... sample displays?"

"What's the rush?" Lin Fan spat out a melon seed shell and said indifferently, "Let the bullets fly for a while."

Just then, several brightly dressed young men squeezed into the crowd.

They were the "shills" Lin Fan had arranged—those second-generation heirs of wealthy families he had caught to use as forced labor.

The leader was the fat man who had been scammed the worst by Lin Fan previously, named Qian Duoduo. His family owned spirit stone mines, and the one thing he didn't lack was money.

"Oh, so this is Myriad Treasures Pavilion?" Qian Duoduo shouted loudly, putting on an act. "I heard you can pull S-rank divine weapons here? This young master wants to see today if you're just bragging!"

The surrounding crowd's attention was instantly captured.

"Isn't that the eldest young master of the Qian Family?"

"He's here to join the fun too?"

Under everyone's gaze, Qian Duoduo walked to the counter and slapped down a black-gold card: "Give me ten of those... weapon blind boxes!"

"Coming right up! That will be ninety-nine thousand nine hundred!" Lin Fan, acting as the cashier, swiped the card with a smile and casually tossed ten black metal boxes to Qian Duoduo.

Qian Duoduo took a deep breath and, following Lin Fan's script, put on a nervous expression as he slowly opened the first box.

*Click.*

The box opened, and a flash of white light flickered.

Inside lay a... rusty iron dagger.

"Hahaha! I told you it was a scam!" someone in the crowd laughed loudly. "Nine thousand nine hundred for a rusty dagger? Has Young Master Qian lost his mind?"

Qin Fu, watching from across the way, also sneered repeatedly.

Qian Duoduo's face looked "terrible" as he opened eight more in a row.

All trash!

There was a broken sword hilt, a single gauntlet, and even a piece of bone shard from some unknown exotic beast.

"I don't believe it! The last one!" Qian Duoduo's eyes were bloodshot, looking exactly like a gambler who had lost everything, as he violently threw open the tenth box.

In that instant, a sudden transformation occurred!

*Hum—*

A piercing golden light burst from the box, instantly illuminating the entire shop and even eclipsing the sunlight outside!

A sharp Geng-Metal Qi soared into the sky, causing the surrounding martial artists to feel a stinging sensation on their skin.

As the light faded, a palm-sized flying sword was seen lying quietly in the box. Though the blade was somewhat coarse, the golden patterns flowing upon it emitted heart-palpitating Grandmaster Level fluctuations!

"This... this is..."

An old martial artist who knew his stuff pointed at the flying sword with a trembling hand. "This has a sealed Grandmaster Level sword qi?! Although it's a one-time use, this power... it could definitely insta-kill someone at the peak of the Martial Master Realm!"

"What?!"

The entire place broke into an uproar.

A one-time Grandmaster Level sword qi?

This kind of thing was priceless on the market! It was a life-saving trump card for critical moments! It would fetch at least five hundred thousand at an auction house!

"Holy crap! I'm rich!" Qian Duoduo jumped up in excitement, holding the flying sword and shouting, "Nine thousand nine hundred turned into five hundred thousand! This is even more profitable than mining!"

That roar was like a drop of water falling into a boiling pot of oil.

The eyes of the crowd, who had been mocking him, changed instantly.

Greed is the most primal human instinct.

Looking at the golden-glowing flying sword in Qian Duoduo's hand, everyone's breathing became ragged.

Nine thousand nine hundred was just the cost of a meal or a low-grade pill for the martial artists present.

But what if they could pull a Grandmaster Level flying sword like Young Master Qian?

That would be a fifty-fold profit!

"I'll take one too! Just one!"

Finally, someone couldn't hold back. An adventurer in ordinary leather armor rushed forward and slapped down a stack of cash.

"Coming up! May you get it in one shot!" Lin Fan handed over a box with a smile.

The adventurer opened it with trembling hands.

There was no golden light, only a refined steel longsword that looked reasonably sharp.

"Sigh, I didn't hit it." The adventurer was somewhat disappointed.

"Don't lose heart," Lin Fan said faintly from the side. "While this blade isn't S-rank, it has undergone special tempering. It's 30% harder than D-rank weapons on the market; selling it for twenty thousand won't be a problem. You didn't lose out; you made a small profit."

The adventurer froze, and upon closer inspection, he indeed found the blade to be gleaming and of good quality.

"I actually made a profit?" He was overjoyed. "Then... how about another one?"

This psychological suggestion of "small profit is safe, big profit changes your life" was simply toxic.

As more people tried, although most pulled "premium second-hand goods" refurbished by Lin Fan—which were actually scraps smelted by the system—occasionally someone would pull strange but highly practical items like an "Absolute Defense Shield (Trial Version)" or "Brute Force Miracle Gauntlets."

Whenever someone pulled something good, Lin Fan would have Zhao Wujing beat gongs and drums to announce it loudly.

"Congratulations to this brave warrior! You've obtained one A-rank Defense Shield!"

"Congratulations to this young lady! You've pulled a bottle of Top-Grade Beauty Pills!"

The constant cheers and golden light effects turned the entrance of Myriad Treasures Pavilion into a feverish casino.

In contrast, the Shenbing Pavilion across the street, despite its ongoing discounts, appeared dull and tedious with its cold, fixed pricing compared to the mystery and excitement of the blind boxes.

Who would want to spend eight hundred thousand to buy a blade destined to depreciate?

What if I could pull one for nine thousand nine hundred?

This gambler's fallacy spread through the crowd like a plague.

Standing on the terrace, Qin Fu watched his own deserted shop and then the long queue at Myriad Treasures Pavilion; the tea cup in his hand shattered with a *crack*.

He looked at those frenzied customers and at Lin Fan, who was sitting at the door counting money until his hands cramped, and a deep chill rose in his heart.

This was exploiting the gambler's psyche; it was utilizing human weakness to conduct a commercial plunder!

"Lin Fan..." Qin Fu gritted his teeth, "You are playing with fire!"