129: Chapter 129 VIP

The storekeeper listened to this and waved his hand with a smile.

"Young Master, you have misunderstood. It is called 'moyuan', but that is just a name. If it were truly the scales of a Dragon, what price would that command? We could sell the entire Wanbao Pavilion and still not be able to afford a single piece."

He picked up a moyuan flying dagger and flicked the blade with his fingernail, producing a clear, crisp sound. "This is a type of Vicious Beast, also called a Mo Jiao, but it has absolutely nothing to do with a real Dragon."

This beast lives in deep mountains and marshes, covered in black scales that are impervious to swords and spears.

The flying daggers polished from its scales are lightweight, hard, and sharp. Even a precious sword capable of cutting iron like mud wouldn't be able to break them."

Lin Tian nodded. The scales of a Vicious Beast; the material was indeed excellent.

The size was also suitable—the length of a finger and thin as a willow leaf, completely inconspicuous when hidden in a sleeve. It was perfect for practicing the Flying Knife in the Sleeve.

"I want this flying dagger."

The storekeeper's face creased into a smile, but he then revealed a slightly troubled expression: "Young Master, these moyuan flying daggers are a bit special; they are not sold individually."

"Not sold individually?"

"Correct, they are sold as a set."

Lin Tian frowned slightly: "How many in a set? How much does it cost?"

"Thirty-two in a set, twelve thousand taels."

Twelve thousand taels.

Lin Tian did the mental math. He currently had about fourteen thousand taels of silver in total. He had spent nine thousand taels on martial arts, and the remaining twelve thousand taels was his entire fortune.

If he bought this set of flying daggers, he wouldn't be able to buy the cold moon bow.

He looked down at the cold moon bow on the counter. The dark blue bow lay there quietly, the wild ox tendon on the bowstring shimmering faintly under the light.

Four thousand taels wasn't expensive, but adding the twelve thousand for the flying daggers made it sixteen thousand, which he couldn't afford.

Lin Tian looked at the other flying daggers in the counter. There were some cheaper sets, some for three thousand taels a set, others for five thousand.

He picked one up to examine it; the material was clearly inferior, and it was heavier. He picked up another set, but the feel was wrong—the balance of the blade wasn't good, which would affect accuracy when thrown.

After looking back and forth, he wasn't satisfied with any of them.

Lin Tian gritted his teeth.

The bow could be bought later. It wasn't like he would only visit Yunzhou Prefecture once, and the Wanbao Pavilion wouldn't run away.

But something like the moyuan flying daggers was a matter of fate when encountered; if missed, they might not be there the next time he came.

Besides, a set of thirty-two would last him a long time.

Once the Flying Knife in the Sleeve is practiced to a high level, one flying dagger equals one life; thirty-two daggers meant thirty-two lives.

"Fine. I'll take these moyuan flying daggers."

The storekeeper's eyes lit up, and the smile on his face was ten times more sincere than before: "Really?"

This set of flying daggers had been on display at the Wanbao Pavilion for nearly a year.

The items were indeed excellent; flying daggers polished from Mo Jiao scales were rare in material, and the craftsmanship was exquisite. The runes on the blades had been engraved by a specialized Artifact Refiner, which could increase the stability and penetrating power of the flying daggers.

But the problem was that they were too expensive.

Twelve thousand taels of silver was enough to buy a precious sword that could cut iron like mud; who would spend that much money on a bunch of hidden weapons?

There weren't many Martial Artists who used hidden weapons, and even fewer who were willing to spend a large sum of money on them. Many people had asked about them over the past year, but not a single person had actually paid for them.

He hadn't expected to run into one today.

The storekeeper said repeatedly: "Young Master, please wait a moment, I will pack them up for you right away." He carefully took the thirty-two moyuan flying daggers out of the wooden box and placed them one by one into a black leather dagger pouch.

The pouch was exquisitely made, with dark patterns pressed onto the surface. Inside, there were thirty-two slender slots, and each flying dagger could fit snugly into them. Along the edge of the pouch was a row of copper buttons, which could be used to secure it to the inside of a belt or tie it to the forearm.

Lin Tian took the pouch and drew one flying dagger to examine it closely. The blade was as black as ink, and when the light shone on it, it surprisingly didn't reflect much.

The mysterious patterns on the blade were clearer up close; they looked like some kind of ancient runes, or perhaps the natural growth patterns of Mo Jiao scales.

He gently scraped his fingertip across the edge. Before his skin even touched the blade, he felt a slight stinging sensation.

A good blade.

The storekeeper went to pick up the cold moon bow: "Then should I pack this bow for you as well, Young Master?"

Lin Tian shook his head: "No. I don't have enough money, only enough to buy the flying daggers. We'll talk about the bow later."

The storekeeper was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded, putting the cold moon bow away.

He didn't find it surprising; twelve thousand taels of silver was a huge sum for any young Martial Artist. Being able to pull out this much money to buy flying daggers already counted as being wealthy.

He had managed the Wanbao Pavilion for so many years and had seen too many young people walk in full of ambition, only to be scared away by the prices in the end.

This Young Master being able to pull out twelve thousand without changing his expression was no simple feat.

"Please wait a moment, Young Master." The storekeeper took the twelve thousand taels of silver banknotes handed over by Lin Tian, verified them one by one, and put them away after confirming they were correct.

He then turned and walked behind the counter, took a palm-sized jade tablet from a drawer, carved a few words on it with a carving knife, and registered something in a register book nearby.

He put away the pouch filled with flying daggers and turned to look at the counter not far away.

It was lively over there.

The Zhao siblings had just finished paying; the two precious swords cost a total of seven thousand taels of silver.

The storekeeper took the two swords out of the sword box and wiped them with a silk cloth; the blades were bright enough to reflect a person's image. Zhao Mingyang took one, flicked his wrist, and the blade cut through the air, emitting a clear, crisp sword hum.

Zhao Mingyue also wore the other one at her waist; the purple sword tassel hung down, complementing her dress, and it looked quite beautiful.

"Seven thousand taels! Seven thousand taels for two swords!"

"Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Sister Zhao are just too rich!"

"Is this the foundation of a great Family?"

A few new Disciples gathered around, their eyes almost popping out.

For most of them, their entire net worth added up to only a few hundred taels of silver. Seven thousand taels was a number they didn't even dare to imagine.

Even Senior Brother Li and Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun revealed expressions of envy.

Although Senior Brother Li had joined the Sect early, he didn't come from a wealthy or noble background. The monthly allowance issued by the Sect plus the income from completing tasks meant that even if he saved for a year, he wouldn't be able to afford such a sword. Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun was the same; she looked at the sword at Zhao Mingyue's waist and sighed softly.

Zhao Mingyang took in everyone's reactions, and the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened a bit. Zhao Mingyue even lifted her chin, her fingers gently stroking the patterns on the scabbard, looking calm and indifferent.

But anyone could see that both of them were very much enjoying these envious gazes.

The storekeeper said obsequiously: "You two, shall I help you pack up the precious swords? This sword box is made of high-quality sandalwood, which is moisture-proof and insect-proof."

Zhao Mingyang waved his hand: "No need, just give them to us directly."

He took the swords from the storekeeper and hung them at his waist on the spot. Zhao Mingyue also wore hers. The two new swords hung on them, the scabbards shimmering with a faint luster under the light, making both of them look even more high-spirited.

The surrounding new Disciples let out another round of exclamations and praise; someone even couldn't help but reach out to touch them, only to be glared back by Zhao Mingyang.

"Let's go." Zhao Mingyang looked around, and seeing that no one else had any intention of buying anything, he said, "Since everyone is done buying, let's go back."

Everyone nodded in succession. They had shopped enough and eaten enough, and they had seen the Wanbao Pavilion; it was indeed getting late. It would still take more than half a day to walk back to the Qixia Sect from here, and if they delayed any longer, they wouldn't reach the mountain gate by nightfall.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun looked at the sky outside and also said: "It is time to go back."

Senior Brother Li had already started calling everyone to head out.

"Wait!"

A voice suddenly came from behind.

Everyone stopped and looked back. They saw a chubby storekeeper walking quickly towards them, holding something in his hand.

This person was not the storekeeper who had served the Zhao siblings just now, but another one—the storekeeper from the weapon area.

What's going on?

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what had happened. Zhao Mingyang frowned slightly, his hand unconsciously pressing on the hilt of the newly bought sword. Zhao Mingyue also revealed a look of vigilance.

The Fat Storekeeper pushed through the crowd and walked straight to Lin Tian.

His face was full of smiles, and he handed over a jade tablet with both hands: "Young Master, this is your Wanbao Pavilion VIP card, just finished engraving. Please take it. In the future, when you come to the Wanbao Pavilion to buy things, no matter which branch it is, you will get a ten percent discount with this card."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire weapon area went silent for a moment.

Then everyone's gaze fell on Lin Tian.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun was stunned. Senior Brother Li was stunned. Those few new Disciples were all stunned.

Zhao Mingyang's hand slid off the sword hilt, Zhao Mingyue's mouth opened slightly, and the calm and indifferent expression on her face shattered into pieces.

Wanbao Pavilion VIP card? This kid?