64: Making money by selling trial cards

"I am a pawnshop owner."

"Ever since many years ago, when I first stepped into the Lianxing Pavilion and became one of its members, I have drifted between various marketplaces, trading firms, and even entertainment houses for work."

"After working diligently for all these years, I finally, through some 'gestures,' became the pawnshop owner in the Night Roaming Ruins of Jiangzhou Prefecture."

"Being a pawnshop owner is actually a very good position, and I like it very much."

"Because I can use various methods to embezzle the special items pawned by customers, making it impossible for them to be redeemed."

"This way, while making money, I can also collect some of my favorite rare treasures."

"I always thought my life would pass by ordinarily like this, until I met it."

Ever since Zhou Yan slapped the golden bow onto the counter, this pawnshop owner had been like one possessed, his eyes fixed intently on the golden bow, unwilling to look away for even a second.

The tea was steaming, continuously flowing from the spout, already soaking his hand.

But since he's a Cultivator, he probably isn't afraid of the heat, right?

Zhou Yan looked at this pawnshop owner and thought the other party might have some special disease, so out of humanitarian concern, he set down two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Just as he was about to take back the golden bow to see if there was anywhere else he could sell it, the owner's eyes suddenly glowed green at the sight of the movement. His entire head transformed into an orange half-human, half-cat head, and with a hiss, he slammed his hand down on the golden bow, baring his teeth at Zhou Yan!

Zhou Yan was startled by this sudden scene. The moment the other party hissed, he instinctively threw a punch, hitting the man right in the eye socket.

"Ouch!"

The other party cried out in pain, clutching his right eye as he stumbled back two steps.

[Li Zhe]

[Rank: Qi Refining 7th Layer]

[Health: 1120/1200]

"Oh?"

"Another Half-Demon, and a half-cat, half-human one at that?"

After using "path of evolution," Zhou Yan realized this was a genuine Half-Demon, not a product of Late Stage modification, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That was close; he almost couldn't resist giving him another punch.

After taking a punch, the other party's emotions actually stabilized a bit. Although he now had a black eye, his gaze was much clearer.

As a wisp of gray smoke condensed, his face returned to human form.

"Apologies, apologies, I've given the guest a bad experience."

"It's truly because this old man was too excited upon seeing this item that I lost myself for a moment and revealed my true form. I deeply apologize for the trouble caused."

After saying that, he arranged for his subordinates to bring tea and snacks and invited Zhou Yan to the back hall so the two of them could have a proper chat about this golden bow.

"I wonder how I should address you, Fellow Daoist?"

"I am a Loose Cultivator, Jiang Hongyue."

"Oh, so it's Fellow Daoist Hongyue. This old man is Li Zhe. My apologies for the lack of respect."

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist's treasure is indeed incredibly exquisite, but please forgive this old man's poor eyesight; it is truly difficult to put a price on this item."

In reality, Li Zhe fully recognized the value of this golden bow.

It was absolutely a priceless treasure. But most people who came to a pawnshop were in urgent need of Spirit Stones. The more urgent it was, the easier they were to manipulate.

"Fellow Daoist, how about this: I know a Great Master who specializes in the appraisal of weapons and Magic Treasures. I'll invite him to give an estimate so that you and I can trade fairly. What do you think?"

Zhou Yan said, "Very well, very well."

While waiting, Li Zhe kept inquiring about the origin of the bow.

Zhou Yan claimed it was an heirloom, dug up from the ground by his ancestors, and appraised by experts as top-tier goods.

In short, he brought out the entire set of deceptive rhetoric from his previous life.

Whether it was because the golden bow itself was so impressive or because Zhou Yan truly bluffed him, Li Zhe went along with everything throughout the process, praising whatever was mentioned.

From beginning to end, his eyes never left the golden bow, and he didn't even glance at Zhou Yan. The tea and snacks on the table all went into Zhou Yan's stomach; Li Zhe didn't even touch a drop of tea.

Seeing this situation, Zhou Yan knew the other party had taken the bait.

There are bound to be pawnshops and auction houses in a marketplace. Compared to the latter, the background of a pawnshop is usually darker.

Especially pawnshops in the Black Market. Because of this, they became ideal targets for 'robbing the robbers.'

After all, the golden bow and Silver Bullet were just cosmetic effects; they were essentially nothing. With just a thought from Zhou Yan, it would vanish into thin air, and even if it were marked, it would be useless.

And since the other party's own background wasn't clean, would they even dare to report it to the authorities?

Besides, even if they did report it, he wasn't afraid; he was a Seventh-Rank Supervising Censor.

Usually, unless a case became extremely large, subordinates wouldn't even have the qualification to report to him.

Jie jie jie, Li Zhe, oh Li Zhe, just be greedy; the more, the better.

Although Li Zhe's soul had been snatched away by the golden bow, his black-hearted business instincts of many years were still calculating.

A Loose Cultivator meant no background.

Pawning an heirloom indicated a family in decline.

No background, no strength, and destitute... it meant as long as he offered a price the guy couldn't pay back, once the contract period expired, this treasure would be mine!

As for what if he actually could pay it back?

It didn't matter; that would be the time for the thugs I employ to strike.

Jie jie jie, kid, you'd better ask for more in a moment. The greedier you are, the easier it will be for me.

"Fellow Daoist Hongyue, these snacks taste good, don't they? I'll have the servants bring some more."

"That would be quite embarrassing... then let's have two more portions of each."

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Hongyue is quite straightforward!"

"Not at all, not at all, it's just that the manager is generous, hahaha."

The atmosphere between the two was harmonious—a friendly seller and a virtuous customer; it could truly be called a pleasant gathering for both host and guest.

However, this good atmosphere was soon interrupted by a voice coming from outside the door.

"Manager Li, you said there was a good Magic Treasure you wanted me to help take a look at. Where is it?"

The speaker was an old gentleman wearing a hood. After entering the room, he took off the hood, revealing a weathered and resolute face with a scar on his left cheek; he looked like someone who had been through many hardships.

How does this look like an appraisal Great Master? Isn't he more like a Gold-touching Captain invited from some tomb?

As expected, the Black Market is full of talented individuals.

"Great Master Huang is here! Please, come in, come in!"

Li Zhe smilingly led the man to sit at the long table, where various appraisal tools were already laid out.

Then he quickly returned to Zhou Yan's side, picked up the golden bow with both hands, and walked slowly toward Great Master Huang, giving it a reluctant stroke before setting it down.

Seeing his pathetic display, Great Master Huang rolled his eyes. It was just a slightly more ornate Magic Treasure; this Li Zhe had truly wasted all those years in the Lianxing Pavilion.

Then, Great Master Huang picked up the longbow, his fingertips cautiously brushing over the cold bow body. When he tilted the bow slightly toward the light, his movements suddenly froze.

A flowing radiance slowly spilled from the intricate patterns, and a star-like shimmer moved silently along the bow's arms, outlining a perfect form that was neither rune nor pattern, transcending all cognition.

With his years of experience, he didn't need any tools at this moment to understand that this was absolutely a rare treasure the likes of which he had never even seen before.

"This construction... it is simply magnificent!" He took a breath, his voice lowered in awe. "This is definitely not something that can be made by human hands... this is the manifestation of Law, the ultimate beauty of the world!"

He stared blankly for a long time before finally returning the bow with a nearly pious gesture, as if that exquisite radiance had scorched his eyes.

"This item is a priceless treasure. If it were to be sold, it would start at at least a hundred million Spirit Stones!"

"To be able to see such a miracle today... this old man... has no regrets."

After saying that, he wiped away his tears, put his hood back on, and turned to walk out, like an NPC who had completed a task, without staying for a second.

Zhou Yan watched with a bewildered expression.

This person was clearly invited by Li Zhe, so why did he act like a shill he had hired himself?

But Li Zhe didn't say much and directly offered a pawn price:

"One High-Grade Spirit Stone!"

Hearing this sentence, Zhou Yan almost spat out the spirit tea in his mouth.

Good grief, the Great Master just said it was worth over a hundred million, and you immediately cut it down to ten thousand? Truly the style of the Black Market.

Seeing the way the other party was staring at the golden bow with drool almost coming out, how could Zhou Yan not know this was just the nature of a merchant?

Because the identity he fabricated posed no threat.

Or perhaps, the other party had also considered the possibility that he was hiding his identity but was confident enough in the Black Market's background.

"No way! At least a thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones!"

Dealing with such a dishonest merchant, Zhou Yan naturally had to squeeze out every bit of surplus value.

But if he agreed too quickly, it would easily arouse suspicion, so Zhou Yan decided to act like a greenhorn who had just entered the world.

How should a greenhorn act?

Zhou Yan hadn't been graduated for long and hadn't forgotten many things yet; he could just act like he did during his university days.

"No! This is an heirloom!"

"If I weren't short on cash to buy a gift for my goddess, I wouldn't have brought it to be pawned!"

"She's a rich girl from a wealthy family; her family is very rich."

"Once my goddess's family accepts me and I successfully move up in the world, I'll be able to get enough money to redeem it in an instant!"

One had the face of a dishonest merchant, while the other had a face of 'clear-eyed stupidity.'

Everything started because of the golden bow, but at this moment, what both of them were thinking had nothing to do with the golden bow; they were only calculating how to bleed the other party dry.