Divine Level Witch Doctor

Zhao Yuan clearly saw the expressions on the faces of the people around him and immediately guessed that Xing Hong had named a high price to rip him off.

To the current Zhao Yuan, fifty thousand yuan was nothing, especially since he was buying a Qi-containing treasure. It wasn’t a loss.

It was worth remembering that the White Cat had very high standards. It hadn’t even glanced at the Body Pearl from before, yet this Copper Bell had actually tempted it into swallowing it whole. ’It must be a better treasure than the Body Pearl!’

But even so, Zhao Yuan didn’t immediately agree to the price Xing Hong had named.

Because he didn’t want to be taken for a sucker.

Besides, all his money was earned through his own skills; it didn’t just fall from the sky.

What’s more, it was easy to tell from Xing Hong’s treacherous gaze that if he agreed to the fifty thousand yuan price too readily, the man would almost certainly go back on his word and find an excuse to demand even more.

After hearing Xing Hong’s asking price, Liu Zhu and the others erupted.

”Fifty thousand? For a copper bell the size of a longan? You’re clearly trying to blackmail him!”

”Don’t waste your breath on him. Let’s just call the police!”

”That’s right, call the police! Let them come and arrest this con artist!”

Xing Hong wasn’t intimidated. He snorted, ”What con artist? What blackmail? Don’t you go spouting nonsense and slandering my good name, or I’ll sue you for defamation! You want to call the police? Go ahead! That Copper Bell of mine is an antique. Even if the police show up, it’ll still be worth that much!”

There was no fixed price for antiques. How much they sold for depended not just on the item itself but on one’s ability to talk it up. Therefore, Xing Hong wasn’t the least bit worried that the police’s arrival would put him at a disadvantage.

Just then, the White Cat, which was perched on Zhao Yuan’s shoulder, suddenly reached out a small paw and patted him twice. Then, it leaped to the ground and took off running.

As it ran, the White Cat glanced back at Zhao Yuan several times, as if to say, ’Hurry up and follow me!’

Something stirred in Zhao Yuan’s heart, and he immediately gave chase.

Xing Hong thought he was trying to flee and grew anxious. He quickly reached out to grab him. ”Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you’re doing? Trying to run out on the bill, are you? I’m telling you, not a chance!”

But Zhao Yuan was much faster than he had imagined. His hand didn’t even manage to touch the hem of Zhao Yuan’s clothes.

Anxious now, Xing Hong quickly turned and chased after them.

”Quick, let’s go after them!” Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan protectively flanked the four girls and hurried to follow. A crowd of curious onlookers also trailed behind.

The White Cat sprinted all the way until it finally stopped in front of an antique stall.

The stall wasn’t large, just a small table about a meter wide displaying some bronzeware, jade, and a few porcelain pieces. It didn’t look much different from the neighboring stalls. And just like the other antique stalls around it, this one was filled with more fakes than genuine articles, more worthless junk than valuable treasures.

”Hey, isn’t that the cat that ate the thing from Old Xing’s stall? Why’s it back?” A neighboring stall owner started to get up, intending to grab the White Cat. He figured he could ask for a small finder’s fee from Xing Hong when he returned.

But before he could act, Zhao Yuan arrived. The White Cat leaped up and landed on his shoulder.

Zhao Yuan activated his Qi Observation Technique and swept his gaze across Xing Hong’s antique stall. A flicker of delighted surprise appeared in his eyes.

’There really is a treasure here!’ Zhao Yuan reached out and ruffled the fur on the White Cat’s head, chuckling to himself. ’You’re a clever one. Even after getting a tasty meal, you didn’t forget to let me get a share of the leftovers.’

A moment later, Xing Hong came running up, panting heavily. He was stunned to see Zhao Yuan and the White Cat stopped in front of his own antique stall.

Zhao Yuan pointed at the stall before them and asked him, ”Is this your stall?”

”That’s right!” Xing Hong nodded. He strode forward, pointed to an empty space on the left side of the stall, and said, ”My Copper Bell was right in this spot. Your cat suddenly rushed over and swallowed it whole. Everyone here can testify to that!”

”That’s right!”

”That’s how it happened!”

”We can testify. That cat really did rush out and swallow something from Xing Hong’s stall.”

The surrounding stall owners all spoke up to corroborate Xing Hong’s story. One impatient man added, ”Young man, Old Xing has some good stuff at his stall! I saw that Copper Bell your cat swallowed. Its condition was excellent, worth at least one or two thousand yuan!”

As the man spoke, he secretly winked at Xing Hong, the meaning clear: ’Buddy, I helped you get a high price. Don’t forget to give me a cut after you fleece this little lamb!’

This man had seen the Copper Bell on Xing Hong’s stall and thought that asking for one or two thousand was already a ruthless rip-off.

However, upon hearing this, Xing Hong became agitated and immediately refuted it. ”What one or two thousand yuan? That Copper Bell of mine is a rare treasure passed down from the Song Dynasty’s imperial family! It’s worth at least fifty thousand!”

The man’s face turned green. He cursed inwardly, ’Fifty thousand? You really have the gall to ask for that! For that piece of junk, even a hundred yuan would be too much. A rare treasure from the Song Dynasty’s imperial family? What a load of crap! Did you think I didn’t see you buy it for fifty yuan a few days ago?!’

Liu Zhu and the others caught up and snorted, ”Did you hear that? Your Copper Bell isn’t worth fifty thousand yuan at all. You’re clearly trying to rip him off!”

”He doesn’t appreciate the quality of my treasure, so his lowball estimate doesn’t count! In any case, you have to give me fifty thousand yuan today, or I’ll have to cut this cat’s belly open!” Xing Hong resorted to playing dirty.

He had seen how much Zhao Yuan and his friends doted on the White Cat, which was why he dared to stick to the fifty thousand yuan price... Of course, if they couldn’t come up with that much money, he was prepared to accept a little less.

Liu Zhu and the others were about to argue further, but Zhao Yuan held up a hand to stop them. ”Fifty thousand is fine,” he said, ”but I’m taking everything on your stall.”

All the items on Xing Hong’s stall added together were worth ten thousand yuan at most. Getting fifty thousand for them would be a massive profit.

But Xing Hong didn’t agree. Instead, he hollered, ”The fifty thousand yuan is for the Copper Bell! You want all the treasures on my stall? That’ll be at least another hundred thousand...”

Before he could finish, Zhao Yuan lifted his foot and stomped on the ground. A muffled BANG, like a clap of summer thunder, echoed out.

Following the sound, Xing Hong was shocked to see that the stone pavers under Zhao Yuan’s foot had shattered! A web of cracks spread out in all directions, completely destroying the paving stones within a one-meter radius.

’Just from a single stomp? Does it have to be so dramatic? If he kicked someone like that, it would be fatal, wouldn’t it?’ Xing Hong shivered. He hastily abandoned his thoughts of a big score and forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace. ”Alright, then. Fifty thousand, and you can take everything on the stall. Let’s just say we’re making a new friend.”

”No!” Zhao Yuan shook his head and held up a single finger. ”I’ve changed my mind. I’m not giving you fifty thousand. Ten thousand at most!”

”Ten thousand...” Xing Hong instinctively started to refuse, but when he saw the shattered paving stones on the ground, his courage vanished. With a pained expression, he could only say, ”Alright, ten thousand it is.”

His heart was filled with regret. If only he had just agreed when Zhao Yuan offered fifty thousand instead of trying to push his luck!

Xing Hong wept a river of tears in his heart. ’Once, a pile of fifty thousand yuan lay before me, but I did not cherish it. Now that it is gone, I am filled with regret. There is no greater pain in this mortal world!’