"Young Master Li Xuan, is this your first time entering a black market like this?" Yang Zi asked with a smile, noticing Li Xuan looking around.
Li Xuan scratched his head and nodded. "I usually buy things from merchant guilds. This is indeed my first time in a black market."
Yang Zi nodded. "That's normal. After all, the outside world isn't as chaotic as this Land of Rebellion. As for merchant guilds, they can't exist here. Even this black market has powerful cultivators guarding it. Although they're not from our City Lord's Mansion, they have the City Lord's permission."
"Furthermore, this black market pays a substantial fee to the City Lord's Mansion every year, so we're considered part of the black market's backing."
Li Xuan nodded slightly. Without strong backing, even merchant guilds in the outside world would find it difficult to operate. In this Land of Rebellion, a powerful cultivator would have no time to dedicate all their attention to a merchant guild.
Of course, a force like the City Lord's Mansion, which only invests some of its strength to oversee things, could indeed achieve that. Moreover, Li Xuan knew very well that such underground black markets were clearly not something a single force could support.
Soon, Li Xuan's gaze fell upon a stall. Outside the stall, a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, stood waiting for customers.
"Young Master, over here." Seeing this, Yang Zi immediately walked towards the stall.
"What do you two need?" the girl asked as someone approached.
Yang Zi glanced at the items on the stall and picked up a jade hairpin. "How much is this?"
"Ten million high-grade spirit stones," the girl replied.
Yang Zi frowned. "Girl, do you think I'm new to this black market?"
After speaking, Yang Zi turned to Li Xuan. "Young Master, let's go."
Li Xuan nodded. Although the jade hairpin seemed to be of the Heavenly grade, ten million high-grade spirit stones was indeed too much. If Yang Zi insisted on buying it, Li Xuan would have stopped her.
"Wait a moment!" the girl quickly said.
"Is there something else?" Yang Zi turned to the girl.
The girl replied, "It's a transaction, there's always room for negotiation. I'm the seller, so I can't just say one high-grade spirit stone, can I?"
Yang Zi and Li Xuan both smiled. This girl seemed quite interesting.
"One million high-grade spirit stones," Yang Zi said again after looking at the hairpin.
"Five million high-grade spirit stones!" the girl immediately replied.
Yang Zi shook her head. "One million high-grade spirit stones. Not a single extra one."
The girl bit her lip and then nodded vigorously. "Deal!"
To Li Xuan's astonishment, Yang Zi and the girl quickly completed the transaction.
"Alright, now bring out your shop's prized possession," Yang Zi said, putting away the jade hairpin and looking at the girl.
A flicker of surprise appeared in the girl's eyes, but she quickly nodded and turned to go inside. Soon, she came out holding a box.
Li Xuan's eyes showed a hint of curiosity. The box was beautifully wrapped, even with a red ribbon tied in a bow.
"How much is it?" Yang Zi asked.
The girl replied, "Eight million high-grade spirit stones."
Yang Zi frowned slightly and then shook her head. "Two million."
The girl's eyes widened. "Miss, this is the only prized possession in my shop."
Yang Zi nodded slightly. "That's why I'm offering two million high-grade spirit stones."
After staring at Yang Zi for a long time, the girl nodded. "Deal."
Li Xuan was dumbfounded. The girl agreed! Li Xuan couldn't help but sigh, never expecting Yang Zi to be such a master negotiator.
"What is this?" Li Xuan couldn't help but ask.
"Anping fruit," Yang Zi replied with a smile.
Li Xuan was taken aback. The name sounded similar to the apples he had eaten in Qingcheng. When Li Xuan saw Yang Zi open the box, he was speechless.
What was the difference between this and the apples he had eaten before? Apples like these could be bought by the basketful for one low-grade spirit stone in Qingcheng. And Yang Zi had offered two million high-grade spirit stones for it!
"Young Master, although this fruit looks the same as an apple, it's actually different. After consuming this fruit, it can increase your cultivation by twenty years of spiritual energy," Yang Zi explained, perhaps seeing the astonishment on Li Xuan's face.
Only then did Li Xuan understand. So, the Anping fruit was valuable because of this.
"Young Master, let's go," Yang Zi said after putting away the Anping fruit. Li Xuan nodded and followed Yang Zi.
However, with a casual glance, Li Xuan saw the girl take another identical box out of the house.
"Didn't she say it was the only prized possession in her shop?" Li Xuan asked Yang Zi, feeling speechless.
Yang Zi smiled. "This Anping fruit is indeed the only prized possession in her shop. However, she didn't say it was the only one."
Li Xuan gave a thumbs-up, marveling at the people in this underground black market. Of course, Li Xuan could also tell that Yang Zi clearly frequented this underground black market, otherwise, how could she be so skilled at bargaining.
"Young Master, if you're looking to buy spirit swords, you might find what you need at these stalls. Of course, it depends more on your luck," Yang Zi said.
Li Xuan nodded. A black market, by its nature, dealt in stolen goods. The quantity could vary, and if one was lucky, all the spirit stones Li Xuan had might not be enough to buy what he needed, and the items could be of very high grade.
After browsing for a few minutes, Li Xuan, following Yang Zi's gaze, also looked at a stall. On it lay a crystal-clear round bead. Seeing the slight surprise in Yang Zi's eyes, Li Xuan immediately understood that this item was likely not ordinary.
In an instant, Li Xuan and Yang Zi arrived at the stall.
"Sir, may I examine this item?" Yang Zi asked the old man who was manning the stall.
The old man glanced at Yang Zi and nodded slightly. "Go ahead. Are you afraid someone would dare to steal here?"
Yang Zi picked up the round bead and examined it. Then, she nodded and looked at the old man. "Sir, what is the price of this item?"
The old man replied without looking up, "Five million high-grade spirit stones."
Yang Zi fell silent for a moment. However, before she could speak, Li Xuan directly said, "Fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones."
The old man's head shot up. He slammed his hand on the stall and pointed at Li Xuan, roaring, "Damn it, are you here to cause trouble?"
Li Xuan was stunned.
What the heck, you can't haggle?
Yang Zi also gave a wry smile and turned to Li Xuan. "Young Master, this item is genuinely worth five million high-grade spirit stones."
Li Xuan felt extremely embarrassed.
Damn it, I've made a complete fool of myself!