Translator: AnubisTL
"Elder Shang, could we make a detour? I'd like to visit the nearby Silent Soul City!" Gu Feng tugged at Elder Shang's sleeve and whispered.
"You really don't hold back, do you? Do you think I have nothing better to do than accompany you on a tour of Cloud Prefecture? Or do you see me as your personal mount?" Elder Shang grumbled in annoyance.
Throughout the journey, Gu Feng had repeatedly used the excuse of stomach discomfort and needing to relieve himself to make Elder Shang land the flying artifact. Initially, Elder Shang thought Gu Feng might have internal injuries causing his organs to malfunction.
However, it turned out that Gu Feng's bathroom breaks were all a ruse. His real purpose was to gather spirit herbs and collect materials for crafting. If it weren't for Elder Liu and the fact that Gu Feng had recently made a significant contribution, Elder Shang would have loved to teach the boy a lesson.
"Please, Elder Shang, I promise this will be the last time!" Gu Feng pleaded.
"Are you going to pick more spirit herbs or dig up crafting materials? The trash you can easily find isn't worth much," Elder Shang scoffed, but he still obliged, landing at the gates of Silent Soul City.
"Everything in the city belongs to someone. If I take it, isn't that just robbery? I'm going to sell these items to the guild and exchange them for spirit stones!" Gu Feng explained, dragging Elder Shang into the city.
"What's so special about the Myriad Harmony Guild here? I remember we passed through Vast Vision City, which also has a branch of this guild. Why didn't you sell your items there?" Elder Shang found it strange that Gu Feng was so insistent on converting his items into spirit stones, but he didn't press further, as it likely involved a cultivator's secrets.
"Haha, the Myriad Harmony Guild in Vast Vision City is off-limits!" Gu Feng casually brushed off the question.
A few months ago, he had swindled 15,000 spirit stones from Yan Xixi's uncle, Gu Santong. Gu Feng wasn't foolish enough to walk into the lion's den to repay the debt. As long as the creditor couldn't find him, he didn't consider it defaulting. That was Gu Feng's philosophy.
The two entered the Myriad Harmony Guild in Silent Soul City. This branch was several times larger than the one in Vast Vision City, though the basic layout was similar—one was a mini version, the other an expanded one.
Gu Feng, familiar with the process, went straight to the sales area.
"Shopkeeper, I have items to sell!"
Elder Shang had thought selling items would be a simple matter—appraisal, negotiation, and the whole process wouldn't take more than the time it took to burn an incense stick. He had often sold items at guilds before.
However, Gu Feng's approach completely shattered his expectations.
Gu Feng pulled out a small abacus the size of his palm and began deftly clicking the beads with practiced ease. His movements were so smooth that they surpassed even the assistant beside the guild steward.
This alone wouldn't have fazed Elder Shang. A cultivator without a background had to earn every item and spirit stone through sweat and blood. Being cautious was understandable.
But this was just the beginning. Next came Gu Feng's forte—haggling. He scrutinized every single item out of thousands, bargaining with the steward over each price.
At first, the steward remained calm, but soon his breathing grew rapid, his impatience showing on his face, and his smile became forced.
Gu Feng was incredibly difficult to deal with. For a single ordinary spirit herb, he would argue about its efficacy, growing environment, and even whether it was male or female. Not only the steward, but even Elder Shang, who was watching from the side, felt dizzy and irritated.
"Young master, please stop haggling with me! I'll give you a 0.5% increase on the total price for all items. This is a benefit usually reserved for gold card members," the steward said with a pained expression.
"Agreed," Gu Feng nodded in satisfaction, then abruptly changed the subject. "I heard that with a Purple-Gold Card, you get discounts on both buying and selling items?"
"Correct. With a Purple-Gold Card, you get a 10% discount on purchases and a 10% increase on sales prices."
"That's great! What was the total amount again?" Gu Feng asked excitedly.
"3.65 million spirit stones!"
"Perfect, I have a Purple-Gold Card!"
The steward's mouth twitched violently as he stared at the Purple-Gold Card. This kid was completely unpredictable!
He had a Purple-Gold Card all along, yet he kept haggling until the steward couldn't take it anymore and offered a 0.5% increase. Only then did he reveal the card!
The steward snatched the abacus from his assistant and began furiously clicking the beads. After a while, he was dismayed to find that, after all this, he would only make a meager profit of a few thousand spirit stones from Gu Feng's items. If the market turned bad, he might even incur a loss.
This was frustrating. After all that work, this was the result!
The steward sighed deeply, giving Gu Feng a long, tired look, then gestured to his assistant, "Go fetch the spirit stones."
He then turned and headed to the back hall. "Third Master, I just completed a transaction that needs your signature. There's a risk of loss."
"Loss?" Third Master laughed. In the business of buying low and selling high, losses were rare.
"Third Master, that kid was too difficult to deal with. He completely confused me!" the steward said, hanging his head.
"Tell me about it," Third Master said with interest. After hearing the steward's account, his expression turned odd, and he fell into deep thought. He felt like he had seen this scenario before.
"Purple-Gold Card... young man... unbeatable at haggling..."
Suddenly, the pieces clicked in his mind, and Gu Feng's image emerged.
"It's that little rascal!" Third Master slapped his thigh and stood up abruptly. "Whether this transaction makes a profit or a loss, it's not your concern. I'll go meet this kid!"
After obtaining a storage ring, Gu Feng felt like he had upgraded from a slingshot to a cannon. He no longer worried about having too many spirit stones to fit in a single storage pouch.
He proudly wore a shiny storage ring on each index finger, looking quite pleased with himself.
Elder Shang gave him a deep look and said slowly, "From now on, you should handle all our sect's transactions with the guild."
With Gu Feng's unbeatable haggling skills, the sect's income could increase by at least 10-20% annually.
"Does our sect also do business with guilds?" Gu Feng asked in surprise.
"Of course. Our Sunset Glow Sect isn't an isolated place. We must engage in trade with the outside world!"
"That's great! I'll help you haggle for free," Gu Feng said, his eyes sparkling with excitement, a wide grin on his face.
"No, we can't hire you!" Elder Shang squinted, his heart skipping a beat.
If Gu Feng were put in charge of negotiations, he might drive up the prices, but whether the sect would actually profit was uncertain.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't embezzle!" Gu Feng assured.
At that moment, a voice interrupted them. "Elder Shang, I advise you not to let this kid get involved in anything related to finances, lest he bankrupts you!"
"Mr. Gu!"
"Elder Shang!"
Gu Feng turned in surprise, his neck shrinking as he felt the urge to flee.
"Kid! Have you repaid the 15,000 spirit stones you owe to Xixi?" Gu Santong grabbed Gu Feng by the collar and lifted him up.
"Hey, Uncle Gu, it's so great to meet you here," Gu Feng thought frantically. He hadn't expected to run into Gu Santong in Silent Soul City. He didn't know that the entire Myriad Harmony Guild belonged to the Yan family, and Gu Santong, as Yan Xixi's uncle, could go wherever he pleased.
"Ha, Uncle Gu, I just haven't had the money. But now I do. I'll repay it as soon as we return to the Sunset Glow Sect!" Gu Feng said, pretending to be embarrassed.
"Good kid, you really haven't repaid it! I knew it. With Xixi's abilities, she wouldn't let you off so easily. She must have been lying to me!"
Gu Feng was speechless. Usually, he was the one tricking others. He never expected to be tricked by Gu Santong today.
"Kid, repay the 15,000 spirit stones you owe me, with interest," Gu Santong said, glaring fiercely.
"Give me a few more days."
"No, it has to be today. If you don't repay, you're not leaving."
"Are you sure?"
"Are you trying to default?"
"Fine, I'll repay!" Without hesitation, Gu Feng pulled out a large pile of spirit stones, clearly more than 15,000.
This left Gu Santong stunned. He looked at Gu Feng suspiciously. The boy was being unusually cooperative, which was unlike him.
"Kid, what are you scheming?"
"Nothing. Repaying debts is only right. A person must have integrity. My integrity is no less than that of your Myriad Harmony Guild!" Gu Feng declared, puffing out his chest.
Gu Santong pondered for a while but couldn't find anything wrong. Hesitantly, he accepted all the spirit stones.
"Shopkeeper Gu! I want to buy something!" Gu Feng said with a straight face.
"What do you want to buy?" Gu Santong asked, puzzled.
"Four million of the most ordinary iron ore!"
"Hmph, kid, are you trying to fool me? Well, we do have four million worth of iron ore here! Do you really want to buy it?" Gu Santong thought Gu Feng was trying to provoke him by buying a large quantity of iron ore to embarrass him. Such items were cheap and had thin profit margins. Most guilds wouldn't keep so much in stock.
"Of course I want to buy it. Do you think I'm joking?" Gu Feng said seriously.
Elder Shang, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Knowing Gu Feng, he wasn't the type to act impulsively. There must be a special reason.
"Why do you need so much iron ore?" Gu Santong felt something was off.
"To wipe my backside! Just tell me if you have this much iron ore!" Gu Feng shrugged.
"Yes, of course we do!" Gu Santong nodded. "Someone, bring four million worth of iron ore!"
Soon, storage pouches filled with iron ore were brought in.
When Gu Feng saw the pouches, he was momentarily stunned. Four million worth of iron ore, even in storage pouches, filled an entire room.
Seeing Gu Feng's shocked expression, Gu Santong crossed his arms, a smug look in his eyes. Let's see how you're going to carry all this, kid. "Since you have our guild's Purple-Gold Card, I'll give you a 10% discount. That's 3.6 million spirit stones. Pay up!"
To his surprise, Gu Feng promptly paid the spirit stones.
"Ahem, I just thought about it. Iron ore is too hard for wiping.
I remember your guild has a fixed purchase price for iron ore, right?
I think I'll sell this iron ore back to the Myriad Harmony Guild!" Gu Feng scratched his head.
"Kid, you're just messing with me!" Gu Santong laughed, then returned the 3.6 million spirit stones to Gu Feng.
But Gu Feng didn't take them. Instead, he looked at Gu Santong with interest. "That's not enough, is it?"
"Huh?"
Gu Santong was momentarily confused, but then a flash of realization hit him, sending a shiver down his spine.
Iron ore was the lowest-grade crafting material, with stable market prices. The difference between purchase and sale prices was usually around 1.3%.
For an ordinary person, this deal would be acceptable. But for Gu Feng, it was completely unacceptable.
Because he had a Purple-Gold Card, which gave him discounts on both buying and selling!
In short, by buying and then selling the iron ore, Gu Feng had caused the guild a loss of 0.7%, or 280,000 spirit stones.
This was serious. If this cycle were repeated, the Myriad Harmony Guild would go bankrupt within a month.
Looking at Gu Feng, who stood with his arms crossed and a smile on his face, Gu Santong felt as if he had eaten something vile.
"Little brother Gu Feng, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously," Gu Santong said, returning the 15,000 spirit stones to Gu Feng. "I already said, last time was my treat. You had to make a big deal out of it. Young people these days have no sense of humor!"
Gu Feng glanced at Gu Santong, grinned, and accepted the 15,000 spirit stones, but still didn't take the 3.6 million.
"Uncle Gu, some of your guild's policies have serious flaws. If someone with ill intentions exploited them, you'd be in big trouble."
With this, Gu Santong understood. He turned to the steward behind him and said, "Take back that batch of iron ore and process it according to the Purple-Gold Card's terms."
Elder Shang, standing nearby, had a dark expression. Gu Feng was truly a master of deceit, and Gu Santong was pitiful. He hadn't recovered his debt and had even lost 280,000 spirit stones.
Such a simple trick, yet I didn't think of it. I wonder how Gu Feng's mind works.
This kid shouldn't be surnamed 'Gu'; 'Trap' would be more fitting. We need to be careful around him in the future!
TL/N: It's supposed to make sense in Chinese. Some kind of play on words.
"Uncle Gu, thank you so much!" Gu Feng said with a satisfied smile, clasping his hands in farewell.
"Wait, here's 100,000 spirit stones. I'd like to hire you, Little Friend Gu, to use your expertise in finding loopholes to check if our guild's policies have any major vulnerabilities."
"Uncle Gu, that's just a matter of a few words. You're too kind." Despite his words, Gu Feng quickly accepted the spirit stones.
Though Gu Feng was tricky, once he took money, he would definitely do the job, and do it seriously.
"This clause has a problem..."
"That clause's wording is inaccurate..."
"..."
Upon inspection, Gu Santong felt that it was a miracle the Myriad Harmony Guild hadn't gone bankrupt.
"Tsk tsk, this is what professional loophole-finding looks like. The 300,000+ spirit stones were well spent!"
"Little Friend Gu, you're always welcome to visit our Myriad Harmony Guild again!"
"Uncle Gu, no need to see me off. Goodbye!"
With over four million spirit stones in his possession, Gu Feng returned to the Sunset Glow Sect, thoroughly satisfied.
(End of the Chapter)
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