lín xuān dòng ruò guān huǒ ， duì fāng de xīn tài yòu qǐ huì bù xiǎo de ， bù guò qiān nián shí zhōng rǔ běn lái jiù shì yǒu jià wú shì zhī wù ， luò rù zì jǐ shǒu zhōng gèng kě yǐ tí chún chū wàn nián líng rǔ， cóng ér huò dé shù zhī bù jìn de hǎo chù 。
林轩洞若观火，对方的心态又岂会不晓得，不过千年石钟rǔ本来就是有价无市之物，落入自己手中更可以提纯出万年灵rǔ，从而获得数之不尽的好处。
Lin Xuan saw through the situation as if he could see through fire. How could his opponent not be aware of this? However, a thousand-year stone gong was inherently an item with value but no market. In Lin Xuan's hands, it could be refined to produce ten-thousand-year spirit essence, thus bringing countless benefits.
suǒ yǐ jí biàn shì guì shàng yī xiē ， yě méi yǒu guān xì 。
所以即便是贵上一些，也没有关系。
Therefore, even if the price was higher, that wouldn't matter.
yī lái ， duì fāng bù xiǎo de lán sè xīng hǎi yǒu tí chún de xiào guǒ ， suǒ yǐ biǎo miàn shàng zì jǐ chī zài dà de kuī ， nà yě bù guò shì biǎo miàn ér yǐ ， àn dì lǐ ， zì jǐ kě shì dà zhàn pián yí 。
一来，对方不晓得蓝sè星海有提纯的效果，所以表面上自己吃再大的亏，那也不过是表面而已，暗地里，自己可是大占便宜。
Firstly, his opponent didn't know that blue star sea had a refining effect. So while he appeared to suffer great losses on the surface, in reality, he was gaining significantly behind the scenes.
lín xuān cóng bù zuò kuī běn shēng yì 。
林轩从不做亏本生意。
Lin Xuan never did a losing business.
cǐ qí yī 。
此其一。
Secondly, considering Lin Xuan's wealth and resources, there was no need for him to be overly meticulous about such trivial matters as money or goods.
èr lái ， yǐ lín xuān shēn jiā fēng hòu de chéng dù ， mǎi mài dōng xī ， běn lái yě méi yǒu bì yào jīn jīn jì jiào shén me ， qù jì suàn nà yì diǎn cái huò 。
二来，以林轩身家丰厚的程度，买卖东西，本来也没有必要斤斤计较什么，去计算那一点财货。
He only cared if what he needed could be bought. So even if it cost more, that wasn't an issue at all.
lín xuān zài hū de zhǐ shì néng bù néng mǎi dào zì jǐ xū yào de shì wù ， zhì yú guì shàng yì diǎn ， nà yòu rú hé ？
林轩在乎的只是能不能买到自己需要的事物，至于贵上一点，那又如何？
Thus, the two quickly reached a mutual agreement, and the progress of their deal was much faster than expected.
zhè gēn běn jiù shì méi yǒu guān xì de 。
这根本就是没有关系的。
Hearing Fu Yaizhou's words, Lin Xuan revealed a faint smile on his face as he waved his sleeves, causing storage bags to fly out one after another. Each bag was bulging with various items. The old monster roughly counted them and found there were seven in total.
yú shì liǎng rén yī pāi jí hé ， shì qíng de jìn zhǎn chéng dù ， bǐ xiǎng xiàng de ， yào kuài shàng xǔ duō 。
于是两人一拍即合，事情的进展程度，比想象的，要快上许多。
"You have...?"
tīng fù yáo zhōu zhè me shuō ， lín xuān liǎn shàng lù chū dàn dàn de xiào róng ， xiù páo yī fú ， chǔ wù dài jiē èr lián sān de fēi lüè ér chū 。
听付遥舟这么说，林轩脸上lù出淡淡的笑容，袖袍一拂，储物袋接二连三的飞掠而出。
"Friend, you doubt my financial strength? Just look at the items inside these bags," Lin Xuan declared confidently. "Can they be used to exchange for a thousand-year stone gong?"
měi yí gè dōu zhàng gǔ gǔ ， xiǎn rán zhuāng mǎn le gè zhǒng shì wù ， lǎo guài wù chū lüè yī shù ， gòng yǒu qī gè 。
每一个都胀鼓鼓，显然装满了各种事物，老怪物初略一数，共有七个。
Of course, there was no problem with that.
“ nǐ zhè shì ……”
“你这是……”
Fu's ancestral elder swallowed his saliva: "Since Friend truly can make such an offer, I am not someone who would refuse. Let's exchange here."
“ dào yǒu bú shì duì lín mǒu de cái lì yǒu yí wèn me ， nǐ qiě kàn kàn ， zhè lǐ miàn suǒ zhuāng de dōng xī ， gòu bù gòu duì huàn wǒ suǒ shuō de shí zhōng rǔ？” lín xuān háo qì wàn zhàng de shuō 。
“道友不是对林某的财力有疑问么，你且看看，这里面所装的东西，够不够兑换我所说的石钟rǔ？”林轩豪气万丈的说。
Before he could finish speaking, without waiting for Lin Xuan's response, he waved his sleeves and a light flash revealed ten stone gongs floating in the air, encased by spirit light, clearly enchanted with levitation.
qí shí tā zhè me zuò ， yǐ jīng yǒu diǎn tài gāo diào le ， bù fú hé qí yí guàn xíng shì de fēng gé 。
其实他这么做，已经有点太高调了，不符合其一贯行事的风格。
It was obvious they were thousand-year stone gongs.
bù guò nà yòu rú hé ， rén běn lái jiù yīng gāi yīn shí ér biàn de ， gāi gāo diào de shí hòu ， lín xuān yě bú huì cáng zhe yē zhe ， xiàng cǐ shí cǐ kè ， nǐ dī diào fǎn ér huì yǐn rén yí huò。
不过那又如何，人本来就应该因时而变的，该高调的时候，林轩也不会藏着掖着，像此时此刻，你低调反而会引人疑huò。
Lin Xuan raised his right hand and casually grabbed one. He opened the bottle cap, and an invigorating fragrance wafted out.
“ ó ？”
“哦？”
Upon Lin Xuan's inspection, it indeed turned out to be a genuine thousand-year stone gong, with at least five thousand years of age.
fù yáo zhōu xiān shì yī è ， suí hòu liǎn shàng lù chū dàn dàn de xiào róng ， yòu shǒu shēn chū ， yě bú jiàn tā duō yú de dòng zuò ， yí gè chǔ wù dài jiù bèi tā xī dào le zhǎng xīn zhōng ， suí hòu lǎo guài wù shǒu zhǎng yī fān ， jiāng dài kǒu cháo xià ， qīng qīng yī dǒu ， wū ， fǎng fú qīng fēng guā guò ， yī piàn hēi xiá xí juǎn ér chū 。
付遥舟先是一愕，随后脸上lù出淡淡的笑容，右手伸出，也不见他多余的动作，一个储物袋就被他吸到了掌心中，随后老怪物手掌一翻，将袋口朝下，轻轻一抖，呜，仿佛清风刮过，一片黑霞席卷而出。
Actually, such exchanges couldn't possibly be faked; the verification was merely routine.
yī dà duī dōng xī zài dì shàng xiǎn lù。
一大堆东西在地上显lù。
"Correct. But do you really intend to exchange like this?" Lin Xuan scanned the other jade bottles and slowly spoke.
nà xíng zhuàng jiǎn zhí kě yòng wǔ huā bā mén lái xíng róng 。
那形状简直可用五huā八门来形容。
"Why, Friend? Wasn't it your idea to make an exchange?" Fu Yaizhou frowned, asking knowingly.
“ yí ， léi jiǎ shòu de líng gǔ ， zhè pí máo lái zì yú hēi shuǐ hú ， jū rán yǒu shí jǐ zhāng zhī duō ， hái yǒu zhè ge guàn zi zhōng zhuāng de shì ……”
“咦，雷甲兽的灵骨，这皮毛来自于黑水狐，居然有十几张之多，还有这个罐子中装的是……”
"Why pretend to be ignorant, Friend? It was indeed my suggestion to exchange. However, the value of all these magical materials is far more than ten stone gongs can cover."
fù yáo zhōu zuò wèi fù jiā zhēn zhèng de zhǎng kòng zhě ， yòu shì fēn shén qī lǎo guài wù ， jiàn shí nà shì hé děng guǎng bó ， yì bān shì qíng gēn běn méi yǒu bàn fǎ ràng tā dòng róng de ， rán ér cǐ shí cǐ kè ， lǎo guài wù yǒu xiē jīng yà le ， lín xuān ná chū lái de mó shòu cái liào rú cǐ zhī duō 。
付遥舟做为付家真正的掌控者，又是分神期老怪物，见识那是何等广博，一般事情根本没有办法让他动容的，然而此时此刻，老怪物有些惊讶了，林轩拿出来的魔兽材料如此之多。
This was true; Fu Yaizhou couldn't refute him. He had originally wanted to play dumb and take advantage of Lin Xuan but now realized it was a vain hope.
ér tā cái jǐn jǐn dǎ kāi qí zhōng de yí gè 。
而他才仅仅打开其中的一个。
"Friend, you're correct. But Fu Family can only provide so many thousand-year stone gongs. How about I use magic stones to buy the rest from you?"
mù guāng bù yóu de xiàng yī páng de lìng wài liù gè sǎo qù le ， nán dào nǐ men suǒ zhuāng de ……
目光不由得像一旁的另外六个扫去了，难道你们所装的……
"Enough already, why lie to me? You just handed over all the stone gongs Lin Xuan requested, proving that Fu Family was well-prepared and had more than ten thousand-year stone gongs. My exchange is genuine; why be stingy? In front of a true person, there's no need for lies. Though I'm not wealthy, I don't care about a few magic stones."
“ nǐ kàn kàn jiù zhī dào le 。”
“你看看就知道了。”
Despite the lie being exposed, Fu's ancestral elder didn't get angry or show embarrassment but instead sighed: "Alright, add two more bottles at most; this is already the limit."
lín xuān de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， fù tiān héng zhī dào zì jǐ yǒu xiē shī tài le ， ràng duì fāng kàn chū bù shǎo xū shí ， zhè zhǒng cuò wù ， àn lǐ shuō ， bù yīng gāi fā shēng zài tā zhè zhǒng děng jí de shēn shàng de ， máng yī shēng qīng ké ， chóng xīn huī fù le cóng róng zhī sè， suí hòu xiù páo yī fú ， yī dào guāng xiá fēi lüè ér chū ， lüè yī pán xuán fēi wǔ ， huà wéi shù gǔ ， pēng pēng pēng de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， què shì shèng xià de liù gè chǔ wù dài bèi tóng shí dǎ kāi ， lǐ miàn suǒ zhuāng zài de mó shòu cái liào fēn luò rú yǔ ， xiàng zhe dì miàn diào là xià lái 。
林轩的声音传入耳朵，付天衡知道自己有些失态了，让对方看出不少虚实，这种错误，按理说，不应该发生在他这种等级的身上的，忙一声轻咳，重新恢复了从容之sè，随后袖袍一拂，一道光霞飞掠而出，略一盘旋飞舞，化为数股，砰砰砰的声音传入耳朵，却是剩下的六个储物袋被同时打开，里面所装载的魔兽材料纷落如雨，向着地面掉落下来。
"Two bottles are too few. How about eight?" Lin Xuan naturally wouldn't let him walk all over him.
hěn kuài ， jiù duī jī rú shān ， tā zhè jiān zhí jìng zú yǒu shí yú zhàng fāng yuán de kè tīng jī hū bèi tián mǎn 。
很快，就堆积如山，他这间直径足有十余丈方圆的客厅几乎被填满。
"Eight? Friend, you're really asking for a lot," Fu Yaizhou shook his head vigorously like a rattle.
jǐn guǎn xīn zhōng yǐ yǒu chuǎi mó ， rán ér fù lǎo guài de liǎn shàng hái shì rěn bú zhù lù chū le chī jīng zhī sè。
尽管心中已有揣摩，然而付老怪的脸上还是忍不住lù出了吃惊之sè。
...
yǐ tā de shén shí qiáng dù ， zhè shì xiē shén me mó shòu cái liào yī yǎn jiù kě yǐ fēn biàn qīng chǔ ， jué duì bú shì xiǎo xiā mǐ ná lái chōng shù ， tā zài lǐ miàn ， shèn zhì kàn jiàn le guǐ miàn wú gōng yǔ chì lín shuāng wěi shé ， zhè liǎng zhǒng mó shòu nán chán bú yòng shuō ， ér qiě shēn shàng de pí máo gǔ gé yǔ xuè yè dōu shì liàn zhì fú lù de shèng wù ， děng xián nán yǐ yī jiàn de 。
以他的神识强度，这是些什么魔兽材料一眼就可以分辨清楚，绝对不是小虾米拿来充数，他在里面，甚至看见了鬼面蜈蚣与赤磷双尾蛇，这两种魔兽难缠不用说，而且身上的皮毛骨骼与血液都是炼制符箓的圣物，等闲难以一见的。
The bargaining process was lengthy but eventually concluded with fifteen stone gongs in total after half an hour. Once the agreement was reached, the exchange went smoothly.
zhè xiǎo zi zěn me dé dào de 。
这小子怎么得到的。
Handing over money and receiving goods, both parties were quite satisfied with this transaction.
mó yàn shān mài zhōng dǎo shì yǒu ， dàn nà ér shì jìn dì ， mó shòu tài duō ， sú huà shuō guǎ bù dí zhòng ， biàn shì tā gū shēn jìn qù ， ruò shì bèi dà liàng de gāo jiē mó shòu bāo wéi le ， nà yě shì huì yù dào wēi xiǎn de 。
魔焰山脉中倒是有，但那儿是禁地，魔兽太多，俗话说寡不敌众，便是他孤身进去，若是被大量的高阶魔兽包围了，那也是会遇到危险的。
"Thank you, Friend Fu. I must take my leave now."
qiān jīn zhī zi zuò bù chuí táng ， hé kuàng tā de shēn fèn zài nà lǐ bǎi zhe ， yǐ jīng hěn shǎo chū qù liè shā mó shòu le 。
千金之子坐不垂堂，何况他的身份在那里摆着，已经很少出去猎杀魔兽了。
"Why so soon, Brother Lin? Would you like to exchange some cultivation insights?" Fu Yaizhou said warmly.
nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn guò ， xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le yí huò， què yòu bù hǎo xiāng xún shén me 。
脑海中念头转过，心中充满了疑huò，却又不好相询什么。
"I have other matters; I can't stay long," Lin Xuan replied.
rán ér jiù zài cǐ kè ， lín xuān de shēng yīn chuán rù le ěr duǒ 。
然而就在此刻，林轩的声音传入了耳朵。
Exchanging cultivation insights was indeed a significant benefit for Lin Xuan. Although his strength far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators at the same stage, compared to a spirit-stage existence, he still had considerable gaps, especially in understanding the Dao of Immortals. If he could exchange insights with such an entity, it would undoubtedly provide him with many inspirations.
“ rú hé ， lín mǒu ná chū lái de zhè xiē dōng xī ， huàn qǔ qiān nián shí zhōng rǔ kě yǒu wèn tí 。”
“如何，林某拿出来的这些东西，换取千年石钟rǔ可有问题。”
However, despite the benefits, Lin Xuan couldn't accept this offer. Firstly, he wasn't truly an ancient demon; secondly, his level was only at the Profound Origin stage. Exchanging cultivation insights with Fu Yaizhou's counterpart could easily expose him, which would be detrimental to Lin Xuan.
“ dāng rán méi yǒu wèn tí 。”
“当然没有问题。”
Thus, though disappointed, he had no choice but to firmly decline.
fù jiā lǎo zǔ tūn le yī kǒu tuò mò ：“ jì rán dào yǒu zhēn néng jiāng dài jià fù chū ， lǎo fū yě bú shì bù jìn qíng lǐ de rén wù ， wǒ men jiù zài zhè lǐ jiāo huàn rú hé ？”
付家老祖吞了一口唾沫：“既然道友真能将代价付出，老夫也不是不尽情理的人物，我们就在这里交换如何？”
"Really? That's a pity."
huà yīn wèi luò ， tā yě bù děng lín xuān huí dá shén me ， xiù páo yī fú ， guāng huá shǎn guò ， yī lián shí gè zài bàn kōng zhōng fú xiàn ér chū ， bèi líng guāng bāo guǒ ， xiǎn rán shī jiā le piāo fú shù 。
话音未落，他也不等林轩回答什么，袖袍一拂，光华闪过，一连十个在半空中浮现而出，被灵光包裹，显然施加了漂浮术。
Fu's ancestral elder didn't know what Lin Xuan was thinking and briefly tried to persuade him. Seeing that Lin Xuan wasn't willing to stay, he reluctantly smiled and saw him off.
bú yòng shuō ， zì rán shì qiān nián shí rǔ。
不用说，自然是千年石rǔ。
After Lin Xuan disappeared from view, Fu's ancestral elder closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. He waved his sleeves and activated theprohibition around his cave abode, then spoke strange words into the air.
lín xuān yòu shǒu tái qǐ ， suí yì zhuā zhù yí gè ， píng sāi dǎ kāi ， yī gǔ qìn rén xīn pí de xiāng wèi ér piāo sàn chū lái 。
林轩右手抬起，随意抓住一个，瓶塞打开，一股沁人心脾的香味儿飘散出来。
"Alright, that Lin kid has gone far away; you don't need to hide anymore. You can come out."
lín xuān mù guāng sǎo guò ， guǒ rán shì rú jiǎ bāo huàn de qiān nián shí zhōng rǔ， ér qiě cóng nián fèn lái shuō ， zhì shǎo shì wǔ qiān nián yǐ shàng de 。
林轩目光扫过，果然是如假包换的千年石钟rǔ，而且从年份来说，至少是五千年以上的。
As soon as he finished speaking, a light flash appeared in the stone room, and space ripples emerged. In an empty place, a figure became clear.
qí shí zhè zhǒng jiāo huàn ， duì fāng gēn běn jiù bù kě néng zuò jiǎ ， jiǎn chá bù guò shì lì xíng gōng shì ér yǐ 。
其实这种交换，对方根本就不可能作假，检查不过是例行公事而已。
It was an old man with a thin build, a rat-like face, and an extremely ugly appearance—Yanshan's ancestral elder. He had been secretly watching from the side all along.
“ méi cuò ， bù guò dào yǒu zhēn dǎ suàn zhè me jiāo huàn me ？” lín xuān mù guāng zài qí tā de yù píng shàng sǎo guò ， huǎn huǎn de kāi kǒu le 。
“没错，不过道友真打算这么交换么？”林轩目光在其他的玉瓶上扫过，缓缓的开口了。
"How about that Lin kid? Did you see anything?"
“ dào yǒu zhè shì hé yì ， jiāo huàn bú shì nǐ tí chū lái dì ？” fù yáo zhōu méi tou yí zhòu ， míng zhī gù wèn de kāi kǒu 。
“道友这是何意，交换不是你提出来地？”付遥舟眉头一皱，明知故问的开口。
Upon appearing, Yanshan's ancestral elder spoke excitedly, harboring intense hatred for Lin Xuan, who had brought him such disgrace.
“ dào yǒu hé bì zhuāng shǎ ， jiāo huàn shì lín mǒu tí chū lái de méi cuò ， rán ér zhè me duō mó shòu cái liào de jià zhí ， qǐ shì shí píng shí zhōng rǔ néng gòu duì huàn dì ？”
“道友何必装傻，交换是林某提出来的没错，然而这么多魔兽材料的价值，岂是十瓶石钟rǔ能够兑换地？”
"That guy should be at the Profound Origin stage," Fu's ancestral elder said slowly.
zhè dǎo shì dà shí huà ， fù yáo zhōu yě bù hǎo fǎn bó ， yuán běn hái xiǎng zhuāng shǎ ， zhàn lín xuān yì diǎn pián yi ， guǒ rán shì shē wàng ér yǐ 。
这倒是大实话，付遥舟也不好反驳，原本还想装傻，占林轩一点便宜，果然是奢望而已。
"What? Are you sure?"
“ dào yǒu suǒ shuō méi cuò ， kě fù jiā néng gòu nuó chū lái de qiān nián shí zhōng rǔ zhǐ yǒu zhè me duō ， yào bù shèng xià de ， wǒ yòng mó shí yǔ nǐ gòu mǎi rú hé ？”
“道友所说没错，可付家能够挪出来的千年石钟rǔ只有这么多，要不剩下的，我用魔石与你购买如何？”
Yanshan's ancestral elder was stunned. He then showed a look of doubt: "Didn't you already engage in spiritual combat with him and confirm that Lin Xuan is only spirit-stage? We agreed early on to kill him if he turned out to be just Profound Origin, right?"
“ xíng le ， lǎo zǔ yòu hé bì sā huǎng piàn wǒ ， nǐ gāng gāng yì kǒu qì jiāng lín mǒu yāo qiú de shí rǔ ná chū ， zhèng míng fù jiā shì zǎo yǒu zhǔn bèi ， ér qiě yōng yǒu de qiān nián shí zhōng rǔ， jué fēi shí píng zhè me yì diǎn ， lín mǒu jiāo huàn shì yǒu chéng yì de ， nǐ yòu hé bì lìn sè ， zhēn rén miàn qián hái xiǎng yào shuō jiǎ huà me ， lín mǒu suī bù fù yù ， dàn qū qū yì diǎn mó shí yě bú huì fàng zài yǎn lǐ 。”
“行了，老祖又何必撒谎骗我，你刚刚一口气将林某要求的石rǔ拿出，证明付家是早有准备，而且拥有的千年石钟rǔ，绝非十瓶这么一点，林某交换是有诚意的，你又何必吝啬，真人面前还想要说假话么，林某虽不富裕，但区区一点魔石也不会放在眼里。”
It was no wonder Yanshan's ancestral elder doubted Fu Yaizhou. His actions contradicted their agreement; treating Lin Xuan like a spirit-stage cultivator but then telling him that the other was only Profound Origin after sending him away—wasn't he trying to fool him?
huǎng huà bèi chuō pò ， fù jiā lǎo zǔ què bìng méi yǒu fā huǒ ， yě méi yǒu liú lù chū gān gà zhī sè， ér shì tàn le yì kǒu qì de kāi kǒu le ：“ hǎo ba ， zuì duō zài jiā liǎng píng ， zhè yǐ jīng shì jí xiàn le 。”
谎话被戳破，付家老祖却并没有发火，也没有流lù出尴尬之sè，而是叹了一口气的开口了：“好吧，最多再加两瓶，这已经是极限了。”
"I did say so, but I changed my mind later."
“ liǎng píng tài shǎo le ， bā píng rú hé ？” lín xuān zì rán bú huì yǒu rèn yóu duì fāng qiān zhe bí zi zǒu yī shuō 。
“两瓶太少了，八瓶如何？”林轩自然不会有任由对方牵着鼻子走一说。
"Why change your mind?" Yanshan's ancestral elder said slowly.
“ bā píng ， dào yǒu hái zhēn huì shī zi dà kāi kǒu ， nǐ shì zài shuō xiào me ？” fù yáo zhōu tóu yáo dé xiàng bō làng gǔ 。
“八瓶，道友还真会狮子大开口，你是在说笑么？”付遥舟头摇得像拨浪鼓。
"Because I thought it wasn't appropriate. There are no secrets that can remain hidden forever. If we kill Lin Xuan, this will eventually leak out. Even if we claim he used his cultivation to deceive us, it would still leave room for criticism and damage our reputation."
……
……
This was a reasonable explanation.
tǎo jià huán jià de guò chéng bù yòng duō shuō ， bàn gè shí chén yǐ hòu ， liǎng rén zhōng yú yǐ shí wǔ píng de shù liàng chéng jiāo le 。
讨价还价的过程不用多说，半个时辰以后，两人终于以十五瓶的数量成交了。
Yanshan's ancestral elder fell silent for a moment before raising his head with a sudden look: "Even so, why do you say Lin Xuan is at the Profound Origin stage? If spiritual combat can be faked, how about that Corpse Demon? The corpse refinement must be spirit-stage. I am confident in this and won't make a mistake."!。
Lin Xuan saw through the situation as if he could see through fire. How could his opponent not be aware of this? However, a thousand-year stone gong was inherently an item with value but no market. In Lin Xuan's hands, it could be refined to produce ten-thousand-year spirit essence, thus bringing countless benefits.
Therefore, even if the price was higher, that wouldn't matter.
Firstly, his opponent didn't know that blue star sea had a refining effect. So while he appeared to suffer great losses on the surface, in reality, he was gaining significantly behind the scenes.
Lin Xuan never did a losing business.
Secondly, considering Lin Xuan's wealth and resources, there was no need for him to be overly meticulous about such trivial matters as money or goods.
He only cared if what he needed could be bought. So even if it cost more, that wasn't an issue at all.
Thus, the two quickly reached a mutual agreement, and the progress of their deal was much faster than expected.
Hearing Fu Yaizhou's words, Lin Xuan revealed a faint smile on his face as he waved his sleeves, causing storage bags to fly out one after another. Each bag was bulging with various items. The old monster roughly counted them and found there were seven in total.
"You have...?"
"Friend, you doubt my financial strength? Just look at the items inside these bags," Lin Xuan declared confidently. "Can they be used to exchange for a thousand-year stone gong?"
Of course, there was no problem with that.
Fu's ancestral elder swallowed his saliva: "Since Friend truly can make such an offer, I am not someone who would refuse. Let's exchange here."
Before he could finish speaking, without waiting for Lin Xuan's response, he waved his sleeves and a light flash revealed ten stone gongs floating in the air, encased by spirit light, clearly enchanted with levitation.
It was obvious they were thousand-year stone gongs.
Lin Xuan raised his right hand and casually grabbed one. He opened the bottle cap, and an invigorating fragrance wafted out.
Upon Lin Xuan's inspection, it indeed turned out to be a genuine thousand-year stone gong, with at least five thousand years of age.
Actually, such exchanges couldn't possibly be faked; the verification was merely routine.
"Correct. But do you really intend to exchange like this?" Lin Xuan scanned the other jade bottles and slowly spoke.
"Why, Friend? Wasn't it your idea to make an exchange?" Fu Yaizhou frowned, asking knowingly.
"Why pretend to be ignorant, Friend? It was indeed my suggestion to exchange. However, the value of all these magical materials is far more than ten stone gongs can cover."
This was true; Fu Yaizhou couldn't refute him. He had originally wanted to play dumb and take advantage of Lin Xuan but now realized it was a vain hope.
"Friend, you're correct. But Fu Family can only provide so many thousand-year stone gongs. How about I use magic stones to buy the rest from you?"
"Enough already, why lie to me? You just handed over all the stone gongs Lin Xuan requested, proving that Fu Family was well-prepared and had more than ten thousand-year stone gongs. My exchange is genuine; why be stingy? In front of a true person, there's no need for lies. Though I'm not wealthy, I don't care about a few magic stones."
Despite the lie being exposed, Fu's ancestral elder didn't get angry or show embarrassment but instead sighed: "Alright, add two more bottles at most; this is already the limit."
"Two bottles are too few. How about eight?" Lin Xuan naturally wouldn't let him walk all over him.
"Eight? Friend, you're really asking for a lot," Fu Yaizhou shook his head vigorously like a rattle.
...
The bargaining process was lengthy but eventually concluded with fifteen stone gongs in total after half an hour. Once the agreement was reached, the exchange went smoothly.
Handing over money and receiving goods, both parties were quite satisfied with this transaction.
"Thank you, Friend Fu. I must take my leave now."
"Why so soon, Brother Lin? Would you like to exchange some cultivation insights?" Fu Yaizhou said warmly.
"I have other matters; I can't stay long," Lin Xuan replied.
Exchanging cultivation insights was indeed a significant benefit for Lin Xuan. Although his strength far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators at the same stage, compared to a spirit-stage existence, he still had considerable gaps, especially in understanding the Dao of Immortals. If he could exchange insights with such an entity, it would undoubtedly provide him with many inspirations.
However, despite the benefits, Lin Xuan couldn't accept this offer. Firstly, he wasn't truly an ancient demon; secondly, his level was only at the Profound Origin stage. Exchanging cultivation insights with Fu Yaizhou's counterpart could easily expose him, which would be detrimental to Lin Xuan.
Thus, though disappointed, he had no choice but to firmly decline.
"Really? That's a pity."
Fu's ancestral elder didn't know what Lin Xuan was thinking and briefly tried to persuade him. Seeing that Lin Xuan wasn't willing to stay, he reluctantly smiled and saw him off.
After Lin Xuan disappeared from view, Fu's ancestral elder closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. He waved his sleeves and activated theprohibition around his cave abode, then spoke strange words into the air.
"Alright, that Lin kid has gone far away; you don't need to hide anymore. You can come out."
As soon as he finished speaking, a light flash appeared in the stone room, and space ripples emerged. In an empty place, a figure became clear.
It was an old man with a thin build, a rat-like face, and an extremely ugly appearance—Yanshan's ancestral elder. He had been secretly watching from the side all along.
"How about that Lin kid? Did you see anything?"
Upon appearing, Yanshan's ancestral elder spoke excitedly, harboring intense hatred for Lin Xuan, who had brought him such disgrace.
"That guy should be at the Profound Origin stage," Fu's ancestral elder said slowly.
"What? Are you sure?"
Yanshan's ancestral elder was stunned. He then showed a look of doubt: "Didn't you already engage in spiritual combat with him and confirm that Lin Xuan is only spirit-stage? We agreed early on to kill him if he turned out to be just Profound Origin, right?"
It was no wonder Yanshan's ancestral elder doubted Fu Yaizhou. His actions contradicted their agreement; treating Lin Xuan like a spirit-stage cultivator but then telling him that the other was only Profound Origin after sending him away—wasn't he trying to fool him?
"I did say so, but I changed my mind later."
"Why change your mind?" Yanshan's ancestral elder said slowly.
"Because I thought it wasn't appropriate. There are no secrets that can remain hidden forever. If we kill Lin Xuan, this will eventually leak out. Even if we claim he used his cultivation to deceive us, it would still leave room for criticism and damage our reputation."
This was a reasonable explanation.
Yanshan's ancestral elder fell silent for a moment before raising his head with a sudden look: "Even so, why do you say Lin Xuan is at the Profound Origin stage? If spiritual combat can be faked, how about that Corpse Demon? The corpse refinement must be spirit-stage. I am confident in this and won't make a mistake."!。