CHAPTER 459: FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE, I, SHEN WANNIAN, WILL TAKE IT!

"Hehe, if Shen doesn’t remember wrongly, the item Your Excellency spent 200,000 Gold Coins on should be that stone, right?"

Shen Wannian confidently laughed twice and then pointed at the stand owner, saying, "If Commander Lin Hao does not believe me, you may ask this owner and see if what Shen says is true or not?"

Suddenly, all eyes in the trading area were drawn towards the stand owner, causing him to feel a bit excited, with a subtle change of mind that nobody knew about.

Hearing Shen Wannian say this, Yun Xiao’s face looked a bit ugly. Payment additions like these actually shouldn’t count as part of the trade, Shen Wannian is indeed an extremely formidable character.

"Wu Xian, what exactly is going on? Speak up!"

Commander Lin Hao did have some recollection of this stand owner, but it wasn’t a good one. He knew this owner was notorious for cheating and swindling; numerous Cultivators who were tricked had complained to him, the manager of this trading area, causing him quite a few dilemmas.

However, as far as trading goods went, what mattered was one’s judgment. As long as the cash and goods were settled, it was a case of a willing seller and a willing buyer. If you fell for Wu Xian’s trickery, then it’s buying without backing out; even finding Lin Hao would be useless.

Thus, the Commander had turned a blind eye to Wu Xian’s deeds; after all, losing a bit of money was not that big a deal. Learning from a bad experience was beneficial—this, in some sense, was good for those deceived Cultivators.

Yet today, the matter escalated, bringing the entire trading area to a near standstill, everyone gathered to watch the spectacle, and it even involved two prominent figures from the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference. Lin Hao simply could not ignore this.

Lin Hao believed that in such a big public setting, if Wu Xian wanted to continue operating in the trading area of Moon Cool City, he would absolutely not dare to lie to him and could only tell the truth.

"Reporting to Commander Lin Hao, indeed, these 200,000 Gold Coins were... solely the price for the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone!"

A hint of awkwardness fleetingly appeared in Wu Xian’s eyes, but he quickly regained composure and showed a bit of resolution, his gaze lingering on the small grass in Yun Xiao’s hand, further strengthening his resolve.

Just now, Yun Xiao showed disdain for the so-called Dragon Seeking Divine Stone, which was clearly a worthless item. Instead, he valued the small grass highly; how could Wu Xian not realize he had misjudged?

Afterward, other geniuses from various empires like Shen Wannian and Ye Shimei also attempted to snatch the small grass, which made stand owner Wu Xian regret his actions to the point of wanting to cry blood.

However, to his surprise, as events took an unexpected turn with Lin Hao’s arrival, upon Shen Wannian’s reminder, Wu Xian immediately realized that the 200,000 Gold Coins in his hands were the transaction price for only the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone, not including the small grass.

If that small grass ended up being returned to him, wouldn’t he be able to sell it at a high price again? Both Shen Wannian and Ye Shimei didn’t look like they were short on money.

"Dragon Seeking Divine Stone?"

The onlookers who were unaware of the situation couldn’t help but curl their lips upon hearing Wu Xian’s unabashed description. With their perception, how could they not see that it was just an ordinary stone?

Perhaps they wouldn’t recognize a real treasure, but they could certainly sense that what was originally just a piece of rock was indeed rock. It seemed Wu Xian was once again attempting to fool people.

Some more insightful individuals glanced at the small grass in Yun Xiao’s hand and thoughtfully concluded that it looked like Wu Xian, who typically deceived others, ended up being outwitted today.

"Owner, your words are not quite right. Although I did not purchase the small grass, just now, you did agree to give me this grass as an addition to the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone, did I say it wrong?"

Yun Xiao’s face turned extremely unsightly; he hadn’t expected this stand owner to have the gall to backtrack right on the spot, so he could only firmly state a fact.

"Ah-ha, now you finally admit it, you paid for the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone, but you did not pay for this small grass, that’s the truth, isn’t it?"

Before stand owner Wu Xian could speak, Shen Wannian’s voice suddenly rose. Everyone now understood the real situation—the small grass was supposed to be the addition to the so-called Dragon Seeking Divine Stone.

Many people looked at Yun Xiao with unusual eyes, silently noting that this young man was not only talented but also had exceptional mental acuity. If it were not for Shen Wannian’s intervention, Wu Xian, who had tricked so many, would definitely have been duped today.

Like Wu Xian, the present Cultivators could see that the small grass was extraordinary; compared to the so-called Dragon Seeking Divine Stone, its value could be more than double.

Yet now there was this problem—the small grass was just an addition; as Shen Wannian said, the cash and goods were not settled for it strictly speaking, so the grass didn’t belong to Yun Xiao.

"Owner, Shen is willing to pay 100,000 Gold Coins for that small grass, would you be willing to sell?"

Just as Yun Xiao was feeling indignantly furious, Shen Wannian spoke up again. This time, he was directing his offer to purchase the small grass straight to the stand owner Wu Xian, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Ten thousand gold coins?!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xian’s eyes lit up. What was previously regarded as worthless weed, only fit to be thrown in as a bonus, was now sought after for ten thousand gold coins. At this moment, Wu Xian felt that his decision was exceedingly wise.

Although ten thousand gold coins were considerably less compared to the twenty thousand gold coins for the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone, everyone present, including Wu Xian himself as well as the surrounding cultivators, was well aware of the true nature of that ’Dragon Seeking Divine Stone’. Its price was not at all comparable.

Even the fact that Yun Xiao offered twenty thousand gold coins for the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone seemed to suggest that he had ulterior motives beyond the stone itself—the small grass was his ultimate target.

"Twenty thousand! If Young Master Shen truly desires it, hand over twenty thousand gold coins, and the Treasure Grass is yours immediately!"

One has to admit that stall owner Wu is exceedingly greedy. After catching a glimpse of Shen Wannian’s interest in the "Dragon Seeking Divine Stone", he gritted his teeth and doubled the price that Shen Wannian mentioned.

Hearing this price, Shen Wannian felt dizzy. In truth, he did not know what the small grass was, only vaguely sensing that it seemed to be an Advanced Spiritual Rank herb.

Spending ten thousand gold coins for an Advanced Spiritual Rank herb was already a bit steep, but this greedy stall owner had the audacity to double the price—it was like being taken for a fool.

At this moment, both Shen Wannian and the onlookers couldn’t help but gain a measure of respect for the roughly dressed young man. If this astute Wu Xian suffered a loss to this young chap, what kind of skills must he possess?

"How about it? This Treasure Grass possesses miraculous powers; twenty thousand gold coins is definitely not a loss!"

Wu Xian didn’t feel ashamed or guilty at all. Instead, he shifted his gaze toward Yun Xiao, who held the small grass in his hand. Now it seemed to Wu Xian that the grass had already returned to his pocket.

While Wu Xian and the Commander Lin Hao were both staring at Yun Xiao, the sullen expression on the latter’s face slowly dissipated, replaced by a somewhat enigmatic smile.

"Sorry, this herb was a complimentary item included with my purchase of the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone. So, it now belongs to me, and nobody can take it away!"

Yun Xiao’s confident voice filled the air, quieting the transaction area somewhat. His words seemed reasonable, and yet, something seemed amiss, leaving people confused and unable to grasp the situation immediately.

"Hmph, if the transaction isn’t settled with both money and goods exchanged, it cannot be considered successful. Stall owner, here are twenty thousand gold coins, and now, I, Shen Wannian, claim the herb!"

With a thud, Shen Wannian’s deep voice resonated, filled with undeniable authority, his eyes firmly locked onto the small grass in Yun Xiao’s hand.

"Indeed, brother, I didn’t realize earlier that this was a Treasure Grass. Now that I do, please return it to me!"

As Wu Xian saw the sack containing twenty thousand gold coins, his face turned beet red. Faced with such immense wealth, he couldn’t care less about saving face; he was brazenly ready to go back on his word.

Indeed, that was the case. Before realizing the grass was a valuable Treasure Grass, he had given it away as a mere add-on. Now that he knew it was worth twenty thousand gold coins, of course he was reluctant.

Wu Xian wasn’t going to think about the worthless stone he sold for twenty thousand gold coins; all he knew was the herb was worth that much—if he gave it away, wouldn’t he be at a huge loss?

"Commander Lin Hao, do you also think it’s the same?"

Yun Xiao didn’t even bother paying attention to the back and forth between Shen Wannian and Wu Xian; instead, he turned his head to address the Commander, his tone tinged with amusement.

Lin Hao was somewhat conflicted. Normally, in such situations, he wouldn’t intervene, but when he did, people would give him some respect.

Take today’s incident for example, if a common cultivator were involved, they likely would have obediently handed over the herb, or at least competed with Shen Wannian by bidding, with the highest bidder winning.

Yet, this roughly dressed young man from nowhere didn’t even mention bidding, which made things difficult for Lin Hao.

Strictly speaking, Yun Xiao’s approach wasn’t wrong; even a complimentary item with the Dragon Seeking Divine Stone should be included in a successful transaction. Yet now, with Shen Wannian and Wu Xian going back and forth, it seemed as if Yun Xiao was making unreasonable trouble.

Thinking of Shen Wannian’s status and seeing Ye Shimei standing next to him, the difference in weight was clear. In contrast, the roughly dressed young man was unknown and of low power—how could his status and position compare to those two?

At this critical juncture before the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, Lin Hao made a decision after pondering for a moment, stating: "The transaction for this herb has not been successful, so it does not belong to you just yet."

Lin Hao didn’t fully close the door; his implication was that Yun Xiao could also bid, and whoever eventually acquired the herb wasn’t Lin Hao’s concern.