I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

One thousand taels!

Now, all for such a small pill?

"Are you crazy? Is Manager Su still half asleep?"

"Is this pill made of gold? A thousand taels? How dare she ask for that?"

Dr. Wang and Accountant Sun stood to the side, their hearts pounding in their throats. Their combined monthly wages didn't even amount to much. The only one who remained relatively calm was Liu Chen.

It's not an illusion!

For a martial artist like him, breaking through in cultivation is ten thousand times more important than money!

His father, Liu Wanshan, was extremely wealthy; a mere thousand taels of silver was nothing to him.

"Manager Su's pill is indeed extraordinary. Since it's a matter of the highest bidder, I'll offer my humble opinion as a starting point."

"I'll offer one thousand taels!"

Su Mei's smile grew even more charming and alluring as she was about to speak.

"One thousand five hundred taels."

Everyone turned around in shock and saw an old man with half-white hair and beard standing there.

An additional five hundred taels!

Who is this old man? What a grand gesture!

Who are you?

Liu Chen's tone turned unfriendly.

The old man in the brocade robe didn't even glance at him.

They were ignored!

Liu Chen was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode!

He was used to running rampant in Liuxi Town, and had never been treated like this before.

"Good! Very good!"

"Manager Su, this old bastard has offered 1,500; I'll accept!"

"I'll offer two thousand taels!"

hiss!

The price has doubled!

Su Mei bowed slightly.

"This old gentleman offered two thousand taels, and..."

Before she could finish speaking, the old man spoke again.

"Two thousand five hundred taels."

Another five hundred taels!

Liu Chen's face turned a deep purplish-red.

Two thousand five hundred taels!

He only took a thousand taels of silver notes with him when he went out today; he has to go home to get the rest.

But, should we just give up like this?

"Old man, are you determined to make trouble for me?"

The old man turned his head.

"Young man, this item will be of great use to me. If you give it to me, I will remember this favor."

"Favors? How much are your favors worth?"

Liu Chen was enraged.

"Let me tell you, I'm taking this pill today!"

"Two thousand six hundred taels!"

This time, he only added one hundred taels.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that Young Master Liu is finding it somewhat beyond his capabilities.

The old man held up three fingers.

Su Mei understood immediately.

"Three thousand taels! This old gentleman has offered three thousand taels!"

Liu Chen felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"I'll offer three thousand one hundred taels!"

The old man in the brocade robe frowned deeply.

"Since you are so persistent, young friend, I will grant your wish."

After saying that, he turned and left.

He... gave up?

Liu Chen was stunned.

Su Mei smiled radiantly.

"Three thousand one hundred taels! Young Master Liu has offered three thousand one hundred taels! Sold!"

"Congratulations, Young Master Liu, on obtaining this peerless divine pill!"

Su Mei put the cap back on the small white jade bottle and handed it to Liu Chen.

Liu Chen snatched the bottle away.

He glanced around at the onlookers.

Hmph, a bunch of poor bastards!

How dare you try to steal from me?

He walked out of Jishetang with two lackeys.

Doctor Wang and Accountant Sun practically floated over to Su Mei's side.

"Boss, we've struck it rich! We've struck it rich!"

Sun the accountant's voice was trembling.

Dr. Wang also had a rosy complexion.

Su Mei swayed her slender waist as she walked over, leaving a trail of fragrance in her wake.

"Zi'an, why aren't you saying anything?"

Zhao Zian, however, seemed not to hear.

His gaze remained fixed on the doorway.

It's not Liu Chen.

It was that old man in the brocade robe.

"Zi'an?" Su Mei noticed that he was lost in thought, so she stretched out her jade-like finger and waved it in front of his eyes.

Zhao Zian then came to his senses.

"Shopkeeper, don't you find this strange?"

"Strange? What's so strange about it?"

Su Mei covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Is it because you think the money isn't enough? I'm not a stingy person, you know."

"I wasn't talking about money," Zhao Zian shook his head. "I was talking about that old man."

Accountant Sun came over.

"That old man was really strange. He immediately offered five hundred taels more, and I thought he was determined to win, but I didn't expect him to back down in the end."

"yes."

Dr. Wang also agreed.

"A typical case of being all show and no substance, pretending to be rich when you're broke."

In their eyes, this was nothing more than a battle of pride among the wealthy.

But Zhao Zian doesn't see it that way.

Zhao Zian sensed the old man in the brocade robe the moment he stepped into Jishetang.

He possesses inner strength, and it is unfathomable.

That was definitely a martial arts expert with extremely high cultivation!

This kind of person has an iron will and is so resilient that he would not give up easily just because of Liu Chen's few shouts.

A guess formed in Zhao Zian's mind.

That old man never intended to spend money to buy it!

His bidding might simply be a way to confirm ownership of the elixir.

Once it's confirmed that the item has reached Liu Chen's hands...

Zhao Zian's heart sank.

"not good!"

He stood up.

"What's wrong, Zian? Why are you so startled?" Su Mei was startled by him.

"I have a bad feeling; this matter is probably not that simple."

Before Zhao Zian could finish speaking, he rushed out.

"Zian!"

Su Mei lifted her skirt and chased after him.

Doctor Wang and Accountant Sun followed.

The doors of Jishetang were wide open.

A large crowd had gathered at the entrance.

"Something terrible has happened! Something drastic!"

"Someone's dead! Right in front of Jishetang!"

"Who is it? So unlucky!"

Zhao Zian walked through the crowd and his gaze fell on the open space.

In the center of the crowd, a person lay stiffly on the ground.

It's Liu Chen.

he died.

It's right at the entrance of Jishetang.

As expected, the old man in the brocade robe made his move!

"Young Master Liu...?"

The color drained from Su Mei's face.

Have you struck it rich?

Make a fortune my ass!

This is going to be fatal!

The eldest son of the Liu family died at the entrance of their Jishetang Pharmacy!

Zhao Zian stepped forward and squatted down.

There were no wounds, no bloodstains, not even a trace of struggle.

His fingers were on Liu Chen's carotid artery.

Then I lifted his eyelids and looked at his pupils.

Finally, his gaze fell on Liu Chen's brow.

There, there was a red dot, smaller than the tip of a pin.

If you don't look closely, you won't notice it at all.

What a brilliant move!

To kill without leaving a trace.

That old man in the brocade robe has probably reached the pinnacle of cultivation!

"Young master! Young master! What's wrong?"

The two lackeys Liu Chen brought rushed to the corpse, wailing and lamenting.

One of them was somewhat rational and kept his eyes on Zhao Zian.

"You! What did you do to him?"

Zhao Zian stood up.

"I just came out."

Zhao Zian countered with a question to the two of them.

"You've been following him the whole time, what just happened?"

"We don't know."

A lackey had a long face.

"The young master just walked out of the pharmacy, still cursing and swearing..."

He couldn't continue.

One second Liu Chen was spouting threats, the next he fell backward and fell silent.

Another lackey shook his head as well.

"We didn't see anything! Really! No one approached the young master, and we didn't hear a sound. He just collapsed like that..."