Chapter 391 The Blind Old Man and the One-legged Child
Li Lan could only accompany Ding Hao.
On their way, they encountered some rogue warriors standing in the stalls and selling what they had found in their adventures. There were various demonic crystals, fur, skeletons, elixirs, and spiritual herbs. Some people even sold rusty remains of sabers, swords, halberds, and knives claiming that they risked their lives to get them from ancient ruins and only sold them to those people who appreciated the goods.
Ding Hao thought that was funny. By scanning those goods with his Divine Awareness, he knew they were fake. The world did not lack liars.
“Have a look. Magic weapons from the Cauldron-forging Hall. Only one thousand worth of gold per weapon. For sale!”
“Don’t miss the ‘Dragon-Seeking Gra.s.s’. One piece can increase ten years of cultivation. Highest bidder gets this.”
“Dismantling armor can protect you from a Demon General’s full attack. It can save your life. Only ten thousand’s worth of gold…”
“‘Gao Feng’ forging house bankrupted. For clearance sale. All goods for three hundred’s worth of gold. Come in and have a look. It won’t disappoint you. Don’t miss it.”
All kinds of hawking continued. It was a scene of bustling and bargaining.
Ding Hao was excited. He looked at every stall he pa.s.sed by and looked closely at those antiques, thinking that he may pick some rare goods from them if he was fortunate enough. Just like previous experts who searched through antiques, although the actual price of the things picked wasn’t high, he was satisfied inside.
Of course, that also tested Ding Hao’s eyesight. As a weapon refiner and alchemist, vision was very important and it should be practiced step by step.
Li Lan had always been very patient. Occasionally he knelt down to ask about prices and origins when encountering something of his interest. However; most of the time only Ding Hao picked goods excitedly, and he waited quietly.
“Boss, how much is this?” Ding Hao asked while picking up a black s.h.i.+ny stone from a stall.
“One hundred worth of gold.” The stall owner greeted him enthusiastically.
“One gold.”
“Laddie, are you joking? Have a closer look, this is the soul-settling stone from the Soul State in the Northern Region. Carrying it with you, it can reduce the danger of being possessed by the devil during cultivation…”
“One gold.”
“Laddie, your offer is too low. How about meeting me half way? Fifty gold.”
“One gold.”
“You… Okay, I am unlucky to have met you. You are mad at bargaining. Ten gold then, take it.”
“One gold.”
“F*ck, you’ve got me. Okay, one gold.” The stall owner finally compromised, although reluctantly.
Ding Hao giggled and said, “I don’t want it.”
“No? Then why did you say so much?”
“I just wanted to practice bargaining.”
“F*ck, you made fun of me. Don’t you dare run. Freeze! Believe it or not, I will hack you.”
With the laughter from the public, Ding Hao fled together with Li Lan. The unscrupulous stall owner still yelled and cursed at Ding Hao. He would never know that the wicked guy at whom he sent his curses was the number one genius of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect.
Ding Hao idled the morning away; soon it was noon.
It was lunch time, so he found a tavern and ordered some food. There was a hunchbacked gray-haired old man in the tavern, together with a four-year-old boy. The old man played the erhu for a living. His performance was so fantastic that it lingered in people’s minds. The little boy sang a ditty that Ding Hao didn’t know, at a high pitch. It was interesting.
When he finished the song, some diners threw a few copper coins into the plate.
The little boy bowed to express his thanks and collected the copper coins.
It was not until then that people discovered that, for some reason, the beautiful little boy only had one leg which was covered by the robe when he was sitting. When he limped, people found that there was only one leg behind the robe. He didn’t use a crutch and his body was quite dexterous.
Ding Hao sympathized with him. So he raised his hand and placed a piece of gold in the plate.
Being so generous surprised those present.
The little boy was shocked and turned around to look at his grandfather.
The blind old man groped to stand up. Then he fumbled in the plate. Under the guidance of the little boy, he bowed in the direction of Ding Hao and said, “Thank you for your donation, but the gold is too valuable, I dare not accept it.”
Before Ding Hao said anything, someone beside him said loudly, “You blind old man, you’re ignorant. Since this master gave it to you, you should keep it. With that piece of gold, your grandson and you can live a comfortable life for a year or two.”
The blind old man shook his head without expression and said, “It’s a shame to get something by doing nothing. The ditty performed by me and my grandson was a cheap trick. It wasn’t worth much.” After saying that, his wrist moved and gently pushed the gold precisely back to Ding Hao’s table.
Everyone was surprised to find that the blind old man was a warrior.
It was a pity that he was blind and his grandson was disabled. Although he had some martial techniques, he was only a little stronger than ordinary people and he still lived a hard life.
Ding Hao was shocked for a while, that old man had made a good impression on him. He got up and said with smile, “How about renting the erhu to me and I’ll pay you with the gold?”
Before he finished his words, the gold ingot turned into liquid and jumped from the table and back into the boy’s plate like a snake. Then it turned into an gold ingot again.
Everyone in the tavern couldn’t help but gasp.
Melting the gold with his will!
There was no Qi moving around Ding Hao. He did not made any movements, but there was such power. People suddenly understood that this gentle and smiley boy who looked like fifteen years old or so was a hidden expert. Some people who originally planned to rob Ding Hao had timidly receded at the moment.
Ding Hao did all of that to warn those greedy guys; if they dared to rob the gold from the blind old man, they should first consider whether their heads were as hard as the gold.
The old man was silent for a moment, then he handed the erhu.
Ding Hao took over and found that it was heavy. The plain erhu actually weighed at least thirty kilograms. It was unknown what it was made of. It had a long history and was covered with rust. Only the place where it was held was extremely smooth and the yellow string was bright and clear.