Chapter 579 A Seriously Bad Bargain
What an excellent broadsword!
The broadsword had extremely smooth outlines. It was light and agile as an antelope. Every part of it was naturally forged. It was like the most perfect work of art, shaped as the longest and the most immaculate feather on the wings of a wild goose. It was red-and-black, giving off a dim brilliance.
The groove on both sides of the blade was neatly-carved and full of texture. It flickered with the brilliance unique to cold steel, which would make people shudder.
A great broadsword!
It was definitely a great broadsword.
Li Mu’s eyes brightened. He immediately took a liking to the broadsword.
Li Mu himself was a master of broadsword-using methods. His love for broadswords was as intense as a swordsman’s love for swords, a rider’s love for horses, a general’s love for precious armor, a chess player’s love for chessboards, a home man’s love for p.o.r.n, and a home girl’s love for comics. It was a kind of bone-deep desire.
The only flaw of this broadsword was that the blade was not sharpened yet.
The stout merchant said, “This broadsword is called ‘so close yet worlds apart’. It is a top-grade Taoist treasure. It used to belong to a sinner devil who once ran amuck in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region. Later, this sinner devil was hunted by various major immortal sects, and this broadsword was lost. It was also by chance that I got this broadsword from an old friend. It had been notarized at the Fair-deal Shop. So, I guarantee you that this is absolutely the genuine one. Its real value is absolutely more than 200 gold-colored fairy crystals. My friend, this is a rare opportunity you shall not miss.”
The Fair-deal Shop that he had mentioned was an extremely famous chain store in Ziwei Star Zone. It had been in business for thousands of years. It valued and notarized the genuineness of various rare treasures. With this old shop’s notary, the goods could be guaranteed to be absolutely authentic, and there would be no fake ones. It could be said to be a symbol of credibility.
In the Brilliance Immortal Star Region, the Fair-deal Shop had established branches on dozens of planets with a large population or abundant resources. All of those branches were engaged in all kinds of businesses. As those branches were always honest and upright, the shop had enjoyed a good reputation.
But, of course, Li Mu didn’t know that.
He only knew that he liked this broadsword very much.
So, without thinking, Li Mu nodded decisively and said, “Deal.”
He directly reached out and took over the broadsword.
In an instant, a feeling of unprecedented proficiency came from the handle of the sword.
Li Mu suddenly felt as if the broadsword had become a part of him in an instant, or as if he had been holding this broadsword for hundreds of years and they had been connected for a long time.
This kind of feeling of being one with the broadsword was extremely strange and wonderful. Li Mu had never had this kind of feeling even when using the Samsara Knife before.
And at the moment when Li Mu held the broadsword shaped like a wild goose feather, the blade trembled slightly and made the sound of a tiger’s roar. It sounded joyful, as though the broadsword also had a soul and it was cheering excitedly as its response to Li Mu’s touch.
The stout merchant’s expression changed slightly when he saw this.
This broadsword was indeed notarized in the Fair-deal Shop. He had plotted against a good friend and s.n.a.t.c.hed it from him. It was worth 200 gold-colored fairy crystal. Originally, he planned to stash it while releasing the news about it. Then hype it to double its price before he sold it out. But now, in order to collect money, he took it out in advance.
However, he did not think it was a pity at all.
Because privately, he already deemed Li Mu as a dead man.
He was not worried that Li Mu would trick him at all.
Because he had long set his eyes on the gold-colored fairy crystals that Li Mu had earned by the stone-gambling. He had made up his mind to kill Li Mu and seize his treasures as soon Li Mu left the Gold Town.
He had already done so many things like this as to not feel the guilt anymore.
Now, no matter how much Li Mu earned from him, he would later make Li Mu pay him more than the double.
After putting all the gold-colored and silver-colored crystals he carried with him together as well as the broadsword called “Worlds Apart”, the stout merchant finally managed to sc.r.a.pe what was worth 400 gold-colored fairy crystals.
“Now cut the stone for me.”
He said to the black-cloaked vendor.
The black-cloaked vendor nodded and took out the fin-shaped stone knife again. With a flash of white light, he wielded the knife and cut a one-inch-high piece off the huge Primordial Stone King’s top.
“Crack!”
With a light noise, about a quarter of the Primordial Stone fell to the ground.
There was a burst of exclamation.
At the cut, only a dull white color without any l.u.s.ter could be seen. It was just an ordinary stone. There was no sign of fairy crystal, and not even a copper l.u.s.ter could be seen.
“This…”
“Did you get this one wrong?”
“It’s a waste stone!”
“No way.”
The onlookers were stunned at this moment.
The stout merchant was even more baffled.
When he saw the pale and bleak stone layer, his face, which was as fat as a sandbag dog’s, turned livid in an instant, and his heart sank to his stomach.
“What’s going on?” he looked at Li Mu and asked in a questioning tone.
Li Mu calmly said, “Isn’t there three-fourths unopened yet?”
The stout merchant was taken aback.
When the people around heard this, they were also enlightened.
That was right. Since this Primordial Stone King was so big, it could not be stuffed only with gold-colored fairy crystals. Not to mention the remaining three-fourth, even if there was only one-fourth unopened, as long as half of the last one-fourth contained gold-colored fairy crystals, it would be worth far more than 400 standard gold-colored crystals.
“Ah, my bad to be so reckless. My friend, hope you won’t mind.”
The stout merchant quickly calmed down and looked at the remaining three-fourth of the Primordial Stone King, his eyes gleaming with greed.
The fin-shaped stone knife in the hands of the black-cloaked vendor flashed again and cut off another quarter of it.
It was still the bleak white color.
That part was still a waste stone.
“This…”
“Ur…”
Countless eyes immediately fell on Li Mu.
Li Mu looked quite composed. He said to the black-cloaked vendor, “Go on … Don’t cut it bit by bit. Just cut it open from the middle.”
As he spoke, he even drew a line with his finger on the stone.
Oh, it turned out that the vendor did not cut the right place.
Many people were heartened by Li Mu’s calm expression and chose to believe in him again.
The stout merchant again got his hope up.
The black-cloaked vendor chopped down along the route drawn by Li Mu, and the remaining parts of the Primordial Stone King were directly divided into two parts from the middle, revealing everything inside clearly.
“My dear lord.”
“Oh my!”
“This…”
“What’s going on?”
“This time, something big has really happened.”
The cut in the Primordial Stone was as smooth as a mirror.
However—
It was still all waste.
It was a waste stone!
Everyone was dumbstruck.
Even Master s.h.i.+ looked as if he had just eaten a dead mouse.
Among all the Primordial Stones selected by Li Mu so far, he was most optimistic about this Primordial Stone King. It was in line with all the characteristics of the ones containing fairy crystals. For the first time, he felt that his vision could finally be compared with Li Mu’s. Nonetheless, it came to him as a surprise that Li Mu was wrong this time.
Countless eyes were focused on Li Mu again.
The stout merchant was covering his heart with his hands. With the help of his bodyguards, he managed to stand firm and glared at Li Mu.
Li Mu was still very calm.
“Shoot, I picked the wrong one,” he said blandly.
It looked like he had just founded out that this Primordial Stone King was only worth one copper-colored fairy crystal instead of 400 gold-colored fairy crystals. It did not seem to be an act at all.
“Haha, hahaha…” Ding Yi couldn’t help bursting out laughing. In the end, he laughed so hard that his stomach hurt. Covering his stomach, he squatted on the ground and started to thump the ground hard.
The ear-piercing laughter hauled everyone out of their shock.
“Little b*stard, are you messing with me?”
Like a male lion whose mate had been taken away, the stout merchant roared in grief and indignation. He stared at Li Mu as if he was going to swallow him alive.
Li Mu spread out his hands and said, “A man makes mistakes. Sometimes that happens.”
Seeing his reaction, the onlookers around were all speechless and didn’t know what to say.
“Could you please put in a little effort to put on a sad face? Dude your indifferent expression is obviously telling others that you’re just playing a trick.”
Even a fool could tell.
“You’re fooling me. You’re f*cking messing with me!” The stout merchant was exasperated and spoke a little incoherent. He then said that repeatedly.
“Well, sort of,” Li Mu answered and nodded.
He had admitted it. How could he have admitted it?
The onlookers didn’t know how to describe their feelings now.
“He admitted it just like that?”
Some people turned to the wretched old Taoist. Didn’t he just solemnly claim that real celestial masters of Primordial Stones wouldn’t do this kind of thing? But why did this youngster just pull this trick?
“Amitayus… d*mn Buddha, this…” The old Taoist was also at a loss. “This brat was f*cking devilish. Can’t believe he even dared to do such a thing.”
“Do you want to die?” The stout merchant flashed his eyes dangerously. The bodyguards around him also closed in on Li Mu and unsheathed their swords.
Li Mu shook his head and said, “No, I don’t. But if you want to die, I can help you for free.”
“Gasps!”
This time, the onlookers were shocked again.
“How could he be so arrogant?
“Are the youngsters nowadays all so audacious?”
At this time, some of the more quick-witted people gradually came to see the whole picture.
Li Mu was deliberately making trouble for the stout. He already began to set the trap when he started to help others choose the Primordial Stone. After that, he selected the stones three times in a row for the stout merchant to let him double the profit. In fact, he was actually digging a pit for him and leading him to the trap step by step. The last time, he drew the stout merchant into the pit and made him spit out more than all the fairy crystals he had earned before.
What a smart stunt!
The atmosphere became tense in an instant.
“F*ck, the man who dares to set me up like this hasn’t been born yet.” The stout merchant waved his hand and yelled, “Go get him. Cut off this little b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s legs first. Hehe, get him to spit out what he has swallowed!”
Now, things had really turned ugly.
Killing people at the Gold Town Fair would surely offend the Gold Sun Sect. After all, it would cause damage to their business. However, the stout merchant was not particularly afraid in that he had money, and money talks. He could fix this by making some compromise with Gold Sun Sect afterward.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoos.h.!.+”
Many men darted forward.
The guards around the stout merchant all unsheathed their swords and rushed to besiege Li Mu at the speed of lightning. They attacked Li Mu mercilessly. Their sword light and broadsword light were all aimed at Li Mu’s legs.
Li Mu raised the broadsword shaped like a wild goose feather in his hand, and his eyes were full of killing intent.