Chapter 22: The Art of Haggling

  "This is ruining my reputation!" Little shouted with a face full of indignation.

  "Alright! I'd like to see if you're really that heartbroken about your daughter. Everything on you, except for the clothes on your body, belongs to me now. Isn't that simple!"

  "Ah!" Old Bull Nose's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he bellowed loudly, gnashing his teeth:

  "You know during Chinese New Year I came here for black market purchasing... things, you're intentionally coming to take advantage of me, you've been planning this all along!"

  "Another word I don't understand!" Xiaodou said loudly with a look of impatience: "You, this old Taoist priest, really aren't a good person. Not only did you break the rules and have a daughter, but every time you open your mouth, it's all about making people miserable to death - scams, brothels, black markets... If it weren't for giving face to you and your daughter during the New Year, I'd make sure you pay with your blood!"

  "Master, please don't fight! If you do, we won't be able to come out and play every year at this time... Yeah, if the old master finds out that you're in danger, we'll all be dead! Please, please don't get into trouble!"

  So this kid is actually a descendant of a big shot from the Jiuhua Mountain Sect? Hmm, at such a young age and doesn't know anything, yet has so many followers, no wonder he's so arrogant. Today, I, Lao Yezi, have suffered a great loss!

  Looking at that fake little girl shouting non-stop, the old cow's nose was so angry that he wanted to pinch her to death. Hmph! Don't get angry for now, what's the point of giving her all these things? She's just a small potato in the middle of practicing Qi, how can she escape from my hands? If you want something from me, it's forbidden next time, don't think you can hide from my pursuit!

  The old Taoist behind him casually threw the big bag on his back to Xiao Xiao, and then coldly smiled with a gloomy face:

  "You're a fake little brat, you have guts! Give me the thing, and hand over my daughter and the contract!"

  Little heart down big joy, hastily took over the bag loudly said: "No, I mean all the things on your body!"

  As she spoke, this girl was really desperate enough to directly go forward and quickly search the old Taoist's body with her small hands. Shui Xian couldn't stop her in time, but under Xiaodou's careful observation, Niu Bi Zi Lao Dao secretly placed a severe prohibition on Xiaoxiao's body!

  And Xiao Xiao, this desperate third sister, actually managed to dig out a few precious wooden boxes and several artifacts that only cultivators would understand, then like a little thief, carrying a large bag on her back, she ran away.

  Xiao Dou's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he immediately spoke in a commanding tone as if he had understood everything:

  "Ah~ So I was showing off my big knife in front of Lord Guan, and only now do I realize that Daozhang is a noble person. How rude of me! You detestable Water Fairy, you knew all along, didn't you? Why didn't you remind me?! Hmph~ You just wanted me to leave early and avoid trouble. Annoying! Hey, you fifty or so people, go bring back the things I bought, along with that annoying Water Fairy and Little Beauty. I want to drink and make merry with Daozhang, and get acquainted with this noble person. Come on, hurry up and untie this young lady!"

  All of you junior brothers and sisters can't see the prohibition set by Master Niu, although they don't understand it in their hearts, but they all trust Eldest Senior Brother very much, so they immediately follow his instructions.

  When Shuixian and others disappeared, Xiaodou's hand flashed to grab the cow-nosed old Taoist who was about to condense his fingers into a spell, and then with a familiar and arrogant expression, he led the old Taoist and his daughter to the best restaurant, the most luxurious hall, and started drinking!

  "Hmm, Old Bull Nose was unwilling to leave, but Xiao Dou, the leader of the elegant young masters, wasn't someone to be trifled with. The White Horse Prince's fiery gaze only took a short while to make Old Bull Nose's daughter fall head over heels in love with him, thus holding both father and daughter in his grasp."

  The daughter of the old cow nose was not ugly, but she wasn't particularly good-looking either. Xiao Dou endured while constantly asking this old cow nose about his cultivation problems. What he said was both sharp and difficult to understand. However, this old cow nose was a master in the Congealing Period, so pointing him out to a Qi Refining Period little bun like Xiao Xiao seemed somewhat wasteful. At this time, if this old cow nose hadn't been tied down by his own daughter, he would have probably gone after Xiao Xiao already. The night lanterns of the wine building were red, and the beautiful wine was intoxicating!

  Instead, she looked at Xiaoxiao, who had just run to their temporary shelter and immediately fainted. Even though Shuixian and Xiaomei rushed back with dozens of fellow disciples and found her, pulling up her sleeves, the two girls burst into tears!

  Only to see that the small, usually green hands had turned a deep green, her lips had turned a purplish red, and her face was deathly pale. Whether it was poisoning or prohibition, this wasn't something that they, a group of Qi Refining stage cultivators, could handle. Watersage, disregarding her tears, let out a desperate shriek:

  "The second set of plans, quickly take Xiaoxiao to find Lu Shibo who is out for a walk, only Lu Shibo can save her!"

  Fortunately, there were many people and great strength. After everyone was well-prepared, more than 50 people found Da Nian and several fellow disciples in a short while. They were led by Lv Fang, who was taking his disciples for a walk. This Lv Shibo was a high-ranking Taoist master and had been planned as a backup move from the beginning. Later, the Water Fairy Sect sent a signal to Xiao Dou.

  After shaking off Niu Bi Zi Lao Dao and his nagging daughter, Xiao Dou rushed back with a fierce look on her face, bringing the crowd of younger siblings with her. As she approached the bed, what caught her eye was still Xiao Xiao's pale and dying complexion. She turned around and shouted angrily:

  "What's going on? Why is the ban on Xiao Xiao's body still not lifted?"

  Xiao Mei cried sadly and said: "That Master Lv is not a good person either, he used his powerful magic to tie up Niu Bi Zi's prohibition package, and then took advantage of the fire to rob us, directly asking for five-sixths of our things. If we really gave him these, with more than 30 years of life left for us two hundred or so people, I'm afraid that more than half of us would die! Shui Xian and the master's siblings are now kneeling outside his house begging for mercy!"

  "Whatever!" Xiaodou grabbed the bag next to him and rushed out wildly, leaving behind a house full of younger disciples who smiled wryly and said, "As expected..." Then they heard a loud "Bang!" that shook the sky and earth. They quickly went out to take a look...

  Xiao Dou burst through the courtyard wall and walked directly to the left wing of the building, kneeling in the yard of his fellow disciples. He strode into the hall, where he saw seven top-notch masters at the Cong Dan period or above, as well as a group of loud-mouthed practitioners at the Lian Qi period or above from the same sect.

  "What kind of person are you, dressed in the attire of Mount Jiuhua? Don't you have any manners? You're actually a descendant of our prestigious Mount Jiuhua clan, yet you don't know to pay respects first and wait for an invitation before meeting me, your venerable master... You look like... "

  The noise subsided, and no one came forward to take action. Not for anything else, but because of the expressionless face Xiao Dou had after coming in... This was a thousand times more terrifying than him going mad, yelling, or killing people. People who could endure silently were best avoided, or else you wouldn't even know how you'd die later on.

  No matter whether it's the old guy or the little guy, when they're both silent, the little bean in the house took a glance at the things inside the small bag, then suddenly had an extremely cute expression and said:

  "Oh my! Isn't this the venerable Master Lv that everyone looks up to? I, Xiao Dou, am so lucky to meet you, it's truly a worthwhile life! Oh~ hello to all of you masters, I'm Xiao Dou. Look at me speaking nonsense, haha, don't mind me!"

  A thin grey-haired old man with a faint gaze looked at him and said:

  "Little Bean, I don't mind, you don't have to try to please me either. Putting a big hat on me is useless, these things I don't care about. Bring me the things in those five boxes, and you can keep that large package of materials for yourselves to exchange for some dan medicine. And I don't mind walking back to Jiuhua Mountain tomorrow morning if you all want to follow me back. On this journey, I guarantee your safety!"

  "Hehe~" Xiaodou patted the bag in his hand and smiled, saying: "Master Shibo, everything is easy to say, oh, this box of Zhugidan is very useful for us younger generation who are in the Qi Refining stage. Master Shibo, how many should I give to each of the senior brothers as a New Year's gift? Xiaodou's brain is not enough to calculate it all at once...hmm~"

  Lv Fang furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before saying, "Forget it, the children will have their own blessings. I don't want this Zhuji Dan, just give me those four boxes!"

  Suddenly, a murderous aura filled the hall. Xiaodou raised her small face, and those azure eyes, in an instant, stunned everyone in the room. Xiaodou closed her eyes, but tears couldn't stop flowing out. She cried, the sky was so desolate, she cried so mournfully. At that moment, even Lü Fang, who had lived for a thousand years, couldn't help but feel a moment of mental collapse.

  At this time, Xiaodou suddenly opened her red and swollen eye sockets and said: "Master, Xiaodou thanks the world for having you. With you, it's really great. We can be arrogant with you, we can risk our lives to calculate other people's things. With you here, we're not afraid of being chased by others. Because of you, even let us survive. Xiaodou really loves you to death. With you...

  "Stop..." Lü Fang's face flushed with embarrassment, unable to bear it. He hastily waved his hand and urged: "Alright, don't...don't say anymore, I just need three boxes, you disappear first, I'll go rescue her afterwards!"

  "But Master!" Little Bean sobbed and complained, "You saved Xiao Xiao but killed half of us! We've done such a thing, we won't be able to leave Jiuhua Mountain for decades. With these two boxes and materials, if we go to the ancient forest in the inner gate to collect herbs, only about 100 people will reach the foundation period. Master, what's the use of having only 100 people in the foundation period? We're suffering!"

  "You're kidding!" Lü Fang's goat beard trembled with rage: "A 50% chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, that's what even the most successful sects on Penglai Island wouldn't dare say. What can a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators do? Even if they form an array, they still can't match a single Nascent Soul cultivator!"

  Xiao Dou wiped away a tear and smiled foolishly, "Yes, Master, as long as you help us just a little bit, we two hundred plus brothers and sisters who have gone through life and death together will become Foundation Stage cultivators. This great kindness, we will remember for thousands of years!"

  This sentence is ruthless, the kindness is unforgettable for thousands of years, so this kid intentionally made the word "life and death" sound so heavy in his tone, turning it around to not save or want something that would harm others to death, then letting the other side remember the hatred is also unforgettable for thousands of years?

  Thinking of the young man's initial entry with a sly and cunning expression, and today's city cleaning up a lower boundary cultivator's means, made Lv Fang feel very uneasy! He immediately said impatiently:

  "Just three can kill you all, geez, you young folks have been living in the mortal world for too long and have become mortals yourselves, so annoying, troublesome, two would be enough!"

  "Narcissus, come in!" Little Bean suddenly had a childish expression and laughed loudly: "Bring out that jar of our best, most valuable, and ultimate Tiger Leaps Emerald Wave liquor!"

  Before everyone could react, Shuixian hastily grabbed a dusty-looking wine jug and rushed in. Xiaodou took the jug from her and presented it along with a small box from his bag, grinning foolishly:

  "Oh, Master Lv, Little Bean's admiration for you is like a vast and endless river! Come on, this is Little Bean showing respect to you. All of my fellow disciples, come over and pay your respects to Master Lv and all the other masters. It's Chinese New Year, and not one of you even bothered to wish me a happy new year? This really gets my goat! Hmph, you're all just a bunch of insolent kids who are begging for a beating. Just wait till I get back and deal with you!"

  More than two hundred fellow disciples were holding back their laughter, finding it too difficult to bear, and almost biting their teeth off. They hastily knelt down in unison, shouting "Mountain call!"

  "Happy New Year, Master Lv! Happy New Year, all Masters!"

  "Hmm~" At this time, the traditional practice of thousands of years in the Divine State, where juniors pay their respects during the New Year and seniors give out red envelopes, was something that Lü Fang, who had lived for nearly a thousand years, never thought would happen - if cultivators didn't give some things from the cultivation world, they would definitely be looked down upon by the several junior brothers and people within the sect!

  Moreover, Lv Fang had just observed that his fellow disciples were clearly trying to dump this difficult task on him. How detestable! If it were just a few people, he could have handled it by giving up a few spirit stones. But with so many people, it was truly worrying. Hmm... That little brat was the most hateful, having taken two treasures for himself and only giving Lv Fang one. However, since he had also given him a fine wine that he could use as a gift, Lv Fang wouldn't hold it against him. Just as he was thinking this, Lv Fang let out a deep sigh and said:

  "Everyone, get up! Ah, I'll brazenly accept a bow from you young ones. I should be giving each of you New Year's gifts, but since we're in an emergency to save someone, this box contains something very valuable, worth a lot of spirit stones. Let your senior brother sell it, and it will be enough for each of you to buy New Year's gifts. Ah, get up! Get up!"

  "Get down to business!" Xiaodou handed over the box he had just given to Lü Fang, and shouted loudly at his fellow disciples: "You bunch of useless people, can't you see? Hurry up and support Master Lü in rescuing that silly little guy, quickly!"

  "Hum~hum~hum~" Two hundred little guys rushed up with a smile, among them several dozen beautiful sisters, several dozen small hands touched and pulled Lv Fang, protecting this old guy to the next door's small room to rescue Xiao Xiao...

  That night, insomnia Lu Fang had a series of nightmares, until midnight he rushed into Xiaodou's room and beat the kid up...