The inn was quietly peaceful. Qi Zhenzhuo could not help but lift the brim of his bamboo hat, staring blankly as Chen Ji descended the stairs, taking a seat beside the only empty table in the main hall as if no one else was present.
The inn’s limping attendant eagerly brought over a tray, arranging lon seeds and candied fruits one by one.
Everyone’s gaze was on Chen Ji, yet he seed unaware, sitting calmly by the square table, facing the nurous eyes without dodging or yielding.
Qi Zhenzhuo felt as if sothing was stuck in his throat, unable to speak for a long while.
When he finally snapped out of it, he turned to leave the Dragon Gate Inn, but Li Xuan grabbed him, "What are you doing?"
Qi Zhenzhuo’s face reddened, "Brother-In-Law, why should we stay here to watch this youngster shine? Let’s go sowhere else. We might as well find so information!"
Li Xuan took a deep breath, interrupting his brother-in-law, "Chen Ji previously found clues here; you and I should stay as well. He arrived in Guyuan more than ten days later than us, yet he discovered this Dragon Gate Inn before us, which shows his exceptional abilities. If you want to outshine him, learn from his strengths."
Qi Zhenzhuo felt sowhat unconvinced.
Li Xuan said sternly, "Stand still and watch what he is going to do."
At the square table, Chen Ji reached out to remove the clay seal on the liquor jar.
For a mont, everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, yet no one moved: getting news from opening the jar would cost a lot of money. Who knew whether it was worthwhile? After all, the news wasn’t sold only once; no one wanted to be the first to test the waters.
At that mont, the brothel owner from Red Sleeves, with her face covered by a silk scarf, giggled lightly, "This young man looks unfamiliar. I wonder what news he sells. Brother from the Li Family, why don’t you go ask?"
The man nad by the brothel owner pretended not to hear, casually cracking lon seeds.
The brothel owner then turned her gaze to the other side, "How about you, Brother from the Zhang Family, you go first?"
The man surnad Zhang chuckled, "With Sister Dong here, how dare I... Third Elder?"
The man surnad Zhang’s voice suddenly stopped; he saw the Third Elder suddenly stand up and walk slowly to Chen Ji, calmly asking, "May I borrow a bowl of liquor?"
Chen Ji looked up at him and smiled, "Please sit. Xiao Man, pour so liquor for this elder brother."
Xiao Man hurriedly picked up the liquor jar, filling a bowl of Fire Saber for the Third Elder.
The Third Elder lifted the bowl with his right hand and drank it all in one gulp, exhaling a breath of alcohol, "Haven’t tasted such strong liquor in many years."
Chen Ji considered for a mont, then picked up the liquor jar himself and filled another bowl for the Third Elder, "I noticed the hall went silent when Third Elder stood up. You must have a very high status in the Jianghu of Guyuan City?"
The Third Elder chuckled, "What status? It’s all just courtesy from others. In the end, we’re all just a handful of yellow soil and bones under a tomb. Young man, why co to Dragon Gate Inn to do business?"
Chen Ji puzzled, it was common for people to pay for news and leave right away, but Third Elder seed to have co specifically to chat leisurely with him.
He candidly responded, "Naturally, because I need money."
Third Elder sized up Chen Ji for a while, "Let’s then talk about the price."
Chen Ji raised his hand to gesture the price, but was suddenly grasped by the wrist by Third Elder.
He looked puzzled at Third Elder, whose blind eye only had opaque whites, looking sowhat fierce.
The Third Elder explained with a smile, "There’s no need to signify the price like that; it lets others know. Don’t do it like this next ti; you could easily be seen as easy prey... Can you do a sleeve-wrist grab?"
Chen Ji replied, "Yes."
The sleeve-wrist grab seed mysterious but was simple: squeezing one finger ant one, two fingers ant two, and for double digits, shaking one finger repeatedly ant eleven.
To suggest to the other party to lower the price, one would bend the fingers, the more bent, the more the price should be lowered.
Before he could react, the Third Elder had already enclosed his palm in the sleeve, extending it in front of Chen Ji, "Co."
Chen Ji reached his hand into the Third Elder’s sleeve, gripping two of his fingers—two hundred silver taels. The servers had said, once Fire Saber was opened, the price of the news had to be calculated in ’hundred taels’.
But Third Elder, glimpsing at him with a half-smile, suddenly grasped his five fingers.
Chen Ji froze, what did this an? Was the other party only willing to offer fifty taels?
But with the Fire Saber’s clay seal broken, how could it be possible to sell for only fifty taels? Such a slash in the asking price was too severe.
Just as Chen Ji was about to refuse, Third Elder removed a string of Buddhist Treasure from his wrist and placed it on the table, firmly pushing it towards Chen Ji, "This Buddhist Treasure can be exchanged for 500 taels of silver, I’ll buy the news."
Chen Ji’s pupils suddenly contracted, what was this Third Elder doing?
First bargaining in the sleeves, only to publicly disclose a price; he initially offered two hundred silver taels, yet the other unilaterally raised the price to 500 taels!
Was it a gift of money?
But why would Third Elder want to give him money? That’s not how business is done.
Upon hearing Third Elder’s words, the others inhaled sharply: it wasn’t common for news to open, and this price of 500 taels was even less seen; normally, news sold for two hundred taels at most.
To buy or not to buy? Everyone hesitated.
At this mont, Chen Ji was staring intently at Third Elder, and the latter was staring back at him. His intact right eye was calm, but there was a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Wait a minute.
It seed that Third Elder didn’t care about the content of the ssage Chen Ji was selling; he was rely concerned that he might have set the price too low.
Strange, strange, strange, what does he an? Chen Ji was completely confused.
Third Elder smiled and urged: "It’s ti for you to tell the ssage, rember to keep it down."
Everyone eagerly watched as Chen Ji and Third Elder moved closer; so perked up their ears to listen, but could hear nothing.
Li Xuan and others stood at the doorway, Qi Zhenzhuo tiptoed to look, muttering: "Brother-in-law, what ssage is this kid selling? Just by moving his lips he can earn 500 silver taels, that’s ten years of my salary! Could it be about the deed we did yesterday, and he’s selling it for money?"
Li Xuan pondered: "Yesterday’s news shouldn’t be worth 500 taels, perhaps he has more important news. 500 silver taels are enough to buy dozens of maids and servants at the Beijing Livestock Market."
At that mont, Third Elder suddenly stood up, exclaiming in shock: "Is that true?"
Chen Ji hesitated for a mont: "It’s true."
Third Elder clasped his hands together: "The Buddhist Treasure on the table is yours then, we shall et again."
After saying that, Third Elder turned and left, leaving everyone in the room exchanging glances.
The guests who originally thought the price was too high began to hesitate. 500 silver taels for a piece of information seed outrageous, but considering Third Elder’s reaction, it clearly was worth it.
Who is Third Elder? That’s a giant on the Guyuan Road, what kind of news could shock Third Elder to such an extent?
People looked at each other questioningly.
Not only were the guests in the room hesitating, Chen Ji was also puzzled. The ssage he ntioned was just about the Jing Dynasty Heavenly Strategy Army about to surround the city, and a spy of the Jing Dynasty yesterday attempting to pollute the well water, stopped by the Crown Prince and Yulin Army...
This news, while important, might not be worth 500 silver taels.
Just now, after hearing the ssage, Third Elder clearly put on an urgent act, which caught the interest of others.
But Chen Ji couldn’t understand why Third Elder would do such a thing.
Chen Ji quietly asked Zhang Xia: "Have we seen this Third Elder before?"
Zhang Xia shook his head: "Never seen him, but judging by his footsteps, he is the one staying next door in room Yi of Tian Zi."
"Is it him?!"
Chen Ji tapped his fingers on the table, thoughts racing through his mind: they had just checked into Dragon Gate Inn, and this person followed closely after ... he ca for !
While pondering, the brothel owner of Red Sleeves gracefully got up, carrying a fragrance, and sat opposite Chen Ji, her face covered with a silk scarf and eyes flirtatious: "Young man, can you give a discount? I can make up the difference from elsewhere."
Chen Ji’s maid Xiao Man, who was standing behind him, waved her nose disdainfully: "Where’s this stench coming from, who peed their pants?"
"Why do you speak so harshly, young lady, be careful or you’ll never get married!" the brothel owner glared fiercely at her, unclasping a string of Buddhist Treasure from her wrist, pushing it towards Chen Ji, and leaning over with a coquettish smile: "Co, speak closer."
Frowning, Chen Ji sighed, but Xiao Man raised her hand and pushed the brothel owner’s head back: "Here, let tell you."
The brothel owner huffed: "Young girl!"
Xiao Man frowned: "My master is to marry a legitimate daughter of a prestigious family, you stay away!"
At the entrance, Li Xuan’s gaze under the bamboo hat was sharp, watching coldly as the brothel owner listened to the ssage and then left. Imdiately after, several people got up at once, competing to sit next to Chen Ji to buy the information.
A mber of the Yulin Army leaned over to Li Xuan and whispered: "Commander, shall we buy it?"
Li Xuan remained silent.
Qi Zhenzhuo disdainfully said: "Buy a fart, we can’t let this little brat benefit."
Yet Li Xuan spoke: "Buy! Such important news, it’s good if we buy it first to report back to His Highness."
He took off two strings of Buddhist Treasure, turning to give them to one of the Yulin soldiers: "Earlier you didn’t go to Shache Street with us; he doesn’t recognize you, go."
"Yes," the Yulin Army soldier took the Buddhist Treasure and went to queue.
A mont later, the Yulin Army soldier returned with a complex expression.
Qi Zhenzhuo hurried forward, anxiously asking: "What news did you buy?"
After recounting what Chen Ji had said, Qi Zhenzhuo’s face darkened, feeling as if he had swallowed a fly: they had actually given Chen Ji 500 silver taels for news they already knew!
Qi Zhenzhuo’s face turned fierce: "Go get the silver back, we can’t let him profit like this!"
Li Xuan stopped him, speaking sternly: "Money spent, what is there to take back? Don’t break the rules here. If you’ve been fooled, it’s no one else’s fault."
Qi Zhenzhuo looked at him in disbelief: "Brother-in-law, are we just gonna let it go?"
Li Xuan calmly said: "Chen family’s boy is also greedy and shortsighted, I overestimated him. If he dares to sell His Highness’s matter for money, His Highness will surely not trust him again. Let’s go, we’ll report this matter back to His Highness."
Qi Zhenzhuo’s eyes lit up: "Brother-in-law, indeed a wise perspective!"
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