Dominator Emperor

Chapter 177: Chapter 176: The Trouble Caused by a Single Roof Tile (Part 2)

In the end, the Ancient Saint, though pained by the cost, took out his Qiankun Pouch and bought a Life Pill. Still, he was more than satisfied with a seven-perfection grade Life Pill!

This Su Yin Medicine Elder was truly a man of great skill. He was undoubtedly an incredible Pharmacist, which was precisely why his business was exceptionally good, despite the outrageous prices of his Elixirs.

As Li Qiye passed the medicine stall, he couldn’t help but stop, his attention captured by an item on display. The item was placed in the most conspicuous position, with a special sign propped up next to it: "Heirloom for Sale."

If it were any other heirloom, people would have at least asked about it. For this particular "heirloom," however, no one seemed willing to even ask the price. The reason was simple: the item was nothing more than a single Roof Tile.

This grayish-white Roof Tile was so crudely made that it made one wonder if it had just been picked up from some random, dilapidated roof.

If such a battered Roof Tile could be an heirloom, then there were far too many heirlooms in this world.

The Su Yin Medicine Elder had specifically set aside a spot at his stall to sell this supposed heirloom, and even the customers buying his Spiritual Medicines gave him strange looks. One of them couldn’t help but ask, "This kind of thing can be an heirloom?"

"Hee, this is absolutely an heirloom, guaranteed genuine!" the Su Yin Medicine Elder replied with a grin. "Fellow Daoist, how about buying it and taking it home?"

"What, am I crazy? Buy a broken Roof Tile to take home?" one customer retorted irritably.

Clearly, the customer’s words made the young girl, who had been keeping her head down and arranging the herbs on the stall, stiffen for a moment.

While others scorned the broken Roof Tile, with most customers thinking the old man was just joking, Li Qiye was captivated by it at a single glance.

Li Qiye walked over, picked up the Roof Tile, and examined it carefully, looking it over again and again, as if this tile were a treasure rarely seen in this world.

Li Qiye scrutinized the Roof Tile in his hand, seemingly unwilling to let a single tiny detail escape his notice.

"Hee, this young man knows his goods! Truly a Dharma Eye like a torch." Seeing Li Qiye pick up the Roof Tile right away, the Su Yin Medicine Elder praised him loudly. "It seems this young man is fated to have this treasure. Quick, buy it!"

After examining it carefully one more time, Li Qiye looked up at the Su Yin Medicine Elder and stated, "This is your heirloom."

"Hee, no, no. It’s my apprentice’s heirloom." The Su Yin Medicine Elder turned to the girl organizing the stall. "Girl, you’ve met someone with a discerning eye. A customer wants to buy your heirloom."

The girl raised her head, and when she did, everyone’s eyes lit up. The young girl before them wasn’t an otherworldly beauty like Li Shuangyan or Chen Baojiao, but she possessed a unique spiritual aura. It was as if she had gathered all the spiritual wisdom of the heavens, earth, mountains, and rivers. A single glance into her eyes felt like a wave of Spiritual Qi washing over you. Her exceptionally vivid, lovely eyes seemed to speak, capable of reaching into the deepest part of one’s soul.

The girl’s face was pale. She wore simple gray clothes with no trace of makeup, like a farmer’s daughter, yet her Spiritual Qi was overwhelming.

"This is your heirloom?" Li Qiye asked, looking at the girl before him.

The girl said nothing, only looking at Li Qiye with eyes that brimmed with Spiritual Qi before nodding.

Li Qiye lowered his head to inspect the Roof Tile again, pondered for a moment, then looked up at the girl and asked, "Is your surname Wu?" As he spoke, he watched her every move.

Hearing his question, the girl stiffened. Her incredibly vibrant eyes stared at Li Qiye in disbelief, for he had correctly stated her surname in one guess. Her reaction was all the confirmation Li Qiye needed.

"This young man is truly remarkable, with a Dharma Eye like a torch, hee, hee, hee! Since you are fated to have this treasure, young man, you should buy it." Seeing how interested Li Qiye was, the Su Yin Medicine Elder immediately urged him to purchase the Roof Tile.

As for Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, they exchanged a glance. ’To be honest, no matter how we look at it, we can’t see anything special about this tile. It’s just a Roof Tile, with nothing precious about it at all!’

However, they both believed that there must be a reason why Li Qiye was paying so much attention to a seemingly worthless Roof Tile.

"This is indeed a treasure," Li Qiye said with a nod after examining the Roof Tile one more time.

"Only an idiot would treat a broken Roof Tile like a treasure." Just then, a cold sneer rang out. Leng Chengfeng strode over and sneered as he spoke.

Leng Chengfeng had appeared for the sole purpose of making things difficult for Li Qiye.

Li Shuangyan frowned when Leng Chengfeng suddenly appeared. She knew he intended to make an enemy of Li Qiye. ’Honestly, I’m not worried about Li Qiye. In my eyes, Leng Chengfeng provoking him is just courting death. Still, as fellow sect members, I don’t want to see us kill each other. But if he’s determined to get himself killed, then no one can save him!’

Li Qiye couldn’t even be bothered to glance at him. He looked at the girl and asked, "Since it’s your heirloom, why are you selling it?"

The girl remained silent, not answering his question. At her side, the Su Yin Medicine Elder quickly interjected with a smile, "This poor girl of mine has a stubborn illness and needs money for treatment, so she has no choice but to sell her heirloom."

"I see. No wonder you’re selling an heirloom," Li Qiye said, nodding as he looked at the girl.

"Only an idiot would believe such a story full of holes!" Leng Chengfeng sneered. "Heh, selling an heirloom for treatment money? And a broken Roof Tile, at that? Anyone who believes a story like that is an idiot."

Leng Chengfeng’s words made the girl’s face flush red, while the Su Yin Medicine Elder’s expression darkened. "Fellow Daoist, if you’re not buying, then don’t spout nonsense here," he said coldly. "My Su Yin Old Pharmacy has a three-million-year-old reputation! We only sell quality goods!"

"Hmph—" Rebuked by Elder Yao, Leng Chengfeng lost face. He sneered, "Fine, I’ll buy it!"

"Don’t forget, I picked it first," Li Qiye said with a faint, unbothered smile, looking at Leng Chengfeng.

"You?" Disgusted by Li Qiye’s provocation, Leng Chengfeng sneered inwardly. He said to Elder Yao, "What’s the price for your Roof Tile? This Young Master wants it. Whatever he offers, I’ll pay double!"

Leng Chengfeng was determined to be Li Qiye’s enemy; he even wished he could kill him. Thus, he showed Li Qiye no courtesy whatsoever. ’He stole the woman I love! If I don’t get revenge for this, I’m no man!’

"So this Fellow Daoist wants to buy it?" Clearly, the Su Yin Medicine Elder also found Leng Chengfeng to be an eyesore. He asked with a wide grin.

"Cut the crap and name your price! This Young Master may be lacking in many things, but money isn’t one of them!" With Li Shuangyan present, Leng Chengfeng’s blood was pumping. He struck a magnanimous pose, intending not only to crush Li Qiye and make him lose all face but also to show Li Shuangyan that he was the truly capable one.

"Not expensive, not expensive. I believe this Fellow Daoist can afford it," the Su Yin Medicine Elder said with a grin. "This heirloom is only ten Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jades."

"Uh—" The Su Yin Medicine Elder’s words made Leng Chengfeng freeze on the spot, unable to react for a moment.

In fact, all the cultivators present who were buying Spirit Medicine Life Pills couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. Ten Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jades! This was a terrifying sum. Across the world, how many cultivators went their entire lives without ever seeing such a thing?

Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jade. In this world, aside from Immortal Emperor’s Essence Jade, there was nothing more valuable. Essence Jade was the currency that circulated among cultivators. Each piece was formed from the condensation of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. Moreover, besides being used as currency, Essence Jades had extremely wide applications: they could be used to build a Dao Platform, open a Daoist Door, set up a Grand Array, construct a Grotto Heaven...

Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jade was second only to Immortal Emperor’s Essence Jade. It was the second-largest denomination of currency in the Cultivator Realm!

Forget a single cultivator, even an entire sect might not be able to produce ten Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jades. The item was simply too precious.

"You’ve got to be kidding, right? A single Roof Tile for ten Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jades? You might as well just rob people!" a cultivator in the crowd couldn’t help but exclaim. This was simply too outrageous.

However, the Su Yin Medicine Elder put on a stern face and said coldly, "This is no joke. Ten Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jades. It won’t be sold for a jade less!"

This left the cultivators present dumbfounded. The old man before them could sell a Five Transformations Life Pill, so he was definitely not a scammer. Furthermore, the Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs on his stall were all high-quality goods. If he said it, it had to be true.

"What on earth is that Roof Tile?" At this point, even the other cultivators who had originally come to buy Spiritual Medicines were puzzled. They simply couldn’t see how this Roof Tile was worth that price.

"What’s wrong? Is our ’lacking-nothing-but-money’ Young Master Leng going to buy it or not?" Li Qiye said leisurely. If others wanted to make an enemy of him, he didn’t mind viciously stomping on their faces.

Leng Chengfeng’s face flushed red. With so many people watching, he was stuck in an awkward position with no way out. He had just made a bold boast, and words, once spoken, are like spilt water—they can’t be taken back. As the first disciple of the Nine Saints Demon Gate, favored by his Grand Master, he possessed a large amount of Essence Jade. What’s more, his recent diplomatic mission to the Qingxuan Ancient Country had been very profitable. But to ask him to produce ten Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jades... he really couldn’t do it.

’Besides, spending ten Worthy Ancestor’s Essence Jades on a single Roof Tile? I’d have to be crazy.’

No matter how you looked at it, there was no way he could buy this Roof Tile. He couldn’t afford it anyway.