Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1219 A Misunderstanding

The middle-aged fat man was immediately captivated by the aroma of the wine and reached out to take the flask.

Kournikova dodged the question and said, "Uncle, how about we use this to pay for our expenses?"

"Excellent, perfect!" the middle-aged fat man said eagerly.

“Alright, give me the spirit stones you found first, and I'll give you the wine. Then we'll be even,” Kournikova said.

The middle-aged fat man's eyes darted around.

Kuva calmly said, "This pot of wine is worth more than thirty spirit stones. My grandma said it's worth at least a hundred. How about I go out and sell it, and then I'll pay you back?"

The middle-aged fat man quickly said, "No, how about this, I'll exchange something for it, okay?"

Kournikova feigned a frown and asked, "What is it?"

The middle-aged fat man's eyes darted around. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You three are newcomers here, so you probably don't know anything about this cultivation continent. I have a cultivation manual that details the composition of the continent, cultivation families and major sects, as well as common knowledge about cultivation. What do you think?"

Kournikova scoffed, saying, "I'll just go out and find out for myself. It won't really benefit us."

The middle-aged fat man was cunning. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's add another map, and I'll also get you temporary identity tokens. These are indispensable on the mainland."

Kova thought for a moment and said, "Alright, seeing how troubled you look, I guess you don't have many spirit stones yourself, so let's exchange them."

The middle-aged fat man was very excited. There were plenty of cultivation manuals and maps available outside, and they could be bought without spending a single spirit stone. The temporary identity token, however, could really help Kuva and the others a lot. But he also had to take risks. The middle-aged fat man was currently in a bottleneck period. When he first saw the pot of wine, his internal cultivation technique started running automatically, and he felt like he was about to break through. So he felt that taking a risk was worthwhile.

The two successfully completed the transaction, during which Ouyang Yin kept frowning.

After obtaining their identity tokens, the three of them walked out of the teleportation room. Outside was a small courtyard, and they walked directly onto the main street through the courtyard gate.

Kournikova marveled at how shrewd the middle-aged fat man was at business; he was truly a hidden master in plain sight. His teleportation array was right in the market, where there were many people, a bustling crowd, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares—it was quite noisy.

Kournikova said to Ouyang Yin, "Let's find a place to stay first, and then think about how to proceed."

Ouyang Yin nodded, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Kournikova asked, puzzled.

“I don’t think this deal is right. Have we lost money?” Ouyang Yin asked.

Kournikova chuckled and said, "I have plenty of this kind of liquor. It doesn't matter if I lose money or not. As long as I get what I need, it's worth it."

Ouyang Yin nodded, and Kova continued, "Besides, I really don't have the spirit stones he needs. All the ones I have are high-grade and mid-grade. Giving them to him would be a loss for me."

Ouyang Yin then realized what was going on. The three of them walked along with the flow of people. Shops lined both sides, selling all sorts of things, and the three of them were very curious.

There are clothing stores, weapons stores, candy stores, pharmacies, and so on—everything you could want. Of course, there are also hotels and restaurants every now and then.

The three of them strolled around, but since they didn't understand any of these things, they didn't rush into the shop. Instead, they listened to the people trading and talking, hoping to learn more as soon as possible.

Before long, the three entered a restaurant. The waiter greeted them with a smile and asked, "Honorable guests, please come in. Would you like to dine downstairs or in a private room upstairs?"

Kournikova originally wanted to stay downstairs, but chose a private room for Ouyang Yin's sake.

The waiter, upon seeing this, realized that this was the person in charge, and quickly and enthusiastically led the three upstairs. Kournikova chose a private room by the window.

Just as the waiter was about to turn around to get the menu, Kuva stopped him and asked, "Waiter, I have a question for you. If I'm satisfied, you'll get a good reward."

The waiter was taken aback, then looked at Kourva and said, "Sir, whatever you ask, I will relay it to you truthfully."

Kova lowered her voice and asked, "Where can I exchange spirit stones here?" The waiter blurted out, "You can exchange them at Juxianfang across the street."

"So how exactly is it done?" Kournikova continued to ask.

The waiter chuckled and said, "Normally, it's ten thousand taels of gold for one low-grade spirit stone. That's how it is on the market now."

Kournikova shook her head and said, "I'm not talking about gold, I'm talking about how many low-grade spirit stones a mid-grade spirit stone can be exchanged for?"

The waiter was surprised and looked at Kuva with suspicion, saying, "Sir, please don't make fun of me. Not to mention me, even our manager has never seen a mid-grade spirit stone in his life. Nowadays, apart from the major cultivation sects and the four great families, I guess no one has ever seen one."

Upon hearing this, Kuva understood. She wanted to exchange for some spirit stones, otherwise it would be too inconvenient, but she didn't have much gold, as it was all in her grandmother's hands. If she wanted to exchange, she could only use the spirit stones she obtained by threatening Daben.

Kournikova stood up and said, "Alright, go get the menu first, and I'll order when I get back."

Ouyang Yin immediately guessed what Kova was going to do and said, "Be careful, my little brother and I are waiting for you here."

Kova nodded and went downstairs, heading straight for Juxianfang across the street. Upon entering, the room was deserted, with only an accountant and the manager sitting behind the counter.

Kournikova walked over, went straight to the shopkeeper, and asked, "I have a big deal for you, are you willing to take it on?"

The shopkeeper was taken aback. Looking at Kova, who didn't seem to be joking, he nodded and said, "What a big deal! I'm the shopkeeper here, I'm in charge."

Kournikova whispered, "Spirit stones for spirit stones."

At first, the shopkeeper was completely confused, but when he saw Kournikova looking at him intently, he suddenly realized that this was indeed a big deal, but he didn't know if the kid was just bragging.

The innkeeper hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the small door on the side and said, "Sir, please follow me to the back to talk."

Kuva followed the shopkeeper directly to the backyard. In a living room, Kuva didn't sit down but stated the purpose of her visit directly: "I have a mid-grade spirit stone and want to exchange it for a low-grade spirit stone. Do you do this kind of business?"

The shopkeeper was shocked. Since he entered the business, he had only seen a mid-grade spirit stone once, at an auction. Mid-grade spirit stones were legendary on the continent; they were said to exist, but rarely seen.

The shopkeeper nodded and said, "As long as it's a mid-grade spirit stone, I'll give you a satisfactory price."

With a flick of her wrist, Kuva produced a spirit stone, instantly causing the spiritual energy in the room to surge. The shopkeeper quickly stopped Kuva, saying, "Sir, please put it in the jade box before taking it out."

Kournikova stared blankly at the shopkeeper and said, "I don't have a jade box."

The shopkeeper looked at Kournikova as if she were an idiot and said, "Wait a moment, I'll get one."

The shopkeeper went out and soon returned with a square jade box, gesturing for Kova to put it inside.

Kournikova did as she was told, placing the spirit stone into the jade box. There was no further reaction in the room, which Kournikova found quite amazing.

The shopkeeper examined the jade box carefully, finally confirming that it was a mid-grade spirit stone in good condition. He then pushed the jade box in front of Kuva and said, "I've confirmed it. How many do you want?"

Kournikova blinked her big eyes and looked at the shopkeeper, saying, "You tell me, if the price is right, I'll change it."

After hesitating for a long time, the shopkeeper finally said, "How about two thousand low-grade spirit stones?"

Kournikova looked at the shopkeeper and reached out to take the box, but the shopkeeper quickly said, "Two thousand five at most, I don't have the authority to give you any more."

Kournikova pushed the box toward the shopkeeper and said, "Okay, can you take it out now?"

The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "What a coincidence, sir! We just received a sum of money this morning, exactly two thousand five hundred spirit stones. I'll have someone bring it over right away."

Kournikova suddenly felt like she'd been tricked.

(End of this chapter)