"It's of no use to me," Ye Tian said. "However, I know a Daoist priest to whom this might be useful. Mr. Wu, name your price. If it's reasonable, I'll take it."
Wu Laoliu remained silent for a moment, assessing Ye Tian's capacity to pay. He then tentatively asked, "I'll part with it reluctantly. How about eighty million?"
Ye Tian chuckled. "Mr. Wu, it seems you don't wish to sell this item."
Wu Laoliu laughed. "Why do you say that, Mr. Ye?"
"The Daoist priest I know recently purchased a similar brush, of slightly lesser quality, for only eight million. And you, sir, are asking for eighty million."
Wu Laoliu chuckled again. "As you said, mine is of better quality, so the price is naturally higher. Besides, Mr. Ye, you can counteroffer."
"My final offer is thirty million."
"Mr. Ye, thirty million is too little. Please raise your offer a bit."
"I'm sorry, that's all I can offer. If Mr. Wu is unwilling, I'll look elsewhere."
Wu Laoliu had previously had this brush appraised by an expert, who told him it was not worth much and could only fool a gullible buyer.
Therefore, Wu Laoliu laughed heartily. "Mr. Ye has bought so many of my melon stones. I can afford to make a concession. Alright, thirty million it is."
Ye Tian put away the brush and continued to examine the items. He found a black object, about the size of a fist, which felt very heavy in his hand. He sniffed it and detected a faint, pleasant fragrance.
His heart skipped a beat, but his face showed confusion. "What is this? Bezoar?"
Wu Laoliu's eyes lit up. "That's right! This is high-grade bezoar, a hundred times more precious than ordinary bezoar!"
Wu Laoliu himself didn't know what the item was. He had consulted others, but no one could identify it. He had once thought it was just a stone with no value. However, Ye Tian's mention of "bezoar" sparked an idea.
"Bezoar is indeed good, especially this kind that has aged," Ye Tian remarked.
Wu Laoliu smiled. "Indeed. My bezoar is priced at one million per jin."
Ordinary bezoar outside cost around two hundred thousand per jin. His price was five times that of normal bezoar.
Ye Tian said, "This item weighs about thirty jin, which would be thirty million. Mr. Wu, your price is too high. How about twenty million? I have a fondness for collecting precious medicinal ingredients, and you won't find anyone else willing to buy this."
After some haggling, Ye Tian finally purchased the item for sixteen million.
Afterward, Ye Tian discovered another shelf filled with crystal-like objects. Each crystal contained a plant, a fruit, or a seed. Some crystals also held small bottles.
Ye Tian smiled. "Mr. Wu, what are these?"
Wu Laoliu replied, "Mr. Ye, these were originally melon stones. I polished off the outer stone layer, revealing the crystalline interior. The contents are all inside, and I haven't opened them. Plants like these tend to spoil easily once exposed."
Ye Tian chuckled. "Just some plants? They shouldn't be worth much, should they?"
Wu Laoliu said, "It's hard to say. What if they are precious medicinal ingredients?"
Ye Tian shook his head. "Even if they are medicinal ingredients, no one knows their uses. However, I do like collecting such items. Mr. Wu, please name your price."
Wu Laoliu blinked. "If Mr. Ye likes them, they are twenty million each, take your pick."
Ye Tian thought to himself, *You're quite greedy.* "Mr. Wu, would I seem like the kind of person to spend twenty million on something of unknown value?"
Wu Laoliu knew his customer. "Isn't buying what you like the point of having money? And if Mr. Ye feels the price is unreasonable, we can negotiate further."
In the end, Ye Tian purchased all forty-five crystal spheres for eleven million each.
Next, he began selecting melon stones. Most of the melon stones here contained something inside, but not many were worth his attention.
He finally chose thirty-five melon stones, paying twenty-eight billion. His total expenditure for the day was close to one hundred billion.
Having received one hundred billion, Wu Laoliu was overjoyed and specifically called for two drivers to help Ye Tian transport his purchases.
The two drivers were tall and burly, with a hint of coldness in their eyes. Ye Tian's heart stirred, but he said nothing. "Mr. Wu, we shall meet again."
Ye Tian sat in the truck with the drivers, following behind as Zhang Jiliang drove the car carrying Lin Ziyi in front.
After driving for a while, one of the drivers in the back suddenly pressed a gun to Ye Tian's forehead and coldly said, "Call them and tell the car in front to go ahead! Don't say anything foolish, or I'll shoot you dead!"