Jiang Ding entered the Sihai Trading Company and, before he had a chance to look around, saw a properly dressed, pretty maid approaching.
"Master Jiang, welcome to the Sihai Trading Company, please come upstairs, the shopkeeper will be right with you," the maid said crisply as she led the way.
Jiang Ding was startled, "You recognize me?"
The maid covered her mouth and giggled, "Master Jiang, Shopkeeper Long has repeatedly instructed us to call him to greet you as soon as you arrive. We have all remembered it well."
In a quiet compartment on the second floor, a cup of fragrant tea had been prepared. Jiang Ding sat down and gently stroked the hilt of his sword, lost in thought.
The maid stood by demurely.
Soon, hurried footsteps thudded from afar to near.
Jiang Ding's gaze flashed.
Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists could usually walk without sound without affecting their speed; such noise seemed somewhat deliberate.
Nevertheless, the feeling of being treated with respect wasn't bad at all.
"Master Jiang, please forgive me for not greeting you from afar!"
Upon entering, Dragon Three was visibly pleased, "I've been wanting to visit you for a while but feared disturbing your cultivation. Today, I finally have the pleasure again."
"Shopkeeper Long is too polite," Jiang Ding said, rising and bowing slightly.
The two exchanged pleasantries and then took their seats.
"There is something…for which I really owe Master Jiang an apology, and I dare not conceal it."
Dragon Three's face showed awkwardness.
"Speak your mind," Jiang Ding said.
"One of my underlings had recommended a manager to you some days ago, right? Originally, things were good, and Manager Huang conducted himself and his work well. However, as I was new to the area, I had to insert some of my confidants to take control of the situation. That's why I had Huang Gui recommend someone to you, hoping to support you in some way…"
"But unexpectedly, when I inspected the warehouse yesterday, I discovered a major case of embezzlement from the Trading Company. Many managers were involved, and some were colluding with outsiders. Such unscrupulous people, I fear, may cause serious problems."
Jiang Ding's expression grew stern.
Huang Deyou was now in charge of specimen purchases and had established good channels, performing quite well. Replacing him would delay the collection of specimens.
"How deep is he involved?"
"Not too deeply, compared to the others, Huang Deyou was the least greedy," Dragon Three waved his hands repeatedly, "Just over twenty taels of silver. Not a lot of money, but the nature of the crime is despicable. I cannot stand such treacherous people!"
That was quite a bit.
For a poor family, that money could sustain them for more than ten years.
Jiang Ding pondered for a moment.
"The accounts must be recovered, and I also do not favor such people. Besides, I still have use for this man. Please, Shopkeeper, refrain from taking any personal action against him; let's leave it at that."
With internal fraud like this, even the authorities might not intervene.
Dragon Three sighed, "Ah, I am ashamed to face Master Jiang, but I'll do as you say."
That bastard Huang Deyou had good luck, otherwise, he would have personally broken his legs.
Daring to embezzle from Long's—they must be tired of living.
"I've come today mainly because I'm out of money and have specifically come here to sell some goods," Jiang Ding said, taking out a palm-sized gift box and passing it forward.
"I won't let Master Jiang suffer a loss."
Dragon Three's expression turned serious as he took the gift box, which felt fine and soft, seemingly made from some precious fur. The box itself was not cheap.
He opened it.
"Ah!"
Despite having seen many treasures, the maid couldn't help but exclaim uncontrollably.
Light, a gentle light.
Inside the gift box lay a thumb-sized Night Pearl emitting countless minute rays, clearly visible even in daylight.
"Close the window."
Dragon Three still managed to maintain composure, his voice steady.
Jiang Ding, deep in thought, felt in such an extraordinary low-martial environment, pearls that could emit light were indeed precious, but not necessarily rare beyond measure. Perhaps some sporadically born Spirit Materials possessed them.
As for selling a ten-dollar glowing pearl as if it were a treasured artifact, did it weigh on one's conscience?
Of course, it did not.
The value of an object varied from person to person, with distinctions between labor value and commodity value. Moreover, even the most worthless item, combined with the long travel expenses between two worlds, reasonably justified a high selling price.
He closed the window, and a dim, white light filled the elegant room. It was slightly darker than a candle but still enough to see the words on a book clearly.
Dragon Three then took out a white cloth and gently wiped the pearl, restoring its brilliance. Next came a magnifying glass, some kind of medicinal powder, and so on, employing various methods of appraisal in turn.
"This Night Pearl is average in size, but its brightness far surpasses others and can be considered a rare treasure. Are you truly willing to sell it?" Dragon Three asked earnestly.
"Sell," Jiang Ding said tersely.
"As for the price..." Dragon Three pondered for a long time, stood up, and paced back and forth several times, "How about one thousand taels? That is the highest price the Sihai Business Association offers for non-cultivation items."
"Fine."
"You're straightforward, young master!"
Dragon Three was overjoyed, his performance for the year now secured with this deal.
"But I want more than just money," Jiang Ding said indifferently. "I'm in need of old medicinal herbs with some age to them, preferably ginseng."
Since the "Eagle Taking Off Sword Technique" had broken through to minor completion, he hadn't dared to train at full strength anymore, lest the depletion of blood and Inner Qi cause unseen damage to his body. He could only maintain a proficient level.
His Cultivation speed had increased from before, but nowhere near enough to rapidly approach the Internal Qi Realm.
Dragon Three was not surprised; rare were those in Jianghu who only cherished gold and silver.
"Someone fetch all our aged ginseng of over forty years," he called out and then turned to say, "Given the young master's generosity, Dragon Three will offer the most favorable prices without further ado."
Shortly, more than twenty mahogany boxes were presented by maids, one by one.
Dragon Three opened a box, "Take a look, young master. This forty-year-old ginseng is priced at one hundred and twenty taels, but for you, one hundred will do."
Jiang Ding took the wooden box, scrutinizing it carefully as he was taught in biology class, his technique very professional. He was used to such practice in the laboratory as well.
"A connoisseur, young master!"
Dragon Three praised. Young, good-looking, polite, and already so powerful. Not to mention, the depth of his general knowledge was remarkable. He wouldn't believe that the young master wasn't from some grand sect or clan if someone beat him to death.
"The quality is quite good."
After verifying each one and confirming there were no errors, Jiang Ding looked up, "Shopkeeper, bring me the oldest one you have. Although I have one thousand taels, it won't buy much."
"Please see this," Dragon Three said, not wasting words and carefully opening the last wooden box, "Identified by famous city doctors, this ginseng, aged ninety-eight years, was acquired by our establishment for a significant price from the capital. It's only two years shy of being Centennial Medicine."
His tone carried a hint of regret.
Jiang Ding curiously asked, "Don't you have any Centennial Medicine?"
"You jest, young master,"
Dragon Three shook his head, "Centennial Medicine is among the top-tier medicinal herbs in the world, with effects unmatched by others and capable of aiding breakthroughs in Cultivation realms. The few transactions that occur are between the leaders of great families and powerful factions; such medicines would not appear on the open market."
"Such items represent the depth of those powers; I have never seen them myself."
Jiang Ding expressed his disappointment, "I see."
The so-called medicinal herbs of many years in fact refer to the accumulation of pure Spiritual Power within. Such herbs only originate in environments imbued with spirit. At every century a threshold, if not met, they perish.
Without such environments, even after growing for a century, what you get is nothing more than a piece of lignified wood, utterly useless.
"This item is priced at one thousand two hundred taels,"
Dragon Three stated, "If the young master wishes to purchase it, the cost would be nine hundred and forty taels, and I'll include a Silver Token from the Sihai Business Association. With it, you'll get a five percent discount at any Sihai branch."
"Let's go with that,"
Jiang Ding nodded his head, knowing this was a fair price.