After looking around for a while, Ye Ling finally spotted the Pill Furnace that Liu Qiao'er had mentioned.
The furnace was made of bronze, and Ye Ling could tell at a glance that it was indeed genuine.
However, the furnace was quite different from what Ye Ling had imagined.
"On Earth, one can't view things with the same expectations as in the Cultivation Realm..." Ye Ling thought, troubled.
He then went up to the third floor to look around but failed to find any other Pill Furnaces.
Having no other choice, he had to make do with it.
What troubled Ye Ling even more was the price of this Pill Furnace—it was a whopping 200,000.
Ye Ling had touched a fine piece of porcelain and had only asked the great beauty Han Qingxin for 100,000; even if he spent all his money, it wouldn't be enough to buy this little thing.
But he still needed to buy it.
Ye Ling believed that the Pill Furnace would earn him far more than 200,000.
"Liu Qiao'er, could you please come up here?" Ye Ling called from the corridor.
Liu Qiao'er was startled and, thinking of what Ye Ling had just said, her cheeks turned red again. She decided to pretend she hadn't heard him.
"I was saying, I really suggest you change your..."
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
With her face flushed red, Liu Qiao'er hurried over.
She couldn't bear the embarrassment of having others hear about her... in front of so many men!
A smug smile appeared at the corners of Ye Ling's mouth.
"What is it?"
Liu Qiao'er approached Ye Ling, glaring at him with feigned annoyance, and asked.
"I just wanted to ask if the price of this Pill Furnace might be lowered?" Ye Ling said with a smile.
"No."
Liu Qiao'er spoke bluntly, "This shop isn't mine, I have no authority to lower the price for you."
"Oh."
Ye Ling's voice suddenly grew louder, "If that's the case, then about that..."
"Stop, don't talk about that!"
Liu Qiao'er stomped her feet in frustration, biting her silver teeth, wishing she could devour Ye Ling.
"Can the price be lowered now?" Ye Ling asked, still smiling.
As he spoke, Ye Ling kept his gaze fixed on Liu Qiao'er, eyes red hot.
"Stop... stop looking!"
Liu Qiao'er was almost dying of embarrassment. Anywhere else, and she would have snapped by now.
But this was her workplace, and it was her first day on the job—how could she dare to offend a customer?
Here, any random customer could get the boss to fire her on the spot.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop looking."
Ye Ling chuckled, then said, "Hey, beautiful, I'm asking you a question—can we lower the price now?"
"I'll ask the boss."
Liu Qiao'er ran off into the distance.
If it were possible, she really didn't want to deal with Ye Ling.
Others might look at her, but not like this!
And moreover, this guy was actually using her... to threaten her.
It wasn't long before Liu Qiao'er returned.
Following behind Liu Qiao'er was a fat man.
This fat man was dressed in a white shirt, with a thick gold chain around his neck and a string of Buddha Beads twirling in his hand, giving off the impression that he wasn't all that knowledgeable about antiques at first glance.
He was simply a nouveau riche.
"The boss is here, you talk to him,"
Liu Qiao'er said and then ran downstairs.
She really didn't want to stay in front of Ye Ling any longer than necessary, finally seeing a chance to get away from this lecher.
Watching her delicate and exquisite figure retreat, a glint of light flashed in the fatty's eyes and across his face.
"The boss?"
Ye Ling frowned and waved his hand in front of the fatty.
It was then that the fatty reacted, cleared his throat with a light cough, and smiled, "My humble self is surnamed Li, the name is Li Fugui, may I inquire as to how the gentleman prefers to be addressed?"
"Ye Ling," Ye Ling said.
"Mr. Ye, Liu Qiao'er mentioned you took a liking to this pill furnace?" Li Fugui stated.
Hearing how Li Fugui referred to Liu Qiao'er made Ye Ling feel nauseated.
This guy definitely had no good intentions towards Liu Qiao'er.
"Hmm," Ye Ling nodded.
"Here's the thing, Mr. Ye, this pill furnace was made during the Kangxi era, and there's even a legend that it was crafted by a celestial being who descended to Earth..."
"Enough, enough, I got it,"
Ye Ling displayed a vexed expression and hastened to interrupt.
This fatty's brain must be broken, conjuring up immortals now...
"You don't need to keep going, I am indeed interested in buying this pill furnace, however, I feel that with its material, it's not worth this price," Ye Ling said.
"How could that be? Take a careful look at the engravings on this pill furnace, how fine they are! And look at the overall shape of the pill furnace, with dragons and phoenixes dancing around, also engraved with a Pixiu. If you placed it at home, it would definitely attract wealth and treasure!" Li Fugui insisted.
"I'm simply asking you, can the price be reduced?" Ye Ling cut straight to the point.
"This..."
Li Fugui hesitated for a moment, then said, "Is Mr. Ye really keen on buying it?"
"Of course," Ye Ling said.
"Then I shall make friends with Mr. Ye, a fixed price, 180,000!"
"150,000," Ye Ling stated calmly.
Li Fugui's eyes bulged, "Mr. Ye, isn't your bargaining a bit too harsh? You just slashed off 50,000? When I originally acquired this pill furnace, it was also for 150,000. With your offer, I wouldn't make a single dime!"
"Mr. Li, let's not beat around the bush; this pill furnace has been sitting here for quite a while, has it not?"
Ye Ling said with a smile, "Antique collectors generally favor jades; very few are into bronzes. Besides, something like a pill furnace only exists in legends. Is there really such a thing as a true pill furnace? And even if it did exist, what use would it have? Have you ever heard of anyone cultivating pills?"
Li Fugui found himself at a loss for words.
The pill furnace had been in his possession for five years, but he had never managed to sell it.
Li Fugui was even regretting a bit at the time and just left it on display, hoping one day a sucker would come along and buy it.
Such a sucker had appeared today, but obviously, he couldn't sell it for 200,000 anymore.
After thinking it over, Li Fugui gritted his teeth and feigned agony as he said, "How about this? I will knock another 10,000 off the price for you. 170,000, how's that?"
"Just 150,000," Ye Ling said.
"Alright..." Li Fugui finally gave in.
In reality, he'd bought the pill furnace for 100,000, so he still made a profit of 50,000.
If he weren't earning a cent, Li Fugui certainly wouldn't have sold it.
"This is my business card, should Mr. Ye need anything in the future, you can give me a call,"
Li Fugui took out a business card and handed it to Ye Ling.
Ye Ling carelessly put it in his pocket and then took out his phone.
His entire worth was less than 100,000 yuan at the moment, still short by 50,000 even after emptying his pockets.
Left with no other option, he had to seek help from the wealthy beauty, Han Qingxin.