Chapter 85

The stall owner next door looked more like a typical market vendor, short and plump, with a smile that exuded warmth. The wood on his stall was much more abundant than that of the strange old man, piled up like a small mountain. Song Li found two types of wood that were somewhat decent, barely meeting his requirements. He had already scrutinized the other stalls and found only ordinary wood. Even if the goods at this stall barely caught his eye, he decided to buy here.

"Sir, you look like someone who knows quality. I have only the finest wood here, and many alchemists from the Alchemists' Guild order directly from me. You’ve come to the right place. Look at these two pieces of wood, one is a hundred-year-old yuanyang wood, and the other is a hundred-year-old qingtang wood. These are my most precious treasures, and I don’t easily show them to just anyone. But since I have a connection with you, sir, I feel a special affinity. If you find them suitable, just name your price, and I’ll sell them to you at a discount. If it weren’t for my eighty-year-old mother and my three-year-old child, I would have given them to you for free..."

Song Li smiled but said nothing. The two so-called hundred-year-old pieces of wood were at most seventy years old, but they were still among the best in this market. He didn’t bother to expose the stall owner; it was normal for merchants to exaggerate. Ignoring the stall owner, Song Li rummaged through the pile of wood. After searching, he found that the two pieces the stall owner boasted about were the only ones that were somewhat decent. Just as Song Li was about to give up, a pile of wood in the corner caught his attention.

This pile of wood looked extremely ordinary, black and charred like coal. The shape was irregular, and when placed among other colorful and shiny woods, no one would notice them. No wonder the stall owner put them in the most inconspicuous corner.

"Thousand-year-old agarwood, black as coal, shaped like broken stones, and emits a strong fragrance when burned. It is the ultimate among woods!" Seeing this pile of ugly, black, and messy wood, a line from the *Wood and Stone Record* his mother gave him suddenly came to mind. The book recorded rare woods and stones that could be used as fire materials. Thousand-year-old agarwood was one of these treasures, which had to sleep in the earth for a thousand years to carbonize and form. It contained a very abundant amount of combustible energy, making it a treasure that alchemists dreamed of.

Could this unremarkable pile of ugly wood be thousand-year-old agarwood? If so, he would have a great find today. Song Li decided to confirm it. The black color and irregular shape matched the description. If the strong fragrance when burned also matched, it would definitely be thousand-year-old agarwood.

Song Li casually picked up a few pieces of wood, including two other types, and casually included a piece of black wood. He said calmly, "Before the transaction, I need to check the quality of the wood."

The stall owner saw that Song Li was young and dressed in fine clothes, clearly a young master from a wealthy family. Such people were like fat lambs to merchants. Moreover, this young man picked up a piece of black wood and pretended to inspect it, clearly an amateur pretending to be an expert. The black wood was just a piece the woodcutter picked up in the mountains and gave to him as a bonus, costing him nothing. It had been on display for over ten days, and no one had even glanced at it. The young master actually wanted to inspect it, which was hilarious. Even a three-year-old could see it was scrap.

The stall owner laughed inwardly but put on a surprised face, praising, "Sir, you have a keen eye. The wood in your hand is the best on my stall."

Song Li pretended to compare the wood pieces in the sunlight, then said to the stall owner, "I need to check them against the sunlight."

"Sir, please do as you wish." The stall owner gestured for Song Li to proceed.

Song Li turned his back to the stall owner, looked around, and found no one paying attention. He silently activated the *Emperor's Purple Flame Technique*, extracting a thread of energy from the Fire Seed and channeling it through his meridians to his palm. He activated the fire control technique, and a small purple flame appeared in his palm. He quickly placed the flame under the black wood to roast it...

The old man who had been sleeping deeply seemed to sense the abnormal energy fluctuations and suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze piercing and fixed on Song Li!

"Goodness, what is this? This young man can actually generate flames from his body? And the energy of this flame is extremely pure and vast, boundless and endless!" The old man's eyes widened in shock. He activated his divine power to carefully examine the energy within Song Li's body. Although the young man was only at the initial stage of the second level of Qi Induction, there was a mysterious and vast energy within him. With the old man's extensive knowledge, he couldn't identify what kind of energy it was, only that it was fire-based. No wonder his body could generate flames.

In theory, only a primal fire seed could generate flames on its own, but the old man couldn't believe that a human body could contain a primal fire seed. Even a peak Golden Core expert like him couldn't withstand the boundless energy of a primal fire seed. How could a mere second-level Qi Induction practitioner do it? So the old man immediately dismissed this idea. If he knew that Song Li not only had a primal fire seed but the most dominant one, the Emperor of Fires, would his worldview, formed over centuries, collapse?

Song Li didn't notice that someone had seen through his secret. After roasting the black wood with the purple flame for a moment, he smelled a fragrant aroma that was intoxicating, exactly as described in the *Wood and Stone Record*: "intense, pure, with a long-lasting aftertaste, and intoxicating."

"Great! I didn't expect to find such a treasure by chance!" Song Li was elated inside but maintained a calm exterior, showing no signs of his discovery. Of course, he didn't know that his biggest secret had been seen through by the strange old man next door.

Thousand-year-old agarwood, a treasure that alchemists dreamed of, was something Song Li wouldn't let go of if he had the chance. However, he knew that these merchants were shrewd. If he showed any interest in the thousand-year-old agarwood, the stall owner would surely raise the price. So Song Li directly threw the black wood away and frowned, "What a piece of junk. I accidentally picked up this thing, wasting my time."

The stall owner had hoped to sell the pile of ugly wood to Song Li, willing to part with it for a small price, as it was affecting the appearance of his stall and lowering its value. He didn't expect the young master to be knowledgeable and throw it back.

"Sir, don't be like that. These pieces of wood may look ordinary, but they are of the highest quality. I didn't even sell them to the Alchemists' Guild. But since I have a connection with you, sir, I feel a special affinity. Just looking at you, I see a wealthy aura. Even a glance at you brings good luck, and a good word from you brings prosperity. Please consider this pile of wood again; it is truly a treasure..."

The stall owner was eager to sell the ugly wood to Song Li, so he spoke more and showed his desperation.

Song Li smiled inwardly, thinking, "You're right, I do know quality, and this pile of ugly wood is indeed a treasure that alchemists dream of, but I won't tell just anyone."

He knew the stall owner was just eager to get rid of the ugly wood, as it indeed affected the harmony of his stall.

Song Li smiled faintly and said, "I'll take the seventy-year-old yuanyang wood and the seventy-five-year-old qingtang wood, but I'll pass on the scrap. Don't think I'm young and can be fooled. I won't fall for your tricks. Tell me, how much for these two piles of wood?"

The stall owner's face fell. The young man could even tell the exact age of the yuanyang and qingtang wood, and he had thought the young man was an amateur. But he was a merchant and had a thicker skin than most. After a brief moment of embarrassment, he quickly recovered, raising his thumb in praise, "Sir, you are a true expert. I admire you. For these two piles of high-quality wood, I would normally ask for a sky-high price, but since you want to buy them, I'll give you a special price of 200,000 gold coins."

The stall owner was practical. Knowing the young man was an expert, he didn't inflate the price. These two piles of wood over seventy years old were indeed worth that much.

Song Li smiled and shook his head, "I'll give you 170,000 gold coins for these two piles of wood. If you agree, we can make the transaction. If not, I'll go to another stall."

The stall owner became anxious, his face turning grim. "Sir, at least let me make a little profit. This price is too low. Selling them to you for 170,000 gold coins means I'll be working for free, making no profit... You should understand that I don't produce these goods myself; I have to buy them from others..."

At first, he thought Song Li was an easy target, but now he realized the young man was a keen-eyed expert. Making a profit was out of the question; not losing money would be good enough. He had bought these two piles of wood for 170,000 gold coins, and with transportation and storage costs, the total cost was almost 180,000 gold coins. Song Li's offer of 170,000 gold coins showed his keen eye and deep understanding of the market.

"I need a straightforward answer. Will you sell them for 170,000 gold coins, or should I go to another stall?" Song Li's face showed impatience, and he took a step to leave.

"Wait, sir, please stay, please stay." The stall owner still had a grim face, bowing and saying, "Sir, let me make a living. I have a family to support. How about this: you give me 180,000 gold coins, and I'll throw in this pile of high-quality black wood as a bonus. What do you think?"