Chapter 6

However, the final conclusion that Mr. Chen reached was that Bai Chen had stumbled upon a stroke of luck; otherwise, how could he have hunted a Lone Wolf?

Mr. Chen had also heard the news that Yuan Long was bitten by a Lone Wolf yesterday, so he deduced that it must have been a life-and-death struggle.

Such a wolf skin, stained with blood, was something one could not hunt a second time in a lifetime.

"Bai brother, ordinary wolf skin is two taels..."

Before Mr. Chen could finish his sentence, A Dai immediately became excited. An ordinary wolf skin would normally fetch at most one tael, and Mr. Chen's offer of two taels was indeed very fair.

He kept giving Bai Chen meaningful glances, urging him to nod.

Bai Chen smiled at Mr. Chen, seemingly oblivious to A Dai's glances.

"Lone Wolf skin for twenty taels, Bai brother, what do you think?" However, Mr. Chen's subsequent words left A Dai stunned.

A Lone Wolf skin so beautiful, worth only twenty taels, in A Dai's mind, even thirty taels would be too little.

"Mr. Chen, this is not..."

"Shut up, what right do you have to speak here?" Mr. Chen frowned and glared at A Dai, who stiffened and dared not speak further.

After all, he was just a mountain dweller, and A Dai's livelihood depended on Mr. Chen, so he did not dare to offend him.

However, his eyes kept darting around, trying hard to give Bai Chen meaningful glances.

"Mr. Chen is truly a straightforward person, I'll sell these two skins to you." Bai Chen said with a smile.

Mr. Chen was even more convinced that Bai Chen was indeed a fool, unable to haggle, and even smiled foolishly after being taken advantage of.

"What about this pile of wolf bones..." Mr. Chen's thoughts became more active, his eyes flickering as he looked at Bai Chen.

Bai Chen patted the package: "Twenty taels of silver, all yours."

Mr. Chen's eyebrows slightly furrowed; twenty taels was much higher than he had expected.

However, upon further thought, he had acquired the Lone Wolf skin for twenty taels, and could easily double his profit by reselling it, so he no longer cared.

"Alright, twenty taels. Bai brother is a straightforward person, I won't say more. Someone, bring Bai brother forty-two taels of silver."

A Dai's eyes widened, but he did not say much. Bai Chen pulled A Dai out of the shop, and A Dai could no longer hold back.

"Bai brother, I must say, Mr. Chen is clearly taking advantage of you. That Lone Wolf skin is worth at least thirty taels, and thirty-five taels would still be a bargain. How could you be so foolish?"

Bai Chen grinned, knowing that A Dai was concerned for him, and that A Dai had taken good care of him along the way.

He did not say much, but casually handed A Dai two taels of silver: "Big Brother A Dai, thank you for your care. I appreciate it, but although I lost out, I didn't let Mr. Chen profit much."

"I can't accept this money..." A Dai said, but his eyes were fixed on the silver.

Two taels of silver, how many could he earn in a year?

After several refusals, under Bai Chen's insistence, A Dai reluctantly accepted the silver.

After receiving the silver, A Dai became even more enthusiastic.

Mr. Chen was in a great mood, watching Bai Chen and A Dai leave the shop before turning around.

At that moment, the assistant suddenly shouted: "Boss..."

"What is it, so hasty? I've told you many times, don't..."

Before Mr. Chen could finish his sentence, the rest of it got stuck in his throat, his face turning red as he roared: "That... that bastard!"

Mr. Chen was so angry that he almost lost his temper. The bag the assistant was holding, which was supposed to contain Lone Wolf bones, was now just a pile of powder. Recalling Bai Chen's actions earlier, he had been patting and squeezing the package.

Mr. Chen had not thought much of it at the time, but now, upon closer reflection, it was clear that the young man, though silent, had taken revenge in secret.

Mr. Chen's heart ached. If the Lone Wolf bones were intact, they could be used to make weapons and armor, and he could have earned dozens of taels more.

Now, even if he sold the powder to a pharmacy, it would be worth only two or three taels.

"Boss, we should find that guy and settle the score!"

"Settle the score? We accepted the goods without checking them on the spot. Do you think he would admit it now?"

Mr. Chen knew that he had been taken advantage of and had no recourse.

Just based on those two hands, even if he led a few assistants, they would be no match.

Just thinking about it, the ability to crush Lone Wolf bones, which were as hard as stone, into powder was not something an ordinary person could do.

Although the loss of the Lone Wolf bones pained Mr. Chen, what pained him more was not recognizing Bai Chen's true capabilities, mistaking him for a simple mountain dweller.

Now, he had not only lost money but also offended someone. Even if they met again, there would be no benefit for him. Mr. Chen was filled with regret.

Bai Chen was the kind of person who, if you made him suffer, he would make you suffer even more.

The street was still crowded with people, and the stalls on both sides were constantly calling out to customers.

Suddenly, an old man in a blue robe, with white hair and eyebrows and a ruddy complexion, grabbed the two of them. His eyes sparkled with wisdom.

"Sir, sir, please wait!"

"What for? I can't read." A Dai seemed used to such scenes and was not bothered by the old man's pulling.

"Then this young brother..."

Bai Chen did not need the old man's introduction and walked to the book stall.

The old man, seeing Bai Chen's appearance, chuckled inwardly and said, "Young brother, what book do you want? As long as it exists in this world, I can get it for you."

Bai Chen rolled his eyes at the old man. Such a boastful claim, the book stall only had a few books, no more than a hundred or so, and he dared to make such a claim.

"What books do you have? They all look like ordinary oddities and classics."

"Young brother, I can tell at a glance that you are a rare martial arts prodigy. I have a set of boxing techniques, a martial arts treasure passed down for three generations, for just three taels of silver."

Bai Chen took the so-called secret manual and glanced at it, but his interest waned. These low-level boxing techniques were all show and no substance, completely impractical.

"Nothing else?"

The old man rummaged through the pile of books and handed them to Bai Chen one by one, each with a dusty history and extraordinary origin.

A Dai listened with wide eyes, while Bai Chen looked disappointed, not finding what he wanted.

"This is a treasure of alchemy from a martial arts holy land. Someone once offered ten thousand taels, but I did not budge. Now, seeing your sincerity, I will sell it to you for three taels... no, one tael of silver to form a good bond."

"The Alchemy Record" stirred Bai Chen's interest. He held the book and looked at the old man: "One tael?"

"If you really want it, I will sell it at a loss, eighty coins, no less!" The old man seemed to make a difficult decision, as if it pained him to part with it.

"Here is one tael of silver, plus those two books."

"This... this..." The old man hesitated, thinking he could get a higher price.

"Will you sell it or not? One tael is not a small amount. If you don't sell, we'll go elsewhere." Bai Chen said impatiently, having seen many merchants haggle and knowing the old man was trying to raise the price.

In the end, Bai Chen, under the old man's hesitation, put the two books in his pocket, one being "The Alchemy Record" and the other "Martial Arts Anecdotes."

Bai Chen and A Dai sold some miscellaneous items and daily necessities before leaving Qing Shui Town with a sense of accomplishment.

Outside Qing Shui Town, they saw a group of horsemen surrounding a convoy in the distance.

"Bad, they are the local bandits. We must leave quickly..." A Dai, seeing the bandits, became very anxious and tried to pull Bai Chen away.

Unfortunately, the bandits had already spotted them, and three of them were charging towards them on horseback.

Bai Chen frowned and said to A Dai, "Step back."

"Bai brother, what are you going to do?" A Dai was so scared that his legs were shaking, and he did not know how to dodge as the bandits charged.

Bai Chen pushed A Dai aside and faced the charging bandits without any panic.

The strength and speed of these bandits were not even comparable to those of the wild wolves.

These bandits looked fierce, but they were not necessarily fearless. The only way was to be even more fierce.

If they were fierce, Bai Chen would be even fiercer and more ruthless!

Bai Chen took a few steps forward, spread his arms, and grabbed the horse's head, then pressed down with all his might.

The horse lost balance instantly, and the bandit was thrown to the ground.

Looking at the horse, its neck was broken by Bai Chen's bear hug.

A Dai was stunned. The force of the bandit's charge was immense, yet Bai Chen had not only stopped it but also broken the horse's neck.

The two bandits following behind immediately stopped their charge, exchanging glances, seeing the horror in each other's eyes.

What terrifying strength!

Is this even human?

At that moment, the bandit leader shouted, "Kill him!"

Bai Chen looked over and saw the bandit leader, tall and muscular, not much different from Yuan Long, with a fierce aura and a full beard.

A few men and women in the convoy were surrounded by the bandits. Bai Chen's heart hardened, and he picked up a fallen weapon, charging forward instead of retreating.

The two bandits blocking his way were still in shock when Bai Chen slashed them with his blade, knocking them off their horses.

Bai Chen did not stop but continued charging towards the bandits.

"Brave!" The bandit leader shouted, raising his blade to meet Bai Chen.

As Bai Chen was about three to five paces away from the bandit, he suddenly leaped high into the air.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Bai Chen, whose not-so-tall figure exuded a suffocating pressure.

"What... what is he going to do?"

The bandit leader, with sharp eyes, had not seen the earlier fight clearly, but now he drew a sharp breath.

This was not an ordinary soft target, but a martial arts expert!

His momentum was already reduced by a third, and he was terrified, raising his blade to defend.

Bai Chen landed with the force of a landslide, his blade slicing down.

Swish—

Blood splattered, and the bandit leader stood frozen, still in his original position, his tiger-head blade broken in two, his face torn by the blade.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, and everyone looked at Bai Chen in disbelief.