Chapter 4

"White radish!?"

Wang Lu widened his eyes, looking at the item in his bowl with disbelief.

As the chief second-generation rich kid of Wang Family Village, the unparalleled hero who had solved the twelve-linked mission chain in Spirit Creek Town, his dinner was just a single white radish boiled in water!?

He cast a suspicious glance at the book boy: "Do you have to be so frugal!?"

Wang Zhong felt extremely wronged: "Young Master, this can't be blamed on me. If you go out and take a look, you'll see that the prices in this inn are simply crazy. A single white radish boiled in water costs ten taels of silver!"

Wang Lu was stunned for a moment: "Ten taels for ten taels, we, as second-generation rich kids, aren't short of money."

"There's a problem, the innkeeper has a purchase limit! One per person!"

"…Did you tell her we are honored guests staying in the best room?"

Wang Zhong nodded vigorously and angrily: "Yes, otherwise she would have charged us five hundred taels each!"

"Isn't that heavier than the radish! Has the price of silver dropped to this extent recently?"

Wang Zhong was indignant: "That innkeeper is calculating, thinking everyone is a fool! Now, the people in the main hall would rather starve than buy her radishes, and it's not like her place is the only one selling food in town!"

"Then why did you buy the ten-tael radish? Do you really think we have endless money?"

Wang Zhong continued to complain: "The prices in other parts of town have already skyrocketed. Now, gold and silver are as common as dirt. A ten-tael radish is already a fair price."

Wang Lu frowned: "Fairness doesn't fill the stomach… I hate radishes the most."

Wang Zhong said irritably: "If Young Master doesn't eat it, I will. I'm still hungry."

Wang Lu ignored the book boy's complaint: "I want to eat meat."

"Radishes cost five hundred taels, so a plate of meat might cost five thousand taels. We have enough silver for half a plate."

"Is that so…" Wang Lu pondered for a moment, looked down at the radish in his bowl, and suddenly asked, "Can the inn sell these radishes?"

Wang Zhong shrugged: "Of course not, only a fool would buy them."

"Since that's the case, our dinner is settled…" Wang Lu's eyes lit up, and he began tapping his fingers on the table, his expression growing more excited.

"Young Master?" Wang Zhong tilted his head, puzzled.

"Hmm, we might have meat for dinner tonight."

After saying that, Wang Lu grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

---

In the main hall on the first floor, the innkeeper behind the counter looked impatient.

The kitchen had boiled over a hundred white radishes, and not a single one had been sold—except for the one sold at the low price of ten taels. The nobles in the inn were useless, but not so foolish that they would buy her "fair-priced" radishes, even if they had millions of assets.

From a cost perspective, the loss of that pot of radishes was negligible, but the innkeeper's face couldn't afford the damage. More importantly, she might lose a certain bet.

"Ah… so annoying!"

The innkeeper stretched lazily, her eyes scanning the main hall.

Tsk, that big shot from Canglan Kingdom isn't here! Otherwise, I could have sold him a few dozen…

Just as she was considering whether to use force to sell to the princes in the main hall, footsteps came down the stairs.

The arrival made the innkeeper's eyes light up. It was Wang Lu, who had solved the twelve-linked mission chain.

Seeing him, the innkeeper couldn't help but smile, especially when she remembered that the mission chain, which was supposed to be unsolvable, was cracked by him. The innkeeper's stomach ached from trying not to laugh.

Judging by Wang Lu's appearance, he seemed to have a plan, but there were no more mission chains.

"Madam, I'm here to buy radishes."

The innkeeper smiled: "The special offer is only once."

"No problem, I'll buy at the regular price."

At the regular price? The innkeeper's smile faded slightly: "How many do you want?"

"Five, and I want the bigger ones."

"Bigger ones are more expensive."

"That's fine, we're not short of money."

"Alright, three thousand five hundred taels, pay first."

Without hesitation, Wang Lu threw all his possessions—several silver bills from Cangxi State—onto the counter.

The innkeeper waved at Wang Lu: "I'll send them up to you later, please go back."

Wang Lu didn't linger, turning and heading upstairs. The innkeeper then slowly counted the silver bills.

What an interesting person, no wonder he could solve the twelve-linked mission chain. His thinking is completely different from the useless nobles in the main hall. The one who is considered a heretic on the mountain might have found a kindred spirit.

The innkeeper counted the money slowly, and by the time she finished, several more people had gathered at the counter.

They were all servants or bodyguards of the young masters, all with forced smiles.

"Madam, I'm here to buy…"

"Madam, your radishes…"

"My young master wants…"

The innkeeper didn't look up: "One thousand taels each, how many do you want?"

The servants were surprised: "Not five hundred taels?"

"Prices have gone up, take it or leave it."

The servants turned to their masters for confirmation, but all received a positive response.

If it were just extortion, spending an extra coin would be a waste, but if it could buy a bit of immortality, even ten thousand taels would be worth it. Now, it seemed that the ridiculous prices set by this strange inn had their reasons, just like the bizarre mission chain at the town's entrance.

In Spirit Creek Town, every place was a place of opportunity. The princes in the main hall, who were already hesitant, naturally followed the lead.

Even that mountain savage could come up with several thousand taels, so the others could certainly come up with more.

"Then… two for now?"

"I want five!"

"I want ten!"

"Damn, my young master is buying out the whole place!"

Soon, the counter was piled high with silver bills from various countries. Not only the hundred radishes in the kitchen, but even the next few pots were pre-ordered. These nobles had plenty of money, so much that the innkeeper's hands ached from counting.

Making a fortune was a good thing, but the innkeeper's smile was far less sincere when facing customers with almost infinite spending power.

"Ah, what a bunch of fools."

This time, she said it out loud, very openly.

---

Midnight.

With the gentle breeze outside the window, the faint gurgling sound was particularly noticeable.

"Young Master, are you hungry?"

At one end of the room, Wang Zhong spoke softly. At the other end, the young master grunted irritably: "Not hungry."

"…Young Master, there's half a radish left that I didn't touch. If you're hungry…"

"I'd rather starve to death than eat radishes."

"Young Master, a man is iron, and food is steel…"

"If you're so concerned, go outside and dig some wild vegetables or hunt a wild boar."

"How is that possible!?"

"Then shut up."

Wang Lu said, turned over, and stopped talking. The book boy hesitated but also fell silent.

Some things couldn't be said.

The young master had bet all his possessions with high hopes, but it didn't seem to have the desired result—there was no sign of the five boiled radishes that should have been delivered, let alone any chicken, duck, or fish.

For a proud and ambitious young master who had never faced setbacks, this new experience was probably not pleasant. However… he wasn't a transcendent immortal, and encountering setbacks in life was inevitable.

The book boy shrugged slightly on the bed, thinking that it wasn't a bad thing for the young master to learn a lesson. Otherwise, he might really think he was a celestial root, different from ordinary people.

Just as he was thinking, he heard a knock on the door.

Wang Zhong was stunned for a moment, but the young master had already gotten out of bed.

Opening the door, the innkeeper's pretty and delicate face was right outside, and then, two small hands, holding a towel, lifted a large, oversized food box.

Standing at the door, Wang Lu chuckled: "Madam, you finally came."

The innkeeper smiled back: "I'm really sorry to keep you waiting… but there was no choice. That bunch of fools pre-ordered a hundred pots of radishes, and I just finished cooking them, so… your dinner had to be delayed a bit."

As she spoke, the innkeeper walked into the room and placed the heavy food box on the table. Even before opening it, a rich, mouth-watering aroma filled the air.

Wang Lu eagerly opened the food box. The room was dimly lit, but the oil glistened, blinding the eyes.

Wang Lu wiped his mouth and praised: "Madam, you're a person of your word… and a person of your word with great culinary skills."

The innkeeper clapped her hands: "You helped me earn millions of taels, so what's a bit of home-cooked food?"

The food box was large, and the dishes inside were simple: braised pork, pork with vermicelli, wood ear pork, chicken wings…

But at this moment, even with millions of taels, one couldn't get this box of home-cooked food.

Wang Lu brought the dishes from the large bowl to the table and invited the book boy to share. Both were in their growing years, and their appetites were astonishing. In no time, they had eaten a third of the food in the box.

Wang Lu put down his chopsticks. Although his stomach was full, he felt refreshed: "Madam, take the rest back, don't waste it."

The innkeeper raised an eyebrow: "What are you talking about? This is your food for the next week. I think you were overeating just now, which was wasteful."

"…What do you mean a week?"

The innkeeper explained matter-of-factly: "There are six days until the Ascension Conference, but you probably don't have much money left, right? If you don't save, you'll be eating the wind in the last few days."

Wang Lu was stunned for a long time before asking incredulously: "Madam, what do you mean? Shouldn't you be responsible for all our food and lodging from now on?"

"Ha, how could that be? You're overthinking it."

"…Even if we don't consider the money I helped you earn, I did pay three thousand five hundred taels, right?"

The innkeeper sneered: "With the prices in town now, could you buy this box of food for three thousand five hundred taels? Stop complaining. Save it, and the remaining food will last you six days. Think about those fools who spent tens of thousands of taels and couldn't even finish the radishes. At least you can eat meat until the last day."

"…"

The innkeeper suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right, if I calculate carefully, you did have some money left. Here's your change."

A moment later, the innkeeper left, and Wang Lu looked at the old copper coin left on the table, falling into deep thought.