When the two entered, the lazy middle-aged man looked up slowly. He was disappointed by what he saw.

[I had hoped for an inner disciple to appear… adding on the fact that he still looks like a brat, he probably doesn't have anything good… It's probably not even worth my time. I'm going to guess that the total value of what he wants to sell doesn't even reach 5,000 silver taels.]

The lazy man put his book face-down on the counter and waved an indolent hand at Van, "Hurry up, will you!? For Heaven's sakes, we don't have all day."

The middle-aged man tapped his finger impatiently on the counter.

Van approached the counter slowly, "Is this your att.i.tude towards all of your customers? Because I don't mind taking my wares somewhere where they'll be more appreciated…"

Van could hardly be blamed for being p.i.s.sed-off at his treatment. One, you'd think the Grand Botanica would know how to conduct its business professionally. Two, after going through the life-and-death experience of battling a giant frost wyrm with swords for teeth and icy storms for breath, the last thing he expected was to be greeted this rudely by a middle-aged man who spent most of his day reading trash like… Van tilted his head to the side… like 'Miss Kitty's s.e.xcapades in the City.' t.i.tillating.

The middle-aged man showed the surprised Pikachu face.

Suddenly, he threw his head back, "HAHAHA!"

The middle-aged man laughed until tears squeezed out of the sides of his eyes, "You want to leave?"

There was a long frigid pause.

 "Go ahead!" He barked, slapping the desk in front of him. He looked at the youth in front of him as if he were nothing more than some dirt under his shoes.

[Has this kid been knocked on the head? Does he think the things a small outer disciple from the Cedar Sect has wares so valuable that we, the mighty Grand Botanica, must beg for? Only goes to show, the bar for becoming a disciple of the Cedar Sect is getting lower and lower, letting in idiots like this one!]

Van's smile grew several degrees colder.

"I always thought that the Grand Botanica was upright and full of integrity, who knew that their people could be such low quality!"

The middle-aged man was unperturbed, "Hmph!"

Van continued coldly, "What a shame, I heard that a one-thousand Snow Spirit Ginseng was the rarest among the rare. None of the herbal halls in Dragon City has had some in stock for a while. I'm sure that the Harvest Pill Palace will be happy to strike a deal with me. Have a good day."

With that lightning bolt of information, Van turned his body and left the room.

The middle-aged man's face was extremely pale.

[The Snow Spirit Ginseng is indeed incredibly rare although it is only a medium-ranked spiritual herb. If he is telling the truth, then I am in big trouble from up above! The Harvest Pill Palace is one of our biggest compet.i.tors if they gain hold of what we don't have, the favour may swing in their favour!]

The middle-aged man was at a loss. He had no idea what to do to make this situation before.

At that moment -

BANG!

There was the sound of someone slamming open the door.

"Wait! Young man, stay for a moment!"

Van heard a woman's voice, slightly panicked, float into his ears. He turned around and saw a mature woman with a curvaceous body and long black hair down to her waist. She wore a pair of spectacles on her face, giving her a bookish atmosphere.

Van raised a brow.                                                                      

The mature woman leaned forwards gave Van a flirtatious smile, "The one-thousand-year-old Snow Spirit Ginseng, if you really have it, the Grand Botanica will pay you 40,000 silver taels."

Van thought he could get more for it, so he shook his head and gave a rueful smile.

"Sorry, not interested. The service here..." he trailed off. Van began to move backwards as if he had decided to leave.

The curvaceous woman blocked his path with a friendly smile on her face, "If 40,000 isn't high enough, how about 50,000?"

Van paused, "I think that the Harvest Pill Palace will be willing to give me a higher price."

Van purposely incited the name of the Harvest Pill Palace as he knew that they and the Grand Botanica were major rivals in Dragon City.

The mature woman's face stiffened, "I haven't yet introduced myself; I apologise."

She drew herself up and her flirtatious smile faded away, "My name is Cerise, and my uncle is the owner of this establishment. So, I ask again, what price are you willing to part with the Snow Spirit Ginseng?"

Van raised a brow, "And I am Van, an outer disciple of the Cedar Sect. This Snow Spirit Ginseng was… very difficult to collect. The question is not how much money that I want, but how much money you are willing to spend in order to have something that others do not have?"

Cerise stared at the youth in front of her. This thirteen-year-old boy who was still wet behind the ears was sounding her out with barely a change in expression his face.

The youth smiled, "Oh, and I also have some sprigs of Snow Crocus and several Snow Bamboo Shoots. I heard they can be used to improve the efficacy of the Snow Spirit Ginseng."

He loosened the tie around the neck of a sack and showed her the pale icy flesh of the herbs he had collected in the Blizzard Plains. Dense icy spiritual energy curled off the herbs, showing that they were of high quality and at least several hundred years old.

Cerise couldn't help it, she was impressed.

"160,000 for the lot," she said with a practised smile, "but I will give you a silver members.h.i.+p card that will allow you to purchase things from us at 20% off in the future. There are various other benefits, including access to tutorials or lectures our alchemical experts hold every month. We also have an alert service, where you can ask us to keep tabs on a herb you desire and let you know when it is in stock. Usually, only those who have purchased over 100,000 silver taels worth of goods from us can apply for a members.h.i.+p here."

Van considered it; he was a bit interested in the alchemical arts. He instinctively felt that not only would he enjoy it, he would also be rather good at it. His affinity for flame would surely help with his fire control, which was a key component of the alchemical process. Being able to keep an eye on herbs that he desired was also a plus.

"170,000 and the members.h.i.+p card."

Cerise narrowed her eyes. She turned her eyes to the lazy middle-aged man behind the counter and shot him a look that promised death.

[That lazy f.u.c.ker! If he hadn't p.i.s.sed this kid off, we may have been able to get our hands on these quality goods for around 105,000 silver taels at a maximum!]

"Fine," Cerise huffed. She snapped her fingers and the middle-aged man hurried forward with a pouch that held a gold tael and several pieces of solid gold that were the equivalent of 170,000 taels. A silver disc the size of Van's palm was given to him. 

Van smiled. It was the smile of a cat who had gotten the canary.

"Oh," he said casually, "I also have the heart and liver of a ferocious Blizzard Wyrm. Heard you can make an elixir of strength with those."

_____

Cerise watched the red-haired youth walk out of the Grand Botanica whistling a jaunty tune and felt slightly annoyed. However, when she looked down at the rare Snow Spirit Ginseng in her hand her mood immediately lifted.

[Snow Spirit Ginseng have never been cultivated successfully by humans to be beyond fifty years old. One that is over one hundred years old can only be found in the wild, and even then, it is incredibly rare to find an environment that it can grow to such an age in. For a thousand-year-old herb, in the nearby countries, I'm afraid that the only place suitable for its growth is in the Blizzard Plains!

People from Cloud River rarely adventure there, and our suppliers prefer to spend their time in areas with nicer climates that produce an abundance of herbs with less ferocious predators lying about.

Giving that kid a silver token is also a strategic move. It guarantees that he will prefer our herbal hall over others, and so what herbs he can find in the future will benefit us!]

 With this one-thousand-year-old Snow Spirit Ginseng, our Grand Botanica has the edge over the Harvest Pill Palace in the upcoming battle. We cannot lose!]

When Cerise raised her head, she saw the middle-aged man shoot her a wronged look from behind the counter. Cerise temper rose. She pushed her gla.s.ses up with one finger.

"What are you looking at?" she barked, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had to raise our buying price by tens of thousands of taels! I will be reducing your salary to only 50% for the rest of the year. Hmph!"

The middle-aged man could only weep silent tears as Cerise left the room.

______

[3 hours later.]

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Van finished reading the theory behind the Heavy Axe Art and put away the parchment scroll. The technique was direct and forceful; it reminded Van of chopping wood. After felling countless trees during his time in the outer sect, this action was familiar to him.

Standing with feet firmly planted on the ground and his hands holding the giant battle-axe, Van closed his eyes.

[To grasp the concept behind Heavy Axe Art, I must grasp the essence of heaviness.]

Van tried to envision the meaning of the word, but his mind was blank. Frustrated, he opened his eyes. He went to the window and unlatched it. Taking a deep breath of air, he turned his head and looked up at the sky.

The stars twinkled back at him; the distance between the youth in the room and those heavenly bodies impossible to cross.