Chapter 2765 — Haggling
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"That's right!" Wei Zhao cupped his hands in a polite salute. "You must be the Supreme Elder, then?"
The person before him was a formidable expert at the peak of the late Heaven rank, and Wei Zhao guessed she was most likely the very Supreme Elder the valley-patrolling disciple had spoken of.
"Indeed." The Supreme Elder gave a nod, then turned to the disciple. "Go brew some tea. I will have a detailed talk with this cultivator."
"Yes, Supreme Elder," the disciple answered hurriedly.
"Heh. And how should I address you?" the Supreme Elder asked Wei Zhao.
"Wei Zhao." He made no secret of it—his identity was hardly a secret anymore at the ancient level, so there was no need to hide it. "This youngster has only just arrived and begs the Supreme Elder's indulgence. But I came here on the recommendation of my little wife, Feng Xiaoxiao—that is, the vice palace master of the Ice Palace."
Wei Zhao had brought up Feng Xiaoxiao's status for the obvious reason that he did not want to be shortchanged in the transaction to come. His own standing, after all, was hardly equal to that of Snow Valley; if he simply came begging for medicine, he feared a single Heaven-rank divine weapon might buy no more than a single spirit herb. By invoking Feng Xiaoxiao's name, Wei Zhao was in fact making the Supreme Elder understand that he too had backing, and he hoped she would trade fairly rather than seize his goods by force.
Of course, Wei Zhao had no way of knowing that the Supreme Elder had recognized him from the start and knew all about his background—and that even without Feng Xiaoxiao's name, she could never have cheated him, for Tang Zhi and Tang Zhi's mother were still there, and those two were not so easily fooled.
"Oh? So you are a friend introduced by the Ice Palace." The Supreme Elder smiled, secretly relieved. From the look of it, Wei Zhao had not come looking for Tang Zhi—and so long as he was not here for Tang Zhi, everything could be discussed. "May I ask what Mr. Lin has come to trade for?"
"Well... there are indeed a few things I would like to trade for, but I only know of one item you have here; as for the rest, I have no idea what you might possess. So I would ask the Supreme Elder to look over my goods first, and then decide what you would offer in exchange," Wei Zhao said.
"Your goods?" The Supreme Elder was briefly taken aback. She had assumed Wei Zhao had come seeking spirit herbs, never expecting him to produce an item for her to appraise. This rather piqued her curiosity—just what fine thing could he be holding?
"Naturally." As he spoke, Wei Zhao took from his pack the Heaven-rank divine weapon that had belonged to Xue Xianzi, the founding ancestor of Snow Valley, and laid it on the tea table before him. "Pray examine it, Supreme Elder!"
"Oh... eh?" The Supreme Elder had not taken it seriously at first, but the moment her gaze came to rest on the divine weapon Wei Zhao had set out, she could not look away—and on her face appeared a look of shock and disbelief. "This... could it be..." As she spoke, she took the Heaven-rank divine weapon from the tea table into her hands. When she saw the tiny character "Xue" upon it, along with the unique symbols and markings of Snow Valley, her hands trembled with emotion!
Wei Zhao had long since anticipated such a reaction. After all, the weapon itself belonged to Snow Valley, and the Supreme Elder, as an inheritor of the sect, would have been strange indeed not to be overcome at the sight of the lost armament of her own founding ancestor!
"Well, Supreme Elder? This is a fine thing, is it not?" Wei Zhao asked with a smile.
"Yes, this is it—this is the Ancestor's Heaven-rank armament!" The Supreme Elder's voice had lost its composure. She cultivated the Heartless Art, and few things could stir her emotions, yet at this moment she could scarcely contain herself!