Chapter 3735 — Price Competition
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Oh, let me think it over," Wei Zhao answered noncommittally, without coming right out and saying how exactly he meant to sell it.
The bearded middle-aged man had spoken earnestly enough, and on the face of it his words did make sense. But he was a merchant of this place after all, and when dealing with merchants one must never seem too eager—especially with so many others still coming over to ask after a price. If he rashly gave the man some promise now, he would have a hard time talking the price back up later.
Seeing Wei Zhao's immovable expression, the bearded man could only sigh in resignation. He had noted Wei Zhao's unfamiliar face and meant to get ahead of the others, to smooth-talk him into selling at a flat price. If Wei Zhao so much as nodded, then by the rules of this market, no one else would be permitted to compete with a higher bid afterward.
Unfortunately for him, Wei Zhao might be young, but he had seen far too much of this sort of thing to fall for such a trick so easily.
Within moments, no fewer than five or six merchants had gathered around Wei Zhao expressing interest in the carcass of the Nine-Tailed Cloud-Piercing Leopard. Wei Zhao laughed inwardly—this might as well be a small auction.
Still, that was all to the good. With so many people competing against one another, at least he need not worry about selling at a loss.
Seeing that the crowd was about right and not wanting to drag things out and make too great a stir—he still had proper business to attend to afterward—Wei Zhao cupped his hands to the merchants and said, "Gentlemen, I intend to sell this Nine-Tailed Cloud-Piercing Leopard carcass whole. Any who are interested, please name your price. By the rules of the market, the highest bid takes it."
The reason he chose to sell it whole rather than piece by piece was, of course, to save time. Otherwise, to say nothing of finishing within the hour before the inner street opened, he might spend an entire day here and still not sell it all.
And more than that—even if time were not a concern, purely out of consideration for keeping his identity concealed, Wei Zhao would not covet the extra spirit jade. After all, he had only one Thousand-Silk Mask. If this face of his became familiar, then later, when he wished to use it to hide his identity and get something done, it would be far from easy.
The merchants exchanged glances, helplessness in every eye. The highest bidder wins was the most common rule of the market, and as sellers they were usually glad enough to see such a scene. But now they stood in the buyer's position, and that put them at a disadvantage.
For if they fought one another to the bitter end, the one who profited in the end would be none of them—only Wei Zhao, the seller.
Yet even knowing the deal would be a hard one, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and press on. Who could help it, when this Nine-Tailed Cloud-Piercing Leopard was a strategic scarce resource with the power to draw the eye? If they simply let it go and a rival in attendance bought it, they might well lose a great mass of customers because of it later. That would be the truly disastrous loss!
Originally Wei Zhao had merely thought the carcass useless to himself, taking up space for nothing in the jade pendant's space, and that he might as well sell it for some spirit jade while he had the chance. He had never imagined it would create such a favorable situation.
It seemed his luck was not bad today, and he ought to earn a fair amount of spirit jade—just the thing to build up a little more capital for bidding on that Star-Ink Stone in the inner street.
"Brother, before we bid, might we first examine the carcass to see whether it is intact?" one of the merchants spoke up.
Wei Zhao nodded. "Of course. Apart from the inner core, which I have already removed, I haven't touched any other part. You may examine it as you please."