A Pawn's Passage

The internal discounts were generally only offered to fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters and above.

This meant that the same Jade Liquor that sold for as much as 1,500 Taiping coins to outsiders would cost only 1,000 Taiping coins for a fourth-rank priest.

So Qi Xuansu could exchange for one bottle of Jade Liquor and other items worth 1,000 Taiping coins.

Su Yan offered this discount because she also knew that 2,000 Taiping coins for this arm cannon was indeed too low a price. Arcane Alchemy was a rare Western technique, and objects like that were hard to come by. Converting its cost price from the Eagle silver coin to the Taiping coin, this arm cannon would be worth at least 10,000 Taiping coins. However, she only offered one-fifth of the price. Even if it was a second-hand item, it was still too low.

She could only offer 2,000 Taiping coins because that was the maximum that a superintendent could authorize. For anything higher than that, she would have to write to the headquarters of Huasheng Hall, which was very troublesome.

Of course, Su Yan could also break the rules like Liu Futong. However, the Qingqiu lineage was known for their strict ways and adherence to rules.

Su Yan did not want to break the rules or go through the trouble of writing to the Hall Master, so she offered Qi Xuansu a maximum of 2,000 Taiping coins and decided to give him an internal discount, which was still within her authority.

Qi Xuansu nodded in agreement. “Deal. I want a bottle of Jade Liquor. As for the remaining amount, I wonder if you have any recommendations, Superintendent Su?”

Su Yan took a closer look at the damaged imitation armor and let out a soft gasp. “What a powerful punch! Are you a Guizhen-stage Martial Arts Practitioner?”

“In that case, there are some suitable things in the warehouse.” Su Yan paused and asked, “But are you sure about this barter trade? Huasheng Hall is not a farmer’s market, so we won’t allow bargaining.”

Qi Xuansu understood and nodded. “Absolutely certain!”

Su Yan raised her hand to signal the Daoist priest nearby to put away the items.

She turned to Qi Xuansu and asked, “Do you want the 300 Taiping coins for the imitation armor in cash or for it to be included in the barter?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Cash, please.”

If it were in the past, Qi Xuansu would have most likely chosen to include it in the barter. After all, it was not easy for an outsider to get an internal discount. So that would be the best deal.

However, his situation was no longer the same. He would soon return to the Daoist Order, so he would be able to enjoy the treatment of a fifth-rank priest. It would be only a matter of time before he was promoted to the fourth rank.

Moreover, Zhang Yuelu could still purchase these things for him since it was not explicitly prohibited. After all, it was hard to restrict such things because everyone had the right to give gifts to others.

However, it was another matter to use one’s authority to buy and sell things in large quantities. Fengxian Hall and Beichen Hall were strict on handling such cases.

Su Yan said, “We don’t have coins here. We only have cash notes from the Taiping Bank.”

Qi Xuansu already knew the rules here, so he said, “Then three large cash notes, please.”

Su Yan nodded at a female disciple, who turned around and went to the counter.

A moment later, the female disciple came back and handed three brand-new cash notes with a slight scent of fresh ink to Qi Xuansu.

Adding up these 300 Taiping coins and the 700 Taiping coins from Qi Xuansu’s savings, he had exactly 1,000 Taiping coins. This did not include the commission of 1,000 Taiping coins that Madam Qi promised him or the relocation fee of 1,000 Taiping coins issued by Tiangang Hall.

In total, Qi Xuansu had 3,000 Taiping coins, which was a huge sum.

Qi Xuansu even thought about buying a flying sword. However, he was still far from being able to afford treasures and magical receptacles.

“Please follow me.” Su Yan turned around and walked to the back hall.

Qi Xuansu hurriedly followed her, while Liu Hu stayed seated outside, where she was served tea.

In a sense, the layout of the Huasheng Hall branches located in various cities was somewhat similar to that of a bank. There was a counter in the front and various deposit rooms in the back. After the back hall was a courtyard, where the warehouse was located.

At this time, many Spirit Guards were standing in the courtyard, heavily armed. There were also protection formations.

Seeing Su Yan approaching, all the Spirit Guards saluted her respectfully.

A fourth-rank Spirit Guard immediately came over when Su Yan led Qi Xuansu toward the warehouse door.

Although they were both of the same rank, Daoist priests were naturally a rank higher than Spirit Guards, so Su Yan was the immediate superior of this fourth-rank Spirit Guard.

Su Yan ordered, “Open the door.”

The Spirit Guard nodded, walked to the warehouse door, took out a special key, and inserted it into the first keyhole.

Su Yan took out another special key and inserted it into the second keyhole.

They turned the two keys at the same time, and then two more Spirit Guards, one on each side, slowly opened two iron doors, which probably weighed several tonnes.

After Su Yan led Qi Xuansu into the warehouse, the Spirit Guards slowly shut the door again from the outside.

The warehouse was brightly lit. There were three floors underground, all separated by thick doors, with the most valuable items placed at the bottommost level.

Su Yan only allowed Qi Xuansu to roam around the ground floor.

This place sure was dazzling.

Various bottles, cans, jars, and boxes of different sizes filled the rows of shelves.

There were countless items that he had never seen before. Only naming the items he recognized, there were complete sets of authentic Spirit Guard armors, Imitation Blood from the Torch Dragon, Qiongqi Blood, fat and blood of mystical beasts, Jade Liquor, Soul-Returning Incense, and various elixirs. There were also some demon pills soaked in unknown liquids, various animal fur and skeletons, and various specimens that were divided into categories and arranged neatly.

Su Yan introduced the place. “The items from the West will be stored here once processed. We will clear the warehouse every three months and transport part of the inventory to the main hall via flying ship. You can browse these shelves.”

Qi Xuansu nodded and wandered around, while Su Yan followed him quietly.

He first came to the shelf with hundreds of bottles of Jade Liquor, all with different shapes to indicate their quality. Generally, the thinner and taller the bottle, the higher the quality and more expensive the liquor would be.

Qi Xuansu glanced at Su Yan beside him and reached out to take the cheapest bottle of Jade Liquor after seeing a slight nod from her.

Then he came to another row of cabinets, where various elixirs were placed.

There were bottles of different materials, like porcelain, jade, and even clear glass. The ones in glass bottles looked good but were generally cheaper, while the elixirs in jade bottles were more precious, as jade was excellent for preserving medicinal effects.

Su Yan suddenly spoke. “You don’t need to look at these jade bottles. Even with an internal discount, each bottle exceeds 1,000 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu resigned to his fate and immediately looked away. He could only afford the porcelain bottles.

Since this was a warehouse, the prices of items were not marked. So Qi Xuansu had no choice but to keep asking Su Yan about the cost.

Su Yan knew the items by heart and could remember the price of each item clearly. She was also patient with Qi Xuansu.

Finally, Qi Xuansu came to a shelf with many jars sealed with talisman paper. The jars were also engraved with talisman patterns and piled up in a corner.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What’s this?”

Su Yan’s expression was a little complicated. She replied, “Mystery Jars.”

“What is it used for?” Qi Xuansu became more curious.

Su Yan was silent for a while before she muttered two words, “Like lottery.”

Qi Xuansu finally understood. He probed further, “What’s in it?”

Su Yan introduced these Mystery Jars as if she were reciting information from a catalog. “This is the creation of one of the Huasheng Hall Masters. It works by using talismans to create a one-time-use magical receptacle in which various junk—I mean, objects—are placed. It costs 500 Taiping coins each and may contain a treasure worth tens of thousands of Taiping coins or a 100-Taiping-coin item. If you’re confident in your luck, you can take a gamble. Who knows? You might turn a mule into a prized steed.”

Qi Xuansu was very tempted as soon as he heard the word “treasure,” which led to an inner conflict between his desires and rationale.

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