[You push open the small wooden door of the shop and, see, the countertops are laced with fencing of fine iron to protect the goods. Through a small arched window, you spot a man lounging on a rocking chair behind the counter, sporting imported western glasses.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ scrambles to his feet as soon as he sees you, a valued customer walk in.]

[Upon receiving the inventory list from them, you find that the commodities on it are just as you had seen previously...]

[...]

[You shake your head, handing the inventory list back to the ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’. You say that you’re on your way to visit an old companion with a taste for fine liquor and need to purchase a bottle of a rare vintage.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ looks uncomfortable, explaining that they indeed have a bottle of exquisite drink in their warehouse, but it was a pawn from a patron still within the redemption period, and they couldn’t sell it to you.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ turns around and opens their cupboard door, revealing a modest green porcelain bottle.]

[’Shequan Sake’（Treasure）: A precious sake aged for dozens of years with benefits such as improved circulation, beautifying skin, and promoting vitality, best served chilled.]

[Selling this item to a merchant will yield a large amount of spiritual energy. It can also be gifted to a relevant character in this Chapter, significantly boosting their affinity for you.]

[Spiritual Worth: 150000]

Upon seeing the word "treasure," Lin Xun suddenly remembers that among his items there is also a ’Picture of Playing Flute on Horseback’ treasure; its effect similar to the ’Shequan Sake’.

He quickly clicks on this item.

[You bring out the ’Picture of Playing Flute on Horseback’ and display it to the ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’, asking for an appraisal.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ is taken aback. Carefully receiving the painting, they scrutinize it under their glasses.]

[After a long while, they can’t hold back praise. It’s a rare masterpiece indeed.] 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

[After hesitating for a while, the ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ turns back to the cupboard, extracting a small paper crane.]

[They pick up a pen and write a message in minuscule characters on the crane’s wings. With a breath, the paper crane flaps its wings and soars out of the shop, through the counter guardrails.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ explains to you that they always uphold honest and fair business practices. They aren’t supposed to break the rules and pre-sell a customer’s item. However, your painting really tempts them.]

[So they are now using a ’Paper Crane Charm’ from Vermillion to contact the owner of the ’Shequan Sake’, asking whether they still intend to redeem it.]

[Watching the departing ’Paper Crane Charm’ fly off, you reflect back. There are many unique treasures in the ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’s’ shop, including some rare artifacts from Vermillion State.]

[With a strategic thought, you ask the ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ if they have any high-level Suppressing Objects from Vermillion State?]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ is stunned. They scrutinize you meticulously. After a while, they cautiously ask whether you are a local of Sakura fall?]

[They explain that the Grand General has issued a ban on the sale of ’Suppressing Objects’ to the public due to an order to hand over all ’Suppressing Objects’ to the Imperial Palace. These are then distributed among the different Yin Yang Master factions.]

[With a single hand sign, you summon the ’Demon Cleaver of Unohana’ to hover in mid-air.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’s’ eyes grow wide, they hastily bow in salutation, "So you are a disciple of the Vermillion Immortal? No wonder you possess the Vermillion treasure, the ’Picture of Playing Flute on Horseback’.]

[They get up from behind the counter, walk to the door, glance about, and then firmly shut the whole shop, leaving only the narrowest crack at the window.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ returns to the counter and after muttering some incantations, a certain item materializes from thin air.]

[It’s a huge, palm-sized sharp tooth.]

[’Tooth of Disaster Fight’（Legend+ level tool）: It’s a precious Suppressing Object left behind by a ferocious mythical creature, the ’Disaster Fight’, according to Vermillion Empire’s Legend.]

[With the aid of related skills, this item can be used to suppress and tame a ’Demon’ type Summoned Beast.]

Lin Xun is overjoyed.

With this tool, he may be able to tame the ’Nine-tailed Fox’ as their Shikigami!]

[You hurriedly ask the ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’ for the price of this item.]

[The ’Fire Worshiping Merchant’, however, shakes their head, stating that it is difficult to appraise the price of such an item. It was only through a stroke of luck and their journey to Vermillion that they came to possess it.]

[The ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’ is too precious, it can only be acquired through a barter.]

[Regardless of whether the deal goes through or not, they ask you to keep the information about the ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’ to yourself.]

[You nod in acknowledgment, asking if the ’Picture of Playing Flute on Horseback’ can be traded for the ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’?]

The ’Warehouse Merchant’ seems to be quite fond of the ’Picture of Playing Flute on Horseback’, he looked conflicted and pondered for quite a while before speaking, Your treasure is indeed valuable, but it still falls short compared to the ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’.

Lin Xun wasn’t surprised at this. After all, it’s a Legend+ level item, so it’s normal for it to have a high value.

He searched through his items and found a useless item called the ’Painting of Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl’ that could exchange for spirit energy from the merchant.

However, the value of this item seemed very low, the Warehouse Merchant just glanced at it and immediately shook his head in refusal.

Which made Lin Xun uncertain about what to do next.

"Why not defeat the merchant and take the stuff for free?"

The old habit of freeloading unconsciously sprang into his mind again.

He shook his head, attempting to shake off such thoughts quickly.

Many Apostles have the power to kill merchants who can’t defend themselves, but killing a merchant won’t drop any traded items.

Even if the merchant was killed after the deal, the paid spirit energy for the purchased goods couldn’t be retrieved.

He sighed, searched through his items again to see if there were any valuable ones that he didn’t need.

After a while, he indeed found two items.

The first one was the ’Owner’s Token of Fairyland’, anyone holding this token can go to the ’Fairyland Pleasure Quarters’ and become a real freeloader, its value is inestimable to those who are fervent about this.

The second one was ’The Great General’s Amulet’, using this item could have a chance to draw the attention of ’Extreme Delusional Evil Fruit’, a real suicidal weapon.

You take out the ’Owner’s Token of Fairyland’ and ’The Great General’s Amulet’ to ask ’Warehouse Merchant’ how much these two items are worth?

The ’Warehouse Merchant’ was horrified at the sight of ’The Great General’s Amulet’ in your hand and quickly kneeled and begged for mercy.

It claimed it didn’t know you were the right-hand man of the Great General. If it had known, it wouldn’t have sold the banned item like the ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’.

The ’Warehouse Merchant’ begged you not to report this to the Great General. It would like to give you ’Shequan Sake’ and ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’ free of charge...

Lin Xun was dumbstruck.

"Nice one, I swear on the underworld game token, I had no intention of intimidating... This time I really planned to pay!"

He twitched the corner of his mouth, fully aware that his freeloader reputation is inescapable.

"Next time I’ll definitely pay, definitely!"

You silently accepted the ’Shequan Sake’ and ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’ handed over by the ’Warehouse Merchant’.

You have received ’Shequan Sake’ (Treasure)!

You have received the ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’ (Legend+ level item)!

You told the ’Warehouse Merchant’ that you had been serving the Great General at the ’Capital Imperial Residence’ all day, never came to ’Fugang City’, and didn’t know anything about the ’Fish Market’ and ’Dark Market Warehouse’...

Upon hearing your words, the ’Warehouse Merchant’ finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

You gave the ’Picture of Playing Flute on Horseback’ and ’Painting of Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl’ to the ’Warehouse Merchant’, who was so scared and hesitant, that he reluctantly took the two paintings after a while.

With the two treasures, you waved goodbye to the ’Warehouse Merchant’ and left the ’Dark Market Warehouse’...

...

You left ’Fugang City’ and came to an uninhabited wild area...

’Capital Big Mountain’ lies to the west of the Capital. Do you want to head over there immediately?

Lin Xun looked at the ’Tail Hair of the Nine-tailed Fox’ in his item list.

He wondered whether to summon the ’Nine-tailed Fox’ and add her to his harem immediately.

On second thoughts, he suppressed his impulse. As he only had one ’Tooth of Disaster Fight’, it meant he could only choose between the ’Nine-tailed Fox’ and ’Shuten-doji’.

Lin Xun decided to go to the ’Capital Big Mountain’ first to investigate, and then make a decision.