Chapter 771: These Are All Fakes (Part 1)

"A tenfold penalty for fakes? Is that true?" Zhang Xuan still seemed uneasy and couldn't help but ask.

"Of course! Our Spiritual Material Pavilion is well-known for its trustworthiness!" the attendant quickly replied.

"I see... Since your reputation is guaranteed, then hold onto this herb for me for a moment. I'll select a few more items, and we can settle the bill all at once later!"

Hearing that their reputation was reliable, Zhang Xuan felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

"Reputation?" Sun Qiang's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

They had murdered and plundered right to their doorstep for treasures, and this place claimed to have a reputation? What a joke! How could the young master believe such nonsense? The crucial point, whether he believed it or not, was irrelevant. The important thing was... we were out of money!

That superior-grade spirit stone he had just produced was the reward the young master received from the grand master's competition. Now that it was out, they were truly penniless. Even if he wanted to buy, he couldn't afford anything!

"Alright! Young Master, please take your time and choose!"

Seeing that the young man intended to select several more items, the attendant nodded excitedly. The fact that he could casually produce a superior-grade spirit stone suggested immense wealth. Even if he wasn't in a hurry to pay, there was no need to worry. After all, he was buying more, and they'd settle the bill together; if he truly couldn't afford it, he wouldn't be able to take the items anyway. Attendants like him earned commissions based on sales. The higher the price of the items sold, the higher his commission would be. Meeting such a big spender meant that a single transaction could surpass his earnings for several years. He was practically overflowing with profits.

"Hm!" Nodding, Zhang Xuan circled the display counter, not taking long. He raised the folding fan in his hand and pointed, "This one, this one, this one..."

He pointed to eight items in a row.

Seeing him point to so many items at once, the attendant's face grew progressively redder. These were all rare ores and natural treasures, each item incredibly valuable. If all of them were sold, his earnings wouldn't just exceed several years of previous turnover; they would surpass a lifetime's worth of income from his usual work.

Not only the attendant, but the surrounding onlookers were also startled. Two superior-grade spirit stones for a low-grade sixth-level pill had already surprised them. Now, this fellow was selecting so many more. When did such a wealthy eccentric, who treated money like dirt, arrive in Hongyuan City?

"I'll go retrieve these eight items for the Young Master right away..." As soon as the young man finished pointing, the attendant excitedly turned to gather the treasures for him to inspect, ready to calculate the total price.

"Don't bother with these eight; pack up everything else for me!" Zhang Xuan flicked his fan.

Thump! The attendant reeled, his knees suddenly weak, nearly collapsing to the floor. The surrounding crowd's mouths fell open, wide enough to fit a goose egg. Even Sun Qiang nearly fainted dead away.

With his master's backing, he had always been bold enough. He never dreamed his young master's audacity would be even greater!

Don't want these eight... bring everything else... This room displayed a minimum of a hundred various treasures, most of which were weapons and armor, each valued in superior-grade spirit stones. And you want all of them in one go...

This would amount to dozens of superior-grade spirit stones, possibly even over a hundred! Can he actually afford that much? If he can't, will he be beaten to death on the spot?

"All of them?" It took the attendant a long moment to recover, his throat feeling dry.

He had just been thinking that even if the customer only bought those eight items, the commission would be enough for him to live comfortably for a lifetime. Now, with everything except those eight items being requested, if the transaction went through, he wouldn't be able to spend the earnings in ten lifetimes!

"That's right, calculate the total for me and pack everything up immediately!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand with an air of magnanimity.

"Yes, sir!" Pinching himself hard to ensure he wasn't dreaming, the attendant then frantically gathered all the various treasures. He piled them up, their dazzling brilliance a truly breathtaking sight.

"Reporting, Young Master, there are ninety-three items in total, amounting to... two hundred and thirty-seven superior-grade spirit stones!" The attendant's voice was trembling slightly.

"Two hundred and thirty-seven? Not bad at all!" Zhang Xuan nodded and gestured to Sun Qiang, "Steward, give him the spirit stones..."

"Give?" Sun Qiang froze.

Give him what?! I don't even have two hundred and thirty-seven mid-grade spirit stones on me, how am I supposed to give him that many?

Just as he was at a loss, he heard the young master suddenly wave his hand. The young master looked at the attendant again with a puzzled expression. "Hold on a moment! Are you absolutely certain all these items are genuine? You offer a tenfold compensation for fakes, right?"

"Of course! All our treasures here have been personally appraised by the Six-Star Appraiser, Master Mo Fei. They are absolutely genuine, and their quality is beyond question!"

Hearing the customer speak again, the attendant nodded quickly.

"How about this: could you please invite Master Mo Fei over? I'd feel more at ease if he could appraise them in person and provide the results." Zhang Xuan suggested.

"Uh..." The attendant was momentarily stunned, then nodded. "Alright, Young Master, please wait here. I'll go invite him at once!" With that, he hurried away.

"It's perfectly normal to want an appraisal when buying so many expensive items!"

"Indeed, but I know Master Mo Fei. Although he's a Six-Star Appraiser, he's been on the Spiritual Material Pavilion's payroll for a long time. Can you be sure his appraisals are truly unbiased?"

"Being on their payroll, of course he'll speak in favor of the Spiritual Material Pavilion. He could say anything, and you wouldn't understand, so you'd still be fooled!"

"The fellow here doesn't seem to be short on money; perhaps he just wants an appraisal for peace of mind..."

Witnessing this scene, everyone started whispering amongst themselves. When buying items in a market, any appraisal should ideally come from a third party. This Appraiser Mo Fei, however, is an employee of the Spiritual Material Pavilion itself. Wouldn't he just say whatever benefits them? If he really comes, expect to be conned.

Amidst the murmurs, the attendant returned. Following him was a portly old man, his head held high, his gaze arrogant.

"Who wants an appraisal?" Before even reaching them, the old man snorted.

Appraisers were the most respected profession in any market. Even the Pavilion Master of the Spiritual Material Pavilion had to treat them with utmost respect, daring not show the slightest irreverence.

"I do!" Zhang Xuan pointed with his folding fan. "I'm buying all these treasures; I'd like your help in appraising them!"

"These have all been appraised by me; they are genuine, trustworthy for all. What? You dare to doubt the judgment of a Six-Star Appraiser like myself?" The old man named Mo Fei glanced down at the surrounding treasures, raising an eyebrow.

"You appraised them?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"That's right! Now, bring over the appraisal certificates!" Mo Fei waved a hand.

The attendant nodded, hurried to the counter, and quickly returned with a stack of items. These were precisely the appraisal certificates for the treasures; each one corresponded perfectly to an item, and each bore the signature of the old man standing before them.

"It's good to have the appraisal certificates..." Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief as he took the documents, examining them carefully. He then smiled faintly. "I heard that if anything here is fake, you offer a tenfold compensation. Is that correct?"

"Of course!" Mo Fei nodded. As a Six-Star Appraiser, he was still quite confident.

"Alright then, let's start with this pill..." Zhang Xuan beckoned, and the sixth-grade pill he had previously handled flew into his palm.

"What? You think there's something wrong with this sixth-grade Barrier-Breaking Pill?" Seeing him focus on that pill, Mo Fei frowned.

"I see your appraisal certificate states that this was refined by the Vice-Dean of the Alchemy Academy using ninety-nine types of medicinal herbs, and it can unconditionally raise a cultivator in the Silkworm Seal realm by one level. Is that correct?"

"Of course!" Mo Fei flicked his sleeve.

"This pill is indeed sixth-grade, but it wasn't refined by the Vice-Dean of the Alchemy Academy. Instead, it was made by a disgraced Six-Star Alchemist using seventy-two types of ingredients. The slight golden hue of the pill is due to the addition of blood essence from a Ninth-Stage Transcendent Mortal Golden Antelope Python. The unusual fragrance indicates the presence of cassia flower. And its elasticity when squeezed shows that it contains nurturing grass..."

Opening the jade box holding the pill, Zhang Xuan analyzed each component. In a single breath, he listed dozens of the pill's characteristics and its medicinal components. With each statement, Mo Fei's face grew a shade paler.

As a Six-Star Appraiser, he knew that everything the other party said was accurate. The other party had picked up the pill, glanced at it once, and then described it in such detail, as if he had personally refined it. This level of appraisal was, at the very least, on par with his own, if not superior!

"There are only so many ingredients for a Barrier-Breaking Pill; what's the point of listing them? As long as the pill functions correctly and allows for advancement, it's not considered a fake, is it?" Seeing the other party continue to elaborate, Mo Fei snorted and interrupted him.

"Allow for advancement?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I've said so much, but it seems you still haven't understood. The Golden Antelope Python's blood essence is indeed a good ingredient, but when cassia flower is added, it changes things entirely!"

"Cassia flower is also known as 'death-bringing flower.' It requires Seven-Green Grass to neutralize its effects and activate its true medicinal properties. This pill, however, contains no Seven-Green Grass... In other words, after consumption, not only will it fail to help one advance, but it will also cause poisoning, leading to instant death!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

"Poisoned?"

"Is that true?"

"If that's truly the case, this pill isn't just fake; it's lethal..."

Hearing this, everyone present was stunned and startled. The sole purpose of spending a fortune on a pill was to achieve advancement. If this medicine not only failed to grant advancement but also poisoned the consumer to death, who would dare to take it?

"Nonsense! This pill is brimming with spiritual energy and full of medicinal properties. How could it possibly be poisonous?" Mo Fei's eyebrows shot up.

"Not poisonous? Since you're so sure, it's simple then... Bring a pill-testing beast. We'll know for sure after one test!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"A pill-testing beast? Fine!" Mo Fei snorted, turned to give an order, and a pill-testing beast was quickly brought forth.

Pill-testing beasts were used to detect the medicinal properties of pills, preventing humans from accidental consumption and injury.

"You administer it yourself. I'm afraid you won't admit it if it fails!" Zhang Xuan handed over the jade box.

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, Mo Fei took the pill, scraped off a bit of powder, and administered it to the pill-testing beast.

A sixth-grade pill's medicinal properties were too potent; even if non-toxic, administering too much could cause the beast to rupture. A small amount of powder would allow for the detection of its properties without causing excessive harm.

Gurgle gurgle! After ingesting the powder, the pill-testing beast's vital energy began to surge rapidly.

"Its strength is increasing, so it *is* a Barrier-Breaking Pill, isn't it?" Seeing the beast's reaction, Mo Fei sneered, about to mock Zhang Xuan for pretending to be knowledgeable. However, he suddenly saw the pill-testing beast in the cage: its surging vital energy abruptly halted, and its body began to convulse uncontrollably.

A mouthful of black blood spewed out. The small, snow-white beast stiffened, then collapsed, its breathing ceased.