Chapter 484: Partnering to Broaden Horizons

Anyway, the two became acquainted through their initial conflict, and that's how their friendship began.

As for the money owed on the IOU, it had yet to be fully repaid. Huang Yingying simply couldn't get his hands on the cash because his wife kept a very tight leash on their finances, and he was quite henpecked. His only recourse was to seize opportunities to sneak a few bags of spirit rice to Wu Jinliang as payment.

Having something to slowly pay off the debt was acceptable to Wu Jinliang. The only problem was he couldn't consume it all himself, so he gave some to the library. However, he couldn't constantly give rice to the library as it would be hard to explain its source. Consequently, he ended up storing a considerable amount of spirit rice in his personal storage bag.

Through these back-and-forth interactions, and given their shared interests, they grew quite close.

Seeing the old man still lingering outside at dinnertime, Wu Jinliang was somewhat surprised, especially since he didn't seem to fear being roared at by his 'tigress' of a wife.

He walked into the snack stall and eyed the empty dishes, then snorted, "Old Huang, you have money to eat out, but not to pay your debts!"

Huang Yingying sighed, "You know how little money I have on me. I always need to save a few coins for errands, don't I? How about a bowl of fish soup? My treat."

His stomach happened to be empty, and it was rare for Huang Yingying to be so generous. Wu Jinliang sat down opposite him, tacitly accepting the invitation.

Huang Yingying immediately waved, "Boss, a bowl of fish soup!"

Soon, a bowl of fresh, fragrant, smooth, and tender fish soup, emanating a hint of spiritual energy, arrived. Wu Jinliang didn't stand on ceremony; this shameless old man had often freeloaded off him. He picked up the bowl and began slurping from the rim.

Huang Yingying watched him eat with a smile. Although Wu Jinliang's manner wasn't particularly refined, Huang Yingying wouldn't dare underestimate him.

Although Huang Yingying didn't know why Wu Jinliang had fallen so low as to do odd jobs at the stable, from the moment he was tied up, he knew this man was ruthless. To kidnap someone on a city street in broad daylight, completely disregarding city regulations—how much courage would that take?

The key thing was that he hadn't even realized how he'd been tied up. He'd suddenly felt his body unable to move, and before he could react, a black bag was pulled over his head, and he passed out.

Afterward, the other party showed no sign of panic. The way he handled things after the kidnapping was so methodical that it was clear, after a little thought, he was no stranger to such acts.

When Wu Jinliang had slurped down half a bowl, Huang Yingying whispered towards the Treasure Pavilion, "I hear that Treasure Pavilion has a prized treasure. Everyone's saying it's a fake, but the pavilion shows no sign of taking it down; they're still flaunting it. Are you interested in taking a look?"

Wu Jinliang let out a loud burp, pausing slightly as he was about to pick up his bowl again. He, of course, knew what the Treasure Pavilion's prized treasure was. He blinked and said, "It costs one Tan Gold just to look at it. I can't afford that."

Although he himself was worth over a hundred million, he still needed to maintain his persona as an ordinary person from the lower class.

Leaning across the table, Huang Yingying whispered, "I've inquired. One Tan Gold is the fee for one viewing, and it allows for a companion. Two people are permitted to enter and view it together at the same time."

Wu Jinliang, who naturally knew this rule, asked suspiciously, "What do you mean? You want to go in and see it?"

Huang Yingying sighed, "Our lives are so boring, day after day, nothing new ever happens. I'm stuck in this small plot of land for the rest of my life anyway. It's rare for something new to happen in the city; shouldn't we go and take a look? I never miss an opportunity to join in the fun."

Wu Jinliang knew the item was fake and that there was no need to spend money to see it, but he couldn't very well tell Huang Yingying that. He said indifferently, "I can't afford it. Don't tell me about it. If you want to see it, go by yourself."

Huang Yingying whispered, "It's because I'm short on cash. How about you and I go halves? We each pay half, and we can go in together to broaden our horizons."

Wu Jinliang found it amusing. "What difference does it make whether you see that thing or not?" he said. "Will it make you gain weight, or improve your cultivation? There's absolutely no need to spend that money." With that, he continued slurping his fish soup.

Huang Yingying countered, "That's not how it works. This is about broadening your horizons. For example, those three beautiful girls at the library are all very well-read. If you go and talk to them, they might not even be interested in responding to you. But if you tell them you've seen the 'Death-Defying Incense' at the Treasure Pavilion, they'll definitely be curious. At the very least, they'll actively ask you what it's like. Won't that give you something to talk about? Even if you're poor, if you're willing to spend money to gain knowledge, they'll look up to you for it, won't they?"

Huang Yingying understood Wu Jinliang's intentions perfectly. After all, Wu Jinliang had asked him about the three sisters, they shared common interests, and Huang Yingying had even witnessed Wu Jinliang hitting on Dong Liangying. It would have been strange if he hadn't known Wu Jinliang's little schemes.

His words hit home. The bowl in Wu Jinliang's hand paused, and he raised an eyebrow, beginning to ponder.

While he could describe the 'Death-Defying Incense' at the Treasure Pavilion without paying, it would naturally be more credible and verifiable if he had actually paid to see it.

Spending a small sum to gain a conversation topic with the three sisters was indeed a viable idea.

So he picked up his bowl, took another slurp, and then slowly said, "I can't afford it; I didn't bring enough money."

"Who are you kidding?" Huang Yingying glared at him. He didn't believe for a second that someone earning two hundred gold a month couldn't come up with fifty coins. But he didn't argue. Having been fleeced many times, he knew this 'grandson' had to be handled gently, not directly confronted.

Gritting his teeth, Huang Yingying pulled out his money pouch and loudly poured out all the loose change inside. Then, in front of Wu Jinliang, he stacked them in piles of ten. Finally, pointing at the coins, he said, "Our meal cost, minus fourteen coins, leaves sixty-one coins. I'll pay sixty-one, you pay thirty-nine. Are we going or not? If not, forget it."

Wu Jinliang slowly said, "Don't act like you're losing out. Whether I see it or not is irrelevant to me; I'm just accompanying you and even contributing money. You're getting a good deal, so just enjoy it secretly." With that, he picked up his bowl and slurped again.

After finishing the entire bowl, the two of them set off for the Treasure Pavilion.

When they arrived, the shop assistants enthusiastically greeted them. Those working at the front desk did not recognize Wu Jinliang.

Inside the hall, various treasures and curiosities were on dazzling display. The two guests, however, had no interest in them and went straight to pay for the 'Death-Defying Incense'.

"Two incense viewers!" a shop assistant loudly announced, then pulled back a curtain and led the two visitors to the back hall.

The back hall was elegant and brightly lit, with dedicated assistants on hand to greet guests.

In the inner dark room, Chu Jing-tang, who was on duty, heard guests arrive and immediately went to the peephole to observe them. He froze the moment he saw them. How could he not recognize Wu Jinliang, even if he didn't know the other person? That distinctive appearance, with the thick eyebrows and big eyes, was unmistakable.

He even paid to bring someone along? His attention immediately focused on the shifty-eyed old man. He had no idea of the man's background, or why Wu Jinliang was accompanying him.

Since they had already paid, the proceedings in the back hall didn't beat around the bush. The assistant directly took out a Qiankun pouch, from which he pulled out a box. Opening that box revealed an iron box, and inside the iron box was a sealed silver flask.

Wu Jinliang's demeanor seemed more distinguished than Huang Yingying's, so the assistant first presented the silver flask to him. "Distinguished guest," he said, "this is the 'Death-Defying Incense,' a truly precious item. Please have a look."

Unexpectedly, Wu Jinliang first gestured to Huang Yingying beside him, indicating that he should look first.

Huang Yingying didn't stand on ceremony. He took the silver flask and opened its seal. As a refreshing fragrance wafted out, he frowned slightly, shook the silver flask, then squinted one eye, peering into the bottle a few times. Afterward, he brought it to his nose and sniffed it.

Then he silently glanced at the assistant a few times, said nothing, and handed the silver flask to Wu Jinliang.

Wu Jinliang, upon receiving it, merely went through the motions of looking and sniffing. He feigned a question, "Can this really induce zombification?"

The assistant chuckled and said, "I haven't seen it either. It's open to interpretation."

Smiling on the outside but cursing inwardly, the assistant had worked in the shop for some time and had realized that his employer was indeed selling fakes to deceive people.

"That's all for one Tan Gold?" Wu Jinliang said, looking at Huang Yingying. "Want to see more?"

Huang Yingying shook his head. "Never mind, that's all there is to it. I don't understand it either."

So Wu Jinliang returned the item to the assistant, and their one Tan Gold was now spent. After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, they looked at each other, feeling that it had been all for nothing.

After giving Huang Yingying a good scolding, Wu Jinliang parted ways with him. However, he didn't leave the area. Instead, he navigated through the streets and alleys, circling around to the back of the Treasure Pavilion.

He sent a message via his parent-child talisman, and when he reached the back door, Xiao Sheng, who was waiting, opened it and let him in.

Upon entering the Treasure Pavilion's secret room, Chu Jing-tang and Lao Chang-tai were already waiting there.

"What's the deal with that old man? Why did he come with you?" Chu Jing-tang asked as soon as they met.

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "Nothing much, just an old rogue."

Chu Jing-tang's next words made him freeze. "He's the most suspicious one," Chu Jing-tang said. "Seeing that you knew him, we didn't send anyone to follow him. You know where he lives, don't you?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Wu Jinliang couldn't help but laugh. "Him? You're saying he's the most suspicious?"

"Yes," Chu Jing-tang explained. "Anyone who comes to see the 'Death-Defying Incense' will, more or less, express some doubt or suspicion after viewing it. At the very least, they'll ask a couple of questions. Even the few who seemed suspicious before didn't remain silent after viewing it like he did. He's truly the only one of his kind so far."

Lao Chang-tai also hummed in agreement. "No slightest bit of doubt; it's indeed very abnormal. We can strongly suspect that he might have seen the real 'Death-Defying Incense' and recognized ours as fake with one glance. That's why he wouldn't question whether our 'Death-Defying Incense' was fake."

Wu Jinliang laughed, shaking his head and waving his hand. "You don't know his situation," he said. "It's truly impossible for him. His silence might have been because I was there; with me there, it wasn't his place to speak."

Chu Jing-tang was suspicious. "Boss Wu, didn't you bring him here because you already suspected him?"

"It wasn't exactly that I brought him," Wu Jinliang explained. "We ran into each other, and he wanted to broaden his horizons but didn't have enough money, so he chipped in with me..." As he explained, he suddenly looked surprised and questioned, "You're not going to look at him differently just because of this, are you?"

Xiao Sheng hesitated. "If he didn't have enough money and still wanted to see this, that's even more abnormal," he said. "Boss Wu, do you think that's normal?"

Wu Jinliang waved his hand again. "I know what you mean, but it's truly impossible for him. As I said, you don't know his situation. If he actually had 'Death-Defying Incense,' I guarantee he'd immediately break free from his tigress of a wife and instantly sell it for money to live a good life."

Since he had said so, what else could they say?

However, Xiao Sheng still expressed doubt. "Boss Wu, then why did you come to see this with him?"

Wu Jinliang's eyes darted; he certainly wouldn't reveal his little scheme. He laughed it off, saying, "I say, you're not suspecting me too, are you?" With a dismissive wave of his hand, he continued, "Let's talk business. The Boss said that the more rumors spread about fake goods outside, the more likely the people we're looking for will come to our door. He wants you to keep your spirits up and continue running the shop. Also, keep an eye on those suspicious individuals and find another opportunity to confirm things together later."