Eternal Holy Emperor
Chapter 28 - 26 Taobao (3rd update)

Chapter 28: Chapter 26 Taobao (3rd update)

Upon discovering that Qian Yue’s mysterious robed figure might be a Second Star Alchemist, the Great Elders of the two major families’ expressions became much more respectful, and they even extended grand invitations for him to visit their clans.

However, Ye Chen naturally wouldn’t go, and he shook his head and politely declined before once again purchasing the ingredients for ten sets of auxiliary cultivation liquids.

Although Li Yun insisted on paying in cash no matter what, and Doctor Xiao was reluctant to accept the money regardless, Ye Chen nonchalantly left behind twenty Gold Coins and departed, leaving everyone standing there in astonishment.

But they also understood, as Alchemists are often known for their quirky temperaments, so such behavior was no longer surprising to the crowd.

After departing from Huichun Hall, Ye Chen’s powerful perceptive abilities were always scanning the surroundings to see if anyone was following him. Ascertaining that no one was, he swiftly entered an alleyway, swiftly removed his black robe, and changed his identity.

When he reappeared, he was already dressed in the outfit of a refined young man.

With nearly three hundred Gold Coins in his possession, Ye Chen was in no hurry to return home. After strolling around the city several times, he walked into a bustling commercial street and arrived at a shop that dealt in weapons.

Upon seeing Ye Chen, a middle-aged shopkeeper, about forty years old, immediately came forward to greet him respectfully, "Zhong Zhang Shan pays respects to Young Master Ye Chen."

As the largest power in Luofeng City, the Ye Family naturally had many assets, including shops, restaurants, gambling houses, and many others, which also served as important channels for accumulating wealth.

Zhang Shan, who stood before him, was familiar to Ye Chen. He was a man loyal to his father, Ye Ao’s line. Although Ye Chen had gone from a prodigy to a waste, and had been the subject of much gossip in the city, those of his father’s line had never shown him any contempt. Indeed, because of his father’s sake, they were always respectful, both outwardly and inwardly, which Ye Chen truly believed.

Ye Chen smiled and said, "Uncle Zhang Shan, I’d like to store these medicinal materials with you for a while, and I hope you can keep them safe for me."

Zhang Shan hurriedly responded, "How dare I, how dare I, Young Master just needs to command me, and I will fully ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Ye Chen sighed with emotion, for in the world there were still conscientious people who would not kick someone while they were down.

After leaving the shop, Ye Chen walked alone towards the largest commercial street in Luofeng City. Behind him, Zhang Shan softly commanded the shop, "Zhang Yang, take two capable men with you to follow the young master. Do not let him be bullied. Even if it’s someone from the other two major families, if they harm the young master, fight them directly. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

After an unhesitant response, a muscular man walked out from the shop with two other stout men, and in the blink of an eye, they blended into the crowd, following Ye Chen from a distance.

With Ye Chen’s perceptive abilities, he naturally felt that he was being followed. After a quick check, he found out that it was his own people tailing him. He relaxed and understood that it was out of concern for his safety. He didn’t reveal that he knew, instead feeling a touch of gratitude.

This commercial street hosted nearly all the commerce within hundreds of miles of Luofeng City. It sold a variety of goods and also showcased oddities on street stalls that, with a bit of luck, might even turn out to be priceless treasures.

Of course, the chances of that happening were exceedingly low, and under normal circumstances, it was virtually impossible to find such treasures. More often than not, it was a deception.

Ye Chen strolled slowly along the commercial street, his gaze lingering on the various stalls.

The street was lined with stalls displaying a variety of goods, including antique items, damaged weapons, ancient books, and even some herbs scattered among them, most of which were peculiar objects. They were brought here through various channels, and among them were items excavated from the burial grounds of powerful beings.

Although they appeared ordinary in style and exterior, some might conceal extraordinarily valuable divine items.

"Hurry over and take a look, this Treasure Bottle was excavated from the burial ground of a being rumored to be a Martial God. It may contain the supreme secrets to becoming a Martial God, all for just three hundred Gold Coins."

"Attention everyone, this is snake skin shed by an Innate Black-Scaled Giant Python from the Demon Beast Mountain Range, a top-tier material for crafting superior leather armors that can withstand any attack."

"This stall has weapons just excavated from the burial of an Innate Strong Person, authentic Innate Weapons..."

One after another, the street vendors at the stalls called out to introduce the items at their stalls, each boasting of extraordinary origins and value for items that seemed ordinary at first glance, leaving passersby agape with astonishment.

Take, for example, the stall owner who claimed to have the skin of an Innate Black-Scaled Giant Python; piles of snake skin lay tangled and dull black upon his stall, rolled up into a large mass that, at first glance, indeed resembled the molted skin of a python from the Innate Realm.

The stall owner was a seemingly fat and simple-minded middle-aged man, but the fleeting glints in his squinted little eyes revealed him as a merchant with delicate and astute thoughts.

Seeing Ye Chen’s lingering gaze on his snake skin, he promptly approached with an enthusiastic demeanor, chuckling, "Young brother, I see you possess an extraordinary demeanor and handsome features, plus you’re so young; I believe you must be a young talent indeed. As the saying goes, good swords are gifted to heroes, and treasures are paired with geniuses. What I have in hand here is genuine snake skin from the molting of an Innate Realm snake demon. If you, young brother, want to craft a fitting protective armor, say no more—this snake skin is the best material. An armor made from this would be impervious even to Innate Strong People."

"Moreover, this snake skin normally goes for three thousand Gold Coins, but I can see that you, young brother, have a bright future ahead of you, bound to become a Super Expert of our Xiafeng Country. So, I offer you a kind gesture—only one thousand Gold Coins for you. The rest can be considered an investment. What do you say?"

It has to be said, this seemingly simple but actually cunning stall owner truly had an exceptional way with words, his persuasive tongue unfolding like a blooming lotus, adept at playing to people’s pride and vanity.

Who wouldn’t want to become an unparalleled expert? Most ordinary people would indeed likely be duped by his words.

Unfortunately for him, who was Ye Chen? A Supreme Being of a past life; this so-called Innate Realm snake skin was a mere tall tale, nothing but the skin of a common giant python.

Of course, not everything was counterfeit; there could have been some against-the-heavens treasures hidden among these ordinary items, just not easy to discern at a glance.

He didn’t rush to expose the stall owner’s nefarious intentions but merely smiled slightly and said, "Stall owner, since you say this snake skin is from the molting of an Innate Realm snake demon, it must be impenetrable to swords and spears, right?"

The stall owner nodded proudly, "Of course."

Ye Chen said, "If that’s the case, could I try it out? Find a sharper sword and give it a stab. If it can’t be pierced, then I’ll spend three thousand Gold Coins to purchase it—congratulations, you’ve made a sale. However, if it gets pierced, you don’t have to give me three thousand Gold Coins, just one thousand five hundred will suffice. How about that?"

"Well..." Now the fat stall owner hesitated since he saw the calm and confident smile on Ye Chen’s face. Confident that an ordinary blade wouldn’t pierce the skin, for some reason, he had a bad premonition throbbing inside him—if it actually got pierced, what then?

The stall owner felt uneasy, his lips quivering as he was forced to chuckle awkwardly, "Young brother, you must be joking. My snake skin is indeed genuine, incredibly tough and impenetrable. Besides, it is a precious item, not one to be tested on a whim. You might want to take a look at other treasures instead, young brother."

Ye Chen smiled lightly and did not trouble the stall owner any further, simply moving on.

He didn’t immediately leave but continued to linger in this area of the street market, hoping to find rare treasures amid the various items of unknown origins and ordinary appearances.

Conventional methods of inspection were futile because real treasures were typically unassuming, and these stall owners were unlikely to allow anyone to scrutinize their wares at will. More often, one had to rely on intuition to find them.

Ye Chen had excellent eyesight and his perception was beyond ordinary, but as lovely as dreams are, reality is often harsh. Even he failed to detect any real treasures.

Maybe there were none, or perhaps there were but undiscoverable by him. After a full round, the only slightly interesting item he found was a bowl, but it was too worn and damaged.

Disappointed, he shook his head and sighed deeply, prepared to leave. But as he turned around, he suddenly uttered a surprised yelp, keenly sensing a faint fluctuation passing from a stall nearby.

Had his senses not been extraordinary, an average person would never have noticed it.

Ye Chen walked over, his gaze settling on an item at this stall. It was an ancient, black ring, as ordinary as could be, covered in dust and nestled in a corner of the stall that was hard to detect.

Even though he was uncertain of its nature, his intuition told him that this was an item of exceptional significance.

PS: I had a dream during my nap today where I was called the Alliance Hierarch—haha, what a pity it was just a daydream. Three updates completed for today; we continue tomorrow!

By the way, many thanks to [Believe in Yourself], [Journey of Life], [85497667], and [A Youth Should Not Be Debased] for your rewards!