Chapter 44 Perfect Success

Gu Erniu and Gu Sheng steadied their minds and emotions, unhurried yet confident. When it came to selling pelts, especially rare ones like silver fox pelts, they were the ones being courted.

Before long.

A middle-aged man with a round face and slight paunch walked in, dressed like an attendant. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, and he clasped his hands repeatedly in apology.

"I’ve kept you two waiting. Truly, my affairs have been overwhelming. My surname is Qian; feel free to call me Fatty Qian."

"Greetings, Manager Qian."

Gu Sheng and his companion naturally wouldn’t actually call him Fatty Qian.

Manager Qian sat down, discreetly sizing up the two men across from him. Though they had attempted to mask it, the rustic air about them was unmistakable.

Yet he harbored no disdain.

Their figures were sturdy, their faces tough and resolved, and judging by the large bundle of pelts behind them, their identities were clear.

Hunters—and not ordinary ones.

"I wonder what kind of trade the two of you are hoping to conduct?"

Gu Sheng drew out the silver fox pelt he had prepared in advance.

With a gentle motion.

The rolled-up silver fox pelt instantly spread out, landing on the square table in front of them. The silvery sheen, gleaming brilliantly, caught their eyes. Manager Qian’s heart skipped a beat as he reached out to touch it, the soft and comfortable texture surging through his senses.

He examined it closely, his expression growing more and more astonished.

The pelt was exceptionally smooth and intact. Apart from some necessary cutting marks, it was flawless, with no holes or damage whatsoever.

"What a stunning pelt! Such exceptional archery!"

He couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

With his discerning eye, it was obvious this was a silver fox pelt. For it to remain this intact, the fox must’ve been felled with a single shot through the skull—a clear testament to the hunter’s skill.

Among these two hunters, at least one had to be a master archer—perhaps even both!

His smile grew noticeably more genial.

This was truly a lucrative deal.

Gu Erniu, seeing a silver fox pelt for the first time, could almost instantly recreate in his mind Gu Sheng’s silver fox hunt. His eyes were filled with awe; such archery was a marvel.

"Manager Qian has a keen eye; it’s commendable. I wonder what price you’re willing to offer?"

Manager Qian pondered for a moment before quoting his price.

"Ordinary silver fox pelts typically fetch eleven or twelve taels. For one of this quality, flawless and pristine, I can offer twenty taels."

Hearing this offer, Gu Erniu’s breathing paused momentarily.

Gu Sheng couldn’t hide the joy in his heart either.

"Twenty taels is too low. I’ve heard the market price often exceeds double that. How about twenty-four taels for this pelt?"

Manager Qian shook his head with a smile and replied:

"You’re probably referring to the silver fox pelt incident from two years ago. That was a rarity, something beyond reach. To be frank, I plan to present this pelt as a gift to the wife of my employer. Twenty-two taels—consider it a gesture of goodwill to make friends with two master archers!"

"I also noticed some pelts and medicinal herbs behind you two. How about this—I’ll purchase everything at the stall price here in the market?"

The sincerity was unmistakable. Mingyu Hall, a business owned by a prominent family, didn’t resort to underhanded tricks.

Gu Sheng secretly nodded in approval.

This offer was close to his expected price—perhaps even slightly higher—coupled with higher market prices for the other goods, saving them the trouble of setting up a stall themselves.

The two exchanged a glance. Gu Erniu smiled and said:

"In that case, we’ll follow Manager Qian’s arrangement."

"Excellent, very straightforward! I’ll immediately arrange for someone to count the goods!"

The deal was struck, and both sides revealed smiles of satisfaction.

Before long.

Everything had been sorted and counted.

Manager Qian held a large abacus, clicking away before finally looking up and saying:

"Altogether, it comes to eight taels and three pieces of big coin. Do the two of you find this acceptable?"

Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu both nodded, their eyes reflecting their delight.

Gu Sheng’s goods were valued at five taels, while Gu Erniu’s totaled three taels and three big coins—a sizeable fortune.

After settling accounts.

Gu Sheng held a hefty twenty-seven taels of silver in his hands, feeling deeply satisfied.

He recalled just a few months ago, newly awakened with innate wisdom and without a single resource to his name. Back then, twenty-seven taels felt as distant as a dream—even one tael was unimaginable. Now, he had finally escaped survival struggles and begun walking toward a brighter future.

"If the two of you need anything, feel free to browse Mingyu Hall. We carry everything—from weapons to medicinal powders, all of the highest quality," Manager Qian said with a smile.

With money in their pockets, confidence soared, and even Gu Erniu was tempted.

The two decided to stroll around the hall. Their jaws dropped as they took in the sights.

Medicinal powders and pills used by Martial Artists were priced by the tael even for the most basic items. Some reached into the hundreds of taels—a world beyond their imagination.

They didn’t lack weapons, so they merely browsed.

By the time they finished their round, their slightly inflated egos had deflated significantly.

In the end.

They purchased a few medicinal powders for stopping bleeding and detoxifying poison—useful in case of injuries or poisoning during hunts. After some hesitation, Gu Sheng also bought a vial of "Black Blood Powder."

This Black Blood Powder came at a hefty price—two taels of silver!

It could be applied to weapon blades. If it entered the body, the toxic effect would overwhelm even Martial Artists in the Refining Skin Realm. Though it might not directly kill, it would surely reduce combat effectiveness significantly.

Li Yan’s incident was in the past, yet Gu Sheng felt he needed a trump card.

Since he had yet to train in martial arts, he relied on this countermeasure should Martial Artists come seeking revenge. Combined with his perfect archery skills, the Black Blood Powder would be enough to deter most opponents.

With twenty-seven taels of silver, he was left with just over twenty-four taels in a flash.

Gu Sheng quickly reminded himself to hold back.

After all, he still needed to save money for training martial arts.

The two, watched by Manager Qian, left Mingyu Hall and returned to their rented courtyard to retrieve some bows.

Such stolen goods couldn’t be openly sold at Mingyu Hall. Though the chance of being discovered was small, caution was necessary.

This time, Gu Erniu had Gu Sheng fully covered, leading him to a small alleyway. He gently knocked on the wooden door several times, prompting someone to cautiously peek out.

"Friends of Brother Dao—we’ve brought three bows!" Gu Erniu said in a low, firm voice.

The man relaxed slightly, unperturbed by their appearance. After all, this was a black market exchange point; caution was normal.

"Come in."

The two slipped inside, and the man quickly shut the wooden door.

The room was sparsely furnished, dimly lit, with an expressionless and wiry old man sitting at the counter—his demeanor a stark contrast to Manager Qian’s hospitality.

Gu Erniu wasted no time.

He placed the three bows—those belonging to the Li family hunters—on the counter.

The old man examined the bows briefly before saying impassively:

"They’re around seventy or eighty percent new. The three combined are worth only three taels of silver."

Through official channels, buying a one-stone bow would cost around two taels of silver. Even bows of seventy or eighty percent quality shouldn’t be worth merely one tael each—the price had been significantly squeezed.

But since it was black market trade, Gu Sheng accepted it.

Safety first.

After receiving the silver, Gu Sheng hesitated before asking:

"Can you exchange bows here—a two-stone bow?"

Seeing the old man nod, he immediately placed Li Yan’s bow onto the counter. Previously, at Mingyu Hall, Gu Sheng had noticed some differences between Li Yan’s bow and regular two-stone bows. Concerned about hidden flaws, he decided to pay extra to exchange it for a proper one.

"Add ten big coins, and you can exchange it for this one."

The old man retrieved another two-stone bow from under the counter. Gu Sheng, with his quick eye, immediately recognized it as identical to the ones sold at Mingyu Hall—albeit slightly worn and bearing signs of use.

Gu Sheng’s eyes lit up—that suited him perfectly.

"This is the one!"

After thoroughly inspecting the bow to ensure there were no issues, Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu stepped out of the wooden door.

At this point, Gu Erniu couldn’t help but remark:

"Asheng, you’ve earned money now, but you still need to be thrifty. Buying the Black Blood Powder is one thing, but this bow and Li Yan’s aren’t all that different. There’s no need to spend half a tael on it—you could’ve just disguised the old bow yourself, and no one would find out."

His heart ached.

For someone who worked hard year-round to make just over three taels from pelts, seeing Gu Sheng spend nearly his entire earnings in one fell swoop was hard to stomach.

"You want to train martial arts, get married, and support a family. It’s always better to save more money."

Gu Erniu didn’t quite understand Gu Sheng’s excessive caution.

Gu Sheng merely chuckled and said nothing in response. Holding Li Yan’s bow still made him uneasy, so avoiding even a single possible flaw was worth it.

Still, he appreciated Gu Erniu’s concern, so he smiled and assured him that he’d keep it in mind.

Gu Erniu relented after that.

Gu Sheng felt elated. The day’s activities had broadened his horizons, showcasing Mingyu Hall’s opulence and the stark nature of black market dealings—a significant learning experience.

He’d successfully converted his earlier gains into currency. Including a few taels saved at home, his liquid wealth now exceeded thirty taels!

Moreover, he’d obtained a superior bow capable of fully maximizing his perfect archery skills.

The trip to Canghe County had been a complete success!