Yong Ji clapped his hands and said, “Ah! You’ve solved a big problem for me. Good, I want to rent a small flying boat. How many spirit stones?”

Wei Zhen said, “A deposit of eight thousand low-grade spirit stones, and the rent is one thousand spirit stones!”

Mi Xiaojing suddenly understood; this was what they called ‘asking an exorbitant price.’ He felt it definitely shouldn’t be so expensive, but compared to buying a small flying boat, this amount was still acceptable. This woman was very shrewd; despite her calling everyone ‘big brother,’ she didn’t hesitate to fleece them.

Mi Xiaojing held back from speaking. In fact, he didn’t object to the amount. Since he was in a hurry to bring others over, even if it meant being overcharged, he was willing to accept it.

Excluding the gains from the Mysterious Heaven Formation treasure, just his own financial resources made purchasing a small flying boat a bit of a stretch, but renting one for a thousand spirit stones was still very manageable.

Yong Ji took a sip of spirit tea and remarked, “This tea is really not bad.”

Hearing this, Wei Zhen knew that Yong Ji was somewhat dissatisfied. She giggled and said, “Big brother, this price shouldn’t be anything to you, right?”

Yong Ji replied, “Girl, this price indeed isn’t much for me, but that doesn’t mean you can just charge whatever you want.”

Wei Zhen’s expression remained unchanged, still smiling as she said, “Then why doesn’t big brother make an offer?”

Yong Ji didn’t hold back; he nodded and said, “Alright, I think two hundred low-grade spirit stones should be enough.”

Mi Xiaojing’s mouth dropped open in shock. From one thousand to two hundred, this haggling was terrifying. Could it really be negotiated like this?

Wei Zhen’s face still didn’t change as she chuckled, “Big brother, you must be joking. Hehe, that price is impossible.”

Yong Ji wasn’t angry and simply said, “Then how much?”

“Nine hundred, how about a 10% discount? That should be okay, right?”

“Three hundred. Considering our old friendship, I can go up to three hundred.”

“The most I can do is a 20% discount. It’s not easy for a little sister like me, big brother, you have to be considerate.”

The back-and-forth between the two dazzled Mi Xiaojing and Luo Bo, and it was quite an eye-opener for Mi Xiaojing. Fun!

When Wei Zhen dropped the price to seven hundred spirit stones, she refused to budge any further, no matter what Yong Ji said. She kept insisting that seven hundred was her final authority, and if she went any lower, she wouldn’t be able to decide.

In fact, Mi Xiaojing was already quite satisfied with this price. Seven hundred spirit stones would allow him to bring Zhang Ke and the others to Tianyuan Market. He was about to agree when Yong Ji’s gaze swept over, clearly signaling him not to speak.

Mi Xiaojing immediately shut his mouth. He knew that he rarely interacted with outsiders and didn’t understand many things. It was better to speak less, and he was aware of that.

Resting his chin on his hands, Mi Xiaojing was curious to see how Yong Ji would continue to bargain.

Yong Ji chuckled and said, “Sigh, girl, since you can’t decide, let’s do this: have someone who can decide come and talk.”

With that one sentence, Wei Zhen’s face turned red with embarrassment: “Big brother, why are you like this?”

Mi Xiaojing shivered. He had never seen a woman act coquettishly in his life. Although the coquettish tone wasn’t directed at him, Mi Xiaojing’s hair stood on end.

What the heck! How does this woman talk?

Yong Ji remained unshaken: “Girl, I’m just telling the truth. Can you decide or not?”

Luo Bo was completely oblivious. It didn’t matter to him whether Wei Zhen acted coquettishly or even stripped naked; he probably wouldn’t have any reaction. He just thought this woman was strange, speaking in a weird tone.

Wei Zhen had no choice and said, “Big brother, the final price is six hundred and sixty spirit stones. If that’s not okay, then forget it.”

Yong Ji was unmoved: “Five hundred, that’s my final offer!”

Both declared their final price, leaving Mi Xiaojing utterly confused. If neither side gave in, wouldn’t the deal fall through? What to do then?

Wei Zhen didn’t expect Yong Ji to be so tough. Her face turned from red to pale. Suddenly, Yong Ji laughed and said, “Hehe, girl, I’m just kidding. Let’s go with your price, six hundred spirit stones. Haha, it’s rare to haggle with someone, and it’s really fun.”

Mi Xiaojing felt dizzy. He had thought neither would give in, but to his surprise, Yong Ji suddenly relented. It was just renting a small flying boat, yet it turned into such a drawn-out affair. Mi Xiaojing was quite impressed.

Wei Zhen thought the deal was off. She couldn’t afford to fall out with Yong Ji, after all, he was a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert, and she was far from his level. But she didn’t expect Yong Ji to agree to her price. She clutched her chest, her facial expression a bit stiff: “Big brother, who treats a little girl like this? You’re bullying me.”

Mi Xiaojing couldn’t help but shiver again. This woman’s speech was coquettish and sticky, with a nasal drawl, definitely not the tone of a normal woman, weird yet somehow not off-putting. Strange!

Yong Ji laughed heartily and said, “Girl, if I were really bullying you, I wouldn’t have agreed!” He estimated that Wei Zhen had made at least a hundred spirit stones profit. His bargaining was just a deliberate probe, and once he felt it was close enough, he agreed. Who would bother talking so much if there was no profit?

Luo Bo was clueless, but Mi Xiaojing had a profound realization. Interactions between people, even for a small deal, involved so much scheming. The Cultivation World was indeed very complex.

Wang Weijun’s teachings finally had some effect. Mi Xiaojing realized that one should not blindly trust someone; at the very least, one should be somewhat guarded.

Yong Ji treated the transaction with a playful and even teasing attitude, but he didn’t expect that his and Wei Zhen’s haggling would actually instill a sense of caution in Mi Xiaojing.

Wei Zhen felt a slight regret in her heart. It wasn’t easy for her to earn some spirit stones. She thought she could make a big profit, but she encountered an old fox with superb bargaining skills, and she almost couldn’t save face.

If it had been her boss, the big shopkeeper, negotiating, perhaps it would have been settled for just five hundred spirit stones, but then it would have nothing to do with her.Just as Yong Ji had anticipated, this transaction would net Wei Zhen a profit of one hundred Spirit Stones, to be precise, one hundred and twenty lower-grade Spirit Stones. For Wei Zhen, this was already a considerable sum of Spirit Stones. She was secretly delighted and her speech became even more coquettish.

Yong Ji was merely joking around, speaking with flowery words. For a diligent Cultivator, matters of love and affection between men and women were far less thrilling than Cultivation. Of course, if one were to encounter their fated partner, it would be a bond for life, and even for lifetimes to come. Once a Cultivator has chosen their dual cultivation partner, their unwavering love would be countless times stronger than that of ordinary mortals.

Wei Zhen didn’t harbor any affection for Yong Ji; what she fancied were Spirit Stones. Her coquettish behavior was also for the sake of Spirit Stones, something she was very clear about in her heart. She never had any special feelings for Yong Ji. To be continued… Your support is my greatest motivation. 161028090328