Chapter 25: Blood Toad Wood Leaf

Chapter 25: Blood Toad Wood Leaf

A fair price?

Both Yu Yan and the young stall owner were stunned, their jaws nearly hitting the ground!

There really was a fool willing to pay 50,000 small coins for a single leaf—this guy clearly had no idea what he was buying!

The young stall owner’s mouth hung open, drool dripping from the corner as his heart surged with joy. Today, he had truly encountered a fat sheep ripe for the shearing! He hurriedly said, "Young master, your discerning eyes are truly sharp as fire and keen as a torch—I’m in awe! To be honest, the true value of this leaf is definitely worth more than... 100,000 small coins. Flip it around, and you’ll make tens of thousands in pure profit! Amazing, simply amazing! Young master, shall I wrap it up for you?"

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "No rush. First, tell me where you picked this leaf, and I’ll hand over the 50,000 small coins immediately."

This leaf wasn’t actually worth 50,000 small coins, but it wasn’t an ordinary leaf either.

It was a leaf from the Blood Toad Wood!

The Blood Toad Wood was a type of Mystic Wood that could be used in medicine.

Though not as valuable as the Golden-Threaded Purple Wood, it was still extremely precious.

One tael of Blood Toad Wood could fetch about one tael of Green Gold.

In other words, the price of Blood Toad Wood was on par with Green Gold.

Legends often circulated in the Yulan Empire about martial artists stumbling upon a branch of Blood Toad Wood, selling it, and instantly becoming wealthy beyond measure.

Blood Toad Wood was exceedingly rare and difficult to identify. Many martial artists might pass by it without ever realizing its worth.

Only a Heart Nurturer, familiar with Mystic Medicine and Mystic Wood, could detect its extraordinary nature through keen perception.

Ning Xiaochuan had seen illustrations and detailed records of the Blood Toad Wood in the Marquis Manor’s Mystic Wood Codex. That was how he had recognized the leaf on the stall at first glance.

Mystic Wood wasn’t a specific type of wood but rather a classification for all rare and divine trees—treasures that were stumbled upon rather than sought.

The value of Mystic Wood surpassed even that of Green Gold and Mystic Stones.

The Mystic Wood Codex documented forty-seven types of Mystic Wood, some of which were even more valuable than the Golden-Threaded Purple Wood.

Among them, the Blood Toad Wood ranked toward the lower end.

Of course, the forty-seven types recorded in the Mystic Wood Codex didn’t encompass all Mystic Wood—many remained undiscovered, waiting for future generations to uncover.

With a leaf of Blood Toad Wood right before him, Ning Xiaochuan’s heart naturally raced with excitement. If he could find an entire Blood Toad Wood tree, he would truly strike it rich overnight—perhaps even gather enough to buy Yu Ningsheng’s freedom.

Yet, his expression remained perfectly calm as he had Yu Yan take out 500 large silver coins and place them before the young stall owner. "Just tell me where you picked this leaf, and these 500 large silver coins are yours."

The 500 large silver coins gleamed brightly on the ground, drawing greedy stares from the surrounding stall owners, their throats bobbing as they swallowed hard.

The young stall owner swallowed too.

He had been setting up his street stall here since the age of eight, swindling people left and right. Though he had succeeded a few times, the most he had ever earned was 8,000 small coins—an amount that had left him so excited he couldn’t sleep for days.

But this time, it was 50,000 small coins!

"I... I... won’t sell it!" The young stall owner ultimately held back.

What a joke! Someone willing to pay 50,000 small coins for a single leaf meant that this leaf was definitely no ordinary thing. Perhaps 50,000 small coins was just a drop in the bucket compared to its true value.

Sell it?

Only a fool would sell it now.

Ning Xiaochuan wasn’t the least bit surprised. He simply smiled and said, "No problem. Business is about mutual willingness. Since you’re not willing, then forget it."

Under the young stall owner’s fixed stare, Ning Xiaochuan calmly put away the 500 large silver coins and left the stall.

Seeing how easily Ning Xiaochuan had given up without even trying to persuade him, the young stall owner’s heart suddenly lurched with regret. That was 50,000 small coins!

In the end, the young stall owner didn’t chase after Ning Xiaochuan. Instead, he rolled up his straw mat, clutched the leaf tightly in his palm, and hurriedly left the street, rushing straight to the Mystic Leaf Pavilion to have the manager appraise the leaf’s true worth.

---

Ning Xiaochuan brought Yu Yan to an elegant restaurant in the South Mountain Gathering, taking a seat by the window on the second floor for lunch.

The restaurant was built in a refined, classical style, catering to martial artists from all corners of the land. Many of them were young talents hoping to make a name for themselves in the imperial city.

The topic they discussed most fervently was the "Emperor’s Martial Palace."

The Emperor’s Martial Palace only enrolled students once every five years, naturally making it the dream of countless geniuses. Once admitted, it was like a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate—becoming a renowned powerhouse was practically within reach.

All of them were ambitious prodigies, carrying grand dreams!

"Young Master, why did you offer 50,000 small coins for a single leaf? Why did that young man suddenly refuse to sell it? And why didn’t you try to persuade him when he changed his mind?" These were the questions Yu Yan had wanted to ask all along, and she finally voiced them now.

She had never considered herself slow-witted—at least back in the Jade Viewing Pavilion, she had mastered music, chess, calligraphy, and painting with remarkable speed, surpassing even the most skilled courtesans.

But ever since being with Ning Xiaochuan, she often felt her mind wasn’t sharp enough, as if she had become a little foolish, completely unable to guess what this young master, not much older than herself, was thinking.

Ning Xiaochuan motioned for Yu Yan to sit. At first, she refused—how could a maidservant share a table with her master? But under Ning Xiaochuan’s command, she eventually sat down, though she kept her head lowered in nervous deference.

Ning Xiaochuan propped open the restaurant’s window lattice and glanced down at the street below, smiling faintly. "The results will come soon enough."

---

Downstairs.

The shabbily dressed young stall owner hurried out of the Mystic Leaf Pavilion, looking frantic as he stopped passersby to ask about Ning Xiaochuan’s whereabouts.

Someone pointed him toward the restaurant, and immediately, he sprinted over.

"Damn it! Since the manager of the Mystic Leaf Pavilion said this leaf isn’t mystic medicine, then it definitely isn’t. Regret! If only I’d sold it to that sucker earlier. Who knows if he’d still buy it now?" The young stall owner was filled with regret, as bitter as if his wife had run off with another man, his guts twisting with remorse.

He rushed frantically into the restaurant, searching everywhere for Ning Xiaochuan.

Little did he know, the moment he dashed out of the Mystic Leaf Pavilion, the manager had stepped out, his gaze dark as he watched the young man’s retreating figure. With a slight wave of his hand, a burly martial artist approached.

"Follow him," the manager whispered into the martial artist’s ear before retreating back inside.

All of this was observed by Ning Xiaochuan from the second floor of the restaurant. He merely shook his head with a faint smile. "Greedy people really are everywhere."

Yu Yan glanced out the window curiously. "Young Master, who are you talking about?"

Ning Xiaochuan looked at the wine cup on the table, smiling without answering.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A rapid series of footsteps!

"Noble sir! My lord! I finally found you!" The young stall owner gasped for breath as he stumbled upstairs, collapsing beside the table.

Ning Xiaochuan had already noticed his arrival. He lifted his cup and took a slow sip, feigning surprise. "Stall owner, you’re looking for me?"

The young man nodded vigorously, then carefully pulled out the Blood Toad Wood leaf and placed it on the table with exaggerated reverence. "Now I can sell this divine leaf to you!"

Ning Xiaochuan chuckled. "Then why didn’t you sell it earlier?"

The young man put on a solemn expression. "The timing wasn’t right earlier. A grand transaction like this must be done on an auspicious day. I even went to Lin Sanzhi at the market entrance to divine the perfect moment—and now is it! If we miss this window, we’ll have to wait another year. Noble sir, you must buy it now! If you hesitate, the auspicious moment will pass!"

His eyes pleaded desperately, terrified that Ning Xiaochuan might wise up and refuse.

Ning Xiaochuan remained composed, pausing before speaking. "Brother, what should I call you?"

The young man grew impatient, insisting, "My name isn’t worth mentioning, noble sir. Let’s settle the deal first, then we can talk names, alright?"

Ning Xiaochuan gestured. "Then sit down and have a drink. We’ll discuss the deal slowly."

The young man steeled himself. "Fine! For the sake of this auspicious day, I’ll sell it for just 30,000 small coins—how’s that?"

Ning Xiaochuan glanced at the Blood Toad Wood leaf on the table. "It’s not about the price."

The young man winced as if in physical pain, gritting his teeth. "Then… 10,000 small coins!" Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, tears welling in his eyes. "Noble sir! I swear to the heavens, this leaf is worth at least… 100,000 small coins! If not for my ailing grandfather at home, I wouldn’t sell it to you for such a paltry sum. I’m truly desperate for money—I just want to get the funds quickly to treat my poor father!"

Earlier, when he’d taken the leaf to the Mystic Leaf Pavilion’s manager for appraisal, the man had told him it was worth no more than eighty small coins.

If he could sell it for 10,000 small coins now, he’d be making a killing.

The young master thought to himself.

This kid was spouting nothing but nonsense, and Ning Xiaochuan didn’t believe a single word of it. He said, "Fine then! I’ll buy this leaf, but you have to tell me where you picked it from. If you can personally take me there, I’ll buy it at the original price. How does that sound?"

The young stall owner’s eyes lit up. "What’s the original price?"

"Fifty thousand small coins!" Ning Xiaochuan held up five fingers.

The young stall owner had thought selling it for ten thousand small coins would already be a stroke of luck, but he never expected this sucker would actually offer fifty thousand!

Damn, what a sucker! This guy’s definitely a sucker!