ALL NOVEL Chapter 75: Admiration
“A deal?”
Boss Yao paused slightly, looking at Xiao Yan with confusion. Xiao Yan clasped his hands together and spoke solemnly.
“If the medicinal herbs are truly as you described, and there are only Second-Grade Magical Beasts roaming around, then I am willing to go and retrieve them for you.”
“Really?!”
Xiao Yan’s words brought initial joy to Boss Yao, but then he furrowed his brow and expressed concern.
“Are you sure? Second-Grade Magical Beasts are equivalent to a cultivator at the Dou Shi (Battle Master, 3rd Level) level. Even the most renowned mercenary groups here try to avoid them as much as possible.”
“Boss Yao, please don’t worry. Since I’ve said so, I naturally have enough confidence in this matter.”
“Hmm…”
Observing Xiao Yan’s unwavering confidence, Boss Yao pondered for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and asked Xiao Yan.
“What do you want in return?”
Regardless, it is still a gathering place for Second-Grade Magical Beast. Even if Xiao Yan is confident about going there, he must have some demands.
Although Boss Yao himself is a healer, he only tries to do good deeds without compromising his own interests. He truly doesn’t believe that Xiao Yan would risk his life without any requests in order to retrieve the medicinal herbs.
And Xiao Yan didn’t hide anything, speaking directly.
“As long as I retrieve the medicinal herbs for you, I would like you to give me the Blood Lotus Essence.”
“Blood Lotus Essence?” Boss Yao paused, furrowing his brow. “We don’t have any Blood Lotus Essence in our shop.”
“It’s the one on your shelf.”
Xiao Yan pointed with his hand, and Boss Yao, with a furrowed brow, approached the shelf where the Yellow Lotus Essence was placed. He carefully examined the medicinal herb and ultimately revealed a look of astonishment in his eyes.
Indeed, this was not the Yellow Lotus Essence, but the Blood Lotus Essence.
Yellow Lotus Essence is a common medicinal herb, regularly restocked in dozens of batches. On the other hand, finding even a single Blood Lotus Essence among several thousand plants is not guaranteed, and Boss Yao naturally doesn’t have the time to distinguish them one by one.
However, what surprised Boss Yao was not that he made a mistake, but that Xiao Yan pointed out that it was Blood Lotus Essence.
Boss Yao turned his head slowly, silently gazing at Xiao Yan, and after a long while, he asked softly.
“Putting aside the value of Blood Lotus Essence itself, do you know the price difference between Yellow Lotus Essence and Blood Lotus Essence?”
Faced with Boss Yao’s inquiry, Xiao Yan truthfully answered.
“According to my knowledge, there should be at least a thousandfold difference.” Then Xiao Yan added, “Therefore, I don’t think retrieving that medicinal herb alone is enough to exchange for the Blood Lotus Essence. I just hope you can give me a discount on a portion of the price, and I will pay the rest in full.”
“…”
Boss Yao fell into silence, and his gaze at Xiao Yan was filled with astonishment.
He had encountered honest people before.
But Boss Yao had never seen someone as honest as Xiao Yan in his entire life.
To put it bluntly, Xiao Yan’s level of honesty might seem foolish to others.
To not take advantage of a good deal, what else could it be if not having a problem with one’s mind?
However, in Boss Yao’s heart, a sense of admiration arose for Xiao Yan, this young person he had just met.
He couldn’t achieve the same level of honesty as Xiao Yan.
But that didn’t mean that Boss Yao would disdain Xiao Yan’s honesty.
On the contrary, precisely because he couldn’t attain that level of honesty himself, Boss Yao felt such deep admiration for Xiao Yan.
Even those so-called renowned experts would probably have only a handful of individuals who could match Xiao Yan in terms of honesty.
“Good, the deal is established.” Boss Yao nodded lightly and approached Xiao Yan with the Blood Lotus Essence in his hand. “Although I wanted to give you this Blood Lotus Essence directly, since you can resist such a great advantage, I assume you won’t accept it, right?”
“Our transaction is not yet complete, so why should I receive the reward in advance?”
Xiao Yan said each word deliberately, and Boss Yao chuckled and responded.
“I’ll keep this Blood Lotus Essence for now, so it won’t be bought by someone else. When you bring that medicinal herb, I’ll give you this Blood Lotus Essence directly, without taking a single coin.”
“Boss Yao? This…”
Xiao Yan was initially stunned and was about to say something when Boss Yao raised his hand to stop him.
“If you hadn’t told me, I would have sold this Blood Lotus Essence thinking it was Yellow Lotus Essence. Its value, no matter how high, has nothing to do with me.” Boss Yao laughed and said, “Consider it as Yellow Lotus Essence. With a hundred gold coins, I can make you do dangerous work. Either way, it’s a profit for me.”
“… In that case, I can only express my gratitude to Boss Yao.”
After a moment of astonishment, Xiao Yan respectfully bowed and thanked Boss Yao, who simply waved his hand.
“Alright, wait here for a moment. I’ll prepare things for you.”
Boss Yao entered the inner room and rummaged through boxes and cabinets. Before long, he returned with two pieces of paper and handed them to Xiao Yan.
“These two papers show the location of that medicinal herb and its detailed appearance. With these two things, it will be easier for you to find it.”
“Okay.”
Xiao Yan nodded, accepting the two papers and storing them in his storage ring. He walked to the wall, retrieved the Heavy Black Ruler from his back, and lightly waved his hand to bid farewell to Boss Yao. Just as he was about to leave, Boss Yao’s voice came from behind.
“Be sure to stay safe! Don’t risk your life for this!”
“Thank you for the reminder.”
Xiao Yan turned around, smiled, and left Myriad Medicines Hall. His figure gradually disappeared into the bustling street.
Boss Yao watched Xiao Yan’s fading figure and couldn’t help but feel a touch of emotion.
Such an honest young man was truly rare.
He hoped that his honesty would continue to persist…
As Boss Yao was lost in his thoughts, his brows suddenly furrowed, and he lightly stroked his chin while murmuring.
“Come to think of it, Xian’er is also reaching a suitable age for marriage… After they both come back, I should let them meet each other~”
Boss Yao said this with a glimmer in his eyes and a slight smirk on his lips. But suddenly, he remembered something, and his expression gradually darkened.
“No… let’s forget about it…”
Boss Yao quietly dismissed his own idea, a trace of sorrow flickering in his eyes.
If he really allowed the two of them to meet, it would be fine if they didn’t like each other. But if they did, it would be him harming Xiao Yan.
Xian’er was destined to live a life without a companion.
Cough cough cough!
Just when Boss Yao’s face was still normal, he suddenly covered his mouth and began to cough violently. His complexion turned extremely ugly, and his body trembled so much that he could barely stand. Leaning on the counter, he weakly pulled out a medicine bottle from his sleeve and poured out a pill, which he swallowed. After a few seconds, his complexion gradually improved.
Looking at the bright red liquid in his palm that he had just covered his mouth with, he couldn’t help but bitterly smile.
Am I reaching my limit…?
Boss Yao leaned against the counter and slowly sat down. The thoughts he had just dismissed resurfaced in his mind.
Should I… let them meet after all…?
Even if it would be unfair to Xiao Yan, this honest young man, Boss Yao still hoped that Xian’er would have someone truly trustworthy to accompany her.
Even if it’s only for a short while…
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