"What is this thing?" Ning Fan asked with a smile, looking at the jar.
Ning Fan might not have bothered with the shopkeeper for anything else, but he was somewhat surprised by the jar.
He could feel faint fluctuations of True Qi from the jar.
It wasn't very obvious, but clearly, the jar was no ordinary item, or rather, what was inside the jar was no ordinary item!
"This..." the shopkeeper was in a difficult position because he didn't even know what this thing actually was.
And how could he try to sell something to Ning Fan that he knew nothing about?
Finding himself in a bind, the shopkeeper sighed, thinking that he probably wouldn't be able to sell it today, but no matter; it was only five hundred dollars. At worst, he could deduct it from the waiter's salary, and he wouldn't lose out.
But as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Ning Fan from across the counter say, "It looks interesting, may I have a look at it?"
Having been on the verge of giving up, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he heard Ning Fan's words, and he hurriedly passed it over, "Of course you can have a look, hehe... please, go ahead."
Ning Fan reached out to take it, somewhat astonished.
The jar didn't look like much, but it was surprisingly heavy.
He shook it in his hand, hearing a rustling sound. It seemed there was some kind of powder inside.
Besides that, the decorations on the jar were not particularly luxurious, merely carved with some patterns that could even be considered ugly. The patterns didn't clearly depict anything, possibly just some Ghostly Talisman-like decorative totems.
Watching Ning Fan casually tap it a few times, the shopkeeper's face grew even more distressed, but he still forced himself to stay calm as he said, "Young friend, this item here is definitely of good quality. It's just that it's old and has accumulated some dust and such, but these things really don't matter, they don't affect its value."
As the shopkeeper said this, even he felt somewhat guilty.
After all, the jar was sealed, so how could dust have accumulated inside?
Ning Fan listened to the shopkeeper's words, finding them amusing, but he didn't call him out, instead just nodding nonchalantly.
"Of course, if you think the contents are problematic, I can give you a discount," the shopkeeper spoke again.
Because he hadn't been able to detect any interest from Ning Fan in his facial expressions, especially after finding out there was some unknown dirt or something inside the jar, the shopkeeper figured he'd have to use his wits when it came to the price.
"Oh? A discount?" Ning Fan's eyes sparkled as he asked.
Seeing that there was hope, the shopkeeper eagerly nodded again, "Certainly, certainly. As long as you truly want it, I can give you a fair price. What do you say?"
"Good, how much for this thing?" Ning Fan asked casually, casually tossing the jar in his hand once more, prompting another rustling sound from inside.
Seeing how Ning Fan did not treasure the item, the shopkeeper's initial plan to ask for three thousand dollars got stuck in his throat.
After a moment's thought, the shopkeeper tentatively said, "Two thousand... I see you have a kind face, let's make friends. Two thousand and it's yours."
Ning Fan firmly shook his head, "No way, that's too expensive. Forget it then, two thousand dollars is a lot."
"Hey, wait, wait... Alright, you say, say how much," the shopkeeper said exasperatedly. After finally meeting someone slightly interested in this junk jar, it would be a shame to see the deal fall through. When would he be able to sell it otherwise?
"One thousand dollars, and it's a deal. The money for you, the item for me," Ning Fan stated.
"That won't do, we'd be at a loss for a thousand bucks," the owner almost subconsciously blurted out.
This was already a habit; if he agreed to the first price cut proposed by the other party, wouldn't that be admitting he was indeed overcharging?
Moreover, the owner wanted to squeeze more out of Ning Fan. He had acquired the item for five hundred, and even before Ning Fan made his offer, the owner had already doubled his money. But still, the owner felt it wasn't enough.
"Losing money? Come on, how about a thousand?" Ning Fan asked again.
"That won't do. Here's what we'll do, one thousand eight, I'll knock off two hundred for you. If you want it, take it," the owner feigned magnanimity with an air of generosity.
However, unbeknownst to him, his shifty appearance and generosity were poles apart.
Still one thousand eight, reducing the price by two hundred at a time, Ning Fan didn't have the patience to haggle with him and decisively shook his head: "Just a thousand. I won't give a penny more."
"This..." The owner hesitated.
"Forget it, I don't want it anymore," Ning Fan said, shaking his head, but he didn't show the slightest intention of putting down the jar he was holding.
"Wait, wait, okay, okay, a thousand it is. I'll take it as a loss today, to make your acquaintance. How's that?" The owner got a fright and hurriedly said.
After all, any profit was good, and stumbling upon such an easy mark was luck itself. If he walked away, the jar might indeed become dead stock.
At least now he still made a five hundred profit, which was pretty good.
"Alright, I'll take it," Ning Fan nodded decisively.
Xu Xiaoqing couldn't stand it anymore and said in frustration, "That jar is butt-ugly, how is it worth a thousand? What do you even want this thing for?"
She was puzzled, and the owner himself was startled. If this young lady messed up his business, that would be the real tragedy.
"Miss, you can tell at a glance that you're not into this. You see, this young brother has a good eye. A thousand for this object, he's made a killing," the owner said earnestly.
"Who doesn't understand? Even if I don't, this thing is so ugly, I wouldn't take it for a hundred," Xu Xiaoqing said, her eyes wide with indignation.
"Forget it, it's just for fun," Ning Fan said from the side, while swiftly counting out a thousand bucks and handing it to the owner.
The owner almost snatched the money, casually checked it, and put it in his pocket as if fearful that Ning Fan might change his mind.
Just then, a man dressed in Tang attire walked into the shop.
As the man entered, his eyes fell on Ning Fan and the others; after all, there was no one else in the shop at that time.
He glanced at the object in Ning Fan's hand but didn't pay much attention, assuming Ning Fan had just purchased an item.
Meanwhile, all of Ning Fan's attention was focused on the jar.
Now that the jar was in his possession, Ning Fan couldn't wait to stimulate the True Qi within his body and channel it into the jar.
Strangely enough, the once plain and unadorned jar upon contact with Ning Fan's True Qi suddenly seemed as though it was being de-rusted, the entire jar starting to appear somewhat kinder, as if it began to emanate a silvery glow.
Even upon closer inspection, one could see threads of gentle light slowly gliding over the jar, akin to flowing water, which was truly amazing.
"Eh? How magical, what's going on here?" Xu Xiaoqing had been watching the jar and was somewhat surprised by its transformation.