The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After a short while, Manager Cui returned on his own.

He entered the back hall, his steps much slower and lighter than before, as if he was certain Cang Ran would sell the spirit herbs. “Great Demon King, what have you decided?”

Cang Ran carefully looked at Manager Cui. The corners of his mouth had a line of blisters, which indeed indicated, as Tan Qingxuan said, that Manager Cui was anxious and worked up, only pretending to be unhurried in front of them.

If he truly didn’t care, he wouldn’t have come back personally, but would have simply sent a shop assistant to wait for the herbs.

Moreover, Tan Qingxuan said that in the human realm where she lived, Fire Demon Beasts had recently caused trouble, injuring many people. Fire spirit herbs should be in short supply, and their price should have increased accordingly.

Cang Ran put down her tea cup and raised an eyebrow at him. “Manager Cui.”

The tea cup made a soft sound on the table. No coercion was used, yet it made Manager Cui’s heart tremble.

Since ancient times, a powerful dragon struggles against a local snake. In this area of Luofeng City, doing business with the demon race was difficult.

Although their Qiuhe Hall was backed by a major sect and had the connections to invite high-level cultivators to preside, their foundation was shallow. They dared not engage in direct conflict with the local demon race.

Especially facing a great demon like Cang Ran, one of the seventy-two Demon Kings of the Azure Ocean Mountain Range, he had always treated her with full courtesy, carefully catering to her.

Manager Cui saw the chair Cang Ran had smashed to pieces on the floor. He wiped a layer of sweat that appeared on his forehead and said respectfully, “Great Demon King, is there any way I have failed to receive you properly?”

Cang Ran took out the Fierce Thunder Grass from earlier and tossed it in front of Manager Cui, asking coldly, “Manager Cui, please tell me the name of this spirit herb.”

Seeing the spirit herb covered in dust, Manager Cui quickly picked it up, carefully took out a special silk handkerchief, and wiped it repeatedly.

This was a good item! This grandmother was throwing spirit herbs on the ground like worthless cabbages. Anyone who saw this would call it a waste of natural resources.

Manager Cui’s heart was bleeding, making him flustered. He quickly said, “This is the ice-attributed spirit herb, Fierce Thunder Grass, eight years old.”

Cang Ran narrowed her fox eyes, asking knowingly, “Oh, then how much should an eight-year-old medicine be worth?”

Manager Cui was an old hand. Hearing that Cang Ran seemed dissatisfied with the price, he immediately said, “Herbs under fifty years old are all purchased at 100 low-grade spirit stones. You can see the spiritual energy yourself; it’s indeed not very abundant. Although Qiuhe Hall is not a big apothecary, we have always operated on integrity and would never deceive a long-time customer in this matter.”

His triangular eyes secretly glanced at Cang Ran. Seeing her dark expression, his heart began to pound. He quickly adapted and said, “But you are different. Thanks to your help, Great Demon King, for the past half-year, our humble shop has been able to maintain its prestige. The purchase price for other demons is 100 low-grade spirit stones, but how about I add 20 spirit stones for you?”

Cang Ran clenched her fists. So for the past half-year, she had been the scapegoat! Every spirit herb she sold was worth at least 20 spirit stones more!

This dead Manager Cui! He bullies me for living deep in the mountains and rarely leaving. And now, he still thinks about getting rid of me with petty profit!

Cang Ran was so angry that she laughed instead. Fire burned in her phoenix eyes, making her look even more beautiful, striking, and dazzling, which made the previously cautious Manager Cui stare blankly.

He had stayed in Luofeng City for so long and had seen countless beautiful and enchanting demon cultivators. But the most stunning beauty, one of the best, was the fox demon in the Transformation stage before him.

That smile was truly radiant, making one’s heart flutter. However, the fox demon had a volatile temper and profound magic power, making him dare not look directly.

He licked his old face, adopting a subservient posture, and asked, “Great Demon King, you have unique treatment here with me. What do you think?”

Cang Ran was so angry that her head hurt. She rubbed her forehead with her slender fingers, her tone icy. “Manager Cui, tell me again, what is this Fierce Thunder Grass used for?”

Manager Cui originally wanted to show off in front of Cang Ran, but thinking that this Fierce Thunder Grass could be sold for 500 mid-grade spirit stones after being transported to the cultivation world, allowing him to gain greater profits, he changed his explanation.

“This Fierce Thunder Grass is an adjuvant medicine. There are four categories of herbs: ‘Monarch,’ ‘Minister,’ ‘Adjuvant,’ and ‘Messenger.’ The Monarch medicine is the primary one, the Minister is the auxiliary, and the Adjuvant and Messenger medicines are just minor aids, not very useful. They can be easily replaced, so they don’t fetch a good price.”

If Cang Ran hadn’t heard Tan Qingxuan say that the Fierce Thunder Grass was an auxiliary medicine, and one used to refine pills that help cultivators cross tribulation, she would have been fooled by Manager Cui’s seemingly professional words.

Cang Ran’s phoenix eyes slightly turned up, and a hint of coldness outlined her beautiful lips. “Is that so? Why do I remember that this Fierce Thunder Grass is used to make pills for cultivators to cross tribulation, and it’s an indispensable auxiliary medicine? Could it be, Manager Cui, that you are deliberately bullying the demon race of our Azure Ocean Mountain Range?”

The Demon Kings of the Azure Ocean Mountain Range all had formidable reputations. Their cultivation was profound, and the demon race was bloodthirsty and fierce. Who would dare bully the demon race? Wasn’t that seeking death?

This fox demon previously didn’t recognize spirit herbs, but today she even knew the use of the spirit herb so clearly. Did she deliberately bring someone knowledgeable to find fault?

Manager Cui was scared witless. His throat tightened, and he quickly wiped the cold sweat that instantly appeared on his forehead. “I wouldn’t dare, Great Demon King, you flatter me. Our humble apothecary is here today because we rely on the Azure Ocean Mountain Range. We dare not forget our roots. I’ve been getting old and confused lately. Just now, I carefully examined it in my hand, and it is indeed Fierce Thunder Grass.”

Cang Ran sneered, walked up to Manager Cui, and snatched the Fierce Thunder Grass from his hand. “Heh heh. You even dare to lie to me, Manager Cui. You are truly impressive. Who else can I do business with? Why should I do it with Qiuhe Hall?”

She secured the spirit herbs, took Tan Qingxuan, turned around, and walked straight out.

Manager Cui was utterly stunned. That precious medicine was in his hand a moment ago, and now it was forcibly taken away.

Just now, the young master’s jade tablet sent a message urging him for the medicine. He had even specifically told the young master that Qiuhe Hall had acquired more than ten fire-attributed spiritual medicines today, along with a Fierce Thunder Grass specifically for refining Tribulation-Crossing Pills.

Now that the medicine was gone, he would not only lose face in front of the young master, but if word got out, Qiuhe Hall’s reputation in the demon realm would also plummet.

He quickly ran to stop Cang Ran, knelt on the ground with a thump, and crawled forward, kowtowing. “Great Demon King, please be merciful and forgive this humble one this time. I will never dare to do it again.”

Cang Ran looked down at him, her eyes deep and mysterious. “What is it, Manager Cui? Didn’t you just insist that my spirit herb was only an insignificant adjuvant medicine? Why are you so anxious now?”

Manager Cui fiercely kowtowed again, making a loud dong-dong sound on the floor. He slapped his own face, regretting bitterly. “Great Demon King, please forgive me. I was just blinded by greed and acted on an impulse. I truly know I was wrong. I am willing to compensate you double, to compensate the Great Demon King for your loss! Please sell the medicine to our Qiuhe Hall!”

Manager Cui knelt on the ground, slapping himself without hesitation. Soon, his face swelled up with red handprints. Tears streamed down his face, which was etched with bitterness.

Cang Ran watched his performance with cold eyes, exchanging a look with Tan Qingxuan. Indeed, every step was within Tan Qingxuan’s expectation.

Cang Ran curved her lips and asked lazily, “Compensate me for my loss?”

Manager Cui saw a chance and quickly nodded in agreement. “I am willing to pay 500 mid-grade spirit stones to purchase your Fierce Thunder Grass. If you agree, I’ll take all the fire-attributed and other spirit herbs as well. The original 5,000 low-grade spirit stones will now be doubled to 10,000 low-grade spirit stones. What do you think?”

Manager Cui dared to say this price was unique in the entire Luofeng City. If he didn’t desperately need this batch of medicinal plants, he would never have offered such a high price.

Fortunately, there was still a profit to be made. Otherwise, if he lost face with the young master, how could he, a head manager, continue?

Cang Ran knew Manager Cui was still not being completely honest. She glanced at him coldly, utterly crushing his confidence. “Manager Cui, do you still have any credibility? Or does your Qiuhe Hall still have any credibility? I will not cooperate with Qiuhe Hall again. Don’t block my way.”

Manager Cui’s confident smile immediately collapsed. His entire person seemed to turn to stone.

He couldn’t understand why a demon would not be greedy for spirit stones. This much spirit stone was equivalent to a year’s income for a demon mountain’s spirit stone mine.

If Qiuhe Hall’s reputation were ruined, the violent young master would surely peel his skin off, and he would lose his position as the head manager.

In the past, he dared to manipulate other small demons and dismiss them with petty gains, but a person like Cang Ran, who was absolutely determined, was clearly not someone to provoke. She would rather not earn money than do business with him.

Seeing Cang Ran walk past him, Manager Cui was desperately anxious. He quickly chased after her, gritting his teeth. “800 mid-grade spirit stones, plus 12,000 low-grade spirit stones! Also, I will offer a gift of apology to the Great Demon King! Please give this humble one a way to live!”

Cang Ran’s eyes curved. She exchanged a knowing smile with Tan Qingxuan. This time, she truly stopped.

One mid-grade spirit stone in the demon realm was equivalent to one hundred low-grade spirit stones. Manager Cui’s high offer in the heat of the moment meant she had suddenly gained an additional 32,000 low-grade spirit stones.

After all, it would be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal. Moreover, Manager Cui truly bled dry this time. Seeing Manager Cui unhappy made her happy.

A flicker of amusement crossed Cang Ran’s eyes. She turned around and spoke very gently, “Manager Cui, what are you talking about? How could I not give you a way to live? It’s just a few spirit herbs. Get up quickly. Tell me, what kind of gift of apology are you going to give me?”

Manager Cui clutched his chest, feeling like he was about to vomit blood. All the ill-gotten gains from his private trading of medicinal herbs over the past two years were lost in this transaction.

He forced out a smile that was uglier than crying. His face was full of wrinkles that spelled out bitterness, and he managed to raise his voice slightly. “This gift of apology was left here by a previous customer whose payment was insufficient. It has been a year past the agreed-upon date, so I presume the customer will not return. It is a perfect opportunity to present it to the Great Demon King.”

He waved to the young assistant in the distance and instructed, “Little Shunzi, find two people to take down the sandalwood box on the very top of the Precious Treasures Shelf. Wrap it in fine silk and bring it over. Be careful not to bump it.”

After a short while, three assistants struggled to carry an oversized sandalwood box. It was wrapped in yellow fine silk and appeared to be about half the height of a person.

The men held the sandalwood box with difficulty, the veins on the backs of their hands bulging, profusely sweating. After placing it on the floor, the ground shook sharply. They kept panting heavily.

The item in this box must be quite heavy. Could it really be something good?

Cang Ran was somewhat skeptical. After all, this Manager Cui was a complete miser. If it weren’t for Qingqing, it would be difficult to get anything out of him. She didn’t believe he would genuinely give her anything good.

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