Li Qing also knew that one hundred gold soul coins was probably impossible, but he didn't intend to take it at that price; he just wanted to disgust him.
Old Man Wang took a deep breath and said, "Little friend, please don't joke. That price isn't even enough to cover the cost."
Li Qing retorted, "Weren't you the one joking first? Ten thousand gold soul coins for a thousand-year-old item? Robbery would be much faster than this."
Old Man Wang gave an awkward smile.
Li Qing said, "Let me tell you, both my parents are deacons of the Spirit Hall. If you can do this business, give me a proper price. If not, say so early, don't waste my time."
Hearing this, Old Man Wang's heart couldn't help but jump.
Although he was also a soul master, his soul power was only level thirteen. A Great Soul Master was not someone he could afford to offend, and this Great Soul Master was even a deacon of the Spirit Hall.
If he really scammed Li Qing and his parents found out, wouldn't they smash his shop?
Thinking clearly about the key points, Old Man Wang immediately became honest and awkwardly said, "Uh, young master, I only have three pieces of whale glue left in my shop: two thousand-year-old pieces and one three-thousand-year-old piece."
"If young master sincerely wants them, how about two thousand gold soul coins for the thousand-year ones and four thousand for the three-thousand-year one?"
Li Qing didn't rush to haggle, but instead asked, "Can you still get ten-thousand-year-old whale glue? If so, how long would I have to wait, and how much would it cost?"
"Cough, cough..."
Old Man Wang awkwardly said, "Young master, you may not know, but ten-thousand-year-old whale glue is a rare item. Even if it exists, it wouldn't appear in a small place like ours."
Li Qing snapped, "Didn't you say there's nothing you can't get?"
"Cough, cough... It's just business, you know, that's how it is."
Old Man Wang looked extremely embarrassed, as if he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Li Qing continued, "Alright, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll take the three pieces of whale glue for five thousand gold soul coins, and I'll take whatever you get in future shipments."
The effect of three pieces of whale glue wouldn't be very significant.
After all, Tang Wutong had been baptized by various rare treasures since childhood, ate whale glue until she was sick, and her second soul ring was only thousand-year. Li Qing definitely needed more.
As for Huo Yuhao...
He used ten-thousand-year-old whale glue, and at the same time, his body underwent tempering by Ma Xiaotao's ultimate fire, which is why he increased his tolerance by a thousand years.
"Five thousand?"
Old Man Wang's eyes widened. This wasn't making things difficult?
Li Qing said, "Don't talk about losing money on the deal. Since you quoted eight thousand, you definitely still profit at five thousand, just a little less. But I'm buying in bulk, so you won't lose out."
Old Man Wang was speechless, because Li Qing was telling the truth; he could indeed make a little profit at five thousand.
But 'a little' really was just a little.
He would never sell at this price to someone else, but the parents of this little brat were deacons of the Spirit Hall. If he didn't sell, what if they made things difficult for him?
"Young master, this price is really... Can you please add a little more?"
Li Qing thought to himself, "It seems I guessed correctly. He can indeed still profit at five thousand, but probably not much. He doesn't dare to refuse directly because he fears my background."
"How about this, five thousand five hundred. And as I said before, I'll take whatever you get in the future."
Li Qing mentioning his background was just to avoid being scammed, not to bully others with his influence. So he generously added five hundred, after all, he still relied on him to get more stock.
"Alright!"
Seeing him immediately add five hundred, Old Man Wang was beaming with joy and readily agreed. Then he turned and took out three boxes from the back of the shop.
Li Qing took out his money pouch from his storage ring and counted out five thousand five hundred gold soul coins for him.
The storage ring was a relic left by his parents. The internal space was decent, a two-cubic-meter square space, which was completely sufficient for storing some daily necessities.
Old Man Wang smiled as he accepted the gold soul coins and said, "Thank you, young master."
Li Qing said, "Pay attention when you're getting stock. Don't get anything below a thousand years. The older the year limit, the better. If you can find a way to get ten-thousand-year ones, that would naturally be best."
No matter what the item, using it too much will definitely build resistance, and the effect will only get worse.
With the same quality, it might become ineffective after only a few uses. So if Li Qing wanted a thousand-year-level second soul ring, he needed more and better quality whale glue.
"Don't worry, young master, I guarantee I'll do my best to get you high-quality ones."
This deal for Old Man Wang might not seem as profitable as selling normally, but he couldn't resist the large quantity Li Qing wanted. Subsequent stock could be sold as soon as he got it.
He really didn't lose money.
"Okay."
Li Qing responded and left.
However, he didn't rush back but continued searching, visiting several shops and buying two pieces each of thousand-year and three-thousand-year whale glue.
Nine pieces of whale glue were temporarily enough.
Back home, Li Qing eagerly lit a fire and took out a piece of thousand-year whale glue to bake. Since it was just ordinary flame, the speed was slow.
But as time went on, the whale glue still began to melt.
Gradually, a strange aroma emanated from the whale glue. The scent was very strong but condensed and didn't disperse, only lingering within a one-meter radius.
After baking for a long time, the whale glue finally turned into a soft, gelatinous substance.
Li Qing immediately took a knife, cut off a piece, blew on it, threw it into his mouth, chewed it with a grimace, and swallowed it. Then he swallowed the entire piece of whale glue, piece by piece.
In just a moment, a hot current surged from his lower abdomen to his limbs and bones.
The hot current swept through him, giving Li Qing a strange sense of comfort. His eyes gradually became hazy, but he didn't forget to circulate his soul power to absorb the medicinal effect.
As the medicinal effect was stimulated, Li Qing's face and even his body gradually became flushed.
Fortunately, it was only thousand-year whale glue. If it were ten-thousand-year whale glue, he estimated he would experience what it felt like to be consumed by desire.
Even so, it wasn't very comfortable.
Gradually, Li Qing's body turned from flushed to blood red, like a cooked shrimp. Even his pupils gradually became bloodshot, and his whole body swayed precariously.
As if he could fall at any moment.
However, the effect of the whale glue was also slowly manifesting. His body was undergoing comprehensive tempering, and the strength of his flesh, bones, and meridians was gradually increasing.
Even his soul power began to slowly grow.
The main function of whale glue is to enhance physique, allowing soul masters to withstand higher-year soul rings, but there is also a soul power increase, although not much.
The original work explicitly stated that Huo Yuhao's soul power increased by half a level after absorbing ten-thousand-year whale glue.
Although Li Qing was using only thousand-year whale glue, his current soul power level was also far below Huo Yuhao's. However, the exact amount of increase would only be known after it was over.
Time passed little by little, and the medicinal effect gradually began to weaken until it completely disappeared.
Li Qing opened his eyes, feeling better than ever before. He couldn't help but get up and perform a set of clumsy punches, clearly feeling his strength had increased.