Clad in his Grey robe, he positioned his left hand on his back and assumed the posture of an expert. With slow and gentle steps, he approached the stand.
"How much is that small gourd?" He said, emphasizing the word 'small', trying to diminish the value of the vessel and to make the seller know he was no 'small' fish.
After all, he had seen the world. (Cough, Caravans)
"Huh?!" The old woman jolted awake from her resting position.
From the crackling bones to the dust lifting off her dress, one could tell she had been sleeping the entire day. This was going to be easy.
"Cough, Cough. A young man?" The old lady asked while rubbing her temples. She had moved closer to the red district, thinking that the young masters here would be more generous. But it has already been two days now, and she has not seen a single customer. Hence, she could not believe her ears and thought she was still dreaming.
"Hey, how much is that little gourd?"Wei Kun repeated his sentence. He was already losing his patience. These merchants could even act all confused just to invoke sympathy in their customers. He had seen enough of this show.
Hearing the young man's voice, the old hag knew she wasn't dreaming. She immediately put on an ugly smile and said, "Fifty silver coins, I can even give you a twenty coin discount." Her bony hands grabbed the gourd at the corner of the items and continued to rub it with the hem of her dress.
Seeing this action, Wei Kun grabbed the gourd from her hands and said, "That is not necessary, I'll pay forty silver for it". He could not risk the old merchant spotting the peculiarity of the gourd. An extra ten coins on top of the suggested amount should be enough to show his sincerity and close the deal faster.
However, he still underestimated the old hag. She had lived longer than he, and his actions just now sold his intentions. "Sixty coins and it's a deal", the old lady bargained. With this amount, not only can she get a full meal for the entire month, but she can also get housing.
Wei Kun frowned. He could not waste his money here. He still needed to get a good weapon and purchase herbs, which were required to form the foundation for cultivation. But the old lady would not give an inch.
The haggling of two people continued, and yet no one paid attention to them; this was, after all, normal. However, what was trash to others was intriguing to a young lady.
Just as Wei Kun was about to agree on the fifty silver coins, he heard a young girl's voice.
"Hey!"
They both turned around to be greeted by a small girl holding her waist like she owned the place. Her skin glowed under the moonlight, as if it were made of porcelain. In her right hand was a red popsicle with a visible layer of saliva on it.
"You lost, kid?" Wei Kun asked. Even though he was likely to be no older than her, he couldn't drop his disguise now.
However, the little girl's expression changed like a kitten whose tail was just stepped on, and she said, "Who are you calling a kid, beggar?" With a pout, she continued, "You are a kid. Your whole family is full of kids." She tried to come up with curses, but her pouting only made her look cuter. One could never find fault with her.
Wei Kun's face darkened; the mention of family tore open his wounds.
Just then, a young voice sounded, "I am not a kid, I am Miao Miao, your savior, " the little girl said after calming down. She remembered the reason she had approached this pair of beggars. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and thank me," she said after noticing the blank stares everyone was giving her.
"Hospital is that way, kid." Wei Kun said, pointing in the opposite direction. He had no time to waste on a little brat; he was already running late. He needed to sleep early; tomorrow they'd be moving to the capital, and he, a low-level soldier, would be marching on foot.
After putting the kid in her place, he turned around and was about to finish the deal when an immature voice interrupted him.
"You arrogant beggar, just admit you're poor. I was gonna give you money anyway," She said, her chin raised, waiting to be praised. She finally found someone she could save; she wasn't gonna miss this chance.
Wei Kun almost wanted to slap himself. Where did this calamity come from? "Look, I have enough money, okay," he said while waiving the small pouch he had retrieved from Bai Kun earlier.
However, his actions could not deceive Miao Miao, who had overheard their entire conversation. She knew from the size of the pouch that there were probably only a few pieces of silver in it. This mortal beggar was too arrogant. Then she thought of a brilliant idea.
"Then, how about we make a bet?" Her small mouth arched, revealing tiny canine teeth hiding among her molars. "You, over there, Old hag!" She called out to the old merchant before announcing, "Name the highest price for that toy, if this beggar can pay the amount, I'll reimburse him double."
Everything slowed down. Wei Kun couldn't believe his ears. Was this girl stupid? What if he took out a hundred gold coins? Would she still be able to say those words?
Though her embroidered skirt signified a prominent background, He didn't believe anyone would let a kid roam around with such a fortune. This girl must be bored and should be trying to lighten her day by pulling his leg. But not at the expense of his time. After seeing through the prank, Wei Kun no longer paid any mind to her antics and turned to the old merchant.
He was getting the gourd, no matter what
However, when he noticed the old woman contemplating, he knew she was hooked. Was she going to extort him now? He suddenly felt a headache. He couldn't help but want to teach that little girl a lesson.
"Young lady, is this true?" The old hag asked, her hands trembling. This was a golden opportunity for her.
"Yes, any high price, if he can match it, I'll pay him double", she said as a matter of fact before continuing, "Don't worry about the limit, I'll just repay him everything he spends."
"And if I can't?" Wei Kun cut in. Since he couldn't avoid it, he should just face the situation head-on.
"Then you have to kowtow to me and I'll buy it for you."
'How can a beggar be wealthier than me?' The second sentence was only uttered internally. She couldn't let the beggar know that he was just teaching him a lesson.