Chapter 146: Closing a Deal
‘Although I have never seen the Foundation Establishment Pill with my own eyes, I, Han Li, know its value and its importance very clearly! Think about it, at the Tian Wutai Great Immortal Ascension Assembly, nearly thousands of cultivators fought a battle of life and death, and for what? Wasn’t it because of the temptation of this Foundation Establishment Pill! And this Martial Uncle Ye thinks he could just trade it away with some spirit stones and magic tools, does he really think that I am some youngster who just came from the mountains?’ Han Li thought to himself while laughing coldly on the inside, but on the outside he appeared respectful, as if he was truly listening carefully to what the Martial Uncle Ye had to say.
The old man surnamed Ye was satisfied with Han Li’s response. After all, this future disciple didn’t reject him as soon as he brought up the trade for the Foundation Establishment Pill. It seemed like this could go somewhere.
He never thought that he could easily trade the Foundation Establishment Pill with the items that were mentioned earlier from the very beginning. Anyone who was not an an idiot would know to not trade this precious item for something so cheap. What he said earlier was merely a test!
But now, looking at Han Li’s attitude, there seemed to be the possibility of negotiation. He was overjoyed!
If Han Li was willing to trade, the old man was very confident that he could satisfy Han Li’s demands and trade it for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Just thinking about it made the old man surnamed Ye’s smile grow even wider. It even felt like Han Li was less of an eyesore than before!
“Martial Nephew Han, I’m sure you know about the attribute of your spiritual roots! To be honest, with Martial Nephew’s aptitude, even by taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, the rate of successfully entering Foundation Establishment is very low! At most, the Foundation Establishment Pill would boost your magic power, and maybe level up your basic powers two or three layers! If so, taking the Foundation Establishment Pill would be too wasteful! To Martial Nephew, it would be best to trade it for something more practical and worthy, if…” the old man started talking endlessly to tempt Han Li.
Even though Han Li looked like he was paying close attention to Martial Uncle Ye, he was already analyzing, calculating the pros and cons in his head.
Honestly, he knew very well that what the old man said was true. The chance of attaining Foundation Establishment after taking merely one Foundation Establishment Pill was almost too low! But if Han Li gave up the Foundation Establishment Pill that easily, he wouldn’t forgive himself. Because even if the chances were low, wasn’t there still a slight possibility of success?
But if he doesn’t give up the Foundation Establishment Pill to this Martial Uncle Ye in front of him, then his life in Yellow Maple Valley would definitely be unenjoyable. It was likely he would cause this person to hold a grudge for no reason. He also seemed to have some power in the Yellow Maple Valley. If that was the case, then it would be troublesome.
“Martial Uncle Ye, may I please ask, who are you requesting the Foundation Establishment Pill for? I am sure that Martial Uncle Ye doesn’t need this item anymore!” Han Li thought for a while and decided to probe the old man’s intentions.
Even though the old man was interrupted by Han Li, he did not seem unhappy at all. Hearing Han Li’s question, he hesitated a little, but still told Han Li,
“Since you asked, I, Martial Uncle, have nothing to hide. I am requesting this Foundation Establishment Pill for someone surnamed Ye’s grandnephew. Will Martial Nephew please fulfill our wish?”
Han Li laughed bitterly in his heart after hearing this, and thought:
‘Grandnephew, I guess that’s a tight enough family relationship! If he can make the Martial Uncle Ye try so hard, and to even ask to trade the Foundation Establishment Pill from a junior, he must be extremely lovable! Looks like if I really don’t trade with him, there is a hundred percent chance that I will provoke this old man. After that, I would never be able to settle in the Yellow Maple Valley. I can only swallow my pain and agree to trade! As for how I’m going to achieve Foundation Establishment, I will have to think of some other ways in the future. I still have that mysterious little bottle, and if I have the recipe and time, what medicine can’t I make?’
After Han Li finished considering the pros and cons, he had made his choice. However, he wanted to get the most out of the trade, so he acted as if he was struggling and having trouble deciding.
“Martial Uncle, it’s not that Junior is disrespecting Senior, but the Foundation Establishment Pill is also incredibly important to Martial Nephew! Even if Junior has low potential, isn’t there still a sliver of hope? If I just give up this opportunity to become Foundation Establishment now, then Junior would really have no chance with the great path!”
After the old man heard Han Li out, he couldn’t help but to scoff in silence! He thought to himself: “You can’t possibly be considering the higher path with your low qualification. You are completely overestimating your own abilities.”
But on the surface, the old man was still persuading him patiently from different angles while making a lot of empty promises. He continued to pressure and change Han Li’s decision into agreeing to trade the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Hearing these empty promises, Han Li laughed coldly in his heart, but he kept on saying words with uncertainty and making himself sound even weaker. This thrilled the old man even more, as he continued to bargain with an even higher price.
“Martial Nephew! If you are willing to give up the Foundation Establishment Pill, I can let you choose any chore you want from the chores that the disciples at the Valley are required to do!” Seeing Han Li was on the edge of agreeing to the deal, he finally played his trump card.
“Chores?” Han Li was really stunned this time.
“Yes, you should know that the low level disciples at Yellow Maple Valley must complete an assignment every month. For example: going to a few mines and supervise the miners, be an administrative disciple at a city market owned by our sect, take care of the Valley’s rare creatures, or growing some wonderful, spiritual medicines. Based on how the job was completed, the sect will hand out some low-grade spiritual stones to these disciples as a reward. And I, Martial Uncle, am responsible for distributing these types of jobs in the Valley. So if there are any jobs that Martial Nephew would like, it would be all up to me,” the old man surnamed Ye said proudly, seeming like he truly did have the power and confidence.
But having listened to this, Han Li was speechless! It seemed like no matter where he was, there were always people who used their powers for their self interest, including major cultivation sects like the Yellow Maple Valley.
But when he mentioned the job about planting incredible medicinal plants, it interested Han Li. He felt like this job was made for him. Additionally, Martial Uncle Ye already promised a lot of good deals. If he kept dragging it out, it might start to seem like he was being too greedy, so he should close the deal when he could!
Right about now, Han Li finally acted like he was moved, and said to the old man in a bitter tone:
“Since Martial Uncle Ye has gone out of his way like this, if I still don’t agree to trade with you, it would seem like I’m not giving you face. If you can really give me what you promised, then your grandnephew can have Martial Nephew’s Foundation Establishment Pill. I hope your grandnephew can successfully reach Foundation Establishment!”
Once the old man heard this, he was delighted, and sincerely promised, “Martial Nephew doesn’t have to worry about a thing, Martial Uncle always delivers on his promises. But when we meet the Sect Leader later, you are free to tell him about the trade that was on the table, but don’t bring up the deal that we had privately!”
Han Li took the hint, smiled and humored him, “I can assure Martial Uncle, Junior knows what to do, I would not do something that stupid.”
Hearing this, the old man broke into a smile. He was very satisfied with Han Li’s cooperative behavior.