Pursuit of the Truth 77 The Torn Bag

"Ah, friend, you’re really smart. You’re right. It’s precisely because of this herb. Achem, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Bei Qiong. I specialize in selling mysterious and rare herbs in Wind Stream Tribe. Let me tell you, Ye Wang is a good friend of mine, Chen Chong is a great customer of mine, Wu Sen regularly comes to buy herbs from me, and that Mo Su, I’m not lying to you, I really know Mo Su!" The old man quickly took a large number of herbs and waved them before Su Ming’s eyes.
"Ye Wang regularly buys these."
"Chen Chong regularly needs these."
"Wu Sen always keeps these in store when he trains."
"Mo Su already reserved these, I can’t sell too much to you." The old man’s hands were moving quickly, and he would bring out a large number of herbs every single time. The rapid change could make anyone confused.
"I’m not interested. If you continue following me, then don’t blame me for taking drastic action!" A cold glare appeared briefly in Su Ming’s eyes as he cast the old man a glance, then he quickly took a few steps further away from him.
"Huh? Friend, you seem familiar… You… you… I remember now, you’re…" The old man looked at Su Ming, and when he saw that Su Ming’s face was covered by hides, it became clear to him that Su Ming did not want anyone seeing his face. He had met a lot of this kind of people in the past, and he knew just what they were afraid of. That was why an exaggerated look appeared on his face, and he exclaimed, almost as if he was just about to let out a slip of his tongue.
Su Ming’s footsteps paused for a moment, but he had been very intelligent since he was young, and coupled with the elder’s guidance and teachings, it was impossible for him to be fooled by such a cheap trick. He laughed coldly in his heart and continued walking forward without bothering about the old man.
There was not a hint of awkwardness on the old man’s face when he saw that his ploy did not work. Instead, a fighting spirit was lit in his eyes as if he would not throw away any chance to sell his wares easily. It was especially so when he saw the numerous bags hanging off Su Ming’s body and became certain that this person was rich. He would definitely not let him off.
He quickly ran a few steps forward and caught up to Su Ming. He changed his words once more and continued bringing out the herbs from his bosom…
Su Ming was irritated. He was just about to use his maximum speed and shake off the old man when he saw the old man bringing out another large amount of herbs from his bosom. A thought occurred in his head.
"Are these herbs really as powerful as you say they are?" Su Ming stopped and cast a glance at the old man’s chest as he spoke slowly.
The moment the old man heard Su Ming’s words, he became excited and immediately patted his chest. Nodding his head, he spoke with a serious expression, "Friend, don’t worry. I am equally honest to children and old people alike, I don’t lie!"
"This…" Su Ming’s face was colored with hesitation.
The old man became even more excited and took a few steps forward quickly before he whispered, "There’re too many people here. It’s not easy for us to trade. Let’s go over there. It’s quieter there, and it’s perfect for us to trade my goods." As the old man spoke, he put on a wary face and looked at his surroundings before pointing towards a remote alley situated not far away.
Su Ming hesitated for a brief moment before he nodded.
The old man quickly took a few steps with Su Ming, reaching the remote alley. There was no one there. He quelled his excitement and whispered, "Friend, what do you like? Do you like Ye Wang’s, or Chen Chong’s, or Bi Su’s? But friend, I can’t sell too much of Mo Su’s herbs to you."
"I didn’t see them clearly just now, so I don’t know what is good. If they’re as great as you say, then I will consider buying some of all from you," Su Ming said, with hesitation still evident on his face as he cast a glance at the old man.
"Don’t worry. I can let you see them." The old man immediately became even more excited. A smile also appeared on his face, and he quickly took out various types of herbs from his bosom. He brought out two to three herbs of each type.
"Just these? That’s too little." Su Ming swept his gaze over the herbs and shook his head.
"That’s already a lot. These are all rare herbs, it’s impossible that there would be a lot around." The old man was momentarily shocked before he quickly explained.
Su Ming did not speak, but instead reached into his bosom with his right hand and took out a small bag. He opened it before the old man and revealed nearly ten white stone coins inside.
The old man stared at the stone coins with brilliant eyes. After a few deep breaths, his face became incredibly grave and he looked around before stepping closer towards Su Ming and whispered, "Friend, since you’re so sincere, I’ll tell you the truth. I have a hundred something of each type of herb in stock. It’s not that they’re not precious, but I have my own method of obtaining them. Since you really want to buy them, I’ll take all of them out for you to see."
As the old man spoke, he took out handfuls upon handfuls of herbs and placed them all on the ground. Before long, the ground was filled with more than a thousand herbs.
"That’s all I have. I’ve placed all my herbs here. 1,000 stone coins and it’s all yours!" The old man was very nervous while looking at Su Ming.
If these herbs were all placed together, then a very large sack would be needed. It was impossible to place them all within his bosom. Su Ming’s heart pounded against his chest. He stared at the old man’s chest, and something flashed through his eyes.
"How did you manage to place all those herbs within your bosom? What’s hanging on your chest?"
The moment the old man heard his words, his face became wary. He quickly took a few steps back and covered his chest, a fearful and shocked expression appearing on his face.
"Stop pretending. I won’t buy these herbs, but if you have a bag that can place all these herbs inside, then I might consider buying one of your bags," Su Ming spoke slowly.
"I won’t sell it!" the old man said immediately, letting out a loud harrumph after.
Su Ming held the bag containing the stone coins and swung it lightly. The sound of stone coins knocking against each other could be heard from within. The sound was very clear and melodious, causing the old man’s face to become conflicted.
"5,000 stone coins! Give me 5,000 stone coins and I’ll sell it to you." While speaking, the old man brought out a small bag the size of a palm from his bosom. The appearance of the thing was very peculiar. There was a round picture drawn on it by some unknown method. It seemed like it was drawn onto it, but if anyone looked closely, they would find that the picture was not drawn, but printed on the bag.
It was a pity that there was a torn part on a corner of the cloth bag.
"This is a treasure. It’s rare even within Wind Stream Tribe. You can store a lot of items in here. Without 5,000 stone coins, don’t even think about buying it from me," the old man stated while holding tightly onto the cloth bag.
"There’s a ripped part on the bag," Su Ming calmly pointed out.
"Of course. If it was in perfect shape, forget 5,000 stone coins, even if it was for 10,000 stone coins, I wouldn’t sell it," the old man said proudly.
"500 stone coins. If you’re not selling it, then forget it," Su Ming said after thinking for a moment.
"What? What did you say? 500 stone coins? Impossible!" The old man’s expression changed incredibly quickly. His face was now twisted in fury, as if the price given by Su Ming was a form of humiliation to him.
"You’ve said that you’ve been selling herbs in Wind Stream Tribe for many years and have met a lot of prodigies. I don’t believe that no one has seen through this as well. If you still have this bag with you, then it’s clear that this isn’t the only one you have. 500 stone coins, if you’re not selling it, forget it," Su Ming told him calmly and turned around to leave.
The old man stood there, wavering, and struggled with his thoughts. When he saw that Su Ming was really going to leave and was about to reach the end of the alley, the old man quickly yelled at him.
"800 stone coins… Ah, fine, 500 stone coins. 500 stone coins and it’s yours!"
Su Ming stopped and turned his head, gesturing with his right hand. The old man went up to him with extreme reluctance. He handed the bag to Su Ming. Once Su Ming took it, he could immediately feel that the bag was light. In fact, the moment he touched the bag, a picture appeared in his head. It was a space that was about 30 feet in size. However, only half the space could be used. There were crack like marks on the other half of the space.
"Hmph. You earned big this time, I’m telling you. You can keep your items here once you pat them on the bag. If you want to take them out, all you need is just to think about it," the old man explained how to use the item, all the while grumbling under his breath.
Su Ming was very curious. He took out an herb from one of his numerous bags and tried to place it in the bag using the method the old man just told him. Once he saw that what the old man told him was true, he could not help but smile.
"It’s good, right? I have a lot of good things with me. You got a great deal buying this for only 500 stone coins. Don’t go out telling other people about it. Give me the money quickly." The old man looked dispirited as he held out his hand for the money.
"Half of the space in there is torn. Is it due to the damage on the bag?" Su Ming did not hand him the money immediately but asked instead.
"I don’t know about that. I only have this with me, and I’ve used it for many years. It’s always been like this. Hurry up and give me the money." The old man quickly avoided the question.
Su Ming looked at the old man with a profound look. He threw the torn bag to the old man and shook his head.
"What do you mean? You don’t want it anymore?" The old man was immediately stunned.
"No matter how amazing it is, it’s still a torn bag. It’s not worth 500 stone coins. More importantly, I believe that before long, the crack within will slowly spread until I can no longer use it. In fact, there’s even a possibility that I won’t be able to take out the things from within. What’s the use of this to me then?"
"No way. I’ve been using this for many years. It definitely won’t happen!" the old man quickly guaranteed.
"I can’t be certain about it. If I buy it, then I’ll only give you 200 stone coins. After a few months, if it’s truly as you say, then I’ll give you the rest of the stone coins," Su Ming said with a casual tone.
"That won’t do. How am I supposed to find you then?" The old man quickly shook his head.
"If you don’t want it, then forget it." Su Ming did not show any reluctance and turned around to leave.
"Ah, fine! I’ll sell it to you for 200 stone coins! Three months later, you have to give me the remainder of the money. There aren’t a lot of tribes around the region, and there’re only so many people around. If you don’t pay up, I’ll still be able to find you," the old man said with a pained face as he handed the cloth bag to Su Ming once again.
This time, Su Ming no longer pondered around and hesitated. He took out two white stone coins and took the cloth bag, completing the trade before he left the remote alley.
The old man waited until Su Ming was long gone before the pained look on his face completely disappeared, replaced by a look of satisfaction. He took out another torn cloth bag from his bosom and placed all the herbs on the ground inside it. Then he let out a sigh.
"That child is bright. He’s much harder to fool compared to Ye Wang. Even Ye Wang spent 500 stone coins on this. He’s even better, he only spent 200 and bought it.
"Hmph. Once I sell a few more of these and they’re used to it, then I’ll start reaping my profits," the old man mumbled under his breath as excitement and anticipation appeared on his face.