Human Clan Defender

Purchasing Demon Evils!

Steward Number One was momentarily stunned. In the next breath, he had reacted.

"In the Jianghu, only those from the minor sects know how to seal Demon Evils. If Lord Shen wishes to purchase Demon Evils, we can indeed start with the minor sects and help you collect some. But what I'm not clear about is, what Realm of Demon Evils does Lord Shen want, and in what quantity?"

"Normally speaking, what is the general price of a Demon Evil?" Shen Changqing inquired.

The Black Banner had sold for 700,000 taels because it was an auction, which inflated the price considerably. Under normal circumstances, the Black Banner was surely not worth that much. After all, although two Demon Evils comparable to the Innate Realm were strong, with 700,000 Silver Taels, one could also fund several Innate Realm martial artists.

Upon hearing this, Steward Number One pondered for a moment. "The price of Demon Evils isn't fixed, but there is a range of fluctuation. Take, for example, a Ghostly Level Fiend; its price generally lies between several thousand to tens of thousands of Silver Taels, depending on the seller's situation and the strength of the Demon Evil. As for Resentment Level Monsters, the lowest price starts at 100,000 Silver Taels, but that's only for those at the initial Resentment Level and not very strong. If it's a mid-Resentment Level, the price could be around 300,000 Silver Taels. If it's a late-Resentment Level, the lowest price is 700,000 Silver Taels, but such high-level Demon Evils are almost never available for sale from the minor sects."

To capture Demon Evils, one must possess powerful methods. Not just anyone is qualified to capture late-Resentment Level Demon Evils; after all, their strength is comparable to experts at the Innate Outer Gang or even the Innate Limit. Such powerful individuals, in the Jianghu, were renowned figures capable of shaking a region.

After a pause, Steward Number One continued, "Normally speaking, the minor sects rarely sell Demon Evils. Although the methods of the minor sects can Control Evil Spirits, each person has a limited number of Demon Evils they can control, which is why only a few Demon Evils are available for sale."

The methods of the minor sects couldn't Control Evil Spirits without limit. If that were the case, the minor sects would have dominated the Jianghu long ago. Ultimately, it's because there are limits to Controlling Evil Spirits; every member of the minor sects has a quantitative limit on the Demon Evils they can control. Beyond this limit, they cannot control more Demon Evils. Thus, surplus Demon Evils are of no further use to them and circulate in the market. However, those Demon Evils circulating in the market tend to pass among members of the minor sects, rarely being purchased by others.

Only after the steward finished speaking did Shen Changqing respond, "I do not wish for too many Demon Evils to circulate in the Jianghu, as they are always a lurking danger. Therefore, I hope to collect a large number of them. As for the price, we can follow the market's standard. Even a slight premium is acceptable. As for the quantity, naturally, the more the better."

"Lord Shen, although you have acquired more than two million Silver Taels from the auction, after deducting the silver spent on purchasing Merit Values, the remaining sum of over one million may not buy too many Demon Evils." Steward Number One knitted his brows slightly. Over one million Silver Taels seemed like a lot, but it depended on how it was spent. If used to purchase Demon Evils, not many could be acquired. After all, a single Resentment Level Monster had a minimum selling price of 100,000 Silver Taels.

Shen Changqing smiled faintly. "Regarding the silver, you need not worry. The Grandmaster Martial Arts I possess were never limited to just three. If necessary, offering several more sets of Grandmaster Martial Arts for sale would not be a major issue."

Saying this, he first took out 100,000 Silver Taels, then pushed the remaining 2,310,000 in silver notes forward.

"Here are 2,310,000 in silver notes. Of this, 900,000 is for purchasing Merit Values. The remaining 1,410,000 will serve as a partial advance deposit for purchasing Demon Evils. I hope your esteemed auction house can assist in purchasing any available Demon Evils. As for the silver for the purchases, deduct it from this 1,410,000. Every month, I will visit Yuanyang Auction House to collect the items. If the silver is insufficient, I will bring out other Grandmaster Martial Arts for auction, ensuring that your auction house does not suffer any losses."

As he finished speaking, both Steward Number One and Ji Qu were greatly shocked. They had thought that Shen Changqing producing three sets of Grandmaster Martial Arts was likely his limit. Yet, they hadn't expected him to have other martial arts to sell. If that was really the case, then the fortuitous opportunity Lord Shen had obtained must be far more significant than they had imagined.

Although astounded, Steward Number One did not let it show on his face. He looked at the thick stack of silver notes before him and accepted them.

"Lord Shen is straightforward. If I were to decline, it would seem petty. No problem. You can come to Yuanyang Auction House to collect the Merit Values after five days, or we can have someone deliver them to the Demon-Subduing Division. As for the Demon Evils, Yuanyang Auction House will also make every effort to assist in the purchase. We'll set a monthly deadline, and you can simply come to collect them then."

"No problem," Shen Changqing nodded. "Every month, I will come to the auction house once to collect the Demon Evils. If I fail to arrive on time, they can be temporarily stored at the auction house. As you know, the Demon-Subduing Division sometimes assigns tasks. Therefore, I cannot guarantee one hundred percent that I will always be punctual."

"Alright!" Steward Number One agreed outright.

These are not significant issues, as long as there's a profit to be made. Just as I thought, Shen Changqing is indeed a major client. If this transaction continues, it would mean a business volume of several million Silver Taels, potentially even reaching ten million. Even for a large establishment like Yuanyang Auction House, such an amount could not be taken lightly.

He left Yuanyang Auction House.

Upon returning to the Demon-Subduing Division, Shen Changqing took out the silver note worth 100,000 taels and handed it directly to Ji Qu.

"I'm grateful for Brother Ji's help this time. I am a man of my word, so this silver note of 100,000 taels is your reward. In the future, if there's anything else, I hope Brother Ji won't decline."

One hundred thousand taels! Seeing the silver note before him, Ji Qu was overjoyed. He didn't make any pretense of refusal but instead happily pocketed the silver note and then smiled.

"Rest assured, Lord Shen. If there's anything in the future, you can just come to this old man. I may not dare to promise much, but I've been in the Demon-Subduing Division for quite some years, and I believe I can be of some help in certain areas."

"Hmm, then I'll take my leave first."

"Lord Shen, take care!"

"Farewell!"

Shen Changqing cupped his fists in a salute and then turned to leave.

He had visited the black market the day before. The auction had lasted for quite some time. By the time he had dealt with everything and returned to the Demon-Subduing Division, it was already the next day.

I obtained quite a few Slaughter Values from Yuanyang Auction House this time. I need to go back and assimilate them properly.

Watching Shen Changqing depart, Ji Qu shook his head and sighed, "Generous spender, indeed a big customer!"

One hundred thousand taels of silver! That's much more than my current entire fortune. If converted into Merit Values, it would be at least two or three hundred.

Then, he entered the Earth Rank Demon Hunting Court and knocked on someone's courtyard door.

"Old Zhou, are you in?"

"Coming, coming! Don't knock anymore! I still want this door in one piece—"

An exasperated voice came from within the courtyard. Soon after, the tightly closed courtyard door opened, revealing a rather short old man who looked displeased at the person before him.

"Speak! What brings you to old me this time? Say what you have to say, and be quick about it!"

"Forget it. I was actually going to offer you some business, but I didn't expect you to be so unappreciative. Farewell!" Ji Qu turned, hands behind his back, making a show of leaving.

Seeing this, Old Zhou, who hadn't intended to pay him any mind, grew curious at Ji Qu's words.

"Stop with that act. Just say what you have to say."

Hearing this, Ji Qu turned back to face him, an eyebrow arched. "Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"

"Come on in!"

Inside the courtyard, Ji Qu wasted no words and got straight to the point.

"Don't say I don't look out for you. I'm planning to buy Merit Values at five hundred taels per value. How about you sell me two hundred?"

"Are you crazy?" That was Old Zhou's first reaction. Five hundred taels per Merit Value was a severe markup. Unless one was purchasing a large quantity of Merit Values, the price wouldn't possibly reach five hundred taels.

Then, looking at Ji Qu's expression, Old Zhou grew suspicious. "Did you strike it rich recently?"

"Whether I've struck it rich is none of your concern. Just tell me, are you selling or not? If you are, we'll exchange Merit Values for silver on the spot. If not, I'll find someone else. But don't say I didn't give you a chance." Ji Qu shook his head, not wishing to elaborate.

At these words, Old Zhou laughed. "Five hundred taels per Merit Value? Of course, I'll sell! Not selling would be foolish. But you have to let me see the silver first—"

Before he could finish, Ji Qu took out a stack of silver notes from his robes.

Seeing the denomination and thickness of the silver notes, Old Zhou's expression turned serious. "Are you serious?"

"When have I ever spoken falsely?"

"I don't know where you got these silver notes, but are you sure you want to exchange them for Merit Values? Some things are in the past; there's no need to be so fixated. Even if you do manage to gather the Merit Values, what use will they be? Having the chance to live as an ordinary person is much better than getting involved in all this." Old Zhou's expression was unreadable. He understood Ji Qu's purpose for wanting the Merit Values, but in his view, such an endeavor was utterly meaningless.

Hearing this, Ji Qu's smile vanished, his expression turning indifferent. "How I proceed is my own business. This old man has lived for decades and has always been a man of his word. Besides, in today's world, do you really think being an ordinary person guarantees a long life?"

Can it? Faced with this question, Old Zhou fell silent.

"Forget it. Decide for yourself. I can't be bothered with you anymore. Here are two hundred Merit Values." He took out two pale golden Demon-Subduing Coins from his robes.

Upon seeing this, Ji Qu took the Demon-Subduing Coins and simultaneously handed the silver notes to Old Zhou.

"I hope you won't speak of this to others."

"You know how I handle things. Since you've made your decision, I won't say anything more." Old Zhou tucked away the silver notes and shook his head with a sigh of resignation.

With a slight cupping of his fists, Ji Qu turned and left.