Chapter 21: A Woman's Gift for Bargaining

“Oh, I just felt that watching from the side wasn’t exciting enough, so I pleaded with this master here to let me come up and experience it myself. By the way, let me introduce you: this is the chief of my tribe, and this is the master I’ve just apprenticed myself to.”

Hearing this, Li Zhan relaxed. It was clear that Wang Hui wasn’t being forced to work, but rather was eager to try his hand and had only gotten permission from the craftsman after much pleading.

Since the craftsman beside Wang Hui was his newly acknowledged master, and Li Zhan was the chief of Wang Hui’s tribe, it was only proper for him to exchange pleasantries. With a clasped fist, he said, “A pleasure to meet you. My surname is Li. May I ask for your esteemed name, Master?”

Looking closely, the craftsman had a gentle and scholarly appearance; from his looks, he seemed more like a man of letters than a craftsman. If not for his workman’s attire, no one on the street would have associated him with manual labor. While all the other workers in the sweltering workshop were stripped to the waist, this master craftsman was neatly and fully dressed.

Returning the gesture, the craftsman replied, “So you’re the chief. My surname is Liu, and I’m the foreman in this workshop.”

So, this Master Liu was actually the team leader here. No wonder his attire and demeanor set him apart from the other workers; he probably spent most of his time overseeing production rather than working on the floor himself, Li Zhan thought privately.

What Li Zhan never expected was that this Master Liu was not an ordinary NPC at all, but actually a renowned armaments expert from the era of the Three Kingdoms—the first hero Li Zhan had ever encountered. (And as for his true identity, readers have likely already guessed. The heroes in this story are not confined to the Three Kingdoms—let it be said again.)

“Empire” had a unique setting for its heroes: before being discovered by players, they were no different in attributes from the common NPCs, blending into the vast multitudes with varied occupations. If players never identified them, these heroes would remain in obscurity forever.

At this moment, since Li Zhan hadn’t inquired further about Master Liu’s full name, the master remained hidden in plain sight. This set the stage for the future moment when Li Zhan would learn Liu’s true identity and be left utterly speechless.

Li Zhan conversed with Master Liu a while longer, finding him impressively knowledgeable and insightful, with unique perspectives on many topics. He was also exceedingly patient with his new apprentice, Wang Hui, guiding him repeatedly and imparting the correct techniques—something Li Zhan greatly admired.

When it came time to go, Wang Hui expressed a desire to continue working in the workshop a bit longer, which Li Zhan readily agreed to before heading alone to the market.

Although Danyang County was a small town with fewer than five thousand people, its marketplace was bustling. The cries of merchants hawking their wares, the haggling of buyers and sellers, and the clamor of livestock all blended into a cacophony that seemed to swell threefold in Li Zhan’s head the moment he stepped into the market.

In such chaos, finding Ruoyan was like searching for a needle in a haystack. He had no choice but to rely on the system. Opening his friends list, Li Zhan clicked on Ruoyan’s avatar and sent a message: Where are you?

Before long, Ruoyan’s delicate avatar blinked, and a reply came: In the market.

Li Zhan couldn’t help but chuckle at the answer; he realized he hadn’t been specific enough. He followed up: I’m in the market too; which part are you in?

Ruoyan replied: The poultry section.

With the area now clear, things were easier. Putting away the friends list, Li Zhan followed directions from passersby and soon arrived at the poultry section.

Unlike the general goods area, the poultry section wasn’t crowded—after all, who buys livestock every day? Li Zhan immediately spotted Ruoyan haggling with several vendors, while Zhao Ming and the Fisherman stood behind her, each holding two cages filled with chickens and ducks.

Since there were so few customers, the vendors were especially attentive to Ruoyan, their big buyer, tirelessly extolling the virtues of their healthy, prolific fowl and constantly lowering their prices to outdo one another. Ruoyan cocked her head, sometimes stroking a chicken, sometimes inspecting a duck, all the while exchanging words with the merchants.

As Li Zhan approached, Zhao Ming and the Fisherman saw him and were about to greet him, but Li Zhan pressed a finger to his lips, signaling them to stay silent. Both paused, then nodded in understanding as Li Zhan quietly walked up behind Ruoyan.

At that moment, Ruoyan crouched down in front of a cage of geese. Before doing so, she reached behind her to smooth her clothes, making sure her loose top wouldn’t expose her back before settling down comfortably. This small gesture touched Li Zhan, reminding him how many young women nowadays wore low-waisted pants and short tops, baring their backs—and sometimes even their underwear—when they crouched, all the while oblivious to the eyes upon them.

It seemed this mischievous girl had quite a strong sense of self-protection, Li Zhan mused.

“Miss, are you interested in buying these geese? You have a sharp eye! My geese eat little, are healthy, and lay an egg a day each. You won’t find a better price anywhere else. Take them home and you’ll be laughing with joy,” the vendor eagerly pitched.

Ruoyan, all sharp scrutiny, alternated between tapping one goose’s head and smoothing another’s feathers, remarking, “These geese aren’t as great as you claim. Look at this one—dull-eyed and listless, possibly sick. That one’s feathers are filthy, a clear sign of impending illness. Laugh with joy? I think you should be crying instead.”

Li Zhan nearly burst out laughing behind her. It’s said that women are born with a talent for bargaining, and now he saw it was true.

The vendor was caught between laughter and tears, about to defend his geese when Li Zhan glanced at the time and saw it was getting late—he’d promised to trade dyes with Wu Fan that afternoon. He stepped forward to interrupt, “Alright, how much for these geese? We’ll take them.”