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Chapter 505: You Wouldn't Want People to Know You're Selling Fake Seeds, Would You?
Chapter 505: You Wouldn't Want People to Know You're Selling Fake Seeds, Would You?
Upon discovering that the dark green spirit seed he held was merely a dud, Lu Chen planned to venture to the middle layer of the pavilion to find the stall owner who had sold him the fake seed and demand a refund and compensation.
"The stall owner goes against the rules of Duobaolou. If I involve the major forces of Duobaolou, it wouldn't be a problem to make him compensate me double the amount," Lu Chen thought to himself. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind.
"Perhaps there's a way to get even more spirit stones in compensation?"
"Since that stall owner chose to sell fake seeds, he definitely has more than one, and he must have cheated quite a number of cultivators out of their spirit stones.
I have his lifeline in my grasp now, so I can turn the tables and fleece him instead."
The more Lu Chen thought about it, the more feasible this method seemed.
The stall owner had swindled and cheated his way to ill-gotten wealth, and there was no doubt that he had a substantial amount. If Lu Chen confronted him now, the number of spirit stones he could get as compensation would be limited. However, if he waited until the stall owner had accumulated more and was deeply entangled in his web of lies, Lu Chen could extort a hefty sum.
A smile curved Lu Chen's lips as he contemplated this.
Instead of rushing to find the stall owner for compensation, he decided to bide his time and observe the man for a few days, gathering evidence of his deceit and fraud.
Over the next few days, he only spared a short time to visit the lower layer, and upon finding no unknown spirit seeds that caught his interest, he immediately returned to the middle layer, lingering near the friendly-faced stall owner's booth.
Each time he came by, he would activate the Qian Zhang Gui Mian and Qing Feng Yu Yi magical artifacts, altering his appearance and aura.
With his spiritual sense enhanced from years of cultivating the Shenyuan Jing and being nourished by the treasure-trove spirit post in his mind, his spiritual sense far surpassed that of an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Thus, he could observe the stall owner and his customers without arousing any suspicion.
In just a few days, the stall owner had sold over ten Inkbone Tree spirit seeds, raking in more than 20,000 low-grade spirit stones.
Lu Chen had secretly taken note of the buyers' times, appearances, and cultivation levels. When he deemed the time was right, he transformed back into the appearance he had when he bought the dud and approached the stall.
"Friend, are you back? Are you interested in buying another Inkbone Tree spirit seed?" The stall owner recognized Lu Chen and immediately greeted him with an enthusiastic smile.
"No, I have another matter to discuss with you," Lu Chen said, his brows twitching as the stall owner's friendly demeanor grated on his nerves. Despite this, he maintained a slight smile.
"Oh? Please go ahead," the stall owner said, his relaxed expression indicating that he was completely confident about the fake seeds he was selling and had not considered the possibility of being found out.
Lu Chen glanced around before stepping closer and transmitting his voice to the stall owner, "Friend, the Inkbone Tree spirit seed you sold me is fake, isn't it?"
His voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but to the stall owner, it thundered in his ears!
The stall owner's expression changed drastically, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.
"Er... friend, please don't joke about such things," he said, struggling to maintain his composure and forcing a stiff smile.
"Whether it's a joke or not, you should know very well," Lu Chen said calmly.
"Is that so?" The stall owner quickly regained his composure after the initial panic, and his expression turned cold. "The spirit seed is vibrant and intact. Anyone with spiritual sense can tell its authenticity with just a probe."
"You're so certain that my spirit seed is faulty even before planting it. Are you not slandering me without any evidence?" he retorted, his thoughts racing. He was absolutely confident that using the thousand-year-old Xuan Birth Spirit Milk to turn a dud into a normal spirit seed would be undetectable from the outside.
Even if any flaws were discovered, it would only be after the spirit seed had been cultivated for many years. By then, he would have long spent the spirit stones and disappeared without a trace.
"As for your claim that one cannot determine the authenticity of a spirit seed without planting it, may I ask if you've heard of the special spiritual aura in the cultivation world that can induce the growth of spiritual plants?" Lu Chen asked.
"As it happens, I possess such a thing. All it takes is exposing the spirit seed to this spiritual aura to discern its authenticity," he added.
"Would you like to give it a try, fellow cultivator?" Lu Chen offered, his stance unwavering as his spiritual sense locked onto the stall owner, ensuring he couldn't escape.
"There's no need for that. How about I refund you three times the amount of spirit stones?" the stall owner suggested, his expression fluctuating between uncertainty and desperation.
Seeing that the stall owner had essentially admitted his guilt, Lu Chen's lips curled up in a slight smile.
"You think you can get rid of me with just triple compensation?" Lu Chen asked.
"Fellow cultivator, you wouldn't want other cultivators to know you're selling fake seeds, would you?" he said in a casual tone.
"Then what do you propose?" the stall owner asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"I want seventy percent of the spirit stones you've earned from selling fake seeds recently," Lu Chen stated firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Impossible! That's too much!" the stall owner exclaimed, his face twisting in dismay.
"Consider it a way to avoid further trouble," Lu Chen said, his eyes narrowing.
"Have you thought about what the administrators of Duobaolou would do if they found out you've been selling counterfeit goods, deceiving countless cultivators who came to attend the treasure fair?" Lu Chen asked, his voice laced with a hint of threat.
"And what about the cultivators who bought your spirit seeds? Some of them are at the late stages of the Foundation Establishment, and their cultivation might even be at the perfect state. What do you think they would do to you if they found out they had spent a small fortune on fake seeds?"
"At that point, the consequences wouldn't just be limited to spirit stones. One wrong move, and you might find yourself paying with your life," Lu Chen transmitted to the stall owner, casually mentioning the appearances, cultivation levels, and transaction times of several cultivators who had bought the fake seeds.
The stall owner's expression had lost its previous warmth and enthusiasm, replaced by a somber, pensive look as he stood motionless, deep in thought.
"Seventy percent is indeed a lot. I spent a considerable amount to create those fake spirit seeds, and giving you seventy percent would mean a huge loss for me," the stall owner said with a sigh, his face betraying his helplessness.
Knowing how difficult it was to maintain his disguise, Lu Chen didn't want to push the stall owner too far, lest he resort to desperate measures. "Then how about sixty percent, and you also give me the method you used to create the fake spirit seeds?" he suggested.
"Don't play any tricks. Since I was able to detect that the spirit seed was fake, I'll obviously be able to tell if your method is genuine," Lu Chen warned.
"Also, I'm well aware of the number of spirit seeds you've sold, so don't even think about cheating me out of spirit stones," he added.
The stall owner took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Alright, you win. In the past few days, I've sold fifteen spirit seeds at prices ranging from over two thousand spirit stones each, earning me approximately thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones. Sixty percent of that would be..."
"Here's one hundred and eighty medium-grade spirit stones. Count them," Lu Chen said, handing over the spirit stones.
"Additionally, the key to creating the fake spirit seeds is this spirit milk in the bottle. Soaking the seeds in it for a period of time infuses them with vibrant vitality, making them indistinguishable from genuine spirit seeds," the stall owner explained, taking out a pale green bottle from his storage bag and tossing it to Lu Chen.
"The spiritual energy in the spirit milk has been mostly depleted, and it won't be long before it loses its effectiveness," he added.
"Very well, fellow cultivator. I swear that I won't breathe a word about your seed-selling business to anyone," Lu Chen assured him.
"You'd better watch your step from now on," the stall owner said, his voice laced with a mixture of resentment and warning.
(End of Chapter)
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