It was clear that the Golden Chambers took the matter regarding the Rainbow Pills very seriously. They had even deployed one of their few Earth Knights, a person of great stature within Chengzi Kingdom.
Xue Wei was surprised, but he had never had any malicious thoughts involving stealing the Rainbow Pills so it did not matter that there were such strong experts present.
"You have to be careful," Bai Tianyi transmitted through voice-compression with an alert gleam in his eyes. "Although the Golden Chambers has been friendly and positive towards us, who knows what greed might do to them. If things go wrong and with an Earth Knight present, we will be incapable of escaping."
"Reward and danger go hand in hand," Xue Wei answered seriously. "We could retreat now, but then we will not get our hands on the Rainbow Pills we so much need. As we are, we are just not strong enough to continue on our journey."
"I have to admit that there is reason in what you say," Bai Tianyi sighed, but he remained tense, keeping an eye on everything around them. If he felt too much danger, they would be leaving at any moment.
Hei Gou, on the other hand, was calm and relaxed. "The Golden Chambers is aware of us having a Formation Master in our midst. If they truly coveted only our formations, they would’ve made a move on us a long time ago. The fact that we are still safe and sound means that they can hold back their greed," he reasoned seriously.
Both Hei Gou and Bai Tianyi made sense, but their opinions were diametrical opposites. In the end, Xue Wei decided to continue the endeavor while exercising greater caution.
As they reached the second floor, the atmosphere in the hall changed drastically. It was much heavier and silence covered the entire floor.
The girl guided them towards the opposite end of the stairs, where a middle-aged man was standing. There were stern-looking cultivators throughout the entire floor. The moment that Xue Wei, Bai Tianyi, and Hei Gou went up the stairs, all these eyes turned towards them.
The oppressive air was overwhelming and made the hairs on Xue Wei's arms stand on end.
Bai Tianyi had seen many things in his life. He did not believe that one place would be completely impartial. In fact, he was absolutely sure that everyone worked on the principle of self-gain, so he never trusted anyone completely, especially not an establishment like the Golden Chambers that made a profit from exploiting others.
Hei Gou was much more inexperienced, and his inexperience is what let him remain naively calm. Although he understood the underlying dangers, he also knew that they had been treated well until now – so why would things suddenly change?
This was also Hei Gou's personality. He was a positive and rather carefree person.
As they reached the middle-aged man, he lifted his head and looked straight at them with narrowed eyes.
"If it is not the infamous Ye Xiao," he said with a smile yet not a smile on his face.
"I assume you are here to trade for the Rainbow Pills," he continued. Xue Wei nodded his head.
The man's eyes narrowed further, but in a way that made his face contort with undisguised joy. "I know you previously traded quite a few formations for a Rebirth Pill back in Golden Crow City," the middle-aged man continued.
Xue Wei understood that the negotiations for their business deal had started the moment they came into contact with this man.
He was slightly stunned because they were discussing something like this in public. Still, he did not say anything. He nodded his head again to acknowledge what the man had said.
"I am Zhou Yuan," the man introduced himself. "I am the leader of the Medicinal Pill Workshop here in Cloudsoar City. Although our branch’s Golden Chambers is not as prominent as the branch back in Golden Crow City, I am of the impression that the Rainbow Pills are of much more value than the Rebirth Pill."
The man was smiling. He knew the situation with the Rebirth Pill and how they had been adamant on buying it back then, but now he was using it to raise the price of the Rainbow Pills.
Xue Wei was somewhat depressed. He was not willing to cheat the Golden Chambers as they had shown him ample respect, but he was not willing to be cheated either. This man was clearly out to scam him.
"We have some formations," Bai Tianyi took the word. His immature, light voice caught every person on the floor by surprise.
They had never expected that the first to speak would be a child they had overlooked. "We have formations, but it’s not like we’re dying to get our hands on some Rainbow Pills. Were you thinking we’d pay an exorbitant price for them?"
"We have these Flameward Formations. They are increasingly rare. We offer one Flameward Formation, alongside one Paralyzing Formation and one Spiritual Energy Bomb for each of the Rainbow Pills. It is not up for discussion. If you are not interested in our offer, then feel free to decline it and we will be on our way."
His words, coupled with the tone, took them all by surprise. They had never expected that this young child was allowed to make the calls, but the way Xue Wei just stood behind the little boy with a slight smile on his face told them that the he had the authority to do so.
The man's narrowed eyes widened in surprise. He had thought that they would begin a discussion on the worth of the items, but the price offered by the child was already rather tempting to accept right away.
If they really changed their mind because he hesitated, was it not a great loss for the Golden Chambers?
Struggling with internal debate, the middle-aged man finally reached a conclusion. "I can sell you four Rainbow Pills."
Xue Wei smiled and nodded his head. He withdrew the twelve formations from his storage ring and also four pouches, wherein he put the four sets of formations separately. Then he waited for the four Rainbow Pills to be brought out.
This was the crucial point and also the most dangerous one. Xue Wei had taken out his items, flaunting his wealth, while the other side had yet to even present their goods.
The dilemma also manifested clearly in the eyes of the leader of the Medicinal Pill Workshop; his eyes glistened dangerously for a second before he remembered his orders. Then he unhurriedly withdrew four snow jade bottles containing a Rainbow Pill each.
The exchange was fast and smooth. As soon as Xue Wei was given the four Rainbow Pills, he transferred them into his storage ring. Zhou Yuan did the same with the formations.
Having finished the exchange, Xue Wei nodded to Zhou Yuan. "Thank you for a pleasant transaction," he said with a slight smile. "We will take our leave now, but maybe we can work together later on."
Just as Xue Wei, Hei Gou, and Bai Tianyi left the upper floor, another youth was led up the stairs by a young attendant. "I need at least three Rainbow Pills," he said arrogantly. His words caused Xue Wei to glance over, only for him to realize that the other person was also looking at them.
"Looks like anyone and their grandmothers can try to trade for the Rainbow Pills," the youth said mockingly. Xue Wei’s unveering stare made him snort. "But in the end, you need treasures of equal value to make this exchange. Hah, even country bumpkins are trying to get their hands on Rainbow Pills. Seems they are trying to reach much higher than their class allows them to."
As for who this young man spoke was not said, but Xue Wei raised an eyebrow in amusement. Hei Gou, who also listened in on the conversation, could not help but chuckle.
"You, peasant, are you laughing at me?!" the young man exclaimed. The way his face twisted made him look rather ugly.
Just as Hei Gou was about to answer him, Xue Wei lifted his hand and shook his head, stopping the words that almost came out of Hei Gou's mouth.
Xue Wei knew his good friend. Hei Gou was definitely going to bust the young man's bubble and tell him that they had just bought four Rainbow Pills, but Xue Wei did not wish to draw too much attention to himself – at least not more than what he already had.
This young man did not know who Xue Wei was, so he was clearly not from Cloudsoar City. He also had enough valuables to exchange for three Rainbow Pills, showing he had a prominent position somewhere.
Bai Tianyi seemed to agree with Xue Wei, as he walked very subtly faster so that they could leave the workshop without letting the conflict escalate. The young man from the stairs also decided not to pursue the matter. He felt that he had won the argument since the other side stayed quiet and he was also in a hurry to get his hands on three Rainbow Pills.
As he entered the upper floor, he held his chin up high and did not deign to look at the cultivators that were guarding the room. In fact, although he was only an Ordinary Knight himself, he was no foreigner to Earth Knights or even experts above that realm.
"Manager Zhou," the man called out and looked at the middle-aged man at the end of the floor. "I am Ouyang Yan, a member of the Ouyang family. I have come here to exchange some of my treasures for three Rainbow Pills."
Had Bai Tianyi heard the words, his eyes would have constricted and his heart would have started beating faster. The Ouyang family was one of the ancient families that had chased him when he was still human and seeking immortality. Their ancestor was one of the experts that had spent their life essence to seal Bai Tianyi in the small village in the Azure Forest Kingdom.
Fortunately, neither Ouyang Yan nor Bai Tianyi were aware of each other’s identities and thus they just smoothly passed by each other like strangers on the street.
"Young master Ouyang, I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are out of Rainbow Pills right now." Zhou Yuan shook his head apologetically, but inside he was not really sorry.
Although the treasures that this Ouyang Yan could bring out would be outstanding since he was a descendant of the Ouyang family, they could not possibly compare to twelve formations. Even the Ouyang family only had a single formation master.
"You already traded them away?" Ouyang Yan's eyes widened in surprise, his mood plummeting down from high up in the heavens to the lowest of hells. "Did you, by any chance, just trade them right before I arrived?" he inquired.
Zhou Yuan’s face did not change. He shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot answer this question. We promise our customers full confidentiality. We do not answer such questions."
Ouyang Yan could not help but gnash his teeth in annoyance, but he was certain that those three earlier were the ones who had taken the Rainbow Pills. Their behavior, which he had at first taken as a display of submission to his power, was, in fact, them making a mockery of him.
The words he had said then now felt like a joke. Ouyang Yan knew that the Golden Chambers had gotten their hands on four Rainbow Pills, while the head disciples from the three great sects also had secured one each.
He had gotten news this morning that all four Rainbow Pills were still available at the Golden Chambers, so he had not rushed over. Now he regretted his decision greatly.
"Manager Zhou, please excuse me," he said, running out of the Medicinal Pill Workshop.
It was clear that he was not willing to give up just like that. Seeing his determination, Zhou Yuan considered intervening. Should he send the Earth Knight to protect Xue Wei? In the end, he decided not to. The opposing person was a member of the Ouyang family. Even the Golden Chambers did not want to get involved in a feud with them.