Chapter 139 That Was a Close Call

Hearing this, Sun Yunian’s face lit up with immense joy. He had not expected that he was merely asking out of casual interest, yet Chu Youcai was actually willing to lease out a cursed magical treasure!

No matter what it took, he was determined to secure this business deal.

He could not help but say, "I wonder if the Third Young Master might consider my friendship with the Ninth Miss Chu and entrust the cursed magical treasure to me for lease?"

"As for the rent, my humble shop is prepared to offer you a rent twenty percent higher than anyone else's!"

"My shop will pay a ten-day deposit in advance!"

At this moment, Sun Yunian’s gaze was burning with intense eagerness as he stared right at Chu Youcai, waiting in anticipation for his agreement.

The shopkeeper standing nearby was completely dumbfounded. A twenty percent markup on the rent? Was the master planning to run a losing business?

Furthermore, the master actually wanted to prepay a ten-day deposit, something that had never happened before in the history of the shop.

Just who on earth was the young master before him, to be worthy of the master sparing no effort to accommodate him?

Filled with curiosity, the shopkeeper was simultaneously overcome with profound regret. Given how badly he had offended this young master, it seemed his position as shopkeeper was hanging by a thread. At this moment, he truly wished he could slam his head against the wall again.

Faced with Sun Yunian’s gaze, Chu Youcai felt a brief moment of hesitation. However, recalling that this man was an old acquaintance of his Ninth Sister, he no longer delayed, nodded, and said, "Very well. Since that is the case, I will let you have the cursed magical treasure for a lease of one month."

He handed the Illusion Gold Bell over to Sun Yunian.

He had already bound the Illusion Gold Bell to his own soul, making it impossible for anyone else to snatch it away, save for those with centuries of cultivation in Daoist magic. Yet individuals of that caliber would never care about a common-grade cursed magical treasure.

Looking at the Illusion Gold Bell, Sun Yunian’s eyes radiated boundless enthusiasm. He held it in his hands, admiring it as if he could never bear to put it down, before carefully placing it inside a fine jade box. Then, he retrieved a stack of silver notes totaling six million taels of silver from his robes and handed them to Chu Youcai, saying, "Third Young Master, here are the six million taels in silver notes, covering a five-day deposit. Please verify them."

At this juncture, the shopkeeper was even more lost in a daze. He never imagined that this young master was capable of leasing out a cursed magical treasure, and judging by his demeanor, he seemed utterly nonchalant about the Illusion Gold Bell, suggesting he might well possess other cursed magical treasures besides.

Thinking that the person he had just offended was such a formidable figure, the shopkeeper felt as though his intestines were turning green with regret.

Chu Youcai had not expected the other party to be so straightforward and decisive, so he accepted them with a smile and said, "Then many thanks, Brother Sun."

At this moment, his hands felt unusually warm. Such lightweight pieces of paper carrying such immense value—this was the first time he had ever possessed so much wealth. Reflecting on how, merely a month ago, he did not even possess a single thousand taels of silver and had been driven to the verge of having to sell his wife, a deep sense of emotional turbulence stirred within his heart.

At the same time, he came to understand the true preciousness of cursed magical treasures. Merely leasing one out for a few days yielded such a harvest; it was entirely beyond his expectations.

For a moment, he felt a surging sense of ambition and confidence.

At that moment, Sun Yunian suddenly lowered his voice and said with a solemn expression, "Does the Young Master’s entry into the Rakshasa Ghost Market this time have to do with the Scripture Incense?"

Chu Youcai nodded. He had heard that the number of people entering the Rakshasa Ghost Market this time was thirty to forty percent higher than in previous years, and most likely, all of them had come for that very purpose.

Sun Yunian waved his hand, signaling the shopkeeper to go downstairs by himself, before speaking softly, "Since the Young Master trusts Sun, Sun will also reveal an important piece of intelligence to the Third Young Master."

Seeing how grave Sun Yunian was, Chu Youcai could not help a surge of curiosity arising within him, and he asked, "I wonder what news this might be?"

Sun Yunian replied, "According to my investigation, the Scripture Incense Pavilion a month from now is likely connected to Inscription Masters. It may even require an Inscription Master to be by one's side in order to successfully pass through the trial space of the Scripture Incense Pavilion."

Chu Youcai was startled. He had not expected Sun Yunian to be privy to such information. He also knew that news of this sort would undoubtedly spark a massive uproar; after all, Inscription Masters were exceedingly rare. When the time came, countless people would surely vie to invite Inscription Masters, making them the most sought-after figures of the moment.

Chu Youcai nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Sun. I am deeply indebted to this favor."

Seeing the serious expression on Chu Youcai’s face, Sun Yunian smiled faintly and said, "You are too kind, you are too kind."

After a brief hesitation, Chu Youcai asked, "By the way, Brother Sun, do you know where one might find an Inscription Master nearby?"

Sun Yunian answered, "There is an Inscription Mansion in the East City. However, Inscription Masters are all notoriously arrogant with their eyes set above the clouds. The Third Young Master will need to exercise extra caution when dealing with them."

Chu Youcai nodded and said, "Thank you for the guidance."

The golden scripture in his possession was related to Inscription Masters, and he needed to resolve this mystery as soon as possible.

With that, he bade farewell to Sun Yunian, led the maidens down the stairs, and headed toward the East City.

Watching Chu Youcai’s receding figure, Sun Yunian finally let out a long breath, his body going limp as he nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he thought to himself, "That was close! That was too close!"

At that moment, his knee accidentally brushed against the table he was sitting at, causing it to shift slightly, sending countless scraps of paper inside the drawer cascading down onto the floor, scattering everywhere in a fluttering mess.

Among the scraps of paper were countless pieces of trading intelligence.

As it turned out, upon returning to the Changsun Tian Mansion, Sun Yunian had begun collating the various pieces of intelligence he had recently gathered. He possessed a peculiar sensitivity toward information and intelligence. As he rapidly skimmed through them and noticed a sharp surge in the leasing volume of cursed magical treasures, combined with the growing significance of news regarding Inscription Masters, he gradually pieced together a startling conclusion in his mind.

He surmised that the Scripture Incense must undoubtedly be connected to Inscription Masters.

Just then, he had heard the commotion downstairs, discovering that the shopkeeper had gotten into a dispute with someone, and that the other party turned out to be none other than Chu Youcai. He had immediately rung the bell to summon the shopkeeper upstairs while hastily concealing all the intelligence papers inside the desk drawer.

After severely reprimanding the shopkeeper, he had invited Chu Youcai upstairs. Initially, he had only intended to build a friendly relationship with Chu Youcai, but to his surprise, Chu Youcai was genuinely willing to lease out a cursed magical treasure. Without a second thought, he offered a price far higher than the usual market rate, and those six million taels of silver represented nearly his entire personal fortune.

Yet it was precisely this sincerity that allowed the transaction to proceed smoothly. Afterward, observing how deeply concerned Chu Youcai was with inscriptions, he had generously shared the intelligence regarding the Inscription Master.

Having weathered what felt like countless battles, he finally felt a sense of release.

However, regaining his composure almost instantly, he realized that the tasks awaiting him next were simple: promotion, promotion, dismissing the shopkeeper, and hiring a new one!

He would spare no effort; he was determined to make his shop a resounding success!

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Meanwhile, as Chu Youcai and the maidens were walking toward the East City, Hongyu suddenly frowned slightly.

Earlier upstairs, when she saw the multitude of precious treasures, she had experienced an inexplicable sensation—a feeling of strange intimacy connecting her to those treasures. Yet when she approached them to take a closer look, that strange resonance had completely vanished.

Could it have been an illusion?

Ever since entering the Ghost Market, she had felt a persistent sense of abnormality within her body, as though some cold entity had planted itself inside her. This was entirely different from her previous experiences entering the Nether Realm; it felt almost as if some dormant soul deep within her body was beginning to awaken.

She shook her head, banishing the thought from her mind. The notion that another soul resided within her body—how could such a thing be possible?

With these lingering thoughts, the maidens followed Chu Youcai all the way to the Inscription Mansion.