Chapter 698: Better to Be Deceived

Early that morning, Su Che and the other two arrived at the central square once again. They spread out slightly, keeping an eye on the large water-screen while also checking other information around them.
This had become a daily routine over the past half month. Though they knew the chances were slim, they persisted. After all, so many people in the square were persevering for a reason.
After standing there for a while, a thin old man approached—a dry-looking little old fellow.
Of course, for immortals, appearance meant nothing; they could change it at will at any time, just as easily as changing clothes.
The old man could see at a glance that although Su Che was only at the Human Immortal level, he was the leader among the three. He quietly transmitted a message to Su Che, “Young man, are you planning to buy a shop to start a business in Haoyuan Tian Shi?”
“That’s right.”
Su Che didn’t pay much attention and replied casually, “What advice do you have, senior?”
On the surface, the old man seemed to be at the Heavenly Immortal level, two ranks higher than Su Che. Despite his shabby appearance, it was only proper to address him as a senior.
“You’ll never find a shop by spending a hundred thousand years here.”
The old man chuckled and pointed at those people in the square who kept putting up signs offering their shops for sale. He continued, “These guys are all agents sent here by various merchant alliances. They rotate regularly, so you can’t outlast them.”
“Oh.”
Su Che nodded, not doubting what he said.
The old man added, “If you want to find a shop you like, you need the right connections—namely, the most experienced intermediaries in Tian Shi.”
Su Che smiled inwardly and said, “Could it be that you are one of those experienced intermediaries?”
“Indeed!”
The old man smiled proudly.
Lao He, in the Immortal Prison, sneered, “With such behavior, he’s trying too hard to make people know he’s a skilled swindler.”
“You can’t judge by appearance,” Su Che thought. “In the immortal realm, the more peculiar someone’s behavior, the less they should be underestimated.”
At that moment, the old man said again, “Young man, I like you quite a bit. I don’t want you to get deceived or work hard for nothing… Today, I’ll help you out by introducing you to a shop that’s willing to be sold. From what I know, for at least a hundred thousand years, this is the only shop in Haoyuan Tian Shi that might be sold. Don’t even think about the others—they’re just dreams!”
“Is that so?”

Su Che then asked, “So, in what way should I thank you for your kindness?”
“Hmm…”
The old man nodded slowly, first expressing satisfaction at Su Che’s quick understanding before saying, “Business is business. A referral fee of ten thousand Immortal Crystals is absolutely non-negotiable. However, considering your low cultivation level but decent character, I can give you a 20% discount—eight thousand Immortal Crystals. That’s the lowest I can go.”
Just from a few words of conversation, Su Che’s character could be seen—using such poor wording was even worse than the swindlers in the mortal markets. It had to be said that this old man seemed to have significant intellectual issues; he certainly didn’t resemble an immortal.
Yet Su Che thought that perhaps some senior experts simply enjoyed playing tricks in the world and doing seemingly absurd things. In a vast world, all kinds of people exist—one can’t generalize.
Eight thousand Immortal Crystals didn’t really bother Su Che, but he couldn’t squander them either. Besides, he wasn’t yet in a desperate situation where he would resort to extreme measures.
So, Su Che nodded and said, “Alright. Please guide me there. Once we get there, regardless of whether things go smoothly or not, as long as I’m sure they truly intend to sell the shop, I’ll give you double the amount—twenty thousand Immortal Crystals, no less. How about that?”
Giving more money wasn’t a problem, but he had to see results first.
“That won’t do!”
The old man immediately refused, shaking his head. “Pay first, then get the service. That’s the rule in our line of work—unchanged for billions of years. It won’t change just because of you.”
Before Su Che could respond, he added, “Young man, it’s obvious you don’t trust me, right? Fine. I’ll give you ten breaths to think. If you disagree, I’ll turn around and leave. From now on, even if you offer two hundred thousand, you won’t be able to get me to do anything!”
“That old bastard!”
Lao He cursed immediately, “He really got the upper hand…”
With only ten breaths left, it was clearly too late for Su Che to send a message to Zhuo Feng, who was a hundred zhang away. He had to make a decision right away: either drive him away and refuse to be deceived, or gamble eight thousand Immortal Crystals, knowing there was a 99% chance of being scammed, but still willing to take that 1% chance.
Su Che thought quickly and decided to abandon logic and rely on intuition!
His intuition said: Go!
If his intuition was wrong, it was just eight thousand Immortal Crystals—selling a few spirit flames would cover it.

So, in less than five breaths, Su Che took out eight thousand Immortal Crystals from the Immortal Prison, put them into the cheapest Qi Bag, and handed it to the other party without hesitation.
“Please lead the way, senior.”
Su Che waved and said.
“Hmph.”
The old man nodded and grunted, “Not bad. Maybe you’ll achieve something in the future…”
“Follow me.”
He turned and walked away.
Su Che quickly called over Zhuo Feng and Fei Yun, who were not far away, and followed closely behind the thin figure to prevent him from slipping away.
But after just a few steps, they heard mocking laughter behind them:
“Haha, really someone is willing to fall for this.”
“Don’t say that. It’s not easy for an old monkey to succeed even after a hundred attempts.”
“In my opinion, we should expel him to avoid ruining the reputation of our Haoyuan Heavenly Market. Why keep such a swindler around when his cultivation is so low?”
“Come on, such a crude trick—don’t insult the title of ‘swindler.’ Those who fall for it deserve it; there’s no need to feel sorry for them.”
“Agreed! Something even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe—some people are willing to fall for it just because they have too much money.”
…
Although Su Che had walked hundreds of feet away, he could still hear these comments clearly through his spiritual sense; Zhuo Feng could hear them even better.
“What’s going on?” Zhuo Feng didn’t understand what Su Che and the old man had communicated through telepathy.
“Please keep an eye on this guy, Zhuo Uncle, and don’t let him run away,” Su Che instructed first, then briefly recounted what had happened, using telepathy to share it with both Zhuo Feng and Fei Yun.
After hearing this, Zhuo Feng smiled silently without saying anything. There was nothing more to say given the situation.
Fei Yun pouted slightly and glanced at Su Che gently, offering a mild reprimand: “You, who never want to suffer a loss, would you also be so foolish?”
At that moment, Su Che wasn’t sure if he had been stupid and deceived… Anyway, his intuition told him he should still go through with it.
Lao He, in the Immortal Prison, supported his master: “What does ‘great wisdom appears as foolishness’ mean? Fools have their own blessings—just wait and see!”
“Are you supporting me or undermining me?”
Su Che sighed inwardly, “Lao He, is it really interesting to test my patience? The eighth floor of the Immortal Prison will be your private room.”
Lao He laughed heartily. He had heard too many similar threats and didn’t care at all.

The old man walking ahead showed no signs of trying to escape; he moved steadily at a constant pace, leading Su Che and the others through twists and turns, past various shops, toward the northwest corner of the Tian Shi.

Flying was not allowed inside Tian Shi, so everyone had to walk, and even spells that could compress space were prohibited. Even in urgent situations, one could only use the dozen or so teleportation arrays scattered throughout Tian Shi to reach the plains outside.

In short, Tian Shi required a calm and orderly environment. Those who rushed around at high speeds must have done something dishonest and would likely be stopped and questioned by the law enforcement patrols on suspicion of theft.

After about twenty minutes, the old man stopped in front of a shop, pointed at its entrance, and turned to Su Che, saying, “It’s this one. Don’t worry; I’ll go in with you.”

Oh? There really was such a shop! Su Che and the others exchanged a glance.

Su Che did remember this shop, named “Cang Ji Ancient Treasures.” It wasn’t because of its grand or eye-catching appearance—on the contrary, its exterior was quite unassuming, bearing the traces of ages past.

Over the past half month, Su Che and the others had explored Hao Yuan Tian Shi several times. The last time they passed by this shop, Su Che had even thought about going in, but put it off, thinking, “There’s plenty of time later.”

Perhaps due to his current mindset, Su Che felt that this unremarkable shop seemed to be poorly managed, with sluggish business, and might even be up for sale.

Clang…

As they pushed the door open, the copper bells hanging inside rang, and a rich, profound atmosphere enveloped them, naturally bringing to mind the word “time.”

Cultivators are extremely sensitive to various auras, but ordinary people would surely not experience such sensations.

What surprised Su Che and the others even more was that the interior of this shop wasn’t a magic space at all—it was simply a three-story building, definitely not a space magic artifact of the immortal artifact level.

No matter how large it appeared from the outside, the inside was just that size. Even in the expensive Hao Yuan Tian Shi, ordinary buildings without any space-expansion properties were extremely rare throughout the entire immortal realm.

An exterior like a thatched hut, yet an interior like a paradise—no true immortal would want their dwelling to be as cramped as an ordinary person’s shack. If they had the ability, why settle for such a humble living?

The “Cang Ji Ancient Artifacts” in front of him resembled a grocery store—narrow and cluttered, with outdated facilities and stains everywhere. At first glance, the items displayed on the shelves showed no trace of the spiritual essence one would expect from magical artifacts. Still, they were all clean, virtually dust-free.
“Ancient artifacts?”
Su Che was indeed a bit curious: “What use are these ancient artifacts?”