Chapter 1667: Chapter 1667: Black Tortoise Bone Patterns

Bai Qianqian, though not familiar with ginseng, had a very keen nose and could tell the authenticity of this thing with just a sniff.

She grabbed a fake ginseng and yelled at the vendor, “Do you think we’re fools? Dare to sell this piece of lousy carrot as ginseng?”

The vendor’s face turned dark, and he replied to Bai Qianqian unhappily, “Miss, there’s no righteousness in business. If you don’t want it, just move on. No need to speak so offensively.”

“A seller of fakes still has the nerve to argue?”

Bai Qianqian clenched her fist, feeling the urge to punch the vendor.

Long Fei stopped her and said to the vendor, “My little sister is young and can’t tell the real stuff. Name your price, I’ll buy all the herbs here.”

The vendor’s eyes lit up, surprised by the presence of a sucker.

He reached out with five fingers, gesturing towards Long Fei, “These herbs from the mountains and underground are worth at least five, five thousand Spirit Stones.”

He originally intended to say five hundred but felt Long Fei was so easy to fool, he inflated the price tenfold in one breath.

Bai Qianqian grabbed Long Fei and exclaimed in frustration, “Brother Long, you may know Spirit Stones but not herbs. My nose is sensitive, these herbs smell fake!”

“You misjudged this time, I see these herbs as top-grade. Five thousand Spirit Stones is definitely not expensive!”

Long Fei smiled faintly and deliberately placed five thousand Spirit Stones in front of the vendor.

The pile of Spirit Stones sparkled, making the vendor drool.

He quickly gathered them up and flattered Long Fei, “Sir, you sure have an eye for things. No boast, but these herbs in the big shops could easily fetch ten times the price, you’ve got a steal today. These herb boxes are free for you, all gifts.”

He signaled his accomplice with a nod, quickly packed up, and attempted to leave.

Long Fei reached out to stop him, startling the vendor into asking nervously, “What, did you regret it?”

Long Fei said, “Don’t panic, I just want to ask you something.”

The vendor wiped his sweat and asked, pretending to be calm, “Ask what?”

Long Fei picked up a turtle shell fragment and asked him, “Where did these things come from?”

The vendor’s eyes flickered, and he fabricated carelessly, “Dug them out from the river?”

Long Fei chuckled, “Tell the truth, and I’ll add another thousand Spirit Stones for you.”

“A thousand?”

The vendor swallowed hard and quickly confessed, “These were dug out from the ruins pile of the Royal Mine. I thought they were old stuff, might have some medicinal properties, so I sold them as herbs.”

Long Fei handed him a thousand Spirit Stones, instructing him, “Then go spread the word among your peers, whoever has similar things, bring them to me. A piece of turtle shell, I’ll pay a thousand Spirit Stones and give you a commission of five hundred Spirit Stones.”

The vendor’s eyes widened, shocked that Long Fei was interested in these worthless turtle shells.

He had examined these things carefully, they neither burned nor boiled, lacking any divine material, they were simply worthless.

He didn’t know what Long Fei intended, only that these things were valuable.

He said repeatedly, “Sure, no problem, I’ll contact you right away, just make sure you keep your word.”

“Don’t worry, this amount is nothing.”

Long Fei nodded smilingly, allowing the vendor to leave.

He and Bai Qianqian simply sat in the vendor’s spot, announcing to the people around, “Still the same deal, buying these turtle shells. A thousand Spirit Stones for a turtle shell, I’ll take as many as you have.”

The scene erupted, suddenly becoming lively.

For top-level cultivators, a thousand Spirit Stones were just pocket money.

But for lower-level cultivators, a thousand Spirit Stones was a significant sum.

They could live lavishly in the secular world with this amount.

This news quickly spread throughout the market.

Sellers of herbs, motivated by the news, searched their Storage Rings.

Throughout the afternoon, Long Fei really received four pieces of turtle shell fragments.

He paid the Spirit Stones as promised, making everyone present eager, all wanting to take advantage of Long Fei.

Some even smashed their fortune-telling turtle shells from their Storage Rings to exchange for money with Long Fei.

Long Fei welcomed everyone, taking anything regardless of authenticity.

He intended to create an image of buying a horse with a thousand gold, attracting everyone to bring all the turtle shells they’d seen to him.

Eventually, over a million Spirit Stones spent, the turtle shells beside Long Fei and Bai Qianqian piled up like a small mountain.

The crowd saw through the fake turtle shells, secretly thinking Long Fei was a fool, wondering why anyone would have a habit of collecting turtle shells.

They privately gave him a nickname, “Wang Seven.”

Meaning, one vertebra less than a turtle.

In the evening, Long Fei asked Bai Qianqian to start a fire, moved their tent over, and roasted a snow plain antelope to eat.

Bai Qianqian, kicking a pile of turtle shells, complained to Long Fei, “Brother Long, what are you planning? These broken turtle shells are clearly freshly smashed, why spend money to buy them? One broken turtle shell, smashed into a dozen pieces, can earn you tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.”

“Some things cannot be measured by money.”

Long Fei smiled lightly, took out the dozen turtle shells collected today, and matched them with previous collectibles.

Among today’s collection, more than half weren’t the turtle shells he needed; he only extracted two genuine pieces.

However, these two pieces were already worth a million.

With the turtle shells arranged, a two-meter elongated turtle shell outline could be seen.

Long Fei’s collection was just a small part of it.

To collect all, at least a hundred more pieces were needed.

He studied the mystic patterns on the turtle shells thoughtfully, silently pondering that he only had the Black Tortoise bloodline, not its bones.

The turtle shell seemed like the bones of the Mystic Turtle.

If the bone patterns on this shell were engraved on bones, what would happen when the Black Tortoise bloodline was activated?

A moment later, a young man holding a paper fan approached, lightly smiling at Long Fei, “Brother Zhao, just in time for dinner, mind if I join you for some wine and meat?”

Long Fei opened his eyes, knowing it was the Fourth Prince visiting.

He gestured for the prince to sit, asking Bai Qianqian to pour wine for the Fourth Prince and cut a piece of freshly roasted lamb rib.

Bai Qianqian cautioned the Fourth Prince, “Hey, your Crown Prince brother doesn’t like you mingling with us. Honestly, are you befriending my Brother Long to gather people against your Crown Prince brother?”

The Fourth Prince took a sip of wine and smiled at Bai Qianqian, “Miss Bai, you’re straightforward. I’m not here for that, rather to sell Brother Long the turtle shells he’s looking for.”

Long Fei raised an eyebrow, looking at the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince’s Storage Ring glowed, and a mahogany box emerged from it.

The box opened, revealing over a hundred black turtle shells, the very ones Long Fei was seeking.

He fanned himself with his fan, smiling at Long Fei, “Brother Zhao, guess how much my turtle shells are worth?”

Long Fei chuckled lightly, “In the hands of the useless, not worth a penny. In the hands of the useful, they’re priceless.”

The Fourth Prince laughed heartily, “Brother Zhao, your insight is sharp. These shells are worthless in my hands. Since Brother Zhao needs them, I shall be the one to add flowers to the brocade, gifting them to Brother Zhao.”

Long Fei looked at him, “There’s no need for that; I won’t get involved in the power struggle between you and the Crown Prince. We’d better talk price.”

The Fourth Prince looked at Long Fei, “What if I’m not here for that, but simply to befriend you? Would you believe me?”

“Why?”

Long Fei raised an eyebrow.

The Fourth Prince laughed heartily, “No reason, just because I feel we are like-minded. In this world, it’s easy to find wealth but hard to find a confidant. I felt an instant connection with you, that’s all.”