Chapter 133: Just Right

An hour passed in an instant.

When Xiao Er and Xiao Ze led Tuan Tuan back to that square table, the surroundings were already packed three layers deep inside and out, utterly impenetrable.

The buzzing discussion around them surged the moment the main parties arrived.

"They're here! They're here! They're back!"

"This time there's excitement to watch!"

The crowd spontaneously made a path, and the three walked to the edge of the table.

The boy had already crossed his arms, waiting impatiently in front of the table.

On the table before him lay three extraordinarily appearing secret boxes.

One was a square box carved from warm jade, one a naturally formed wooden odd-shaped box, and the last a black-iron box forged from dark iron and covered in runes.

Just judging by their appearance, these three secret boxes were already valuable.

He curled the corner of his mouth, openly showing his delight, his gaze sweeping over Tuan Tuan: "Dragging your feet! I thought you knew you couldn't win and tucked your tail to flee."

Tuan Tuan lifted her small head: "I won't run! After all, it's not me who will lose."

The boy snorted contemptuously, "Compare luck with me? You still think you won't lose?"

Xiao Er placed the three secret boxes Tuan Tuan had bought onto the table.

The first was an ordinary wooden box, its surface unpainted and the wood rough.

The second was a dusty stone box, its surface pitted and uneven, extremely irregular.

The third was even more absurd: a clay jar caked in dust, its mouth sealed with yellow mud, looking exactly like a pickle jar just dug up from the ground.

The surroundings instantly burst into jeering laughter.

Compared to the boy's secret boxes, these three were pitifully shabby!

"Pfft! Is this little girl out of money?"

"What junk is this? Even altogether, could it be worth a hundred taels?"

"It simply can't be compared to the ones over there!"

"Who needs to look? The outcome is obvious!"

Hearing the bystanders' chatter, the boy's face lit up with glory.

He seemed already to see the other side weeping bitterly, handing over all the secret boxes with both hands.

At last he had won back the face he had just lost.

A person in green clothes who had been waiting quietly at the table's edge coughed softly, "Have you two already made your choices?"

Tuan Tuan and the boy both nodded.

"Good, the young master who finishes choosing first will go first in order."

He glanced at the ledger: "Young master, these three secret boxes total twenty-three thousand taels!"

The onlookers all sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Twenty-three thousand taels! What a grand hand!"

"It seems this young master's family background is not ordinary!"

"Could he be a young master from some great sect? Otherwise, who would entrust so much silver to a child to play with?"

"What treasure must these three boxes yield to break even?"

The boy listened, his face full of pride, he glanced contemptuously at the crowd: "What do you know?!"

The person in green clothes first reached for the odd-shaped box, fingertip lightly pressing; only a soft 'click' sounded, and the lid slowly opened.

In that instant, a soft green light spilled out, accompanied by a refreshing medicinal scent that invigorated the spirit.

Inside lay something resembling an infant, resting quietly on brocade.

"This is fully grown Fo-ti! Judging by its quality, it must be at least five hundred years old!" Among the crowd, those who recognized it exclaimed at once.

"A five-hundred-year-old spiritual medicine! This is a priceless treasure!"

"This box has turned a profit!"

The boy's smile grew more arrogant, he glanced provocatively at Tuan Tuan.

The second, the black-iron box.

Upon opening, a sharp aura burst forth.

Inside lay an ancient-looking short sword over three inches long, its body dark, with faint runes flowing across it.

"It's actually a sword embryo!" Even the knowledgeable person in green clothes gave a slight nod: "Indeed, it's a fine treasure!"

"If a weapons master forges it with care, it will surely become a lethal weapon."

Exclamations rose again in the field.

"Profit! Huge profit!"

The spiritual medicine plus the sword embryo alone already far exceeded the total value of the three boxes.

When the warm jade square box was slowly opened, everyone was stunned wide-eyed.

All that could be seen was a sheet of warm white light spilling out, within which lay a flawless, round pearl the size of a Dragon Desk.

"Soul-Settling Pearl! Worn on the body, it calms the mind and steadies the breath, resisting heart-devils! For martial practitioners it is a supreme treasure!" Everyone present being martial artists, someone immediately screamed.

"What? Soul-Settling Pearl?"

"Young master, I am willing to buy this Soul-Settling Pearl at a high price!"

All three boxes opened, the whole venue gasped.

A five-hundred-year-old spiritual medicine, a precious sword embryo, a Soul-Settling Pearl.

Everything the boy opened was a treasure; their total value had already become impossible to estimate.

"How can we even compare? This little girl is sure to lose!"

Just that settling-spirit pearl is worth a city!

This young master's vision and luck are actually astonishing!

The boy stood with his hands behind his back, chin raised high, enjoying the surrounding gasps and praise.

He glanced at his three secret boxes, then at Tuan Tuan: "Little girl, do you dare to open those three broken boxes of yours?"

Xiao Ze's face darkened; Xiao Er clenched his fists and snorted, "If the young lady loses, I'll carry her on my back, grab the secret box and run! I cannot let the young lady suffer this brat's ridicule!"

Tuan Tuan lowered her head to look at the boy's secret box: "Not bad, not bad!"

Chinese knotweed strengthens grandfather's body; the sword embryo lets Second Brother forge a treasure sword; the settling-spirit pearl helps Third Brother cultivate his martial arts!

Just right!

She rubbed her little hands, unable to wait: "Come on! Hurry up and open mine!"

The person in green clothes glanced at the ledger of the secret boxes she had bought: "This young lady bought three secret boxes, total price three thousand taels!"

The boy burst out laughing upon hearing that: "Hahaha, such cheap secret boxes, what rare treasure do you expect to find? If you have no money, just say so; you might as well admit defeat outright!"

Tuan Tuan glared at him: "Uncle, open it."

The person in green clothes glanced at her, then reached out and opened that rough wooden box.

No radiance, no strange fragrance.

Only at the box's bottom lay a palm-sized, completely black iron plate, lying still.

Not only was it unremarkable, its edges had several irregular breaks, as if it had shattered from some larger object.

A broken iron plate?

This! Who would bother picking up such a thing thrown on the road?

The person in green clothes reached out to pick up the iron plate, but unexpectedly couldn't lift it at all!

Everyone was so shocked they fell silent.

After a moment, whispers arose: "How can such a tiny piece be so heavy?"

How could that be?

What is this thing? I've never seen anything like it!

This time, the person in green clothes circulated his qi to exert force, managed to lift the iron plate; holding it up to the firelight, he examined it from all sides.

A cold green halo suddenly flared on the iron plate, continuously swirling; the previously ordinary plate instantly emitted icy light in all directions.

"This is mysterious iron." The person in green clothes was visibly excited, "If forged into a blade, it would be unstoppable! Its value rivals a city, on par with that sword embryo!"

What?!

Mysterious iron! It's a treasure that exists only in legends!

Everyone's mouths fell slightly open.

The boy's face darkened a bit: "Just a coincidence! What's there to be surprised about? Hurry up and open the next one!"

The person in green clothes quickly opened the second stone box.

Still nothing remarkable.

In the center of the stone box lay only a dull, lightless object resembling a large roadside pebble.

A piece of sand?

This surely can't be a treasure, right?

Yet the person in green clothes' hand reached out more slowly, gently lifting it and bringing it to his nose to sniff; immediately, he jerked his hand back as if burned, and the pebble fell back into the box.

He swiftly covered the stone box: "Heart-demon stone!"