Chapter 207: Top-tier Merchant Huang Shang

207. Chapter 204: Top-tier Merchant Huang Shang

"Young master, do we need any other slaves? I have everything here! Whatever you want, I can find it!" Fat Shopkeeper, looking at Li Xuan's generous demeanor, brightened.

A spendthrift aristocratic young master like this is the biggest money-maker; one good deal can cover half a year's performance.

So Fat Shopkeeper doesn't want to miss the chance to get rich overnight with Li Xuan.

"I need some low‑level soul masters, preferably honest and loyal," Li Xuan nodded, tapped the sofa arm with his knuckle, and said calmly to Fat Shopkeeper.

"Low‑level soul masters? That's a precious resource. One soul master costs at least a thousand Soul Coins, young master, consider the price…" Fat Shopkeeper frowned and asked.

The Slave Market does have soul masters for sale, but such soul‑master slaves are not only pricey, they're also low in loyalty.

After all, as soul masters they're extremely proud and hard to tame, so few buy these slaves; usually people purchase children with soul‑master talent and raise them, which yields higher loyalty.

"Money isn't an issue; do you have stock?" Li Xuan said with a smile to Fat Shopkeeper.

"Believe it or not, I actually have three Great Soul Master Realm soul masters, a thousand Soul Coins each!" Fat Shopkeeper whispered to Li Xuan.

He looked as if he were afraid of being overheard.

"If the goods are fine, the Soul Coins aren't a problem. Let's go, take us to see them." Li Xuan smiled slightly and said to Fat Shopkeeper.

"Ah! Young master, you're generous. Our treat, let's first go see those slaves." Fat Shopkeeper gestured a welcome to Li Xuan, then pushed open a hidden door in the room.

Li Xuan glanced at Bang Chui, then left the private room with Bang Chui, following Fat Shopkeeper into the hidden passage.

The hidden passage was dimmer than outside, lacking the former luxury, resembling a dungeon.

Li Xuan looked to both sides and saw iron‑forged cells, with vague silhouettes of people inside; the poor lighting made it impossible to discern who they were.

"What kind of slaves are these?" Li Xuan pointed at the surrounding cells and asked Fat Shopkeeper.

"Just ordinary young adults, nothing special," Fat Shopkeeper smiled at Li Xuan, clearly withholding some secret.

Li Xuan, being perceptive, said nothing further and merely nodded.

He glanced at Bang Chui behind him; the little fellow was still nervous but much calmer, seeming to have broken his inner shackles.

Fat Shopkeeper led Li Xuan and Bang Chui through twists and turns to a dim cell door, took out a key, and opened it.

"Young master, these three inside are the only three soul masters in our Slave Market, all at the Great Soul Master Realm," Fat Shopkeeper said to Li Xuan.

"What type of soul masters are they? Offensive? Support? Or Control?" Li Xuan suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked Fat Shopkeeper.

"Um… they're Life‑type…" Fat Shopkeeper hesitated, then said apologetically to Li Xuan.

"Life‑type? What's a Life‑type? I've read many books and never heard of such a… labor‑type soul master," Li Xuan was stunned, incredulously asking Fat Shopkeeper, genuinely never having heard of this kind of soul master.

"Their three martial souls are a book, a broom, and an abacus…" Fat Shopkeeper said apologetically to Li Xuan.

"Can't they become battle or control soul masters? Why are they Life‑type?" Li Xuan scratched his head, having never heard of Life‑type martial souls.

"Their martial souls could indeed grant combat ability, but their First Soul Techniques are, respectively, Book Replication, Ground Cleaning, and Efficient Calculation… none are usable in battle, and at thirty years old they have virtually no chance of advancement, which is why they sold themselves as slaves," Fat Shopkeeper explained to Li Xuan with some helplessness.

"I see…" Li Xuan hadn't expected such extreme soul techniques.

But Li Xuan suddenly thought of something else.

His soul‑guided cannon, if to be activated, requires a soul master to trigger it.

Thus these three slaves are still quite valuable to him.

Moreover, the one who replicates books is Li Xuan's favorite; he has brought countless books from the Killing Treasure Vault, and can have him copy new ones, saving Li Xuan the effort of transcribing himself.

As for the abacus martial soul, it could become the chief steward of Ladi Canyon, handling finances.

Of course, the one who sweeps… will just keep sweeping.

"Shopkeeper, these three are soul masters, but you know their abilities. You're selling me one for three thousand Soul Coins… doesn't that sting your conscience?" Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, his sharp gaze fixed on Fat Shopkeeper.

"Young master… how about this: one thousand Soul Coins each, three thousand Soul Coins, you take them all." Fat Shopkeeper hesitated, then, as if resolved, thrust out a finger and said firmly to Li Xuan.

"Haha, Shopkeeper, not very sincere. But I'm happy today; three thousand Soul Coins, I'll take them!" Li Xuan laughed heartily, waved his hand and said.

"Young master, your generosity! I'll have people fetch the three right away and deliver them to you. Young master, do we need any other slaves?" Fat Shopkeeper bowed and asked Li Xuan again.

Having just earned another three thousand Soul Coins, Fat Shopkeeper grew more convinced that Li Xuan was a lavish aristocratic young master, strengthening his resolve to provide better service. "Hmm… I don't want anything else for now. Take me around; if I see something I like we can discuss the price later," Li Xuan smiled and said to Fat Shopkeeper.

"Alright, young master, what type of slave do you want—beauty? Beast‑ear girl? Or a young lady, …" Fat Shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, giving Li Xuan a look every man understands.

"Hmph, I'm not of age to lose my virginity yet; let's look for something more special—slaves with unique abilities," Li Xuan said irritably to Fat Shopkeeper.

After absorbing the memory of Filthy Flame Yin Lotus, Li Xuan found that, with the same meridians, his own cultivation yielded better results than the Lotus's, leading him to suspect it was because his primordial Yang had not yet been released.

Thus Li Xuan didn't want to recklessly indulge outside at a young age and jeopardize his future cultivation—it wasn't worth the risk.

"Haha, young master's ambitions are lofty; you'll surely become the top soul master! I'm impressed," Fat Shopkeeper, shrinking back a step, said to Li Xuan.

Curb desire, cultivate diligently; even with modest talent, steady practice makes the future promising.

"Since that's the case, young master, let me show you some special slaves you might be interested in. Please, this way," Fat Shopkeeper gestured.

Since Li Xuan said he needed special slaves, Fat Shopkeeper understood what he wanted and led Li Xuan toward the deepest part of the cells.

In every Slave Market there are disobedient slaves whose abilities are excellent; unwilling to kill them outright, they are imprisoned, their temperaments refined, and sold once they submit.

Fat Shopkeeper thought Li Xuan might want a challenge, so he planned to take him to the deepest cells to show these slaves.

The deeper they went, the dimmer the light became; it seemed they were nearing the end of the cells.

"Young master, the slaves here are very disobedient, so once sold they're non‑returnable, but their abilities are strong, so the price isn't cheap; however I guarantee they're worth every Soul Coin," Fat Shopkeeper explained to Li Xuan.

"If the goods are good, a higher price is fine," Li Xuan smiled lightly, waved his hand, and said nonchalantly.

Fat Shopkeeper smiled, nodded, then took out a key, opened the first cell door, and led Li Xuan inside.

The cell was small but spotless and clean; a disheveled man sat in the corner, head bowed, his face hidden by hair, his gaunt figure and pallid complexion evident.

"This man is Huang Shang, once part of the Star Luo Empire's largest caravan, the chief manager of the Hundred Beast Caravan, gifted with extraordinary business talent, possessing a keen commercial intuition. Nicknamed 'Gold Ten Thousand Taels,' his business acumen shines through ages. If not for his boss's jealousy that led to his sale, and had he remained with the Hundred Beast Caravan, it would now be the wealthiest caravan in Star Luo City," Fat Shopkeeper lamented to Li Xuan.

"Why sell him? Just because of jealousy? That's unreasonable!" Li Xuan scratched his head, asked Fat Shopkeeper with a puzzled expression.

"Because I hold the caravan's secrets and have undermined his position. Moreover, his caravan is already fully established, so my value… vanished," Huang Shang's hoarse, resonant voice said.

"You're basically the rabbit that dies and the hound that's cooked," Li Xuan chuckled lightly.

"Young master, his price is ten thousand Soul Coins, but there's a condition: you must provide one million Soul Coins as startup capital, and you cannot dictate what he does." Fat Shopkeeper relayed the information to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan heard Pang Zhanggui's words and also nodded; Huang Shang's résumé looks impressive, so 10,000 golden soul coins are truly cheap, and as for the 1,000,000 startup capital Li Xuan can also produce it.

Besides, I will still need a white glove to sell Alchemy Pills in the future, so Huang Shang perfectly meets my criteria.

However, Pang Zhanggui's words cannot be fully trusted; after I leave here, I will inquire about Huang Shang's name in Star Luo City. If he truly has the ability, 1,000,000 golden soul coins will be a simple matter.

"This is good, I've been worried, want to make money, can't split myself, no one in my hand can handle it alone, 10,000 gold Soul Coins are worth it! I can also give you 1,000,000 gold Soul Coins, but what can you give me?" Li Xuan asked Huang Shang.

"Can you really not interfere with anything I do? I want to establish a caravan, engage in commerce and trade, and become the strongest merchant on the continent!" Huang Shang's voice was full of pride and confidence.

Li Xuan also saw Huang Shang's face clearly: a middle‑aged, gaunt look, probably because he has been starving here; with sufficient nutrition, he would be a handsome uncle.

"Rest assured, I have good stuff in hand, and I will give you the sales rights to these two items later! As long as you help me earn back gold coins, that's enough. I won't meddle in your money‑making, and I can also provide you with ample convenience!" Li Xuan smiled at Huang Shang and said reassuringly.

"You… fine! I promise that for the first three years I will give you at least 300,000 gold Soul Coins each year; from the fourth year onward I can give you at least 1,000,000 gold Soul Coins annually. I don't need money; all the gold Soul Coins earned from the 1,000,000 startup capital can go to you! My only goal is to become the top shopkeeper of the Douluo Continent!" Huang Shang said without hesitation, his tone firm, to Li Xuan.

"Deal! I will give you ample help!" Li Xuan clapped excitedly, then, with a thought, took out a bag of golden soul coins from inside and tossed it to Pang Zhanggui.

The bag of gold Soul Coins happened to contain exactly 10,000 pieces.

"Young master, such generosity! I'll arrange for someone to freshen him up right away and deliver it to you shortly." Pang Zhanggui, excited, took the money bag, opened it for a glance, looked at the golden soul coins, and assured Li Xuan.

"After we go to a stable place I'll give you the gold Soul Coins, and also let you see my stuff." Li Xuan lifted his head, pointed at Huang Shang, and said with a smile.

"Today I, Huang Shang, swear with my life, lifelong loyalty to my master! Never betray; if I break the oath, heaven will punish and earth will destroy!" Huang Shang knelt before Li Xuan, bowed his head earnestly, and said.

"Young master, we still have a few people with odd temperaments here; shall we continue to look?" After confirming these were genuine golden soul coins, Pang Zhanggui hurriedly placed the money bag into his spiritual guide device and energetically introduced to Li Xuan.

In this deal, Pang Zhanggui's own commission could reach as high as 3,000 golden soul coins, enough to cover three months of pure profit; Pang Zhanggui felt he had guessed correctly, and Li Xuan truly was a wealthy aristocratic young master.

"Sure, the more capable people like this, the better!" Li Xuan's eyes brightened, he said to Pang Zhanggui. (End of chapter)