Chapter 84: You Get What You Pay For
The group walked further down the road and saw numerous street stalls lining both sides, with vendors loudly hawking their wares.
"Step right up! Old books and newspapers for sale! Great for entertainment, and when you're done, you can even use them as toilet paper—a real bargain!"
"Mirrors for sale! Combs, toothbrushes, towels—all cheap!"
"Skincare products, anyone? Soap and shampoo too!"
"Go boards and chess sets! Prices negotiable!"
Most stalls had few customers. Occasionally, someone would stop to ask about prices, only to shake their head and walk away.
Even the cheapest trinkets cost at least one yuan—enough to buy a pound of ordinary rice, which could stretch to feed a family of three for two days.
In stark contrast, the stalls at the intersection were mobbed. As Chen Fan approached, he realized they were all selling meat.
Liu Yong explained, "These sellers are from Songjia Fort or nearby villages. They get better prices here than selling to monster material traders, but we don't have time for that."
"True. Otherwise, we could trade for more grain," Chen Guodong said regretfully.
"Everything has its trade-offs," Chen Fan replied with a smile. Just then, a voice caught his ear:
"Don't miss out! Premium martial arts manuals on sale! Originally hundreds or thousands of yuan, now just ten each! Ten yuan for anything! No scams, no tricks—absolute bargains! Come take a look!"
A scrawny old man barked at passersby, though most ignored him. After muttering curses under his breath, he slumped back onto his stool.
"That's him," Liu Yong said, pointing.
Chen Fan nodded. He'd already recognized the man without prompting.
"Dad, Uncle Liu, I'll go check it out."
Gu Ze frowned. Wasn't that old man a known fraud? Why was Chen Fan rushing to get scammed?
"We'll come with you," Chen Guodong insisted, uneasy.
As they approached, the old man's eyes lit up. "Gentlemen! What can I offer you? I have every martial art here—Tathagata Palm, Nine Yang Divine Skill, Indestructible Diamond Body, Seventy-Two Capture Techniques..."
Chen Fan raised a hand to cut him off. "How much?"
The old man grinned. "Ten yuan per manual! Buy the whole set, and I'll knock off twenty percent!"
Bystanders shook their heads. Were these newcomers really falling for this scam?
A nearby man spoke up: "Friends, you'd better look elsewhere."
The old man shot him a venomous glare. Chen Guodong smiled politely. "Thanks for the warning. We're just browsing."
The man left, and others held their tongues—they'd seen this play out before.
"Don't listen to that slander!" the old man protested, wide-eyed. "My goods are worth every penny! Buy one and see for yourselves!"
Chen Guodong and the others sneered inwardly. Buy one and see? More like buy one and get duped!
Yet Chen Fan nodded. In a way, the old man wasn't entirely wrong...
"Can we preview the manuals before buying?" he asked cautiously.
"Of course!" The old man slapped his thigh. "Browse any of these dozen manuals—but only a few pages each!"
"Deal."
Chen Fan crouched and picked up [Tathagata Palm]. Before he could open it, the old man launched into a spiel:
"Excellent choice! Legend says Buddha himself created this art to save humanity! Ten forms, each with unique effects—devastating power and endless versatility!"
"Really?"
Chen Fan flipped through the first page. His instincts warned him that ninety percent of these manuals were fakes—if not all.
"Absolutely!" The old man smiled like a blooming flower, though contempt flickered in his eyes.
This brat couldn't tell real from fake even if Buddha handed him the manual. Let him look—he'll never figure it out.
True to the old man's thoughts, the text was riddled with obscure characters and sloppy handwriting. Not that it mattered—Chen Fan only needed his system to scan it.
He checked his skill panel. Nothing.
Not enough pages?
He skimmed three more pages. Still no changes.
Fake?
"Young friend, that's enough," the old man chided.
"Just a bit more," Chen Fan pleaded.
"Yeah, let him see a little more!"
"If we like it, we'll buy!" Liu Yong and others chimed in.
The old man gritted his teeth. "Fine!"
After three days without a sale, he couldn't let these fools escape.
Chen Fan scanned two more pages—half the manual—but his skill panel remained blank.
"Maybe I'll try another," he said, swapping [Tathagata Palm] for [Nine Yang Divine Skill].
The old man blinked. He'd been ready to console Chen Fan about studying slowly at home—not this sudden switch.
"Ahem. It's normal to struggle at first," he recovered. "Only true prodigies grasp these at a glance! For us mortals, it takes years of study. Especially this [Nine Yang Divine Skill]—master it, and your inner energy regenerates instantly! Even basic strikes become deadly, defenses repel attacks, and you'll be immune to poison and disease! But—hey! You're halfway through!"
