Chapter 126: Encountering Forced Buying and Selling

Among the accessories Tang Wei handed over, one was a pure diamond necklace. In China, reselling it would fetch at least tens of millions of RMB, yet she had no idea what kind of valuation it might receive here. Then again, one could only blame Tang Wei’s ignorance of the market for her treating these treasures like garbage. What a show this would be! If Tang Wei ever returned to China and learned the true value of these necklaces, one wondered if she would stomp her feet in frustration, or perhaps rush back here in a fit of pique to snatch them back. That was not entirely impossible; after all, besides her love for food, sleep, and play, Tang Wei had a bit of a greedy streak!

Regardless, these items were meticulously selected by the Four Great Families to win Tang Wei over. They wouldn't dream of fooling her with shoddy goods—even a blind person could figure that out—yet they had the misfortune of encountering a woman who thought with her backside! It was truly a waste of the Four Great Families' painstaking efforts. They had assumed that any woman would naturally possess a unique craze for such ornaments, never expecting to meet a woman like Tang Wei, who considered jewelry a nuisance and used her rear end to do her thinking.

The old man took the jewelry and examined it carefully. He realized these were items he had never seen before—presumably extremely rare pieces. His heart sank with a sense of gravity, though he didn't let a flicker of emotion cross his face. Pretending to be an expert, he quoted a price: "Little girl, while these items are rare and worth some silver, they are not particularly precious. If you are determined to pawn them, I can offer one thousand taels for a permanent pawn, or six hundred taels for a temporary one. Which will it be?"

Tang Wei did some quick mental math: "One copper coin here is equivalent to one RMB, so one tael of silver is one thousand yuan. One thousand taels would be one million RMB. That doesn't seem to cover the value of a diamond necklace in China! I’ll just pawn one for now. I don't need that much anyway." Having made up her mind, she retrieved the other two pieces from the old man and said, "I will only pawn this one necklace. Please re-evaluate the price for me." Fortunately, Tang Wei wasn't completely dim; she knew enough to gauge the value roughly and had the sense not to take out all the jewelry from her storage space, or she surely would have been hunted down halfway home. For a young woman to carry such rare treasures without drawing unwanted attention would be strange indeed; after all, there are those everywhere who value wealth more than their lives. Though she wasn't afraid, being constantly assassinated was a nuisance, wasn't it?

The old man couldn't fathom Tang Wei’s intentions and, unwilling to let the treasure slip through his fingers, tried to probe further: "Why not pawn them all, girl? Is it the price, or some other reason? We can discuss it further!" One look told Tang Wei he was a greedy merchant, and she knew she wouldn't get the better of him.

Even if Tang Wei wasn't worldly, she had shopped at vegetable markets and bargain clothing stalls; she knew the principle of haggling. Seeing the old man’s eagerness, she realized his initial quote had been a blatant attempt to fleece her. "Damn it! Good thing I’m sharp, or I would’ve been slaughtered like a fat pig."

Tang Wei decided to go all in. She doubled the price and pointed at the necklace in the old man's hand: "Old man, aren't you being a bit too ruthless? Do you take me for a fool? If I weren't short on cash right now, I wouldn't be pawning my family heirloom. (Heirloom? She didn't even blush at the lie!) I’m only pawning this one necklace now. Two thousand taels, final offer. Take it or leave it. If you say no, I’m walking out the door to another pawnshop. I’m sure others would be fighting for such a fine piece." With that, she snatched the necklace back and made a show of leaving.

"Wait! Little girl, why the rush? Sit down, we can talk about the price! Why are you in such a hurry?" The old man hurriedly pulled her back, showering her with sweet talk until she sat in a nearby chair. After he went to the back room to bring her a cup of tea, he returned and said soothingly, "How about you pawn all three necklaces to me permanently for three thousand taels? Tell me, aren't you afraid of being targeted while carrying such treasures? The world is a chaotic place! You’d be safer selling them all to me, wouldn't you? After all, plenty of people outside saw these treasures earlier!" Was the old man trying to threaten her? He had picked the wrong target. Tang Wei wasn't afraid of underhanded tactics; in such a small place, who could touch her?

"Old man, are you suggesting that once I have the silver, I won't be targeted? Still, I appreciate your concern. Let me be honest with you: since I dared to come here, I don't fear being targeted. I believe no one in this small town dares to do anything to me." Tang Wei’s boast was intended to intimidate the old man and keep him from acting rashly. Zixuan had once told her that demonstrating one's power at the right moment could make others wary of you, and that advice was proving true.

"Little girl, haven't you heard that a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake? Even with strong backing, I fear their help would be too far away to save you from immediate danger!" The old man was convinced Tang Wei was just putting on a brave front; he saw no noble aura about her and her clothes didn't look expensive, so he dismissed her words. As he spoke, he kept his eyes locked on the necklace; in his mind, it already bore his name. Even if Tang Wei wanted to leave, she would have to leave the necklace behind.

"Oh! So you’re planning to force a purchase? Aren't you afraid I’ll just walk away?" Tang Wei asked with a playful smile. Did he really think she didn't notice the men he’d called to guard the door? Sure enough, while he was fetching tea, he had summoned four burly men who were now blocking the exit.

"Heh! Little girl, I wouldn't call this a forced purchase. I offered three thousand taels! Anyone would agree that’s a fair price." The old man said, feeling secure.

"I am the one selling, so I should be the one to agree. If others agree, why don't you buy from them instead?" Tang Wei was clearly bored and looking for some fun.

Seeing Tang Wei’s unruffled demeanor, the old man hesitated. Could she really have some secret support? Impossible. She had to be bluffing. If she had a powerful background, she wouldn't be here alone. Her attire proved she wasn't from a grand family, and he could handle a regular wealthy household. Based on this fatal misjudgment, the old man made a decision he would regret for the rest of his life.

"It seems you don't want to pawn them, girl? Then let’s just forget the whole thing!" The old man revealed his sinister, petty face. In his mind, if she didn't pawn them, he would just take them by force, obtaining all three treasures for nothing. He waved his hand, and four massive, beefy men entered from the door.

Tang Wei feigned terror, her body trembling as she said in a squeaky voice, "They look so scary! Are they really that strong? Let’s talk this over, please don't use force!" Terrified, she reached out to grab her tea to calm her nerves, but the moment she touched the cup, it instantly turned into a pile of ash, spilling the green tea across the table. "Oh! What happened?" Tang Wei shrieked, jumping up and leaving the three necklaces on the chair. She frantically tried to wipe the table clean with her hands, but as soon as she touched the wood, it also disintegrated into ash.

"What is going on? Old man, I just decided not to pawn these treasures, did you have to go this far? Even if you didn't want me to drink the tea, you didn't have to make the cup disappear! I saw the tea spilling and just wanted to help you wipe it up. If you didn't want me touching the table, you could have just said so; you didn't need to turn it into a pile of ash to scare me!" Tang Wei looked pitiful, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

The old man was bewildered. Could he have caused this? He looked at his hands, finding it unlikely, then looked at the four burly men, asking them with his eyes if they were responsible. The four men were so frightened they backed away, waving their hands frantically: "It wasn't us! Not us!"

Tang Wei didn't give him a moment to think. She continued her act: "Oh! Old man, look, I’m penniless now, and I can't pawn the necklaces. How about I work for you? I’m very diligent, you only need to pay me a tiny bit of wages every day." With that, she pretended to start working, aiming for the chair opposite her. She produced a rag from nowhere and went to wipe it, but the moment she touched it, the chair turned to ash as well.

"Oh, what is going on? Boss, this isn't my fault! I’ll go wipe something else!" Tang Wei shrieked as she moved around the hall, turning every single table and chair into ash—except for the one the old man was sitting on.

The old man and the four burly men were stunned into silence. They stood frozen, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open in O-shapes, completely unable to process what they had just witnessed.