Soul Land V: Rebirth of Tang San

"Let\'s hit the store!" Du Bai clutched the Elemental Coins in his hand and turned to leave.

Wu Bingji shook his head helplessly and asked, "What about me, Xiao Tang? At what level do you think I should cultivate before going out to gain experience?"

Tang San looked at Wu Bingji, pondered for a moment, and replied, "When Big Brother can truly forge an ice needle, I think that would be a good time."

"Okay!" Wu Bingji nodded without hesitation.

Although his injuries had not yet fully healed, he had been working hard lately to practice the control of the ice element. After Tang San\'s guidance, his understanding of the ice element had deepened a lot more than before.

"Let\'s get going then, to the store for some shopping. I think the real wealthy one ought to be Sister Yu," Wu Bingji said with a laugh.

The five of them left Wu Bingji\'s room together, money in their pockets gave them confidence. Du Bai, marching ahead with a determined stride that acknowledged no kin, strode straight to the store managed by Mu Yunyu.

When they arrived at the store, Mu Yunyu was tidying up the items on the counter. Seeing the five of them arrive together, she couldn\'t help but laugh and say, "Well, well, if it isn\'t our little tycoons. What\'s up? Planning to make a big purchase today?"

Tang San said beamingly, "Sister Yu, we\'re here to buy things. Since a few of us are buying together, could you give us a discount?"

"Discount? No way. Don\'t think I don\'t know how much money you\'ve made. You still want a discount? Haven\'t you ever heard of envy, jealousy, and hatred? I\'m already being nice by not fleecing you lot," Mu Yunyu said with a grin.

"Sister Yu, you can\'t do this! If that\'s how it\'s going to be, we might just go to the city to sell. There might even be better things there," Du Bai said.

Mu Yunyu nonchalantly replied, "Go on then! Feel free to go. There are certainly more goodies in the city, but the key is whether they are willing to sell to you. Most high-level shops are not open to vassals, only Monsters, and even nobles are qualified to shop there. You can give it a try."

Tang San\'s mind was struck by a new realization from what Mu Yunyu said. Even shopping for vassals was subject to discrimination.

Wu Bingji chuckled and said, "Don\'t listen to Du Bai\'s nonsense, Sister Yu. Then we\'ll start choosing." While speaking, he gave the others a knowing look.

Mu Yunyu said calmly, "Go ahead. Take note of anything you\'re interested in and come over to pay at the end. You can take the items in batches."

Many precious resources needed special care, and taking them all away at once could result in loss of efficacy before they could be used. Her offer to take the items in batches meant that she was agreeing to store the purchased goods for them unconditionally.

The five of them didn\'t say any more and immediately threw themselves into the selection process.

The little store had a great variety of items, and while they had all visited before, it was probably Wu Bingji who did most of the shopping. As the eldest apprentice brother, he had a respectable amount of savings.

Likewise for Du Bai, Tang San, and Cheng Zicheng, who were even visiting to make a purchase for the first time. Gu Li had been a few times but hadn\'t spent much money.

Relatively speaking, Du Bai and Gu Li were often taken care of more since their talents were so exceptional, making their evolution very important to the academy, which naturally led to resource allocation being tilted in their favor. But even the academy couldn\'t afford to give away some of the precious items in this little store without reason, especially since they hadn\'t broken through their bottlenecks for many years.

Mu Yunyu said, "If you need any recommendations from a teacher, come find me." She was delighted to see the five of them enter. Of course, she knew that the total gains of these five kids this time were likely to exceed twenty Elemental Coins, considering the two Winged Tigers were extremely valuable. Just the inner core alone had sold for more than five Elemental Coins, a bit higher than expected.

"Oh, right. The second group heading out for hunting and training leaves tomorrow. It will be another group of five. When they return, there will be a third group. It\'s perfect that you\'re divided into three groups. So, if you see something you like, don\'t hesitate, lest the others come back and beat you to it. Some items in my store are one of a kind, once sold, they\'re gone."

While looking through the display case, Tang San couldn\'t help but smile at Sister Yu\'s way of promoting sales—it was indeed quite commonplace. Not to mention the high value of the items here, but could the second group of students really match their haul? It seemed very unlikely.

Tang San\'s group might not look that impressive with Du Bai lacking combat power, but with Wu Bingji as the eldest brother leading them, the strongest among them at the Sixth Stage, they had an advantage. And Tang San himself played a crucial role. With Gu Li\'s Time Variation Seal and Cheng Zicheng\'s scouting and support, along with Du Bai\'s luck, the other two groups led by Fifth Stage wouldn\'t be able to compare in strength by far. Most importantly, they lacked Tang San, so their haul couldn\'t possibly be greater.

When it came to buying items, Tang San had already made plans in his mind. After having carefully inspected the place on his previous visit, he had noted several precious items suitable for himself.

Soon, he had selected the items he wanted, recorded the numbers, and walked back to Mu Yunyu.

"Sister Yu, I want these items." While speaking, Tang San handed over the numbers he had recorded to Mu Yunyu.

Mu Yunyu took a look and quickly cross-referenced her inventory list, copying out what Tang San wanted.

After she finished copying, she couldn\'t help but show some surprise, "What are you getting these for? The Dragon Tendon Fruit is quite good for tempering the meridians. You\'re really willing to spend. Just one Dragon Tendon Fruit is an Elemental Coin! But what do you need this Green Jade Vine for? It\'s just a low-level Demon Beast. A Second Stage living Demon Beast. Its biggest use is as a tie. Are you buying it as a rope? But it\'s alive and moves on its own. That\'s unstable!"

"And this, what do you want this for? Sharp Crystal Gold? What do you need this rare metal for? It can\'t even be used as Monster Coin. Because there is no Energy of any element inside it. And this Black Crow Stone. What\'s the purpose of these? And you\'re buying so much. Aside from being hard, it also contains no Energy. Do you have so much money that you\'re burning a hole through it?"

Listening to Mu Yunyu\'s string of scolding, Tang San couldn\'t help but show a wry smile, "Sister Yu, I have a use for them."

"What use? Together, these four items, with the quantity you want, will cost two Elemental Coins. Do you know what Sharp Crystal Gold is used for? This is the least valuable. It\'s used by women to make jewelry. Among the Monsters, it is trendy as a gemstone setting because it has a good luster and a beautiful color and is popular due to its rarity, so it\'s expensive. You\'re a boy, what do you want this for? Perhaps you\'re making jewelry for a girl? Have you taken a liking to Chengzi?"

"I…" Tang San wasn\'t sure what to say. He certainly knew Mu Yunyu meant well, but he really did have a use for those items!

"Ah? You\'re taking a liking to me? No way, Tang San, I don\'t go for younger men. Don\'t even think about it, get that thought out of your head right now," said Cheng Zicheng, her ears sharp as ever, she immediately and unequivocally rejected him.

But it seemed she remembered Tang San\'s good qualities and added, "Xiao Tang, I know you\'re a good person, but we\'re both still young and should focus on diligently cultivating and studying hard."

A friend-zone card, too? The corner of Tang San\'s mouth twitched.