Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

"Four-Eyed Owl Flender, principal of Shrek Academy, the stingiest man on the Douluo Continent..." Yun Chuan's mind quickly filled with information about the shopkeeper before him and the minor storyline associated with this shop.

"I remember in the original story, Tang San seemed to have picked up a treasure in this small shop. It was something like Dragon Beard Needles, appearing as a cloudy crystal, but inside it was a treasure if broken open!" As Yun Chuan recalled the nearly forgotten plot points from the original story, he didn't bother to greet Flender, who was clearly pretending to be asleep. He leisurely wandered around the room, glancing at the walls and examining the items on display.

After surveying the shop's contents, Yun Chuan concluded that Flender indeed lived up to his reputation as a notorious profiteer in the original story. Most of the goods in the shop were essentially counterfeit or shoddy. The items hanging on the walls, emitting faint soul power fluctuations, might initially look like unknown soul tools.

But with Yun Chuan's sharp eye, honed by years of training in the Spirit Hall, he could easily tell these soul tools were flawed. Most likely, they contained fragments of soul beast remains—claws, teeth, or fur—designed to confuse perception.

Anyone hoping to score a bargain by purchasing these items would undoubtedly lose money.

Of course, there were real soul tools in the shop, but judging by their unstable energy fluctuations, their core mechanisms were likely damaged. They might still function, but their use would be highly unreliable. For instance, a storage-type soul tool might randomly lose stored items or, worse, explode and destroy its contents.

A swindler! A blatant swindler!

As Yun Chuan continued his inspection, he came across one exception—a crystal the size of a human head.

This crystal didn't look particularly remarkable. It was transparent but filled with large patches of yellow impurities. It hung near the shop's entrance. But as soon as Yun Chuan's eyes landed on it, the rune at the center of his brow began to tremble slightly, conveying a faint message: Useful... Absorb...

Yun Chuan maintained an outward calm, but inwardly he was elated. The mysterious rune on his brow rarely showed any activity, except during training sessions. Yet now, in the presence of this crystal, it had taken the initiative to respond.

"This crystal must be incredibly beneficial to me! I must obtain it!" Yun Chuan resolved inwardly and promptly turned to Flender. "This crystal—I want it. How much?"

"Not much, just a hundred gold soul coins," came a lazy, hoarse voice. Flender remained sprawled on his chair, eyes still closed.

A hundred gold soul coins was an exorbitant price, but Yun Chuan didn't care. He wasn't strapped for cash. Pulling out a pouch of gold coins, he said, "Fine, I'll—"

"—buy it!"

A sudden, feminine voice interrupted him.

Yun Chuan froze, instinctively turning toward the source of the voice. A girl had entered the shop and was the one who had spoken.

"Where did you come from? I was here first, and I already asked the price!" Yun Chuan frowned, his tone edged with annoyance. Judging by her appearance and the timing, he had a faint guess about the girl's identity.

"Hmph. Did you pay yet? If not, the transaction isn't complete. Why can't I buy it first?" The girl huffed, her tone slightly willful. Her voice was soft and melodious, lacking sharpness, but it carried a subtle charm that was hard to resist. Yun Chuan's irritation, initially sparked by her words, dissipated without him realizing it.

It was true: appearances mattered. If someone as lovely as this girl acted spoiled, it was much easier to forgive her. And this girl, with her delicate features, certainly fell into that category.

She wore a blue-green dress, her silky coffee-colored hair styled into two thin braids framing her middle-parted bangs. Her fair, rosy face was youthful and radiant, exuding a unique vitality.

Her sapphire-like eyes shimmered with clarity and innocence, framed by long eyelashes. The entire ensemble gave her a refreshing elegance.

Judging by her refined attire, natural nobility, and classical beauty, Yun Chuan was almost certain about her identity. She must be Ning Rongrong, the runaway daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.

However, Yun Chuan was puzzled. Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Martial Spirit naturally allowed her to sense treasures, but the original story never mentioned her visiting this shop. Could this deviation be a result of the butterfly effect caused by his presence?

"Whatever the reason, I can't let her take this crystal!" Yun Chuan steeled his resolve. "Things should follow a proper order, right? I saw it first and asked for the price. Barging in and snatching it isn't right," he said, his tone cold.

"What's inappropriate about it? Business is business, and the highest bidder wins." At this moment, Flender, who had been pretending to nap, sat up and flashed a sly merchant's grin. "How about this: whoever offers the higher price between the two of you gets the crystal."

Both Yun Chuan and Ning Rongrong frowned upon hearing this!

The swindler in front of them clearly intended to pit them against each other.

While both of them were wealthy and unconcerned about spending money, neither wanted to be fleeced for no reason. After all, who would willingly let themselves be taken advantage of?

"Forget it. I won't buy it," Ning Rongrong said suddenly, shaking her head. She wasn't particularly invested in getting the crystal. Earlier, while passing by the shop, her martial soul had detected the presence of something valuable inside, which piqued her curiosity and led her to enter. The moment she stepped inside, her eyes were drawn to the crystal.

The intuition from her martial soul had told her that the seemingly dull crystal hid something extraordinary within. Driven by her love of treasure hunting and the thrill of a potential steal, she impulsively declared her intention to buy it.

However, upon entering and realizing someone else had already shown interest in the crystal, Ning Rongrong felt a bit embarrassed. She had intended to apologize, but Yun Chuan's frown and unfriendly tone roused her rebellious streak. With a light snort, she had responded with the kind of haughty words expected of a spoiled young lady.

After all, as the treasured daughter of the clan, she had always been the apple of everyone's eye. Who dared show her a sour face, let alone speak to her in such a tone, as if they might hit her at any moment? Intimidating her? How laughable!

That said, Ning Rongrong's typical demeanor when interacting with outsiders wasn't like this. She usually came across as polite and gracious, embodying the image of a proper young lady. After all, she represented the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Behaving unreasonably outside the clan would tarnish its reputation and make people think of it as arrogant and domineering.

In the shop, however, the dynamics were different. If Flender hadn't proposed a bidding war, Ning Rongrong might not have stepped down so easily. But given the situation, she decided to gracefully retreat. She wasn't inclined to spend extravagantly on something she wasn't passionate about, nor did she want to play into Flender's hands. Besides, her pride wouldn't let her lose face over a trivial matter.