Yang Long thought for a long time before finally asking,"I can't afford a thousand-forged weapon, and I don't have enough money. How much is a hundred-forged one?"
"Ten thousand gold soul coins," Tang San replied without hesitation."You'll need to pay five thousand up front as a deposit."
"Are you seriously not trying to scam me?"Yang Long released his martial soul—the Dragon Pattern Spear. Three spirit rings appeared: two yellow, one purple. The sudden fluctuation of spirit power immediately drew attention.
Mr. Li, the blacksmith shop owner, along with several apprentices, looked over in shock. Pedestrians on the street quickly scattered, though many still peeked from around corners—and some even ran off to notify the Spirit Hall.
"What's going on, customer? Did Tang San offend you in any way?"Mr. Li approached cautiously, forcing a smile despite his trembling.
If Yang Long were merely a Spirit Master, Mr. Li wouldn't be concerned. With his apprentices, he could deal with the trouble. But this was a Spirit Elder, and he had a thousand-year spirit ring. Mr. Li truly couldn't afford to offend him.
"Hmph! This blacksmith's a fraud!"Yang Long pointed at Tang San and barked,"He told me a thousand-forged Dragon Pattern Spear would cost over two hundred thousand gold soul coins, and now a hundred-forged one costs ten thousand? Is this robbery?"
Mr. Li looked between Yang Long and Tang San before sighing."This… actually, those prices are very fair."He glanced at Tang San, who merely shrugged.
As someone experienced in the trade, Mr. Li knew those rates were reasonable. A hundred-forged or thousand-forged weapon truly did cost that much. Tang San wasn't extorting anyone.
Yang Long's anger surged. Just as he was about to teach the blacksmith shop a lesson for siding with Tang San, the sound of synchronized footsteps echoed down the street.
Seventeen Spirit Hall patrol knights in polished western-style armor, wielding long spears, marched swiftly over.
At the front was Su Yuntao. Among the knights was the young Wang Sheng, only twelve years old.
"No fighting in the city!"Su Yuntao's voice rang out."Put away your spirit and spirit rings immediately, or we'll treat this as a disruption of Nuoding City's order. The Spirit Hall has the right to take you in."
"Hmph. Spirit Hall…"Yang Long scowled, but still dismissed his spirit and spirit rings."I'm being blackmailed here. You're really just going to ignore that?"
"We of the Spirit Hall don't interfere in civil disputes. That's under the jurisdiction of the City Lord's officials," Su Yuntao said firmly."However, since you're a spirit master, we're willing to hear your side. And the blacksmith shop owner can explain as well."
"Yes, Master Su..."Mr. Li quickly recounted everything, and the apprentices all confirmed his version of events.
Su Yuntao listened quietly. While he was surprised at the high price for a thousand-forged weapon, he trusted Tang San and Mr. Li wouldn't try to cheat someone like this. If they truly were scammers, this shop wouldn't survive a week—no one would buy kitchenware, tools, or even permitted weapons from them again.
Besides, even if Tang San was gouging the customer, Su Yuntao would still stand on his side. He didn't know Yang Long, and Yang Long's arrogant tone was already annoying. Nobles didn't get to throw tantrums and expect others to lower prices on demand.
"I've heard enough."Su Yuntao looked at Yang Long."The price of a thousand-forged weapon really is that high. Tang San and the shopkeeper weren't cheating you."His tone hardened."Don't assume that just because you're a noble, you can force others to do as you please."
"I'm not a noble," Yang Long snapped.
"Ordinary people can't afford clothes of that quality," Su Yuntao said, glancing at Yang Long's attire."Even if your martial soul mutated, it wouldn't reach this level of power without strong background. But regardless of whether you're a noble or not, you're still forbidden from starting fights in Nuoding City."
Yang Long fumed but held back. Though he believed he could beat them all, he didn't dare offend the Spirit Hall.
Tang San offered calmly,"Customer, do you still want to forge a spear? An ordinary all-iron spear is much cheaper—only one hundred gold soul coins."
"No. Give me back my deposit," Yang Long said darkly, holding out his hand to Mr. Li.
Tang San had already placed the money in front of Mr. Li, who hurried to return the five hundred gold soul coins without delay. He wanted no part of this transaction. He had never met such an unreasonable spirit master.
"Customer," Tang San called softly as Yang Long turned to leave.
"What now?"Yang Long snapped, frustrated."Did I delay your work? Do you want me to compensate you?"
"No," Tang San said."I just wanted to remind you—when traveling the continent, strength alone isn't enough. You also need to make friends."His expression was sincere.
But Yang Long only heard sarcasm in his words.To him, it sounded like, You've got strength? So what? In this world, it's all about connections and status. Who are you to think you matter?
He clenched his fists but didn't dare start a fight.
"Dragons don't live with snakes," he sneered and turned to leave.
"Brother Tao, that guy's full of himself," Wang Sheng muttered to Su Yuntao. He clearly disliked Yang Long.
Before Tang San and Xiao Wu had enrolled at Nuoding Academy, Wang Sheng had been bullied endlessly by noble children like Xiao Chenyu. He had no fondness for people like Yang Long.
"Dragons don't live with snakes?"He scoffed silently.If you're so great, why don't you stick around and fight instead of walking away?
"He must be from a big family. Best not to provoke him," Su Yuntao advised calmly."But if he does provoke us, don't be afraid. We have the Spirit Hall behind us."Then, with a small smirk, he added,"As Xiao San once said—'a strong dragon can't suppress a local snake.' And frankly, he's just a local dragon at best."
"What's a 'local dragon'?" Wang Sheng asked, puzzled.
"An earthworm," Su Yuntao replied dryly.
Meanwhile, Tang San watched Yang Long's retreating figure and thought,"Dragons don't live with snakes? That's why true dragons have become endangered on the Douluo Continent. Few with pure bloodlines remain. Only the crossbreeds survived."
"Thank you, Brother Tao. Thank you, Wang Sheng," Tang San said sincerely.
"San Ge, don't waste time on people like that," Wang Sheng said with a frown."He acts so arrogant just because he comes from a big family. He's rich as anything, and he still tries to haggle over every coin."He spat in Yang Long's direction in disgust.
"Xiao San, don't worry about it. This is part of our job," Su Yuntao said with a smile."Alright, Wang Sheng, let's continue our patrol. There's been talk of people going missing on the west side of the city. We need to check it out."
"San Ge, I'll talk to you later!"Wang Sheng waved and left with the patrol squad.
"Tang San, do you know Master Su?"Mr. Li asked curiously.
"Brother Tao helped me awaken my spirit," Tang San answered."And Wang Sheng is a work-study student like me. He's already applied for early graduation."
"Ah, I see."Mr. Li nodded in understanding. Then he smiled."You're right. It's important to make friends. It makes everything easier in life."
"The more friends you have, the more roads open to you," Tang San said seriously."I think in this world, it's best to make more friends and fewer enemies. Otherwise, life becomes far too exhausting."