Ten Thousand Years in Seclusion
Chapter 12:Let me hold onto it for him

Chapter 12: Chapter 12:Let me hold onto it for him

"My good man," Zhou Shen said gently, "would you be willing to sell this bell to me?"

He spoke so mildly that it sounded less like a business negotiation than a simple request.

The ragged man opened his mouth, but nothing came out except a strangled sound in his throat.

Thirty middle-grade spirit stones.

The whirlwind of bidding had long since left his mind in complete disarray. The largest sum he had ever seen in his life amounted to only a few dozen low-grade spirit stones.

Thirty middle-grade spirit stones...

That was three thousand low-grade spirit stones.

A figure so vast he had never even dared dream of it.

Unable to find his voice, he could only nod frantically, tears once again spilling from his eyes.

Smiling, Zhou Shen asked no further questions. He carefully tucked the Soul-Stilling Bell into his robes before taking out a storage pouch from his sleeve.

Holding it in his palm, he hesitated for a moment.

"There were originally thirty-one middle-grade spirit stones in this pouch."

He paused briefly before waving a dismissive hand.

"Forget it. You can keep the extra one as well."

A chorus of gasps swept through the crowd.

That extra middle-grade spirit stone alone was enough to support an ordinary family for years, yet Master Zhou had given it away without batting an eye.

Qi Tian quietly extended his spiritual sense toward the storage pouch.

A faint shimmer flickered around its opening, and the aura of the spirit stones within was perfectly clear.

Thirty-one middle-grade spirit stones.

Every last one of them.

Now there was a generous man.

The ragged man was utterly overwhelmed by the unimaginable fortune that had descended upon him.

His whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Staring blankly at the storage pouch being offered to him, he slowly reached out with shaking hands—

"Hold on."

The voice was neither loud nor soft.

The man’s outstretched hand froze in midair.

Everyone turned toward the speaker.

It was the wandering cultivator clad in tattered beast hide, who had remained quietly on the sidelines all this time.

Qi Tian.

Zhou Shen turned as well.

A flicker of surprise crossed his face before giving way to an understanding smile.

He had already witnessed how extraordinary this young man was. Now that Qi Tian had chosen to speak again, not only was he unbothered, he was genuinely curious.

"What is it?" Zhou Shen asked with a smile.

"Don’t tell me Brother Qi intends to bid for the bell as well?"

Several pairs of eyes immediately shifted toward Qi Tian.

Some were curious.

Others were openly waiting for a spectacle.

After all, the staggering bids of five hundred low-grade spirit stones and thirty middle-grade spirit stones were still fresh in everyone’s minds.

And now this mysterious wandering cultivator wanted to join the bidding?

Qi Tian almost laughed.

Bid?

You’ve got to be kidding.

He spread his hands helplessly.

"Master Zhou," he said with complete sincerity, "do I look like someone who can afford that?"

The crowd fell silent.

Then laughter broke out.

Of course.

Judging by the way he was dressed, forget thirty middle-grade spirit stones.

He probably couldn’t produce even a single low-grade one.

Even Zhou Shen couldn’t help but laugh.

Shaking his head, he smiled.

"Then why stop me, Brother Qi?"

The faint trace of self-mockery disappeared from Qi Tian’s face.

His expression grew serious.

Instead of looking at Zhou Shen, he turned toward the bewildered man whose hand was still suspended in the air.

"I only wanted to ask one question."

His voice remained calm.

"Master Zhou is certainly being generous with those thirty-one middle-grade spirit stones."

He paused, his gaze settling on the ragged man.

"But..."

"Do you think he’ll be able to keep them?"

Silence.

A heavy silence.

"So many spirit stones on the person of a mere Qi Refining cultivator."

Qi Tian’s voice was quiet, yet every word carried clearly through the street.

"Master Zhou, I fear you’re not saving his life."

"You’re painting a target on his back."

At those words, the man’s outstretched hand stiffened.

The ecstasy on his face faded inch by inch, replaced by a sheen of cold sweat.

Only then did it dawn on him.

He was merely a second-layer Qi Refining cultivator.

Moments ago, the sheer magnitude of the fortune had completely overwhelmed him.

Three thousand low-grade spirit stones...

To someone like him, that wasn’t wealth.

It was a death sentence.

He would likely be dead in some back alley before nightfall, and there might not even be anyone left to recover his body.

Cold sweat streamed down his back.

The smile on Zhou Shen’s face faded as well.

He stood there in silence for a moment before his brows slowly drew together.

Qi Tian was right.

The thought had never even crossed his mind.

Accustomed to making generous purchases without hesitation, he had thought only of helping the man.

He had overlooked the simple fact that such overwhelming wealth, placed in the hands of a second-layer Qi Refining cultivator, might prove more curse than blessing.

The atmosphere within the crowd shifted almost imperceptibly.

Qi Tian quietly swept his gaze across the surrounding faces.

Several burly men who had been watching the excitement only moments before were now staring fixedly at the storage pouch.

Their eyes gleamed.

Their throats bobbed.

The moment Qi Tian voiced it aloud, two or three of them actually shot him vicious glares.

Qi Tian sneered inwardly.

Just as he expected.

The moment those thirty-one middle-grade spirit stones appeared, they had become fresh meat for countless predators lurking in the shadows.

Had he remained silent...

The honest man before him would, in all likelihood, never survive the night.

Zhou Shen took in everything.

His expression turned completely solemn.

Cupping his hands toward Qi Tian, he spoke with complete sincerity.

"Brother Qi is absolutely right."

"I failed to think this through."

After a brief pause, he asked,

"In Brother Qi’s opinion..."

"How should this matter be handled?"

Qi Tian did not answer immediately.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, furrowing his brows as though he were racking his brains for the perfect solution.

Every eye remained fixed on him.

After what felt like a long while, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"How about this..."

He pointed at himself.

"Let me hold onto it for him."