Equivalent exchange
Just as the three were filled with shock, anger, and confusion due to Da Qiangzi's mysterious disappearance, a voice rang out without warning.
The voice was old and slow, with a hoarse quality like the friction of rocks, as if it had just awakened after sleeping for millions of years, full of ancient vicissitudes.
"Hmm...new visitors again...offering offerings...tell me your wishes..."
The three were startled and turned around abruptly, back to back, cautiously scanning their surroundings. The sun shone brightly, the vegetation was lush, and the stream murmured; everything was so beautiful it seemed unreal, yet they couldn't find the source of the sound. It was as if the entire valley itself was whispering.
"Who?!" Ao Ming shouted sharply.
Tu Shanlan suppressed the turmoil in her heart and tried her best to remain calm. She said loudly, "Senior! We are not here to make wishes! We are celestial officials from the God of Wealth's Palace, here to investigate the fate of three wealthy mortal merchants in this place! Please show yourself!"
The aged voice paused for a moment, seemingly digesting the name "God of Wealth's Mansion," before finally speaking with a hint of barely perceptible confusion:
"Mortal merchants?... Oh, those three pathetic bastards whose lives are about to end, yet who are obsessed with gold and silver... Their transaction is already complete. Why investigate?"
"The transaction is complete?" Qian Jin caught the key information and, disregarding his fear, urgently asked, "What transaction? What did they do here? One of our companions is missing! Is it related to you?!"
The aged voice seemed to ignore Qian Jin's question at the end, continuing on its own, with a knowing indifference:
“They offered me everything they could carry at the time, all that they valued most, as a sacrifice and asked me for something.”
"What did they pray for?" Tu Shanlan immediately asked.
"Survival." The aged voice uttered two words calmly, yet they carried the weight of a thousand pounds.
"Seeking survival?" Ao Ming looked astonished. "Didn't they come here seeking wealth? How could they be seeking survival?" This completely contradicted the three men's cries and Da Qiangzi's description!
The aged voice seemed to let out a silent sigh, a sigh tinged with a sense of bewilderment at the complexities of human nature:
"What use are mountains of gold and seas of silver to those whose lifespan is about to end? I showed them the cold future... three months from now, they will die at the hands of caravan bandits... The fear of death instantly devoured their greed for wealth. They knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, their only wish being to live."
The breeze in the valley seemed to freeze for a moment. Tu Shanlan, Ao Ming, and Qian Jin all felt a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts.
"I took their offerings, rewrote their original fate, extended their lifespan, and allowed them to complete their prayers in a dream before waking and leaving this place. Upon waking, they lost their money but gained the right to continue living... But alas, people..."
The aged voice paused, then shifted to a mocking pity, "Under the shadow of death, all they wanted was to live; once they survived, they became obsessed with the money they had lost. Truly... pathetic beings."
After hearing this, Qian Jin curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "Tch! I knew it! It seems we made a wasted trip! These three guys basically paid to save their lives! When they wake up, they'll either be so scared that they selectively forget that deadly memory, or they'll pretend to be stupid and try to pin the blame for losing money on Da Qiangzi and extort money from the God of Wealth Mansion! They're calculating better than the jade abacus beads in our mansion!"
Ao Ming frowned, recalling the three people's bone-deep fear in the side hall, and hesitated, "Looking at how scared they were back then, sweating profusely... it didn't seem like they were faking it. They were probably really terrified. That memory was too horrific, and their brains forcibly blocked or distorted it. They only remembered the result of losing everything, but forgot the fact that they traded money for their lives."
He paused, his tone grave, "However, whether you remember or not, their incitement of public resentment to storm the Immortal Palace, their false accusations against Daqiangzi, and their causing the project to stall are all real crimes!"
Tu Shanlan nodded slowly, acknowledging Ao Ming's analysis. The wealthy merchants' behavior was despicable, but the truth about Burial Valley had finally come to light, and the injustices leveled against the Northern Road God of Wealth Mansion and Da Qiangzi had been cleared.
However, the weight on her heart remained unshaken. Her sharp gaze swept across the void: "Senior, the truth is clear, and we are grateful. However, our companion, the golden dragon, was just in the valley, but now it has vanished without a trace. Please tell us, senior, where is it now? Please return it to us!"
Mentioning Daqiangzi, Qian Jin immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her eyes widening: "Yes, yes, yes! Where's Daqiangzi?! Where did you put him?! He's our precious... uh, I mean, an important colleague! He came in full of life, he can't just disappear like that!"
The aged voice fell silent again, this time for an even longer period. Just when the three thought it would no longer respond, the voice finally spoke again, tinged with a hint of confusion and a certain... matter-of-fact tone:
"Golden Dragon?...Are you referring to...that little dragon that contains pure and auspicious energy?"
"It is naturally the tribute you have offered."
"What?!" the three exclaimed in unison, hardly believing their ears!
"A tribute?! When did we offer it as a tribute?!" Ao Ming was both shocked and furious, his dragon aura surging.
Tu Shanlan's expression also changed drastically: "Senior! We never intended this! That golden dragon is our companion, not an object of worship! This is a huge misunderstanding!"
The aged voice seemed unmoved, carrying an unyielding stubbornness akin to an ancient law:
"Those who enter this valley must abide by the rules. Equivalent exchange is the ironclad law here. Although you did not come to make a wish, entering the valley is considered to be opening a question, and questioning also comes at a price."
"The three of you have mixed auras, and the things you carry... are nothing special." The voice seemed to scan Tu Shanlan's magical artifact, Ao Ming's dragon scales, and Qian Jin's snack bag, carrying a hint of barely perceptible disdain.
“Only that little dragon…” The voice suddenly became clear, carrying the admiration of discovering a rare treasure, “its bloodline is pure and its auspiciousness is innate; it itself is priceless. It is more than enough to provide information for inquiry, even more than sufficient.”
"This is the most precious thing that you have willingly offered in your search for the answer."
The air seemed to freeze. Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming were dumbfounded, completely unexpected that the guardian spirit's logic was so simple yet domineering!
"Offered voluntarily?! We had no idea about this rule!" Ao Ming was so angry that his dragon horns seemed about to sprout.
"Senior! This is forced sale!" Tu Shanlan argued forcefully, a blue light swirling at her fingertips, already prepared for the worst. "Please release the golden dragon immediately! Otherwise..."
"What else? You still want to make a move?" The aged voice carried an indescribable pressure, and the warm air in the valley instantly became heavy and viscous. The vibrant flowers and plants seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gray shadow, and the crisp medicinal fragrance became strong again.
"Do not forget how you were sleeping just now. Here, I set the rules."
The atmosphere instantly became tense!
Qian Jin looked at Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming's tense bodies, felt the terrifying pressure that suddenly rose from the valley, and glanced at the seemingly harmless yet domineering exotic flowers and plants around her. Stimulated by the enormous loss, her little brain was working at an unprecedented speed.
A direct confrontation? Judging from Lan Jie'er and Ao Ming's reactions, the chances of winning are slim, especially since Da Qiangzi is still in their hands. Reasoning? This old fogey is stubborn; equivalent exchange is his rule. So... the only option is to use magic to defeat magic!
Just as Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming were about to be overwhelmed by the invisible pressure, Qian Jin took a deep breath, stepped forward, and instantly switched to an extremely professional and sincere expression, as if she were giving a year-end report at the God of Wealth's Mansion. Her voice was clear and loud, drowning out the tense atmosphere:
"Senior! Please calm down! I fully agree with the principle of equivalent exchange! This is a universal truth!"
Her words stunned Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming, and even the invisible pressure seemed to pause for a moment.
Qian Jin spoke quickly and clearly: "Look, first of all, when we entered the valley to inquire, you provided detailed answers about those three wealthy merchants. The information was complete, the logic was clear, and the service was excellent. We are very satisfied with that, and the inquiry fee is indeed worth paying!"
The aged voice remained silent, as if listening.
"Secondly, your assessment that our companion is worth more than enough to cover this cost is absolutely accurate! It is indeed a rare and auspicious golden dragon with boundless potential and invaluable worth!" Qian Jin praised Da Qiangzi's value without reservation.
“But!” She changed the subject, holding up a finger, her eyes becoming incredibly serious. “Senior, the core of ‘equivalent exchange’ lies in ‘equivalence’ and ‘mutual consent,’ right? You see, you charge fees based on your unilateral valuation and rules, but we, as the ‘payers,’ did not know the price beforehand, nor did we agree to use Daqiangzi as payment! Isn’t there a…flaw in this process?”
The valley was silent. Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming held their breath, watching Qian Jin bargain with an ancient being.
Qian Jin pressed on, his tone even more sincere: "Therefore, in order to uphold the fairness and sanctity of the 'equivalent exchange' principle and to avoid the kind of forced buying and selling that would damage your reputation, I dare to propose a 'supplementary agreement'!"
"How about this: Daqiangzi will stay with you for now, as... um... a 'service deposit' or 'proof of value.' We'll leave the valley immediately and 'invite' back the three wealthy businessmen who paid for their lives—the real beneficiaries of this 'inquiry'! Let them personally reimburse you for the expenses! Aren't the money and treasures they obtained by going bankrupt all with you? That's the true price for their desire to 'survive'! We just need to get back the 'premium' that belongs to our companions! This way, it's fair for all three parties, and the rules are perfectly enforced! What do you think?"
After Qian Jin finished speaking, she blinked her clear, big eyes, with an innocent expression that said, "I'm doing this entirely for your sake, for the sake of the purity of the law."
Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming: "......" This girl... can actually come up with such a... shameless... no, ingenious solution at a time like this?!
The oppressive aura in the valley receded slowly like the tide. The aged voice remained silent for a long time, so long that the three of them thought it had been confused or angered by Qian Jin.
Finally, the voice rang out again, its hoarse tone carrying a hint of... an extremely subtle, elusive... interest?
"Sharp-tongued... cunning little thing..."
"Enough... Those three mortals, disgustingly hateful, I don't want to see them again. If I see them again, I'd rather forgo the offerings... As for this little golden dragon, it's too noisy... Take it away quickly!"
Before the words were finished, a flash of golden light appeared in the most lush flower patch in the center of the valley!
"Oh my god! I'm suffocating!" Daqiangzi's familiar howl, thick with a Northeastern accent, rang out. Its plump golden body was "spit out" by several supple, glowing vines, and it landed with a thud on the soft grass. It shook its head, dizzy and disoriented, with a few blades of grass and glistening dewdrops clinging to its golden scales. It looked a little disheveled, but seemed to be unharmed.
"Daqiangzi!" Qian Jin was the first to rush over, this time not to touch the scales, but to nervously check if it was missing a scale or a corner.
Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming immediately surrounded them, feeling relieved but also a sense of absurdity and lingering fear.
"Little sister!" Daqiangzi recognized the person and his small eyes welled up with tears. "You scared me to death! That old man said I was some kind of offering? How could a handsome, dashing, and debonair dragon like me be an offering? Huh?!"
"Alright, alright, it's nothing, it was a misunderstanding," Tu Shanlan said gently, while cautiously sensing her surroundings. The valley remained peaceful and serene, as if nothing had happened, but the invisible gaze had vanished.
The aged voice did not sound again, or rather, it was too lazy to argue with them anymore.
"Let's go, let's get out of here first!" Tu Shanlan decided immediately. This valley was too eerie; it was not safe to stay any longer.
The four dared not delay. Tu Shanlan led the way, Ao Ming brought up the rear, and Qian Jin pulled the still somewhat bewildered and frightened Da Qiangzi along, quickly retreating towards the valley entrance they had come from.
Only after stepping back into the thick, grayish-white fog did Qian Jin finally breathe a long sigh of relief and pat her chest: "That scared me to death... Luckily I reacted quickly!" She glanced at Da Qiangzi with lingering fear.
Ao Ming rolled his eyes at her, annoyed: "You call that quick-witted? You're just blinded by greed! You'd risk your life!"
Qian Jin retorted confidently, "So what? Negotiation is a skill! Look how well it worked! And..."
She suddenly stopped, glanced back at the valley entrance gradually being shrouded in mist again, a strange light flashing in her clear eyes, and a sly smile, like that of a little fox, curled at the corner of her lips:
"...Besides, we didn't make a wasted trip. At least we found out what those three guys were up to, and we cleared the names of the Northern God of Wealth and Da Qiangzi. More importantly..."
She deliberately dragged out her tone, attracting the attention of Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming.
"Shouldn't we settle accounts with those three big bosses? They caused our project to stall, and made us travel so far on empty stomachs... Someone has to pay for these losses, right?" Qian Jin counted on his fingers, the abacus beads in his eyes starting to click again.
Tu Shanlan chuckled and shook her head, feeling relieved as she looked at Qian Jin's shrewd and calculating appearance.
Ao Ming looked at Qian Jin speechlessly, and finally snorted helplessly, "...You win!"
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