God-Level Special Forces Soldier

Chapter 888 - 884: Only Enough for a Bowl of Noodles

Seeing Xiao Tian caught in a dilemma, unable to decide and unsure of what to do, the old woman’s lips subtly curled up in a barely noticeable way. She coldly sneered in her heart, determined to fan the flames while the iron was hot.Moments later, the old woman solemnly said, "So, if you insist on keeping the talisman, you should exchange it for equivalent valuables; otherwise, it won’t be good for either of us!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Tian’s expression changed again, and he said, "But, but apart from the money for my return ticket, I only have enough for a bowl of noodles. Why don’t I just give you one yen symbolically, since your master said to give money, but didn’t specify how much, right?!"

Hearing this, the old woman couldn’t help gritting her teeth inwardly. By now, how could she not understand? This guy had clearly discerned the meaning behind her words earlier, but refused to open his wallet, wanting to use an elusive thank-you to get something for nothing.

"Young man, do you remember what I just said?" The old woman raised her eyelids slightly and lowered her head, staring at Xiao Tian with the whites of her eyes, "My master said to exchange equivalent valuables for the Protective Talisman. If that’s the case, you’d better give it back to me."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tian immediately appeared extremely flustered. His eyes darted erratically, and then he gritted his teeth: "Alright, whatever the cost, I’ll pay. Just name your price."

The old woman cursed inwardly. Indeed, gentle persuasion won’t work; one must use a fierce approach to scare him as she just did. The guy had pretended earlier that he had no extra money beyond the ticket fare.

But once threatened, he easily complies, adopting a bold demeanor as if money is no object.

Of course, considering this place is not for high-end people, the old woman wouldn’t air an absurdly high number.

After thinking about Xiao Tian’s appearance and behavior, the old woman quoted, "Five thousand!"

After speaking, as if fearing Xiao Tian would bargain, the old woman added, "This price is already the lowest. If it’s lower, misfortune might come as my master said, and neither of us will remain unscathed."

Xiao Tian suddenly lifted his head, his eyes showing excitement: "This cheap?!"

"What... what did you say?" The old woman couldn’t believe her ears. Wasn’t this guy shrewd earlier? Why does he now seem foolish, questioning something for being cheap?!

In fact, when the old woman quoted five thousand, though she said it was the lowest, she wasn’t firm on that. Even if Xiao Tian negotiated down to one thousand or even five hundred, she’d still profit considerably.

Moreover, compared to the cost, she’d be making a huge profit, almost a windfall!

But now, hearing Xiao Tian’s response, the old woman regretted not quoting a higher price from the start.

However, as she regretted, she also reevaluated Xiao Tian, puzzled. Did she indeed misjudge him? Could he actually be secretly wealthy?

Yet, the next moment, when she saw the five thousand yen handed over, she felt as if struck by thunder, stunned and speechless in disbelief.

In contrast, Xiao Tian still seemed innocuous, his facial expression showing no sign of deceit, clearly not acting deliberately.

Of course, if not for considering the middle of the night when the old woman took great pains to scam him, coupled with his current lack of desire to entangle in this matter, he wouldn’t even give five thousand yen.

As for whether the old woman accepted, Xiao Tian felt it wasn’t his concern; after all, the item was there, and he could simply return it to her.

Moments later, unsurprisingly, the old woman chose not to accept, and she finally exploded, snatching the talisman from Xiao Tian’s hand, snapping, "I meant Huaxia money, not yen. If you’re not afraid to die, you can choose not to have the talisman."

With that parting shot, she left angrily without looking back. Perhaps due to her age or intentionally giving Xiao Tian time to reconsider, she walked decidedly away with a cane but moved slowly, clearly showing her anger.

Unbeknownst to her, as the old woman walked down the corridor away from Xiao Tian, she also felt puzzled. Logic dictated that he would stop her immediately; yet, he seemed content to let her leave unabated?

But having chosen to frighten him by leaving, the old woman couldn’t simply turn back; she tried to display her attitude while slowing her pace to allow him time to react.

Soon after, a soft "click" made her pause, unable to resist turning around to look.

She saw Xiao Tian opening the room door, preparing to step inside, with no trace of fear or anxiety shown in his stance or facial expression.

Seeing this, the old woman couldn’t hold back any longer and quickly called out, "Young man, are you really planning to ignore my advice?"

Xiao Tian lightly chuckled, "I wanted to buy your Protective Talisman, but I honestly don’t have enough money, so I think it’s best to let it go."

"You think I’m selling talismans?" The old woman said somewhat annoyed.

She then took a deep breath, calming her emotions, before saying, "If you think it’s too expensive, this old lady can cover two thousand for you; you just need to pay three thousand."

"Really?!" Xiao Tian’s eyes lit up, hastily extending his hand, "How did you know I needed two thousand? Here, you give me the two thousand first, then I’ll make up the amount!"

The old woman was momentarily stunned; how did things twist until he started asking her for money?

Quickly, she noticed the peculiarity, because she no longer felt she had him completely in her grasp like before; she could no longer exploit his fear and panic.

Of course, this was the old woman’s subjective feeling or instinct. At least on the surface, Xiao Tian still hadn’t outright rejected the offer.

"How much can you really offer? If it’s not much less, I can cover part of it; if it’s too much, then there’s nothing I can do." Suppressing her displeasure, the old woman said.

Hearing this, Xiao Tian couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, thinking the money would end up in her pocket anyway. What’s the logic in her covering part of it?

Checking his wristwatch, Xiao Tian saw it was already past 1 AM nearly 2 AM, and frankly, he had no desire to haggle further with the old woman since he was never intent on buying anyway, so he said, "Sorry, the difference is too great, so let’s forget it."

The old woman, seeing Xiao Tian had made up his mind, couldn’t help but say, "Young man, are you truly going to insist on this?"