Young Master Su cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly feeling a bead of cold sweat forming near his temple. He genuinely had not expected this young student to possess such frighteningly sharp negotiation skills, nor such a terrifyingly accurate awareness of the market’s future direction. It was as if she were reading a ledger of the future that no one else could see.

"It was merely an opening offer, Student Bai. One must still account for the significant, specialised labour costs required for such an intricate and delicate dismantling process..." Young Master Su attempted to explain, though his voice sounded noticeably more defensive and strained than before.

"Then let us skip the opening performance entirely and move directly to the final conclusion." Bai Xifeng interrupted flatly, her tone leaving absolutely no room for further argument. "Two thousand taels per carcass. Paid upfront, in full, and without delay."

Zhou Yaoting and Yi Shanyuan, who had both just taken sips of tea moments earlier, nearly choked simultaneously on their drinks. Both teachers immediately turned to stare at Bai Xifeng in utter, speechless disbelief. Had she not just admitted earlier that she was unfamiliar with the exact market value of these materials?

Two thousand taels per carcass? That was an utterly outrageous and staggering amount of money, enough to outright purchase a finished, high-quality mid-tier artifact weapon from an armament master. At that moment, both teachers seriously began to wonder whether Bai Xifeng had secretly been possessed by the spirit of some ancient and exceptionally greedy merchant deity.

"Two thousand taels is absolutely absurd! That is already the market price of a completed mid-tier artifact!" Young Master Su exclaimed loudly, his professional composure finally cracking under the sheer pressure of her demand.

"I am well aware of that fact." Bai Xifeng nodded calmly, her expression remaining perfectly unruffled. "However, with the sheer quantity of high-purity Xien Stone naturally integrated into these beasts, your guild could easily forge ten such artifacts from each carcass. Even after paying my asking price, you would still be reaping an enormous profit."

Young Master Su immediately fell silent, his lips pressing into a thin, tight line. His mind rapidly entered a frantic calculation mode as he silently weighed the massive future profits against the painful upfront investment cost. Deep down, he already knew that Bai Xifeng was absolutely correct. With the complete disappearance of the Xien Stone Cave, the market value of Xien Stone would undoubtedly skyrocket beyond all imagination.

"Well... if the Armament Master Guild feels that my asking price is too excessive for its current budget, then that is perfectly fine as well. I am certain there are many other eager buyers throughout the city who would gladly pay my requested price without even hesitating." Bai Xifeng said sweetly, her smile becoming even gentler despite the unmistakable threat hidden beneath her words.

"Wait!" Young Master Su called out hurriedly, a flicker of genuine panic flashing briefly across his eyes at the thought of losing such a monopoly. He looked down once more at the Stone-Clad Wolf lying on the floor before finally forcing himself to make a difficult decision. "One thousand eight hundred taels per carcass. In addition to that, I will personally provide Tianlong School with a thirty per cent discount on all future armament commissions for the next three years."

This time, Bai Xifeng genuinely appeared to consider the proposal carefully, lightly tapping her finger against the polished surface of the table in thought. She then glanced sideways toward Zhou Yaoting and Yi Shanyuan, only to find both teachers staring at her as though they were witnessing a master extortion expert operating at the absolute peak of her craft.

"Make it a forty per cent discount for the school, and you have yourself a deal." Bai Xifeng countered immediately, her eyes gleaming with a sharp, predatory light.

Young Master Su released a long, exhausted breath, looking as though he had aged several years within the span of only a few short minutes. At last, he fully realised how catastrophically wrong his first impression of Bai Xifeng had been. This girl was far from being merely a beautiful and talented student. She was a wolf disguised in the softest of sheep’s clothing.

"Deal. Student Bai, you are truly a terrifying negotiator." Young Master Su admitted with a weary sigh as he extended his hand toward her in a gesture of surrender.

Bai Xifeng calmly reached out and shook his hand with a firm and decisive grip.

"The deal is officially established." Bai Xifeng replied smoothly.

Almost instantly, the heavy and domineering aura surrounding her vanished completely. She effortlessly reverted back into her composed, polite, and well-mannered student persona, as though the cold and predatory negotiator from moments earlier had never existed at all.

"Then let us proceed with the formal signing of the contract." Bai Xifeng said politely, her tone once again light and respectful.

As the paperwork was brought forward by the guild attendants, Yi Shanyuan slowly leaned toward Zhou Yaoting and whispered under his breath, "Are we absolutely certain she is merely an Inscriber? Because from what I just witnessed, I think she just robbed the wealthiest guild in the city using nothing but a polite smile."

Zhou Yaoting could only nod numbly in silent agreement. "I am just thankful beyond words that she is on our side."

After the contract had finally been signed and the initial deposit protocols had been initiated, Young Master Su informed them that they could return to Tianlong School first. He needed time to arrange the appropriate manpower and specialists for a dismantling operation of this magnitude. Once everything was prepared, he would send a messenger directly to the academy to notify them.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko*