Chapter 53: The Red Potion Formula

A vein throbbed on Wu Xingyu’s forehead. Without even thinking, he flatly refused, “No need, I want the cabin.”

“Alright then.” Yun Qimu looked regretful, but she continued, “So, what kind of cabin do you want? One bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom? Or two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom? With three of you, you’ll probably need at least three bedrooms, right?”

Wu Xingyu glanced at the eager Black Pillar beside him, a flash of disdain in his dark cat-like eyes. “I’m living alone. They’ve got hands, feet, and money—let them buy their own.”

Yuan An: …

(﹏) I knew it!!!

Wu Xingyu made the final decision. “Two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom, plus a small courtyard like my uncle’s.”

“No problem.” Yun Qimu walked up to him and held out her hand. “That’ll be 350 spirit coins.”

Wu Xingyu furrowed his handsome brows and looked at her seriously, bargaining in a cold voice, “Three hundred.”

Yun Qimu’s face hardened—she wouldn’t budge. “I said 350, so it’s 350.”

Wu Xingyu was displeased and pointed out sharply, “Your cost is only 125 spirit coins. You’ve marked it up by 2.8 times. That’s a serious violation of market price regulations.”

Yun Qimu’s eyelid twitched. How the heck did this guy know the base price from the exchange shop?

But surprise was one thing—on the surface, she remained calm and composed, answering confidently, “This is an exile planet outside the interstellar system. We’re not subject to market controls. And, just so you know, this is a complete seller’s market right now.”

Her words rang out with authority, and everyone—even if they didn’t quite get it—felt awed.

Wu Xingyu pressed his lips into a thin line, his big dark cat eyes fixed on her beautiful, shameless face, his pupils growing darker.

Just as Pei Yu was nervously wondering if he should intervene if this kid lost his temper and hit the village chief, Wu Xingyu gave in. “You win. But I want the second option—using lumber to offset part of the cost.”

Yun Qimu frowned. Why is it so hard to fleece a rich guy? And who told him about the second option?

After all, Mo Xie hadn’t even asked before—he just paid up without a word. No way he could’ve known about this alternative.

She couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong, so she pulled herself together and made a new offer. “800 jin of lumber plus 300 spirit coins.”

Wu Xingyu got serious again. “500 jin of lumber plus 150 spirit coins.”

“No way. 750 jin of lumber plus 290 spirit coins.”

“500 jin of lumber plus 160 spirit coins. If you don’t agree, I’m not buying. I’ll just stay at my uncle’s.”

“Two grown men sharing a place? That’s cramped, and don’t you want some privacy? Sharing a bathroom isn’t convenient either. Think it over and raise your offer a bit.”

“Fine, 500 jin of lumber plus 170 spirit coins.”

“No deal…”

In the end, Wu Xingyu and Yun Qimu settled on 600 jin of lumber plus 251 spirit coins for the cabin.

It still looked like Yun Qimu had the upper hand.

Yuan An was dumbfounded: … This is the first time I’ve seen someone out-bargain our third brother—and it’s a woman, too.

Usually, as soon as his third brother showed his face, women wouldn’t even think about bargaining. They’d hand over whatever he wanted with both hands.

Some were so dazzled by his looks they’d just give him things for free—and even try to throw themselves at him. The ones who kept a bit of sense would slash prices to the bone, down to a tenth of the original, which was basically giving it away.

You could say his third brother, with his devilishly handsome face, was unbeatable in the women’s market—never lost a negotiation. But now…

It was a joy to behold, truly exciting.

Oh my, his third brother finally met his match!

He happily scooted over, eyes shining at Yun Qimu. “Village Chief, I want to buy a cabin too, same as Third Brother. How about the price…”

Yun Qimu shot him a dark look. “Full price, 350 spirit coins. No haggling.”

Yuan An’s smile froze, tears welling up. “Why?”

Yun Qimu blinked. “Because he’s good-looking. Shouldn’t good-looking people get a chance to bargain?”

Yuan An: …

So it’s all about the face.

I admit defeat.

“What’s all this about good looks and bargaining? What are you talking about?” Yun He came out, freshly showered and wrapped in his thick military coat.

His sunny, puppyish face beamed as he walked over, hair still wet and eyes crinkling with his smile.

“We’re talking about buying cabins,” Yuan An reached out to pat his fellow sufferer’s shoulder, but Yun He dodged away in distaste.

Yuan An just grinned, not minding at all.

“Buying cabins? Like Uncle’s little house?” Yun He spun around, eyes wide with surprise. “We should buy one! The hot water inside is super clean—way cleaner than the filtered water we used to have. I even drank a few mouthfuls while showering. It was so sweet.”

“Really? That’s great! Let’s each get a cabin—one for you, one for me, one for Third Brother. Each cabin is only 35,000 energy coins. Just the clean water alone is worth it.”

“Th-thirty-five thousand…” Yun He’s smile froze. His storage ring only had some personal supplies and a few energy coins—the bulk was with his brother.

He did the math and realized, tragically, that he couldn’t even afford half a cabin. QAQ.

And as for his third brother—he’d handed over all the spirit coins earned from scavenging and fighting monsters.

Getting his third brother to cough that up now? Ha, not a chance.

So, with teary eyes, he turned to his friend for help. “Yuan An, I’m scared to live alone. How about you let me stay with you?”

Yuan An saw right through him and pointed out, “You just want to freeload, don’t you?”

Yun He scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

“Fine.” Yuan An was generous with his friends. He shrugged and accepted this little freeloader.

Off to the side, Pei Yu’s eyes lit up. He looked at Yuan An with a fawning smile. “Hey, chubby, let me stay with you too. I know all about Earth Village. If you go out, I can be your guide.”

Yuan An, not thrilled about being called chubby, replied, “But Earth Village isn’t that big. We don’t need a guide.”

Pei Yu persisted, swearing an oath, “I can guide you on the rules. You guys are new here—you don’t know the inside info or the monster spawn points. With me leading the way, you won’t take any wrong turns.”

Seeing how confident he was, Yuan An and Yun He exchanged a look. “Alright, I’ll upgrade the cabin to add another bedroom.”

“Hahaha… Chubby, you’re the best! It’s settled.”

Yun Qimu: … How come I don’t know about any inside info or monster spawn points in Earth Village?

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