Chapter 148: Do You Think I’m Blind?!
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The cultivator running the stall was exceedingly warm, and he smiled as he introduced them to it. “The Black Market and the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in Cloud Prefecture City open on the fifteenth of every month. The entrance is inside the pawnshop on Cloud Prefecture Street, and they are open from the Hour of the Rooster until the Hour of the Rat. The two of you must not miss it.”
Yan Shu thanked him and was about to turn away when Xiao Jihan took out ten low-grade spirit stones and handed them to the cultivator. “Thank you, fellow cultivator.”
The man glanced at the spirit stones in Xiao Jihan’s hand and smiled. “You are too kind. To meet while traveling is fate. I only said a few words; how could I accept these? If you truly wish to thank me, why not patronize my business and buy one or two little trinkets?”
The request was not unreasonable.
Yet Yan Shu looked over the entire stall and found nothing she needed.
Anything being sold alongside ordinary mortals in a market could hardly be anything worthwhile, even with the wildest imagination.
She looked left and right, then picked up the most inconspicuous comb, one that carried only the faintest trace of spiritual energy. “How much for this?”
The man’s eyes immediately lit up. “Junior Sister, you have an excellent eye! At a glance, you picked out the finest treasure in my entire stall!”
“Ah?” Yan Shu looked at the wooden comb in her hand, utterly unable to see what was so fine about it.
The man smiled. “Junior Sister, do not underestimate this comb. It was once used by the immortal maiden Cen Shu, who has already ascended! Though its spiritual energy has faded with the passage of time, it is still truly made of ancient ironwood!”
Ha!
Yan Shu could not help laughing.
Really! In the modern world of her previous life, even elderly men and women would no longer fall for a scam like this!
Feigning surprise, Yan Shu looked at the man. “Is that so? Was this really a comb once used by the immortal maiden Cen Shu? It is my first time leaving the sect, and I have little experience. You must not deceive me.”
“What are you saying, fellow cultivator?” The man’s expression turned solemn. “How could I possibly deceive you? All cultivators under heaven are one family. I might deceive anyone else, but never you!”
Yan Shu pursed her lips. “Very well. How many spirit stones for this comb?”
“Why speak of spirit stones or no spirit stones?”
The man looked as though he had been insulted. “An item left in the mortal realm by the immortal maiden Cen Shu—can something like that be measured by a mere handful of spirit stones? I have displayed it here only to find it a worthy home. Had I not seen that you were fated to possess it, I would never part with it.”
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“Oh, is that so?” Yan Shu put on an expression of delight. “It seems I share some fate with the immortal maiden Cen Shu after all!”
She portrayed a naive female cultivator who had only just left her sect and knew nothing of the world with consummate skill. That innocent, guileless air in particular was performed to perfection.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Jihan’s lips curved faintly. He put away the spirit stones he had taken out and stood quietly to one side, silently watching her converse with the man.
The stallkeeper had clearly believed that Yan Shu was a young female disciple who had only just left her sect and had little experience of the world.
He deliberately let out a sigh. “Alas, it is ultimately fated to be yours. Though I cannot bear to part with it, I must let it go. I shall give this comb to you.”
At those words, a trace of almost imperceptible mockery flashed across Xiao Jihan’s face.
Yan Shu, however, looked at the man in delighted surprise. “Truly? You really intend to give it to me?”
“Of course!”
The man looked at her solemnly. “Cultivators place great importance on fate. Since this comb is destined for you, I am naturally willing to bring about such a happy match. It is only that…”
Yan Shu blinked. “Only that what?”
“Alas…”
The man sighed. “It is simply that this comb dates back one or two thousand years. I spent a great deal of cultivation and effort repairing it. In particular, the cracks it originally bore cost me nearly fifty mid-grade spirit stones to purchase ancient ironwood for its restoration.”
“I even fell so low as to set up a stall because of this comb. Giving it to you is something I am entirely willing to do, but as for my losses…”
One hundred mid-grade spirit stones? And ancient ironwood?
It was plainly the discarded practice work of a novice artifact refiner, made from ordinary ironwood. It was nothing more than a common wooden comb carrying the slightest trace of spiritual energy!
Even ten low-grade spirit stones would have been too much!
This was no longer merely an outrageous demand. He was practically grinding her intelligence into the dirt!
Yan Shu sneered inwardly, but her face showed sudden realization. “You suffered such enormous losses? Then should I offer you some compensation to make up for them?”
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At those words, the man blossomed inwardly. He felt that this female disciple was truly so perceptive and accommodating!
He put on a magnanimous smile. “Since you are so kindhearted, I would be remiss to refuse. Just give whatever you think appropriate.”
He had just said that he had spent one hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Surely she would give him ten or twenty mid-grade stones at the very least. That was nearly two years of monthly allowances for an inner disciple!
The man’s eyes shone as he looked at Yan Shu. He could not hide the smile spreading across his face. He was going to make a fortune!
Yan Shu furrowed her delicate brows, appearing troubled. “You used so many spirit stones to repair this comb. In reason, I ought to compensate you in full. But I do not come from a prestigious family and simply do not possess that many spirit stones.”
“No need, no need.” The man hurriedly waved his hands. “Repairing the comb was my own gesture of goodwill. You need not compensate me for everything. Just help me bear part of the loss.”
“How could I?” Yan Shu said with a grave expression. “You are giving me the wooden comb, which already means I am taking advantage of your generosity. How could I possibly let you suffer an additional loss?”
“I have it!”
Her eyes suddenly lit up. She took a hair ribbon from her storage pouch and happily held it out to him. “How coincidental. I happen to have an item left behind by the immortal maiden Cen Shu as well. This is a hair ribbon she used before ascending, made from thousand-year-old heavenly silkworm silk. Using it to offset your loss could not be more appropriate!”
The instant the man saw the ribbon in Yan Shu’s hand, his expression darkened. Furious, he reached out to knock it away, but the moment he moved, the male disciple who had been standing quietly to one side suddenly raised his sword sheath and blocked his hand.
The man was livid. He glared at Yan Shu. “Bah! Do you take me for a fool? That is obviously the hair ribbon you happened to buy from the clothing stall across the street just now! You only infused it with spiritual energy a moment ago! Do you think I am blind?! If you want to deceive me, at least make an effort to hide it!”
“Heh. Weren’t you the one who first treated me like a fool and a blind woman? I am merely returning your own method to you.”
Yan Shu cast aside every trace of her earlier expression and looked at him coldly. “A discarded work made by a novice artifact refiner might deceive a few mortals, but you actually dared to try it on me?”
“For merely answering two questions, you received ten low-grade spirit stones. That was already the utmost generosity. Yet you still tried to cheat me out of one hundred mid-grade spirit stones? Your shamelessness is so immense that even a basin used for washing feet could not contain it!”
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