In the dance of comrce, true wisdom lies not in the price asked, but in understanding the value exchanged. A skilled rchant sees beyond re coins to the worth carried in each item’s essence, for in this recognition lies the foundation of lasting prosperity.
—Master Lin Feng, Scale of Heaven and Earth
Master Qingfeng waited outside the tea room, his hands clasped behind his back. Xiulan approached, giving a deep bow.
"Master Qingfeng," she greeted him.
"Miss Lin," he replied with a nod. "How did your venture fare?"
"I obtained the Blood Lotus and more," Xiulan said. "I’d like to discuss everything with you, but if possible, I would like to see i Chen first."
"Understandable." Qingfeng nodded. "Follow ."
Xiulan followed him along the polished wooden balcony. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows through the ornate railings, dancing across their path. Each step brought a fresh wave of strengthening spiritual energy—stronger than she’d felt anywhere else in the pavilion.
Master Qingfeng stopped at an elaborately carved door. "This is the pavilion’s item forge."
The door swung open, releasing a rush of warm yang that tingled against Xiulan’s skin. Golden light spilled into the hallway, reflecting off the tallic surfaces within.
She stepped inside, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the brilliant glow emanating from the walls. Ornate bronze fixtures and delicate golden talismans adorned every surface, each pulsing with spiritual power.
In the center of the room, i Chen rested motionless on a massive bronze table. Cushions cradled her body at precise angles, and the tal surface beneath her glistened with condensation. Unlike before, no frost crept across her skin or the surrounding air.
"Were there any issues or changes?" Xiulan asked, studying i Chen’s face.
"She has been peaceful," Qingfeng said. "By my calculations from the growing yin, i Chen will remain stable for at least four weeks, possibly five or six, without intervention."
She approached and pulled a pillow up to sit beside i Chen. The cool air clinging to her friend raised goosebumps, but it wasn’t unbearable. She slid i Chen’s hand out and squeezed it. Cold.
Qingfeng watched her intently as she closed her eyes and opened her palm ridian. The familiar pull of qi began, and she let it flow freely. Her dantian refilled the lost qi more easily now compared to when she first broke through.
Whether it was because she regularly flowed qi around and used it, drained it repeatedly in the last few days, or just because her ridians and main line had been cleared out nearly perfectly, she had no idea.
Xiulan sank deeper into the familiar rhythm. Her dantian replenished the flowing energy without strain, making the process feel as natural as breathing. Ti blurred at the edges of her awareness.
The peaceful flow shattered as icy energy crashed back through her ridians. The reversal hit like plunging into a frozen lake.
Xiulan?
The ghostly whisper echoed through her mind. Xiulan broke the connection with a sharp gasp. Her eyes snapped open, focusing on i Chen’s still form. Frost crystals sparkled across her own skin where their hands connected. The air turned white with each rapid breath.
"Are you alright?" Master Qingfeng stood at her shoulder, closer than before.
"A bit chilled." Xiulan suppressed another shiver. The cold burrowed deep into her bones.
"If you hadn’t stopped, I would have separated you myself." Master Qingfeng stepped back. "i Chen’s qi overflowed into your channels. The overwhelming yin energy would do more harm to you than her."
"I heard her voice." Xiulan exhaled another cloud of frost. "In my mind, she called my na."
"While unconventional for spirit communication, it suggests hope." Master Qingfeng stroked his beard. "Unless the yin energy simply addled your senses."
Xiulan wrapped her arms tight around herself as another violent shiver wracked her fra. "Perhaps we could discuss this over hot tea? Sowhere warr?"
Master Qingfeng’s frown deepened as he studied her.
She followed him down the corridor to the familiar tea room. Her limbs still trembled from the lingering cold.
A servant glided into the room carrying an ornate tea service. Steam curled from the spout of the jade teapot as the servant moved to pour, but Master Qingfeng raised his hand.
He pulled a tiny crimson pill from his sleeve and dropped it into the pot with a soft plop. The liquid inside swirled with hints of red.
"Master Qingfeng?" Xiulan straightened.
"I feel the need to try the tea with a bit of extra flavor today." Master Qingfeng gestured to the pot. "Please, try it out."
Xiulan frowned at the steaming pot. The red tint reminded her of blood lotus, but she couldn’t just outright refuse without insulting him. She lifted the delicate cup to her lips and sipped.
Heat exploded through her core. Qi surged through her ridians in waves of warmth that pulsed outward from her dantian. The sensation flooded every channel with liquid fire.
Across the table, Master Qingfeng calmly drank his tea as if it contained nothing more exotic than honey.
The frozen numbness in her extremities lted away. The fog that had settled over her thoughts evaporated like morning dew. Xiulan flexed her fingers, noticing the stiffness had disappeared.
"Haa..." Xiulan released a long breath. "Master Qingfeng, I’m really afraid of what you will end up asking for in return for the favor. It seems to keep getting bigger."
Master Qingfeng stroked his beard. "Weren’t you the one who encouraged to get the most value from my investnt?"
Xiulan suppressed a groan. She had said exactly that. The realization settled in her stomach like a lead weight—too late to back out now. This felt remarkably similar to climbing an endless incline, with no way to see what waited at the peak.
Master Qingfeng pointed at the forgotten pack beside Xiulan’s feet. "Let us inspect the blood lotus."
Xiulan nodded and lifted the pack onto the polished table surface. Master Qingfeng tapped the preservation seal with practiced precision.
The seal broke with a soft hiss. A wave of putrid swamp stench filled the tea room, accompanied by a splash of murky water and dark muck that spilled across the pristine surface. The pungent odor of rotting vegetation assaulted Xiulan’s nose.
Master Qingfeng coughed delicately into his sleeve.
Heat crept up Xiulan’s neck. "We were in quite a hurry during collection. I didn’t consider how the preservation seal would affect everything inside and..." She trailed off, fighting the urge to sink into the floor.
"Your wisdom remains quite unbalanced." Master Qingfeng sighed. "A bit of forewarning would have been ideal." He flicked his wrist in a graceful motion. The muddy water and debris lifted into the air, condensing into a spinning orb before vanishing with a soft pop.
"I’ll do my best to even out my wrinkles." Xiulan said as she reached into the pack and began arranging the blood lotus petals across the now-clean table. Each translucent red petal glead like a drop of fresh blood in the room’s light.
The sorting took several minutes. Xiulan counted just under a thousand pristine petals spread before them in neat rows.
"There should be enough." Xiulan smiled at the impressive display.
"I’ll store the five hundred petals you need in the pavilion’s vault in a qi-sealed container." Master Qingfeng raised an eyebrow. "You must be very confident if you only collected enough for one attempt."
Xiulan grinned, placing her left hand over her right biceps and raising a fist. "If there’s one thing I’m confident about, it’s making this particular pill!"
Master Qingfeng chuckled, the sound echoing off the polished walls. "I don’t know where such confidence stems from, but if you made two on your first attempt, I’ll accept your word."
Xiulan released a asured breath and nodded. She reached for the Earth-Heart Root, its earthen scent mixing with the tallic tang of blood lotus. "Would the pavilion be interested in purchasing the excess blood lotus petals and roots? I need spirit stones for supplies—a pill furnace and ingredients for a reinforcent pill."
"Of course. That’s a standard service we provide." Master Qingfeng straightened the sleeve of his robe. "A pavilion rchandiser can handle the transaction after our discussion."
"Thank you." Xiulan bowed her head.
Find this and other great novels on the author’s preferred platform. Support original creators!
"Now, about the dawn serpent scales." Master Qingfeng leaned forward. "That will be your next mission. I have arrangents in motion to assist you, but you’ll need to return in a few days once everything arrives."
Xiulan blinked at the cryptic statent. "What sort of arrangents?"
He chuckled. "You’ll need a specialized tool to extract the scales while the beasts are still alive."
A cold knot ford in Xiulan’s stomach. Wasn’t Master Qingfeng having too much fun with this?
The thought of harvesting scales from living serpents sounded significantly more dangerous than fighting a plant monster in a swamp.
The trade room glead with polished rosewood panels and intricate brass fixtures. A massive evaluation table dominated the center, its surface inlaid with precise asurent markings and protective seals. Brass scales hung from ceiling hooks, while glass-fronted cabinets lined the walls, displaying reference specins in preserved clarity.
Xiulan arranged her collection on the table’s smooth surface.
She separated twelve blood lotuses and four Earth Heart roots for her personal use, setting them aside in a silk-wrapped bundle.
The remaining thirty-one bundles of petals still glistened with preserved moisture. Beside them, she arranged eighty-three Earth Heart roots in neat rows, their earthy aroma mixing with the room’s sandalwood incense.
The door opened with a soft click. A tall woman in purple robes entered, her silver hair pulled back in a severe bun. Three golden pins marked her as a senior of the pavilion. Her athyst eyes settled on Xiulan with keen interest.
"Welco to the Treasure Pavilion’s trade hall." The rchandiser bowed precisely. "I am Senior Appraiser Ming."
Xiulan returned the bow. "Lin Xiulan. Thank you for evaluating my goods."
"The pleasure is mine." Appraiser Ming approached the table. "What price did you have in mind?"
"Four spirit stones per bundle of blood lotus." Xiulan gestured to her arrangent. "These were harvested from the heart of Blackre swamp. The quality speaks for itself—each stalk contains maximum spiritual essence."
Grown from my own blood, even.
Appraiser Ming produced a set of spectacles and leaned over the blood lotus bundles. Her fingers traced along a slightly bruised petal in the back row. "Two spirit stones per bundle would be fair. The rough handling during transport damaged several."
Xiulan gave a dramatic sigh, though her eyes twinkled. "Rough handling? I used Master Qingfeng’s very own preservation pack for transporting them. You’re breaking my heart, Appraiser Ming."
Ming’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. "Two spirit stones." She adjusted her spectacles, unperturbed. "The damage is clear."
Xiulan leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "How about we settle at three and I promise to be extra gentle next ti? Besides, I know there was a mass purchase of them recently. The price should be up, not down."
Ming straightened and crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing, but not without a hint of amusent. "Three. The market hasn’t shifted that dramatically, but I acknowledge the quality of most of the bundles."
"Agreed." Xiulan nodded, relieved to secure ninety-three spirit stones for the blood lotus. A fair compromise.
Ming shifted her attention to the Earth Heart roots, picking one up and examining its crystalline core. "These roots vary significantly in quality. So barely maintain spiritual resonance. Two spirit stones per root would be generous, considering the inconsistency."
Xiulan shook her head, clicking her tongue lightly. "Ming, you wound again. Are you trying to make leave with just enough to buy dinner?" She picked up an Earth Heart root and twirled it between her fingers.
"Four spirit stones per root. These were harvested yesterday—the qi resonance remains at peak potency." She channeled a wisp of qi into the root, causing it to pulse with golden light. "The freshness commands premium value, and while so are smaller, there are several very large ones that could be considered special."
Ming lifted another root, examining its translucent core against the sunlight. "Three spirit stones. The market can’t sustain higher prices, even for fresh specins." She set the root down with practiced precision. "The variation in size affects their cultivation utility."
Xiulan pursed her lips and gave Ming a sideways glance. "Three spirit stones and I’ll even throw in a smile." She flashed a grin.
Ming’s expression remained neutral, though there was a glint of amusent in her eyes as she pulled out a jade abacus, fingers dancing across the beads. "Blood lotus at ninety-three spirit stones. Earth Heart roots at two hundred and forty-nine."
The beads clicked into place. "Total compensation: three hundred and forty-two spirit stones."
Xiulan drumd her fingers against the polished table surface while calculating her next purchases. A basic alchemy setup required specific equipnt and supplies—a pill furnace topped her list.
"Does the Treasure Pavilion stock cultivation equipnt related to alchemy?" Xiulan kept her tone casual, masking her eagerness.
"Indeed." Ming gestured toward a side door. "Please follow to our equipnt hall."
The adjacent room housed rows of gleaming tal furnaces. Their surfaces rippled with engraved formation arrays, each pattern unique. Xiulan ran her fingers across a mid-sized furnace, sensing the refined spiritual tal beneath her touch.
"This standard cultivation furnace costs one hundred spirit stones." Ming tapped the furnace’s rim. "Perfect for beginning alchemists."
"Eighty." Xiulan traced the formation arrays. "The spiritual resonance suggests moderate use."
Ming shook her head. "These furnaces maintain their value. Ninety spirit stones—a fair price considering the quality of the tal."
Xiulan tilted her head, giving Ming a mock pout. "You’re tough, Ming. But alright, ninety it is."
After securing the furnace, Xiulan pointed to stacked boxes of spiritual charcoal. "I’ll need fuel."
"Thirty spirit stones per box." Ming lifted the lid, revealing densely packed black crystals.
"Twenty." Xiulan picked up a crystal, testing its spiritual density. "They’re all misshapen and different sizes."
Ming quirked an eyebrow. "You’re burning them, not making jewelry. Twenty-five."
Xiulan gave a small laugh. "Fair enough. Twenty-five it is."
Ming led her to a section filled with crystalline containers. Spiritual water glowed with ethereal light inside sealed jars, small bubbles inside pulsing with pure energy.
"Fifty spirit stones for a jar of spring water from the Frosthelm duchy." Ming lifted a crystal container.
Xiulan studied the spiritual resonance through the crystal. "Forty. These look old. There are specks of dust on the backside of the container."
Ming winced and rotated the jar herself, running a finger over the glass. She didn’t betray any emotion, but Xiulan figured soone was going to be in big trouble later.
"Forty-five." Ming traced the jar’s seal. "The water maintains purity despite the collection timing."
"Acceptable." Xiulan nodded, calculating her remaining funds.
They moved to a shelf displaying rows of jade-inlaid containers. Spiritual formations carved into their surfaces promised perfect preservation of alchemical ingredients.
"Thirty-five spirit stones each for the qi-sealing containers." Ming demonstrated the locking chanism. "Triple-layered formations prevent essence loss."
Xiulan inspected the formation work. "Twenty-five."
Ming adjusted her spectacles. "Thirty. If you want, I can apply a normal discount to each item and we don’t have to haggle."
Xiulan chuckled. "Where’s the fun in that?" She selected three containers with the strongest qi resonance. "Done."
A display of stone grinding tools caught her attention. Various mortars and pestles lay arranged by size and material quality.
"Seventeen spirit stones for this spirit-imbued set." Ming lifted a pestle carved from black stone shot through with silver veins.
Xiulan tested the pestle’s weight. "Agreed."
She placed the tool with her other purchases and then spotted several shelves lined with dried herbs sealed in crystal jars. The purification herbs glowed with a faint spiritual resonance, their leaves perfectly preserved.
"Twenty-two spirit stones for the complete array." Ming gestured to a set of twelve jars. "Each herb maintains peak potency through our preservation thods."
"I’ll take it." Xiulan said. Ming helped her carry the set to her growing pile of things.
A tray of iridescent sand caught the sunlight, each grain refracting rainbow hues. Ming scooped a handful, letting it flow between her fingers. "Twelve spirit stones for the grinding sand. Essential for breaking down spiritual materials."
Xiulan tested the sand’s spiritual density. "Eight."
Ming frowned. "I’ve already applied a substantial discount to this."
"The qi saturation is uneven." Xiulan picked up a pinch of the sand and pulsed a small amount of qi into her fingertip. It sparkled unevenly in little spots and lines. "It’ll take work to homogenize it."
Ming finally nodded. "I can go down to ten spirit stones."
"Done." Xiulan nodded.
A row of bronze braziers lined the next shelf, their surfaces etched with fla-control arrays. Ming selected a compact model. "Twenty spirit stones. The formation work ensures precise temperature control."
"Fifteen." Xiulan traced the arrays. "The bronze shows minor oxidation."
"Eighteen." Ming demonstrated the temperature adjustnt chanism. "The patina doesn’t affect functionality."
Xiulan added the brazier to her growing collection. Crystal vials caught her attention, their surfaces marked with precise asurent lines.
"Eight spirit stones for the set." Ming held up a vial. "Spirit-reinforced glass prevents contamination."
"Six." Xiulan inspected the graduation marks. "The reinforcent is thin at the necks."
"Seven." Ming placed the vials in a padded case. "The markings compensate for any structural concerns."
Xiulan smiled and nodded. "Deal." The flow of purchases and their haggling might have gotten a little carried away. "I think that’s everything I need."
She counted up her purchases and the prices—she had eighteen spirit stones left. That was just enough for her cultivation and the alchemy tasks she had planned. Probably.
She gestured to her selections. "Have everything delivered to the city manor as soon as possible, please."
Ming smiled as she bowed. "The Treasure Pavilion is pleased to do business with another satisfied custor."
Xiulan smiled back politely. "Well, you’d better be! You nearly robbed of all my earnings."
Ming raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a subtle smile. "You drove quite a hard bargain yourself, Miss Lin."
Xiulan laughed. "I guess we both ca out even then."
Reviews
All reviews (0)