Volume One, Chapter Nine: Online Shopping (Part Two)

Chapter Nine: Treasure Hunting (Part Two)

The shopkeeper gazed in silent admiration at the pile of various talismans before him. With his trained eye for people, he naturally guessed that all these talismans were crafted by Miss Mingxi. Yet, it was clear that Miss Mingxi was a novice, just beginning to explore the art of talisman drawing. Despite this, she had produced an astonishing number of talismans, all of high quality—either superior or exquisite grade.

It was likely that Miss Mingxi had rarely, if ever, failed in creating these talismans. With such innate talent, she was destined to become at least an eighth-grade master in the future, though whether she could reach the ninth-grade master level remained to be seen. It was crucial to maintain a good relationship with her; they could not afford to lose such a promising young master to another establishment.

Meanwhile, Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue sat nearby, sipping tea and waiting patiently while the shopkeeper finished his inventory count, completely unaware of the thoughts swirling in his mind.

After a cup of tea had passed, the shopkeeper approached with a smile.

“Eighty superior-grade Cleansing Talismans and two hundred exquisite-grade; fifty superior-grade Immobilization Talismans and one hundred fifty exquisite-grade; one hundred superior-grade Diamond Talismans and two hundred thirty exquisite-grade; two hundred superior-grade Fireball Talismans and five hundred exquisite-grade; one hundred fifty superior-grade Swift Talismans and five hundred exquisite-grade.”

He continued, “Pricing for Cleansing Talismans: ten inferior-grade spirit stones for the low grade, thirty for the medium, one hundred for the superior, and three hundred for the exquisite. Immobilization Talismans: twenty inferior-grade stones for low grade, eighty for medium, two hundred for superior, and eight hundred for exquisite. Diamond and Swift Talismans share the same price: thirty inferior-grade stones for low, one hundred for medium, and two medium-grade stones for exquisite. Fireball Talismans: fifty inferior-grade stones for low, two hundred for medium, one medium-grade for superior, and five medium-grade for exquisite.”

“Your total for Cleansing Talismans is 68,000 spirit stones; Immobilization Talismans, 130,000; Diamond Talismans, 510,000; Fireball Talismans, 2,700,000; and Swift Talismans, 1,075,000—altogether 4,483,000 spirit stones. We can exchange this into medium-grade spirit stones for you, totaling 4,483 medium-grade spirit stones.”

After tallying the sum, the shopkeeper exhaled in relief. Though he had handled many transactions larger in value, he had never dealt with such a vast quantity of goods. At last, it was complete.

Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue were somewhat taken aback. They had not expected to sell so many spirit stones, which could be considered a small step toward financial freedom.

The shopkeeper packed the spirit stones into a storage pouch and handed it to Gu Mingxi. “Miss Mingxi, here are your spirit stones. Because the talismans you sold are of excellent quality and quantity, I am giving you this Purple Card, a Level 4 membership card for our Treasure Pavilion. You may enjoy a 20% discount on any purchases at any of our branches.”

Gu Mingxi accepted the pouch and card, expressing her thanks to the shopkeeper.

After browsing the Treasure Pavilion briefly without finding anything of interest, Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue left.

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Once outside the Treasure Pavilion, Gu Mingxi pulled Gu Mingyue along through various stalls in the marketplace. Although it was Mingxi’s idea to explore the market, it was Mingyue who ended up buying a pile of items.

As they wandered, Gu Mingxi arrived at a stall tucked away in a corner. She bent over the table to examine the goods, drawn by an inexplicable feeling that had guided her here.

The stall owner was a middle-aged cultivator. Upon seeing a well-dressed young girl approach, he quickly greeted her warmly. From her distinguished attire, he assumed she came from a noble family—perhaps even the Gu family—and surely she wouldn’t be short of spirit stones.

His goods had been on display for two days with few buyers. Finally spotting a wealthy young lady, he was determined not to let her slip away.

Gu Mingyue followed Gu Mingxi to the stall, and the owner smiled broadly in his heart. Today, luck had smiled upon him; these miscellaneous items he had picked up might finally find a buyer.

Gu Mingxi’s eyes immediately settled on a black bead on the stall, but she didn’t reach for it at once. If she showed too much interest right away, the owner might raise the price or refuse to sell it. Instead, she feigned casual curiosity, inspecting other items as if less focused on the bead.

A jade slip? Bought.

Grade three spirit herbs? Bought.

A piece of tungsten ore with fire attributes? Bought.

Seeds of unknown origin? Bought.

Following the unwritten rules of novels, strange and unknown items might turn out to be treasures—or at least, she was buying for fun. Her real goal was that black bead.

Thus, Gu Mingxi gathered a motley assortment of items and casually picked up the black bead, paying the stall owner together with Gu Mingyue, who also selected a variety of curiosities—jade slips, beautiful minerals, and interesting spirit herbs.

The stall owner was so delighted while tallying the bill that he forgot to hide his smile, but Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue paid him no mind.

He quickly calculated the price, fearing these two wealthy young ladies might change their minds and leave.

Gu Mingyue’s purchases were purely for amusement, costing only a modest sum of spirit stones. Gu Mingxi cared even less, having already obtained what she truly wanted. Whether the stall owner was happy or not was of no concern to her.

After a little more wandering, the two parted ways at a fork in the road. After bidding farewell to Gu Mingyue, Gu Mingxi hurried back to her room. The first thing she did upon entering was to activate the formation.

Sitting in a chair, Gu Mingxi examined the black bead carefully. After quite some time, she found nothing unusual. She hesitated to test it with her blood—what if it was something dangerous?

In the end, it was Xiao Hua who offered insight. “Sister, this bead is sealed. The black color is probably not its true form. It gives me a very good feeling; it’s not some evil artifact. You can try forging a contract with your blood. From what I sense, even if it doesn’t work, it won’t be harmful. Besides, didn’t you say it attracted you? Maybe you’re its destined master.”

Encouraged by Xiao Hua’s words, Gu Mingxi no longer hesitated. She pricked her finger and touched the bead with her blood. Moments later, there was a reaction.

Under the influence of her blood, the black bead slowly transformed into a purple one, emitting an ever-growing purple glow. The light brightened and brightened, and Gu Mingxi was grateful she had activated the formation upon returning to her room. Otherwise, the radiance spreading outward would have been a clear signal to others that the Gu family possessed a treasure.

Just as the dazzling light became too intense for her to keep her eyes open, the purple glow suddenly vanished, and the bead reverted to its plain, unassuming appearance—much like an ordinary purple glass bead one might find anywhere.