“Although it’s a 60% discount, did you buy a bit too much?”
“Are you reluctant?” Luo Yueguan shot him a sidelong glance.
“Not at all. I wouldn’t mind if you bought another four million worth, I was just wondering how you’d wear it all?” Jiang Huai unhurriedly took the earring from Luo Yueguan’s hand, placed it in his palm, and examined it carefully for a long time. He also thought it looked quite good, so he asked the attendant accompanying them to bring another pair.
Jiang Huai also bought many other styles of bracelets, hairpins, hair accessories, rings, earrings, and anklets, so many things.
“I can just keep them to play with even if I don’t wear them, so why did you buy so many jewelry items?” Luo Yueguan pouted slightly.
“To give to Wanwan and her sister, and also to Qingyu and Master. We’ve rarely come to Ziyun Pavilion, so we should bring back some gifts, right?”
Jiang Huai had already asked the attendant to settle the debt that his Master, Chu Xianning, had incurred at Ziyun Pavilion previously when looking for someone. Even with this debt settled, Ziyun Pavilion had given him a 40% discount, which left Jiang Huai feeling flattered.
When he calculated it, he felt he owed the Pavilion Master, whom he had never met, a great favor.
Jiang Huai had picked out jewelry totaling nearly a million Spirit Stones after the discount, while Luo Yueguan had chosen about thirty thousand worth of items after the discount. After Jiang Huai settled the bill, Luo Yueguan took out a 300,000 Spirit Stone note and handed it to him.
Jiang Huai was stunned.
“There’s no reason for an elder to use a junior’s money to buy things for themselves, is there?” Luo Yueguan’s voice didn’t seem entirely firm, and a hint of hesitation and guilt was evident.
Jiang Huai looked at the 300,000 Spirit Stones she was holding and felt uneasy.
There was no doubt that this was Luo Yueguan’s test, but he felt that whether he accepted these 300,000 Spirit Stones or not, it would be difficult. He wrestled with it a little in his heart and then said gently, “Isn’t this me showing filial respect to Auntie Luo? I brought gifts for my Master too, so naturally, Auntie Luo should have one as well.”
“The gifts you brought them were all because they have an ambiguous relationship with you. Then… what about me?” Luo Yueguan stared intently into Jiang Huai’s eyes. Jiang Huai didn’t answer directly. There was no one around them; the area was vast and empty. Jiang Huai reached out and gently pinched her cheek.
“Didn’t we agree earlier that I would buy things for you? Why are you suddenly throwing a tantrum?”
“You asked why you were buying me jewelry first.”
“To show filial respect to an elder?”
“Then I don’t want it.” Luo Yueguan stubbornly held up the 300,000 Spirit Stone note, her eyes fixed on him.
“It was a gift for you from the start; showing filial respect to an elder was just an excuse. Why bother with such details?”
“I just care a lot.” Luo Yueguan bit her lip lightly, her eyes incredibly stubborn.
“Then what do you think these should be? A token of our love?”
As soon as Jiang Huai said this, Luo Yueguan’s expression immediately became flustered. She turned her face away in a panic, a blush appearing on her snow-white cheeks, and her voice trembled slightly, “What… what nonsense are you spouting?”
“So, can you obediently accept it now?”
“I want you to say it to me directly.”
“Didn’t I just say it?”
“You asked me just now, you didn’t say it yourself.”
“You’re so troublesome, I won’t say it.”
“If you don’t say it, I won’t take it.”
“Take it or leave it.” Jiang Huai pulled the 300,000 Spirit Stone note from her hand and put it into his storage space. Luo Yueguan, whose face had been slightly flushed, suddenly became ice-cold in her eyes. She walked over to Jiang Huai, and as they took a step, she subtly lifted her calf and kicked him on the butt.
“Bastard.” Luo Yueguan gritted her teeth.
Jiang Huai was not annoyed, only saying leisurely, “I’m spoiling you.”
“Bastard.” Luo Yueguan kicked him again.
“If I’m a bastard, then I’m a bastard.”
Luo Yueguan walked faster and faster, to the point that Jiang Huai could barely keep up with her. He stood there, watching Luo Yueguan walk away, “Where are you going?”
“To wander around.”
“Without me?”
“Without you.”
“Then go ahead.” Jiang Huai simply sat down where he was and didn’t chase after her. Although Luo Yueguan’s steps had slowed, he seemed to turn a blind eye.
After Luo Yueguan’s figure disappeared from his sight, he let out a soft sigh.
He could have chosen to continue coaxing Luo Yueguan, doing whatever made her happy. But he felt that if things continued like this, Luo Yueguan would only become softer and more dependent on him, and he wasn’t ready to bear the responsibility of her future life.
It would be good for her to calm down for a while. She was an adult, after all, and wouldn’t get lost.
Jiang Huai turned and headed towards the mechanical stairs of Ziyun Pavilion, arriving at the thirtieth floor. The thirtieth floor was a place specifically for selling spiritual medicines. As soon as he opened the door, a strong medicinal aroma wafted towards him. Jiang Huai took out the paper he had prepared earlier, on which were written the medicinal materials he needed. These were medicines he intended to use to try and replace the Flower Spirit Physique or the Ice Soul Profound Body. He wasn’t very confident, so he had prepared over a dozen types of spiritual medicines and planned to test them one by one.
For this purpose, Jiang Huai rented a炼药室 (Alchemy Room) and waited for the attendant to deliver the spiritual medicines on his list.
***
Two shichen later.
Jiang Huai swallowed the pills in front of him one by one. These were all the spiritual medicines currently available at the Ziyun Grand Pavilion. Jiang Huai had already experimented with half of the medicinal materials on his list. The other half would have to wait for Ziyun Pavilion to collect. Even with the 40% discount at Ziyun Pavilion, this altogether cost him three million Spirit Stones.
After the pills entered his body, he seemed to sense a slight change in his Qi Sea. The crack that was originally there now seemed to be slowly mending. However, once the medicinal power had completely dissipated, his Qi Sea was only repaired by half, which was not very meaningful.
If the hole in his Qi Sea was equivalent to the size of a goose egg before, it was now equivalent to the size of a chicken egg. It still couldn’t store spiritual Qi. Perhaps the only benefit was that if he used an Experience Scroll to increase his cultivation, it previously took the time of one incense stick for all the spiritual Qi to dissipate, but now it would take about three incense sticks.
Jiang Huai was not too discouraged by this. He hadn’t expected to succeed in one go. Besides, there were still half of the medicinal herbs to test. Moreover, the world was vast, and there would always be suitable medicinal materials and opportunities for him to reshape his Qi Sea. He was not particularly anxious. He walked out of the alchemy room and left Ziyun Pavilion, beginning to search for Luo Yueguan.
Ziyun City was not that large. If Luo Yueguan didn’t want him to find her, he definitely wouldn’t be able to. But if she wanted him to find her, he would certainly find her.
Half an hour later, Jiang Huai saw a crowd from afar. The crowd was particularly noisy and chaotic, with large amounts of spiritual Qi emanating from it. Jiang Huai sensed Luo Yueguan’s Ice Soul Profound Body’s spiritual Qi and frowned, then pushed through the crowd to the center.
At this moment, Luo Yueguan was holding a sword hilt, her dark hair flying with the chaotic spiritual Qi, while the woman standing opposite her, with her arms crossed, was sneering at her.
Jiang Huai had seen this woman before; she was Mu Lanyan, the biological mother of Mu Jiaoyang and Mu Linxing, a shameless old woman.
“What’s going on?” Jiang Huai came to Luo Yueguan’s side.
Luo Yueguan turned to look at him, her voice unusually cold, “None of your business.”
Jiang Huai’s gaze fell upon Mu Lanyan. Mu Lanyan also saw him. As the saying goes, enemies meet with burning eyes. At this moment, the playful look in Mu Lanyan’s eyes intensified. She said coldly, “I was wandering in Ziyun City and saw a white cat with heterochromatic eyes. We had already agreed on a price, but Luo Yueguan suddenly appeared and insisted on interfering, buying it with double the Spirit Stones. Since you like to reason things out so much, why don’t you judge the situation now?”
Jiang Huai followed Mu Lanyan’s gaze and saw a cultivator standing in front of a cage containing a white cat with heterochromatic eyes. The cat was indeed beautiful, its fur smooth and shiny, its eyes cute and innocent. It was currently licking its paws in the cage.
Jiang Huai frowned slightly and asked, “How much is this cat selling for?”
“Not much, only three hundred Spirit Stones,” Mu Lanyan said, tilting her head up.
At this moment, the seller of the spirit cat looked troubled. He was just a small rogue cultivator who made a meager living by raising spirit beasts. This cat was indeed worth only two to three hundred Spirit Stones, but he could afford to offend neither Mu Lanyan nor Luo Yueguan. No matter who he sold it to in the end, he would inevitably incur someone’s resentment.
“I came first, and I had already taken out the Spirit Stones, but she insisted on interfering and making things difficult for me.” Mu Lanyan stared coldly at Jiang Huai, her eyes undisguisedly provocative.
Jiang Huai just smiled helplessly, “Naturally, the best things in the world go to the highest bidder. Since your transaction wasn’t completed yet, I naturally have room to bid. Fellow Daoist, I offer thirty thousand Spirit Stones for this cat.”
The cat seller’s eyes lit up.
If it were thirty thousand Spirit Stones… that was indeed something to consider.
Mu Lanyan quickly sensed the cat seller’s wavering. Clearly, it was no longer about the cat, but a contest of pride between two women. She glanced dismissively at Jiang Huai, “One hundred thousand.”
“Five hundred thousand.” Jiang Huai didn’t even blink.
“Six hundred thousand.” Mu Lanyan took a deep breath.
“One million.”
“Luo Yueguan can afford one million Spirit Stones, but you should ask her if she’s willing to part with it? As for you… you’re just raising the price out of thin air. Can you actually afford it?”
Jiang Huai calmly took out the Purple Jade Card in his hand and waved it in front of Mu Lanyan, “Luo Yueguan doesn’t need to pay. I will pay for her. No matter how much you offer, I will offer fifty thousand more. You can continue to raise the price now.”
“Do you really think my Mu family lacks this little bit of Spirit Stones?” Mu Lanyan was furious but forced herself to remain calm, saying, “One million five hundred thousand.”
“Two million.”
“Two million five hundred thousand!”
“Three million.” Jiang Huai looked at her calmly, “I told you, I will offer fifty thousand more than you. My limit is six million Spirit Stones. As long as you can come up with six million Spirit Stones to buy this cat, then I concede.”
Mu Lanyan was almost driven mad with anger. At this moment, Mu Jiaoyang stood behind her. Mu Jiaoyang, dressed in white, stepped forward and was about to speak when Jiang Huai looked at him coldly, “You’re not qualified to speak yet. Or do you want to get beaten again?”
Now, both mother and son were furious.
The atmosphere had become extremely tense. However, Luo Yueguan, the person involved, suddenly burst into laughter.
She laughed brilliantly, her eyes as bright as peach blossoms in March.
She tugged at Jiang Huai’s arm, “Alright, alright, give her the cat. I don’t want it anymore. Let’s go pick out a better one for Auntie.”
