Pawnshop Young Master and Former Dynasty Crown Prince

Great Xia Dynasty New Reign, Glorious Governance, Year Three.

Immortal Calendar Year 864.

Jin Province City.

Three years have passed since the fall of the former Great Yan Dynasty, and everything seems to have been buried by time.

The first ray of sunlight at noon shines into the city, bringing a lot of vitality to the whole city.

The teahouses, inns, and taverns on the streets are packed with people, and the laughter of the diners makes this area extremely noisy.

On the official road, vendors hawk their wares back and forth, a stall selling candied hawthorns stands at the street corner, pedestrians come and go in an endless stream, and children run and play.

What a scene of prosperity.

In the east of the city, there is a well-renovated pawnshop with the words "Huai Pawnshop" engraved on the door plaque.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, take a look, how much is this stone worth?"

A burly man with a sweat towel tied around his forehead threw an ordinary pebble in front of a young man.

This young man was born to be handsome.

He was wearing a black long shirt, his clothes were neat and clean, and a string of golden copper coins was tied around his waist.

His features were fair, with distinct edges and corners, a straight nose, and he was as handsome as jade, with a smile on his lips.

He looked approachable and easy to get along with.

Zhao Huai picked up the stone and looked at the crystal clear pebble in front of him for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a golden copper coin suddenly appeared in his hand, and he tossed it casually.

This seemingly unintentional action did not attract the big man's attention.

"Two hundred Wen, what do you think?"

After looking at it for a long time and tossing the coin for a while, Zhao Huai finally spoke.

"Two hundred Wen?"

"Can't go any higher."

"Two hundred Wen it is then... Alas, chalk it up to bad luck."

The big man complained, but the smile at the corner of his eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Wait for me to get the money."

Zhao Huai muttered in a low voice, and then rummaged through the cabinets below.

Since the big man got the price, he was not in a hurry.

He propped his hands on the counter, and his small eyes began to peek around.

But after peeking for a long time, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

He found that this shop was really poor, and there wasn't even a valuable calligraphy or painting.

So he said casually, "I say, shopkeeper, you are a pawnbroker, how come there isn't even a decent treasure in the house? If you're like this, I'm afraid people won't dare to pawn things with you."

Zhao Huai took out a string of money from the cabinet, all square-holed copper coins.

He counted them one by one, and there were exactly two hundred.

"No way, business is bad."

Zhao Huai raised his head and replied helplessly.

"That's true, your reputation as the 'Pawnshop Young Master' is well-deserved. It's a miracle that your shop has been open for three years."

The big man chuckled, seemingly teasing, but more like sarcasm.

But Zhao Huai didn't show any anger on his face when he heard this, and said indifferently:

"Pawnshop is life, it's best to make money, but there's no need to force it if you can't."

The big man smiled when he heard this: "Shopkeeper has a very broad mind."

"Well, I've been around the block, so I take things in stride."

"Here, make sure you hold onto this money."

Zhao Huai smiled as he handed over the coins.

The burly man snatched the money, feeling its weight in his hand. A sense of security washed over him, and his mood instantly lifted. He couldn't help but add,

"Say, shopkeeper, didn't you come to Jin Province City three years ago?"

Zhao Huai's heart immediately went on alert upon hearing this. He maintained his smile and countered, "What makes you say that?"

The burly man glanced around and whispered, "If you did, you should be careful. Lately, for some reason, the government has been investigating new residents who've arrived in various provinces over the past three years. You see, Wang Erha, who sells pancakes next door, came to Jin Province City three years ago and was an unregistered resident. He was taken in for questioning by the authorities yesterday, and no one knows if he's dead or alive now."

"If not, then just pretend I farted."

The burly man chuckled.

Zhao Huai shook his head and said with a light smile, "Rest assured, I've been in Jin Province City for seven or eight years now. You don't need to worry about me."

"Alright, I'll recommend some business your way another day. I'll be off then."

The burly man clutched the money in his hand and didn't linger, immediately taking his leave.

As he left, he chuckled to himself.

"Haha!"

"To think a stone picked up in the mountains could sell for two hundred Wen. This shopkeeper must be an idiot. Hehe, that's two days' worth of food money."

Zhao Huai sat in his chair, watching the burly man leave. The smile on his face faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

He stood up, closed the front door, and flipped the "Closed" sign.

Zhao Huai went to the dark warehouse behind the shop and lit an oil lamp.

The entire warehouse was filled with precious antique artifacts, as well as treasures like jewels and spirit stones.

On the highest shelf in the warehouse was an exquisite wooden box, inside which was a white jade dragon seal.

Zhao Huai held the stone he had just obtained in his hand.

"Crack!"

In an instant, the stone in his palm crumbled into powder.

As the dust settled, a crystal-clear Mysterious Ring appeared in his hand.

"Who's the real idiot?"

At this moment, a profound smile appeared on Zhao Huai's lips.

His gaze was sharp as a knife.

He wasn't originally from this world; he was a transmigrator.

When he first opened his eyes, he found himself in a magnificent palace, surrounded by a crowd of eunuchs.

He then realized that he had transmigrated and had become a prince on the run.

The last crown prince of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The Great Yan Dynasty was originally a unified dynasty, but his predecessor was a hedonist who did nothing all day. He couldn't handle politics, and he couldn't cultivate. He was essentially a mediocre person.

If the son could be taught to be like this, the father wasn't any better.

All prosperous dynasties eventually decline, and the Great Yan Dynasty was overthrown by rebel armies. The emperor hanged himself from a tree behind the palace.

That day, his predecessor fled the palace, unable to bear the humiliation of being on the run, and tried to drown himself in a lake.

The man died, but he arrived.

The new dynasty that replaced it was the current Great Xia Dynasty.

Zhao Huai continued his escape south, passing through many provinces and counties, eventually settling down in Jin Province City, a coastal salt city in the south.

Zhao Huai looked at the golden copper coins in his hand, lost in thought.

He had fled south, avoiding searches, and had experienced war, plague, and famine. The people around him had all died tragically along the way, so why was he the only one who had survived?

He relied precisely on this golden coin.

As long as he tossed the coin, he could discern the fortune or misfortune of events in his mind, and foresee the good or bad luck of future happenings.

Zhao Huai had survived precisely by relying on this small coin, and had sold the gold and silver accessories he had brought from the palace, even opening a small pawnshop and living in seclusion among the common people.

He had lived like this for three years.

In these three years, Zhao Huai had no desire for revenge. To be honest, he felt nothing for the original owner's father-killing vendetta.

He only wanted to live, nothing more.

This was a world where cultivation was paramount, where humans and demons coexisted.

The secular world was ruled by various dynasties, and cultivators were governed by five ancient and powerful Immortal Sects with long heritages.

These powerful sects were also known as Immortal Sects.

Immortal Sects generally did not interfere in secular affairs.

Therefore, Zhao Huai's intention was also very clear: cultivation was what he should be doing, and becoming an immortal was his goal.

Only by becoming an immortal could he look after himself.

As for the mere matter of a father-killing vendetta, well, he would repay it in the next life.

Zhao Huai gripped the Mysterious Ring tightly, pondering in silence, his face full of anticipation, and then immediately tossed the golden coin in his hand.

He didn't know what was inside the ring.

Was it a demon lord seizing his body?

Or a benevolent old grandfather? Who knew? So when in doubt, toss a coin first.

In an instant, lines of words appeared before Zhao Huai's eyes.

[Misfortune and fortune are intertwined, let's just watch for now]

[The two, without seeking from oneself, the hexagrams are myriad, all originate from the heart]

[Hexagram one: Opportunity, the blessed reside in it, the mysterious ring, origin unknown, accepting the ring, the indication you receive is "Fortune."]

Seeing the word "Fortune" between the lines, Zhao Huai immediately revealed a bright smile.

Since it was fortune, then it meant there was nothing unfavorable to him.

Without another word, Zhao Huai bit his fingertip and dripped blood onto the Mysterious Ring to claim ownership.

A strange feeling surged into his heart, and he could already see what was inside the Mysterious Ring.

Before Zhao Huai could even take a glance, an orange light flew out and entered his mind.

New author, new book, please take care!