"Was that fortune-teller really so uncanny? Could he have guessed?"
Zhao Huai pondered as he walked, yet the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
He knew a thing or two about the tricks fortune-tellers used. They did nothing more than stake out a spot, study people's faces, and know a little psychology before going out to deceive others.
Different people called for different lines. By probability alone, they were bound to hit the mark a few times. Besides, this sort of thing cost them nothing.
But that old man he had met truly had some skill. To divine so accurately and perfectly predict his fortunes—either he was uncanny, or he had guessed.
After walking for a while, Zhao Huai returned to the pawnshop.
However, he caught sight of a luxurious jewel-adorned carriage parked outside Huai Pawnshop. Looking farther back, there was a whole line of wooden carts, surrounded by a large number of escort guards.
Wasn't this the mysterious merchant caravan he had seen earlier?
"So they really came?"
Yan Jing had predicted that this unscrupulous merchant would come looking for him, so Zhao Huai had already prepared himself mentally.
He stepped into the pawnshop and heard a conversation.
"Madam, believe me. This Night-Shining Pearl is absolutely a peerless treasure. It is extremely ancient and has enormous collectible value. You'll definitely regret it if you don't buy it!"
"Really?"
"Of course it's real. It also has practical value. As long as it is in darkness, it can emit a dazzling glow. It's definitely more useful than inferior spirit stones."
The person sitting opposite Yu Qinghan was none other than Master Huang.
This man wore brocade robes and a jade belt. He was rather burly, with sharp, gleaming eyes. He was probably that unscrupulous merchant, wasn't he?
Zhao Huai thought to himself.
"Ahem, so we have guests."
Zhao Huai coughed lightly, interrupting the two and making his presence known.
"Husband, you're back."
When Yu Qinghan saw the person at the door, her face broke into a smile as she called out happily.
When she had groggily awakened that morning, she found that he was already gone. Only a steaming cup of goat's milk remained on the table. Not long after she had washed up, a customer had arrived at the pawnshop, and she could only receive him for the time being.
"Husband, you talk to him. I don't understand any of this. I'll go prepare the ingredients for lunch first."
Yu Qinghan rose gently and gave up her seat.
The merchant had immediately begun introducing a whole heap of items to her—rare treasures, gemstones, antiques. How could she possibly understand any of it? Listening to him had nearly put her to sleep. It seemed professional work still had to be left to her husband.
"Mm, I'll handle it."
Zhao Huai did not stand on ceremony. He quickly stepped forward and sat down. After examining the item for a moment, he said with a faint smile,
"This guest looks familiar, and the escort guards outside are all so tall and sturdy. You must be a merchant caravan from the north."
Seeing the woman from earlier withdraw and a handsome man take her place, Master Huang realized that the other party had identified his origins at a glance. He thought to himself that this person was probably the shopkeeper. He looked harder to deal with than the woman just now.
Yet the smile on his face remained unchanged. "The shopkeeper has sharp eyes. We came from the capital and traveled south all the way to do business. Let me introduce myself first."
"My surname is Huang. I am fourth in my family, and my family calls me Fourth Brother. I have traveled north and south for many years and have earned a bit of a name in the Liangjiang River Basin. Thanks to the esteem of my peers, I have managed to earn the title of Master Huang."
"So it is Master Huang. A pleasure, a pleasure."
Zhao Huai smiled lightly, though his heart remained utterly calm.
What normal person dragged out so much family trivia during an introduction? The more information one revealed, the more they merely wanted to give the other party a sense of security.
It was a trick merchants often used.
Master Huang smiled. "Shopkeeper, I'll get straight to the point. I already discussed this Night-Shining Pearl with madam just now. What do you think?"
At those words, Zhao Huai picked up the Night-Shining Pearl and slowly inspected it.
The pearl was about the size of a fist. Its entire body was emerald-green, with clear patterns, and even in daylight, it gave off a faint glow. At night, its radiance should have been even more brilliant.
But Yan Jing had already said that this fellow was an unscrupulous merchant. How could Zhao Huai fail to be wary?
Beneath the table, the Golden Coin in his palm flipped up and down.
Soon, lines of text appeared before his eyes.
Misfortune and fortune depended on each other. Watch for now.
Divination Sign One: Timely rain for the pawnshop, a little boy delivering money. This was a glowing stone. Buy it, and the guidance you receive would be "misfortune."
Trace Guidance: A bead made from Phosphorus Stone, vastly different from a genuine Night-Shining Pearl.
Divination Sign Two: The smallest detail of mundane things, seen through at a single glance. Refuse this Night-Shining Pearl, and the guidance you receive would be "fortune."
Trace Guidance: A deceitful merchant. Refuse him outright, and perhaps there would be other gains.
After reading it, Zhao Huai smiled inwardly.
An unscrupulous merchant was still an unscrupulous merchant. A dog could not stop eating shit; right off the bat, he had concocted such a huge scam.
Zhao Huai had received nine years of compulsory education in his previous life, so he naturally knew what Phosphorus Stone was.
Phosphorus Stone was an extremely common ore. When exposed to air, it oxidized and emitted a faint glow. Pure Phosphorus Stone could produce a dazzling white light in darkness.
The genuine Night-Shining Pearls on the market, meanwhile, were mostly made of diamond and were worth the equivalent of large diamonds in the modern world.
Some black-hearted merchants used pure Phosphorus Stone as Night-Shining Pearls and sold them to wealthy nobles greedy for vanity.
If one was not an expert, it was difficult to see the difference. But once time revealed all, superiority and inferiority would be judged at once.
A genuine Night-Shining Pearl could remain unchanged for a hundred years. It was extremely stable and provided excellent illumination.
A Night-Shining Pearl made from Phosphorus Stone might not reveal any problems in the short term, but as time passed, the bead would grow smaller and smaller before vanishing completely.
Black-hearted merchants took advantage of this to swindle people. By the time the bead disappeared, one would no longer be able to find them anyway.
"Well?"
Master Huang's eyes narrowed into smiling slits. He watched Zhao Huai inspect the "Night-Shining Pearl" for so long that he grew increasingly anxious and could not help urging him.
"I say, Master Huang, isn't your pearl a little too perfect?"
Zhao Huai set the pearl back in its original place.
The smile in his eyes faded slightly, leaving his gaze unfathomably deep.
Master Huang's smile did not diminish. He lightly tapped the tabletop with his hand. "A Night-Shining Pearl is meant to be this perfect. If the shopkeeper buys it, it can definitely become the treasure that anchors your shop."
The corner of Zhao Huai's mouth curled up as he smiled. "Master Huang, you truly are a master at playing dumb."
"Shopkeeper, what do you mean by that?"
Zhao Huai said flatly, "Enough. Stop pretending. Say whatever it is you really want to sell. I don't have time to beat around the bush with you."
"If you don't have anything good, then see the guest out."
His tone gradually became impatient, carrying the clear intent of driving the guest away.
Hearing this, Master Huang did not grow angry. Instead, he smiled. The corner of his mouth lifted, and interest appeared in his eyes.
After pausing for several seconds, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! A wise man does not speak in riddles. Shopkeeper, you are a man with an eye, unlike those mediocre fools. Then I won't hide anything any longer."
"Shopkeeper, please come with me. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
Master Huang stood up directly and walked outside.
Zhao Huai did not hesitate and followed at once.
Once outside, the burly, towering escort guards all gathered around, looking fierce as they protected Master Huang in their midst.
Zhao Huai glanced at them lightly. Sensing the fluctuations of True Qi from their bodies, he immediately saw through their cultivation.
Most of the escort guards were around Qi Refining Level 1, while their leader was probably at Qi Refining Level 3.
The middle-aged man at the side carrying a sword, however, was at Qi Refining Fourth Level. He was the strongest among them.
"What does Master Huang wish to show me?"
Under the gazes of so many escort guards, Zhao Huai remained entirely calm as he asked expressionlessly.
Master Huang only smiled without replying. He lifted a piece of coarse cloth from one of the wooden carts and let Zhao Huai see for himself.
When Zhao Huai saw what was inside the cart, his pupils contracted slightly. He looked seriously at Master Huang and demanded,
"Where did you get these things?"
Before you continue