The Worm and the Jade Token

PS1: Thanks to the readers "150726132346409", "Dusk's Golden Turtle", and "160104111501033" for their rewards. Also, readers with numerical usernames, could you please change your nicknames... Numbers make me dizzy and are hard to distinguish.

PS2: Of course, I'm still asking for collections and recommendations.

￥￥￥￥￥￥Main Text Below￥￥￥￥￥￥

It had only been less than three days since he became the Club's master, but when he traveled from home to the Club again, he felt a sense of ease almost equal to being at home, which made Luo Qiu marvel.

You Ye was already waiting for him at his arrival point, holding a set of clothes in both hands.

Hmm... this was a rather particular doll maid.

It was said that the master of the Club should look the part. While elegance and erudition couldn't be demanded for now, at least his attire should be appropriate.

Although he didn't feel there was anything wrong with wearing casual clothes, seeing You Ye's strong insistence on this matter, Luo Qiu went along with it.

Black could ultimately conceal many issues and bring a sense of mystery. Luo Qiu, with his height of 1.76 meters, paired with the single-breasted lapel black trench coat You Ye had prepared, a long, square-collar linen shirt underneath, also black, and a golden long pendant, now had a style that fit the Club.

Of course, Luo Qiu, who didn't usually bother with his hairstyle, was also persuaded by You Ye to slick his hair back into a pompadour.

Hmm... it felt like he had gained several years of life. "Clothes make the man," was probably how it went.

He adjusted his clothes properly in front of the mirror, then prepared to go downstairs to meet the guest and listen to You Ye's preliminary explanation about the new client.

When You Ye mentioned that the new client was likely a newly formed monster, Luo Qiu almost fell down the stairs.

He held onto the handrail of the stairs, and only regained some strength when he finally reached the bottom.

He remembered that as long as the Club's master was immortal, there was nothing to fear, even from monsters, and he began to feel interested in them.

Were monsters, like in movies and TV shows, always accompanied by a stronger sense of mystery than the Club's owner, and were they absolutely beautiful?

Reality often proved to be quite realistic.

When he confirmed that the object in front of him could indeed move, Luo Qiu had to re-evaluate his definition of a monster.

It was hunched over, wearing a tattered black suit, with an old gray hat covering both sides of its face, a disposable mask likely bought from a street pharmacy, and sunglasses to cover its eyes.

Even its hands were covered in the most common white work gloves found on construction sites. There was even a scarf...

Basically, not a single bit of visible skin was exposed... Although its appearance was strange, it didn't exceed Luo Qiu's psychological tolerance.

"Hello, I'm the owner here. How can I help you?"

However, politeness towards guests was clearly written in the "Club Master's Handbook," so Luo Qiu had no choice but to smile and break the silence first.

"I, heard, legend, here, can, buy, anything, never, thought, existed."

Intermittent, unclear pronunciation, even disjointed, and its voice was hoarse as if its vocal cords had been burned.

But Luo Qiu still clearly understood the guest's meaning: they had likely heard rumors about the Club from somewhere, which sparked the idea of finding it, and they had actually found this place, hence the wonder and so on.

"What should I call you, sir?" Luo Qiu continued to smile.

At this moment, You Ye brought over two cups of flower tea, but the guest seemed disinclined to touch them. Luo Qiu thought with slight regret: he probably wouldn't get to see what the person looked like.

"Name, no." The strange fellow shook its head. "Anything, you."

Luo Qiu subconsciously glanced at You Ye beside him, only to find the doll maid with her hands slightly clasped, eyes fixed forward, appearing completely ready for instructions—unlike when she first met Jin Zifu, when You Ye would proactively do things.

Luo Qiu thought that perhaps after some essential matters for the Club's owner had been clarified, the doll maid was unwilling to overstep any further.

"Let's discuss this guest's needs," Luo Qiu said, pulling out the chair opposite the guest and sitting down. As a new official, he was still unfamiliar with many things, so he decided to get straight to the point: "What do you want, and what is the transaction fee you can afford?"

"Tomorrow, night, is, important, time. Enemy, one, protect, me. One, night, only."

Still the same fragmented answer.

The Trafford Club claimed to be able to buy anything, so protection time was naturally included.

Luo Qiu pondered, "You can stay here until you feel it's enough. We have spare rooms for you."

"No, must, outdoors."

Luo Qiu frowned. "You're saying another enemy is chasing you, and you only need one night of protection tomorrow night, correct?"

"Yes."

"Please provide some details about your enemy," Luo Qiu said calmly. "Since you know about this place, you should understand some of the rules."

"Mantis, one hundred, twenty years, I, cannot, deal with."

Luo Qiu looked at You Ye again. You Ye walked over and whispered into his ear, "A monster of 120 years is considered a minor demon in the East, not very powerful. Dealing with or killing them is usually not a problem."

Did that mean... You Ye could completely handle a 120-year-old mantis monster?

Basically, adhering to the principle of equivalent exchange, the higher the value of the requested item, the higher the transaction fee.

He had heard that there was a circle of monsters in the world, but Luo Qiu, not yet very familiar with it, didn't know how to extract more information from this new guest. Perhaps it would be better to ask You Ye about it later.

Besides, if he couldn't even handle a minor demon, as You Ye put it, then this new guest was likely a "pauper" in the monster community.

"What about the transaction fee?" Luo Qiu asked, while also guiding the conversation: "You must understand, sir, that we are dealing with an enemy you cannot handle. You need protection, which means if you lose this protection, you might lose your life. Therefore, this protection is also buying your life."

"This, this."

He saw the other party carefully take out a package from his wide black coat – something wrapped in crumpled newspaper.

Upon opening it, it was a white jade token, one finger long, three fingers wide, one finger thick, and narrower at the top than the bottom.

The other party clearly valued this jade token greatly, placing it on the table and pushing it inch by inch towards Luo Qiu.

Luo Qiu then reached out his palm and hovered it over the jade token.

After completing his first transaction in life, it wasn't just his lifespan that increased. For instance, Luo Qiu gained an appraisal ability.

Of course, it seemed the appraisal ability would also strengthen with each transaction, and what he could currently appraise was only:

— Jade stone with unknown abilities

— Further appraisal requires twenty days of lifespan

— Offering it can grant seventy days of lifespan

Well... that's it. The ability wasn't strong, but further appraisal could be done for a price.

This small jade token was worth more than twice the value of Jin Zifu's thirty-three lives