Hearing that familiar voice, Zhou Qing could not help but shudder.
To be honest, after what happened yesterday, he was genuinely a little afraid of Lu Yaoyao.
Then, pretending not to have heard anything, he turned and tried to leave.
But Lu Yaoyao suddenly hopped in front of him, spread her arms to block his way, and said seriously, "She left."
Zhou Qing looked at He Han beside her, displeased. "Aren't you going to keep her in line? Can she stop randomly playing matchmaker? Someone might actually die because of it."
He Han knew he was in the wrong as well and did not know what to say for a moment.
Yet inwardly, he was somewhat pleased. Junior Sister was trying to bring Junior Brother Zhou together with the Profound Abyss Immortal. Though the two looked mismatched no matter how he saw it, it at least proved from another angle that Junior Sister did not like this fellow who peeped at others bathing.
Wasn't that the best news possible?
At that moment, seeing the displeased look on Zhou Qing's face, Lu Yaoyao's eyes suddenly reddened.
Seeing this, Zhou Qing was completely speechless.
I haven't even said anything, and you're already acting wronged.
Seeing that things were going awry, Yan Xiaohu hurriedly laughed it off and dragged Zhou Qing away at top speed.
"Are you all right, Junior Sister?" He Han asked helplessly.
Lu Yaoyao wiped her eyes, her words muffled. "I was too anxious. I shouldn't have interfered so casually. I don't know what's been wrong with me lately. I just... I'm just too curious, and I miss it too much."
He Han did not catch what Junior Sister was muttering, but perhaps it was an illusion—at this moment, she looked so frail, so lonely.
But soon, light bloomed in Lu Yaoyao's eyes again, and she kept cheering herself on.
"Perhaps it isn't her. Maybe I've merely been overthinking it. Or perhaps the time simply has not come yet. Let nature take its course."
Then she looked at He Han and smiled faintly. "I'm fine, Second Senior Brother. Let's go look around over there."
Watching Junior Sister cry one moment and laugh the next, He Han could not make heads or tails of it. Seeing her leave, he hurriedly followed after her...
Not far away, after making sure Lu Yaoyao and He Han had not followed, Yan Xiaohu looked at his junior brother walking an Old Hen and could not help asking, "You really aren't interested in that Profound Abyss Immortal?"
Zhou Qing sighed and looked at Yan Xiaohu. "Third Senior Brother, even you don't believe me? We've only met twice. What feelings could there possibly be?"
Yan Xiaohu nodded. "That's for the best. Not to mention how thirsty an old woman like that is—your body wouldn't survive being drained dry. And that Si Kong Yan from the Azure Flame Dao Palace is not someone you can contend against."
Zhou Qing nodded in agreement. It was all because Lu Yaoyao had gone mad.
They should keep browsing first. If another fight broke out over at the plaza later, he still had to go farm Ignorance Points.
Not long after, Zhou Qing suddenly stopped before a street stall. A flash of astonishment passed through his eyes, but he quickly put on an indifferent expression.
"Take a look, young fellows! They're absolutely good stuff!"
The stall owner was a white-haired old man, somewhat plump, dressed in clean and tidy coarse clothes that had been washed nearly white. He was currently inviting the two of them with a beaming smile.
Unlike the others, every item on his stall was wrapped in white cloth, giving off an air of mystery.
"Pick whatever you like, choose whatever you like!" the old man said warmly.
But Zhou Qing looked at the note above his head—Petty-minded.
It was the note from last time, when the other man had transformed into Third Senior Brother and he had dragged him over, insisting that he curse him.
Second Uncle!
He was still here. He had not left.
Was this his true appearance, or another transformation?
Yan Xiaohu merely swept his gaze over the stall and prepared to leave. He hated this kind of deliberately mystifying nonsense the most.
Couldn't he see that this area was full of sect prodigies running street stalls? How had this old man slipped in here, and why was he putting on such an act?
Yet Zhou Qing did not leave. Instead, he looked at those wrapped items.
Second Uncle definitely had treasures beyond counting. Setting aside anything else, after staying in the Taiqing Sect's Grotto-Heaven for so long, had he really not scavenged any good things?
The rewards he casually gave Zhou Qing were Top-Grade Spirit Stones.
Logically speaking, he should not care about such trifling scraps. Perhaps he was only running this stall to pass the time.
"Senior, I only have three hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones on me. Which of these can I buy?" Zhou Qing asked respectfully.
Yan Xiaohu immediately pulled him aside. "Are you crazy? Spending hundreds of spirit stones on this junk? There might just be an ordinary rock inside. The rules of the Treasure Exchange Gathering are that once a deal is made, it's final. Even if you buy a lump of shit, there are no returns or exchanges."
"I know," Zhou Qing said. "But I want to take a gamble. Besides, I like the feeling of opening blind boxes."
"You've definitely been angered senseless by Junior Sister Lu. Can't you see nobody is buying anything here? This old man is a swindler. Even if you want to hear a splash, you shouldn't throw this much money in here," Yan Xiaohu urged.
Second Uncle stroked his beard and rose to his feet. "What do you mean, old swindler? I conduct business fairly with young and old alike, all right? And your whispering is far too loud. This old man finds it very unpleasant to hear."
"I wanted you to hear it. I've never seen anyone sell things like this. Fourth Child, let's go!"
Yan Xiaohu snapped back at Second Uncle, then pulled Zhou Qing away. But Zhou Qing stopped, looking curious.
Seeing this, Second Uncle hurriedly took out three wrapped items. "With your three hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, you can only buy one of these three. One of them is worth at least a thousand spirit stones—enough to triple your money."
"What about the other two?" Zhou Qing asked.
Second Uncle immediately let out a sly chuckle. "Just like your senior brother said, toss them into the water and they won't even make a sound. Your entire investment will go down the drain."
Yan Xiaohu immediately strode forward with his hands on his hips. "You just said they were worth more than the price. How did it turn into losing everything in the blink of an eye?"
"Ahem. You're so bullheaded—why are you so fond of nitpicking? If you buy the right one, then it's worth more than the price," Second Uncle said.
"You..." Yan Xiaohu did not know how to refute him for a moment.
Instead, Zhou Qing led the Old Hen over and crouched down to inspect them carefully.
All three items were the size of fists. Just as Zhou Qing was about to reach out and weigh one in his hand, Second Uncle stopped him.
He grinned. "No touching. It's all based on feeling. The thrill is the whole point."
Seeing the excitement in Second Uncle's eyes, Zhou Qing seemed to understand why he was running a street stall here.
He probably wanted to watch Zhou Qing lose everything, then howl in heartache and regret.
After being imprisoned in that Grotto-Heaven for so long, his mind had probably become twisted!
Zhou Qing could only stand up and try probing with his Spiritual Sense. To his surprise, the white cloth was rather extraordinary—it could actually block Spiritual Sense.
Yan Xiaohu wanted to say more, but Zhou Qing shook his head slightly. His mind was made up.
"Fine, buy it then. I'm done trying to stop you. A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit—you'll regret this!" Yan Xiaohu said angrily, folding his arms.
Second Uncle chuckled. "Pick one!"
Zhou Qing let out a soft breath, then looked toward the item on the left. With a thought, he directly appraised it.
Very soon, a piece of information came back.
Nether Dark Spirit Wood: This is a piece of rare spirit wood. It still contains pure Wood Attribute spiritual qi, greatly benefiting those who cultivate Wood Attribute techniques. Its market value starts at no less than one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Looking at the floating words, Zhou Qing was soon overwhelmed with ecstasy.
A bullseye on the first try!
He had originally planned to use this to eliminate one option. Even if he had to pick between the remaining two, there would still be a fifty percent chance.
Even if he chose wrong, he could borrow money from Third Senior Brother and immediately buy another at the same price. If what Second Uncle said was true, he could still make a profit of around three hundred spirit stones in the end.
No matter how he calculated it, he could not lose. Now, it seemed he had directly saved himself the trouble.
Before you continue