Even if I had to risk my life, I'd fight my way into the top three! This is today's second chapter. Baili is once again begging all my brothers and sisters for votes, o(n_n)o... Those of you with votes, don't hold back!

Ye Qin walked along the bustling streets of the county town. When he spotted a jade shop called the Spring Jade Shop, he strolled inside.

The shop was spacious, with room for dozens of people. Four long rows of counters stood against the walls, displaying jade in all shapes and sizes. There were rough jade blanks as well as finished, carved ornaments, all available for purchase.

Several attendants dressed in blue were helping a number of richly dressed customers choose jade pendants. Perhaps because jade was expensive, nearly everyone who came in to buy it belonged to a wealthy family in town. There were no poor folk.

A young attendant came over to greet Ye Qin with a broad smile.

"What sort of jade are you looking for, sir? Our Spring Jade Shop is the finest jade shop in Zhuqi County. We have every kind of jade: soft jade, hard jade, white jade, cyan jade, red jade, green jade, black jade, yellow jade, and more. The stone is exceptionally hard, and its colors are brilliant and vibrant. Carved into a pendant and worn, it can calm the mind, ward off evil, and sharpen the senses. It can also be made into bracelets, rings, hairpins, sword fittings, and all sorts of other things. Whatever you can name, our shop can provide!"

Seeing Ye Qin in a blue robe, the young attendant privately guessed that he was probably a disciple of the Herb Gathering Hall, the county's foremost powerful family. He didn't dare neglect him. Besides, he knew that when disciples of these martial sects found something they liked, they often spent lavishly and didn't quibble over the price.

Ye Qin listened to the introduction and nodded without comment.

This was already the third jade shop he'd visited in town. The previous shops had also made extravagant claims, stopping just short of saying their jade was made from the stars in the sky. Yet he still hadn't found the kind of Spirit Stone he wanted.

Ye Qin said, "I'm looking for a kind of jade that's filled with spiritual energy throughout. Even from several paces away, you can clearly sense the spiritual energy within it. Does your shop have anything like that?"

The young attendant froze for a moment.

In truth, all jade contained spiritual energy. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called jade, but ordinary stone. The quality of jade depended on how concentrated its spiritual energy was. Most jade held only a trace, too faint to detect. Only the finest jade could let someone clearly sense the energy within. Naturally, such jade was absurdly expensive. It was often a jade shop's prized treasure and wasn't sold lightly.

The attendant understood that Ye Qin wanted the finest grade of jade. He looked Ye Qin over again, surprised, and made sure he wasn't joking. Unable to judge Ye Qin's standing or means, he didn't dare make the decision himself. Instead, he immediately went into the back room to fetch the owner of the Spring Jade Shop.

A white-haired, vigorous old man in his sixties or seventies emerged from the back room at an unhurried pace. Smiling, he cupped his hands toward Ye Qin and said,

"Young sir, do you perhaps want the Spring Jade Shop's prized treasure? I'm Zhao Yuanshan, owner of the Spring Jade Shop. May I ask your name, young sir, and what position you hold in the Herb Gathering Hall? If you can afford it, I see no reason I couldn't part with our prized treasure."

"My surname is Ye. As for my position in the Herb Gathering Hall, that's beside the point. What matters is whether your shop has the jade I want. If it does, I can certainly afford it."

Ye Qin was quite confident.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao had a much sharper eye than the attendant. At a glance, he recognized the leaf emblem embroidered on Ye Qin's robe. It meant the young man was merely an outer-court herb-gathering disciple of the Herb Gathering Hall, and a very junior one at that. People like him usually had little status in the Hall.

Still, being a herb-gathering disciple didn't mean he had no money. Many risked their lives gathering herbs and had a fair amount of money in their hands. Some disciples of the Herb Gathering Hall, especially those who conducted "private business," were swimming in wealth and spent freely.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao gave Ye Qin a rather knowing look. Could this young man be one of those disciples who did "private business"? Otherwise, how could he afford such exquisite jade?

At that thought, Old Shopkeeper Zhao suddenly burst out laughing. "Ha ha! The Spring Jade Shop is one of the foremost jade shops in Zhuqi County. The jade in my shop is certainly top quality, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Young Master Ye, please—let's talk in the back room!"

Ye Qin's senses were exceptionally keen.

The look Old Shopkeeper Zhao had just given him immediately made him uncomfortable. It seemed the old man had some designs on him. But Ye Qin couldn't think of anything he had that Old Shopkeeper Zhao might covet.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao led Ye Qin into the back room.

A few counters stood inside, just as in the main shop, but they were much more refined and luxurious. There were also plenty of chairs, and fragrant tea had been set out on a tea table for customers to rest and refresh themselves. A female attendant poured tea and waited on them.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao personally showed Ye Qin the fine jade pieces in the counters.

They weren't the finest jade, but they were far superior to the ordinary jade outside. He wanted to see if Ye Qin would be satisfied with them.

But Ye Qin wasn't satisfied with a single piece. He couldn't sense any spiritual energy seeping from them. He remembered how, when he'd dug up the Cyan Rock Marrow at Eagle Peak Cliff, a wave of dense spiritual energy had surged toward him. That was what a true Spirit Stone was like.

Far from taking offense, Old Shopkeeper Zhao grew even more pleased. Ye Qin's attitude only confirmed his suspicions: this young Herb Gathering Hall disciple was certainly involved in "private business" and must have plenty of money.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao had the maid attend to Ye Qin while he went into a side room. A short while later, he came back carrying a heavy wooden box.

"Our shop has one more exceptional jade blank. Please have a look, Young Master Ye."

He carefully opened the large wooden box. Inside lay a white jade blank about the size of a sea bowl. It was pure white, fine-grained, and lustrous. Soft white cotton was folded beneath it to keep it from being damaged.

"This White Jade Embryo is the Spring Jade Shop's prized treasure, an extremely rare piece. Our jade carvers have been pondering how to carve it and haven't dared touch it yet, so it remains a blank. It can help stabilize the mind and calm the temperament as you cultivate internal energy, reducing the risk of going into qi deviation."

Old Shopkeeper Zhao explained what the White Jade Embryo could do.

Ye Qin gently ran his hand over the White Jade Embryo, closed his eyes, and slowly drew in a breath, sensing its spiritual energy. He could vaguely feel a faint trace of spiritual energy wafting from the piece of white jade. I can sense the energy escaping from it. This White Jade Embryo should count as a Spirit Stone. Its spiritual energy was far weaker than that of the Cyan Rock he'd once dug up, and it was much smaller, too.