Night-Luminous Pearl

Jiang Ding entered the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. Before he could look around, a neatly dressed, delicate and charming maid stepped forward.

"Young Master Jiang, welcome to the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. Please proceed to the second floor; the shopkeeper will be here shortly," the maid said in a clear, crisp voice as she led the way.

Jiang Ding froze. "You know me?"

Covering her mouth, the maid giggled. "Young Master, Shopkeeper Long instructed us many times that the moment you arrived, we were to call him over to receive you. We servants memorized it long ago."

In an elegant private room on the second floor, a cup of fragrant tea had already been prepared. Jiang Ding sat down, lightly stroking his sword hilt, lost in thought.

The maid stood prettily at his side.

Before long, hurried footsteps came thudding closer from afar.

Jiang Ding's gaze flickered.

An Inner Qi realm martial artist could already move soundlessly without slowing down. Making such a show of it seemed somewhat deliberate.

Still, being treated with respect did not feel bad.

"Young Master Jiang, forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar!"

The moment Long San entered, his face lit up with joy. "I had long wished to pay you a visit, but feared disturbing your cultivation. Today, I finally have the chance to see you again."

"Shopkeeper Long is too courteous." Jiang Ding rose and gave a slight bow.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down.

"There is something... I truly have wronged you over, Young Master. I dare not conceal it."

Long San looked embarrassed.

"Speak freely."

"A few days ago, didn't one of my attendants introduce you to a steward? Things had been quite good. Steward Huang conducted himself well and handled matters capably, but since I had only recently arrived, I had no choice but to place some trusted men to keep control of the situation. Thus, through Huang Gui, I introduced him to you, hoping he might be of some help..."

"Unexpectedly, when I inspected the warehouse yesterday, I discovered a major case of embezzlement of Chamber property. Several stewards were involved, and they had colluded with outsiders. Such people of corrupt character may yet breed future disaster."

Jiang Ding's eyes narrowed.

Huang Deyou was currently in charge of purchasing specimens. He had already established the channels and was doing well. Replacing him now would delay the collection of specimens.

"How deeply was he involved?"

"Not too deeply. Among those few, Huang Deyou was actually one of the less greedy ones." Long San waved his hands repeatedly. "Only a little over twenty taels of silver. The money is not much, but the nature of it is detestable. I hate these dogs that eat from the bowl and smash the pot!"

It was no small sum.

For a poor family, that money would have been enough to live on for more than ten years.

Jiang Ding pondered for a moment.

"The accounts must be recovered. I dislike such people as well. However, I still have use for him. I ask that Shopkeeper Long not employ private punishment. Let it end here."

Since he had eaten from the inside and sold out the inside, and it was an internal matter of the Chamber, even the authorities might not interfere.

Long San sighed. "Alas, I have no face left to meet you, Young Master. We shall proceed as you say."

That dog Huang Deyou was lucky. Otherwise, I would have personally broken both his legs.

He dared steal money from the Dragon clan? He must have grown tired of living.

"I came this time mainly because I have no money on hand, so I specifically came to sell some goods to you, Shopkeeper." Jiang Ding took out a palm-sized gift box and handed it over.

"I certainly will not let you suffer a loss, Young Master."

Long San's expression turned solemn as he accepted the gift box. It felt smooth and soft, seemingly made from some kind of precious fur. The gift box alone was not cheap.

He opened it.

"Ah!"

Though she had seen many treasures, the maid at the side still cried out uncontrollably.

Light—soft light.

Inside the gift box, a thumb-sized pearl radiated countless rays of light. Even in broad daylight, it was clearly visible.

"Close the windows."

Long San managed to remain calm as he spoke in a low voice.

Jiang Ding became thoughtful. It seemed that in this low-martial world with extraordinary powers, luminous pearls were still very precious, though not so rare as to be one of a kind. Perhaps some spiritual materials that occasionally came into being could also shine.

As for whether his conscience hurt from selling glowing pearls that cost ten yuan apiece as treasures?

Of course it did not.

The value of an item varied from person to person. There was labor value and commodity value, and besides, no matter how worthless they were, once the lengthy shipping cost between two worlds was added, selling them at a high price was perfectly reasonable.

The windows were shut. A hazy white glow filled the private room. It was somewhat dim, a little weaker than a candle, but still enough to read the words on a page.

Long San took out a white cloth and gently wiped the pearl. Its glow remained as fresh as new. Next came a magnifying glass, some kind of medicinal powder, and more; he used every appraisal method available.

"This night-luminous pearl is average in size, but its radiance far surpasses that of others. It can be considered a rare treasure. Young Master, do you truly wish to sell it?" Long San asked solemnly.

"Sell it." Jiang Ding was concise.

"As for the price..." Long San pondered for a long while, then rose and paced several circles around the room. "How about one thousand taels? This is the highest price our Four Seas Chamber of Commerce offers for non-cultivation goods."

"Fine."

"Young Master is forthright!"

Long San was overjoyed. With this deal completed, his performance for the year was secure.

"But I do not only want money." Jiang Ding said calmly, "I need aged medicinal herbs, preferably old mountain ginseng."

Ever since the Young Eagle Takes Flight Sword Art had broken through to Lesser Mastery, he no longer dared train at full force, lest depleted qi and blood inflict hidden injuries upon his body. He could only maintain it at the Proficient level.

His cultivation speed had become somewhat faster than before, but it was nowhere near enough to rapidly approach the Inner Qi realm.

Long San was not surprised. Among martial artists, none simply loved gold and silver alone.

"Someone, bring up all old mountain ginseng over forty years old." Then he turned back. "Young Master is generous, so Long San will not say much more. I will certainly give you the most favorable prices."

Very soon, more than twenty square redwood boxes were presented one by one by the maids.

Long San opened one of the boxes. "Please look, Young Master. This is forty-year-old mountain ginseng, priced at one hundred and twenty taels. You need only pay one hundred taels."

Jiang Ding accepted the wooden box and carefully identified it according to what he had learned in biology class. His technique was extremely professional; he had practiced it many times in the laboratory before.

"Young Master is an expert!"

Long San praised him.

He was young, handsome, polite to others, and his strength was already astonishing enough. Yet even his miscellaneous studies ran so deep. If he had not been raised by some great sect behind lofty gates, Long San would not have believed it even if beaten to death.

"The quality is quite good."

After verifying them one by one and confirming there were no mistakes, Jiang Ding raised his head. "Shopkeeper, bring out the oldest ones directly. Though my thousand taels may be a considerable sum, it will not buy much."

"Please look, Young Master." Long San did not waste words. He carefully opened the final wooden box. "This ninety-eight-year-old mountain ginseng was appraised by a famous physician of the prefectural city. This establishment spent a great price acquiring it from the capital. It lacks only two years before becoming a century-old great medicine."

There was some regret in his tone.

Jiang Ding asked curiously, "Is there no century-old great medicine?"

"Young Master jests."

Long San shook his head. "Century-old great medicines are already among the finest medicines in the world. Their effects cannot be compared with ordinary herbs, and they possess some ability to aid breakthroughs in cultivation realms. When they are occasionally traded, it is between the heads of great families and major gangs. They will not find their way onto the market."

"These are treasures that form the foundation of powerful forces. I have never seen one myself."

Jiang Ding said regretfully, "So that is how it is."

So-called great medicines of however many years actually referred to the amount of pure spiritual power accumulated within the herb. They could only arise in environments with spiritual energy. A hundred years was one threshold; if it failed to cross it, it would wither away.

In an environment without spiritual energy, even if it grew for a hundred years, it would merely become a woody stick, utterly useless.

"This item is valued at one thousand two hundred taels."

Long San said, "If Young Master wants it, nine hundred and forty taels will do. I will also include a Four Seas Chamber of Commerce silver token. At any Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, it will grant you a five-percent discount."

"Then it is settled."

Jiang Ding nodded, knowing that the price was not expensive.

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