All along the way, everyone kept laughing and chatting.
Only Hu Liena wore a gloomy expression. Her hands were laden with shopping bags, and she glared at Ning Rongrong through gritted teeth.
Most of these had been bought by Ning Rongrong.
She was doing this to get back at Hu Liena for ruining her good moment.
"Ning Rongrong, just you wait!"
"Once this Saintess finishes investigating Qin Jiuxiao, I'll make you pay!"
She muttered under her breath, but Ning Rongrong had been watching her all along.
Ning Rongrong immediately walked over and slapped Hu Liena on the butt.
"What are you muttering about? Secretly cursing this young lady, are you?"
Hu Liena's mouth twitched. She forcibly suppressed her anger and squeezed out a smile.
"How could I? Young Miss was right to teach me a lesson."
Only then did Ning Rongrong smile in satisfaction and hurried after Qin Jiuxiao.
Before long, they passed by a small shop.
The shop was not large. It could even be called shabby; it was merely a small wooden house of less than thirty square meters.
The wooden door stood open, yet there was not a single clerk in sight.
"What kind of shop is this? Don't tell me it sells junk!"
"Brother Jiuxiao, what are we doing here?"
Ning Rongrong waved a hand before her nose in distaste. Born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the shops under her sect might not have been lavishly decorated, but they were always bustling with customers.
Where had she ever seen such a shabby little shop?
Qin Jiuxiao merely took one glance before walking inside. He remembered this was Flender's shop. There was also a crystal inside, one Tang San had used to make Dragon Whisker Needles.
It was something capable of breaking through Soul Power barriers. Tang San had relied on it to defeat Zhao Wuji.
If he took it away, would Tang San still have a way to beat Zhao Wuji?
Qin Jiuxiao was looking forward to finding out.
Though the other girls did not know why Qin Jiuxiao had entered, they all followed him inside.
Inside the shop, a middle-aged man was lying on a rocking chair with his eyes closed, gently swaying as he rested.
The rocking chair creaked and groaned.
His eyes were sharp and seductive behind a pair of thick-framed glasses, giving him the air of a crooked merchant.
Qin Jiuxiao walked up to him and called out.
"Uncle Flender, you have customers!"
Flender did not react.
"Flender, if you don't wake up, I'm taking this crystal!"
Qin Jiuxiao picked up the crystal from the shelf and spoke again.
Yet Flender remained perfectly still, as though he had truly fallen asleep.
"Is this guy sleeping like the dead?"
"If he runs his shop like this, it should have been robbed clean long ago."
Ning Rongrong curled her lip, and the others nodded in agreement.
But Qin Jiuxiao knew the old man was only pretending to sleep.
He sneered and swept his gaze across the counter.
He walked straight to a cabinet, entered its password, and took out a bag of Gold Soul Coins.
"Flender, since you're sleeping like the dead, I'll borrow the Gold Soul Coins in your safe first!"
"I'll pay you back once I have money..."
Before he could finish speaking, the rocking chair spun wildly in place, and the figure upon it had vanished.
Qin Jiuxiao's arm was tightly clamped by a bony hand with astonishing strength.
"Heh, no longer pretending to sleep?"
Qin Jiuxiao met Flender's somewhat awkward gaze, wearing an expression that said he had seen through him from the beginning.
"No, why would a young master like you come to my little shop?"
"What among this pile of junk could possibly compare to your Qin Family's things?"
"And!"
Flender stared fixedly at the money bag in Qin Jiuxiao's hand, his eyelid twitching.
"How did you know my safe's password?"
"I change it every three days, and your Qin Family's informants still know it?"
Qin Jiuxiao tossed the money bag back into Flender's hand and pointed at the crystal on the counter.
Flender followed his finger and looked over.
"I want this crystal. One Gold Soul Coin."
"One hundred Gold Soul Coins!"
Without another word, Flender immediately raised the price.
He curled his lips as he looked at Qin Jiuxiao. This young master was clearly not short on money. If he did not fleece him now, when would he get another chance?
Qin Jiuxiao chuckled.
"Twenty at most."
"Ninety!"
"Fifteen."
"Eighty!"
"Ten."
"Fifty. Not a coin less. Otherwise, leave. I'm not selling it!"
Flender was utterly resolute, as if there were no room for negotiation, but the gleam beneath his glasses could not be concealed.
He had picked up this crystal from a street stall for only a few Copper Soul Coins.
Even selling it for one Gold Soul Coin would have been a profit.
"Hey! Old man!"
"You're selling a broken crystal like this for so much money? What a crooked merchant!"
Xiao Wu pointed at him, her big-sister aura returning in full force.
After using Qin Jiuxiao's blood to temper her body,
the Soul Beast aura around her had been concealed. Even if a Soul Douluo or Title Douluo saw her, they would only have their judgment confused by the chaotic aura.
They would assume she had merely killed a Soul Beast recently and gotten its blood on her.
"Little girl, that's the market price. You won't find a fairer merchant than me within ten miles!"
"Heh, what other merchants are there within ten miles? Aren't you the only one?"
Ning Rongrong shot him a sidelong glance.
Flender folded his arms without denying it, then leisurely lay back down in his chair with a smile on his face.
He casually sized up the group of young men and women.
He had not noticed at first, but the more he examined them, the more shocked he became.
These were all damn genius prospects.
He knew Ning Rongrong—the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, without question.
As for the sisters Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun, one had originally been a level 27 Soul Grandmaster, while the other had been a level 40 Soul Ancestor.
But after being cleansed by Qin Jiuxiao's Precious Blood, both of their Soul Powers had increased considerably.
Zhu Zhuqing had reached level 29, while Zhu Zhuyun had surpassed level 40. However, she had yet to obtain her fourth Soul Ring. Qin Jiuxiao said he would personally take them to hunt for Soul Rings together once Zhu Zhuqing reached level 30 after a little more time.
Xiao Wu had originally been level 29, but she had now reached the threshold of level 30 and could condense her third Soul Ring at any time.
Although Hu Liena was a little older than them, her Soul Power was also exceptionally formidable.
When Flender's spiritual power began probing Qin Jiuxiao, his pupils suddenly contracted.
A sharp cry rang out and jolted his spiritual power away.
He gave a muffled grunt, only to see Qin Jiuxiao's faintly amused smile.
Good brat, he did that on purpose.
Still, this brat's martial soul and Soul Power were definitely stronger than everyone else's. Even Flender felt pressure from him.
Flender's eyes shifted, and his crooked-merchant instincts emerged.
If he could lure these little monsters into his Shrek Academy, then add the few already at the school, wouldn't the academy soar straight to the heavens?
Then he could take them to the Soul Fighting Arena to compete in Soul Fights.
Making money would be ridiculously easy!
At that thought, Flender immediately sprang up, rubbing his hands together like a fly as he chuckled.
"Old Flender, that expression doesn't make you look like a good person."
"What are you plotting now?"
Qin Jiuxiao glanced sideways at him and quietly took two steps back.
Flender's eyes gleamed. He stepped forward and threw an arm around Qin Jiuxiao's shoulders, looking like an old friend despite their age difference.
"Hahaha, Jiuxiao, Uncle was only joking with you earlier."
"Your father and I are old acquaintances. How could I possibly overcharge my dear nephew?"
Qin Jiuxiao did not fall for it at all and slapped his hand away.
"Say what you want directly. I saw through your little schemes at a glance."
Flender chuckled and placed the crystal into Qin Jiuxiao's hand.
"Uncle's giving you this crystal!"
"You're at just the right age for school, and Uncle knows a very good academy."
"As long as you graduate, you'll receive a noble title from the Heaven Dou Empire!"
"Uncle can recommend you there, hehe!"
Before you continue