Searching for Treasure in the Imperial Capital

Qin Yu's senses penetrated the stone walls of the inn, seemingly encompassing the entire Imperial Capital within his treasure-hunting scope.

Of course, Qin Yu's own soul power was not yet strong enough to cover the entire Imperial Capital; this was merely the range of his perception of the treasure.

Within the Imperial Capital, he could pinpoint several locations precisely.

The Imperial Palace, the Alchemist Association Headquarters, the Nalan Family, the Mittel Family...

Outside the Imperial Capital, however, his perception of the treasures was not so accurate; he only had a few general locations.

However, there was one direction that he felt an unusually strong connection to.

Qin Yu withdrew his senses, already having a clear understanding of the situation.

That direction leads to the Tagor Great Desert. Do we even need to guess what treasures lie within? It's definitely the Green Lotus Core Flame.

"Tsk, these are all places you shouldn't go."

After focusing his attention on the Imperial Capital, Qin Yu could only shake his head helplessly at the few places where he had a strong connection.

The Alchemist Association, the Imperial Palace, the Nalan Family, the Mittel Family —none of them are places he can enter now.

Fortunately, there are still some treasures scattered throughout the Imperial Capital. Although most of them are not as valuable as those few behemoths, they still have their own value.

Just then, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly withdrew her aura, exhaled a long breath of turbid air, opened her eyes, and a deep purple light flashed in her eyes.

"It's done?"

"Um."

"It's only been a little over two months, and you've already gone from Two-Star Fighter to One-Star Battle Master. By the time you return to the academy, you'll probably have advanced to Da Dou Shi."

Xiao Yi Xian was still immersed in the afterglow of her breakthrough when she heard these words. Her eyes immediately curved into two crescent moons, and the corners of her mouth also turned up.

Are you praising me?

"State the facts."

"That's a compliment."

Xiao Yi Xian simply stopped pressing down, sat cross-legged on the bed and giggled for a while, then seemed to suddenly remember something, and her little face immediately drooped:

"By the way, you said the academy would accept someone like me..."

"I'll speak to the academy about this. No matter what, they will make sure you're settled."

Seeing Qin Yu's serious expression, Xiao Yi Xian gave a soft "hmm" and rested her head on Qin Yu's shoulder.

"Actually, I'm already very content to have spent this time with you. As for entering Jia Nan Academy... let's forget about it."

"The world is so big, surely I can find a place to stay."

After saying that, Xiao Yi Xian looked up and glanced at Qin Yu, only to find her eyes meeting his.

"That won't do. I haven't solved your physical problems yet, and I'm not asking you for payment."

"I..."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at Qin Yu, hesitated, and finally simply changed the subject:

What are our plans next?

She could tell that her words had provoked Qin Yu's stubbornness, and that further discussion would not yield any results.

"Treasure hunt."

Qin Yu looked out the window at the night sky, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Treasure hunting in the Imperial Capital?"

Xiao Yi Xian blinked, thinking she had misheard.

In this Imperial Capital, aren't all the best treasures controlled by the powerful?

Is this guy planning to become some kind of treasure trove thief?

What, you don't believe me?

Xiao Yi Xian stared at him for a long time, then blurted out:

I believe it.

Her intuition told her that no matter how strange Qin Yu's words were, following him would always bring good things.

The next day, Qin Yu seemed to have a pre-existing goal. As soon as he stepped out the door, he took Xiao Yi Xian and headed straight in one direction. His steps were light and quick, and he did not hesitate when turning corners.

Xiao Yi Xian followed behind, growing more and more puzzled.

Qin Yu led her into a street she was very familiar with; they had passed by it at least three times in the past few days while shopping.

The shop in the middle of the street was a jewelry store, filled with all sorts of jewelry and pendants. She would always sneak a peek whenever she passed by.

"Could he be...?"

Qin Yu pulled Xiao Yi Xian along and headed straight for the jewelry store.

Xiao Yi Xian's heart inexplicably started pounding, and various thoughts flashed through her mind, which she then suppressed one by one.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn't know what to say, so she could only lower her head and follow behind.

Qin Yu walked to the shop entrance, glanced back, and instantly saw through the Xiao Yi Xian's little scheme.

"Come in and take a look."

"Oh... okay."

The Xiao Yi Xian's voice was dry as she followed him into the room.

The shop was filled with all kinds of pendants, hairpins, and bracelets, and her eyes were unconsciously drawn to the exquisite jewelry, but she was too embarrassed to show it too obviously.

Things here aren't cheap.

Could it be that Qin Yu wanted to reassure himself because of what he said yesterday?

"Alright, stop pretending. Look around, and tell me which one you like."

Xiao Yi Xian gave an awkward smile, slowly moving between the various jewelry counters, pretending to browse casually.

Qin Yu's gaze swept around, and his eyes quickly locked onto something inconspicuous in the corner.

He walked straight over and found it on the lower shelf of a wooden frame.

A palm-sized Black Jade Slip was casually placed on a small table. There was a shallow crack on the edge, and the surface was uncarved.

"Young master, what has taken a fancy to you?"

The shopkeeper came out from behind the counter to greet Qin Yu, who waved the jade piece in his hand:

Where did this thing come from?

The shop owner was somewhat surprised to see that Qin Yu wasn't interested in the jewelry in the store. After thinking for a moment, he remembered:

"This one was mixed in with the rough stones that were transported from the north in the last batch, and it was delivered along with the main material."

"This thing isn't suitable for carving, but I found its texture interesting, so I just put it somewhere that wouldn't get in the way. Does the young master like it?"

Just as Qin Yu was about to speak, he heard light footsteps behind him and felt a hand gently tug at his sleeve.

The Xiao Yi Xian held up a small silver pendant and presented it to Qin Yu:

"This is quite nice."

As she said this, Xiao Yi Xian glanced elsewhere, her voice nonchalant, but a small patch of red appeared on her ears.

Qin Yu reached out and took the pendant, examined it for a moment, then gently placed it back in her palm and shook his head.

"This is too ordinary."

Then, his gaze swept around the counter again.

"Could you get this for me?"

Before Xiao Yi Xian could even show her disappointment, Qin Yu had already instructed the power source to retrieve another pendant from the display case.

A small white flower with five petals, with a few slender tassels hanging from the edges of the petals, is much more delicate than the pendant, simple yet clever.

"Young master has excellent taste; the color and size of this pendant suit this young lady perfectly."

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes lit up when she saw the pendant. She had seen this one too, but was too shy to take it.

"Try this."

Qin Yu handed her the pendant. Xiao Yi Xian took the pendant, gently stroking the petals with her fingertips, and a slight, barely suppressed smile appeared on her lips.

Looking at her reflection in the glass cabinet, she carefully tied the pendant around her neck, glanced down at it, and her smile deepened.

Qin Yu turned around, weighed the unremarkable Black Jade Slip in his hand, and said to the shopkeeper:

"Let's pack these two together."