A Steal of a Deal

That night, inside an ordinary house.

"Rub faster, damn it! Fuck!"

Luo Yan sat cross-legged before an old wooden table, his sleeves rolled high as he aligned several cut sheets of stiff paper.

A blade, paste, half a bottle of black ink, and a scrap of dark red cloth picked up from who knew where lay spread across the table.

The lamp flame swayed wildly in the wind, casting his face alternately into light and shadow.

He had not originally planned to make a cover.

For this lousy book, he had even watered down the ink while writing it.

A few Copper Soul Coins in costs, a storyteller's voice, and a hidden compartment in an old bookshop.

He had figured this young lady would pay two hundred at most, and after pretending to be pained by the price, he would sell her a story.

Who would have thought the girl would not even haggle?

Luo Yan pulled several thin sheets of gold leaf from his clothes.

A few days ago, he had passed a jewelry shop and seen an apprentice tossing out scraps of failed gold foil. He had crouched outside the door gathering them for half the day, biting them and burning them before confirming that they contained real gold.

Now they came in handy.

He laid the gold leaf over the dark red cover and pressed it down with the lightest touch of his fingers.

The golden sheen seemed drawn in by something, clinging smoothly to the stiff paper without a wrinkle or bulge.

But Luo Yan did not want some gaudy nouveau riche trinket.

He closed his eyes and sent Soul Power into his fingertips.

Floating Life Like a Dream.

Willpower seeped from his fingertips into the gold leaf.

The gold suddenly looked aged, as though it had been soaked in seawater, weathered by wind, and caressed over and over by someone's hands for decades.

Luo Yan traced the ink lines again, using Willpower to sink the ink slightly into the gold surface.

A lamp at a ship's bow, a silhouette in the mist.

A golden base, dark red patterns—neither new nor old.

"Good thing you didn't haggle."

He muttered, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the heart to make this for you."

After saying that, he wiped down the spine with a damp cloth, then slowly dried it over the lamp flame.

The book gleamed with an exceedingly faint golden edge in the light. It was not dazzling, yet impossible to look away from.

Luo Yan held it up and examined it from the front, then from the side, then from farther away.

Then he sighed.

"How is this some unofficial history? This damn thing is practically divine history."

Satisfied, he wrapped the book in cloth and tucked it beneath his pillow.

Then he returned to the table and swept all the scraps and gold-leaf fragments into a battered jar.

Finally, he did not forget to pull half a dry pancake from his pocket, take a bite, and swallow it down with cold water.

"Five hundred Gold Soul Coins for an out-of-print copy of the Secret Records of Sea God Island, with a cover included."

He mumbled, "Miss Ning, you got an absolute steal."

Heaven Dou City was even darker before dawn. Most of the lanterns along the main street had gone out, leaving only a few flickering dimly in the wind.

Luo Yan stood before the Seven Treasure Hotel and looked up.

The establishment's entrance was exceptionally tall, its two bronze doors polished brightly enough to reflect people's shadows.

Even the stone steps outside were half a zhang wider than those elsewhere.

At this hour, the main doors were tightly shut. Only a small lamp still burned beside the side entrance, where a night watchman stood with his arms folded like a sleepy door guardian.

Luo Yan walked over.

"I'm here to see Miss Ning."

His voice was not loud, but it was clear enough. "Please inform her."

The watchman lifted his eyelids to inspect him: gray clothes, worn shoes, and the scent of night dew still clinging to him.

He gave a derisive snort without moving. "What do you think this place is? It isn't even dawn, and you want to see a guest of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect just by saying so?"

"I'm not here empty-handed."

Luo Yan held out the gray cloth bundle from his chest. "I came to deliver a book. It was agreed upon at the Listening Wind Pavilion."

Only then did the watchman shift his gaze to the gray bundle.

He hesitated for a moment but did not take it. "What's your name?"

"My surname is Luo. She knows."

The watchman gave him another look before finally waving to an attendant behind him.

The attendant slipped through the side door, and his footsteps were quickly swallowed by the night.

Luo Yan remained beneath the steps, neither urging them nor leaving.

The night wind blew down the main street, ruffling the hair over his forehead.

Before long, the attendant returned, nodded to the watchman, then said to Luo Yan, "Please follow me."

The watchman said nothing more, merely opening the side door halfway.

Luo Yan turned sideways and entered, following the attendant through an extremely spacious front hall.

The hall was paved with square blue-jade tiles. Most of the two rows of bronze lamps had already been extinguished, leaving only a few casting thin light from above. A cool fragrance hung in the air.

They went upstairs.

Ning Rongrong was staying at the innermost room on the third floor.

The attendant stopped before the door and knocked lightly. "Miss, he's here."

After two breaths, Ning Rongrong's voice came from inside. "Let him in."

The attendant pushed the door open and stepped aside.

Luo Yan straightened his collar and walked in.

The room was much warmer than outside. A bronze lamp burned on the table, and Ning Rongrong sat behind it.

She wore a moon-white outer robe, her long hair only loosely pinned up.

It was obvious she had risen in a hurry, yet there was no sleepiness on her face. Framed by the warm light, her features appeared even more distinct.

"You really dared to come," she said.

Luo Yan smiled. "Miss Ning was willing to see me. Why wouldn't I dare?"

He stepped forward and placed the gray cloth bundle on the table. He did not rush to open it, merely taking half a step back.

The bundle looked dull and dusty beneath the lamp, utterly out of place in this refined room.

Yet perhaps because of that, Ning Rongrong found it even harder to look away.

"Open it," she said.

Luo Yan peeled back the gray cloth, revealing a book.

The cover was pressed in dark red, with a line of aged gold showing at its edges. Ning Rongrong sat straighter after only one glance.

She raised her hand and touched the cover with one fingertip.

Without speaking, she slowly picked up the book and opened it to the first page beneath the lamp.

The pages were extremely thin, yet crisp. Only one line was written on the first page:

"Knowledge of Sky and Earth."

"This is?"

Luo Yan raised his brows with a smile. "The complete version. What you read before is farther back. This is the first chapter."

Ning Rongrong's fingers moved as she roughly flipped through it, then she set the book down.

"Five hundred Gold Soul Coins is too much. I'll give you two hundred, plus... this bracelet."

"Miss Ning."

He lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief. "You mean you don't have enough money?"

"Of course not."

Ning Rongrong interrupted him quickly, sounding slightly hurried before forcing herself calm. "It's not like I'm short a few hundred coins. It's just that my father keeps too close an eye on the accounts. If five hundred suddenly disappears today, he'll ask questions. Then how could I keep this book hidden?"

As she spoke, she slipped a bracelet from her wrist and placed it on the table.

"This is a Storage Bracelet."

She said it while avoiding Luo Yan's eyes, staring only at the book. "Someone gave it to me when I was little. I received too many gifts, so my father might not remember it. There are still some Gold Soul Coins inside. Check for yourself and see if it's enough."

Luo Yan looked at the bracelet.

Its jade was slightly bluish. It was not worth some astronomical sum, but it was compact and unadorned, with only a tiny sliver of silver set at the clasp.

It was indeed something inconspicuous, yet genuinely useful.

But this was storage equipment—the thing he needed most right now.

"Miss Ning," he said softly. "Are you trading this to me?"

"It's not exactly a trade."

Ning Rongrong turned her face away, the tips of her ears slightly red. "I don't have enough money, so I'm using this as collateral for now. If it really comes to it later... I'll redeem it."

Her voice softened on the word "redeem," as though she herself found it strange.

Luo Yan did not respond. He reached out and picked up the bracelet.

It felt slightly cool and heavy in his hand.

He did not use Soul Power. He merely turned it over to inspect it, then lightly tapped it against the edge of the table.

"You can really bear to part with it?" he asked.

"What's there to part with?"

Ning Rongrong gave a soft huff. "I have plenty of bracelets like this."

"Fine, then." Luo Yan smiled and slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist.

He rotated his wrist and nodded in satisfaction. "It fits nicely. It can hold more than my lousy bundle."

"Good. Oh, right—you sold me a book, but I still don't know your name."

"Luo Yan."

"Alright. If you find any good books in the future... send a letter to the people here. They'll bring it to me."

"You got it! I'll go look for good books right away. I guarantee the boss will be satisfied!"