Yi Yang controlled his expression and breathing, pretending nothing was amiss as he circled the low table. He examined a few bottles of pills, then picked up a piece of Flame Prison Ore and studied it briefly.
Only then did he reach over "in passing," pick up the piece of wood, and ask:
"Miss Su, where did this piece of wood come from?"
Su Niannian was negotiating the price of a bottle of pills with someone else. At Yi Yang's question, she turned to glance at him.
"Oh, that." She answered casually, "I picked it up near White Dragon Marsh a few years ago. I thought the material was unusual, so I kept it."
"White Dragon Marsh?" Yi Yang turned the wood over, then set it down again, his tone casual. "How much?"
Su Niannian blinked, tilted her head, and studied him for two breaths before suddenly smiling.
"Are you interested in it, Lord Yi?"
"Just asking."
"Fifty Spirit Crystals."
At those words, several people trading nearby turned to look.
The heavily bearded Luo Kaishan leaned over to inspect the blackened piece of wood, then looked at Yi Yang in disbelief.
"Fifty Spirit Crystals for this thing? Miss Su, did you quote the wrong price? Even chopping it up for firewood would be more trouble than it's worth."
"Well, Lord Yi did ask." Smiling sweetly, Su Niannian nudged the wood toward him and winked.
Yi Yang withdrew his hand and shook his head regretfully. "Fifty Spirit Crystals could buy two treasure artifacts. That's really beyond my means. Goodbye, Miss Su."
He turned and walked away without looking back.
Seeing that Yi Yang truly hadn't hesitated, Su Niannian's smile stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and went back to greeting her other customers.
As Yi Yang walked away with