Chapter 24

Su Jiu had originally had two hundred and fifty-five spirit stones. She had spent forty-five on Returning Spirit Pills and another eighteen on Hemostatic Pills. Adding the hundred and twenty spirit stones she had earned from selling her goods, she now had three hundred and twelve in total.

A low-tier magical artifact generally cost between five hundred and a thousand spirit stones, so she could forget about buying one with her meager funds.

That was what she had thought, at least, until she entered the general store and gained a new appreciation for what those spirit stones could buy.

First, there was a Wooden Hairpin so old she could barely bear to look at it. Yet it was actually a magical artifact-a defensive one, at that. It cost only a hundred spirit stones because it was damaged.

After another impact or two, what little spiritual energy remained in the hairpin would probably disperse completely, leaving it with no defensive power whatsoever.

Then there was a shabby cloak, also a magical artifact, with an enormous hole in its hood. It cost only a hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, too. Its effectiveness was probably about the same as the Wooden Hairpin's.

A few flying swords had also been tossed haphazardly into a corner. They looked as though they would meet their end after only a few more uses.

Su Jiu gave the shop a cursory look. Essentially, its magical artifacts could all be described as disposable goods.

The talisman section did have a few decent talismans, slightly cheaper than those sold outside. The first Su Jiu selected was a Thunderbolt Talisman, a first-tier talisman that could be used against first-tier demonic beasts. It cost twenty spirit stones. That seemed a better bargain than those flying swords near the entrance that were about to fall apart. Binding Talismans cost fifteen spirit stones each and could be used to entangle enemies.

Su Jiu took five Thunderbolt Talismans and another five wood element Binding Talismans.

Then she searched around for defensive talismans.

"Shopkeeper? Do you have any defensive talismans?" Only after speaking did Su Jiu realize that not only were there no other customers, but the shopkeeper seemed to be absent as well. There was merely a large pile of spirit stones on the counter, along with a sign that read, "No haggling."

Su Jiu sighed. Just as she was about to put the talismans back and leave, a pile of straw in the corner that looked like stored supplies suddenly stirred.

A scruffy man with a face full of beard crawled out of the straw.

He reeked of alcohol and seemed to have only just woken up.

"We're out of defensive talismans," he said hoarsely.

The corner of Su Jiu's mouth twitched. With the shop run like this, it was sheer luck that everything hadn't been taken.

At that moment, Su Jiu did not know that anyone who took goods without paying spirit stones, or stole spirit stones from the shop, would be unable to leave.

Left with no choice, Su Jiu picked up the Wooden Hairpin. After all, she needed a defensive magical artifact to keep herself alive.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to pay!"

Still seeming half asleep, the man opened his eyes partway and saw a little girl who looked barely as tall as his leg.

He pointed at the counter. "First time here? From now on, just leave your spirit stones on the counter when you buy something."

Su Jiu was astonished. The customers here must have been exceptionally honest. A shop that collected payment like this and hadn't been robbed clean was simply unheard of.

Su Jiu counted out some spirit stones, placed them on the counter, and headed for the door with her purchases.

But just as she reached the entrance, a green light suddenly blocked her and pushed her back.

The man stood up impatiently. "Children are such a nuisance. Can't even count spirit stones properly."

Then he took a spirit stone from the counter and tossed it toward Su Jiu. She caught it with a quick turn of her hand.

Only then did the man get a clear look at her.

The girl had a beautiful pair of peach-blossom eyes, with a blue-green, teardrop-shaped mole beneath the outer corner of her left eye. The lingering baby fat added a touch of cuteness to her delicate, lovely face.

The heavily bearded man blinked. "Oh, an ice spiritual root! Fifth level of Qi Refining, and almost at the sixth." He circled Su Jiu as though he had discovered something rare.

"But why is someone with an ice spiritual root wearing an Outer Gate uniform? Tsk, tsk. The Azure Tide Sect's standards for choosing Personal Disciples are getting stranger and stranger." He seemed puzzled.

Su Jiu froze. How could someone identify her spirit root without a testing stone? And this man probably had some connection to the Azure Tide Sect.

Then he lazily lay back down on the straw. "You should be glad you gave one spirit stone too many. A-Lü only stopped you."

Only then did Su Jiu come to her senses. She had been stopped inside the shop because she had paid the wrong number of spirit stones. She guessed that what had stopped her was most likely an array. "Then what if I'd paid one too few?"

The man gave two snorts. "If you dared pay less, or take something from the shop without paying, you wouldn't be standing here now."

Su Jiu thought her guess was probably correct. If anyone hoping to take advantage tried anything underhanded, they would likely fall into an Illusion Array, or perhaps be transported somewhere unknown.

Su Jiu nodded, thanked the man, and prepared to leave.

Behind her, the man inexplicably smiled with delight. "Come by often, little girl. I'll give you twenty percent off from now on."

Su Jiu was speechless. Still, when she was short on money, she probably would come here often.

Once outside, Su Jiu felt her flat Storage Bag. Yes, she had thirty-seven spirit stones left.

Summer had arrived. Perhaps the scorching weather was making people's tempers restless. With so many people packed into the market, it was all the more prone to arguments.

Mu Zihan and Xia Meng had done quite well on their shopping trip.

They had barely had any spirit stones themselves, but thanks to Bai Su's earlier generosity, each had purchased a low-grade magical artifact.

They had intended to look for Su Jiu, but on the way, they came across Bai Su and her companions confronting another group.

"Bai Su, surely buying things should be first come, first served? I'd already paid, and then you told the stallholder you wanted to buy it. What's wrong with you?"

Bai Su's eyes reddened, but she still clutched the Jade Token tightly. She had a feeling that this Jade Token was extremely important to her. She absolutely could not let it fall into someone else's hands.

"What the hell? I barely said anything! You do this every single time. Don't you get tired of it?"

Behind Bai Su, Lu Tianqi frowned. "That's enough. It's just a Jade Token. We'll pay you double for it."

The stallholder immediately regretted accepting payment so soon.

The girl opposite them said angrily, "Is this about the price?! Will you people listen to reason? I've already paid. The stallholder just hadn't had time to hand it over before you grabbed it first. What you're holding right now is something I paid for. If anyone should be crying, it's me!"

Ran Chao said, "We already offered you double. What more do you want?"

The girl sneered. "I'm not selling!"

Lu Tianqi grew angry as well. "Su Mianmian, don't throw your weight around and bully people just because you're a Personal Disciple!"

Su Mianmian laughed in fury. "I'm bullying people? You're the ones acting like bandits!"

The two sides continued arguing.

Xia Meng and Mu Zihan exchanged a troubled glance. Bai Su had treated them well, but Su Mianmian was not someone they could afford to offend, either.

Just then, someone suddenly rushed over headlong and seemingly bumped into Bai Su by accident. The white jade in Bai Su's hand shattered into several pieces with a crack.

Bai Su and her companions' faces turned ashen.

Ran Chao stared coldly at the newcomer, while this time, Bai Su truly began to cry.