Shitou Was Actually a Good Person?

To their surprise, all three samples of noctilucous jade gave off blue light of exactly the same brightness.

They could see no difference at all. The samples seemed to be of roughly the same quality.

Zhongli looked over as well, reaching out to touch the samples.

Lumine called out a warning.

"These samples absorbed a lot of Pyro energy, so they're very hot now. Be careful, Mr. Zhongli!"

Naturally, Zhongli had nothing to fear from that. He nodded to Lumine and picked up a sample with his bare hand.

"Hmm? These samples..."

Seeing Zhongli's serious expression, Zhong Baiye's heart leaped into his throat. If something was wrong with the samples, wouldn't their trip have been for nothing?

"These samples are all of similar quality. I wouldn't call them excellent, but they are sufficient for the Rite of Parting."

Only after hearing Zhongli's assessment did they breathe a sigh of relief. Shitou really hadn't deceived them about those crates of noctilucous jade. They were indeed his prized stock.

Now that they had verified the quality of the noctilucous jade, their next step was to return to Shitou and buy a crate.

After thanking Tartaglia, Zhong Baiye headed toward the Jade Mystery.

Watching them leave, Tartaglia couldn't help smiling.

"Looks like you're making good progress! I really hope you can help me find the Exuvia soon. Then I can get back to playing with them sooner, too."

Before long, Zhong Baiye and the others returned to the Jade Mystery. Shitou had been waiting for quite a while, and he hurried over as soon as he saw Zhong Baiye.

"My esteemed customers, if you'd come back any later, someone else would have bought these crates of noctilucous jade."

Zhong Baiye could tell Shitou was merely looking for an excuse to raise the price. He ignored that remark and got straight to the point.

"Shitou, those crates of noctilucous jade are all pretty good. Just pick any one of them for me."

At Zhong Baiye's words, Shitou thumped his chest and said, "Of course! The Jade Mystery is a long-established name in the jade trade. When I call something a treasure, it's a treasure. We cheat no one, young or old."

As soon as he finished speaking, he clapped his hands.

Several burly men immediately carried out all three crates of noctilucous jade from earlier.

Looking at the crates, Zhong Baiye felt that something was off. They only needed one crate. Surely Shitou wasn't planning to force them to buy all three?

Shitou noticed the change in Zhong Baiye's expression and quickly explained.

"My esteemed customers, I heard you're buying this noctilucous jade for matters concerning Rex Lapis. As people of Liyue, we'll always lend a hand when Rex Lapis is involved."

Shitou pointed at the noctilucous jade and continued.

"You'll pay Mora for one of these crates. Consider the other two my personal contribution. You won't have to pay for them."

Only then did Zhong Baiye realize they had misunderstood Shitou. He hadn't expected Shitou to be such a virtuous man, and they immediately looked at him with gratitude.

But what Shitou said next left them dumbfounded.

"However, when you use this noctilucous jade, you must make it clear that it was supplied by the Jade Mystery."

Under their grateful gazes, Shitou shamelessly uttered those words.

A moment ago, Zhong Baiye had thought he'd misjudged Shitou. Now that he thought about it, he'd simply underestimated him.

Looking at Shitou's beaming face, Zhong Baiye and the others ultimately agreed.

All Zhong Baiye and Lumine wanted now was to leave the Jade Mystery as quickly as possible. Otherwise, who knew when Shitou might "swindle" them out of every last Mora they had?

After Shitou refunded the remaining Mora to Zhong Baiye, Zhong Baiye stopped caring about appearances. He hoisted all three crates of noctilucous jade onto his shoulders and hurried away.

"My esteemed customers, do keep supporting the Jade Mystery!"

Even from far away, Zhong Baiye could still hear Shitou calling after them. It startled him so badly that his hands shook, and he nearly tossed one of the crates away.

In the end, following Zhongli's directions, Zhong Baiye set the three crates of noctilucous jade down at Yujing Terrace.

Zhongli said he had already notified the jeweler to collect them. They only needed to leave the noctilucous jade here.

Zhong Baiye asked Zhongli what they needed to prepare next.

Zhongli pointed at the Silk Flowers beside the road and said, "Next, we need to prepare the fragrant balm for the rite. These Silk Flowers are one of the ingredients used to make it."

Paimon immediately spoke up.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry and pick these Silk Flowers!"

Zhongli shook his head at Paimon's suggestion.

Lumine stepped forward beside her to explain.

"The noctilucous jade we prepared earlier had to be high quality, so the balm must have quality requirements too. Ordinary Silk Flowers probably won't meet them."

After hearing Lumine's explanation, Zhongli nodded to her.

"The fragrant balm used in the rite must be of superior quality. The Adepti do not concern themselves with such balms, but to the people of Liyue, every part of the rite is a matter of tradition. A single bottle of inferior balm could undermine the ceremony."

Despite Zhongli's calm tone, Paimon was still a little alarmed. Even one tiny bottle of balm could undermine the ceremony.

"Then where can we find Silk Flowers that meet the requirements?"

Lumine suddenly posed the question to Zhongli.

Zhongli didn't answer. He didn't know where to find those Silk Flowers either. Or rather, the places he knew dated back many years, and whether they still existed was another question altogether.

Zhong Baiye thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "I know where to find that kind of Silk Flower. Follow me."

Naturally, the place Zhong Baiye knew was the Myriad Things Shop, where Silk Flowers could be bought in the game.

Although he didn't know where in Liyue Harbor the Myriad Things Shop was, this was Liyue Harbor, with no shortage of helpful residents. After asking a few friendly passersby, they found the shop.

Bolai, the owner of the Myriad Things Shop, was a man with a traditional Liyue appearance, dressed in traditional Liyue clothing. His shop had an old-fashioned charm as well. One glance was enough to tell that he was very fond of Liyue's traditional style.

Many strange and unusual plants were displayed at the entrance, including several pots of the Silk Flowers they were looking for.

Zhongli took one look at those Silk Flowers and lost interest. He addressed Bolai directly.

"These Silk Flowers outside won't do. Do you have Golden House Hideaway, Shanyin Jincu, and Ethereal Immortal Fate?"

Hearing Zhongli's words, Bolai immediately took on a serious expression.

"Oh! This customer knows his stuff. To tell you the truth, the things displayed outside aren't anything special. The truly fine goods are inside."

With that, Bolai led Zhongli, Zhong Baiye, and the others into the shop.

The moment they entered, Zhong Baiye and the others were stunned by the shop's layout.