Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The store with the huge red flower lantern outside was big. The first floor looked very grand and numerous crystals lit up the entire place, making it as bright as daytime.

It was obvious that such a grand store was empty now because the lantern performance troupe had lured all their customers away.

A few female shop assistants were whispering amongst themselves in the shop, and one of them looked worried. The rest looked like they were trying to console her. Hearing the commotion outside the shop and seeing customers enter, the group spread out and greeted respectfully, “Welcome.”

It was very normal for shop assistants to help guide and answer questions that customers might have. Qin Yu casually pointed to one of them and Rourou suddenly spoke, “Introduce us.”

The female shop assistant who got pointed out smiled and nodded, “Yes.”

She was beautiful and had fair skin without any blemishes or moles. She looked like the most beautiful jade in the world. Qin Yu glanced at her and felt that her skin was unnatural and her aura…was slightly too weak.

The shop assistant had a pair of sparkling, clear, and beautiful round eyes.

She seemed to notice Qin Yu assessing her as she lowered her head and gestured, “May I know if you are looking for anything in particular?” She took a step and positioned herself next to Rourou, widening the distance between herself and this sole male customer.

The corners of Rourou’s mouth curled up as she glanced at Qin Yu. She saw how he was rubbing his nose in annoyance and her mood improved significantly. She seemed to be smiling more, “Nothing in particular. We are just browsing.”

The shop assistant did not look disappointed when she heard this and merely remained respectful. She smiled, “Then let me bring you around the first floor. The second and third floor are our selling grounds. If you have any requirements, please let me know.”

The store was called Surplus and they sold items for cultivators. They were known for having items from the mountain and the items ranged from low to high quality. Most of the items were labelled with the price. What you paid was what you got.

From what Qin Yu saw, though there were some items that were marked up, most of the prices were fair. The shop assistant must have been telling the truth when he said that their shop had existed for over a hundred years.

They really came with the intention to browse casually but Rourou unexpectedly found an item. She did not say much, but her expression was sufficient.

Qin Yu stopped and looked at what caught her attention. On the red silk, there was a jade box with a stone that was about as big as a thumb. The stone was green and white in color but it did not look complicated. On the contrary, it gave a feeling of flawless blending – like water and milk.

Dappled light shone from it and fell onto the jade box. It reflected a magnificent halo and looked mysterious and charming.

Qin Yu pointed, “What is this stone?”

The store assistant was slightly scared but she did not show it. She said respectfully, “This stone is called the Sun Moon Stone. This is because it is said to have absorbed the essence of both the sun and the moon through a karma relationship for over a thousand years. In the day, it lights up like a lamp, and in the night, it looks like a thousand shooting stars. It is extremely mysterious. When someone of a high cultivation level uses this, it will be able to automatically absorb the essence of the sun and moon. It has a tranquil and concentrated effect. Every month, it will be able to produce a drop of Sun Moon Essence and consuming it will help with spiritual cultivation.”

She was well-versed in the various treasures and it was clear how much effort she had put into studying it.

Qin Yu looked over at Rourou’s expressionless face and smiled slightly, “We want this.”

The shop assistant was delighted. The Sun Moon Stone was one of the most valuable items in the shop. Other than its quality and appearance of the sun and moon, its effects of tranquility and concentration, as well as the Sun Moon Essence, were very useful.

Cultivators who were able to pay the price for this Sun Moon Stone must be impressive. If it was just for looks, there were various other treasures in the store that cost about one tenth of the price.

All in all, she would get a commission for selling this Sun Moon Stone and she could finally resolve some of her own family’s issues.

Suppressing her delight, the shop assistant smiled even more sincerely, “Would you like to continue browsing and settle it at the end or purchase it now?”

Qin Yu replied, “Let’s settle it now.”

Rourou’s mouth curled up.

At this moment, there was another voice, “Wait, I want this stone as well.”

A few people had entered the shop and the one who spoke was a young man in a white robe. He looked handsome and there was an arrogance in the way he carried himself.

A lady in a pink skirt was beside him and she was pointing at the Sun Moon Stone. She was holding onto his arm as she swayed her chubby body. Her soft protest could be heard.

The young man in the white robe smiled, “Don’t worry, since you want it, I will get it for you.” He opened a fan and waved it, “Gentleman and ladies, since this was something that you saw first, I will pay three times the price as compensation to you.”

Seeing the young man in the white robe, the shop assistant’s expression shifted before she looked relieved after hearing what he said. She rushed to look at the three customers.

“Sister Xu, we meet again. What are you looking at? Just say what you want, I won’t blame you.”

The shop assistant took a deep breath before greeting, “Young Master Li, you have an honourable status and I am just a worker here. I do not deserve being called that.”

She did not say more but she believed that the three other customers could sense the warning. This was all Xu Zhiruo could do.

The young man smiled and did not seem to mind, “Since Sister Xu has spoken, I will be more sincere and raise it to five times. You can leave after you get the money. This is a huge profit for you without doing anything.”

Qin Yu said slowly, “Sorry, we want this Sun Moon Stone. We do not intend to give it to you.”

The second young master of the Li Family from East Pole City narrowed his eyes as he heard this, “I could not tell that you were such bold foreigners with such an appetite. Since my mood today is quite good, I will double what I offered…leave quietly after getting the money and we will pretend nothing happened today.”

He was warning them to know their place or today’s issue would blow up. This second young master of the Li Family was petty and made the threat clear.

Glancing at Rourou, Qin Yu could not help but sigh as he saw that she was still expressionless.

When it came to snakes, provoking them would be troublesome. Although he could kill them, he was bound to get some blood on himself.

“Sorry.”

With this word, his intention was clear.

Li Yuantai smiled. ‘Pak’, he opened his fan, “This Sun Moon Stone is yours. But remember to close the door properly when you sleep tonight. If there is a thief and you lose it, you cannot blame it on me.”

“Young Master Li, these three customers are Surplus Shop’s distinguished guests. Please watch your words and reputation.” An old and slightly chubby man in a green shirt was smiling. He spoke amicably but there was a glimmer in his eyes.

Li Yuantai put his fan away and placed his hands together, “Shopkeeper Zhou, I did not know that you are here today. I was too careless with my words!” He blinked at the three of them, “I was just joking, please do not take me seriously. Our Li Family of East Pole County has always been extremely welcoming.”

He laughed before turning to leave. The girl in the pink skirt beside him kept her head down and remained silent obediently. As they left, she could not help but throw a glare and her face paled slightly.

Shopkeeper Zhou stepped forwards and smiled, “Sorry for the disturbance.” He fell silent for a while before he turned and instructed, “Give them a twenty percent discount on this Sun Moon Stone. You will still get the same commission, just tell the account room to note it down.”

Xu Zhiruo looked grateful as she acknowledged.

Qin Yu thought about it before putting his hands together, “Thank you Shopkeeper.”

Shopkeeper Zhou returned the gesture before smiling and turning to leave.

“Wait.” Qin Yu pointed to the second floor, “I have some items to sell. Would you like to have a look?”

Shopkeeper Zhou looked at the three of them, who appeared calm, and he smiled, “You came to our Surplus store and are willing to do an exchange. You are looking upon us highly and of course, I can’t say no. Please follow me.”

Rourou said, “You can go ahead, I will look around.”

Qin Yu nodded, “Okay.”

Shopkeeper Zhou had no opinions as he gestured and brought Qin Yu to the second floor.

Rourou looked at Xu Zhiruo, “Let’s continue looking.”

Xu Zhiruo abided and led the lady to continue browsing the first floor. She introduced a few more items. She then hesitated before lowering her voice, “Dear customer, if you have any relatives or friends in the city, you should stay with them. Try not to stay outside or…you should leave early.”

Rourou looked at her before smiling, “Okay, we will consider it.”

Xu Zhiruo looked anxious, but for her to give this warning was already a lot. She silently sighed and did not say anything more.

White Iris looked confused as she followed behind them. She did not understand why the lady was treating this shop assistant so differently.

But after getting slapped and kicked multiple times, she was smart and knew that she should not ask things that she was not supposed to know.

On the second floor, a white-haired appraiser stood up to welcome Shopkeeper Zhou and Qin Yu, “Shopkeeper, what brings you here personally? You can just inform me of what to do.”

Shopkeeper Zhou waved his hand, “This customer has something to sell and I will handle this. Let me borrow your area.”

The appraiser nodded, “Okay, if that is the case then I will slack off and have some tea.” He put his hands together to greet Qin Yu before putting his things away and leaving.

Shopkeeper Zhou sat where the appraiser previously was. He gestured, “Please have a seat. I am Zhou Yunshan, and I am the shopkeeper of Surplus Shop. I am responsible for everything around here.”

He looked serious as he said slowly, “May I know what you wish to sell? Don’t worry, our Surplus Shop has been running for over a hundred years and will keep your items a secret. Whether our exchange is successful or not, we will not let anyone else know anything.”

Qin Yu believed him.

If they did not even have this reputation, this store would have been torn and burned to ashes, much less survive a hundred years.

It was a pity that while he had a few things, he did not intend to sell.

Smiling, Qin Yu put his hands together, “It is the Lantern Festival in the city today and there were numerous shops with red lanterns. However, your lantern is the biggest and that is why we came.”

Shopkeeper Zhou frowned slightly, “You are not intending to sell anything?”

Qin Yu nodded, “We are buyers.”

“What do you want to buy?”

“The red lantern in the shopfront looks good. I wonder if you have a similar one.”

Shopkeeper Zhou gestured for him to wait before standing up and walking to the door. He raised his hand and hit the wall.

Buzz –

There was a flicker and in a flash, the entire room was covered, forming a small area.

He quickly walked over. Shopkeeper Zhou looked serious, “Since you know about the red lantern, you must be someone in the know. I am going to get to the point: how many do you want?”

Qin Yu raised three fingers.

Shopkeeper Zhou frowned, “Do you know the price?”

Qin Yu reached out and drew something on the table.

Shopkeeper Zhou was silent for a moment before he said slowly, “Three passes. There are very few shops in the city that can do this. Our shop is indeed able to.

“But you must know that things are always changing and accidents may happen at any time. Hence, I cannot give you any guarantee and will need some time to prepare.

“Please leave your contact information. When I confirm things, I will inform you as soon as possible.”

Qin Yu nodded, “There are ten more days to the opening so it is not too much of a rush…as for where we are staying. We have not confirmed. Once we find a place, we will inform you.”

Shopkeeper Zhou frowned and he had a strange look.

Qin Yu thought about it before pointing outside, “These matters have always been decided by the lady. Please do not worry, I will leave a deposit. Please proceed with what is necessary.”

Shopkeeper Zhou smiled, “Thank you for understanding.” He thought about it before continuing, “The second young master of the Li Family, Li Yuantai, is not known to be forgiving. You have to be prepared in order to avoid trouble.”

Qin Yu thanked him.