Chapter 163: Azure Jade Pavilion

"Oh, young man, you really have a good eye!"

A short broker beamed, his face piled with smiles. He waved a brush in the air, spit nearly flying from his lips as he led Jiuyou to the front of a shop, gesturing at the storefront and launching into an endless pitch.

"Let me tell you, this shop is the best location our agency has! Look, there's a river in front, fields in the back, and a clinic and a general store right next door... You won't have to walk far to see a doctor or buy daily goods. With all this foot traffic, business is bound to be good! Only ten spirit crystals a month. What do you say?"

He talked until his mouth was dry, but his gaze never left Jiuyou's robes. He could tell the man before him was dressed impeccably and carried himself with easy composure—most likely a young master from a wealthy family out to gain experience. The broker fully intended to fleece him for a hefty sum.

Jiuyou did not reply, merely raising his eyes to scan the shop. The storefront wasn't large. It was divided into two floors: the bottom level was the shop itself, spacious and bright, while the upper level could serve as living quarters. It was quite suitable.

Seeing him studying the place so carefully, the broker was about to push harder, but Jiuyou had already retracted his gaze.

"I'll take this one," he said flatly.

The broker froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to agree so readily. He hurriedly rubbed his hands together, a smile piling back onto his face.

"Alright! Ten spirit crystals a month, with a thirty-crystal deposit. Were you looking to rent for a few months first, or..."

Jiuyou didn't wait for him to finish before casually tossing out ten spirit stones. The broker hurriedly caught them with both hands. Looking down, he immediately froze in place, his words coming out in a stutter.

"Spirit... spirit stones?! You... you're an immortal master?"

"This Seat—er... I am not," Jiuyou said, his tone flat. "My employer is a Foundation Establishment cultivator who has recently been delving into the art of jade talismans. We are buying this shop merely to sell off some defective jade materials. I want to buy this shop outright. These spirit stones should be enough, right?"

Hearing him say he wasn't a cultivator, the broker breathed a slight sigh of relief, though he still weighed the spirit stones in his hand several times before hurriedly nodding and bowing.

"Enough, enough! These ten spirit stones are worth a thousand spirit crystals! Once you sign this title deed, this shop is yours."

Jiuyou took the brush, signed his name, pressed his thumbprint, and tucked the deed into his sleeve. The broker offered a few more fawning remarks before tactfully taking his leave.

The shop was empty. The walls were a pale grey from a lack of maintenance, and a thin layer of dust had gathered in the corners.

Jiuyou stood in the center and looked around. He closed the doors and windows, then casually waved his hand. A crisp breeze laced with moisture swept through the room, clearing the dust and leaving the doors and windows looking brand new. He then took out several pieces of old furniture from his storage pouch—a counter, tables, chairs, and wooden shelves—arranging them one by one. It was simple but neat.

He stepped outside and observed the exterior. The storefront wasn't large, but fortunately, it faced the street and was bright and open. If a few pieces of jade were displayed, it would look quite presentable.

After some thought, he whittled a wooden plaque, wrote the characters for "Azure Jade Pavilion" on it, and hung it over the lintel. The shop wasn't open for business yet. He merely glanced at the plaque before turning back inside and closing the door.

Carving jade wasn't hard; what was hard was doing it without spiritual power. He had plenty of methods to sculpt jade, but if he used spiritual power, this Mortal World Heart Tempering would become a joke.

Fortunately, a cultivator's memory and comprehension were far beyond a mortal's. He spent a few days traveling through the nearby mortal towns, secretly observing the techniques of old jade carvers. After watching them a few times, he understood the craft completely.

Returning to the shop, he picked up a carving knife and tried his hand at it. Although the result couldn't be called exquisite, it was decent enough. He looked at the newly formed little jade pendant in his hand, set it down, and sat behind the counter for a while.

Outside the window, the footsteps of children running past echoed in the distance, as if nothing had ever happened. He stood up, placed the carved jade pendant on the wooden shelf, and pushed the door open halfway to let the afternoon light stream in.

Over the following days, Jiuyou carved dozens of jade pendants, placing them one by one on the wooden shelves. The quality of the jade itself wasn't particularly good, but it was made up for by sharp knife work and clean lines, exuding a crisp precision distinct from that of ordinary mortal craftsmen.

Following the crackle of firecrackers, Azure Jade Pavilion officially opened for business. The small alley immediately grew livelier. Neighbors hurried over to offer their congratulations, and in the blink of an eye, twenty or thirty people had gathered in front of the door, peering into the shop.

Jiuyou stood by the threshold, imitating the mortals as he cupped his hands in greeting. He wore a polite smile, but no matter how one looked at it, the expression seemed unnatural—as if it had been forcefully pasted on, the curve of his lips incredibly stiff.

After the shop doors opened, the crowd slowly filed in, looking left and right. Some picked up the jade pendants from the shelves, examined them for a moment, and gently set them back down; others huddled together to whisper, noting that the jade was of decent quality and the carving style was rare. But that was all. Upon hearing that this shop might have ties to a true Foundation Establishment cultivator, absolutely no one brought up buying anything, afraid of wasting their money.

It wasn't until evening that the congratulatory crowd gradually dispersed, and the liveliness in the alley ebbed away with them. After a whole day, Azure Jade Pavilion hadn't sold a single jade pendant.

Jiuyou wasn't anxious. He sat back down behind the counter, leaning against a rattan chair as he casually read through a cultivation manual. Occasionally, when someone pushed the door open and came in, he would set the book aside, stand up, and offer a leisurely greeting. Once the person left, he would sit right back down and turn the page, as if he had never been interrupted.

About an hour later, a hunched, white-haired old man walked past the shop entrance.

He carried a woven bamboo basket on his back, the edges of a few medicinal herbs peeking over the rim, their leaves still stained with dirt. Seeing the newly hung plaque over the lintel, his footsteps paused slightly, and he let out a sound of surprise.

"When did a new shop open up here?"

He took a few steps inside, crossed the threshold, and stopped in front of a row of wooden shelves. His gaze swept over the jade pendants. He reached out and picked one up, pinching it in his hand to inspect it before flipping it over to look at the back. After examining it for a while, he let out a soft sigh and put it back.

At some point, Jiuyou had already walked up beside him.

"Old man, are you looking to buy a jade pendant?" he asked.

The old man waved his hand and patted his faded grey shirt, chuckling a couple of times.

"Look at how this old man is dressed. Do I look like someone who can afford a jade pendant? I was just passing by, saw it was a new shop, and came in to take a look. Can't afford it, can't afford it."

As he spoke, he adjusted the basket on his back. As if remembering something, he turned to Jiuyou.

"Oh, right. My surname is Zhang, and I run a clinic around the corner up ahead. Everyone calls me Physician Zhang. If you ever feel unwell, you can come find me."

Without waiting for Jiuyou to reply, he slowly wandered off with his basket on his back.

Jiuyou stood by the counter, watching the hunched figure disappear at the end of the alley. He gave a casual murmur of acknowledgment and didn't say much else. Only when the old man's figure was completely out of sight did he lie back down in his rattan chair and open the book. His fingertips gently slid along the edge of the pages before stopping on a specific section. His lips moved slightly.

"Dream Entry Spell."

The sky outside the window had darkened. The last slivers of light remained in the room, shining on the unsold jade pendants on the wooden shelves and giving off a warm, gentle glow.