Chapter 165: Li Daniu

"Since I offered this to you, just take it with peace of mind. Even if your grandfather finds out, he shouldn't say anything," Jiuyou said. His tone was flat, neither deliberately softened nor rigid.

Xiao Ling'er opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back down. She lowered her head and shook it vigorously.

"I can't," she said, her voice quiet but carrying a stubborn edge. "My grandfather said I can't take other people's things for free. I... I want to earn it myself."

As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on the jade pendant. There was reluctance in her eyes, but even more so, earnestness.

Jiuyou glanced at her, his eyes sweeping over her old, washed-out dress.

"Then what do you plan to buy it with?" he asked casually.

Xiao Ling'er twisted the hem of her dress, her toes scuffing gently against the ground. She kept her head down in silence for a long moment before finally seeming to muster her courage. She looked up and spoke hesitantly.

"I... I still have some spirit crystals on me, though it's not enough," she said. "But I can trade herbs for it. I picked them all on the mountain myself. I just don't know if you'll accept them, Shopkeeper..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she spoke, and her cheeks flushed faintly, as if she were afraid of being rejected.

Jiuyou looked at her and fell silent for a moment. This was, after all, his very first transaction.

"I'll take them," he said. "Then let's trade with herbs." He paused. "We'll go by the market price. Two hundred jin of herbs for this jade pendant. How does that sound?"

"Two hundred jin?" Xiao Ling'er's eyes lit up in surprise. "Only two hundred jin?"

Jiuyou nodded.

A smile instantly bloomed on her face, and even her voice grew a bit lighter. "Okay! Then I'll leave this jade pendant with you, Shopkeeper. Once I've saved up enough herbs, I'll come back to trade for it."

Jiuyou nodded again, saying nothing more.

Xiao Ling'er stood before the counter. Unable to resist, she reached out and touched the back of the jade pendant again, her fingertips gliding gently over the smooth, uncarved surface. She hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

"Shopkeeper..." she said. "Could you carve two characters for me? Just the word 'Peace'. I want to give it to my grandfather."

"All right," Jiuyou replied. "We'll put it on your tab for now. You can come pick it up tomorrow."

Xiao Ling'er glanced at him. Seeing his calm expression and realizing he wasn't joking, she finally relaxed. She thanked him and turned toward the door, her steps much lighter than when she had arrived, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart.

Just as she stepped over the threshold, Jiuyou's voice called out from behind her.

"Little girl."

Her steps faltered. She looked back with a hint of nervousness in her eyes, as if afraid he might go back on his word. But Jiuyou only asked a single question.

"I have so many fine jade pendants on display here," he said. "Why did you set your sights on that broken piece?"

Xiao Ling'er froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to ask that.

She lowered her head and thought it over.

"Maybe because it's the only one that looks like I can afford it," she said. "Besides, my grandfather told me that when it comes to showing your feelings, it doesn't matter how expensive the item is. What matters is a sincere heart. If I actually bought him something expensive, he would just be upset."

Seeing that Jiuyou wasn't going to press further, she waved her hand.

"I'll be going now, Shopkeeper!"

She turned and dashed out of the alley, heading in the direction of the medical clinic. Her tiny figure soon vanished around the corner.

Jiuyou stood by the door, watching the alley she had left through. After a while, he finally turned around and walked back to sit behind the counter.

The jade pendants remained neatly arranged on the wooden shelves. Sunlight slanted in from outside the door, casting a warm, mellow luster over the jade surfaces.

He picked up the broken jade and glanced at the blank space on the back. Lowering his head, he took out his carving knife. A breeze blew in from the doorway, gently ruffling the pages of the book on the counter before letting them fall shut.

Early the next morning, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Jiuyou opened the shop doors. The morning light slanted through the gap in the doorway, falling on the newly arranged jade pendants on the wooden shelves and casting a warm, mellow glow.

The layout inside the shop was already somewhat different from yesterday. Those exquisitely carved jade pendants were placed on a shelf of their own, while the remaining shelves were filled with more ordinary-looking items. Every single piece was clearly priced. The most expensive was no more than two spirit stones, while the cheapest cost a mere ten spirit crystals.

The morning passed, and Xiao Ling'er did not come. It wasn't until the afternoon that two figures appeared at the entrance of the alley, approaching step by step under the scorching sun.

One of them was Zhang Qingling, who had come the night before. The other was a tall, sturdy man—Li Daniu, who ran the breakfast stall at the corner of the street. Jiuyou recalled that his wife suffered from a cold affliction and was frequently bedridden. The family relied entirely on him getting up early every day to sell breakfast, while his son worked as a runner in Hundred Declarations City. They managed to scrape by well enough.

The two walked up to the shop. Xiao Ling'er untied a cloth pouch from her waist and held it out with both hands. Her tone was still a bit reserved.

"Shopkeeper, I forgot to bring this yesterday," she said. "These are the spirit crystals I've saved up. There are seven of them in total, take a look."

Jiuyou accepted the pouch and hefted it casually in his hand before passing over the already-prepared jade pendant.

"Seven spirit crystals," he said. "That counts for one hundred and forty jin of herbs. Take the jade pendant for now."

Xiao Ling'er took it with both hands. Her movements were incredibly careful, as if she were holding some extraordinary treasure. She didn't say much, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face. She looked at the jade pendant, then raised her head and thanked Jiuyou. Her voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of waking someone.

Jiuyou lifted his eyes, meeting Li Daniu's gaze just in time. Li Daniu smiled at him.

"Are you heading up the mountain, Brother Daniu?" Jiuyou asked, glancing at the woodcutter's knife in the man's hand and the bamboo basket on his back.

Li Daniu reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He sounded a little embarrassed.

"Yesterday, Physician Zhang sprained his ankle while gathering herbs for my wife," he said. "I felt awful about it, so I figured I'd go up the mountain and look around myself today."

As he spoke, he peered into the shop.

"Shopkeeper Qing, I heard people say that your jade shop is backed by a Foundation Establishment true cultivator," he said. "Those immortal methods... are they really that powerful?"

Jiuyou didn't rush to answer. He thought for a moment before replying.

"Probably," he said. "But I'm not too sure myself."

Hearing this, Li Daniu leaned half a step forward, then seemed to realize he was being a bit presumptuous. He hurriedly stood straight and gave an awkward laugh.

"I was getting ahead of myself," he said. "My apologies."

Jiuyou said nothing more. He simply nodded and watched the two of them walk away side by side into the distance.

"Did that little girl come to buy jade from you?" a voice called out from the side.

Boss Wang from the grocery store had wandered over at some point. He stood with his arms crossed, smiling as he watched the two retreating backs at the end of the alley.

"Old Zhang told me last night that his granddaughter was preparing a surprise for him," Boss Wang said. "So it was this piece of jade. If I had such a good granddaughter, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams."

Jiuyou tilted his head to look at him.

"Boss Wang, would you like to buy a piece too?" he asked. "Whether you hang it on yourself or use it to ward off evil, you won't lose out either way."

Boss Wang waved a hand dismissively, his lip curling slightly.

"I don't want it," he said. "I heard that everything you sell here is just defective goods left over after the immortal masters picked through them. I might be a mere mortal, but I still have a mortal's pride. Whatever they don't want, I don't want either."

"The cheapest one is only ten spirit crystals," Jiuyou said, his tone flat. "And they are jades that have passed through the hands of a Foundation Establishment true cultivator."

"Ten crystals?" Boss Wang's steps suddenly faltered. He hesitated for a moment, then turned back around.

"Then... let me take a look?"