Chapter Twenty-Eight: Awkward

On the third floor, a beam of light flickered, and after a brief moment, two people stepped out from behind the curtain.

On each side of the entrance stood two graceful maidservants, who, upon seeing the newcomers, hurried forward.

“This way, please,” the two maids said with gentle smiles, raising their hands in a courteous gesture.

Chen Xiang looked around the hall with great interest.

This floor was smaller than the first but far more exquisite in its décor—resplendent with gold and jade, radiating an ancient and stately charm.

There were only a handful of people scattered throughout the hall, some alone, others in small groups of three or five. Yet near each table, two maidservants lingered, ever at the ready.

A strikingly alluring woman stood at the counter. Spotting the new arrivals, she approached with a welcoming smile. “Honored guests, please come this way. May I ask what you require?”

Her spiritual sense swept over them, confirming their identities. With impeccable courtesy, she led Chen Xiang and his companion to a tea table and invited them to sit.

“Oh? Miss, your establishment is quite well-appointed. Do you offer any special services?” Chen Xiang joked, winking playfully.

He sensed her cultivation level—she was at the fifth layer of Core Formation. The other cultivators in the hall ranged from the second to the seventh layer. It seemed the Precious Pill Pavilion arranged its guests according to their cultivation stages.

The woman looked puzzled for a moment before responding, “Special services? Sir, whatever you desire, just say the word. Our Precious Pill Pavilion will do our utmost to fulfill your wishes.”

She clearly didn’t understand what Chen Xiang meant by special services.

Chen Xiang, ever the rascal, grinned and nodded. “Good, good. Miss, can I call for you later? Don’t worry—I’m quite skilled at many things!”

She had no idea what he was talking about, so she simply smiled and nodded. “Thank you for your kind patronage, sir.”

He was amused—being thanked after “ordering” someone. Was the service here truly so attentive?

Li Qiner looked at him curiously. She knew Young Master Li sometimes spoke in riddles, so she didn’t dwell on it.

“Shopkeeper, we’d like to purchase some Coldbane Pills, Firecloud Pills, and Azureflame Pills. Do you have any in stock?” Li Qiner asked softly.

The alluring woman glanced at her with surprise, then smiled. “We do, honored guest. Please wait a moment.”

With that, she walked toward another red curtain. These pills belonged to a special category and were not cheap; the prospect of a lucrative sale pleased her greatly.

“Qiner, are these pills valuable? Why did she look so surprised?” Chen Xiang asked, uninterested in medicinal pills.

Li Qiner cast him a sidelong glance and chided, “Of course they’re valuable. These are three types of third-grade pills and one fourth-grade pill. But you, who can casually produce superior fifth-grade pills for minor injuries, wouldn’t understand.”

Whenever Chen Xiang treated her, he would nonchalantly hand her a supreme pill with five pill patterns—these third and fourth grade pills probably didn’t even catch his eye.

The journey to the Land of Extreme Cold was no small matter. They needed adequate preparation, and these were the types of pills with which she was most familiar.

Because she possessed the Heavenly Heart Yin Vein and a pure Ice Spirit Root, her cultivation would emit intense cold at bottlenecks. Those nearby needed these pills to resist the chill.

Chen Xiang rubbed his head sheepishly, then said, “Heh, Qiner, I have a treasure that’ll keep you warm in the Land of Extreme Cold.”

“Oh? What treasure?” Li Qiner asked with curiosity.

Chen Xiang replied mysteriously, “I can’t say yet. When we get there, I’ll show you my prized possession!”

He wanted to see how her perfect figure would look in a military coat or wrapped in an electric blanket…

Soon, the alluring woman returned, holding a storage pouch in her hands.

She glided over to Li Qiner, placed the pouch on the table, and smiled. “Honored guest, please check if these pills are sufficient. If not, I’ll fetch more; if they are, we can discuss the price.”

Li Qiner nodded, took the pouch, and swept it with her spiritual sense. The contents were clear at a glance: three bottles of Coldbane Pills, four of Firecloud Pills, and one of Azureflame Pills, each containing only three pills.

She nodded. “These will suffice. How much do they cost?”

The woman had been watching Li Qiner closely. Seeing her speak, she smiled again—another tidy profit.

“Honored guest, Coldbane Pills are top-tier third-grade pills, fifty mid-grade spirit stones per bottle. Firecloud Pills are mid-tier third-grade, thirty mid-grade stones per bottle. Azureflame Pills are low-tier fourth-grade, ten high-grade stones,” she explained with a smile.

Li Qiner hesitated. The total came to two hundred seventy mid-grade stones plus ten high-grade stones.

The exchange rate was one mid-grade stone for a hundred low-grade stones, and one high-grade for a hundred mid-grade. So the total price was twelve thousand seven hundred low-grade stones.

Li Qiner felt awkward. She had left the Li family with nothing but her Frostmark Sword and just over ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. She had thought it would be enough, but now she was short by seven thousand.

She was well-bred and reserved, so she stood there, unable to speak, her face hidden beneath her hat.

At that moment, Chen Xiang casually waved his hand, and a pile of spirit stones appeared on the table.

Everyone in the hall stared in shock at the heap of stones, as did Li Qiner and the alluring woman.

There were over a hundred high-grade stones—just their aura filled the entire hall.

“Is this enough? If not, I’ll take out more.” Chen Xiang’s voice was lazy, as if it were nothing to him.

To everyone, he looked the part of a brash nouveau riche. They all knew it was unwise to flaunt one’s wealth, but while this was a lot of stones, it was not quite enough to tempt greed. Yet his blatant display was an open declaration that money was no object.

“It’s enough, more than enough. Sir, you only need thirteen high-grade stones,” the woman said with a smile.

She took thirteen from the pile and returned three thousand low-grade stones from her pouch.

Chen Xiang saw she only took thirteen and seemed dissatisfied. When she offered the change, he grew annoyed.

He waved her off impatiently. “Ah, miss, don’t bother with the change. Take the whole pile. Carrying it is a nuisance.”

She had seen many wealthy clients, but never one so foolishly generous. This must be what people meant by “stupidly rich.” She froze, unsure whether to accept or decline. She certainly wanted the stones, but her professionalism held her back.

Everyone else in the hall was thinking the same—watching him with mocking eyes. One hundred high-grade spirit stones could be a Core Formation expert’s life savings. Yet this young man refused them, claiming they were too heavy.

If he found them a burden, others did not. They all had the same thought: Let us lighten your load a bit.

To be continued…