Story 2 - Golden Fingers, Jade Boxes, and Other Treasures (5)

Story 2 - Golden Fingers, Jade Boxes, and Other Treasures (5)

After around two incense sticks worth of time, the supply appraiser finally arrived. They gave our fake master face, and we quickly sold several thousands of my flag sticks for 1000 spirit stones, a good amount of the correct flag silk, paint, and brushes. Eventually, I’d use those to fully finish a few sets.

The purchase was so large that the assistant almost fainted.

After that, we left quickly to take a stroll around the city. I pointed out common cultivation items to Little Spring, such as a poorly made copper alchemy furnace that I was tempted to buy, or a few talismans with very weak protection spells.

Eventually, we reached a gated yard filled with uncut jadeite stones. A few groups of cultivators wandered down the isles in colorful yet elegant clothes, but there were also a few mortal merchants walking around.

Then I had a fantastic idea.

“Let’s do some stone gambling! It’ll be fun.” While I’d worked with raw jadeite before as a crafting material, I’d never had the opportunity to come to a place like this. Aside from a few difficult tasks I did for the sect and a dozen horrible experiences inside secret planes and forbidden areas, I mostly stayed within the sect and cultivated or learned professions like Formation Mastery and Alchemy.

Little Spring nodded, and we strolled up to the entrance where an old man with thin gray hair sat on a single-legged stool. I grinned up at him and tried to look as much like a normal child as possible. He narrowed his eyes at me.

“So, what are the rules, and how does this work?”

He tossed us a stack of thin talisman-like paper that had his energy on it. “Attach your spiritual signature to this, place it on the stones you’d like to purchase then go tell the seller at the back. You can pay him to cut the stones for you if you need.”

I nodded happily and — considering my current low realm — I bowed in respect to this hidden master. He snorted and waved us by.

Little Spring stared at me cautiously. “Fairy Lin.”

I paused and looked back at him and he whispered, “Are you sure we should be spending money on this? Isn’t jade very expensive?”

“Jade is a special material. It is precious to mortals and useful to cultivators. The difference is quality. All the highest quality jade is sold to cultivators because they need it to hold items filled with spiritual energy or use it to create interesting tools. While the lower qualities go to mortals who use it for jewelry and other things.” As we walked through the stone-filled yard I gave more explanations about the properties of jade and how it was used in the creation of Spiritual Tools. I also let him know that jadeite varied based on the location it was mined from. This location would not have any lavender or black jade, but it would have green, white, and possibly some other colors.

“So, now that you know a little about jade, let’s test your luck.” I handed him three of the little talisman papers. “Go place these on any three random stones.”

He gave me that look like he was questioning my sanity again.

“Come on, we’re just doing this for fun!” But actually, there was something I was curious about. The luck of a main character was often, unbelievably good. Since I’ve changed things so much I wanted to know if it was still good or if, as I suspected, my interference in the plot had changed his fortunes.

My mind unconsciously went back to when I’d almost gotten him killed, and he’d unlocked a little of his bloodline.

Maybe a main character had both the best and the worst luck.

A sudden spiritual pressure crushed us. A sickening sensation rushed through me, and I coughed up that mouthful of blood I’d repressed earlier. I glared at the hidden master’s general direction, and the pressure vanished.

“There is no fighting here. Only stone gambling,” his old gruff voice reached our ears through sound transmission.

I wiped my bloody mouth with a handkerchief, put away my sword, and crossed my arms as if my world hadn’t just been on the verge of going dark a moment before.

“He has a point,” I said. Plus I was in no shape to take on a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment.

“Yes, he does,” Sea Pearl said. “So, let’s gamble. Whoever can purchase a stone with the highest value jade inside gets to buy this stone.”

“As you can see, my junior and I are poor so, while I agree, we need to keep the price of each one low. Let’s say, stones worth one spirit stone or less.”

“Fine, but we'll each buy three.”

I cringed as if I was truly that poor and nodded.

Little Spring stepped up, his hands shaking, “The loser should apologize and pay for the winner’s stones.”

I shot him a questioning look, but he only glared fiercely at the group.

“You both should apologize for ruining my subordinate’s fight but what, exactly, should I apologize for?”

“If you hadn’t pulled my paper off and started a fight with me, my sister wouldn’t have been injured. I want you to apologize to her.”

“If you hadn’t put your mark on the stone I wanted then I wouldn’t have had to order him to do that.”

“I was here first.”

Alright, now he was starting to sound like the child he was.

“Enough. I’m fine with the loser apologizing and paying for the winner’s stones. We shouldn’t argue too much with our seniors.” He nodded and I smiled. “Since, as a Foundation Establishment senior, I’m sure Fairy Effervescent Sea Pearl won’t bother coming after us or sending people to kill us if we do win.”

A blood vessel bulged on her forehead. “Of course not.”

Heh. I knew this bitch well. Of course, she was planning on it, but, by mentioning it, she’d at least send someone in the same realm instead of going herself. Even if the main character was on my side, I had no interest in going up against his past life’s wives. Then again, I’d changed reality so much, maybe it was possible that he wouldn’t marry this one bitch, at least.