Sun Miaomiao looked at Xu Muan as he walked out from the other courtyard, a trace of confusion flickering in her eyes.

Sun Miaomiao had seen Xu Muan before. In her impression, Xu Muan always wore coarse, simple clothing and had a gloomy demeanor. Now, even though Xu Muan’s clothes were still plain, it was obvious they were of higher quality, and his whole aura radiated a kind of sunny vitality.

“Muan, are you going out?” Sun Miaomiao walked up to Xu Muan and asked.

Xu Muan was a little surprised to see Sun Miaomiao. He had met her a few times before, but Sun Miaomiao had never even looked at him, let alone spoken.

“Yeah, we’re missing a lot of things at home, so I’m heading out to buy some,” Xu Muan replied.

“I heard you have Jingting completely under control. I never thought someone as much a playboy as Jingting would settle down. Young master Xu, you’re really something,” Sun Miaomiao said admiringly.

After Sun Qi and Zheng Liming left, they talked everywhere about how Xiao Jingting was now totally henpecked—he listened to his wife in everything, didn’t dare contradict her, and no longer dared to go carousing.

The old Xiao Jingting cared a lot about face. If he knew people thought he was afraid of his wife, he’d likely be enraged and do something ridiculous.

Xu Muan just smiled and said, “It’s not really to my credit. Back in Tuqiu Village, there was a period when we hardly had enough to eat. That’s when Jingting settled down.”

“Seems you really suffered a lot in Tuqiu Village,” Sun Miaomiao said, full of sympathy.

“Even though we suffered, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” Xu Muan replied.

Hearing this, Sun Miaomiao immediately thought of the rare spiritual treasure in the mountains near Tuqiu Village. “Congratulations, Muan! You really have deep good fortune.”

“It’s nothing. I have things to do, so I’ll be off,” Xu Muan said.

Sun Miaomiao nodded, “Alright.”

She watched Xu Muan’s back as he walked away, her expression darkening. This time, Xiao Jingting treated her coldly. Sun Miaomiao simply couldn’t accept being outdone by a man.

“You’re late!” Xiao Jingting, waiting at the door, called out casually when he saw Xu Muan.

“I ran into Sun Miaomiao and got held up a bit,” said Xu Muan.

Xiao Jingting nodded and gave an “Oh.”

“Are we still waiting on someone?” Xu Muan asked.

Xiao Jingting nodded, “Mm, still waiting on Second Brother. My eyesight isn’t great—when he comes, I’ll have him help me look over things.”

Xu Muan nodded, “Makes sense. When will Second Brother be here?”

“Should be soon—he’ll come as soon as he’s settled his wife,” said Xiao Jingting.

Xu Muan smiled, “Second Brother and his wife are really close.”

Xiao Jingting nodded, “They sure are.”

“Made you wait?” Xiao Jingfeng came out and asked.

“Not really,” said Xiao Jingting.

“Second Brother, let’s go,” Xu Muan said.

Xiao Jingting nodded, “Alright!”

……

When the three arrived at the shop, a well-trained clerk came to receive them immediately.

“This batch of storage rings was crafted by Master Refiner Zhao Li. Not only are the styles elegant, but they also have 150 square meters of internal space. The spatial structure is extremely stable and very convenient for carrying game while hunting. The price for each is 12,000 taels of silver.”

Xiao Jingting rubbed his nose and thought: 12,000 taels—he used to think he had some money, but now he felt suddenly poor!

“Do the two Young Master Xiao need anything?” the attendant asked.

Xiao Jingting cleared his throat and tried to sound calm. “Let’s look at something else.”

Xiao Jingfeng was a little tempted, but the price made him back off. In the wild, after killing prey, the scent of blood could attract other beasts, so they had to act quickly—sometimes grabbing only the most valuable parts, which was really wasteful. If they had a storage ring, things would be different. But the rings were too expensive; mercenary teams usually used storage bags.

Reluctantly, Xiao Jingfeng glanced a couple more times at the storage rings before moving on.

“Here we have talismans—all of very high quality. Here are Grade Four, here Grade Five, here Grade Six. Grade Four talismans go for about 100 taels, Grade Five about 200, Grade Six about 400. When you run into high-level monsters in the wild, talismans can be life-saving weapons; having one more talisman might mean one more life,” the clerk said.

Xu Muan thought of how Xiao Jingting flung talismans recklessly in battle and felt that all the silver had just been thrown away.

“We’re not going adventuring any time soon. Let’s take a look at something else,” Xu Muan said.

The clerk smiled, “Why don’t you check out our premium magic item section? We just received a new magical item that’s perfect for Young Master Jingting.”

Xu Muan smiled, “Sure!” He hadn’t seen many high-level magic items; he figured even if they couldn’t buy anything, it would be good to see them.

“This way, please.”

“This is a spirit tower especially made for spirit plant cultivators. There are array patterns on it that amplify spiritual power. When you use Growth of All Things, if you pair it with this spirit tower, the effective area of your technique increases by half. The same applies to other techniques.”

“The materials used for this spirit tower are exceptionally tough. The tower can grow bigger; if you run into a beast that you simply can’t handle, you can hide inside. The tower will completely conceal your aura, and after enough time passes, the beast will probably leave, so you can save your life.” The spirit tower is designed for spirit planters, who often lack fighting power, so the artifact makers worked hard to develop this function.

“This spirit tower is also a magic item you can use in combat—it’s not outclassed even fighting someone at eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining. In fact, the item is only half-finished; if opportunity arises, Young Master Xiao might be able to further upgrade it.”

Xiao Jingting’s eyes sparkled. “Such a good magical item must cost a lot of silver, right?”

“120,000 taels, but you can pay in installments, though there will be some interest. Young Master can open a silver card, pay 30,000 upfront, then 10,000 each month for ten months.”

Xiao Jingting’s eyes widened. This world even had such high-class things as installment plans! But thinking about it, the history of the Wild Continent was much longer than Earth’s. Over so many years, it wasn’t surprising such things existed. The down payment was 30,000, ten monthly payments totaled 130,000, an extra 10,000 taels—what a ripoff!

“Young Master, this magical item was refined by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Our shop only has one. If you want it, you have to act fast; if you’re late and someone else gets it, it’ll be gone.”

Looking at the eager smile on the clerk’s face, Xiao Jingting felt like a cat was clawing at his heart.

Xiao Jingfeng looked at Xiao Jingting and said, “Jingting, this spirit tower really suits you.” Expensive as it was, it would last a long time. Even at the fourth level, Xiao Jingting had shown great ability to make money; at level five, it should be even better.

Xu Muan saw Xiao Jingting’s hesitation and said, “Why not buy it?”

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Alright.”

Steeling himself, he bought the spirit tower.

The attendant looked at Xiao Jingting, hardly able to hide his surprise.

The attendant had not really expected him to buy the spirit tower—he’d spoken at length in hopes Xiao Jingting would mention the item to Xiao Linfeng and Wang Lu, who might be interested. He hadn’t expected Jingting to just buy it.

……

“Xiao Jingfeng.” A voice, uncertain and slightly surprised, called out. Xiao Jingfeng turned, frowning.

Xiao Jingting looked at the newcomers. Seeing that they were dressed as mercenaries, he immediately guessed their identities. Really, it was a small world!

The leader, Hua Yufeng, looked at Xiao Jingfeng with a dark face. Several mercenaries behind him avoided meeting Jingfeng’s eyes.

“Young Master Jingting, here is your VIP card. You are now a Gold-level member in our store. From now on, you get a 5% discount, and you’re always welcome,” the clerk said enthusiastically.

Xiao Jingting’s face contorted slightly. This shop really didn’t know how to do business—things were so expensive and the discount so low. Shouldn’t they at least give 20% off?

Hua Yufeng was surprised to hear this. The shop’s rule was: spend over 1,000 taels to be a regular member, 10,000 for Silver, 100,000 for Gold, and over a million for Platinum.

Hua Yufeng was now a Silver member, and when he heard Xiao Jingting was Gold, he couldn’t help feeling jealous.

“Let’s go,” Xiao Jingfeng said to Xiao Jingting and Xu Muan.

Xiao Jingting nodded, and the three left together; from start to finish, Xiao Jingfeng didn’t greet Hua Yufeng or his group.

“Second Brother, were those your old teammates?” After leaving the shop, Xiao Jingting asked.

Xiao Jingfeng nodded, “Yes.”

He had long known that coming back to Mo City, he was bound to run into them. He’d imagined the scene, thought it would be hard, but when it really happened it was fine. The past cannot be chased; it’s all over.

“Second Brother, that lead guy really has a face that screams ingratitude. It’s a good thing you got kicked out—otherwise you’d have been dragged down sooner or later,” Xiao Jingting said. He had inquired about the mercenary team’s situation; under Hua Yufeng’s leadership, the team had been going downhill, and many people had already left.

Xiao Jingfeng smiled. Hua Yufeng still looked proper enough, but as for his character…

“Alright, it’s all in the past now” Xiao Jingfeng said. He wasn’t a saint; after such a betrayal, there was no way he’d repay it with virtue.

 

Edited by: Tetsu

Proofreader: Taalia

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