Hunting monsters was hardly a rare occurrence on Nianci Mountain.
Monster attacks were vicious, but the creatures carried many treasures on their bodies, and since Immortal Guest Lodge frequently issued hunting subsidies in the name of the garrison commander to maintain peace in the surrounding towns and counties, it didn't take long before countless martial bands and sword companies sprang up around Nianci Mountain, making a living from this very trade. That was why Meng's Clothing Workshop frequently received shipments of monster carcasses and similar goods.
Shaking Ape carcasses, however, didn't show up in Yellow Bamboo Town all that often. These monsters possessed high intelligence, and unless driven mad by hunger, they wouldn't actively provoke the martial bands roaming the mountains.
They were a rare commodity.
Unfortunately, monster carcasses didn't follow the principle of rarity driving up value. The only parts of a Shaking Ape worth anything were its two arm bones and its shin guards.
Though the Shaking Ape kidneys could apparently be used medicinally to tonify the kidneys, and some people with peculiar tastes liked collecting various monster appendages.
The lesson of fifty taels for a single piece of clothing left Qin Yi deeply wary of this unfamiliar young woman who seemed fond of taking advantage of him. He recalled everything he knew about Shaking Apes, preparing to haggle.
Too bad, though.
This time, it seemed he was once again projecting his own petty suspicions onto someone else's noble intentions.
Meng Peijiu stood beside the two Shaking Ape carcasses for a few breaths, covering her nose and mouth with a silk handkerchief, then turned back to wink at Qin Yi and waved her slender hand:"If you're not planning to sell the shin guards, I'll factor in the meat price and bundle these two Shaking Apes for you into a nice round number. Still fifty taels."
Shaking Ape meat was the lowest grade of meat, carrying a sour, rancid taste that couldn't be cooked away. This price wasn't just fair, it was even a bit generous.
Qin Yi blinked, then nodded obediently with a smile:
"You're so generous, big sister~"
"Hehe~"
Meng Peijiu let out a smug little laugh, waved her hand happily, then walked over to the large sack of blades and weapons, reaching in to rummage through them as she inspected their quality.
Seizing this opportunity,
Peng Jun, who had been standing off to the side the whole time, suddenly stepped forward two paces to stand before Ruan Su. He pulled an object wrapped in oil paper from his chest and said with a smile:
"Little Su, I found this in your weapons bag this morning. I can't read the writing on it, but it might be a martial arts manual. You should put it away for now."
Hearing that voice, Qin Yi couldn't help but glance back at the middle-aged man.
This uncle was a familiar face. Qin Yi had seen him several times during his lucid moments.
Back then, Ruan Su had rescued the man's son while wiping out a gang of human traffickers, so the man had always treated Ruan Su and him with great kindness. Apparently, this uncle had once even wanted to teach Ruan Su internal energy, but unfortunately Qin Yi had been an idiot during that period. By the time he regained his senses and learned of it, the boss had already put a stop to it. Even so, the man still frequently sparred with Ruan Su, training her practical combat skills.
Without giving it much thought, Qin Yi ambled over.
In the past, whenever Ruan Su carried out assassination missions, she'd occasionally come back with techniques like this. Most of the crippled manuals that had trained her until she coughed blood had come from these very sources.
The roaming bandits from last night might not have been particularly professional, but they were still affiliated with a local magnate, so it wasn't strange for them to carry a manual on their persons. However, when Qin Yi unfolded the oil paper wrapping, his brow still lifted almost imperceptibly.
The pages of the book inside had already yellowed, clearly showing its age, yet not a single corner was dog-eared. The title page bore script that didn't belong to ancient Shu.
Qin Yi ran his hand across the surface of the ancient book. It wasn't rough to the touch, instead carrying a fine smoothness with a metallic quality.
This was...
[Hey! I actually got kidnapped to ancient Shu!]
A familiar voice echoed in his ears.
That rich girl's belongings?
The roaming bandits must have taken it off her body, then died at his sister's hands, and the book had been confiscated as spoils.
Qin Yi glanced back at Ruan Su.
He'd told this sister of his before that books were sometimes more precious than silver. Even if it was just a local collection of strange tales, you could glean useful customs and local knowledge from it, and she had to take them seriously.
But considering the circumstances last night, Qin Yi didn't fault this sister for storing such a valuable item together with the blades and weapons this time.
He was just about to rewrap the ancient book in the oil paper when...
"Eh~"
Under the noonday sun, a surprised, curious sound accompanied by a shadow fell silently across Qin Yi's small frame from behind. Scented strands of dark hair draped over her shoulders, tickling her neck with a teasing itch.
Qin Yi's movements froze instantly.
In the silence,
Ruan Su's hand moved to the axe handle tucked at her waist.
Though she'd only been a few steps away, this woman had practically teleported behind Little Yi, without making a single sound.
The dark-skinned woman named Meng Qi sensed Ruan Su's murderous intent and quietly stepped forward.
A moment later,
Meng Peijiu's crisp, pleasant voice drifted down from above, her tone urging with a smile:
"This book seems interesting. Why don't you open it and take a look?"
Holding the book in both hands, Qin Yi slowly tilted his head up, meeting those clear, beautiful eyes looking down against the light, and asked:
"Can you read this kind of script, big sister?"
"This kind of script, huh..."
Meng Peijiu didn't answer the question. She smiled faintly, took a step back, and twirled gracefully in place. By the time she came around to face Qin Yi, the ancient book had already changed positions and was now in her hand. She waved it at him under the brilliant noonday sun:
"Little brother, are you selling this book or not?"
"Mmm..."
Qin Yi first calmly glanced at his now-empty hands before turning his slightly astonished gaze to her face, replaying and confirming the scene in his mind.
The book had teleported.
At the instant she steadied herself and raised her hand, the ancient book had vanished before his eyes without any warning, simultaneously appearing in her grasp.
This woman... was also a Calamity Seed?
Or was her speed simply too fast for his naked eye to track?
Gentle sunlight spilled across the silent courtyard.
Peng Jun looked left, then right, utterly bewildered by the suddenly tense atmosphere that had descended upon the yard. He opened his mouth to intervene, but a young, tender voice spoke up first:
"But I actually quite like reading, big sister."
Qin Yi said tentatively, neither agreeing nor refusing, handing the conversational initiative back to her.
He needed to figure out her goal first.
Only by determining her core objective could he formulate an appropriate countermeasure.
Meng Peijiu seemed oblivious to the shift in atmosphere within the courtyard. She let out a little "hehe" laugh at his words, raised three slender fingers, and said:
"This book, your big sister here can offer you a handsome price for it! Three hundred taels."
At that, Qin Yi redirected the conversation to the big man standing nearby and asked:
"Uncle Peng, is this price reasonable?"
Peng Jun cleared his throat at being put on the spot and tried to smooth things over:
"Ahem, well, while most manuals have a price but no market, a complete internal energy manual of proper quality goes for around two hundred taels on the open market. Three hundred is already considered quite high."
As he spoke, Peng Jun caught sight of Ruan Su's small hand gripping the axe handle so tightly her knuckles had gone white, ready to resort to violence at any moment. He abruptly shifted course, stepping forward and bracing himself as he pressed his hand on the saber at his waist:
"But Miss Meng, when we're doing business, shouldn't we also respect the seller's wishes?"
"........"
Meng Peijiu gave him a dismissive glance, paying his warning no mind at all. Her skirt shifted as she suddenly bent forward at the waist, leaning down. A few strands of fragrant hair swept across the boy's pale cheek as she brought her lips close to his ear and added in a soft whisper, her breath like orchid:
"I said gold, you know~"
"........"
Hearing this, a flicker of understanding passed through Qin Yi's eyes. He immediately took two steps back with a show of embarrassment, then took Ruan Su's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze to signal her to relax.
Though he still didn't know exactly why this young woman surnamed Meng was trying to get close to him, he now understood one thing clearly.
This pretty young woman called Meng Peijiu didn't actually want the ancient book. She was reminding him that this book deserved his utmost attention.
As Qin Yi mulled this over, Meng Peijiu suddenly giggled, casually pulled open his cloth shirt, stuffed the book inside, and patted his head:
"Alright, alright. Since little brother won't sell, I suppose I can't force you, can I?"
With that,
Meng Peijiu turned around briskly, her skirt swirling in a mysterious ripple as she headed for the courtyard gate:
"Meng Qi, load up the goods and let's go. The remaining shipment is under that ruined temple east of town, right? I'll keep an eye on the appraisal. Come by later to collect your money and clothes, little brother~"