After leaving Zhuyu Academy, Chu Shaoye first went to a shop that purchased Spirit Beast materials. He said to the clerk, “My young master has just returned from a hunt and has a batch of Spirit Cores to sell. What are the current prices?”
Although he was young, the clerk saw that he was calm and composed, with the bearing of someone from a prominent family. He therefore did not look down on him and honestly quoted the prices.
“Sir, our shop currently pays two Silver Coins for each Tier One Spirit Core, one Gold Coin for each Tier Two Spirit Core, and three Gold Coins for each Tier Three Spirit Core…”
Chu Shaoye nodded. These prices were slightly higher than what Shuangyue had told him.
He touched the Black Jade Ring and took out ten Tier One Spirit Cores and two Tier Two Spirit Cores. All twelve Spirit Cores were of the Fire Attribute, and the moment they were taken out, the entire shop grew hot.
The clerk was startled to see him using a Storage Ring. That was not something an ordinary person could afford to use.
Moreover, a dozen Spirit Cores counted as a sizable sale. Since he could not make that decision himself, he hurried to invite the shopkeeper out.
After examining the Spirit Cores, the shopkeeper said to Chu Shaoye, “Sir, these Spirit Cores of yours are all of excellent quality. We are willing to pay a little extra for them.”
“Normally, ten Tier One Spirit Cores and two Tier Two Spirit Cores would come to twenty Silver Coins and two Gold Coins. I am willing to offer fifty Silver Coins and two Gold Coins. What do you think?”
Chu Shaoye nodded as though accustomed to such dealings and said calmly, “Give me the extra Silver Coins in Copper Coins.”
The shopkeeper understood at once. The boy wanted to skim a little off the top. This made him even more convinced that Chu Shaoye served some important figure.
The clerk counted out the money, and Chu Shaoye waved the hand wearing the Black Jade Ring, putting it all away.
The shopkeeper’s pupils contracted. It really was a Storage Ring.
He escorted Chu Shaoye to the door with a fawning smile. “Sir, please favor our humble shop with your business again next time. I will still offer you a high price.”
“That depends on my young master’s wishes,” Chu Shaoye replied indifferently. “I don’t know where he intends to travel next.”
Only after he had walked far enough away to be sure the shopkeeper could no longer see him did Chu Shaoye quietly breathe a sigh of relief. This was the first time he had told so many lies. This story is hosted at novelping(.)com.
Under Shuangyue’s guidance, Chu Shaoye understood very well that you should keep your wealth out of sight. He had therefore invented a powerful “young master” so that others would know he had someone backing him and would think twice before acting against him.
Judging by the shopkeeper’s and clerk’s reactions, his performance this time had been quite successful.
Chu Shaoye took some money from the ring and placed it in an ordinary coin pouch, then turned and entered another shop.
This shop specialized in selling Storage Spirit Artifacts. A ring of glass display cases lined the interior, filled with Storage Spirit Artifacts of every kind.
Most Spirit Lords used the most basic Storage Bags, generally ranging from Tier One to Tier Three. Storage Bags were inexpensive, and their storage space was correspondingly small. They could not hold living creatures or be bound to an owner, and once lost, they were almost impossible to recover.
The Black Jade Ring Chu Shaoye wore looked plain and unassuming, no different from an ordinary ring, but it was actually a Tier Seven Storage Spirit Artifact. If put up for auction, it would fetch a sky-high price.
Chu Shaoye looked around the shop and found that even the highest-ranked Storage Spirit Artifacts there were only Tier Five. Aside from their exquisite craftsmanship, their capabilities could not compare to those of the Black Jade Ring at all.
However, this time Chu Shaoye only wanted to buy a basic Storage Bag for everyday use. Taking things out of the Black Jade Ring every time would inevitably draw the attention of those with ill intent.
He casually bought a silver-gray Tier One Storage Bag, then picked out a blue one and a green one as well. He bought three in total, spending thirty Silver Coins altogether.
The shop owner beamed at the sizable sale and gave Chu Shaoye a green jade bell as a complimentary gift.
Chu Shaoye picked up the green jade bell and looked it over. The workmanship was quite decent, and it would be just right for making a necklace for the little fox.
After leaving the shop, Chu Shaoye walked to a secluded corner, took some money and several Spirit Cores from the Black Jade Ring, and divided them among the three Storage Bags.
Apart from his own Storage Bag, he placed ten Tier One Spirit Cores and ten Silver Coins in the blue Storage Bag, and two Tier One Spirit Cores and ten Silver Coins in the green Storage Bag.
These two Storage Bags were for Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu, respectively. Although Chu Wangshan had previously given them gift money, three hundred Copper Coins would not go far in Zhuyu City.
Chu Wangshan had lived half his life, yet the farthest place he had ever been was Qingwu Town. He had no idea how high expenses were in the city. After all, three hundred Copper Coins was already a large sum, enough for a household in Chu Family Village to live on for a whole year.
The blue Storage Bag was for Chu Qingyao, and the green Storage Bag was for Chu Qingyu. It was not that he begrudged giving Chu Qingyu more Spirit Cores, but that if he gave her any more, she would definitely refuse to accept them. This amount was just right.
After finishing his purchases, Chu Shaoye took his temporary pass and entered the academy, happening to run into Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu halfway back.
Seeing Chu Shaoye, Chu Qingyao ran over excitedly and linked her arm through his. “Brother, Qingyu and I have been walking around for so long, and we’ve still only seen a tiny bit of it. The academy is huge and so pretty—even nicer than the town chief’s residence!”
Just then, a young girl wearing the academy uniform walked past them. She looked like a student who had already been studying at the academy for some time.
Hearing Chu Qingyao’s words, she rolled her eyes in disdain and said in a voice loud enough for them to hear, “Country bumpkins.”
Chu Qingyao’s slender brows shot up, and she was about to rush over to argue with her, but Chu Qingyu pulled her back. “Yaoyao, we’ve only just arrived. Let’s not argue with her.”
Chu Shaoye also pressed a hand over hers. “A war of words is meaningless. Let’s go back to the dormitories first. I have something to give you two.”
Even after they reached the dormitory, Chu Qingyao was still puffing her cheeks in anger. Chu Shaoye tapped her forehead and chuckled. “Is it worth getting this angry?”
Chu Qingyao glared at him. “Brother, how can you still laugh? She called us country bumpkins!”
Chu Shaoye remained calm and unhurried. “That person had no manners, but what she said wasn’t wrong either. We really did come from the countryside.”
Before Chu Qingyao could flare up, he added, “Yaoyao, if you don’t want people to look down on you, you have to grow strong. Once you become powerful enough, you’ll find that those insults drift away like smoke, and people will treat you with nothing but respect.”
Chu Qingyao lowered her head, clenched her fingers tightly, and said in a low voice, “I understand, Brother.”
Realization dawned on Chu Qingyu’s face. Ever since her father passed away, she and her mother had depended on each other, living a lonely and helpless life. Although the villagers had not bullied them, there had been no shortage of gossip.
People talked about how pitiful she was and how bitter her fate was, and some even called her dead weight. If not for her, they said, her mother could have remarried easily, and their lives would not have been so hard.
Every time she heard such talk, Chu Qingyu felt deeply uneasy. She hated that she was a girl and hated that she could only be a burden to her mother, yet she had never dared say it aloud for fear of making her mother even sadder.
Chu Qingyu pressed her lips together, her eyes firm with resolve. Things were different now. She had come to study at Zhuyu Academy, and in the future she would become a powerful Spirit Lord. She would show everyone who had looked down on her that she would live a better life than any of them!