"Miss Qu, my fairy enjoys fine jade and gems. I heard Motu City is rich in them. How about you offer those in exchange for spirit stones? We cannot wait three days; we are merely making a brief stop. If Miss Qu agrees, we can mutually facilitate this!"
Qu Biyao was overjoyed. This was excellent. The Qu family's jade shops had both raw stones and finished products, which would surely satisfy the fairy!
"Of course, I can. Thank you, Elder Zhu. The shop is two streets ahead. If you don't find anything to your liking, you can still exchange them at the Qu family's money houses in the two neighboring cities," Qu Biyao said, ready to lead Elder Zhu to the jade shop. The Qu family shop was on North Street.
Steward Zhu thought that the fairy should be on the same street at this time. The group then proceeded together.
Coincidentally, when Qu Biyao led Steward Zhu to her family's shop, Ju Xue and the others happened to be there. This establishment, called Qiong Yu Ge, rivaled Yu Lin Lang in Pearl City in scale, but its styles and the quality of its jade were several notches higher.
Ju Xue was delighted to see such fine jade. In her modern life, she had been poor and had little spending money. As a Divine Venerable, she was too busy conquering to have any interest in such things.
Xiao Bai's eyes also sparkled. When she had accompanied her sister to Pearl City, Xiao Bai had wanted some, but before she could even ask, they had encountered trouble. Now, she could finally take a good look.
"Fairy, what a coincidence! We ran into you. Feel free to pick whatever you like. This shop is with the same money house I'm going to for spirit stones. You can use these gems and jades to settle the balance," Steward Zhu said happily to the fairy upon seeing her.
Qu Biyao followed behind. The moment she saw Ji Wuye, she felt incredibly awkward. When she heard Elder Zhu greet the woman at the head of the group, respectfully calling her "Fairy," Qu Biyao finally noticed the others with them in the shop. The woman at the front was as beautiful as a celestial being, especially her lively eyes, which held both spirit and a touch of playfulness. Qu Biyao, who had always been proud of her own appearance, felt inferior in this woman's presence. This woman was stunningly beautiful, unforgettable, and seemed to hold the highest status. A handsome man stood behind her, protecting her. Their gazes met, and she received a warning in his eyes! Startled, she withdrew her gaze and composed herself.
These must be the people from the carriage of the black-clothed men. Although they had not shown themselves at all, her intuition told her they were the ones inside.
Her mind was in a turmoil. This was bad. She had just had a conflict with them, and now she was sure to be put to the test. She had never imagined that the "fairy" Steward Zhu spoke of would be the person from the carriage of the black-clothed men.
"I am very sorry. An hour ago, this humble one, Qu Biyao, offended you. I did not realize you were our esteemed guest. I was blind and ask for your forgiveness!" Qu Biyao was a businesswoman and had to deal with all sorts of people. She had long mastered the art of wearing different faces. When she needed to be submissive, she would never be stubborn!
Hearing this, Steward Zhu knew something was amiss and remained silent.
"Miss Qu, what are you referring to?" Ju Xue, who had not gotten out of the carriage, did not know that the person she had clashed with was this very lady.
"Fairy, at the street intersection earlier, did you remember your maid blocking the carriage to ask for candied hawthorn?" Qu Biyao, unsure if she truly didn't know or was feigning ignorance, could only explain with a heavy heart.
Ju Xue nodded in realization. So it was her! She looked at her elder brother, her eyes asking for confirmation. Seeing him nod,
"So it was you. It was you and your maid who fought with me for candied hawthorn?" Xiao Bai, hearing this, couldn't help but jump out.
Qu Biyao saw a beautiful and delicate young girl peeking out from behind the black-clothed man, holding a candied hawthorn and eating it.
It seemed he wasn't lying. This must be his sister, and just as he said, she really loved to eat! She knew this from the fact that she took a bite even after speaking.
"Indeed. I am very sorry. Later, all the gems and jades you choose will be given the lowest discount as an apology," Qu Biyao said with a beaming smile.
"Brother Wuye, will this save a lot of spirit stones?" Xiao Bai asked excitedly upon hearing about discounts on purchases.
"Mm-hmm. Yes, Xiao Bai, you've been a great help." Ji Wuye's lips curved slightly, and he didn't forget to brush away the sugar residue from Xiao Bai's mouth.
Qu Biyao was pleased to hear the young girl call the black-clothed man "Brother Wuye." She wondered if Wuye was his full name or his courtesy name. When she saw him naturally wipe the corner of the little girl's mouth, she felt a strange discomfort. She didn't understand why she had such emotions.
"Xiao Bai, don't be rude. Miss Qu, my sister is ignorant and has embarrassed herself. Please excuse us." Ju Xue lightly tapped Xiao Bai's forehead. This little one was definitely doing it on purpose, and she even knew how to save spirit stones?
"It's nothing, nothing. Your sister is innocent and adorable. I am simply envious. I have a younger brother at home who is frail since birth and has never eaten outside food. His condition has worsened recently, and the spirit physician says he only has a month to live.
To fulfill my brother's wish, my maid and I searched several streets today but found nothing. When we saw the young master buy all the candied hawthorn, Xi'er became anxious, which is why she was so rude," Qu Biyao suddenly felt an urge to confide in the black-clothed man, not wanting him to misunderstand her. The words blurted out impulsively.
"I see. Then, this is for you." Upon hearing this, Xiao Bai felt sympathy. Thinking she had plenty, she took out a string from her spiritual space and handed it to her.
Qu Biyao was stunned. Was it that simple? If Xi'er and she hadn't bullied them with their status at the time, would she have gotten it then? Looking at the little girl's clear, big eyes, she felt ashamed. After all the ups and downs of business, she was accustomed to leveraging power and seeking benefits from the strong. She had long forgotten her original intentions. Suddenly, she felt the barrier to her Golden Core Great Perfection loosen. She had been stuck at this stage for a long time.
It was then that she realized that although the little girl was young, she was truly exceptionally beautiful. She could imagine how stunning she would be when she grew up.
"Thank you, thank you. I'm not as good as you, sister." Qu Biyao smiled sincerely. At this moment, she felt the gloom that had been weighing on her heart dissipate.
Ji Wuye pulled Xiao Bai back and, without further words, turned to take her to see the gems. Xiao Wangyou also followed. Seeing this, Ji Chenmu followed as well. Going with Steward Zhu to the money house was incredibly boring, and he had drunk his fill of spiritual tea. It was much more fun to be with his sister. He vowed not to run errands for Steward Zhu anymore.
Qu Biyao led Ju Xue to the third floor of her shop, where unprocessed raw stones and particularly precious top-tier gems and jade were displayed. Mòtú Water was rich in gems, so gambling on stones was popular among the industries. The raw stones on display were meant for the stone gambling competition. If the honored guests liked them, they could choose freely.
The rest of the group also browsed and picked what they liked. Hearing about raw jade stones, Ju Xue immediately became interested. If she happened to pick a stone of good quality, it would be like winning the lottery in modern times.