C16 Pawn It!

It was her first time experiencing an old-fashioned marketplace. With a mix of curiosity and a touch of melancholy, she slowly blended into the crowd, wandering the streets. Whenever something caught her eye, she'd stop to touch and examine it. The vendors, seeing her interest but no purchase, were not upset; instead, they cheerfully introduced their goods.

After nearly half an hour of browsing, Liyuv reluctantly stepped into a pharmacy. She inquired about buying acupuncture needles and offered to pawn a jade pendant. To her surprise, the shopkeeper's expression changed dramatically upon seeing the pendant. "Miss, are you playing a joke on an old man?"

"What do you mean by that?" Liyuv quickly retrieved the pendant and examined it closely, finding nothing amiss. She explained, "I don't have any cash on me, and I urgently need the needles. That's why I'm using this pendant as collateral. It's not my first choice, but I have no other option. Is the pendant not valuable enough?" She scratched her head, thinking it seemed like a fine piece of jade, surely worth more than a set of needles.

"It's more than enough, more than enough!" the shopkeeper assured her repeatedly. He then cast a suspicious glance at Liyuv and asked, "May I ask which family you belong to, and where did this pendant come from?"

Liyuv suddenly understood; the shopkeeper was worried the pendant might be stolen. She smiled reassuringly and said, "Rest easy, sir. This pendant is legitimate and won't cause you any trouble."

The shopkeeper listened to her words with a somewhat indescribable expression. He glanced at her, then at the jade pendant in his hand. In the end, he held back from saying more, accepted the pendant, and handed her a bag of silver needles, saying, "Alright, these silver needles are yours."

"Great, you're a straight shooter!" Bai Liyuv said enthusiastically, giving the shopkeeper a hearty pat on the shoulder. She took the silver needles and headed back to the manor the same way she came.

While she was happily counting the needles, the jade pendant had already been swiftly delivered to the palace, ending up in the hands of its owner.

Woo San hurried back after completing his task, only to find his lord sitting in a chair. The mask on his lord's face revealed no emotion, but there was a dangerous aura about him.

When Woo San's gaze fell on the green jade pendant his lord was toying with, his heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding filled him.

"My... Lord?" Woo San swallowed hard, discreetly examining the pendant to confirm it was the one his lord had him deliver. His heart sank.

Oh my, wasn't that pendant supposed to be under that woman's pillow? Did something happen to her?

The lord's pale, slender hand placed the pendant on the table, and the crisp sound of jade hitting wood made Woo San's heart skip a beat.

"This jade pendant was pawned in exchange for a set of silver needles." The man seated at the head of the room, dressed in a dark robe with gold trim, spoke in a calm, deep voice that resonated through the space. Despite the lack of emotion, Woo San felt an overwhelming pressure that made cold sweat bead on his forehead.

Woo San felt as if his jaw had hit the floor, his mind momentarily blank. Did the Lord just say the jade pendant was pawned? And only for a set of silver needles? Who in their right mind would do something so foolish?!

"I failed in my duties, my Lord. Please punish me!" Woo San's mouth was dry, but he dared not show it on his face. Instead, he swiftly knelt to accept responsibility.