C43 The White Paper Fan

At the Vault of Wonders.

"Mr. Yu, please come this way."

Upon seeing him approach, the shopkeeper, Qin Ann, eagerly rushed forward to greet him, saying, "Our master has instructed that you may put anything you fancy on a tab."

Just a few days prior, the head of the Zhao family, Zhao Zhenghao, had made a point of visiting and explicitly ordered that Yu Yuan be personally attended to whenever he arrived.

Moreover, Yu Yuan was allowed to take any item of his choosing without the need for additional payment in soulstones.

Qin Ann had managed the Vault of Wonders for many years, liaising primarily with Zhao Dongsheng, and had only met Patriarch Zhao Zhenghao on a few occasions.

With instructions directly from Zhao Zhenghao, Qin Ann was certainly not going to offer anything less than the utmost hospitality.

"You're too kind, Shopkeeper Qin."

Yu Yuan replied with an easy smile as he followed Qin Ann further into the store.

Having been recently escorted from the Zhao family estate by Zhao Zhenghao, Zhao Dongsheng, and Zhao Xi, Yu Yuan was curious to see if the Vault of Wonders held anything of interest to him, considering Zhao Zhenghao's generous offer.

Zhao Yafu, who had successfully refined the spirit of a dragon whelp, was set to attend the upcoming imperial gala. The Zhao family had expressed their hope that Yu Yuan would look out for her at the event and offered to compensate him discreetly for his troubles.

He felt it was only right to accept offerings from the Zhao family, especially considering the significant effort he had put into the refinement of the dragon whelp's spirit.

"Here you'll find an array of magic items, metal ores, and artifacts. The Vault of Wonders is second to none," Qin Ann boasted as he led the way. "I can't speak for elsewhere, but here in Asvetaesi, our items are of the highest quality and rank. Naturally, the finest goods come at a premium."

Qin Ann bowed deeply, attending to Yu Yuan with great reverence and paying no mind to the other patrons.

As Yu Yuan entered, his gaze swept the room, landing on two others present.

An elderly man and a young man.

A serene young woman in green, accompanied by an old crone, was perusing the shop's wares.

Even as Yu Yuan made his entrance, the young woman in green remained undisturbed, her graceful back turned to him as she continued to examine the items before her.

The elderly woman turned her head, giving him a piercing glance.

That look sent a ripple through Yu Yuan's mind, creating the unsettling illusion that his cultivation level and realm were completely transparent to her gaze.

Based on his experience, he knew this was no illusion.

With a quick thought, he grasped the situation.

"Shopkeeper, are we being ignored here?" the old woman asked, clearly displeased. "What, because we're from out of town, we don't get any attention?"

Qin Ann had been rather aloof before Yu Yuan's arrival, but once Yu Yuan appeared, Qin Ann seemed to disregard him entirely.

"Never mind, I was just browsing. I didn't really plan to buy anything," the girl in green spoke up, her voice crisp and melodious, exuding a gentle charm.

Yet she remained turned away, her back to Yu Yuan and Qin Ann, engrossed in her own perusal.

"Alright then," the old woman conceded, holding her tongue.

She squinted her eyes, leisurely following the girl in green.

Qin Ann paid them no mind, shamelessly tagging along with Yu Yuan, incessantly chattering and pointing out various items that caught Yu Yuan's eye.

Yu Yuan had already seen all the truly valuable items in the Vault of Wonders.

The other emblem and the iron ruler were both artifacts of Spirit Level quality.

However, the items on display in the Vault of Wonders paled in comparison to those two, with many being mere fragments or damaged and incomplete.

For instance, there were cultivation methods with missing pages, damaged artifacts, and a jumble of unidentified Sunsilver and shattered magic diagrams.

Yu Yuan meandered through the halls of the Vault of Wonders, his gaze flitting from item to item.

His mind was busy calculating which items and pills could aid him in taking the next step, in breaking through his current bottleneck and advancing to the next realm.

Half a month had passed since the Huang family's downfall and the resolution of the Mount Aureum incident.

He was now at the eleventh level of the Spirit Channel Stage, and with the aid of the Channel Opening Pill, he was on the verge of opening the last meridian.

Once he reached the twelfth level of the Spirit Channel Stage, he would encounter the first major hurdle of his cultivation journey — the Soul Awakening.

There was a natural barrier between the two great realms, not something that could be crossed in an instant.

In addition to long-term accumulation, sometimes a catalyst or a certain epiphany was needed.

In his previous life, Yu Yuan had devoted himself to the art of leechcraft and had not endured the rigors of cultivation. Therefore, his past experiences offered little aid in his pursuit of the Soul Awakening realm. Nonetheless, he placed significant emphasis on the initial stage of cultivation.

A broken White Paper Fan caught his eye. Emblazoned on the paper were four conspicuous black characters: To Know All is to Suffer All. These words dominated the fan, standing out starkly against the white background.

The fan's paper was nothing special, and the ribs were equally unremarkable—not the bones of an alien beast or flood dragon, devoid of any vitality or spiritual energy. Yu Yuan, with his discerning eye, could tell that the materials used to craft this fractured White Paper Fan were quite inexpensive. It seemed the fan had no particular rank or grade.

The inscription, To Know All is to Suffer All, was not impressively penned—lacking in strength and finesse. In every aspect, the White Paper Fan was unremarkable. Yet, Yu Yuan's attention remained fixed on it, or more precisely, on the profound words it bore.

He was still some distance from the fan, but his steps followed his gaze, leading him directly toward it. Abruptly, a green blur filled his view, also obscuring the White Paper Fan.

"This is the only piece worth looking at. Shopkeeper, name your price," the girl in green said as she clutched the fan, finally turning to give Qin Ann a brief look before heading out of the Vault of Wonders.

She appeared indifferent to the number of soulstones the White Paper Fan might fetch, trusting that the elderly woman accompanying her would handle the negotiation with Qin Ann.

"Ah," Yu Yuan murmured as she turned, his vision brightening. The once dimly lit Vault of Wonders seemed to suddenly sparkle with light. Though he caught but a fleeting glimpse of her face, he could tell she was strikingly beautiful, with a presence that was both elegant and commanding.

The girl in green, absorbed in her examination of the White Paper Fan, continued on her way out. Watching her depart, a wave of melancholy unexpectedly washed over Yu Yuan.

"Such an exceptional insight," he whispered to himself, recognizing that the sorrow stirring within him was evoked by the poignant message of the White Paper Fan: To Know All is to Suffer All.

Yu Yuan muttered to himself, fully aware that the overwhelming sorrow in his heart stemmed from the four black characters on the White Paper Fan—To Know All is to Suffer All. The true worth of the fan lay in those words, which held a sadness and a rhythm undetectable to the average person. Such depth was not easily grasped, even by those of high spiritual attainment. Yet, he had discerned it, and to his surprise, so had the girl in green.

"Customer, please wait!" Qin Ann called out abruptly. Without giving Yu Yuan a chance to respond, he dashed forward, positioning himself in front of the door to block the young girl's exit. He then declared, "Apologies, but the White Paper Fan has already caught the eye of a distinguished guest of the Vault of Wonders, Mr. Yu of the Yu family. What he desires, he receives. You cannot take it with you."

As the proprietor of the Vault of Wonders, Qin Ann was perceptive. His careful observation had revealed that Yu Yuan's attention had lingered longest on the White Paper Fan, and his approach had been the most eager. With instructions from Zhao Zhenghao to attend to Yu Yuan with utmost care, Qin Ann was determined to fulfill his duty.

The elderly man and the young girl were clearly strangers from another place, and after this encounter, they might never cross paths again. If offense was to be taken, so be it.

"But I was the one who found it first," the girl in green protested, her back to Yu Yuan as she addressed Qin Ann, who was still blocking the door. "Rest assured, we're willing to pay the asking price. I don't mind if it's a bit costly for something I cherish."

"It's not a matter of price," Qin Ann replied, rubbing his hands together and bowing with an awkward grin. "I apologize, but our owner has decreed that anything Mr. Yu takes a liking to is his by right. He enjoys such privileges here at the Vault of Wonders. Please, feel free to browse the other items we have."

"How can there be such disregard for propriety in Asvetaesi!" the old woman exclaimed, her face stern as she stepped up to Qin Ann.

Taken aback, Qin Ann instinctively retreated, allowing the door to swing open.

"Miss, please go ahead, I'll take care of this," the old woman said, having already stepped outside, and gestured for the girl to leave the Vault of Wonders.

"We will not sell our items if we choose not to—you cannot force a purchase!" Qin Ann declared, as several figures quietly approached from the Vault of Wonders' backyard.

Several figures quietly approached the Vault of Wonders and its backyard. In a matter of seconds, the elderly man and the young woman found themselves encircled by the Zhao family's servants.

Qin Ann's confidence swelled, and his demeanor grew increasingly firm. "Kindly drop the White Paper Fan!"

The old woman was seething with rage and ready to discipline him.

"Hold on," the girl in green interjected, lifting her hand to halt the old woman's impending action. She then fixed her gaze on Yu Yuan. "Are you a member of the Yu family from Asvetaesi?"

Yu Yuan nodded in confirmation.

"I would like you to part with the White Paper Fan," the girl in green said nonchalantly. "My name is Su, from the Su family."

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