C43 The White Paper Fan

Inside the Spirit Treasure Building.

"Please, Young Master Yu, come this way," Qin Ann, the shopkeeper, eagerly welcomed him with a sycophantic smile. "Our master has instructed that you may put any item you fancy on your account."

Just a few days prior, Zhao Zhenghao, the head of the Zhao family, had made a point to visit and personally ensure that Yu Yuan would be received with the utmost hospitality whenever he chose to visit. Moreover, Yu Yuan was entitled to take any item of his choosing without the need for immediate payment in Spirit Stones.

Qin Ann had managed the Spirit Treasure Building for many years, liaising mainly with Zhao Dongsheng, and had only met the family patriarch, Zhao Zhenghao, on a handful of occasions. With direct orders from Zhao Zhenghao himself, Qin Ann wouldn't dare show anything less than the utmost respect.

"You flatter me, Shopkeeper Qin," Yu Yuan replied with an easy smile, following Qin Ann further into the establishment.

Having been personally escorted from the Zhao residence by Zhao Zhenghao, Zhao Dongsheng, and Zhao Xi, Yu Yuan was curious to see if the Spirit Treasure Building held any items that would catch his eye. Zhao Yafu, who had recently refined the essence of a young dragon, was set to attend the Imperial Gathering, and the Zhao family wished for Yu Yuan's support, offering discreet compensation in return. Yu Yuan felt it was only right to accept such offers from the Zhao family, considering the considerable effort he had expended on the dragon essence refinement.

"Spiritual materials, metal ores, artifacts—you name it, the Spirit Treasure Building has it all," Qin Ann boasted as he ushered him inside. "I can't speak for elsewhere, but here in Darkmoon City, you won't find better quality or higher-grade items than ours. Naturally, the finest items do come with a heftier price tag."

Qin Ann bent over backwards to cater to Yu Yuan, paying no mind to the other patrons within the building.

Upon entering, Yu Yuan's gaze swept over the interior, landing on two other individuals present—a young girl and an elderly woman. The girl, dressed in serene green and exuding a tranquil air, was accompanied by an elderly lady, both perusing the wares.

The girl in green seemed utterly unconcerned by his arrival, her graceful figure turned away from him as she continued to examine an item intently. The old woman, however, spared him a brief glance.

The moment Yu Yuan laid eyes on her, a ripple of awareness stirred within him, giving rise to the uncanny sensation that his cultivation level and realm were laid bare for all to see.

His instincts told him this was no mere illusion.

With a quick thought, he grasped the situation.

"Shopkeeper, are we being ignored here?" the old woman asked with a hint of irritation. "What, do we get the cold shoulder just because we're not from around here?"

Before Yu Yuan's arrival, Qin Ann had been aloof, but now he seemed to have checked out completely.

"It's fine, I was merely browsing. I didn't really have anything in mind to buy," the girl in green spoke up, her voice crisp and pleasant to the ear.

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

"Very well," the old woman conceded, dropping the subject.

She squinted her eyes and leisurely trailed behind the girl in green.

Qin Ann, paying them no mind, shamelessly tagged along with Yu Yuan, chattering away as he pointed out various items that caught Yu Yuan's eye.

Yu Yuan had already encountered all the truly valuable treasures within the Spirit Treasure Building.

Items like the Black Dragon Scissors, another jade plate, and an iron ruler—all of which were of Spirit Level—were familiar to him.

The items on display in the Spirit Treasure Building paled in comparison to those two, with many being mere fragments or damaged goods.

There were incomplete cultivation manuals, broken artifacts, and a jumble of unidentifiable gold metal and shattered Matrix Diagrams, among others.

Yu Yuan meandered through the halls of the Spirit Treasure Building, his gaze flitting from one item to the next.

His mind was busy calculating which items and pills might aid him in surmounting his current bottleneck and propelling him into the next realm as swiftly as possible.

Half a month had passed since the Huang family disowned him and the Jewelry Mount incident concluded.

He was at the eleventh level of the Pulse Opening Stage, with the last meridian on the brink of being cleared by the Channel Opening Pill.

Advancing to the twelfth level of the Pulse Opening Stage meant facing the first major hurdle of his cultivation journey—the Spirit Accumulating Stage.

A natural barrier existed between the two grand realms, not something one could simply leap across in a moment.

Beyond the need for long-term accumulation, sometimes a fortuitous opportunity or a flash of insight was required.

In his past life, he had devoted himself to the grand pursuit of alchemy, never enduring the trials of a cultivator's path.

Therefore, his past life experiences offered little advantage as he faced the Spirit Accumulating Stage.

He still paid close attention to this initial hurdle of cultivation.

A broken white paper fan caught his eye, emblazoned with four conspicuous black characters: "Extreme Wisdom Breeds Sorrow."

These words dominated the fan's surface, standing out starkly.

The fan's paper was plain, and the spines were nothing special, not crafted from the bones of any alien beast or dragon, devoid of vitality or spiritual essence.

Yu Yuan's discerning eye could tell at a glance that the materials used for this fractured fan were inexpensive.

It appeared that the white paper fan wasn't a high-grade artifact.

The inscription, "Extreme Wisdom Breeds Sorrow," lacked finesse—neither bold nor graceful.

All in all, the fan seemed unremarkable.

Yet Yu Yuan's attention remained fixed on it, or more precisely, on those four words.

He was some distance from the fan, but his steps followed his gaze, leading him directly toward it.

Suddenly, a flash of green filled his vision, obscuring the fan from view.

"This is the only piece worth looking at. What's your price, shopkeeper?"

The girl in green, holding the fan, finally turned around, casting a brief glance at Qin Ann before heading out of the Spirit Treasure Building.

She seemed indifferent to the fan's value in Spirit Stones, confident that the old woman accompanying her would handle the negotiations with Qin Ann.

"Hmm."

As she turned, Yu Yuan's vision brightened; the once dimly lit Spirit Treasure Building seemed to glow with sudden brilliance.

He caught but a fleeting glimpse of her face, yet it was enough to perceive her exceptional beauty and poise.

The girl in green, absorbed in the white paper fan, continued on her way out.

Watching her depart, a wave of melancholy unexpectedly filled Yu Yuan's heart.

"Such remarkable insight," he murmured to himself, recognizing that the source of his sadness stemmed from the poignant message of the fan—Extreme Wisdom Breeds Sorrow.

The true worth of the white paper fan resided in those four words.

The four words carried a melancholy intent and a rhythm imperceptible to the average person.

It wasn't something that could be discerned merely by possessing a high level of understanding.

He realized that the girl in green had this insight as well.

"Customer, please wait!"

Qin Ann called out abruptly. Not giving Yu Yuan a chance to respond, he dashed forward, positioning himself in front of the door to prevent the girl from leaving. "Apologies, but the white paper fan was already admired by Young Master Yu of the Yu family, our esteemed guest at Spirit Treasure Building. What he fancies, he gets. You cannot take it with you."

As the manager of Spirit Treasure Building, Qin Ann had a keen eye.

After careful observation, he had noticed that Yu Yuan's attention lingered longest on the white paper fan and that his steps hastened when near it.

Zhao Zhenghao had personally instructed him to attend to Yu Yuan diligently.

The elderly woman and the young girl were strangers, likely from out of town. After parting ways this time, they might never cross paths again, so offending them was a risk he was willing to take.

"But I picked it up first."

The girl in green, facing away from Yu Yuan, addressed Qin Ann with polite firmness, "Rest assured, we intend to pay the asking price. I don't mind if the items I like are a bit pricey."

"It's not a matter of cost," Qin Ann said, rubbing his hands together and bowing with an awkward chuckle. "I apologize, but our proprietor has decreed that anything Young Master Yu desires is his by right. He enjoys such privileges here at Spirit Treasure Building. You're welcome to browse our other wares, aside from the white paper fan."

"How can the practitioners of Darkmoon City be so discourteous!" The old woman's face darkened as she stepped up to Qin Ann.

Startled, Qin Ann instinctively retreated, stepping aside and leaving the door open.

"Miss, please go ahead, I will take care of this," the old woman said as she moved past, signaling the girl to leave Spirit Treasure Building.

"Our merchandise is not for sale if we choose not to sell it; it cannot be bought by force!" Qin Ann declared.

Silent figures swiftly converged from around and within the Spirit Treasure Building's backyard.

In a mere ten seconds, the old woman and the young girl found themselves encircled by the Zhao family's servants.

Qin Ann's confidence surged, and his stance grew increasingly firm. "Kindly drop the white paper fan, please!"

The old woman flew into a rage, ready to mete out punishment.

"Hold on." The girl clad in green gently raised her hand, halting the old woman's impending action. She then fixed her gaze on Yu Yuan. "Do you belong to the Yu family of Darkmoon City?"

Yu Yuan nodded in confirmation.

"I'd like to ask you to part with this white paper fan," the green-dressed girl said with an effortless ease. "I am Su, of the Su family."

​