Chapter 198: Selecting Jade

No girl can refuse jewelry and jade; if she can, it's only because the pieces aren't good enough.

And the shopkeeper had his apprentice bring up a tray of jade that was far too fine.

The jade on display had only just been peeled of its outer skin, never polished or carved, yet their luster was already evident—give them a little polishing, and they would become even more radiant.

Pan Yun told herself internally that these jades were all expensive, and buying them with her current cultivation base would be wasteful—but her hand had a will of its own, swiftly grasping a piece of sheep-fat white jade with a streak of red.

Miao Zhen and Miao He also fixed their eyes on this jade, squeezing in on either side of Pan Yun, exclaiming together, "So beautiful."

The shopkeeper grinned until his eyes vanished, praising, "Excellent taste, Immortals. This red-streaked sheep-fat jade is the finest piece in our shop. Don't be fooled by its size—only two fists wide—but that red runs deep, from surface to core. Pure sheep-fat jade is rare, but this pure, vivid red-streaked sheep-fat jade? Even rarer."

Pan Yun: "And the price must be equally rare, then?"

The shopkeeper smiled warmly. "If you're truly intent on buying, I'll give you this price."

He held up two fingers and flipped them.

Pan Yun had never bought jade in this world; she quickly recalled 26th-century prices and compared them to this world's silver purchasing power—her heart sank. Twenty thousand taels…

Even if I sold myself, I wouldn't be worth this much.

Miao He gasped the moment he raised his fingers. "Two hundred taels? That's way too expensive!"

Pan Yun straightened instantly and turned to glare at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper said, "It's not expensive at all. You're buying raw jade. If you turn it into bracelets, jade plaques, or rings—use every bit of it—you could easily triple its value."

Miao Zhen: "But it hasn't been carved yet."

The shopkeeper replied, "If you think it's too pricey, perhaps you'd like to look at others?"

Miao Zhen and Miao He turned to examine the other raw jades.

The other raw jades were slightly inferior to the red-streaked sheep-fat jade, yet still quite lovely.

They looked at Pan Yun. "Little Master, which one do you think is best? Why not ask the price and just buy the cheapest one?"

Pan Yun's hand still rested on the red-streaked sheep-fat jade. Her gaze drifted over the others, then she simply activated her technique, using her innate ability to see.

She wanted to find out which jade contained the most spiritual energy.

After scanning them all and comparing carefully, Pan Yun had to admit: jade, like people, becomes more beautiful the more spiritual energy it holds.

This jade was the most beautiful and most appealing to them precisely because it held the most spiritual energy.

Pan Yun said, "I'll take this one."

Miao Zhen and Miao He were stunned. They whispered, "Little Master, weren't you saying we should pick something worse?"

Pan Yun said, "Things that resonate with you are rare and fleeting. Once you find one, you shouldn't let it go."

Mostly because it's cheap. In my past life, where would I ever find jade this cheap?

The shopkeeper beamed, nodding vigorously. "Little Immortal is right—fine things are rare and fleeting."

Pan Yun tapped the table with her fingers. "But two hundred taels is still far too expensive."

The shopkeeper now felt confident, his bargaining stance stronger. He smiled. "It's worth it. Such fine jade only survives here on Long Hushan because it's a small place. Outside, you'd need three or five hundred taels to buy it."

"Yet it ended up here on Long Hushan," Pan Yun said. "That's its fortune. How about this, Shopkeeper—give me some extras?"

The shopkeeper: "What would you like, Little Immortal?"

"This raw jade is too fine—I can't bear to cut it up, and I haven't decided what to carve yet. But I want to give gifts to my two disciples. So, bring me your second-tier raw jades. I'll pick two from them to give to my disciples."

The shopkeeper glanced at Miao Zhen and Miao He, meeting their bright eyes, and hesitated. "Little Immortal, saying you'll give them second-tier jade right in front of them… isn't that rude?"

Miao Zhen and Miao He immediately said, "We don't mind. We love second-tier jade."

The shopkeeper paused, fell silent for a moment, then waved for an apprentice. He whispered two instructions, then offered the three a forced smile.

Second-tier jade was impossible—but some worthless scraps could be given away.

They were essentially offcuts from carving, mostly no bigger than half a palm, varying in thickness, water content, and color—some good, some bad.

Naturally, the bad ones made up the majority.

Those with good water content and color, and sufficient thickness, could be carved into rings and sold for three to five taels after minimal polishing.

What was brought up had water without color, color without water, or both—but none had the right thickness or size.

Overall, their value wouldn't exceed three taels.

Giving two to Pan Yun meant six taels total—a fair side deal.

Pan Yun, Miao Zhen, and Miao He all saw through it.

Miao Zhen and Miao He were displeased. This was worse than haggling—just slash two hundred taels off, then slowly raise it. They were sure they could bring it down to ten taels.

Pan Yun sighed. "Shopkeeper, you really know how to do business."

She rummaged through the tray of raw jade and quickly found five pieces of similar size and thickness, their colors transitioning from pale green to bluish-white. She placed them together. "Give us these five."

The shopkeeper stared. "You said you only wanted two…"

"I didn't expect your second-tier raw jade would be scraps," Pan Yun said. "And I'm not taking advantage of you. Miao He, tell the shopkeeper—what's your rank among your siblings?"

Miao He puffed out her chest proudly and shouted, "I'm fifth!"

"See? I have five disciples. Had you brought real second-tier jade, I'd have had to buy three more to complete the gifts. But look at this…"

The shopkeeper opened his mouth, wanting to swap the tray—but then remembered that even the inferior raw jade cost five or six taels per piece. If she picked the good ones, she might end up spending over ten taels for two. Better to let her take these five.

The shopkeeper forced a smile. "Very well, Little Immortals. These five raw jades are yours."

Pan Yun was satisfied, pulled out silver notes, and paid.

The shopkeeper packed the jade into two boxes and warmly escorted Pan Yun out the door.

Pan Yun shoved the boxes into her sleeves—actually tossing them into her Spirit Realm space. "I just realized the Immortal Pavilion doesn't sell anything with a sleeve-space technique."

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Miao Zhen said, "On the third floor. To go up, you need a token and a thousand-tael deposit. You only get your deposit back after settling all your purchases. My master told me."

Pan Yun asked, "Have you been up there?"

Miao Zhen shook her head.

"Then your Second Brother has?"

Miao Zhen nodded. "My master, Third Uncle—they've all been. My master says he'll take me when I'm older and reach the Fifth Stage."

Pan Yun: "I've reached the Fifth Stage. Why hasn't Second Brother taken me?"

Miao Zhen smiled awkwardly. "My master didn't expect your cultivation to rise so fast, so he wasn't prepared. Last time he came, he didn't bring much money."

Pan Yun sighed. "If he needed money, he could've asked me. Money isn't an issue at all."

Miao He: "Liar. You had not a single copper coin back then."

"I didn't, but I could've borrowed," Pan Yun said. "I could've even prepaid Zhang Liuzhen's next month's medicine fee from the Celestial Master's Mansion. Too bad Second Brother is too proud. Sigh—his skin's just too thin."

Miao Zhen and Miao He fell silent.

Pan Yun said, "But never mind. Up there sounds like a world of distractions. We'll go when we're older. Right now, we have no money, and seeing good things we can't buy hurts too much."

She added, "When we get back, I'll make you sleeve-space items. I've already decided—I'll call them Spirit Jade Plaques. My cultivation is still low, so I'll use inferior raw jade first. Once I break through to the First Marquis, I'll carve a new one from that fine jade for you."

"Little Master, why not wait until your cultivation improves to buy better jade? There's plenty out there, and cheaper too."

"But when we saw this jade, we all loved it," Pan Yun said. "There may be better jade out there, but when we see it again, we won't feel this same thrill." She added, "Fine jade is rare and fleeting—that's not just flattery. It's the truth."

Miao Zhen said, "Little Master, let Miao He and I pay for this jade."

Pan Yun waved her hand. "Your Little Master can still afford this. Just wait for your gifts."

Pan Yun beamed. Miao Zhen and Miao He beamed back.

Pan Yun knew nothing about making spatial items. As a graduate student, her stipend barely covered meals.

To cultivate and survive, she had to earn her own money.

She specialized in arrays and talismans, so she made money from those.

Talismans aside, her pride lay in her array devices—including spatial ones.

So she thought this jade was cheap.

It truly was cheap. As soon as she returned to Fengqi Courtyard, she took out the jade and played with it, murmuring, "This is something I could never have had in my past life. Now, in this life, I have it."

Pan Xiao He sneered at her for looking so unsophisticated. "Don't you want to see my true form?"

"The finest jade in this world isn't as beautiful as me. You already possess the ultimate—how can you still care for these mortal trinkets?"

Pan Yun stroked the jade, glanced at it, then said, "Though you belong to me, the Spirit Realm belongs to you."

Pan Xiao He blinked. She felt something was off—but her heart was happy, and that happiness made her ignore the oddness. She lifted her chin proudly, deciding not to argue further.

Pan Yun told Miao Zhen and Miao He to pick their favorite from the five jades, then began polishing the one Miao He chose.

"I'll start with the youngest, so I'll carve for Miao He first."

She cut and smoothed the jade Miao He selected, shaping it into a plaque roughly one finger long and three fingers wide.

After polishing, she entered meditation to restore her energy. At the peak of Fengqi Courtyard's spiritual energy—at dawn—she took out the jade plaque, lit the candle and lamp she had prepared.

(End of Chapter)