In the dance ofmerce, true wisdom lies not in the price asked, but in understanding the value exchanged. A skilled merchant sees beyond mere coins to the worth carried in each item’s essence, for in this recognition lies the foundation ofsting prosperity.


    —Master Lin Feng, Scale of Heaven and Earth


    Master Qingfeng waited outside the tea room, his hands sped behind his back. Xin approached, giving a deep bow.


    "Master Qingfeng," she greeted him.


    "Miss Lin," he replied with a nod. "How did your venture fare?"


    "I obtained the Blood Lotus and more," Xin said. "I’d like to discuss everything with you, but if possible, I would like to see Mei Chen first."


    "Understandable." Qingfeng nodded. "Follow me."


    Xin followed him along the polished wooden balcony. Thete afternoon sun cast long shadows through the ornate railings, dancing across their path. Each step brought a fresh wave of strengthening spiritual energy—stronger than she’d felt anywhere else in the pavilion.


    Master Qingfeng stopped at an borately carved door. "This is the pavilion’s item forge."


    The door swung open, releasing a rush of warm yang that tingled against Xin’s skin. Golden light spilled into the hallway, reflecting off the metallic surfaces within.


    She stepped inside, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the brilliant glow emanating from the walls. Ornate bronze fixtures and delicate golden talismans adorned every surface, each pulsing with spiritual power.


    In the center of the room, Mei Chen rested motionless on a massive bronze table. Cushions cradled her body at precise angles, and the metal surface beneath her glistened with condensation. Unlike before, no frost crept across her skin or the surrounding air.


    "Were there any issues or changes?" Xin asked, studying Mei Chen’s face.


    "She has been peaceful," Qingfeng said. "By my calctions from the growing yin, Mei Chen will remain stable for at least four weeks, possibly five or six, without intervention."


    She approached and pulled a pillow up to sit beside Mei Chen. The cool air clinging to her friend raised goosebumps, but it wasn’t unbearable. She slid Mei Chen’s hand out and squeezed it. Cold.


    Qingfeng watched her intently as she closed her eyes and opened her palm meridian. The familiar pull of qi began, and she let it flow freely. Her dantian refilled the lost qi more easily nowpared to when she first broke through.


    Whether it was because she regrly flowed qi around and used it, drained it repeatedly in thest few days, or just because her meridians and main line had been cleared out nearly perfectly, she had no idea.


    Xin sank deeper into the familiar rhythm. Her dantian replenished the flowing energy without strain, making the process feel as natural as breathing. Time blurred at the edges of her awareness.


    The peaceful flow shattered as icy energy crashed back through her meridians. The reversal hit like plunging into a frozenke.


    Xin?


    The ghostly whisper echoed through her mind. Xin broke the connection with a sharp gasp. Her eyes snapped open, focusing on Mei Chen’s still form. Frost crystals sparkled across her own skin where their hands connected. The air turned white with each rapid breath.


    "Are you alright?" Master Qingfeng stood at her shoulder, closer than before.


    "A bit chilled." Xin suppressed another shiver. The cold burrowed deep into her bones.


    "If you hadn’t stopped, I would have separated you myself." Master Qingfeng stepped back. "Mei Chen’s qi overflowed into your channels. The overwhelming yin energy would do more harm to you than her."


    "I heard her voice." Xin exhaled another cloud of frost. "In my mind, she called my name."


    "While unconventional for spiritmunication, it suggests hope." Master Qingfeng stroked his beard. "Unless the yin energy simply addled your senses."


    Xin wrapped her arms tight around herself as another violent shiver wracked her frame. "Perhaps we could discuss this over hot tea? Somewhere warmer?"


    Master Qingfeng’s frown deepened as he studied her.


    She followed him down the corridor to the familiar tea room. Her limbs still trembled from the lingering cold.


    A servant glided into the room carrying an ornate tea service. Steam curled from the spout of the jade teapot as the servant moved to pour, but Master Qingfeng raised his hand.


    He pulled a tiny crimson pill from his sleeve and dropped it into the pot with a soft plop. The liquid inside swirled with hints of red.


    "Master Qingfeng?" Xin straightened.


    "I feel the need to try the tea with a bit of extra vor today." Master Qingfeng gestured to the pot. "Please, try it out."


    Xin frowned at the steaming pot. The red tint reminded her of blood lotus, but she couldn’t just outright refuse without insulting him. She lifted the delicate cup to her lips and sipped.


    Heat exploded through her core. Qi surged through her meridians in waves of warmth that pulsed outward from her dantian. The sensation flooded every channel with liquid fire.


    Across the table, Master Qingfeng calmly drank his tea as if it contained nothing more exotic than honey.


    The frozen numbness in her extremities melted away. The fog that had settled over her thoughts evaporated like morning dew. Xin flexed her fingers, noticing the stiffness had disappeared.


    "Haa..." Xin released a long breath. "Master Qingfeng, I’m really afraid of what you will end up asking for in return for the favor. It seems to keep getting bigger."


    Master Qingfeng stroked his beard. "Weren’t you the one who encouraged me to get the most value from my investment?"


    Xin suppressed a groan. She had said exactly that. The realization settled in her stomach like a lead weight—toote to back out now. This felt remarkably simr to climbing an endless incline, with no way to see what waited at the peak.


    Master Qingfeng pointed at the forgotten pack beside Xin’s feet. "Let us inspect the blood lotus."


    Xin nodded and lifted the pack onto the polished table surface. Master Qingfeng tapped the preservation seal with practiced precision.


    The seal broke with a soft hiss. A wave of putrid swamp stench filled the tea room, apanied by a ssh of murky water and dark muck that spilled across the pristine surface. The pungent odor of rotting vegetation assaulted Xin’s nose.


    Master Qingfeng coughed delicately into his sleeve.


    Heat crept up Xin’s neck. "We were in quite a hurry during collection. I didn’t consider how the preservation seal would affect everything inside and..." She trailed off, fighting the urge to sink into the floor.


    "Your wisdom remains quite unbnced." Master Qingfeng sighed. "A bit of forewarning would have been ideal." He flicked his wrist in a graceful motion. The muddy water and debris lifted into the air, condensing into a spinning orb before vanishing with a soft pop.


    "I’ll do my best to even out my wrinkles." Xin said as she reached into the pack and began arranging the blood lotus petals across the now-clean table. Each translucent red petal gleamed like a drop of fresh blood in the room’s light.


    The sorting took several minutes. Xin counted just under a thousand pristine petals spread before them in neat rows.


    "There should be enough." Xin smiled at the impressive disy.


    "I’ll store the five hundred petals you need in the pavilion’s vault in a qi-sealed container." Master Qingfeng raised an eyebrow. "You must be very confident if you only collected enough for one attempt."


    Xin grinned, cing her left hand over her right biceps and raising a fist. "If there’s one thing I’m confident about, it’s making this particr pill!"


    Master Qingfeng chuckled, the sound echoing off the polished walls. "I don’t know where such confidence stems from, but if you made two on your first attempt, I’ll ept your word."


    Xin released a measured breath and nodded. She reached for the Earth-Heart Root, its earthen scent mixing with the metallic tang of blood lotus. "Would the pavilion be interested in purchasing the excess blood lotus petals and roots? I need spirit stones for supplies—a pill furnace and ingredients for a reinforcement pill."


    "Of course. That’s a standard service we provide." Master Qingfeng straightened the sleeve of his robe. "A pavilion merchandiser can handle the transaction after our discussion."


    "Thank you." Xin bowed her head.


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    "Now, about the dawn serpent scales." Master Qingfeng leaned forward. "That will be your next mission. I have arrangements in motion to assist you, but you’ll need to return in a few days once everything arrives."


    Xin blinked at the cryptic statement. "What sort of arrangements?"


    He chuckled. "You’ll need a specialized tool to extract the scales while the beasts are still alive."


    A cold knot formed in Xin’s stomach. Wasn’t Master Qingfeng having too much fun with this?


    The thought of harvesting scales from living serpents sounded significantly more dangerous than fighting a nt monster in a swamp.


    The trade room gleamed with polished rosewood panels and intricate brass fixtures. A massive evaluation table dominated the center, its surface iid with precise measurement markings and protective seals. Brass scales hung from ceiling hooks, while ss-fronted cabs lined the walls, disying reference specimens in preserved rity.


    Xin arranged her collection on the table’s smooth surface.


    She separated twelve blood lotuses and four Earth Heart roots for her personal use, setting them aside in a silk-wrapped bundle.


    The remaining thirty-one bundles of petals still glistened with preserved moisture. Beside them, she arranged eighty-three Earth Heart roots in neat rows, their earthy aroma mixing with the room’s sandalwood incense.


    The door opened with a soft click. A tall woman in purple robes entered, her silver hair pulled back in a severe bun. Three golden pins marked her as a senior of the pavilion. Her amethyst eyes settled on Xin with keen interest.


    "Wee to the Treasure Pavilion’s trade hall." The merchandiser bowed precisely. "I am Senior Appraiser Ming."


    Xin returned the bow. "Lin Xin. Thank you for evaluating my goods."


    "The pleasure is mine." Appraiser Ming approached the table. "What price did you have in mind?"


    "Four spirit stones per bundle of blood lotus." Xin gestured to her arrangement. "These were harvested from the heart of ckmere swamp. The quality speaks for itself—each stalk contains maximum spiritual essence."


    Grown from my own blood, even.


    Appraiser Ming produced a set of spectacles and leaned over the blood lotus bundles. Her fingers traced along a slightly bruised petal in the back row. "Two spirit stones per bundle would be fair. The rough handling during transport damaged several."


    Xin gave a dramatic sigh, though her eyes twinkled. "Rough handling? I used Master Qingfeng’s very own preservation pack for transporting them. You’re breaking my heart, Appraiser Ming."


    Ming’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. "Two spirit stones." She adjusted her spectacles, unperturbed. "The damage is clear."


    Xin leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "How about we settle at three and I promise to be extra gentle next time? Besides, I know there was a mass purchase of them recently. The price should be up, not down."


    Ming straightened and crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing, but not without a hint of amusement. "Three. The market hasn’t shifted that dramatically, but I acknowledge the quality of most of the bundles."


    "Agreed." Xin nodded, relieved to secure ny-three spirit stones for the blood lotus. A fairpromise.


    Ming shifted her attention to the Earth Heart roots, picking one up and examining its crystalline core. "These roots vary significantly in quality. Some barely maintain spiritual resonance. Two spirit stones per root would be generous, considering the inconsistency."


    Xin shook her head, clicking her tongue lightly. "Ming, you wound me again. Are you trying to make me leave with just enough to buy dinner?" She picked up an Earth Heart root and twirled it between her fingers.


    "Four spirit stones per root. These were harvested yesterday—the qi resonance remains at peak potency." She channeled a wisp of qi into the root, causing it to pulse with golden light. "The freshnessmands premium value, and while some are smaller, there are several veryrge ones that could be considered special."


    Ming lifted another root, examining its translucent core against the sunlight. "Three spirit stones. The market can’t sustain higher prices, even for fresh specimens." She set the root down with practiced precision. "The variation in size affects their cultivation utility."


    Xin pursed her lips and gave Ming a sideways nce. "Three spirit stones and I’ll even throw in a smile." She shed a grin.


    Ming’s expression remained neutral, though there was a glint of amusement in her eyes as she pulled out a jade abacus, fingers dancing across the beads. "Blood lotus at ny-three spirit stones. Earth Heart roots at two hundred and forty-nine."


    The beads clicked into ce. "Totalpensation: three hundred and forty-two spirit stones."


    Xin drummed her fingers against the polished table surface while calcting her next purchases. A basic alchemy setup required specific equipment and supplies—a pill furnace topped her list.


    "Does the Treasure Pavilion stock cultivation equipment rted to alchemy?" Xin kept her tone casual, masking her eagerness.


    "Indeed." Ming gestured toward a side door. "Please follow me to our equipment hall."


    The adjacent room housed rows of gleaming metal furnaces. Their surfaces rippled with engraved formation arrays, each pattern unique. Xin ran her fingers across a mid-sized furnace, sensing the refined spiritual metal beneath her touch.


    "This standard cultivation furnace costs one hundred spirit stones." Ming tapped the furnace’s rim. "Perfect for beginning alchemists."


    "Eighty." Xin traced the formation arrays. "The spiritual resonance suggests moderate use."


    Ming shook her head. "These furnaces maintain their value. Ny spirit stones—a fair price considering the quality of the metal."


    Xin tilted her head, giving Ming a mock pout. "You’re tough, Ming. But alright, ny it is."


    After securing the furnace, Xin pointed to stacked boxes of spiritual charcoal. "I’ll need fuel."


    "Thirty spirit stones per box." Ming lifted the lid, revealing densely packed ck crystals.


    "Twenty." Xin picked up a crystal, testing its spiritual density. "They’re all misshapen and different sizes."


    Ming quirked an eyebrow. "You’re burning them, not making jewelry. Twenty-five."


    Xin gave a smallugh. "Fair enough. Twenty-five it is."


    Ming led her to a section filled with crystalline containers. Spiritual water glowed with ethereal light inside sealed jars, small bubbles inside pulsing with pure energy.


    "Fifty spirit stones for a jar of spring water from the Frosthelm duchy." Ming lifted a crystal container.


    Xin studied the spiritual resonance through the crystal. "Forty. These look old. There are specks of dust on the backside of the container."


    Ming winced and rotated the jar herself, running a finger over the ss. She didn’t betray any emotion, but Xin figured someone was going to be in big troubleter.


    "Forty-five." Ming traced the jar’s seal. "The water maintains purity despite the collection timing."


    "eptable." Xin nodded, calcting her remaining funds.


    They moved to a shelf disying rows of jade-iid containers. Spiritual formations carved into their surfaces promised perfect preservation of alchemical ingredients.


    "Thirty-five spirit stones each for the qi-sealing containers." Ming demonstrated the locking mechanism. "Tripleyered formations prevent essence loss."


    Xin inspected the formation work. "Twenty-five."


    Ming adjusted her spectacles. "Thirty. If you want, I can apply a normal discount to each item and we don’t have to haggle."


    Xin chuckled. "Where’s the fun in that?" She selected three containers with the strongest qi resonance. "Done."


    A disy of stone grinding tools caught her attention. Various mortars and pestlesy arranged by size and material quality.


    "Seventeen spirit stones for this spirit-imbued set." Ming lifted a pestle carved from ck stone shot through with silver veins.


    Xin tested the pestle’s weight. "Agreed."


    She ced the tool with her other purchases and then spotted several shelves lined with dried herbs sealed in crystal jars. The purification herbs glowed with a faint spiritual resonance, their leaves perfectly preserved.


    "Twenty-two spirit stones for theplete array." Ming gestured to a set of twelve jars. "Each herb maintains peak potency through our preservation methods."


    "I’ll take it." Xin said. Ming helped her carry the set to her growing pile of things.


    A tray of iridescent sand caught the sunlight, each grain refracting rainbow hues. Ming scooped a handful, letting it flow between her fingers. "Twelve spirit stones for the grinding sand. Essential for breaking down spiritual materials."


    Xin tested the sand’s spiritual density. "Eight."


    Ming frowned. "I’ve already applied a substantial discount to this."


    "The qi saturation is uneven." Xin picked up a pinch of the sand and pulsed a small amount of qi into her fingertip. It sparkled unevenly in little spots and lines. "It’ll take work to homogenize it."


    Ming finally nodded. "I can go down to ten spirit stones."


    "Done." Xin nodded.


    A row of bronze braziers lined the next shelf, their surfaces etched with me-control arrays. Ming selected apact model. "Twenty spirit stones. The formation work ensures precise temperature control."


    "Fifteen." Xin traced the arrays. "The bronze shows minor oxidation."


    "Eighteen." Ming demonstrated the temperature adjustment mechanism. "The patina doesn’t affect functionality."


    Xin added the brazier to her growing collection. Crystal vials caught her attention, their surfaces marked with precise measurement lines.


    "Eight spirit stones for the set." Ming held up a vial. "Spirit-reinforced ss prevents contamination."


    "Six." Xin inspected the graduation marks. "The reinforcement is thin at the necks."


    "Seven." Ming ced the vials in a padded case. "The markingspensate for any structural concerns."


    Xin smiled and nodded. "Deal." The flow of purchases and their haggling might have gotten a little carried away. "I think that’s everything I need."


    She counted up her purchases and the prices—she had eighteen spirit stones left. That was just enough for her cultivation and the alchemy tasks she had nned. Probably.


    She gestured to her selections. "Have everything delivered to the city manor as soon as possible, please."


    Ming smiled as she bowed. "The Treasure Pavilion is pleased to do business with another satisfied customer."


    Xin smiled back politely. "Well, you’d better be! You nearly robbed me of all my earnings."


    Ming raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a subtle smile. "You drove quite a hard bargain yourself, Miss Lin."


    Xinughed. "I guess we both came out even then."