Zhao Yanning was so angry he jumped up and down: “Shopkeeper, speak with conscience! When have I ever made an error in accounting?”

As he spoke, he ran over to flip through the account book, cursing as he went: “You must have made a mistake somewhere. This ledger isn’t even for this month. Where’s Qingyi? Qingyi! Did you stop working just because I wasn’t here?”

Fuman followed and stood inside, feeling somewhat at a loss.

When the two of them left, they hadn’t explained the situation clearly, and their return was even more sudden. Any shopkeeper would rightfully be angry.

She kept glancing at Ruyi several times, but seeing her lazily leaning against the counter without returning her gaze, her heart sank even more. Her hands twisted at her sleeves until they were nearly twisted into fabric balls.

Shen Qiyuan entered behind her, glanced inside once, and said: “Go thank your shopkeeper.”

Fuman looked back at him in confusion: Would she calm down just from a word of thanks?

“She wasn’t angry at all,” Shen Qiyuan shook his head. “Or rather, she already knew what you were going to do.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have swindled the Supreme Lord’s soft hedgehog armor and put it on Zhao Yanning.

Walking toward the Supreme Lord who was gnawing on a chicken leg in the main hall, Shen Qiyuan tapped the table edge: “Don’t the Nine Heavens abstain from meat and fish?”

The Supreme Lord’s mouth was full of grease as he said cheerfully, “There’s no such rule in the heavenly laws. Meat and vegetables are both living beings—what’s the difference in eating either? Besides, we don’t eat them in the Nine Heavens because there aren’t any, not because we can’t.”

Shen Qiyuan: “…”

Looking up at the person before him, the Supreme Lord wiped his beard: “Why are you looking at me like that?”

The person before him said amiably, “Nothing else, I was just thinking about how you casually gave away such precious soft hedgehog armor.”

“It wasn’t exactly casual,” the Supreme Lord said seriously. “Shopkeeper Liu traded me ten roasted chickens and half a month’s stay at this wine house for it.”

Shen Qiyuan couldn’t help but applaud: “Wonderful! Next time there’s such a deal, could you let me know, True Lord?”

Realizing he might have been swindled, the Supreme Lord pursed his lips. But he quickly looked on the bright side: “Using it on such a kind-hearted girl isn’t a loss.”

He could see at a glance that Hua Fuman’s forehead was darkened—she would surely face mortal danger recently. But after going out once and returning, with the soft hedgehog armor on Zhao Yanning, the darkness on Hua Fuman’s forehead was gone. It must have been resolved.

Waving his hand magnanimously, the Supreme Lord continued gnawing his chicken leg: “Not a loss!”

Shen Qiyuan looked at him somewhat dazedly, then, after a long moment, smiled quietly: “So there are indeed good immortals in the Nine Heavens.”

These words carried great weight. The Supreme Lord immediately sat up straight: “How, how so?”

Pointing at Hua Fuman over there, Shen Qiyuan said lightly, “She was born having done nothing wrong. Because she stuttered, her parents abandoned her. Her adoptive parents raised her until she was seven, then their house caught fire, leaving only one alive. A half-grown child making a living in Lin’an, she met all kinds of people from every walk of life. She’d work and get beaten and scolded in the morning, then in the afternoon sneak by the private school walls to learn.”

“When other boys didn’t want to attend school, she’d wear their clothes and take exams in their place. At fourteen, she was discovered during the child examination and reported to the authorities by her family, receiving many heavy beatings. After that, she was kept at the courthouse as a servant and met the love of her life, whom she married. But the good days only lasted two years before her husband was killed by villains, leaving her alone again.”

“She’s always been a good person, but has never received any good fortune. What you gave her, True Lord, is the first blessing she’s received in half her lifetime.”

Withdrawing his gaze, Shen Qiyuan bowed deeply to the Supreme Lord: “Thank you.”

The Supreme Lord listened in astonishment: “Good deeds receiving good rewards is natural law. Since she’s a good person and had the fortune to meet you, how could she still be so miserable?”

“The heavenly laws constrain that Azure Gods cannot protect those close to them, to prevent their Dao hearts from being compromised.”

Awkwardly scratching his beard, the Supreme Lord nodded: “There is such a rule. Well, would you like to try some chicken legs? It’s very good.”

Shen Qiyuan shook his head. Seeing that Zhao Yanning and Liu Ruyi had finished their bickering-or, rather, Liu Ruyi had finished unilaterally scolding Zhao Yanning—he walked over to her.

“Where did you find the True Lord?” he asked.

Ruyi worked the abacus, barely lifting her eyes: “In a broken temple in the empty lot north of God-Worship Street.”

Shen Qiyuan nodded: “I was negligent. Thank you.”

Ruyi made a tsk sound.

She scattered the abacus beads, glancing at him irritably: “Still saying thanks between you and me—do you want to bow as well?”

Shen Qiyuan paused, looked at the others nearby who were pretending to be busy, and coughed awkwardly: “Giving thanks is proper etiquette.”

“That etiquette doesn’t work on me—it only angers me.” She looked up charmingly, the corners of her eyes carrying fierce annoyance. “Say it again.”

“Then what should I say?” He frowned slightly, completely puzzled.

“Stupid.” She worked the abacus one bead at a time while teaching him word by word: “Qingqing, you are truly my divine assistance.”

“Say it once for me to hear.” After teaching, she clasped her hands together under her chin and looked at him expectantly.

Shen Qiyuan’s ears visibly reddened. He opened his mouth but still found it hard to speak, so he simply took out a night-luminous pearl he had prepared long ago and gave it to her.

The pearl was three fingers wide, somewhat translucent white, and glowed with a pale green fluorescence in dark places—quite striking.

When Zhao Yanning saw it, his jaw nearly dropped: “Lord Shen, you’ve been so busy lately, yet still had time to buy such a treasure to please our shopkeeper? I heard there were only three such pearls in Lin’an this year, extremely precious.”

Shen Qiyuan said vaguely, “A gift from His Majesty. I just brought it over casually.”

Ruyi smiled meaningfully, not exposing his lie.

The fluorescent light fell on her slender fingertips, like the moon hanging on branches. Though the bright moon cannot be plucked, she played with that light wantonly, rolling it from her index finger to her pinkie, then smoothly sliding it back to her thumb. Her movements were graceful and swift, yet made people somewhat nervous.

“Please don’t drop it.” Zhao Yanning moved away, afraid of being framed for breaking it.

He Tinglan spat at him: “You’re far too timid. Look at Lord Shen—now that’s what you call composed and calm.”

Shen Qiyuan showed no reaction on his face, but to say he was composed and calm would be incorrect.

It wasn’t that he cared about the pearl, but rather her hands, with proportioned joints and pink nail polish, reflected by the fluorescent light, which looked like several pieces of the finest mutton-fat jade.

She played with the night-luminous pearl carelessly, only letting the pearl pause briefly at her fingertips without grasping it firmly. Just like her usual style, it was maddening.

Sure enough, the next moment, the pearl slipped from her hand and fell straight down.

His heart sank with it.

But the next instant, Liu Ruyi’s hand extended below where the pearl was falling, catching it firmly, then slowly and softly closing it in her palm.

She looked up at him, her gaze playful, as if she had seen through his thoughts. Holding the pearl, she even patted it gently, as if comforting him.

Shen Qiyuan awkwardly turned his face away.