Perhaps at that moment, Xing Wu’s heart was calling for a miracle to happen.

But in the short shopkeeper’s view, Jian Chou’s very existence was already a miracle—where could there be any other opportunities?

His eyes still seemed to reflect that pile of gold and silver mountains from earlier, and his memory hadn’t even been able to fully extract itself from all those previous items.

Following Jian Chou, he stumbled down the stairs, one foot shallow, one foot deep.

Xing Wu stood closest, with Chen Tingyan equally concerned about the situation behind him.

Obviously, no one understood what the current situation was. Everyone observed Jian Chou and the short shopkeeper with extremely strange gazes, trying to glimpse even the slightest clue from their expressions.

Unfortunately, even the well-informed short shopkeeper had completely surrendered before that pile of “scraps.” How could these customers in the shop possibly imagine?

“Shopkeeper, what’s the result?”

Using almost all his strength to make his expression appear somewhat calm.

But Xing Wu’s heart was already churning with turbulent waves. He desperately wanted to know the outcome.

The short shopkeeper knew what he needed to do at this moment, and remembered his agreement with Jian Chou.

Regarding Xing Wu before him…

He slowly came back to his senses, still in a dreamlike state, slowly saying: “I’m truly sorry, Young Master Xing. This black sword is no longer for sale in our shop. It has been gifted to Miss Jian Chou.”

“What?!”

Xing Wu almost doubted he’d heard wrong. He had even prepared for Jian Chou to buy the sword at a high price, constantly guessing in his heart what price she would offer.

Even knowing the chances were slim, he still hoped to compete.

But who would have thought that the short shopkeeper now said the sword wasn’t for sale, and was even directly gifted to Jian Chou?!

Had the Pin Character Tower gone mad?

Had the short shopkeeper also gone mad?

Coming out to open a shop and do business, not to mention offending Xing Wu and Chen Tingyan, they didn’t even want Profound Jade?

Direct gifting!

Completely incomprehensible!

Not just Xing Wu, who was intimately concerned with this, but even Chen Tingyan behind him and everyone else now showed shocked expressions, completely unable to understand what kind of development this was.

“Are you kidding me…”

“Pin Character Tower is so generous?”

“King of Hell, what’s this female cultivator’s background?”

“Right, this is Pin Character Tower after all…”

“Could it be that Xing Wu kicked an iron plate?”

“Do you need to ask? Definitely!”

…

The tide of discussion—people were somewhat excited, but precisely because Jian Chou was present, they had to suppress this excitement.

This feeling was like people thinking Jian Chou would give Xing Wu a heavy blow, but unexpectedly when Jian Chou appeared, she delivered a devastating blow instead!

Too absolute!

With Pin Character Tower saying they wouldn’t sell, what could Xing Wu do?

“Young Master Xing…”

Perhaps because Xing Wu’s expression didn’t look good, the short shopkeeper couldn’t help but speak.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to do business with Xing Wu, but faced with such profit, there was absolutely no way to abandon such a big benefactor as Jian Chou!

“Actually, over ten thousand Profound Jade would be enough to buy magical artifacts of even better grade. This black sword isn’t remarkable and really isn’t worth such effort from you, Young Master.”

“Now that Miss Jian Chou is an honored guest of our Pin Character Tower, I still hope both parties can be harmonious…”

“Harmonious?!”

Xing Wu’s white clothes couldn’t suppress the black qi surging like dark clouds on his face.

Hearing the shopkeeper’s seemingly comforting words, the anger that had progressed from hope to disappointment to final despair had completely invaded his reason.

However, the more frenzied he became, the calmer he appeared.

At this point, Xing Wu still sneered: “Ruining this young master’s good fortune, and you still want harmony? When has your Pin Character Tower become so biased in its dealings? Not selling this sword and openly gifting it to someone—shopkeeper, are you truly set on this course?!”

“Young Master Xing’s words are mistaken.”

Jian Chou, hearing his words laden with threat, laughed indifferently.

“Actually, the black sword is dispensable to me. I don’t like competing with others or arguing, and I never make enemies. But the principles that should be spoken must be made clear.”

Xing Wu’s words contained veiled threats, while Jian Chou’s were reasonable and well-founded.

“Pin Character Tower does business naturally going to the highest bidder—there’s nothing wrong with that. Seeing Young Master Xing value this black sword so much, you must have great use for it. If you had spoken kindly when you first arrived, appealing to emotion and reason, Jian Chou is not someone who cannot part with things, and might not have been unwilling to let you have it. Even based on the Profound Jade in your purse, I wouldn’t have competed with you.”

Jian Chou was just a poor ghost who had sat on the street with Big Head Ghost and Little Head Ghost the previous night, unable to even find a place to stay.

If this sword were cheap, buying it would have been no matter.

But if Xing Wu truly came to compete, Jian Chou would certainly not want to create more trouble.

But in this world, some things can be yielded, others cannot.

Holding the black sword, she stood before Xing Wu. Her face bore no trace of mockery, only gentle calm, with a bearing that naturally carried a sense of distinction.

“As for Pin Character Tower, the shopkeeper has his own reasons for how he conducts business. Opening or closing the shop depends entirely on him alone. Whether to sell or gift—what qualification does Young Master Xing have to interfere?”

The onlookers, hearing this, couldn’t help but nod secretly.

Though they didn’t know what background this young lady had, her words were absolutely correct.

If not for Xing Wu’s arrogant “qualification” comment, how would today’s situation have come about?

However…

Why did it feel somewhat strange?

People thought carefully and discovered the problem: when had the Extreme Domain ever had such reasonable people?

The Extreme Domain, after all, was just part of the cultivation world.

Strength was supreme, the weak were prey to the strong.

In the past, when a Jade Nirvana cultivator casually said “you’re not qualified,” would cultivators of minimal cultivation dare resist even half a sentence?

Everyone was already accustomed to this kind of disdain and commanding attitude from superiors toward inferiors. This female cultivator, after slapping someone’s face, was actually reasoning with Xing Wu…

Only Chen Tingyan nearby felt a long-lost familiarity.

Eloquent yet not aggressive, even when saying words of disagreement, always maintaining an appearance that made people feel like a spring breeze.

Actually, these words, when examined closely, had only two meanings—

One was “I’m fighting for dignity,” the other was “mind your own business.”

Thinking carefully, Chen Tingyan couldn’t help but press his fan against his curved lips, his gaze toward Jian Chou becoming increasingly bright.

As the party being “lectured,” Xing Wu was now furious with shame.

This speech was even more infuriating to him than the short shopkeeper’s announcement that the sword wasn’t for sale!

“The cultivation world follows the law of the jungle. Initially I scolded you only because of your minimal cultivation; now you can lecture me only because you have your methods. What difference is there between us?”

Xing Wu laughed coldly.

“Only the strong are qualified to reason with others. This time I was outmaneuvered—it’s my insufficient ability. You just… The Extreme Domain is vast, there’s a long road ahead. Let’s wait and see!”

Having said this, he glared fiercely at Jian Chou, as if trying to remember exactly what she looked like, then directly stormed off.

The crowd of onlookers outside, all with low cultivation levels, dared not block a cultivator who had already entered Jade Nirvana.

So when Xing Wu turned around, they immediately made way, allowing him to pass.

Jian Chou stood in place, raising her eyebrows slightly. Facing everyone’s worried gazes, she merely smiled.

She muttered to herself: The Extreme Domain is vast, your road ahead is long, but I’m leaving… Heaven knows whether I’ll still be here when you’re able to kill me.

…

The excitement had ended. People saw that Jian Chou’s identity was extraordinary and didn’t dare approach to chat for a moment. They could only point and whisper among themselves, and soon left.

“Truly, people can’t be judged by appearance… ah no, true people don’t reveal themselves!”

Chen Tingyan, seeing people leave, immediately approached and bowed to Jian Chou.

Jian Chou looked back at him and said lightly: “Fourth Young Master Chen is too kind. It’s just the shopkeeper’s care.”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!”

The short shopkeeper, hearing this, was startled and quickly waved his hands.

How could he dare put on airs before Jian Chou now?

Just thinking that two-thirds of that pile of gold and silver mountains was still in Jian Chou’s hands made the short shopkeeper’s heart burn with excitement. With these materials, he needn’t worry about Pin Character Tower not leaving all competitors in the dust!

“It’s all because Miss Jian Chou is formidable. I have no credit. However, this Xing Wu is from the Wuchang Yizu among the Ten Great Ghost Clans, and he’ll participate in the Cauldron Competition later, so he’s probably highly regarded by the Wuchang Yizu. Though Wangsi City forbids killing, you’re not absolutely safe. I’m afraid he’ll seek revenge later, so you should be more careful…”

Speaking to this point, the short shopkeeper suddenly stopped, immediately gave himself a small slap, and smiled apologetically to Jian Chou: “Look how confused I am. How could Miss Jian Chou need to worry? Haha…”

Chen Tingyan’s gaze immediately became strange.

Jian Chou secretly cringed, suddenly remembering the earlier situation upstairs, immediately feeling a sense of unbearable reminiscence, and quickly said: “Thank you for the shopkeeper’s reminder. I’ll be staying in Wangsi City recently and won’t leave. Once I’ve arranged lodging, I’ll definitely inform you.”

“That’s wonderful!”

The short shopkeeper’s white, chubby face immediately became ruddy, happy as if he’d found money.

“Today’s situation is of great importance. After I report to my master, I’ll contact you immediately. If you want to buy anything in the future, please come directly to Pin Character Tower. I guarantee to give you the best prices.”

“I dare not refuse the shopkeeper’s generous offer. Thank you.” Jian Chou hadn’t expected to make a good connection this time, so she bowed: “Then Jian Chou will take her leave.”

“Take care.”

The short shopkeeper saw Jian Chou step forward and immediately followed, escorting her all the way to the door.

Chen Tingyan was also unambiguous, unhesitatingly turning to leave with Jian Chou and following her.

The short shopkeeper stood outside the door, his short figure like an old ginseng root, his gaze following Jian Chou’s gradually receding figure, his eyes showing a tipsy haziness as if drunk.

Actually, what Jian Chou had displayed this time was truly too frightening.

Such a large pile of things—even with Pin Character Tower being such a massive entity, they couldn’t swallow it all at once.

After weighing the prices, both the short shopkeeper and the group of treasure-appraising little ghosts had trembled.

Having considerable decision-making power at Pin Character Tower, the short shopkeeper immediately chose to buy a large pile of Jian Chou’s items to not miss this huge opportunity, taking one-third of that pile.

As for the remaining two-thirds, he would have to wait until he reported to his master and explained the situation before making a decision.

What he had said when parting with Jian Chou earlier was entirely due to this.

The reason the black sword was gifted to Jian Chou was first, not wanting to give Xing Wu an opportunity, and second, it was a favor their Pin Character Tower was doing for Jian Chou.

Of course, Jian Chou had also requested that Pin Character Tower keep all details confidential, which the short shopkeeper had naturally agreed to immediately.

Actually, from beginning to end, the well-informed short shopkeeper had never identified Jian Chou’s identity.

Ridiculously low cultivation, yet with the most composed and unique way of handling things. This kind of oddity who would reason with people after slapping their faces—the short shopkeeper hadn’t seen such a person in many years.

“Heh…”

The figure had completely disappeared from view. The short shopkeeper reached up to stroke his chin, still pondering that question.

“Which family’s second-generation ancestor or important person could she be…”

No good, just thinking on his own, he couldn’t guess at all.

The short shopkeeper slapped his forehead, suddenly thinking of something, and stamped his foot: “I’m so stupid, wouldn’t asking my master give me a clue?”

Whether to continue buying the remaining two-thirds, how much to buy, when to transfer Profound Jade over… this series of questions also needed his master to make the final decision.

The short shopkeeper hurriedly re-entered Pin Character Tower, going all the way from the first floor to the second floor, from the second floor to the third floor, finally entering a small room in the corner of the third floor. He pressed his hand, and a huge turtle shell totem rotated out from the door.

“Click.”

The door opened.

The entire room had no tables, chairs, or lamps, only a circular stone platform with a crimson pearl placed in the center.

After the short shopkeeper entered, the door behind him closed automatically.

He came to the stone platform, formed hand seals, and rapidly executed a series of hand signs. The crimson pearl immediately brightened greatly.

Like sudden waves arising from calm ground, the entire stone platform transformed into flowing water, with ripples that were quite beautiful to behold.

A blurry figure appeared in the flowing water.

“Bai Shen, what matter?”

The short shopkeeper bowed: “Master, today when Shanhai Market came to Wangsi City, Pin Character Tower received an honored guest who brought many items…”

The previous encounter with Jian Chou and the pile of scraps she brought were all described in detail by the short shopkeeper.

For a Pin Character Tower that dealt in precious treasures, the continuous appearance of more and better items was essential for growth.

Jian Chou’s appearance was quite significant to them.

Indeed, the blurry figure listened, was silent for a moment, then laughed: “Somewhat interesting. Wangsi City is approaching the Cauldron Competition today, and strange people will appear one after another. A few with backgrounds coming isn’t surprising. We’ll definitely take all the items—I’ll send someone to coordinate with you later. However…”

The voice paused, obviously having some doubts.

The short shopkeeper always understood his boss’s thoughts and boldly continued: “You’re also suspicious of this woman’s identity?”

“A female cultivator, distinguished bearing, extraordinary in her actions…” seeming to fall into thought, but immediately having a direction for speculation, “Recently, Jiang Chang sent her capable subordinate ‘Sha Hanzhi’ to Ghost Gate Pass, but since the Ghost Axe Tianming has already fallen into Cui Jue’s hands, ‘Sha Hanzhi’ should have returned…”

“King Dushi?”

The short shopkeeper was truly shocked.

Jiang Chang, King Dushi, the only female Yama King among the Eight Directions City, and also the only Yama King who hadn’t participated in the Yin-Yang Realm War.

Her true form was a Chang ghost. In life, she was an ordinary woman from the remote islands of the human world, kind-hearted by nature. Later, she was pulled into the river by a water ghost to die in her place, becoming “Jiang Chang,” yet never harmed a single person.

Thus, year after year, day after day.

Whether it was heaven’s mercy or the Buddhist saying about “merit,” Jiang Chang actually flowed upstream, directly entering Ghost Gate Pass. Upon first entering the Extreme Domain, she caused heaven and earth to stir, and was immediately enfeoffed as a king!

Before the Yin-Yang Realm War began, the Eight Directions City didn’t exist.

The other seven Yama Kings all made outstanding contributions during the Yin-Yang Realm War to be enfeoffed as “Yama Kings.” Only this King Dushi was a Yama King from the moment she entered the Extreme Domain.

No one knew Jiang Chang’s original name anymore. Because her true form was a Chang ghost, everyone called her “Jiang Chang.”

She was courteous and kind-hearted, with strong methods but never cruel. She could be said to be the most unique among the eight Yama Kings.

And her subordinates naturally inherited her style.

Now that his master mentioned “Sha Hanzhi,” the short shopkeeper naturally thought of those under King Dushi Jiang Chang.

He couldn’t help but frown: “If it’s Sha Hanzhi, how could she appear here, and moreover…”

“Not necessarily. But if she is, then it becomes interesting…”

The person with the blurry voice seemed somewhat pleased.

“You mean, possibly cultivation damaged?” The short shopkeeper continued thinking: “But ‘Sha Hanzhi’ also has Golden Body peak cultivation, half-step Dao Integration. Who could make her… eh?”

Thinking halfway, the short shopkeeper had a flash of inspiration and was immediately dumbfounded.

“Could it be Cui Jue and them?”

“Whether it is or not, there will be results eventually. It’s just that this group, fighting openly and secretly over an axe, is quite interesting…”

The voice gradually faded and slowly became inaudible.

The short shopkeeper still stood in place, slowly thinking, finally having a feeling of “I finally fucking know the truth”…

…

On the long street of Shanhai Market.

Jian Chou still didn’t know that the short shopkeeper was racking his brains over her identity. She only looked back at Chen Tingyan, who was following her like a piece of sticky candy, and sighed: “How long do you plan to follow me?”

“Cough, well… meeting an old friend in a foreign land is one of life’s great joys!”

Chen Tingyan wasn’t embarrassed at all.

“Why don’t we find a place? I see you’re not very familiar with this place either. I can show you around. Now I’m practically a local snake here. Whether it’s the Registration Office, Shanhai Market, the Eighteen-Story Ground Tower, or even the Cauldron Competition! Whatever you want to know, I can definitely tell you everything!”

She heard this term again.

Jian Chou frowned: “The Cauldron Competition again…”