Mochou Village. Tianbao Pavilion.
This was the largest official bartering organization within the borders of the Zhao Dynasty. Its main selling point was being fair, just, and open.
If anyone dared to cause trouble here, they would inevitably be wanted by the entire Zhao Dynasty.
Yun Heng and Jiang Keke stayed inside for about 15 minutes. When they emerged, the gloom that had previously clouded Jiang Keke’s face had vanished, replaced by exuberant joy.
“30,000 high-grade spirit stones! 30,000!!”
Jiang Keke’s eyes sparkled. “Master, we’re rich!”
Yun Heng had already used an array to precisely locate the hidden treasure.
The reason they still spent 12 hours there was because there was simply too much treasure, and their carrying capacity was limited. They couldn’t take everything, so they had to be selective.
Fortunately, Yun Heng’s horizons were broad enough. Even though they only took a small portion, the returns were staggering.
Although 30,000 high-grade spirit stones didn’t even match a fraction of the Yun family’s weekly income, it was a massive windfall compared to the meager monthly salary Yun Heng and Jiang Keke used to earn while working—which was only six low-grade spirit stones.
Not to mention, they had never once been able to save more than 50% of that pittance.
Beyond that, the two had “squandered a fortune,” buying their first storage bag since leaving the Yun family with a grand wave of the hand.
This meant Jiang Keke no longer had to act as a manual laborer like a common mortal.
She looked quite impressive now, clutching the storage bag like a precious treasure, feeling as though she had an endless supply of strength.
“Speaking of which, Master,” Jiang Keke said.
Feeling lighthearted now that her burdens were gone, Jiang Keke was very active.
She approached Yun Heng, who was listening intently to a storyteller on the street, and asked curiously, “Since you have this kind of ability, why didn’t you take me into a hidden realm before?”
Jiang Keke found it difficult to understand.
‘If he had taken me along to make money like this from the start, I could have eaten and drunk the best every day. Then I’d grow up fast and wouldn’t have to keep looking up at him anymore, right?’
“Hmm?”
Yun Heng was so engrossed in the storytelling that he didn’t hear what Jiang Keke asked, so the little attendant had to repeat herself.
Just then, the storyteller finished a legend about something that happened in this place 1,000 years ago.
Yun Heng clapped first, then expressed regret over the tragedy in the story.
He tipped the storyteller a few coins he had just exchanged at Tianbao Pavilion before turning to look at Jiang Keke with a mysterious smile. “Resources are limited, and the Great Dao is heartless.”
“What does that mean?” Jiang Keke was puzzled.
“It’s fine. You’ll understand in the future.”
This time, Yun Heng didn’t say his usual, ‘You might not necessarily understand later either.’
Jiang Keke shook her head, feeling even more bewildered.
She still felt her master had changed quite a bit over the past few days, yet it also felt as if nothing had changed at all.
After all, Yun Heng had always enjoyed sprouting flowery, pedantic phrases for no reason.
Sometimes he would explain to Jiang Keke that he had coined them himself, and other times he would say he had heard them before.
Jiang Keke was curious. Since the two of them were almost inseparable, why did Yun Heng always seem so knowledgeable?
It couldn’t be because she was too short to see the world through his eyes, could it?
Unable to come up with an answer no matter how much she thought, Jiang Keke could only sigh.
She returned to Yun Heng’s side and secretly vented her frustration. “When are you going to finish that storybook you were writing? Our ‘Great Author’?”
Yun Heng was stunned.
However, this time he didn’t need Jiang Keke’s memory to remind him; he had always remembered it.
Ever since his transmigration in his previous life, Yun Heng had a wish to write a novel, or rather, a biography.
He really wanted to record his experiences. After all, it was a truly extraordinary experience of transmigration.
He had written for over 10,000 years. He was supposed to have finished the novel upon his ascension, but then he encountered that unexpected accident…
Pushing his thoughts aside, Yun Heng smiled. “Didn’t I just start writing it? There’s no rush. One day in the future, it will be finished.”
They arrived at the designated restaurant. The waiter was vigorously wiping the tables while the manager sat bored behind the counter, checking the accounts.
When the manager saw guests, he only glanced up and lightly tapped a wooden ruler, signaling the waiter to receive them. *Clack*.
“Sir, would you like something?”
The waiter immediately hurried over, wiped his somewhat grimy hands, and put on a wide smile.
“Bring three bottles of wine first. I’ll order the rest of the food once everyone arrives.”
“Of course, guest! We have—”
“Bring three bottles of the most expensive wine. Then keep bringing them until we have twenty-four bottles.”
The waiter hesitated.
Ordering wine like this made it seem like they were stocking up for a shop… What if they drank half and ran away? Should he report this to the manager?
Yun Heng sighed and signaled Jiang Keke with his eyes.
Understanding him, Jiang Keke immediately pulled one high-grade spirit stone from the storage bag.
Yun Heng said, “This is the deposit.”
Jiang Keke hesitantly pulled out a second high-grade spirit stone.
Yun Heng added, “This is the price for me to book the entire place.”
Feeling a bit pained, Jiang Keke pulled out a third high-grade spirit stone.
Yun Heng started drinking water.
After setting the water down, Yun Heng looked at the waiter and smiled. “And this is the reward for you to tell me a story.”
“Thank you for gracing our shop with your presence, guest!”
The waiter’s face lit up with joy as he rubbed his hands flatteringly. “May I ask what story you would like to hear?”
It was currently 2:00 PM, and the shop wasn’t very busy. There was absolutely no reason for him to refuse such an easy, profitable task.
“It’s about a verse.”
“Oh?”
The waiter puffed out his chest. “To be honest, I’m a local born and bred. I’ve heard of every strange rumor or anecdote in this area.”
“That’s perfect.”
Then, Yun Heng unhurriedly recited a fourteen-character short verse:
“Below Mochou Mountain lies Mochou Lake, in Mochou Village lies the Mochou Groom.”
Hearing this, Jiang Keke glanced at Yun Heng.
She had just heard this short verse as well—it was the ending used by the storyteller from earlier.
Many in the crowd seemed to know the background of the story. Once the storyteller finished, many of them had red eyes; the men were silent while the women wept.
Jiang Keke hadn’t heard the beginning of the storyteller’s tale, but as a child who loved storybooks, she had a strong imagination. Even just from this jingle, a series of tragedies quickly came to mind.
After all, the literal meaning of “Mochou” was “no sorrow,” but four consecutive mentions of “Mochou” followed by the word “lies” was no different from repeating the words “deeply sorrowful” over and over again.
***
On the other side, the waiter stood in a daze for a moment after hearing Yun Heng’s words, then let out a long sigh.
“I imagine you must have heard some rumors, guest.”
The waiter gave a bitter smile. “However, this story isn’t a secret in our Mochou Village. It’s just that there are so many versions passed down by word of mouth that it’s impossible to verify which is true and which is false.”
“Then tell me the most popular version, and the version you believe to be the most real.”
Yun Heng’s expression remained unchanged, as if this were truly just casual conversation.
However, Jiang Keke understood her master’s intention. She silently wrapped up ten high-grade spirit stones and pushed them toward the waiter.
Then, she sat obediently on her stool and perked up her ears, afraid to miss a single word.