Mingyi examined the fabric of his clothing and nodded. "I can forge it, but your young master will need to come here. Only then can I determine what kind of Divine Tool suits him."
"This... can't you come with me?"
"No." She refused expressionlessly.
Xiuyun nervously gripped her arm, afraid she might provoke a conflict. Yet, for some reason, her firm attitude seemed to please the servant even more. He immediately said, "Alright, alright, wait here. I'll go fetch my master and the young master right away."
Xiuyun was puzzled. "This person—does he bully the weak and fear the strong?"
"No," Mingyi whispered. "It's just that most Artifact Smiths have eccentric temperaments. The more unyielding their attitude, the more formidable their skills."
Xiuyun: "..." So that's how it is.
The marketplace was crowded, but few carried a thousand Shell Coins on them. After guarding their stall for an hour, they had only sold half of their One Tree of Splendor.
Mingyi, however, wasn’t anxious. Juggling the Shell Coins she’d already earned, she cheerfully discussed with Xiuyun, "Shall we roast pigeons for dinner today?"
"How about ducks? They’re plumper, with more meat."
"Fine, we’ll buy a few on our way back."
Just then, the servant returned, bringing along an impatient young master and an excited elder.
"Right here," the servant pointed at Mingyi with a smile.
The young master glanced at Mingyi and scoffed, "This scrawny thing knows how to forge Divine Tools?"
"Look at these—all made by them," the servant gestured to the One Tree of Splendor on the stall.
The elder, thrilled, picked one up to test. Seeing how smoothly it operated and how little Essence Power it required, he immediately slapped down a gold ingot. "I’ll take all of these. Bring them back for the guards to use."
The servant complied, carefully gathering the remaining dozen or so One Tree of Splendor into his arms.
The young master remained disdainful. "Forging Divine Tools and forging rare Divine Tools are two different things. If you keep pinning your hopes on these useless trinkets, I’ll never get into the Academicians' Court even in ten years."
Mingyi glanced at his Meridians and thought, With talent like that, he really won’t get in.
But calling her creations "useless trinkets" displeased her. She raised her hand and summoned Starlight Sundown.
The young master startled, immediately casting Nether Domain as he warily eyed her. "What are you doing?"
"Young Master wanted to see a rare Divine Tool, didn’t you?" Mingyi smiled. "Let me show you."
With his Nether Domain shielding the surroundings, Mingyi let loose, secretly channeling a wisp of white Essence Power into Starlight Sundown.
Thus, just as the young master raised his hand to counter, needle-thin rays of pure white Essence Power rained down on him like meteors.
And rained they did—the glowing needles pierced through his shield with just three strikes, leaving holes. Meanwhile, a golden light from the compass, like a setting sun, filled the gaps in the starlit assault, poised to strike him next.
"Stop! I surrender!" The young master flailed in panic, shouting in fear, "Father, pay up! Pay up!"
Mingyi retracted the compass and said earnestly, "This one isn’t for sale, but I can make you something else. Delivery tomorrow."
"You’re lying through your teeth." With the threat gone, the young master regained his bravado. "The finest Artifact Smith in our city takes three days to forge a rare Divine Tool. You’ll deliver in one?"
Mingyi remained unruffled. "Yes, one day."The master examined her carefully for a moment before nodding: "Very well, we'll return at this time tomorrow to collect it. Here's the deposit—keep it safe."
A thumb-sized gold nugget, with some heft to it.
Mingyi weighed it in her hand before pocketing it: "Take care."
The young master looked back every few steps, still suspicious: "This better not be a scam."
His father led the way with hands clasped behind his back: "Even if it were, who could escape Star Yearn City under my watch?"
Xiuyun kept her head lowered without a word. Only after they had gone did she speak to Mingyi: "Those two are from noble families in the main city—their households often send people to pay respects in the inner court."
"That's good. If we handle this deal well, we won't lack customers bringing us money in the future."
After packing up the stall, Mingyi took her back to their courtyard. The two buried themselves in counting coins, growing happier as the pile grew.
"If we have harvests like this every day, we could buy a beast-drawn carriage in less than a year," Mingyi calculated.
But as she considered the timeline, she grew somewhat dazed.
"I never thought money could come this quickly," Xiuyun exclaimed dramatically, scooping up a handful of Shell Coins and watching them slip through her fingers. "Had I met you sooner, I'd have run away earlier."
Amused, Mingyi chuckled softly: "Let's eat out today. We'll order a fat roasted duck."
"Yay!"
After changing clothes, they leaned against each other as they headed out to Hua Biezhi, known for the best roasted duck.
No sooner had they sat down than a group arrived at the entrance.
"I'm just saying, it's not like you're getting married—why drag us out for a feast?" Shu Zhonglin complained incessantly. "In this sweltering heat too."
"Cut him some slack. Xiuyuan just wants to show off that he's got company now."
"Pfft, who doesn't? Bozhai's mansion just welcomed over twenty new 'companions.'"
The moment these words left Shu Zhonglin's mouth, he spotted Mingyi seated nearby and immediately fell silent.
Ji Bozhai, walking ahead, sensed something amiss and glanced over.
Mingyi sat facing Xiuyyun, directly in their line of sight. Noticing their gazes, she offered a composed smile and a slight nod in greeting before lowering her eyes to continue chatting with Xiuyun.
After not seeing her for so long, he'd expected Mingyi to have grown thinner. Instead, her complexion appeared rosier—though her eyes remained utterly placid, showing neither joy nor panic.
He indifferently averted his gaze and summoned the waiter: "Is the private seating upstairs full?"
The waiter blinked: "No—"
Bozhai gave him a pointed look.
Catching on, the waiter slapped his thigh: "You've guessed it, sir! I was just wondering how to apologize to Young Master Liang. The private rooms upstairs were booked early. If you don't mind, we can cordon off an area here in the main hall—I guarantee no disturbances. Would that suffice?"
Liang Xiuyuan, bringing up the rear, protested: "People of our status can't possibly sit in the main hall—"
Before he could finish, Yan Xiao clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Main hall's perfect," Yan Xiao declared. "Better ventilation—nice and cool."
The group settled in—not at Mingyi's table, but directly across from it. Whenever Mingyi looked up, Bozhai's face would be in view.
What rotten luck.
"What's wrong?" Xiuyun asked, having been mentally calculating their trip to Flying Blossom City. When she looked up, she found Mingyi visibly displeased.
"It's nothing," Mingyi replied. "Let's eat quickly and leave."
"Okay." Xiuyun picked up her chopsticks, eagerly eyeing the kitchen as they awaited their roasted duck.However, for some reason, their dishes still hadn't arrived after quite a while, while people who came later were already eating.
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