But the shopkeeper didn’t move. He glanced at her, then clicked his fingers together. "You’re out of luck, Daoist Bai…"
“Price hike?” Bai Shuo’s face fell, her frustration mounting. “Ten spirit pearls for one portrait, and now you’re increasing the price?”
“Daoist Bai, surely you know that the Wu Tong Tournament has started. Right now, every young immortal and demon in the Three Realms is scrambling for information on the Outcast City and the Wu Tong Tree’s properties. My Shunfeng Pavilion has been working day and night, and your request requires assigning extra people—I’m stretched thin.”
Bai Shuo was speechless. “How much more?”
The paper man held up three fingers.
“Three more?” Bai Shuo guessed, hope fading.
“No, three times more.”
Bai Shuo’s temper flared. “Three times?! Thirty spirit pearls for one portrait? Why don’t you just rob me?”
“Now, now, Daoist Bai. As the saying goes, one may gamble but not coerce. If you prefer, you could always visit the Nine Heavens Palace, Daze, Kunlun, Yun Xiao, Jing You, or Leng Quan yourself?” The paper man listed off each name with a smirk, causing Bai Shuo’s resolve to weaken more with each one. By the last, she had grabbed hold of his jade pipe in frustration.
“What? You want to fight?”
“Goodness, no, I wouldn’t dare.” Bai Shuo forced a smile, trying to bargain. “Shopkeeper Zhi, look at me—I’m barely scraping by. I can only save up ten spirit pearls in a month. Thirty spirit pearls for a portrait is too much. Be kind; lower it a bit?”
The paper man looked at her, tapped his pipe, and scattered some embers, prompting Bai Shuo to hastily let go of it.
“Times are tough, and business is hard to come by. Shunfeng Pavilion has always been honest with its customers.”
He really is stingy! Bai Shuo cursed him in her heart, but on the outside, she gave him a sweet smile and tried again. “Come on, a little give and take is what keeps business relationships going. If I starve to death, you’ll lose a good customer. Just look at my poor disciple—standing in the street all day, he’s practically turned into a bamboo pole! I need to save some food money for him.”
As she spoke, she pulled Fan Yue over, putting on her best pitiful expression.
The paper man had barely given her a second glance, but the moment his narrow eyes met the boy’s calm, clear gaze, he felt a strange, inexplicable chill and straightened up instinctively.
With a heavy sigh, he exhaled two smoke rings, clearly reluctant. "Alright, alright. It’s not easy for you with family to take care of. I’ll lower it to twenty-five spirit pearls."
Bai Shuo tried to haggle further, but the paper man silenced her with a sharp look. “Daoist Bai, gathering the true essence portraits of the masters of the Three Realms’ palaces, halls, and sects is no easy task. This business is risky for me as well—twenty-five, and not a pearl less.”
“Deal! Hand it over.”
Seeing that the deal was struck, the paper man produced a scroll infused with spiritual energy from his hand and tossed it to Bai Shuo. “Here you go—this time it’s the Kunlun sect master’s portrait.”
Bai Shuo quickly pocketed the scroll and pushed ten spirit pearls across the counter towards the paper man before grabbing Fan Yue and dashing off.
“Shopkeeper Zhi, here’s ten pearls for now. I still owe you fifteen—I’ll pay the rest next month!”
Her voice echoed inside as she and Fan Yue were already far down the street. The paper man was left speechless, his thin mustache almost flipping up in frustration.
Where did this cheeky little girl come from, so tight-fisted she could out-scrimp even him!
In his few hundred years of business, Shopkeeper Zhi had sold all sorts of information in the Three Realms from his Shunfeng Pavilion, but this was a first. Who would even want to buy spiritual portraits of the Three Realms’ powerful figures? What did she plan to do with them—pick out a future spouse?
With a huff, he took a drag from his pipe and had just moved to scoop the ten spirit pearls into his pocket when a large night pearl was suddenly tossed onto the counter.
Flustered, the paper man scrambled to steady the luminous gem, nearly bending his delicate frame under its weight.
“Shunfeng Pavilion?” came a cold voice.
“Yes, yes, sir! What information would you like to buy?” the paper man asked with a smile, his wrinkled face folding even more as he clutched the night pearl.
“I’m looking for someone.”
“What kind of person?”
“A fortune-teller.”
The paper man froze, his small, narrow eyes glancing in the direction Bai Shuo had run off in, before blowing two smoke rings with evident satisfaction.
“Consider it done, sir. I happen to know just the one.”
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