Chapter 26: The Background of Lily

Baihe did not continue, but Zhao Erdong chuckled, "Perhaps one day, you will be able to find your family with this, won't you? Don't be nervous; I am only borrowing it and I guarantee I will return it to you." Seeing how protectively Baihe guarded it, it was surely something precious. She herself had no desire to use Baihe’s keepsake for stone gambling, but she hated that she did not possess a single item of value on her person.

Unable to withstand Zhao Erdong’s relentless pestering, Baihe finally, and with great reluctance, took out the jade pendant she wore against her skin. She handed it to Zhao Erdong, cautioning her again and again never to lose it.

The jade felt warm to the touch and was exceptionally lustrous. Zhao Erdong blinked, feeling a faint, lingering trace of Daoist essence within the jade, which gave her a truly marvelous sensation.

To think this girl possessed such a fine object; her background must certainly be extraordinary.

"Baihe, this is no ordinary treasure. You must keep it safe in the future and never reveal it to others," Zhao Erdong cautioned with a serious expression.

Baihe pursed her lips. She had never revealed it before; today was the first time, and that was only because of you, she thought to herself.

Zhao Erdong led Baihe into the Spirit Stone Workshop, and immediately, a young shop assistant stepped forward to greet them.

The assistant’s eyes roamed over Zhao Erdong and Baihe. Having spent all day in the workshop, he had naturally developed a pair of "dog’s eyes" for sizing people up. Looking at their attire, while it carried a hint of a wealthy upbringing, the fabric was worn beyond repair, and they lacked a single valuable accessory, giving them a rather impoverished air.

"Young ladies, are you here to gamble on stones or to purchase them?" Although the assistant held them in low regard, he did not show it on his face. People who came here, even if not wealthy, often possessed great talent; once they achieved a modicum of success, who was to say they wouldn't be prosperous later?

"What does it mean to gamble on stones? And what does it mean to purchase them?" In Zhao Erdong’s memories, there was no record of ever dealing with spirit stones, so she naturally did not understand the rules.

The assistant couldn't help but take another look at Zhao Erdong. The girl appeared to be thirteen or fourteen years old; if she were a cultivator, how could she not know the rules of the Spirit Stone Workshop? Was this her first time here? He felt a growing sense of contempt; to be visiting the workshop only now suggested she had just begun her cultivation journey.

"Stone gambling is a wager between individuals. Each chooses a piece of raw stone, and whoever cuts out a spirit essence crystal, or one of higher quality than their opponent’s, wins. The loser pays for the cost of both stones, and the winner claims the spirit essence crystal cut by the loser. That is stone gambling."

"Purchasing stones is simple: you merely select the stones you fancy, pay for them, and take them away."

As the assistant spoke, he scanned them again, his eyes filled with thinly veiled mockery. With such a destitute appearance, they wanted to buy spirit stones? They likely couldn't even afford the scraps.

Zhao Erdong ignored his disdain. People like this were accustomed to fawning over the rich and trampling the poor; it was their nature, and it would be beneath her to argue with them.

"I would like to see the stones first." She scanned the shop but saw not a single stone, clearly indicating that this was not where they were kept.

The assistant did not say much more, simply pointing to a door beside the counter. "They are behind that door. Go ahead yourselves." With that, he turned and walked away without looking back. In his line of work, the wages were pitiful, and he relied primarily on tips from patrons to make a living. These two girls were clearly not well-off, so how could they possibly have money to tip him? He had no desire to waste his time.

Zhao Erdong raised an eyebrow and, indifferent, pulled Baihe through the doorway. They walked down a short corridor, lifted a curtain, and a novel world appeared before their eyes.