Chapter 22: Exposing the Deception

Xiao Pu shook his head. Ever since he was rescued by his mistress, he had forgotten everything about his past. Just now, holding that sword, flashes of images related to it had flickered through his mind. His shaking head was not because he hadn’t seen it before, but because he did not know what it was.

"Forget it, let's not look at weapons anymore." Wanqi Yue pulled Xiao Pu toward the high wall on the right, which was covered entirely in jade pendants.

"Wow, this is an eye-opener! Other shops keep their jade on display cases, but yours covers the whole wall!"

The shopkeeper smiled as he introduced them: "Carved green jade, jasper Buddha hands, lingzhi longevity patterns, white jade plum blossoms—we have every style imaginable, all of them top-quality."

The shopkeeper followed them everywhere they went. Wanqi Yue really wanted to suggest that they stop calling the shop "Linglong Pavilion" and rename it "Quchen’s Place" instead.

"I’ll take a look on my own for now," she replied.

The shopkeeper continued, "We also have matching pairs of jade. If the young lady has a gentleman she fancies, you could buy them for him..."

"The fourth and fifth items on the third row, the second and sixth on the fifth row, and the sixth and eighth on the seventh row. Take them all down so I can have a look."

"Right away!" the assistant replied, taking down the jade pendants one by one.

Wanqi Yue picked up one of the matching pairs to examine it closely. The main body of the pendant was carved with a pair of ribbon-tailed birds; their heads, necks, and crests shimmered with a deep blue luster, while the rest of their bodies were white with black feather-shaft patterns.

Seeing her interest, the assistant hurried to explain: "The young lady has a keen eye! This pair symbolizes happiness, longevity, and a smooth career. They are exquisite—the only pair we have!"

"What’s the price?" Wanqi Yue asked.

"Fifty taels," the assistant said with a grin.

"Oh." Though she remained calm on the surface, Wanqi Yue was reeling inside.

Fifty taels? He might as well just rob her! Even if she had plenty of silver, she couldn't bear to spend that much.

Noticing her hesitation, the shopkeeper chimed in: "It’s our grand opening promotion today. Two pendants for eighty taels, three for one hundred, and we offer free customization. Would the young lady like to choose two more?"

She gasped inwardly. Who could refuse a discount? Who could refuse customization? And who could refuse a discount *plus* customization!

"I'll take them!" she announced.

The shopkeeper was beaming, bustling to order tea so that Wanqi Yue could take her time choosing.

"Xiao Pu, which one do you like?"

The sudden question caught Xiao Pu off guard.

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Wanqi Yue nodded.

"Young lady, there is no need to spend money on me. I don’t need anything," Xiao Pu replied, bowing politely to decline.

"Shopkeeper, bring over a few pieces that would suit him so he can try them on."

Ignoring Xiao Pu's refusal, Wanqi Yue began to browse on her own.

"This one won't do, it's too dull." She shook her head.

"This one either, it's too plain!" She waved her hand again.

...

After much searching, none of them seemed quite right. Wanqi Yue frowned.

Seeing that Wanqi Yue was determined to buy something, Xiao Pu pointed to the tray she had picked out first.

"I would like to try that crescent moon..."

Surprised by Xiao Pu’s initiative, she signaled for the shopkeeper to let him try it. However, the shopkeeper looked conflicted.

"This is usually worn by young ladies. Given his... murderous aura... it doesn't seem very suitable."

"No matter, let him try it," Wanqi Yue replied.

The shopkeeper nodded and fastened the crescent pendant around Pulada’s waist.

"Oh? A golden-threaded crescent moon. I think it actually suits you quite well. Do you like it, Xiao Pu?" A hint of pleasant surprise washed over Wanqi Yue’s face.

Xiao Pu nodded.

"You mentioned customization earlier; I assume we can change the color of the tassels?" Wanqi Yue asked the shopkeeper.

"Yes, please come this way."

Wanqi Yue sent Xiao Pu off with the shopkeeper and grabbed the last piece she had selected—an ice-fire butterfly pendant—to settle the bill at the counter.

Unexpectedly, several assistants were surrounding a man near the counter, and it seemed a dispute had broken out.

"I didn't break it! I didn't even touch it!" the young man in green robes explained.

"You *did* break it! It was perfectly fine sitting there, and the moment you walked past, it shattered. If you didn't break it, then who did?" the assistant shouted angrily.

"You are talking utter nonsense! Our young master didn't even go near that porcelain vase. You must have broken it yourselves and are now trying to pin it on us!" his attendant argued.

Wanqi Yue looked closely and realized this was the same young man who had said earlier that if the goods weren't worth the price, he would smash the place. It seemed he had actually smashed something.

"I saw it with my own eyes—you broke it!"

...

After a long argument, the shopkeeper grabbed the young man by the collar and said, "If you don't pay, don't blame us for getting rough!"

"How dare you! Do you know who our young master is?" The attendant shoved his hand away.

The young man in green glared at his attendant, seemingly not wanting to reveal his identity, so the attendant fell silent.

Straightening his clothes, which had been ruffled by the shopkeeper, the young man pulled a one-hundred-tael banknote from his sleeve and slapped it onto the counter. "Fine, don't ruin my mood. I'll just take the loss."

He thought the matter was settled, but as he took a step to leave, the shopkeeper blocked his path again.

"One hundred taels? Are you trying to pay off a beggar? This vase is worth one thousand taels!"

"One thousand taels?" Both of them couldn't believe their ears.

"Isn't this extortion?" the attendant cried out in fury.

"I say it's worth one thousand, so it's worth one thousand! If you don't pay up today, we'll break your legs!" The shopkeeper issued his threat. The assistants behind him picked up tools, ready to strike, and the young man’s attendant drew his long sword.

"Wait." Everyone looked around to see where the voice came from.

"Make way!" Wanqi Yue flicked her folding fan, her bright, piercing eyes revealing her intent. She crouched down, picked up a fragment of the porcelain, and examined it. In a single glance, she saw through their scheme.

"Cliché." It was a classic "staged accident" scam; truly boring.

"Shopkeeper, this vase was clearly smashed with a tool, not dropped. Extorting people like this is truly heartless." Wanqi Yue pried open the shopkeeper’s hand and placed the fragment in his palm.

The shopkeeper panicked, tossing the fragment onto the counter with an unnatural expression. Even though his scheme had been exposed, he tried to make one final struggle.

"He knocked it over, that’s all! Do you really think a shop as big as ours would resort to extortion? You say it was smashed, not dropped—do you have proof?" the shopkeeper asked, lifting his chin in defiance.

"If he had truly knocked it over, the shards would be irregular in shape and varied in size. But look at the shards on the floor—they are uniform in size. From that height, it is physically impossible for it to have shattered like this."

"Furthermore... there are traces of glue on the edges of the shards."

Completely exposed, the shopkeeper broke into a cold sweat. An assistant ran out from the back room and whispered something in his ear, causing the shopkeeper’s face to turn pale with fear; his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

He signaled to an assistant with his eyes, who then rushed forward to explain: "Forgive me, Shopkeeper! It was me—I accidentally knocked it over while handling the goods yesterday. I resorted to this scheme to avoid punishment. It was my fault."

The shopkeeper feigned shock: "What? How could you do such a thing? You made me wrongly accuse this young master! Get out and take your punishment; don't bother coming back to work tomorrow!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other assistants dragged the man away.