The style of the flowing celestial dress Ao Xinyu was wearing resembled the one Lin Que had bought for Qin Wanyuan. Only the color scheme was a soft white overall, with a few light blue silk ribbons accenting the chest area.
Of course, this was most likely just a coincidence, so Lin Que didn’t mention it.
“Xinyu, I didn’t bring anything fancy this time. Just some candied fruits and a few beauty-enhancing pills I refined myself. Hope you don’t mind.”
Smiling, Lin Que handed over the small gift he had prepared. Ao Xinyu eagerly accepted it, immediately tearing open the package and stuffing her cheeks full of candied fruit like a hoarding hamster. There was nothing dragon-like about her in that moment.
“You still remembered I love eating these,” Ao Xinyu said happily, her words slightly muffled by the food.
“Well, it’s only been a few years since we last saw each other. It wasn’t long enough to forget something like that,” Lin Que replied with a smile.
Back when they used to work together, Ao Xinyu would always snack on sweets like these candied fruits whenever she was under pressure or in a good mood. She used to buy them by the crate.
While that may have seemed excessive at first glance, considering her true form was a white dragon several zhang long, it made perfect sense.
If she were eating in her true form, this amount wouldn’t even fill the gap between her teeth.
Noticing Lin Que’s gaze, Ao Xinyu suddenly realized she had been eating a little too roughly, so she switched to taking small, delicate bites.
“Hehe~”
She scratched the tip of her nose a bit shyly, her cheeks tinged with a light blush. “Cui’er, prepare some tea.”
“At once.”
The shopkeeper sister called Cui’er nodded and turned to leave. Soon, she returned with steaming spiritual tea. Clearly, the water had already been boiling and the tea brewing since the moment Lin Que entered the pavilion. It was ready just in time.
“Go ahead and try it! I guarantee the spiritual tea from my Glazed Pavilion is the best you’ll find within a ten-thousand-li radius,” Ao Xinyu said enthusiastically.
When it came to this, she was never modest….and rightfully so. After all, she was simply stating the truth.
There were few in the world who could rival a dragon princess in wealth.
Lin Que lifted the cup and took a sip. “Mm… the flavor is refreshing and fragrant. It calms the mind and replenishes vitality. Truly an exceptional tea.”
“If you like it, take a few jin back with you later. You can share some with Wanyuan and the others too.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but a few jin would be far too much,” Lin Que replied politely. “A few liang will be more than enough.”
He understood Ao Xinyu’s personality. If he tried to pay for it, it would only lead to a long back-and-forth of polite refusal and insistence. It was simpler to just let her gift a smaller portion.
Besides, a few liang was already quite a lot. Tea of this grade was usually sold by the li, which said a lot about how precious it was.
Perfect. I can bring some back for my teacher, too.
An Xiaoyao had always loved tea. With something this rare and valuable, of course Lin Que wouldn’t forget her.
Come to think of it, she had recently said she was heading off to investigate the strange happenings in the demonic forest, particularly the mysterious appearance of the phoenix egg. He wondered how that had turned out.
It would be a good opportunity to ask when he got back.
“All right,” Ao Xinyu agreed, then instructed the shopkeeper to pack up the tea.
After enjoying the tea, the two chatted for a while longer before Ao Xinyu got down to business.
“Right, so did you come to me today to buy more medicinal herbs?”
“Yes, still for wound treatment.”
Lin Que handed her a list, which Ao Xinyu glanced over before getting up to lead him to the storeroom.
This time, the process was quick and smooth, without any bargaining. Lin Que simply bought the herbs at cost price instead of having Ao Xinyu gift them.
Watching Lin Que finish storing away the medicinal herbs, Ao Xinyu blinked and asked somewhat reluctantly, “Lin Daque, are you leaving already?”
By all accounts, Lin Que could leave now. He had already purchased both the herbs and the snacks. But after a moment’s thought, he shook his head. “There’s still some time before evening. How about we chat a bit more?”
“Yes, yes! Let’s go back quickly. I’ve got some rare treasures I’ve collected recently to show you!” Ao Xinyu exclaimed happily.
Without realizing it, she grabbed Lin Que’s hand and pulled him along, dashing toward the Glazed Pavilion like an excited child eager to show a friend their prized collection.
As she suddenly took his hand, Lin Que was reminded of the moment when Jiang Moqing had held onto him earlier. His brows furrowed slightly, but seeing how genuinely happy Ao Xinyu was, he said nothing and simply let her pull him back to the pavilion.
Once inside, Ao Xinyu shut the door and began showcasing her collection of exotic curiosities.
“This is the Ten-Thousand-Li Landscape Scroll, crafted by a Nascent Soul-level cultivator who had already begun the path to enlightenment. If you infuse it with spiritual consciousness, you can clearly see every detail of the rivers and mountains within as if you were truly standing amidst them. A true masterpiece.”
“This one’s the Thousand-Form Glazed Tower. Its shape can change at will. It’s a rather unique spatial-type artifact. You can even trap people inside, though I mostly just use it for storing things.”
“And this is…”
Ao Xinyu introduced item after item with great enthusiasm, each more unusual and exquisite than the last, giving Lin Que quite the eye-opening experience.
But finally, she suddenly took out a longsword from her storage ring, and the sight of it caused Lin Que’s brow to knit into a frown.
The sword was exquisitely ornate. Five dragons coiled around the pommel, and the blade gleamed with a piercing cold light. Even though Ao Xinyu wasn’t a sword cultivator, just holding it gave off a sharp, imposing aura.
“This is the last one…the legendary Dragon-Slaying Sword, one of the Four Divine Swords! …Well, a replica,” Ao Xinyu said, her voice clearly lacking confidence by the time she reached the last few words.
At the name of the sword, Lin Que suddenly coughed several times and blinked repeatedly.
“You said it’s called what?”
A dragon… holding the Dragon-Slaying Sword? No matter how he looked at it, something about that just felt wrong.
“Dragon-Slaying Sword! …A replica,” Ao Xinyu repeated.
“Don’t be fooled by it being a replica, though. It was forged from genuine meteorite iron from beyond the heavens. It’s razor-sharp and incredibly tough.”
“The real Dragon-Slaying Sword disappeared long ago, and honestly, I hope it never resurfaces. According to legend, if that sword ever shows up again… it really will slay a dragon.”
As she spoke, Ao Xinyu couldn’t help but shiver a little.
Ah, she does still remember she’s a dragon, after all.
Lin Que thought to himself with amusement.
After that, the two chatted over tea for a while longer, until Lin Que finally got to the real reason for his visit.
“Have you encountered any trouble lately?” he asked.
Hearing this, Ao Xinyu first glanced over at the twin shopkeepers. When she saw them both shake their heads, she finally answered:
“…No? Why do you ask, Lin Daque?”
“You seemed to frown from time to time. I figured something was weighing on your mind. Why not tell me? If it’s anything like the old days, I can help you… kill a few people,” Lin Que said bluntly.
The shopkeeper sister standing nearby jumped in shock at the casual threat.
Ao Xinyu simply shook her head.
“Glazed Pavilion isn’t what it used to be. Besides, it’s not that serious. No need for the great Lin Daque to take action,” she replied lightly.
Not serious? Then why have you been frowning for days on end?
That was what Lin Que wanted to say, but he kept it to himself.
Since Ao Xinyu clearly wasn’t willing to share, he didn’t press the issue. Still, just in case, he decided he’d ask the two shopkeepers privately later.
After all, when he brought it up, Ao Xinyu had glanced at them. That meant they knew something.
“Very well,” Lin Que let the matter go and smoothly changed the subject. “By the way, your outfit… who designed it?”
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