Chapter 275: Chapter 154: Star Essence Gold
"You’re talking about a live Thousand-Year Snow Silkworm?" Shen Qingyao’s eyes lit up as she spoke with delight.
"Precisely." Bi Ziqian nodded. He then waved his hand, ordering a guard to pull the red silk cloth off a display case. From within, he carefully retrieved a palm-sized White Jade Box.
This White Jade Box was clearly made of Cold Jade. The moment it was brought out, it emanated waves of icy air, and the temperature in the entire Cloud Pavilion dropped instantly, giving everyone a chill.
Keep in mind, it was currently the peak of a sweltering summer. This year’s drought and lack of rain made it much hotter than usual.
Bi Ziqian opened the box. Inside lay a Snow Silkworm, slightly larger than a thumb, completely snow-white and chubby.
The startled Snow Silkworm lifted its head slightly and breathed out a puff of cold air.
HISS!
Wherever the cold air passed, the air instantly condensed into wisps of extremely frigid mist, which then turned into ice pellets and scattered onto the floor.
The temperature in the private room dropped sharply again, becoming as bone-chilling as the dead of winter.
Bi Ziqian closed the box, and only then did the temperature in the room slowly begin to rise.
Shen Qingyao said, "It really is a Snow Silkworm. But judging by its size, it must be less than a thousand years old. Eight hundred at most."
Bi Ziqian hadn’t expected Shen Qingyao to be so knowledgeable and was once again surprised. ’This so-called Second Young Master Xiong must be the scion of a great family,’ he thought.
"Second Young Master Xiong has a discerning eye. This Snow Silkworm is indeed less than a thousand years old, but it is over eight hundred. It has been fed Snow Lotus Seeds year-round, so its cold energy is not much weaker than that of a Thousand-Year Snow Silkworm."
"Mm, Snow Lotus Seeds are also valuable Medicinal Materials that enhance cold energy."
Shen Qingyao nodded, then asked directly, "How much for this Snow Silkworm?"
Bi Ziqian smiled. "I can see that the Young Master’s Qi Blood Power is quite profound, so your Martial Arts Power must be remarkable.
If you are willing to tell me your real name and become a Tributor for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, I will gift this Snow Silkworm to you."
"Oh?" Shen Qingyao seemed tempted. "What does being a Tributor for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion entail?"
Bi Ziqian said, "Rest assured, Young Master. Being a Tributor for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion doesn’t involve fighting or killing, nor any dangerous tasks. You would simply need to provide the Hundred Treasures Pavilion with certain information on a regular basis.
In addition, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion provides valuable Cultivation Medicinal Materials every month—even Muscle Strengthening Pills. You would receive an annual share of those as well."
Shen Qingyao asked, "Are there Bone Tempering Pills?"
"Bone Tempering Pills? An ordinary Tributor would not be able to obtain those easily."
Bi Ziqian paused in thought for a moment before continuing, "However, if the information you provide as a Tributor is valuable enough, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion would certainly consider it and find a way to procure some for you."
"Then what kind of information would I need to provide?" Shen Qingyao pressed.
But Bi Ziqian just chuckled. "As for that, we can naturally discuss it after you have told me your real name and agreed to become a Tributor for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."
Shen Qingyao said, "Aren’t you afraid I’ll just deceive you with a fake identity?"
Bi Ziqian, however, gave an ambiguous reply, "The Hundred Treasures Pavilion sincerely seeks out worthy individuals. We trust that you, Young Master, will also treat us with sincerity."
"Brother, what do you think?" Shen Qingyao turned to Chen Cheng and gave him a subtle wink.
Chen Cheng knew, of course, that the young miss was testing him again. After a moment of thought, he said, "This is a serious matter. It’s not for me to decide. We must consult with the elders of our family first."
Since the Hundred Treasures Studio dared to recruit Tributors, they must have countermeasures in place. If the two of them exposed their identities, they would surely be entangled in trouble in the future.
"You’re absolutely right, Brother." Shen Qingyao gave Chen Cheng a look of understanding. "Shopkeeper, we’ll need to consider the matter of becoming a Tributor.
However, I am quite fond of this Snow Silkworm. Could you sell it to me first?"
Bi Ziqian smiled. "The Hundred Treasures Studio is in the business of buying and selling, so of course it’s for sale.
This Snow Silkworm is extremely precious. But since you two have a certain affinity with the Hundred Treasures Studio, I’ll give you a better price. Let’s say eighteen thousand taels of silver."
"Eighteen thousand taels?" Shen Qingyao looked shocked and clicked her tongue. "That’s far too expensive, Shopkeeper. Can’t you go any lower?"
"Well..." Bi Ziqian mulled it over for a long moment before saying, "How much is the Young Master willing to offer?"
Shen Qingyao said seriously, "How about three thousand taels?"
It had to be said, Shen Qingyao’s haggling was ruthless. She had cut the price by seventy or eighty percent in one go. Bi Ziqian’s eyelids twitched as he listened, and he shook his head repeatedly.
"Young Master, you must be joking. This Snow Silkworm is a treasure for cultivating the Ice Cold Realm. Powerful experts of the Martial Dao who practice it can’t find one even if they want to. I absolutely cannot sell it for three thousand taels."
Shen Qingyao said, "Ah, but Shopkeeper, while the Snow Silkworm seems nice, it must be carefully fed with expensive Snow Lotus Seeds. That’s quite a hassle.
In the eyes of those powerful experts of the Martial Dao who cultivate the Ice Cold Realm, how can it compare to treasures like Ice Soul Jade Marrow or Thousand-Year Cold Jade?"
Bi Ziqian still shook his head. "This Snow Silkworm is exceedingly rare. As far as I know, this is the only one not just in Linji City, but in the entire Su State."
Shen Qingyao haggled for a long time, but Bi Ziqian finally made a concession. He agreed to sell the Snow Silkworm for twelve thousand taels of patterned silver, and not a penny less.
"Brother, I only brought eight thousand taels in silver notes. How about you lend me four thousand?" Shen Qingyao had no choice but to consult with Chen Cheng.
Chen Cheng reached into his robes and fumbled around for a good while before saying with some difficulty, "I wasn’t planning on buying anything, so I only brought over one thousand taels in silver notes. Why don’t we come back and buy it next time?"
Shen Qingyao frowned. "It was hard enough for us to sneak out this one time without our family elders noticing. Who knows when we’ll be able to get out again?"
Chen Cheng said, "Why don’t we go check out some other shops? We might be able to find a different treasure."
