When Lu Qing activated his superpower, the books on the bookshelf began to emit their own superpowered light.
The majority of them were books, all bathed in a soft white light.
Occasionally, when the light was particularly strong, Lu Qing would take it down and flip through a few pages to see if it was what he needed.
If I find something suitable, I'll take it and study it carefully later.
After wandering around for a while, Lu Qing now had a thick stack of books in his hands.
Most of the books are about the customs and cultures of different parts of the world, which can help him better understand the world.
At the very back of a bookshelf, Lu Qing took down another book with a strong white light. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt a flash of red light in the corner of his eye and immediately stopped.
Following the red light, he pushed aside a pile of somewhat messy books at the bottom of the bookshelf.
A book emitting a faint red glow was revealed.
Lu Qing was somewhat surprised, as this was the only book of the red light level that he had seen in this bookstore.
He picked up the dusty book, brushed off the dust, and found that there was no title or author's name on the cover.
But it's alright, the superpowers quickly revealed information about the book.
【Random Thoughts of a Wandering Hermit: Random thoughts written by a pitiful person who vainly sought the truth behind the demise of the era of cultivation.】
【This book contains some information about the era of cultivating immortality.】
【There are some interesting speculations about the truth behind the demise of the cultivation era.】
【Do you want to download the learning materials?】
It turned out to be a book related to the era of cultivating immortality!
Lu Qing was pleasantly surprised.
He opened it, flipped through a few pages, and his face lit up with even more joy.
After thinking for a moment, he took the books and went to the bookstore owner.
"Boss, where did you get this book? Do you have any other similar booklets?"
The bookstore owner was already all smiles when he saw the large stack of books in Lu Qing's hands.
Upon hearing Lu Qing's question, he immediately took the book and began to examine it.
However, after flipping through the notebook, he couldn't help but frown.
“Young master, please forgive my poor eyesight, I am not aware of the origin of this book.”
"You don't even know, boss?" Lu Qing asked in surprise.
Judging from the owner's demeanor, he seemed to know the bookstore very well.
"To be honest, young master, this bookstore has been run by my family for three generations. Many of the books were collected starting from my grandfather's generation."
Therefore, even I cannot identify the origin of each book, let alone this one which doesn't even have a name, making it even more difficult to find its source. May I ask where you found this book, sir?"
"It's right under the innermost bookshelf."
"That's it. Most of the books there have unknown authors and unclear origins. Very few people read them, and no one knows where my grandfather originally collected them. Some of them have been stored away for decades or even a hundred years."
If I hadn't occasionally aired it out and revised it, it would have rotted away long ago, and it would be very difficult for you, young master, to find its origin.
After listening to the bookstore owner's explanation, Lu Qing understood that it was probably impossible to find any other works by Xiaoyao Sanren.
He was somewhat disappointed, but he knew that things were beyond saving, so he put all the books he was holding on the counter.
"Alright then, boss, I'll take all these books. Xiaoyan and Xiaoli, have you picked out the books you want?"
"I've picked them out, brother!" Xiaoyan came running over excitedly, carrying a small stack of books in her arms. "These are the ones Xiaoli and I want to buy."
"Okay, boss, let's calculate the price together."
"Alright, please wait a moment, young master."
The bookstore owner's smile grew even brighter.
He immediately began to inventory the books, while simultaneously calculating with an abacus.
Not long after, he raised his head: "I've calculated it, young master, in total..."
Upon hearing the amount the boss quoted, Lu Qing nodded without surprise.
Books are not cheap in this world. Some books with rich content and beautiful binding can cost more than ten taels of silver.
Compared to other prices, the price the boss offered was quite reasonable.
"I don't have that much silver with me, boss. Do you accept gold?"
"Yes, yes, I'll take it!" the shopkeeper said hurriedly.
Although gold is not easily circulated, it has always been more popular than silver.
"That's fine, boss, here you go."
Lu Qing took out two small gold ingots from the money bag given to him by Madam Wei and handed them over.
The bookstore owner took the gold ingot and carefully examined it. He was even more surprised when he saw the small character "【Wei】" on the bottom of the ingot.
Knowing that these gold ingots came from the Wei family, the two people in front of them must be distinguished guests of the Wei family.
His expression became even more respectful. After weighing the two gold ingots, he took out a few taels of silver and handed them to Lu Qing.
"Young master, here is your change. I'll pack up the books for you right away."
"Okay, you can handle it as you see fit. We're not in a hurry."
When Lu Qing came out of the bookstore, he found that it was still early, so he decided to browse around for a while longer before going back.
This time, he wandered around much more casually.
Taking Xiaoyan and Xiaoli with them, they went wherever there was excitement, satisfying the two little ones' curiosity to the fullest.
When people in the market saw Lu Qing and Xiao Yan's clothes, along with the strange little beast on their shoulders, almost everyone subconsciously took a few steps to the side, not daring to crowd them.
Those who can dress like this are usually either rich or noble, and are not people like us who can offend them.
So, despite the crowds in the market, Lu Qing and Xiao Yan still had a very comfortable time strolling around.
As Lu Qing wandered around, he lost track of where he was when he suddenly saw a crowd gathered in front of him, and he could hear a commotion coming from inside.
Seeing that he had nothing to do, he simply picked up Xiaoyan and walked over there.
Upon entering, Lu Qing saw stalls on both sides of the street displaying bottles, jars, and various old objects. He suddenly realized that this must be a place similar to the antique street in his previous life.
Seeing that the arguing continued, Lu Qing, carrying Xiao Yan, easily squeezed into the crowd using his strong physique.
Upon reaching the crowd, they saw a thin [N O V E L I G H T] man with a pointed mouth, monkey-like cheeks, and a mustache, grabbing an old man's arm and shouting something loudly.
"Old man, you broke my antique vase. Don't even think about leaving until you pay me back!"
The old man who was being held was wearing patched clothes, and his dark face was filled with fear.
He mumbled, "It wasn't me. I didn't touch the bottle at all. It fell over by itself."
"Bullshit! My vase was perfectly fine. It was windy and not raining, so how could it have fallen over? You're the one who knocked it over!"
The man with the mustache held onto the old man's hand tightly and said sternly.
"I really didn't touch it. When I walked past your stall just now, it was several feet away. How could I possibly have touched it!" the old man argued in a low voice.
"I don't care, I just saw you walk past my stall and my vase fell over. Who else could it be but you? Today, you either pay for it or come with me to the county magistrate's office to see the officials!"
Upon hearing that he was to see an official, the old man panicked even more. He had heard that ordinary people who went there, regardless of whether they were in the right or not, would suffer greatly.
He looked around pleadingly, hoping someone could testify for him that he really hadn't touched the vase; he didn't know how it had suddenly fallen down. He was truly innocent.
However, after looking around, he found that everyone around them was just laughing and joking, and no one was willing to come forward as a witness.
Looking at the menacing man with the mustache and the two burly men behind him, he knew he was likely going to lose money on the bottle.
"Fine, I'll pay for it. How much does this bottle cost?" the old man had no choice but to accept his fate.
"This is an antique vase of mine. Even if you lower the price a bit, it'll be twenty taels of silver."
The man with the mustache looked smug when he saw the old man admit defeat.
"How...how much?" the old man asked in disbelief.
"Exactly twenty taels of silver, no more, no less!" The man with the mustache stared at the old man and said, "What, you don't want to pay? Then we'll go see the officials!"
The two men behind him immediately stepped forward and glared fiercely at the old man.
The old man trembled and whispered, "But I don't have that much money."
"How much money do you have on you right now?"
The old man began to grope himself.
After a while, he pulled out an old money bag from his body: "I only have three taels of silver."
Lu Qing had been watching from the sidelines and had already figured out that the old man had been scammed.
But since he was unaware of the cause and effect, and the people around him were just watching the show, he didn't intend to step forward immediately.
Instead, he activated his special ability and waited to see how things went.
He first looked at the broken vase on the ground.
A layer of gray light appeared.
【Broken Vase: A brand new porcelain vase that has been broken.】
Goodness, I knew it.
A look of understanding appeared in Lu Qing's eyes, and he then looked at the man with the mustache.
A faint white light appeared.
【Chen Wencai: Nicknamed "Jackal," he was notorious in the market and a notorious swindler.】
【He has a keen eye for people and is good at judging character; he particularly enjoys extorting farmers who come to the market outside the city and merchants from other places.】
By now, Lu Qing could easily understand what was going on.
Just as he was about to withdraw his superpower, his gaze swept over the money bag in the old man's hand.
Suddenly, he shuddered, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
