The Villain Recognizes the Female Lead as His Master [Transmigration] - Chapter 24.1

The old shopkeeper was no ordinary man, having run a trading house all his life, he was naturally well-versed in the ways of the world. The young master had gifted this gentleman a jade hairpin, and now the same gentleman had come to look at bracelets. Who the bracelet was meant for couldn’t be more obvious.

However, wary of the two guests upstairs, the old shopkeeper feared the young assistant might let something slip. So, setting aside his ledger, he decided to personally attend to Yuan Shao.

Su Tingxi and his companion were on the second floor. The old shopkeeper led Yuan Shao up a different staircase, bypassing the third floor and heading straight to the top-level storeroom above. This storeroom was nothing like the underground one. Unlocking a hidden compartment with a key, he revealed neatly arranged shelves. Unlike the underground storage, which was merely for stockpiling goods, this space resembled a display room. The finest pearwood shelves were adorned with a dazzling array of jewelry.

Since this was for the young master, there was no question of showing second-rate goods.

The old shopkeeper guided Yuan Shao to a round table nearby. “Please have a seat, young master. I’ll fetch some bracelets for you to choose from.”

Yuan Shao sat down, surveying the room. The bracelets were placed on the shelf closest to her, and she watched as the table before her gradually piled high like a small mountain.

With each box the shopkeeper opened, he offered a brief account of the bracelet’s origins.

“This black one was formed when a phoenix, reborn from its ashes, landed upon a stone. The phoenix, wreathed in flames, infused the stone with spiritual energy, refining it into this obsidian jade.”

Yuan Shao took the bracelet, examined it, then shook her head.

The shopkeeper switched to another. “This green one was originally the jade from the gates of the Dragon Palace. Over the years, it absorbed the essence of the water dragons. See how the sea has polished it into this sapphire hue not a single black speck.”

Yuan Shao looked it over and shook her head again.

After several rounds, not a single bracelet from the towering pile had caught Yuan Shao’s eye.

This left the old shopkeeper at a loss. “Young master, these are the finest pieces in our shop. Is there truly not one that meets your standards?”

Yuan Shao shook her head, her gaze drifting to the shelf from which the shopkeeper had retrieved the bracelets. At the very top, in an empty space, sat a pitch-black wooden box. It seemed untouched for ages, coated in a thick layer of dust.

“Is that also a bracelet?” Yuan Shao pointed at the box and asked.

The shopkeeper, who had been tidying the table, turned to look. His heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure, replying calmly, “Ah, that one. It is indeed a bracelet, but no one has ever taken a liking to it, so I stored it away.”

He hadn’t shown this bracelet because it was one of his shop’s prized treasures. There had once been two such treasures, one had been taken by the young master and gifted to the very gentleman before him. If he couldn’t hold onto this one.

“May I see it?” Yuan Shao pointed at the box.

Though reluctant, the shopkeeper had no choice but to retrieve the wooden box himself. Brushing off the dust, he opened it to reveal a white bracelet inside.

He handed it to Yuan Shao. The moment she took the bracelet, the jade hairpin in her hair seemed to tremble. Removing the hairpin, she placed the two items side by side. To her surprise, the moment they touched, both began to glow.

“Were these two pieces carved from the same stone?”

After a moment of hesitation, the old shopkeeper confessed, “Indeed, nothing escapes your notice, young master. Though they share the same origin, your hairpin is priceless, while this bracelet is hardly worth anything.”

Yuan Shao examined the two items closely. The jade hairpin was a milky white throughout, while the bracelet looked like a clump of cotton soaked in murky water, with strands of white tangled within it, accompanied by irregular white sediment, making it appear quite discordant.

The old shopkeeper seemed to read Yuan Shao’s thoughts and explained, “With stones, there’s always a side that faces the sun and another buried in the mud. Your hairpin comes from the former, perched high on a mountain, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon for years, naturally imbued with spiritual energy, making it beautiful. The other side, however, dwells in the dirt, mingling with grass, insects, and ants. Thankfully, it wasn’t eroded by them. Otherwise, forget just these cotton-like flaws even your half would have been tainted black.”

Is that so, Yuan Shao turned the bracelet in his hand and noticed that, aside from the flaws and impurities, the jade itself was translucent, somewhat resembling the glass bead.

“Young master, I advise you to consider something else. Though the jade quality is decent, it’s still unrefined. It would require someone to expend spiritual energy to cleanse the impurities bit by bit and dissolve the cotton-like flaws. It’s a tremendous waste of energy, hardly worth it for a mere bracelet.”

The old shopkeeper thought that by laying out the bracelet’s flaws plainly, the young master would surely back off. Yet, to his surprise, Yuan Shao measured the bracelet’s size against his palm, then, as if relieved, smiled and said, “Shopkeeper, I’ll take this bracelet.”

The old shopkeeper hesitated. “this bracelet isn’t cheap. Perhaps you’d like to look at something else?”

Yuan Shao shook his head and pulled out the glass bead transformed from the Water Mirror from his sleeve. “Will this be enough in exchange?”

At first, the old shopkeeper assumed Yuan Shao was like Chi Jinnian in the past, trying to swindle him with a worthless trinket. But upon closer inspection, he saw a miniature world inside the glass bead. Combined with the recent uproar over the disappearance of the Water Mirror, the answer struck him instantly. His legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed, but Yuan Shao swiftly caught him.

Trembling, the old shopkeeper weakly waved his hand and stammered, pointing at the glass bead, “Did you obtain this, young master? May I ask your esteemed name?”

“My surname is Yuan.”

“Ah.”

“My given name is Shao.”

With a thud, the old shopkeeper dropped to his knees completely this time…

Meanwhile, Chi Jinnian had visited the tavern and the lantern stall before finally arriving at Yihui Hall to inspect Caiyue’s work.

Caiyue hovered around the “lavishly dressed” Su Tingxi, enthusiastically explaining, “Look, Young Master! The color so deep and elegant! The design so majestic and domineering! The tailoring perfectly accentuates the curves of the body! And the accessories so abundant yet unified in theme! Most importantly, it makes one’s blood boil with excitement, filling them with energy!”

Facing Su Tingxi’s livid expression, Chi Jinnian asked Caiyue gravely, “Do you remember the task I assigned you?”

Caiyue nodded. “Of course! You said to dress him in a way that would make any girl fall in love at first sight. Don’t you like this outfit, Young Master?”

“Well said!” Chi Jinnian gave Caiyue a thumbs up before slinging an arm around her shoulder and adding, “Whether she likes it or not is one thing, but the prerequisite… is that he has to look like a human being!”

Chi Jinnian stared at Su Tingxi, who was dressed in a seductive semi-transparent black tight gauze outfit with key areas covered by red feathers. He sported a pair of crimson bull horns on his head, a nose ring, and three black streaks smeared across his face. For a moment, she was at a loss for words before finally snapping, “Do you think all girls are cattle herders or something?!”

Caiyue refused to back down: “Bullish and soaring how auspicious!”