Chapter 134: The Moonlight Secret Pearl

"What small shop? As far as I know, the area around here is entirely occupied by large trading houses within Yellow Dragon City."

Zhang Feng looked at him with a strange expression.

Xu Xuan was stunned. He had just entered that Xianhe shop to conduct a transaction, but it felt as if these people hadn't seen it at all, or as if the event had never occurred in the first place.

"Have we been together the whole time?" Xu Xuan felt even more bewildered.

"Master, I have not left your side for even a single step," Fang Gang replied this time, staring at Xu Xuan with confusion.

"Could it be a hallucination?"

He couldn't help but touch the storage pouch at his waist; the spirit stones inside were completely gone. He looked back twice. The small shop that should have been located in the narrow gap between two large trading houses had vanished, and now, that gap itself no longer existed. If his spirit stones hadn't been completely depleted, Xu Xuan would have truly doubted the reality of what had just happened.

From Xu Xuan's perspective, he had encountered this mysterious shop halfway through their walk, entered it, traded all his spirit stones for a peerless treasure, and then exited. But from the perspective of Zhang Feng and the others, Xu Xuan had never left, and as far as they were concerned, the events involving the mysterious shop never happened—there wasn't even a lapse in time.

Xu Xuan took a deep breath and focused his senses inward. Deep within his body, the "Moonlight Secret Pearl" lay quietly in a corner, motionless. No matter how he called out to it in his heart, it gave no reaction at all. Was this a stroke of fortune or a bizarre, sinister event?

Xu Xuan couldn't be certain, but he was sure he hadn't lost out. Based on the aura emitted by those three treasures earlier, any one of them was extraordinary and unique, worth far more than all his worldly possessions combined. Unfortunately, the remnant soul of his past life had fallen into a deep slumber; Xu Xuan would have to wait for it to wake up before discussing this matter.

For the rest of the time, Xu Xuan mainly accompanied Zhang Feng to help pick out a gift for Zhang Yuhan. Throughout the trip, Xu Xuan remained largely expressionless. With no spirit stones left in his storage pouch, even if he saw materials that tempted him, he could do nothing. As for the items in his memory's "sea of stars," he couldn't actively retrieve them due to the slumber of the remnant soul.

"What's wrong? Brother Xu, do you not intend to prepare a gift for Yuhan?" Zhang Feng asked in surprise. Seeing Xu Xuan's indifferent demeanor, he lowered his voice: "If you're short on spirit stones, I can lend you some."

Xu Xuan smiled: "I have already prepared a gift for the young lady."

This left Zhang Feng and the others secretly amazed. Before they left, Xu Xuan hadn't had a gift ready, and they hadn't seen him buy anything during their long outing. Could he possibly be planning to give her that broken helmet?

They didn't know that the strange piece of jade Xu Xuan had scavenged at the end of his time in the free market was a treasure exceptionally useful to immortal cultivators and of immense value.

After wandering for a long time, Zhang Feng finally selected a satisfactory gift worth seven or eight thousand inferior spirit stones. On the way back, Zhang Feng said with a playful smile: "Brother Xu, are you really not planning to go to the 'Heavenly Dream Pavilion'? You won't even go when I'm treating you?"

Hearing this, Fang Gang, who was walking alongside, felt a surge of interest, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Xu Xuan thought for a moment but shook his head in refusal. It wasn't that he wasn't tempted, but he simply didn't have the heart for it. Staying vigilant in times of peace, even while in a prosperous place like Yellow Dragon City, Xu Xuan had not forgotten the hatred of his sect's destruction, nor had he let his guard down for a moment.

That evening, they returned to the Zhang family estate.

Walking into the Green Mountain Garden, Yu Qin was sitting quietly on the steps, her small hands cupping her delicate cheeks. Her flawless, crystal-clear eyes were fixed on the night sky. Perhaps not as dazzling as the stars, that pure, unblemished clarity, touched with a faint, innocent melancholy, was like a thin morning mist that made all other splendor seem pale by comparison.

As Xu Xuan stepped into the spirit garden and saw the young girl under the moonlight, his heart felt inexplicably calm. He smiled slightly: "Junior Sister Yu, you haven't slept yet?"

"Senior Brother, you're back!" Joy flickered in Yu Qin's eyes. She hurriedly stood up to walk over, but hesitated and lowered her gaze: "I practiced for the whole day, but I couldn't sleep, so I waited here for you to return."

"I spent the day out with Zhang Feng, mainly to prepare a birthday gift for Miss Zhang. With the young master there, how could I be in any danger?" Xu Xuan said simply.

"Master, I didn't see you buy any gifts while we were out today," Fang Gang said, puzzled.

"What gift?" A look of curiosity appeared in Yu Qin's eyes.

Xu Xuan took out the jade, which flickered with a soft, moist glow. It was pure and uncarved, radiating a strange, enchanting quality.

"Is this for Miss Zhang?" Yu Qin's clear eyes flashed with color, completely drawn to the jade, a hint of envy showing.

"Although I don't know what kind of gemstone this is, I believe the young lady will like it."

Given Fang Gang's experience and knowledge, he wasn't able to immediately identify the origin of the stone. He remained somewhat suspicious about when Xu Xuan had obtained it; at the time in the free market, even he had been searching for treasures with great interest and clearly hadn't noticed this.

After a full day of walking, Xu Xuan fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, feeling unusually comfortable. He did not know that after he drifted into his dreams, a faint, hazy layer of moonlight began to spread from deep within his body, enveloping him completely.

The next day, before he had even woken up, he heard a voice outside.

"What's going on out there?" Xu Xuan called out.

"Master, a second-rank guest official of the family has come to see Miss Yu Qin personally. He looks rather sneaky," Xiuqing said with a panicked expression.

Xu Xuan sprang up, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the house. Sure enough, as he entered the spirit garden, he saw a sour-faced, bulbous-nosed old man smilingly examining the shy and downcast Yu Qin.

"Tsk tsk, I never thought I would encounter someone with such a rare, top-grade spirit root. Truly a great fortune for this old man." The old man's demeanor and expression were quite lecherous.

Yu Qin was frightened and didn't dare to speak. Suddenly seeing Xu Xuan, she ran over quickly and grabbed his sleeve, her eyes slightly reddened.

Xu Xuan frowned. This old rascal didn't look like a decent person in any way.

"Hehe! Little girl, since you've met an immortal master like me, are you not willing to become my apprentice?" The old man completely ignored Xu Xuan, his eyes narrowed into slits as he scrutinized Yu Qin from her face to her chest