Volume One, Chapter 23: A Shop on Five Views Street

There were ten districts in Imperial View; the fifth and sixth were the centers, and the farther out one went, the closer to the suburbs it became.

The shop, however, was situated right on the city’s commercial street.

“Miss, it’s a pedestrian street inside. Cars can’t go in,” said Lin Jian’an, the butler, as he looked at the bustling crowd.

Qin Yu nodded, unbuckling her seat belt as she spoke, “Uncle Lin, just wait for me here.”

Lin Jian’an glanced at the crowd, then at Qin Yu’s honest-looking face, and felt a trace of worry. “Miss, perhaps I should go with you?”

The city was full of hidden traps, and it was her first time here. He feared she might suffer.

“No need. I won’t be taken advantage of.”

“If you insist.”

Seeing Qin Yu’s determination, Lin Jian’an could only acquiesce, getting out to open her door.

He watched as her figure melted into the throng, and only then scratched his head in sudden realization. “Was that just my inner monologue?”

Before he could ponder further, his phone rang in his pocket.

It was the Second Miss.

“Uncle Lin, are you with my sister?”

“Yes, Miss Qin is shopping on Fifth View Street.”

There was a second of silence on the other end before a voice spoke again: “Uncle Lin, I left the performance PPT I made last night at home. Could you fetch it for me?”

Lin Jian’an hesitated. “But the Miss…”

“Uncle Lin, are you like this now? You used to always fetch things for me when I forgot them at home. Now that my sister’s back, you all ignore me, don’t you?”

Su Nianxin’s voice quivered as she spoke, and even the most reasonable listener would feel a pang of guilt. Lin Jian’an, who had watched her grow up, felt his heart tilt more toward her than to Qin Yu.

“It’s not like that, Second Miss…”

“If it’s not, then hurry and bring it to me. I need it for class!”

Without waiting for his reply, she hung up.

Lin Jian’an could only sigh, sending Qin Yu a message to explain before rushing home.

—

Qin Yu glanced at her navigation, which pointed deep into a secluded alley. She frowned, doubting any business could thrive in such a remote spot.

But upon entering, she found the alley to be unexpectedly remarkable—a place of exceptional feng shui, ideal for burying bones. She hadn’t noticed it from outside because someone had cast an illusion to conceal its true nature.

At the entrance, a black cat stretched lazily. When it saw Qin Yu, it didn’t shy away but stared straight at her.

Qin Yu arched an eyebrow; the black cat flicked its head at her, and for a moment she felt certain that, if it could speak, it would have tossed her an English “Follow me.”

The cat was pitch-black, save for its luminous green eyes, which were not sinister but rather adorably clumsy.

Noticing her gaze, the cat bounded to a higher perch. It turned its furry head toward Qin Yu, as if by accident, then nestled carelessly on the ground and began licking its paw.

Though all cats performed such acts, Qin Yu sensed an innate, rebellious elegance in this one.

She looked up. The shabby storefront was out of place amid its surroundings, only the red lanterns on either side were vivid and lively.

The wind chime at the door tinkled, and the sound of footsteps echoed from within.

“Welcome…” came a languid voice before its owner appeared.

A man, about twenty, dressed in a retro Zhongshan suit, entered. Seeing Qin Yu, his mature sunglasses slid from his nose to the tip, and his pale pink lips formed a shocked “O”—“A young girl?”

Qin Yu showed him the reservation message on her phone. “I’m here to buy cinnabar and talisman paper.”

The young man pushed up his sunglasses, peering at her curiously. “Which sect of the Mystical Arts are you from? I’ve never seen you before.”

Qin Yu thought of Lingshan Temple. Her master had never said what sect they belonged to.

Her eyes darted cleverly, and she replied, “I’m from the Lingshan Sect.”

The young man looked confused.

Lingshan Sect? He’d never heard of it.

Well, in these times, with the decline of the mystical arts, any cat or dog could start their own sect and use the name to swindle people.

His expression grew even more lethargic, his mouth pursed, and his face all but declared, “I don’t want to work.” “Go inside and choose for yourself.”

Though the shop was shabby outside—and not new inside—it was at least clean.

Inside, two rows of large shelves displayed many ritual implements. They looked like they hadn’t been moved in years, yet each was miraculously free of dust.

The young man crouched by the door, and that black cat now sat across from him. He had somehow procured a cat teaser, and the two played together with great enjoyment.

“The cinnabar and talisman paper are in the back.”

Even while playing, he didn’t forget to direct her.

Qin Yu picked out her items. The young man didn’t even look at her, only muttered, “Three hundred sixty-five in total.”

She scanned to pay, and her gaze lingered on a milky white Pixiu carving on the desk; her expression deepened. “Boss, this Pixiu is quite beautiful.”

He stopped teasing the cat and stood, arms crossed, watching her with interest. “You’ve got a good eye for someone so young.”

“I just think its color is lovely. Does it have some special significance?”

“You wouldn’t understand. It’s the treasure of our shop.”

Qin Yu smiled, her deer-like eyes curved, her white teeth obedient. “May I touch it?”

He hesitated, but couldn’t refuse such a docile girl. He finally relented, “Be careful. If you break it, selling you won’t cover the cost.”

Qin Yu nodded enthusiastically, like a naïve girl.

She gently placed her hand on the Pixiu’s head, exclaiming innocently, “Wow! What’s it made of? It feels so smooth and cool! Even my mood seems to improve!”

“Of course! This is…” He stopped short, eyeing her warily. “Why are you asking?”

Qin Yu seemed startled, shoulders trembling. Like a child caught misbehaving, she stared at her toes. “An elder in my family is turning eighty soon. I wanted to give him a longevity peach. I just thought this Pixiu was pretty, so I asked. Sorry, I didn’t know I couldn’t ask.”

Her voice grew softer and more aggrieved as she spoke.

Seeing her pitiful look, the young man scratched his head in guilt, wondering if he’d been too harsh.

“If that’s the case, I advise you to give up. The material used for this Pixiu is discontinued; you won’t find it anywhere now.”

Qin Yu lowered her eyes in apparent disappointment, though something was spinning rapidly in her gaze. “Alright then…”

“Meow!”

As Qin Yu stepped out of the alley, the previously calm black cat suddenly grew fierce, growling at the young man.

“Huanhuan, you’re overthinking it. She’s just an ordinary girl.”

“Meow meow meow!”

“No way! If she had used spiritual energy to touch the Pixiu, I’d have noticed.”

“Meow meow meow meow!”

“Hey, hey, you can say what you want, but don’t curse!”

“Meow woo meow woo meow woo meow meow meow!”

“That’s way too vulgar, you know!”