Chapter 5 Old Mountain Shocked

In the height of summer, the weather was unbearably hot, especially around noon when temperatures soared to 35°C. It seemed to get hotter with each passing year. But life in the big city went on regardless of the heat, and traffic jams persisted as usual, no matter how scorching the day.

Qiu Xiaoling stood under the shade of a tree by the street, phone in hand, taking a call. Suddenly, she let out an irritated groan. “What? You’re not coming? Are you kidding me? We agreed to meet today! I’ve been waiting for you in this heat for half an hour, and now you’re telling me you’re suddenly going to some class reunion instead? Are you messing with me?!”

The person on the other end seemed to say something, prompting Qiu Xiaoling to roar, “Screw you! Go hang out with your classmates then! I’m done with you, you jerk!” With that, she angrily ended the call.

Fuming, she pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to her face—whether to wipe sweat or tears was unclear. After a minute, she lowered the handkerchief, seemingly calmer, though the faint redness around her eyes betrayed her earlier distress.

Qiu Xiaoling turned to leave, but as she glanced up, her eyes caught sight of an open vermilion gate across the street. The plaque above it had changed.

Jade Accumulation Studio.

She vaguely remembered the sign previously reading “Jin Residence.” The new plaque suggested a change of ownership—or perhaps it was now a shop? Curiosity dulled her sadness slightly, and wanting to distract herself, she crossed the street. Hesitating briefly at the vermilion gate, she stepped inside and entered the inner courtyard.

The row of rooms facing the courtyard had been renovated, with the central entrance wide open. Another plaque hung above it, also inscribed with “Jade Accumulation Studio.” From here, she could see a rustic shelf filled with goods that shimmered faintly—were they jade? Intrigued, Qiu Xiaoling walked closer and confirmed they were indeed jade pieces. Strangely, they came in a variety of colors, all seemingly natural rather than artificially crafted. Their designs ranged from simple to intricate, each captivating in its own way. But her gaze was drawn to one particular hairpin.

The hairpin was colorless, appearing utterly translucent at first glance. Yet it wasn’t high-quality jadeite like “glass type” or “ice type”—it resembled crystal but clearly wasn’t.

How odd yet beautiful, Qiu Xiaoling thought, assuming it must be an artificial jade art piece. Still, she couldn’t resist her growing fondness for it. She reached out, gently took it down, and began admiring it, unable to put it back.

After several minutes of careful examination, she realized no shop attendant had come to greet her. Weren’t they worried she might just walk off with it? With that thought, she glanced around, searching for staff—until her eyes landed on a young man sitting behind an ornately carved wooden desk in the far right corner, engrossed in a book.

The boy looked about twenty, slightly hunched over as he flipped the pages. A cup of tea sat beside him. His lowered gaze and pale, almost translucent skin gave off an aura of serene tranquility.

And yet…

Although she hadn’t seen his full face, wasn’t he just too handsome?

Seeming to notice Qiu Xiaoling’s gaze, the boy looked up. His strikingly beautiful features made her breath catch, momentarily robbing her of speech.

Then his eyes fell on the jade hairpin in her hand. He smiled, stood up, and walked over.

·

From the very first second Qiu Xiaoling entered the shop, Yan Zhen had noticed her. This human female was Jade Accumulation Studio’s first customer, though she only lingered by the shelf facing the entrance.

Yan Zhen was a rather laid-back shop owner and didn’t rush to greet her. But within minutes, he noticed the human female staring at him, so he politely raised his head.

This simple action gave Yan Zhen a shock.

Wh-why was her entire face so dark? Then he instantly realized—no, when a human’s face turned this dark, what was the popular phrase they used? Was she… about to die?

Yan Zhen glanced at the hairpin in her hand, thoughtful, then walked over and asked, “Interested in buying this hairpin?”

Qiu Xiaoling snapped out of her daze. “Ah? Oh, yes, I’m quite taken with it. How much is it?”

Yan Zhen considered for a moment. “You seem to have a connection with it. Three thousand.”

Qiu Xiaoling froze. That expensive for an art piece?

Her disbelief must have been obvious, because Yan Zhen, ever patient, explained, “It’s genuine jade, naturally formed.”

Qiu Xiaoling wasn’t convinced. Skeptically, she asked, “Boss, what kind of jade is this? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Yan Zhen smiled faintly. “Water Jade.”

Qiu Xiaoling frowned delicately.

Wasn’t Water Jade just crystal? But no, this was far more beautiful than crystal. And even if it were real jade, could it naturally form into the shape of a hairpin? The shop owner might be handsome, but he was clearly spinning tales. Besides, three thousand yuan was nearly all the cash she had on hand. If she bought this, she’d be left with only twenty yuan for the bus fare. Logically, she shouldn’t make this purchase… but she loved this hairpin so much.

At that moment, Qiu Xiaoling couldn’t help but recall the pain of her argument with her boyfriend before entering the shop. She bit her lip.

Three thousand yuan was half a month’s wages she’d saved up—originally meant to buy her boyfriend those sneakers he loved so much during this date. But if he was going to treat her so carelessly, why should she scrimp and save to please him? It was rare for her to find something she truly adored. Money couldn’t buy happiness, so why couldn’t she treat herself well for once?

Having made up her mind, Qiu Xiaoling pulled three thousand yuan from her purse and handed it to Yan Zhen. “I’ll take it.”

Yan Zhen accepted the stack of bills, pleased with his first sale. He kindly reminded her, “Since you like it, wear it in your hair for the next week. Don’t just tuck it away. It’ll look lovely on you.”

Qiu Xiaoling hadn’t expected the dark-faced shop owner to compliment her. Her mood suddenly lifted, and she flashed him a bright smile. “Yes, I’ll definitely wear it.”

Yan Zhen didn’t linger on pleasantries. He turned, walked behind the carved wooden desk, stuffed the money into a drawer, and resumed reading his book while sipping tea.

Qiu Xiaoling blinked in surprise but didn’t mind. She simply took out her compact mirror, redid her hair, and secured it with the new hairpin. The pin suited her perfectly. Seeing how it added an ethereal charm to her reflection, she left the shop with a light heart.

“Oh dear, such a beautiful little fairy like her must be magnanimous. She should just go back, change into a pretty dress, and then go find her boyfriend. Sometimes men really do need to socialize, and it’s hard to turn down old classmates! This time, it’s just unfortunate timing. If her boyfriend is willing to coax her a bit more, she’ll forgive him. After all, they’ve been together for years—she can teach him slowly, and eventually, he’ll understand a girl’s heart better…”

·

The first customer left, and Jade Accumulation Studio sank back into silence.

Yan Zhen turned a page of the book and sighed softly. “Ah, Lianxiang is too foolish. Sang Ziming believed the female ghost and rejected her, so she should’ve just dragged him back to the fox den! Poor scholars are so pretentious, and silly foxes bring suffering upon themselves.”

After finishing the story, Yan Zhen set the book aside and closed his eyes to rest for a while. But as he rested, his brows gradually furrowed.

That guy with the yellow paper stuck to his chest—was he going to buy anything or not? He’d been here for over ten minutes, neither coming in nor leaving. At first, he stood by the door, and now he was just blocking it. If another customer came later, wouldn’t that just cause trouble?

How annoying.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man, who was sticking to his Invisibility Talisman and thought himself perfectly hidden, continued to observe Yan Zhen warily.

After being chased away by the captain yesterday, he had quickly gathered his team to investigate the origins of those gold bricks. To his shock, they all traced back to this inexplicably appearing Yan Zhen. But Yan Zhen’s ID had been arranged by Zhou Yimin—before that, there was no record of Yan Zhen’s identity at all. It was as if he had popped out of thin air. And as for where he got such a large quantity of gold bricks… that was completely unknown. Clearly, this Yan Zhen was suspicious and needed further observation.

Yan Zhen, sensing the scrutinizing gaze, grew impatient.

After waiting another half-hour with no sign of the man coming in to buy anything, he simply walked over and pushed him out the door. “Don’t block the way.”

The middle-aged man felt as if struck by lightning. He spun around and bolted outside as if some wild beast were chasing him.

Holy shit! Had he been exposed in Yan Zhen’s sight the whole time? This guy was definitely dangerous!

Watching the man flee in terror, Yan Zhen scratched his cheek.

Was he suffering from some kind of madness? If he saw him again, he’d give him a piece of White Nue Meat. Otherwise, if he kept sticking talismans on himself and blocking the door, he’d scare off customers.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man ran wildly without daring to look back. Only after sprinting down two streets and enduring countless horrified stares from passersby did he finally stop under the blazing sun, trembling as he dialed his phone. “C-Captain, I’m not bothering you for no reason—that Yan Zhen is a monster! I was watching him with an Invisibility Talisman, and he still noticed me! I-I’m terrified he’ll come after me. What do I do? Captain, help me out!”

On the other end of the line, a furious roar erupted. “Arrogant! Clueless! You make a mess and expect me to clean it up? Am I your damn nanny? Fang Zhenbang, you remember this, and tell those other brats too—I’m off-duty for the next month. Don’t come looking for me, got it?!”

The middle-aged man—Fang Zhenbang—swallowed hard, his throat working with difficulty. “I understand, I do! Captain, don’t worry. Please come quickly. I promise to keep my people in check. We won’t disturb you for at least a month.”

“Wait for it!” A cold snort came from the other end of the line. “A bunch of overgrown babies.”

Fang Zhenbang bowed and scraped as he hung up the phone, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes. But soon, that anger turned to relief. As long as the captain was willing to come, he would be safe. For now, he needed to hide properly. If that monster came after him, he could at least buy time until the captain arrived…

·

Qiu Xiaoling happily changed into her most ethereal white dress, twirling in front of the mirror with delight. Humming a tune, she grabbed her keys and some cash before heading straight to the Imperial Hotel. Her boyfriend, Du Fang, was attending a class reunion there—not that he had told her, but she had overheard the noisy chatter during their phone call.

Perfect timing. She would surprise him.

With that thought, Qiu Xiaoling hailed a taxi downstairs and arrived at the Imperial Hotel in high spirits.

She had originally planned to wait in the hotel lobby, but suddenly, she felt something sticky on her face. Had her makeup smudged after stepping out of the air-conditioned car? That wouldn’t do.

Looking around, she spotted an alley near the Imperial Hotel and decided to duck in for some privacy to touch up her makeup before entering the hotel. Inside the alley, the air was cooler. Using the faint light filtering in from outside, she quickly pulled out her makeup bag and began fixing her face.

Her makeup really was a mess…

Just as she was carefully blending her foundation, Qiu Xiaoling suddenly heard strange noises coming from around the corner deeper in the alley. She froze, ears perking up.

“Ah… ahh…”

“You… you’re amazing…”

“Oh… ohh~~!”

The sweet, breathy moans of a woman, along with wet, squelching sounds, left no doubt about what was happening inside.

Qiu Xiaoling’s face flushed red.