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The Treasure pavilion was a landmark building in chenyang. Numerous visitors to the city came to see the two giant guardian qilin statues made of gold standing at the entrance of the pavilion. The management of the shop had put a barrier around the statues when it became apparent that the golden statues were an invitation for thieves and daredevils. Later guards were posted around the statues to prevent visitors from shaving off or attempting to cut off sections of the gold statues. Several people were standing around when the three of them arrived. 

Ye zhian was thinking that Bai li yue was crazy. Dumping this amount of money on a house when there were cheaper options available was the definition of madness. His mind couldn't fathom what he was witnessing. 

The sweaty man was hoping that the deal held this time. He'd been trying to sell the house for several months now. Each time he neared the finish line, something happened causing the deal to fall through. He had told the former owner that the asking price was too high, but the stubborn man was adamant about the price. He had finally agreed to a ten percent reduction after the last couple of failures. He really hoped this time wasn't another failure.

Bai li yue was thinking of other things. She had some gold on her Treasure pavilion slate, her own personal savings from her inheritance and her time working as a mercenary, the payout from the flood dragon mission and the miscellaneous treasures from the watery cave. What she had was more than enough to cover the cost of the house. But she'd promised herself to forget that the money existed. It was for use in the future when the need arose. She'd put ten thousand gold coins aside for her use. But it was already entering into someone else's pocket because of the house. She had come to the Treasure pavilion to sell off a few things to earn the difference for the house.

Forty five thousand gold, gone in a single day. Is this how things are going to be like?

She was conscious now more than ever of the need to earn an income. In Guangyu city, the answer was obvious, but for a large city like chenyang, where there was too much going on at any moment in time, she didn't even know where to begin. She had to take time to figure out her future plans. 

Ye zhian coughed loudly when she stood for a long minute at the entrance of the shop. 

She must be regretting her decision.

The thought occurred to both Ye zhian and the sweating house agent. One was glad for it, while the other one trembled with dread. A moment later their emotions changed again.  The house agent smiled as he followed her inside. A shop attendant hurried over to greet them when they entered.

'I'm here to see Appraiser Hei Kang, please. Tell him it's Bai li yue, from Guangyu city.'

The attendant nodded and showed them to a waiting area. She then left to inform the appraiser Hei of the news. 

He arrived where they sat, led there by the attendant. He smiled and bowed his head in greeting.

'Imagine my surprise when I heard your name. You've been well, yes?'

'Appraiser Hei, you look well. It seems you have found your place in the capital. Congratulations!'

'Ah! I have you to thank for it.'

'Me?'

'Li yun told me what happened.'

'I see. However the fact that you are here shows you are also competent, right?'

'Indeed. So how can i help you?'

'I have a few things to sell.'

'Beast cores?' 

His eyes lit up at the thought, wondering if she had another mutated beast core.

'Not this time. Shall we go somewhere more private?'

He nodded and ushered her to another room. 

'This is better, yes?'

'It will have to do. Shield your body. It's going to get chilly in here' 

She instructed before producing the cold energy weapons she had found in the cave. 

Appraiser Hei, enclosed in a transparent silvery shield stared open mouthed at the pile of weapons. 

'The flood dragon's treasures?' 

He asked even though he wasn't expecting an answer. He picked up a whip lying on top of the pile and studied it.

Outside, a chill spread through the pavilion and set many wondering what new treasure had appeared in the Treasure pavilion. 

Sun Meirong, matron of the frostgrave sect, had another appointment with the manager of the Treasure pavilion. She had contacted them about finding items to aid her cultivation. They hadn't found anything so far and she was reaching the limit of her patience.  However luck was on her side today as she stepped into the Treasure pavilion and felt a blessed chill. Forgetting about her meeting with the branch manager, she rushed toward the room where her senses led her. The attendant at the door tried to stop her but, who dared to stand in her way? Sun meirong opened the door and froze. 

A pile of weapons lay on the table. That was the source of the cold energy she had sensed. After a brief she also knew that they were weapons made valuable by the cold energy flowing through them. 

'Are those for sale? I want to buy them.'

Appraiser Hei smiled when he saw the person who'd just joined them.

'Matron Sun, you have come in time. I was just inspecting these weapons. I believe this is close to what you had in mind, yes?'

'Yes, they will do perfectly.

She handed him a purple slate and swept the weapons off the table. They vanished a second later and so did she. 

Bai li yue finally reacted. She raised a questioning brow at Appraiser Hei. 

'Allow me to apologise, Miss Bai. Matron Sun was too anxious and impolite. 

'Does this mean that she bought the weapons?'

'Yes. She is a distinguished client of ours. Since she left her personal slate behind, it means that she is willing to pay generously for what she took. I will give you the reward for fulfilling matron Sun's contract. How does six hundred and twenty thousand gold pieces sound? I think that is a fair price, don't you?'

Bai li yue closed her jaw with a snap. She had thought that earning the money she needed would require a lot of haggling, but it turned out easier than she'd thought; thanks to matron Sun.

'I'll take it.  Please put forty five thousand on another slate and put the rest on mine.

'As you wish.'

He called an attendant over and gave him precise instructions for the distribution of the sums. 

Growing self conscious for keeping him from his work, she left the magic weapons with him for identification. She left Appraiser Hei to his work. He gave her a distracted nod as he picked up the first weapon.

When Bail li yue left, he wondered what kind of person she was. When they met the first time, she had a mutated soul attached to her. She had also, according to Li yun's account, killed a flood dragon all by herself. Today, she had given the Treasure pavilion a huge windfall with the hard to please matron Sun. He hadn't yet studied in detail the magic weapons she'd left behind but it was still an impressive sight. This and more gave credence to the image he had of her.

'Whatever happens, i should strive to maintain a good relationship with her. She might look like an ordinary girl, but she definitely has hidden depths.' 

He muttered and turned his full attention to the work in front of him.  

Outside, Bai li yue handed the new slate with the right sum to the sweaty man. She took the deed  and the keys to the house and sent him on his way. 

They also made their back to her new house in the amber river district. Bai li yue pulled a chair out of one of the rooms and lay down to soak in the last rays of the sun. Ye zhian was caught unawares. She seemed to have dozed off. He occupied himself going over his savings for the month. The difference between Bai li yue and himself was clearer than ever. 

She stretched her body after a while and noticed that he was still around.

'You haven't left?'

He was unsure why he'd stayed. After seeing her spend so much money, he didn't know whether he could bring up the issue of his payment.

'Is that all for today?'

She nodded.

'Ye zhian, try and come early tomorrow. Bring cleaners and carpenters. We are going to be busy for some time.' 

'Yes.'

'Okay, you can go home now. Don't forget to take your food.'

She said, pointing at the wrapped fowls.

The next day, Ye zhian arrived, bright and early with three cleaners and two carpenters. Bai li yue gave the cleaners a general instruction about how to go about their job and left Ye zhian in charge of them. She holed up in the servants quarters with the carpenters. They left and returned with a troupe of workers and a large shipment of wood. 

Bai li yue came to find Ye zhian to send him on an errand to Wang's food house. Lunch time was approaching and they had no food in the house. However, they had to feed the workers somehow. She sent him to order a meal for everyone until work was finished on the house. 

The waitress recognised Ye zhian from the day before and rushed to take his order. The restaurant had taken Bai li yue's suggestion to heart about food packaging and worked through the night with the carpenters' guild to produce wooden boxes that could store food from their restaurant. She assured him that their restaurant will do everything possible to make his boss happy. 

Just after noon, the waitress delivered boxes filled with food for all the workers. Seeing the workers collect boxes of expensive food, she wished that she was a cleaner or a carpenter too. 

This was a rare treat for the workers. They'd always taken care of their own meals whenever they went outside to work. It was either that or starve for the whole day. 

Maybe we should bring it up at the guild meeting next month. Employers should be required to give us a meal or at least a snack.

The idea ignited in the mind of several of them. If Bai li yue knew that her actions would be causing the many woes for future employers, she would have smiled and cheered the workers on. How difficult must their lives be for them to take a stand just because she was being decent?

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