We are just shy of the "Third Place" on the new book charts, brothers and sisters, let's push it! －－－－－－－ Ye Qin stroked the smooth, pale jade blank, pondering for a moment.

“How much for this entire piece of pale jade?” “The whole pale jade blank sells for thirty gold leaves, non-negotiable.” “Thirty gold leaves? That’s expensive?” “Naturally, a treasure like this, the pride of the shop, is costly.

A piece this large, and perfectly whole, is exceedingly rare.” The old shopkeeper Zhao chuckled, his eyes fixed on Ye Qin, seeming to crinkle even at the corners. Being stared at by him instantly brought back that disgusting feeling to Ye Qin.

Suppressing his revulsion, he quickly calculated in his mind. Thirty gold leaves equated to three thousand silver leaves; the mere hundred-plus silver leaves jingling in his pouch were just a fraction of the cost, not enough to buy even a small corner of this jade blank.

Relying solely on gathering herbs, he certainly couldn't afford this jade. The only reason he dared to inquire at the jade shop in Zhuqi County was the few dozen rare Dew Grass stalks he still possessed, which were quite valuable—each one easily worth a considerable sum.

If he could find a buyer and sell the Dew Grass, he should have enough money to purchase that jade containing spiritual energy. Then, he could use the pale jade blank to cultivate the Dew Grass and obtain more.

However, he hadn't anticipated that the pride of the Chunyu Shop, while indeed a sizable spirit stone, would command such a steep price of thirty gold leaves. This price was nearly enough to trade for every stalk of Dew Grass he held.

Ye Qin didn't commit immediately. He first needed to find a buyer for his Dew Grass, and only then could he carefully consider whether to purchase this expensive jade blank.

“I find this pale jade blank quite satisfactory. However, I wish to propose a deal with Shopkeeper Zhao.

I cannot produce that much money at once right now. I hope Old Shopkeeper Zhao can grant me some time and refrain from selling this jade.

I will return to claim it once I have raised the funds.” Old Shopkeeper Zhao waved, dismissing the serving girl from the inner room, and sat down on a sandalwood chair beside the tea table. He took out an old pipe, lit it, and took a deep drag.

“That can be arranged, easily arranged. As long as Young Brother Ye intends to buy, I will certainly try to hold it for you.

Treasures like this often sit unsold for half a year or more. Waiting half a month is no trouble at all.

However, there is one thing that I, this old man, am unsure if I should say.” He paused, beginning to muse, and then looked back at Ye Qin with that familiar, half-smiling gaze. Ye Qin did not take the bait offered by Old Shopkeeper Zhao.

He had vaguely guessed the shopkeeper had something more to say but had deliberately held back. Now that Zhao was purposefully bringing up a topic, he clearly wanted Ye Qin to inquire first.

Ye Qin felt a strong sense of distaste for the old fox’s maneuvering. He pretended not to notice and did not engage.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao intentionally lingered in silence for a short while. Seeing Ye Qin remain unresponsive, he coughed slightly, feeling a touch of awkwardness, before slowly continuing, “In fact, Young Brother Ye doesn’t necessarily have to exchange money for my two pieces of jade.

If Young Brother Ye is willing, you could completely trade medicinal herbs or finished medicines with me for the jade.” A sharp glint of vigilance flashed in Ye Qin’s eyes, and he abruptly stood up. He hadn't expected Old Shopkeeper Zhao to harbor this exact intention.

Engaging in private trade of medicinal herbs was an absolute taboo within the Herb Gathering Hall. Herb gathering disciples were strictly forbidden from selling their collected materials privately; all must be submitted uniformly to the Hall’s inner sanctum, where formulation disciples would process them into finished medicines.

The Herb Gathering Hall would then submit both the raw materials and the medicines to the Medicine King Gang, whose shops would sell them at high prices throughout Pingzhou Province. The Medicine King Gang, being the fifth-largest faction in Pingzhou, built its strength almost entirely on the huge profits generated by its pharmaceuticals.

Consequently, they fiercely cracked down on any internal private trading of herbs or medicines. Among the Ten Great Rules and Punishments of the Medicine King Gang, the crime of private herb dealing was ranked just below betraying the faction or one's master.

If a disciple was found trading privately with outsiders, the penalty was execution. In the Herb Gathering Hall’s Chamber of Punishment, a staggering percentage of those executed—as high as eighty percent—were flayed, had their tendons pulled out, and bled to death slowly as punishment for illegally trafficking herbs and medicines.

Ye Qin had been in the Herb Gathering Hall for four or five years; how could he not know the strict regulations? How could he be unaware of the terrifyingly vicious methods used to punish disciples who traded secretly?

His first instinct was to immediately flee the Chunyu Shop and avoid any entanglement. Old Shopkeeper Zhao sat back comfortably in his recliner, flicking his old pipe, and sneered, “Young Brother Ye, stop pretending.

We both know the score. You, an outer-hall herb gathering disciple, would likely need twenty or thirty years of back-breaking labor just to earn enough money to purchase this pale jade blank.

Aside from selling herbs and medicines privately, what other means of income could you possibly have? Since you’ve already come, why don’t we discuss this properly?

Heaven knows it, and you know it. As long as it doesn't reach a third person’s ears, no one will ever find out.

What are you worried about?” Ye Qin stood coldly by the doorway of the inner room, ultimately refraining from stepping out. But his heart was already seething with extreme anger.

He wasn’t angry because Old Shopkeeper Zhao was persuading him to sell herbs privately. He was angry because he had already been planning to sell them secretly.

Otherwise, how could a mere gathering apprentice like him afford such an expensive spirit stone? Even working hard in the Herb Gathering Hall for over a decade might not have sufficed.

But could such a secret sale of herbs be mentioned to a second person? No, absolutely not.

Such matters must only ever be known by him alone; a second person must never know. This was because he trusted his own silence implicitly, but he would never trust anyone else not to eventually reveal things.

His current fury stemmed more from the shame of having his desire to engage in some shady business brought to light in broad daylight, exposed clearly by another. Ye Qin was rapidly calculating how to handle the situation, even flashing a momentary thought of murder, but he quickly dismissed the notion.

This Old Shopkeeper Zhao had been running a jade shop in Zhuqi County for a long time; his background was likely substantial. Killing him rashly might only stir up more trouble, escalating the situation beyond his control.

Ye Qin couldn't help but think inwardly that his experience in the world was clearly still insufficient, as an old jade shopkeeper had so easily seen through his intentions. Thinking carefully, his current actions were indeed highly suspect.

Normally, a sixteen-year-old herb gathering disciple would, at most, have a surplus of one or two gold leaves, enough to buy a couple of inexpensive small jade pendants. How could he dare to purchase a shop’s prized treasure worth thirty gold leaves?

A simple deduction would reveal major problems with his situation. Old Shopkeeper Zhao recognizing him as a disciple of the Herb Gathering Hall and seeing through his intention to sell herbs privately was likely due to this very reason.

This would serve as a lesson—he couldn't be so careless in the future! Now, the most crucial thing was how to manage the current predicament.