Just then, Paimon and Lumine suddenly heard a strange sound, which seemed to come from Shenhe's stomach.
Shenhe said without changing her expression, "Apologies, my stomach is rumbling because I haven't eaten enough. No, Master told me that as a girl, if others hear your stomach gurgling, you should show a shy expression. How… how does one show shyness?"
"Uh, then Shenhe, what do you usually eat?" Paimon suspected Shenhe was an adeptus and might not be used to Liyue's food.
"Qingxin, Glaze Lilies, Violetgrass… these are what I usually eat."
"Wow, it's confirmed then, Shenhe must be an adeptus! Oh, right, Bubu Pharmacy is just ahead. They must have those medicinal ingredients there."
After saying that, she led Shenhe to Bubu Pharmacy and watched with her own eyes as Shenhe ate half a catty of Qingxin, half a catty of Glaze Lilies, and half a catty of Violetgrass, which Paimon, who loves delicious food, found somewhat incomprehensible.
"I'm not hungry anymore. Thank you for the meal. Since you treated me, I should repay you as well. Master says this is called… reciprocating courtesy? What are your plans next, both of you?"
"Uh, that idiom isn't quite used that way, but I understand what you mean. Oh, right, I almost forgot! We're here to participate in the Jade Chamber reconstruction competition. We've wasted too much time, and we won't be able to finish the task."
"Is that so? I also heard about that competition when I passed by earlier. How about this: since you've helped me, I'll go eliminate everyone ranked above us, and then you'll be in first place."
Lumine and Paimon immediately broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. This female adeptus seemed a bit too fierce.
"No, no, that's not right at all! We want to win the competition fairly and honorably. Since that's the case, let's start by looking for the mingxia floating stone."
"mingxia floating stone…" Shenhe heard this familiar name, and a certain person's figure appeared in her mind. A rare, faint smile appeared on her usually cold face.
"Huh? Shenhe, have you heard of this treasure?"
Shenhe nodded and said, "I did see a mingxia floating stone before, but that mingxia floating stone didn't belong to me. I remember he handed that mingxia floating stone over to Feiyun Commerce Guild for handling at the time. You can go ask there."
"Really? Feiyun Commerce Guild, isn't that Xingqiu's territory? Let's hurry over and check."
When their group arrived at the entrance of Feiyun Commerce Guild, the scene was truly a sea of people. The counter was packed with merchants asking for prices, and they were all repeating the same phrase—mingxia floating stone.
Paimon and Lumine's jaws dropped at the sight. "What should we do? It seems the news that Feiyun Commerce Guild has mingxia floating stone has spread. Can we outbid those rich big merchants?"
"Then should I go chase all these people away?"
"No, no, Shenhe, don't be so violent."
At this moment, Lumine spotted Xingqiu in the crowd and quickly went up to greet him, "Xingqiu, so you're here! Do you have any mingxia floating stone here?"
"Oh, I see. So you're also participating in Ningguang's Jade Chamber reconstruction competition."
"Also? Could it be…"
"To be honest, Feiyun Commerce Guild currently has two mingxia floating stones, one large and one small. The larger one is arguably the biggest mingxia floating stone we've ever seen at Feiyun Commerce Guild. I can guarantee that whoever gets that mingxia floating stone can practically declare victory in the competition.
Both of these were entrusted to our guild for auction. Many people have already inquired about their price. It's strange, but that large mingxia floating stone was stored in our warehouse even before the Jade Chamber was destroyed. At that time, its selling price couldn't even reach 200 million Mora, but given the current situation, I estimate the auction's final price will exceed 1 billion Mora!"
"1 billion Mora! What about the small one?" Paimon felt a little dizzy hearing that price. 1 billion Mora! Selling herself wouldn't even be worth that much money.
"The small one is cheap. I estimate 100 to 200 million Mora would be enough."
"Huh, why is there such a big difference? But we don't even have 100 or 200 million Mora."
"That's the scarcity principle. If there wasn't that large mingxia floating stone, this small one could probably sell for over 500 million Mora. But with the large one, this small one isn't worth as much. Actually, no matter which one, I don't recommend you buy them. The premium is severe, and it's not worth it."
"But, without the mingxia floating stone…"
"Oh? Your friend behind you looks familiar. Ah! Isn't that the adeptus?"
"Xingqiu, do you know Shenhe?"
"Of course I do! The owner of that large mingxia floating stone is Yuto, and it was this adeptus who single-handedly moved such a large mingxia floating stone into the warehouse. This adeptus must have an unusual relationship with Yuto. With her around, you won't need my help."
"Ah! Xingqiu, do you mean that super large mingxia floating stone belongs to Yuto?"
"That's right."
"You… you also know Yuto?" Shenhe asked, her voice a little cold.
"That's right, we're good friends with him! So, Yuto is about to have 1 billion Mora? Hehehe, shouldn't we properly fleece him for a meal, no, ten meals."
Paimon excitedly shook her head in the air, her large eyes turning into the shape of Mora, unconsciously drooling. She didn't care if others had so much wealth, but if a poor friend she knew suddenly became rich overnight, she had to be the first to congratulate him.
"You… want to fleece him?" Ice crystals began to appear around Shenhe, looking as if she intended to attack. Fortunately, Lumine noticed something was wrong immediately and quickly explained, "Shenhe, calm down. Paimon means she wants Yuto to treat her to a meal, not literally use a knife to fleece him."
"Wuwuwu! Shenhe is so scary." Paimon was frightened by Shenhe's aura just now, and her excited demeanor instantly deflated.
Only then did Shenhe realize her misunderstanding. "My apologies, Paimon, I misunderstood."
"Uh, since the owner of the mingxia floating stone is Yuto, why don't we go tell him that his mingxia floating stone is not only valuable but can also be exchanged for a question to Ningguang?"
"Good idea! He probably doesn't know about this yet. Keep the wealth within the family, right? But, we don't seem to know where Yuto lives. Liyue Harbor is so big, where should we look for him?"
Shenhe secretly rejoiced when she heard that Lumine and Paimon didn't know Yuto's address, as it showed her status was above theirs. So she said, "Follow me, I know his address. Let's go to his house first to find him."
"Oh? Shenhe, you actually know his address? That's great! Let's go find him now."
Shenhe led Lumine and Paimon out of the city gate and towards Mt. Tianheng. During the climb, Paimon still wondered why Yuto would choose to live on the steep Mt. Tianheng. Was he poor and could only live in a cheap cave?
Shenhe offered no explanation, simply climbing in silence. Upon reaching an open space on the mountainside, Shenhe skillfully opened the hidden entrance to the cave dwelling and walked straight in. Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances and then followed her inside.
After passing through the narrow entrance, everything opened up. Paimon, who had seen other adeptus's cave dwellings, asked uncertainly, "Is this… an adeptus's cave dwelling?"
Only then did Shenhe turn around and reply, "That's right. This was once Narukami Ogosho's realm. After the True Monarch passed away, this realm was abandoned and later stumbled upon by Yuto. Oh, and that mingxia floating stone at Feiyun Commerce Guild also came from here."
"Wow, an adeptus's cave dwelling, how amazing! Yuto has such good luck. He has such a nice place and doesn't even invite us to visit."
"You were just complaining that Yuto lives on the mountain outside the city, weren't you?" Lumine teased Paimon with a knowing smile.
"Uh, let's not dwell on that. Oh, right, where's Yuto? Let's go find him first."
"If he's here, he might be cultivating on the high platform ahead. Let's go check."
Shenhe led Lumine and Paimon to the high platform deep within the cave dwelling. From a distance, they saw a figure, bare-chested, meditating on the central high platform.
Just as Paimon was about to go say hello, she was simultaneously stopped by Lumine and Shenhe. Their expressions became serious, and they even prepared for battle, because, to their surprise, they discovered an identical figure also meditating on both the left and right high platforms.
Paimon also gasped, "What's going on? There are three identical Yutos?"
The three Yutos sitting on the high platform heard Paimon's voice and simultaneously opened their eyes. At this moment, those three pairs of scarlet Sharingan eyes appeared terrifying in the eyes of the three women.
However, this feeling only lasted for a brief second. After Yuto clearly saw who had arrived, he immediately withdrew his Sharingan, his eyes returning to black. The Yutos on the left and right disappeared with a 'pop', leaving only the central Yuto.
Yuto casually grabbed a loose long gown from nearby and put it on, then jumped straight down. While tying his sash, he walked towards the three of them.
"Shenhe, Lumine, Paimon, why are you here?"
Paimon, still stunned by the recent scene, asked uncertainly, "Are… are you Yuto?"
Yuto playfully tapped her little head. "Nonsense, who else would I be?"
"But, I thought I just saw three Yutos. Which one are you?"
"Heh, that's an Inazuma ninjutsu called Clone Jutsu. Simply put, it's just a trick of the eye, meant to deceive people. If you and Lumine ever go to Inazuma, don't be surprised if you see ninjas who can use clone jutsu."
"Uh, is that so?" The simple-minded Paimon was immediately taken in, but Lumine, beside her, first had a serious expression, then one of understanding. She decided not to pry further; everyone has their secrets.
As for Shenhe, she had long since stopped caring about such things. After seeing Yuto, the corners of her usually expressionless mouth had already begun to turn upwards uncontrollably.
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