Chapter 92 - 90: Is This a Lot?

Crescent Lake, a famous scenic spot in Baiquan Town.

The lake was curved like a crescent moon, which was how it got its name.

Crescent Lake was renowned for its beautiful scenery. Its shores were lined with willows and green bamboo. Beneath the crystal-clear water, countless fish swam among an endless expanse of aquatic plants.

The placid surface of the water reflected the low-hanging clouds, creating a scene like a tranquil ink wash painting.

As a famous scenic spot in Baiquan Town, it had always been popular with Martial Artists. This popularity led to the opening of many shops along the shores of Crescent Lake.

However, land here was worth its weight in gold. The shops established by the lake all belonged to the major powers of Baiquan Town, each one with a formidable background.

Jadeite Pavilion.

It was a shop that specialized in selling jewelry.

Jewelry had always been eagerly sought after by female Martial Artists.

The love of beauty is universal, especially among women.

After leaving the Ning Family residence and arriving at Crescent Lake, Ning Jiang didn’t rush to enjoy the sights. Instead, he pulled Ning Yu’an into this establishment.

"Sister An, let’s buy some jewelry."

Ning Jiang looked at Ning Yu’an, a gentle light flickering in his eyes.

Ever since he had been afflicted with the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse, Ning Yu’an had pawned every last piece of her jewelry to buy Ice Spirit Grass, not keeping a single item for herself.

If not for Ning Yu’an’s natural beauty, anyone who saw her would have mistaken her for some poor country girl, not the young lady of a prominent family.

"Since it’s a gift from my little brother, I won’t be polite then."

Ning Yu’an blinked. She knew that the current Ning Jiang was flush with cash.

"Buy whatever you want. As long as you’re happy, Sister An, it would be nothing to buy out this entire place," Ning Jiang said with a smile.

He had received ten million Primordial Stones from Yue Lianxi, making him arguably the richest person in Baiquan Town.

There were a few second-tier families in Baiquan Town, but not a single one of them could produce so many Primordial Stones.

"Buy out the whole place? Wouldn’t that just be foolish spending? I can’t wear that much jewelry anyway. Little brother, you really don’t know the first thing about saving money," Ning Yu’an chided gently, but her heart was filled with sweetness.

"Yes, yes. Whatever Sister An says is right."

"Who is this arrogant fool?"

Two women dripping with jewels nearby overheard their conversation and looked over. Seeing Ning Jiang and Ning Yu’an’s plain clothes and lack of any jewelry, they couldn’t help but show looks of disdain.

"Huh? You’re Ning Yu’an!"

Suddenly, one of the women cried out in surprise.

"Zhang Tong."

Ning Yu’an recognized the woman. Zhang Tong was from a third-class family in Baiquan Town, and they had been acquainted in the past.

However, Zhang Tong was a social climber who loved to chase fame and fortune. After Ning Jiang was afflicted with the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse, she had spoken ill of him and even advised Ning Yu’an to abandon him to his fate, lest she be dragged down with him.

It was because of that incident that the usually gentle Ning Yu’an had a huge argument with Zhang Tong. They had parted ways ever since, becoming like strangers.

"Is that Ning Jiang? Your brother’s injuries are healed?"

Zhang Tong scrutinized Ning Jiang and was shocked. He was like a completely different person compared to before; the change was simply too great.

"That’s none of your business."

Ning Yu’an said coldly, unwilling to interact with Zhang Tong any further.

A flash of anger crossed Zhang Tong’s eyes. She snorted, "I was thinking of burying the hatchet for old times’ sake, but if you’re going to be so unreasonable, then forget it."

As she spoke, a mocking expression appeared on her face. "You and your brother came here, but I doubt you can afford any of the jewelry, can you?"

Seeing that Ning Yu’an wasn’t wearing a single piece of jewelry, she immediately looked down on her.

And although Ning Jiang was handsome, his clothes were plain. He didn’t look like the young masters from noble families, who wore fine brocades and cut a dashing figure.

Clothes make the man, after all.

Sometimes, you could tell a lot about a person just by looking at what they wore.

Zhang Tong had spent years mingling in the upper circles of the younger generation and had met all sorts of people. Her judgment was rarely wrong.

"Can’t afford it?" Ning Jiang couldn’t be bothered to explain. "Sister An, there’s nothing good here. Let’s go to the third floor."

Jadeite Pavilion was divided into three floors. The first floor was the most common, with items most Qi Cultivation Realm Martial Artists could afford. The second floor was pricier, with jewelry costing upwards of a hundred Primordial Stones.

Back when Ning Jiang’s Cultivation was at the Postnatal Realm, he only received a little over one hundred Primordial Stones a year from the Ning Family.

As for the third floor, a single piece of jewelry could cost thousands of Primordial Stones. Only Innate Realm Martial Artists or disciples from major families could afford them.

"The third floor? You’re just putting on a brave front. I’ll be shocked if you can actually afford anything."

Watching Ning Jiang and his sister head for the third floor, Zhang Tong snorted indignantly and said to her companion, "Come on, let’s go up too. There are many treasures on the third floor. Even if we can’t afford them, it’ll be good to have a look and broaden our horizons."

The two of them followed.

「Third Floor」

The decor here was antique and elegant. Folding screens, murals, incense, flowers, and porcelain made the space feel much more refined. Though not as opulent as the floors below, it exuded a greater sense of prestige.

Only common, unsophisticated Martial Artists would appreciate gaudy, gilded decorations. Truly high-class Martial Artists preferred places that radiated elegance from every corner.

There was a fifty Primordial Stone entrance fee.

This barrier was meant to keep out the riffraff.

There weren’t many people on the third floor, only a dozen or so.

There wasn’t much jewelry either, no more than fifty pieces, but each one had a name.

Names like "Exquisite Kingfisher," "Jade Vine," "Falling Blossoms," and "Jade Bird"—every piece had a beautiful name.

All the jewelry here was handcrafted by masters. A single jewelry master would spend months of painstaking effort to complete one piece.

Furthermore, the materials were precious. All the jade here was superior, crystal clear and free of impurities. It was considered Top Grade Jade.

"Huh? What are you two doing here?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

Ning Jiang’s brow furrowed. ’Coincidences really are everywhere,’ he thought. It was Ning Feng and his group.

"Are you two here to buy jewelry as well?"

Ning Ding spoke, his face thick with sarcasm. "Any single piece of jewelry on this floor costs thousands of Primordial Stones. You two must be here just to look around, right?"

Ning Jiang and his sister ignored them and started browsing at the counter.

"Hmph. Looks like I hit the nail on the head, so they have nothing to say," Ning Ding muttered, pursing his lips.

"Alright, Ning Ding, that’s enough. Hurry up and help Ning Shan pick a necklace so we can go to the banquet," Ning Feng said.

The group had come here to accompany Ning Shan while she selected some jewelry.

Ning Feng planned to introduce Ning Shan at the banquet, so she wanted to dress up for the occasion. Jadeite Pavilion, being the best jewelry shop in Baiquan Town, was naturally her first choice.

"I’ll take this one."

After a moment, Ning Shan chose a necklace. It was a blue necklace with a round, blue pendant that emanated a pure light.

When she wore it around her neck, it made her even more beautiful.

The necklace was worth one thousand five hundred Primordial Stones. After gritting her teeth and buying it, Ning Shan had almost no Primordial Stones left.

"What a pity. If I had enough Primordial Stones, I’d really love to buy that Heart of the Crescent Moon."

Ning Shan stared eagerly at a necklace in the display case, her gaze burning with desire. This "Heart of the Crescent Moon" was worth over ten thousand Primordial Stones; she couldn’t possibly afford it.

Besides, even if she had that many Primordial Stones, she wouldn’t be willing to spend them on it.

"I’ll take this Heart of the Crescent Moon."

Suddenly, a voice spoke up, causing Ning Shan to look over in surprise.

The speaker was Ning Jiang.

’Has this kid lost his mind?’

On the other side of the room, Zhang Tong, who had been admiring a pair of Jade Bracelets with delight, lifted her gaze in astonishment to look at Ning Jiang.

The Heart of the Crescent Moon was one of Jadeite Pavilion’s famous treasures. Even Innate Realm experts were often unwilling to spend over ten thousand Primordial Stones to buy it.

After all, it was just a piece of decorative jewelry, not a Weapon or a Cultivation Technique. It was bought purely for its appearance—all show and no substance.

"This kid isn’t just trying to show off in front of us, is he? Pretending to be rich? If he can’t produce the Primordial Stones later, he’ll be embarrassing the entire Ning Family," Ning Ding said.

If Ning Jiang could pay, that would be one thing. But if he couldn’t, wouldn’t he be making a fool of the people at Jadeite Pavilion?

"Ning Jiang, stop messing around and get out of here," Ning Feng snapped, his tone commanding.

But Ning Jiang paid him no mind, continuing to select items one by one at the counter.

"I’ll take this one."

"This one’s not bad either."

"And this one."

"I’ll take all of these together."

In one go, Ning Jiang picked out more than a dozen pieces of jewelry.

He deliberately chose the most expensive pieces. If he saw something beautiful, he would buy it without a second thought, as if jewelry worth thousands or even tens of thousands of Primordial Stones was completely worthless in his eyes.

Hearing him select one piece after another, everyone’s expressions became a sight to behold.

The dozen or so pieces of jewelry added up to a value approaching one hundred thousand Primordial Stones!

"Ning Jiang, if you bring shame to the Ning Family, I will not forgive you," Ning Feng said, his tone icy.

One hundred thousand Primordial Stones was a sum that even his own father couldn’t produce.

His father held an important position in the Ning Family, but his entire savings amounted to just over twenty thousand Primordial Stones. As for himself, having only recently advanced to the Innate Realm, he only had a little over three thousand.

"Sir, are you sure you want to buy this many?"

The Maid attending to him had a good attitude; she hadn’t looked down on Ning Jiang because of his plain clothes.

But buying one hundred thousand Primordial Stones’ worth of jewelry in one go was an unprecedented display of wealth in the history of Jadeite Pavilion.

She also found it hard to believe that Ning Jiang could produce so many Primordial Stones.

"That kid definitely can’t produce a hundred thousand Primordial Stones. He’s about to make a fool of himself. Daring to mess with Jadeite Pavilion... they’ll surely teach him a lesson," Zhang Tong sneered, waiting to watch the show.

Ning Shan, on the other hand, frowned deeply. She hadn’t expected that after just two months, Ning Jiang would become so arrogant.

’It seems I was right to distance myself from him.’

Ning Shan thought to herself. She had originally felt a little guilty toward Ning Jiang, but now she felt it was best to have as little contact with him as possible.

"Is this a lot?"

Just as everyone was waiting to see Ning Jiang make a fool of himself, he spoke calmly.

Then.

Under their mocking gazes, Ning Jiang took out ten chests of Primordial Stones from his Storage Ring on the spot.

Ten thousand per chest!

Instantly, the room fell silent.

In that moment, all mockery turned into utter disbelief.