Xu Mu was a bit stunned. He glanced at Dai Xingluo, then asked doubtfully, "What do you mean by that?"
"Old Li, the way you said that sounds so misleading. Anyone hearing it would think you're trying to set me up with him."
Dai Xingluo covered her mouth, laughing softly.
"It's not that different from matchmaking, really. Both are about finding the right partner to spend time with," Li Zizai said with a grin, turning the prayer beads in his hand. "What I meant was—would you like to work with my lady here at the shop? Salary isn't an issue."
"Sorry, but I often have to visit my master and take care of other matters. I won't have the time," Xu Mu declined immediately.
He had way too much going on already. There was no way he'd waste his time here.
He'd thought Dai Xingluo was starting to fall for him, but now he realized the truth—she was only interested in his skill at appraising antiques.
"You're Xu Mu, right?" Dai Xingluo asked.
"That's right."
Xu Mu nodded slightly.
"I understand," she said gently. "With your talent for identifying treasures, you'll never lack money. You could get rich just from finding hidden gems."
She smiled, calm and elegant. "I simply admire your ability, that's all. I won't push."
"Thanks."
Xu Mu nodded politely. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Off to find that 'ordinary friend' of yours?" Dai Xingluo smiled faintly.
"I came here only to look for treasures," Xu Mu said, turning to leave.
In truth, he'd only stopped by to make an appearance and keep himself on her radar. He still had other things to do—specifically, helping Feng Yue become a martial artist.
As Xu Mu walked away, Dai Xingluo returned to her rocking chair.
"Not bad," Li Zizai chuckled. "Even a beautiful boss like you couldn't keep him—boy's got self-control."
"I just saw another beautiful woman greet him earlier," Dai Xingluo said, lounging lazily. "Maybe he thinks she's prettier."
This time, she wasn't holding the jade pendant Xu Mu had given her, but a gold-edged dagger.
"That kid's a martial artist too," Li Zizai said, amused. "He could tell that cultivation manual was of Profound Rank at a glance. Not a simple man. Should I test him?"
"What do you mean?" Dai Xingluo turned to look at him.
"I just want to gauge his strength," Li Zizai explained. "If he's any good, we could recruit him. We could use another strong fighter."
He picked up his magnifying glass again, smiling as he examined a porcelain vase.
"With his temperament? He'd never join us," Dai Xingluo said, shaking her head slightly.
"Please," Li Zizai laughed. "With your looks, plenty of men would gladly be your dogs. Reeling in one young guy shouldn't be hard. And besides…" He paused, eyes glinting. "You don't seem to dislike him."
Dai Xingluo thought back to Xu Mu's earlier words and smiled faintly. "So what if I don't? I need top experts, not soft-hearted men."
Hands in his pockets, Xu Mu wandered down the street, his eyes scanning the stalls like a precision scanner.
Even the best antique appraisers needed to inspect items carefully—but his Treasure Appraisal Mastery made things easy. Every object practically came with a label in his mind, showing its age and value.
Suddenly, he spotted a hollow-carved jade pendant.
A Tang Dynasty white jade cloud-pattern pendant.
Xu Mu's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected to find something like that here.
But as he looked closer, he sighed—there was a visible crack.
If it were intact, it would've been worth at least five million. With that flaw, its price would be cut in half.
He approached the stall but didn't touch the pendant right away. Instead, he pointed at a nearby white jade plaque. "Boss, how much for this one?"
"Heh, young man's got an eye! That's Hetian jade—barely any impurities, and an antique too," said the middle-aged vendor with a buzz cut, grinning. "Two hundred thousand, and it's yours."
"Too expensive. Got anything cheaper?" Xu Mu asked.
"Everything I display is quality—nothing cheap here," the man said.
"Says who? That one's low-grade. The jade's nothing special, and look—there's a crack. How much could that even be worth?" Xu Mu said, pointing to the white jade cloud-pattern pendant.
"That's premium merchandise!" the vendor insisted. Then, glancing around, he lowered his voice. "I got it from a tomb raider."
"Boss, even if I believed that, I wouldn't take it for a hundred bucks," Xu Mu said dryly, picking up another bangle. "How much for this?"
"Ten thousand. That's a greenish-white jade bangle," the man replied.
"I'll take it."
Xu Mu nodded lightly. The man wasn't lying—its value matched the price.
"Great! I'll wrap it up." The vendor beamed. "Anything else, brother?"
"How about this smaller one?" Xu Mu pointed at another similar bangle.
If he was buying, he might as well get two—one for Ye Tong, one for Ye Yu.
"That one's nine thousand, but if you take both, I'll give them to you for eighty-five hundred each," the vendor offered.
"Deal. Wrap them up," Xu Mu said, then pointed at the cracked pendant. "Throw that one in too."
"That'll be ten thousand," the man said with a grin.
"Not honest. Forget it," Xu Mu said, turning to leave.
"Brother! Price is negotiable!" the man called after him, alarmed.
He'd found that pendant inside an old wooden box in a village. It looked ancient, but he wasn't sure of its worth. Even selling it for a hundred wouldn't be a loss.
"How much for everything?" Xu Mu asked, stopping.
"Three items, twenty thousand total," the man said, holding up two fingers.
"Fine, I'll take them," Xu Mu said with mock reluctance.
He scanned the code, paid, and pocketed everything.
Since no one could see his storage space, he casually opened it right there and put the items away.
Just as he was about to leave, he spotted Shen Wanning coming out of an antique shop with a shopping bag.
Their eyes met.
"Hmph!" Shen Wanning tilted her chin and turned away, walking off.
Xu Mu chuckled—this woman was amusing.
Still, he didn't follow. He wasn't the kind of guy—like Lin Yan, the story's protagonist—who lost his mind over every pretty woman.
He was content. The women around him already provided him with a steady stream of Fate Points—that was more than enough.
Shen Wanning, however, noticed him walking behind her and immediately turned left.
But Xu Mu wasn't following her at all—he just happened to be heading in the same direction.
When she realized he hadn't been chasing her, she stopped, cheeks puffing slightly in frustration.
He clearly liked her—he'd even taken up music for her!
She'd never planned to accept his pursuit, but being outdone so easily by some "green tea" woman still stung.
Fuming, Shen Wanning turned back and strode after him.
"Xu Mu! Stop right there!"