Free Web NovelChapter 222: Chapter 220: Provocation
"Shiyu, what do you think of this piece of jewelry?"
Qin Li had brought Shangguan Shiyu to a jewelry shop in Fengsha City, and they were casually browsing, feeling relaxed.
Shangguan Shiyu had lived a sheltered life since childhood, never having had the chance to browse shops for cosmetics or jewelry like other young ladies from prominent families. After joining the Four Seasons Sect, she was always in closed-door cultivation. When would she have had the chance to go shopping?
Girls are naturally drawn to beautiful things and enjoy dressing up; Shangguan Shiyu was no exception. Though she had never mentioned it to Qin Li, he had noticed the yearning in her eyes as she peered through the carriage curtains when they passed through the bustling parts of the city.
The Qin Family’s crisis had been more or less resolved, and the tense atmosphere that had once pervaded the entire household had vanished.
Naturally, Qin Li remembered this. He first spent two days planting all the Spirit Flowers and Herbs from the few pieces of jewelry he possessed into the space within his Storage Ring. As a result, the Spiritual Qi in there became so dense it was almost unimaginable!
Qin Li gave the Seven-Colored Necklace, forged from Extraterrestrial Metal, to his mother, Qin Hanyue. He explained the jewelry’s function to both Qin Hanyue and Shangguan Shiyu, and only then did the two of them realize with astonishment that what they possessed were peerless treasures!
Treasures with storage capabilities were not something everyone possessed, even back in the Ancient Era. In the present day, the methods for creating them have been almost entirely lost, making every single Storage Magical Treasure worth a fortune!
Typically, a Storage Magical Treasure with even a few cubic meters of space would only be seen occasionally among the Four Great Families and Three Great Sects of Profound Island. Those who possessed them were, without exception, individuals of extremely high status!
How could Qin Hanyue possibly accept such a valuable treasure? She refused for a long time, trying to give the necklace to Shiyu. But while Shiyu liked it, she already had the phoenix hairpin and naturally wouldn’t accept the necklace as well.
In the end, Qin Hanyue joyfully accepted the ultimate treasure her son had given her. At the same time, she completely forgot her earlier grumbling that her son had "forgotten his mother after getting a wife."
Qin Li also had a pair of Jade Bracelets, which he quietly slipped onto Shangguan Shiyu’s wrists. In this world, there might be other women who admired him, but for Qin Li, the one woman he could never let go of in this lifetime was this girl who loved him to the extreme, who would give up everything for him.
Shangguan Shiyu naturally understood Qin Li’s feelings. She was very fond of the two Jade Bracelets and accepted them without much fuss. What Qin Li didn’t see at that moment was the immense joy and comfort that filled her eyes as she received them.
Although she didn’t know the full story of what Qin Li had experienced over the years, she had learned a great deal from her master, Ye Qianyu, who had been determined to sever her relationship with him.
But she had never once asked Qin Li a single question like, ’Do you have anything to do with those other women?’ Such a question had never even crossed her mind!
’If he cares for me, then I don’t mind if he’s surrounded by other beautiful women. If he doesn’t care for me, then I won’t be happy even if he stays by my side forever!’ freewebnoveℓ.com
This was Shangguan Shiyu—a woman who walked her own path!
What Qin Li was showing Shangguan Shiyu was a bracelet. It was woven from Celestial Silkworm Silk and threaded with several lustrous Red Jade Beads. It was exquisite!
Shangguan Shiyu’s eyes lit up. The pair of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Jade Bracelets Qin Li had given her were stored inside her phoenix hairpin. Perhaps she felt too shy to wear them in front of Qin Hanyue, or maybe she felt they were inconvenient for a Martial Artist to wear.
Seeing Shangguan Shiyu’s delighted expression, Qin Li smiled faintly at the clerk and said, "Could we try it on?" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Of course!" The clerk saw that the couple was elegantly dressed and carried themselves with a noble air. The woman was beautiful, the man handsome—like a perfectly matched pair. He was already captivated by their presence.
When he saw how politely Qin Li spoke to him, without any of the arrogance typical of young masters from prominent families, he grew even more excited. He quickly took the bracelet out and handed it to Qin Li.
"Here, hold out your hand," Qin Li said to Shangguan Shiyu with extreme gentleness, as if coaxing a child.
The other customers in the shop watched with envy. A few other women who were also there to pick out jewelry couldn’t help but glance at the men beside them, thinking, ’Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could be as romantic as that handsome young man?’ Meanwhile, the men in the shop had a similar thought: ’If I had a woman like that, I’d be ten times more gentle than that boy... No, a hundred times!’
Shangguan Shiyu’s pretty face flushed pink. Her heart was a mix of joy and shyness as she obediently extended a wrist as white as snow. The other women sighed again, thinking, ’To be that beautiful is already unfair, but for her skin to be so flawless... It’s just... it’s just too much!’
Qin Li fastened the bracelet onto Shangguan Shiyu’s wrist. Everyone felt their eyes brighten, as if the bracelet was destined to be worn on her hand.
The clerk in his thirties who was helping Qin Li couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. He then said, "Sir, I started working here when I was fourteen. I’m thirty-four now. In twenty years, I have never seen a piece of jewelry suit someone so perfectly. Truly. I don’t even know how to describe it. See for yourself—it’s just too beautiful!"
Normally, other customers would have been annoyed by such effusive praise from a clerk, but now, everyone had to admit that he was telling the truth!
"Heh, alright, I’ll buy it!" Qin Li didn’t even ask for the price. He didn’t care how expensive it was.
"Yes, of course!"
The clerk was ecstatic, not because he had made a sale, but because it was like a master swordsmith hoping his creation would end up in the hands of a true expert—only then could a Treasure Sword display its most dazzling brilliance!
"Wait. I want that, too. Whatever he’s paying, I’ll pay double!" Suddenly, a cold female voice came from the entrance. The voice was filled with such endless resentment it was as if someone owed her a massive debt and hadn’t paid it back.
Everyone in the shop was momentarily stunned. It wasn’t uncommon for people to fight over a coveted item. At auctions, especially, people would sometimes drive the price of an item to an absurd level just out of spite. To the wealthy, what others considered a huge sum of money was nothing more than a string of numbers. Everything they did was simply based on their mood.
However, for such a thing to happen in an ordinary jewelry store, with the person not even having seen the item, was rather intriguing.
’Could it be revenge? Or maybe the young man jilted that woman? Otherwise, why would her voice be filled with so much resentment?’
But as the group from outside walked in, everyone in the shop realized something was wrong. The newcomers—men and women, old and young—all exuded a powerful, chilly aura that instantly caused the temperature in the shop to plummet!
’What kind of power would it take to do something like that?’
Sensing trouble, the other customers all got up and left, gathering outside to gossip.
Qin Li, however, sighed faintly, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the newcomers.
There was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, with above-average looks and an extremely cold face. Her gaze, fixed on Qin Li, was filled with unconcealed hatred.
An old man who looked to be in his eighties or nineties exuded an equally powerful aura. The old man had eagle-like eyes, and he scanned Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu’s faces with a gloomy expression before letting out a soft grunt.
Behind them stood three men who appeared to be in their thirties. Apart from a flicker of awe in their eyes when they first saw Shangguan Shiyu, their expressions quickly became blank.
The clerk, chilled and frightened by the sudden cold, shuddered, his mouth twitching slightly. "Miss, I... I’m sorry, but we have more than one of this bracelet. If you’d like one, there’s another!"
"No, I want the one on her hand!" A mocking smile touched the icy girl’s lips. She looked at Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu with arrogance, her expression clearly telling Qin Li, ’I am provoking you!’
Without even glancing at the icy girl, Shangguan Shiyu unfastened the bracelet from her wrist, handed it to the clerk, and said coolly, "Since she wants it, I don’t."
She turned and looked intently at Qin Li. "Qin Li, let’s go."
Qin Li smiled gently at Shangguan Shiyu and said, "Alright, let’s go."
The couple’s reaction left the girl and her companions dumbfounded. ’Aren’t they saying this Qin Li is an extremely arrogant person? Someone is provoking the woman by his side, yet he remains completely unfazed?’
The girl’s mouth hung slightly open, as if she had been turned to stone.
Just as Qin Li was about to walk past them, the girl suddenly caught sight of the phoenix hairpin in Shangguan Shiyu’s hair. Her eyes instantly lit up with an expression of awe, and she shouted, "Stop!"
But Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu didn’t even glance at her and continued walking toward the exit. The old man’s figure flickered like a ghost, and in an instant, he blocked the doorway. His eagle-like eyes stared coldly at Qin Li’s face as his hoarse voice rang out.
"My young miss told you to stop. Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear?"
Only then did Qin Li slowly raise his head. His eyes were filled with mockery as he looked at the old man with disdain and said coolly, "If you’re looking for trouble, don’t use such a clumsy method. Didn’t I warn you? If you provoke me again, I’ll tear down your dog kennel. Why are you here again? Was one death not enough?"
Behind him, the girl’s face lit up with excitement. ’Now *this* is the real Qin Li!’ she thought.
’Hmph, let’s see how you walk out of this shop alive today, surrounded by one Celestial Embracing Realm and three Celestial Integration Realm experts!’
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Recommending two books from the female-oriented section for a friend. Feel free to check them out if you’re interested.
Title: Family Residence
Author: Yuan Aichen
Book ID: 1782705
Synopsis: A virtuous eldest daughter-in-law, a smiling Buddha... as long as you don’t cross me!
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A Fortunate Wife in Name and Deed — by The Ring Finger’s Fetter — Choosing a husband requires good judgment, but living a life also requires effort. Everyone hopes for a husband’s glory, a wife’s prestige, and a harmonious, prosperous family. (To be continued. For more Chapters, and to support the author and legitimate reading, please visit www.qidian.com!)
