Myriad Treasures Pavilion Opens
Three days later, the old wooden door on a street in the western part of the capital was replaced with a black sign trimmed in gold.
It bore only four words: Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
No one knew who owned the shop. They only knew that inside were strange items never before seen in Dai Chu: mirrors that reflected every strand of hair, soap scented like flowers, little lamps that needed no oil, and powder boxes that made one's face glow after only one night.
Wan Yuting stood behind the counter, lightly tapping the tabletop.
“Ten times the price.”
The newly hired shop assistant's eyes widened. “Miss, isn't that too expensive?”
“It's not expensive. Customers aren't just buying the goods. They're buying the feeling of owning something no one else has.”
Sure enough, by afternoon, the wife of the Minister of Revenue arrived with two maids.
She stared at the glass mirror for a long time before asking, “Can this make me look younger?”
Wan Yuting smiled. “It only tells the truth. If you want to look younger, Madam, use the skincare set beside it.”
The madam looked at the price and nearly cried from the pain, her lips trembling. But when she saw the shopkeeper's smooth, radiant face, she still gritted her teeth and bought the whole set.
The news spread throughout the capital at once.
People said that Myriad Treasures Pavilion sold divine artifacts. They also said that although the young shopkeeper was still young, she had an exceptionally sharp mind and never let customers bargain for more than three rounds.
In just one month, the little shop had become a place where the wives of powerful nobles fought to place orders.
Wan Yuting didn't just sell cosmetics. She also sold lamps, refined salt, sewing needles, cold medicine, eyeglasses, and household goods that left the people of the ancient world dumbfounded.
Every item was exchanged from the System using the silver and gold she earned. The more she sold, the larger her inventory became.
That evening, Wan Yuting sat down to do the accounts. The figure for her sales on the System's display made her smile with satisfaction.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves rang out in the street.
A group of people stopped in front of the shop. The man leading them wore a black cloak and sat in a wheelchair. His face was so cold that the surrounding crowd instinctively backed away.
The shop assistant's voice trembled. “It's the Night Prince, Chu Chenye.”
Wan Yuting looked up.
He was the most powerful man in the realm after the emperor, as well as the War God who had once single-handedly annihilated thirty thousand enemy troops. But after his final battle, he was poisoned by Blackbone Powder, leaving his legs completely numb.
And according to the memories of this body, he had only three months left to live.
Chu Chenye's gaze swept over the glass mirror on the shelf before shifting to Wan Yuting.
“Are you the owner of Myriad Treasures Pavilion?”
“Yes.”
“Where did these items come from?”
“Are you here to buy something, or investigate a case?”
The atmosphere in the shop instantly turned cold.
A guard stepped forward, but Chu Chenye raised a hand to stop him.
Wan Yuting walked over to the wheelchair and bent down to look straight into his eyes.
“I also know why you can't walk.”
Chu Chenye's gaze darkened.
Wan Yuting enunciated every word. “The Blackbone Powder has seeped into your bones. If you don't get treatment, you have only three months left.”
The hand resting on the wheelchair's arm tightened into a fist.
“You know how to cure it?”
“Yes.”
“What will it cost?”
Wan Yuting smiled like a merchant who had just met the biggest customer of her life.
“10,000 taels of gold.”
Chu Chenye stared at her for a long while.
“Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if you kill me, you'll lose your only chance to stand again.”
Outside the shop, the night wind whipped the cloth curtain into the air.
For the first time in many years, Chu Chenye saw someone who did not bow her head before him.
He spoke slowly. “Fine. I'll buy my life back.”