Licking her lips glossed with the soft shade of peach blossom, Shu Ling stuck her hand forward. "50% it is! That’s final!"

  To be honest, half of all his current gold was absolutely no small sum!

  But Bubai didn’t feel he lost out at all.

  Trading mortal currency for cultivator services was always a win, and he even got a bonus kiss. This was a true win-win scenario!

  So, Bubai hooked her pinky to seal the deal. "A word is said, even four horses can hardly catch up."

  With joy bubbling like spring, the silver-haired fairy did a little dance in happiness. "Baobao will soon fly fly to this fairy! Fufufu~"

  Her musical ughter put a smile on Bubai’s face.

  Seriously. Nothing could make this cute goblin happier than gold… well, except perhaps more gold.

  After returning to reality from nd, Shu Ling seemed to realize... the gold wasn’t in hand yet!

  Thus, she quickly hooked onto the golden goose and urged, "Where does fairy brother want to do the appraisal? Back at the Book Pavilion?"

  Considering for a moment, Bubai instead suggested, “How about at my pce?”

  East District. Tower 44.

  When the tower entrance rumbled open, Bubai was greeted by the familiar, homely sight of the strict violet-haired guard.

  Upon seeing him, Xiao Lan re-sheathed her sword and tilted her head inquisitively, "No work?"

  "Taking the next couple of days off to prepare," Bubai ftly informed her and offered a slight smile.

  The poker-faced Xiao Lan nodded, rising to meet up with him.

  Facing him, she smoothed out the creases on his robe while doing the subtle sniffing that made guilt crawl all over his heart like ants…

  Yet, she let him pass like usual, even proactively making some suggestions. "Practice? Midnight snack?"

  Before Bubai could answer, another melodic voice chimed in his mind. "This is your Xiao Ai? Hum, nothing special."

  Bubai’s eyes slid to the side, nding on Shu Ling who was circling around Xiao Lan as if admiring a statue in a museum.

  Noticing his wandering eyes, Xiao Lan followed his gaze over to the guest chilling besides her… only to look back at Bubai shortly after, ftly asking, "Something wrong?"

  Looking at the mischievous fairy blinking back him innocently, Bubai shook his head. "Fine."

  Simultaneously, his divine sense condensed into a thin tentacle and swam over to the illusory fairy to pass on a message. "Need her help to bel?"

  Shu Ling gave him a simple look and shot back, "Hum, no need. Fairy brother is still shortsighted. Let this fairy broaden your horizons ter."

  She blinked mysteriously and skipped to his side. Hooking her arm through his, she stared at Xiao Lan with a strange twinkle in her eyes.

  A strange atmosphere began building up…

  Even though one supposedly can’t see the other...

  For some odd reason, Bubai felt something bad might happen if he let these two stay together for too long.

  So, he decisively broke it up. "Xiao Lan, I’ll head down to the dungeons for a while. There’s no need to wait for me-"

  "Wait for you." Those gssy eyes of hers seemed to convict him.

  Feeling some guilt nagging at his conscience, Bubai pulled out a pouch of spirit rice from his sleeve and handed it to her. "Okay. We can have early breakfast together ter."

  Taking the pouch, Xiao Lan's cold face softened slightly. “En.”

  With that, Xiao Lan turned around and went off, her barefoot steps soundlessly syncing to the beat of his heart.

  Once she disappeared up the stairs, Bubai inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

  Turning to look at the silver-haired beauty still clinging to his arm as if ciming ownership, Bubai prompted her with another mental message. "Let's go."

  Down in the Dungeon.

  Bubai gestured towards the canvas of items spread across the cell’s ground. "Fairy, these are the first batch needing appraisal. Sure you don’t need help?"

  Standing beside him, Shu Ling nodded confidently. "Hum, no problem! Fairy brother, just stand there and watch this fairy show you some magic tricks."

  After elegantly gesturing a few times, she cpped her hands together as if praying to some unknown entity.

  With that, a wave of silver light began washing over the various items, moving from one side to the other like moonlight over a dark ke.

  Tiny, illusory silver words were bred from the silver light, cascading down like delicate snowfkes to imprint themselves on everything the light brushed over…

  When Bubai’s divine sense read the fine print pasted on the various containers, he was astounded!

  Not only did each of these new bels actually matched the item stored within, they even included a simple, yet relevant description of their respective items as well!

  Low-grade Breeze Whisper Pill: A small, green pill that emits a faint, refreshing fragrance. It calms the mind and aids in alleviating anxiety. Ideal for cultivators who need to maintain focus during meditation or battle. Impurities: 30%.

  Ember Petal Herb: A delicate fiery red petal from the Intoxicating Dream Flower. When brewed into a tea, it provides a warm stream of Qi that invigorates the body and enhances stamina. Often used by Qi refiners to build foundational strength, but most importantly: The tea tastes good, this fairy repeats, this tea tastes good!

  Golden Feather Quill: A quill made from the feather of a Golden Phoenix. Inscribing with this enhances the potency of fire-attribute talismans, making their effects more powerful and sting. Decay: 66%.

  Mid-Grade Tranquil Spirit Talisman: A simple talisman made from paper infused with calming runes. When activated, it creates a protective aura that shields against low-grade mental attacks. Duration: 10 breaths.

  Frostleaf Gourd: A small gourd containing a cool, crystalline liquid. When consumed, it cools the body and reduces fever or heat-reted discomfort. Excellent for countering fiery fire-attribute energy or heat-based attacks.

  Frostflower Seed: A small, icy-blue seed that can be grown into a spiritual pnt with frost-covered blooms. The leaves can be used to create a concoction that provide cooling effects and alleviate heat-based injuries. Requires: Spirit Rain thrice a day, Low-grade Qi-retaining soil, Cold Conditions.

  Impurities, use cases, tips and instructions, etc. All appeared in tiny font, wrapping themselves around vials and fitting perfectly on each surface.

  What left him most astonished was how jaw dropping fast this happened! It was almost as fast as he could read them!

  His backwards identification exercise with Xiao Lan simply can’t compare!

  Very efficient. Very informative. This was the mysterious power of appraisal happening right before his eyes!

  Soon, the silver glow dissipated at the other end of the batch of items.

  Shu Ling dusted off her hands with a triumphant smile. "How? Magical, right?"

  Bubai nodded, still impressed. "I never expected appraisal could be done this way."

  Shu Ling puffed out her chest proudly. "Hum! Of course! Who does fairy brother think this fairy is? This fairy’s top appraiser title isn’t just a joke."

  Bubai’s eyes hopped over to her like a curious rabbit. "Only a top appraiser can do this?"

  With a smile in her eyes, Shu Ling’s finger habitually went to her pink lips.

  "Hum… not all. This appraisal technique requires two things to be successful. One, divine sense. Two, the Illusory Scriptures Transcription technique."

  Bubai’s eyes fshed with interest. "Illusory Scriptures Transcription?"

  As if sensing his pure interest, Shu Ling’s starry eyes twinkled.

  "It’s a handy life skill to leave words behind, without the hassle of pen and ink. At novice levels, it’s a convenient method to hide messages from mortal eyes, but at higher levels, it can even imbue intent into the imprinted words..."

  "Hum. That’s why this is a popur method mastered by those old fogeys who like to leave inheritances to enlighten future generations through scriptures or manuscripts."

  Such a handy writing tool?

  Creative ideas for using the technique already began swirling in his mind…

  He only stumbled back to reality when he felt the fairy breathing into his ears. "Fairy brother... want to learn?"

  Why wouldn’t he? So, he tentatively made an offer. "Add 5%?"

  The gleeful goblin instantly grabbed his hand and hooked their pinky fingers together. "That’s a deal!"

  Uh… she agreed so fast?! Did he give too much?

  "Fairy brother, a gentleman doesn’t go back on his words."

  As if afraid he might escape, she pressed herself against him and acted like a baby needing attention from a sleeping parent.

  Fearing that he’ll get tempted to accept other shady deals, Bubai helplessly surrendered.

  "Alright, alright. I’m not so stingy to keep fairy from her gold."

  Waving his hand, Bubai summoned a tray filled with gold taels off to the side.

  At the sight of the glinting gold, the moon’s eyes lit up the dungeon.

  Throwing her dy decorum out the window, the fairy squatted next to her ultimate distraction, rubbing and stuffing gold into her satchel like there was no tomorrow while giggling happily all the way.

  “Fufufufuuu~ baobao, you’re all mine!”

  When the tray was clean, she patted her satchel cheerfully and waltzed back over to him like the scene never happened.

  "Hum, good fairy brother, let’s hurry and get this over with! Afterwards, this fairy will teach brother the ropes to the Illusory Scriptures Transcription and maybe even…"

  Pyfully curling her silver hair with a finger, she threw him a shy gnce. "...give fairy brother some extra benefits."

  Bubai appraised those eyes that promised mischief and knew... it was going to be a long night.