Chapter 59: The Treasure Pavilion 2

The shop assistant's remarks thoroughly displeased Luo Yunhe. She knitted her brows tightly, a deep sense of aversion rising in her heart toward him.

"Enough!" Luo Yunhe impatiently interrupted the assistant's chattering, her tone resolute. "You needn't concern yourself with whether my stones are officially sourced. As long as they can yield precious gems, they can fetch a high price!

What does your so-called official ore matter? If it fails to produce gems, it is nothing more than trash! I can guarantee you that every single one of my stones holds a surprise!"

The assistant chuckled dismissively. "Ha, little girl, stop boasting! It's obvious these stones of yours were just picked up off the mountain. How could they possibly yield anything good?

I advise you to leave quickly. We at the Treasure Pavilion do not accept stones of dubious origin, nor do we engage in deceiving our customers!"

With that, the assistant began to forcefully shove Luo Yunhe, attempting to push her out of the shop.

Luo Yunhe deeply detested being manhandled. Seeing that the assistant was about to lay hands on her, she didn't stand on ceremony; she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Having been working hard lately, she had built up considerable physical strength. Thus, as she gripped the young assistant's wrist, she exerted immense force, causing the assistant's face to turn the color of a pig's liver from pain.

"You—let go..."

"You are merely a shop assistant at the Treasure Pavilion. When I walk through those doors, I am a customer. Whether I am buying or selling stones, you have no right to speak to me with such insolence.

I want to see your manager. Have your manager come out to deal with me, or else I will not leave today!" Having said this, Luo Yunhe gave the young assistant a hard shove and simultaneously released her grip.

The moment he was released, the young assistant frantically rubbed his wrist, a vicious expression crossing his face.

"You dare to cause trouble inside the Treasure Pavilion! You must be tired of living!" The assistant shouted, preparing to summon help.

At that moment, a man in a cyan robe walked in.

"What is going on here?"

Hearing the voice, the assistant looked up and, recognizing the cyan-robed man in charge of this establishment, his expression instantly turned docile.

He didn't forget to lodge a complaint: "Manager, you must uphold justice for me! This little girl came here to cause trouble. She picked up some bizarre stones from the mountain and claimed she wanted to sell them.

I told her that we only accept stones from legitimate mines and not random rocks picked up off the ground like hers, but she actually resorted to violence!

Just look, my wrist has been bruised and swollen by her grip..." As he spoke, the assistant rolled up his sleeve to reveal his red and swollen wrist to the cyan-robed man, continuing to exaggerate the situation.

Having listened to the assistant's account, the cyan-robed man shifted his gaze to Luo Yunhe.

He saw a young girl standing there unperturbed, carrying a large bamboo basket on her back. Her delicate face and sharp, sparkling eyes were focused intently on him. Despite her plain attire, the cyan-robed man sensed that the young girl before him was far from ordinary.

"Young lady..."

"What? Does a mere assistant in your Treasure Pavilion have to add so much exaggeration to his words?" Luo Yunhe met the gaze of the cyan-robed man. "I admit I used a bit too much force, but he was foul-mouthed first and attempted to strike me first, which is why I retaliated.

Furthermore, I am indeed here to sell stones. If precious treasures can be mined from my stones, then they cannot be considered fraudulent.

Who decreed that only stones from official mines can yield good things?"

Hearing Luo Yunhe's words, the cyan-robed man turned his gaze back to the assistant, whose face flushed with embarrassment.

"I—I was merely following the rules. Still, you shouldn't have used such heavy force! How can a little girl be so strong? If this had happened to anyone else, their bones would have been crushed!"

"Hmph, you are running a business with doors open to all. Regardless of whether people buy or sell, you have no right to drive them away like that.

It is your good fortune that I didn't shatter the bones in your wrist!"

"You—"

"Enough!" The cyan-robed man interrupted the assistant, casting a fierce glare at him before turning back to look at Luo Yunhe with a smile.

"Since the young lady is here to sell stones, might you let me take a look at them?"

"Of course!" Luo Yunhe nodded. At the very least, the cyan-robed man before her was not blindly partial to his own staff.

"This way, young lady."

Luo Yunhe nodded in acknowledgment and followed the cyan-robed man deeper inside, while the assistant watched the scene, burning with rage yet utterly helpless.

In a small back room, a table stood furnished with candles and various tools.

Luo Yunhe took a portion of the stones out of her basket and placed them before the man.

Seated behind the table, the man picked up a stone and began to inspect its exterior with meticulous care.

However, after studying it for a long time without discerning any inner contents, he lit a candle, held the stone above the flame, and examined it even more closely.

Luo Yunhe naturally knew the purpose of his actions. In the 21st century, identifying jade or gemstones required shining a light or inspecting the stone's rind.

Under the limited conditions of ancient times, they could only rely on simple methods for identification.

After observing for quite some time without finding any sign of jade in the stones, the man finally set them down and looked up at the young girl.

"Young lady, these are all ordinary stones. Although their exteriors do indeed bear a strong resemblance to those containing jade, close inspection reveals they are completely hollow inside. Therefore, these stones cannot be traded!"

Luo Yunhe: "...... Impossible! These stones will definitely yield good treasures!"

What a joke; she had identified them using her piercing eyes of truth. How could she possibly give up just because of his single word?

"Young lady, I understand you collected these stones hoping to make some money, but I can tell you with certainty that these stones cannot yield anything!"

"Manager, I can assure you that my stones will definitely yield treasures.

I know you may not believe me. How about this: allow me a small space inside your shop to sell these stones. If they sell, I will give you a twenty percent commission.

How about it? In any case, I only occupy a tiny corner, and you still make a profit—why not?"

The cyan-robed man looked at the young girl before him. She was undeniably striking, and he could not fathom where she got such absolute confidence. He wanted to refuse her, yet looking into her resolute eyes, the words refused to leave his mouth.