Chapter Nine: The Jade Pendant’s Astonishing Transformation

Qin Yu stared at the weapons catalogue before her in disbelief… Where was the promised elegance and grandeur? What was with this dilapidated scene? Despite inwardly complaining, her face maintained a faint smile as she calmly stepped into the shop.

Inside, an old man was leisurely puffing away on a long tobacco pipe. Yet, from the way he sat, Qin Yu could tell he was not as simple as he appeared—his posture betrayed no flaws and hinted at hidden depths.

“Good day, sir. May I ask if you are the owner of this establishment?” Qin Yu addressed the old man respectfully.

“Little girl, why aren’t you enjoying yourself outside? What brings you to my humble place?” The old man took a deep drag and spoke to Qin Yu.

“Sir, your place is anything but humble. There’s a dragon living here—I had to come pay my respects.” Qin Yu smiled at him, eyes twinkling.

“Haha, you’re quite the amusing girl. I never liked beating around the bush, so tell me—what brings you here?” The old man, whose name was Dong Zhuo, looked at Qin Yu, a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Just as well, I don’t like being indirect either. I came to buy some cold weapons, and I’d like to ask the master to forge me a sharp dagger.” Qin Yu bowed slightly to Dong Zhuo.

“Oh? A dagger? What kind do you want?”

“A dagger that can cut through iron as if it were mud, something small.” Qin Yu’s heart leapt at his question—she knew her request might just be fulfilled.

“Follow me.” Dong Zhuo led her into the inner chamber.

Qin Yu followed, puzzled but trusting, into what appeared to be a storeroom. It was small and seemed to have been sealed for years.

“Little girl, whether I can forge your dagger depends on your own choices. Go in and select your materials. Whatever kind of dagger the materials can produce, that’s what I’ll craft for you.” Dong Zhuo smiled warmly at her.

Qin Yu gazed at the room full of unknown materials, silently lamenting the old fox’s cleverness, but resigned herself to carefully picking through them. Though her profession had brought her into contact with ores before, she had rarely seen truly exceptional ones—and none of these were familiar to her. This only strengthened her resolve: she would ensure the old man forged the weapon she envisioned.

Steeling herself, Qin Yu closed her eyes, extending her spiritual power throughout the room.

Outside, Dong Zhuo seemed to sense something and watched her silhouette, sighing softly but saying nothing.

Qin Yu intended to use her spiritual power to sense which ore reacted most strongly, but unexpectedly, there was one stone her power could not penetrate. There were two possible explanations: either it was an ordinary rock, or it was an ore her spiritual power could not command.

Since it was stored here, Qin Yu reasoned it could not be mere waste; she never considered it might be an oversight by the old man.

Outside, Dong Zhuo’s smile deepened as he saw Qin Yu pick up that particular ore.

“Sir, do you think this one will do?” Qin Yu asked, cautious yet confident in the stone’s uniqueness.

“Haha—who knows! Give it to me. Come back in two days to collect your dagger and other weapons. Bring money with you next time—now off you go!” Dong Zhuo said impatiently, accepting the ore.

Qin Yu wanted to say more, but seeing his demeanor, she decided to leave for now. She planned to collect the items from the chemical plant, and immersed in her own thoughts, she did not hear Dong Zhuo mutter, “This is fate…”

Two days passed—neither long nor short. Qin Yu took over the chemical plant, dismissed the workers, shut it down, and stored its contents in her space. Thankfully, there was no air inside, or some chemicals would have been dangerous.

Two days later, Qin Yu returned to the weapon shop. Strangely, it was empty—she searched inside and out, but found no one. In the storeroom, however, she discovered a letter written by Dong Zhuo. He explained he had to leave urgently, that the dagger was finished, and that it was the finest work of his life. He felt a connection with Qin Yu and decided to gift her the entire weapon shop, along with all its ores and weapons. He ended by saying he looked forward to their next meeting.

Qin Yu tested the dagger, and indeed it cut through iron effortlessly. Gazing at its gleaming blade, she smiled in satisfaction and stored it in her space, then packed up all the weapons and ores from the shop as well.

Back at the hotel, Qin Yu calculated that the apocalypse was only a dozen days away—she should gather more supplies, for food would never be too much in such times. With that thought, she drifted into sleep…

Unbeknownst to her, in her space, the items she’d stored suddenly began to riot, shaking the entire space. In a short time, the space was no longer as it had been—the supplies had vanished, as had the ores she’d gathered during the day. Instead, whole veins of ore now sprawled throughout the space, and at the very top, that small dagger glowed with an eerie, enchanting light.