Zanxing

Chapter 71 - The Fairy Staff

Zanxing initially thought that since she hadn't taken any magical artifacts from the armory, the matter should have ended there. But to her surprise, Sect Master Shaoyang was not only good-looking but also considerate; he actually asked Gu Baiying to take her to the Huajin Pavillion in Pingyang Town at the foot of the mountain to choose a new magic weapon, and Taiyan Sect would reimburse her.

However, this Seventh Master Uncle appeared very unwilling.

When Zanxing first arrived in Pingyang Town, she had taken a distant glance at Huajin Pavillion with Old Niu. She remembered Old Niu saying that the shopkeeper, Jin Feicui, was a breathtaking beauty. But in "At the Peak of Nine Heavens," all female characters were beauties, and even female animals were fair and lovely, so it was not surprising. Regardless of whether Jin Feicui was a beauty, she was certainly a wealthy woman; after all, the top three rewards for the inner sect assessment—fire wolf fang, spiritual lingzhi, and Tianji magic robes—were all sponsored by Huajin Pavillion.

This beautiful shopkeeper must have a keen business sense, as she was not only the financial backer for the Taiyan Sect but also indirectly helped attract a lot of business to their store. Anyone who came to Pingyang Town would know that Huajin Tower sold genuine treasures, and even the disciples of the Taiyan Sect praised it highly.

Zanxing and Gu Baiying stopped in front of Huajin Pavillion.

Huajin Pavillion was quite impressive; in such a small town as Pingyang, it was immediately recognizable as a high-end establishment, just like the "Good Luck Inn". Huajin Tower had an extensive business, offering everything from spiritual fruits and flowers to martial arts manuals, magical artifacts, and jewelry.

The young attendant at the entrance immediately greeted Gu Baiying with a bright smile, saying, "Immortal Gu, what brings you to the tower today? Please go upstairs and have a cup of tea while I call for the shopkeeper."

Clearly, they were familiar customers.

Zanxing followed Gu Baiying upstairs and casually chose a seat by the window. The first floor was a spacious hall, which reportedly occasionally held auctions for rare magical artifacts. The second floor allowed a view of the first floor, and when the beaded curtain was drawn, it created a separate tea room.

The pastries on the table were delightful, and the fragrance of the tea wafted through the air. The benches were covered with soft blankets, and the exquisite embroidery exuded the essence of spirit stones.

"Seventh Master Uncle," Zanxing asked Gu Baiying across the table, "Are the magical artifacts here very expensive?"

"Yang Shizi," the young man leaned back in his chair, looking quite at home, and nonchalantly replied, "Please don't act as if you've never seen the world before; it would be embarrassing for the Taiyan Sect."

"Face is not earned this way." Zanxing took a sip of tea and said, "I've long noticed that our sect has too strong a sense of comparison and vanity, which is not good."

"Sounds nice," Gu Baiying glanced at her, "But to be vain, you must have something worth being vain about. Do you?"

Just as Zanxing was about to respond, a delicate, flirtatious laugh came from behind the curtain: "Who's being vain?"

Immediately, the beaded curtain of the tea room was lifted, revealing a fragrant figure entering.

It was a quite beautiful young woman, plump in just the right way, with skin so white it was blinding, like tender cream ready to burst. Her eyebrows were finely drawn, and she had a pair of naturally crescent-shaped smiling eyes, gazing affectionately at people in a way that was captivating. She wore a light golden gauze dress with red embroidered patterns at the hem, her long hair styled in an elegant updo with a phoenix-headed gold hairpin inserted at an angle. On her wrist was a jade bracelet that accentuated her snow-white wrist.

The beauty's demeanor was graceful, and even though her attire was somewhat extravagant, her face and charm made it work.

This was the beautiful shopkeeper of Huajin Pavillion, Jin Feicui.

"Baiying, you really are a rare guest. It's been half a year since I last saw you; I thought you had forgotten your sister," Jin Feicui said as she sat at the table, her gaze landing on Zanxing. She was momentarily taken aback before smiling warmly. "Who is this lovely girl? Is she your partner?"

Gu Baiying, who was drinking tea, nearly choked at her words. He put down his cup and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense; this is my Sixth Senior Brother's personal disciple, Yang Zanxing."

"Oh, so she's a personal disciple of Xuan Ling," Jin Feicui brushed her hair back. "It's your first time bringing a girl to Huajin Pavillion; I thought she was your partner."

"My eyes are not blind," Gu Baiying pressed his forehead. "I brought her here on the order of the sect leader. You quickly pick a magical artifact for her."

"Magical artifact?" Jin Feicui showed a look of confusion. "Doesn't your sect have an armory?"

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow and said nothing, looking at Zanxing.

Zanxing didn't feel embarrassed at all and answered calmly, "I didn't take any."

Jin Feicui looked at her in astonishment. "You're Xuan Ling's personal disciple; how could you..." After a moment, the beauty immediately switched to a smile. "It's fine; the magical artifacts in our Huajin Pavillion, while not comparable to those in the Taiyan Sect's armory, are still good enough. They are sufficient to impress others. Little Junior Sister, what do you usually use? A knife or a sword? I guess a lovely girl like you would prefer something like a silk ribbon?"

Zanxing thought to herself that the reason Huajin Pavillion's business could be so vast was indeed due to something. To be able to sincerely say "lovely" to a face half destroyed, it was no wonder Jin Feicui was prosperous.

"I use a staff." Zanxing smiled and said. "I wonder if the Huajin Pavillion has any magical artifacts like staffs?"

Jin Feicui was momentarily surprised but then replied, "We do have them, but... it's quite rare for women to use staffs."

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Zanxing picked up a pastry from the plate and took a bite. "It suits me well."

A fairy using a fairy staff? Nothing wrong with that.

Huajin Pavillion indeed had a full range of items. After a short while, Jin Feicui returned, holding a long wooden box and placing it in front of Zanxing.

"We have plenty of staffs in our tower, but those who use staffs are mostly ordinary male cultivators. I won't bring you common ones; this is the best staff we have, the Panhua Staff." Jin Feicui smiled as she opened the box. "Little Junior Sister, take a look and see if it suits you."

Zanxing looked into the wooden box, where a black iron staff lay on a red soft cloth. At first glance, it appeared to be similar to the rusty iron staff she had received earlier from the Taiyan Sect. She picked up the iron staff and noticed that the body was intricately carved with numerous patterns. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were not mere patterns, but rather runes.

"This staff is inscribed with the Cleansing Heart Spell," Jin Feicui smiled and said, "It can dispel evil and drive away malevolent spirits."

"Dispelling evil and driving away malevolent spirits?" Zanxing was surprised. "Isn't it meant to increase spiritual power and resist attacks?"

"This staff originally belonged to a Buddhist cultivator, used to drive away evil for the common people," Jin Feicui replied cheerfully. "Naturally, the Panhua Staff also contains spiritual power, and its lightness makes it perfect for you to use."