Shen Wanning's Competitiveness

Xu Mu was a bit confused. He glanced at Dai Xingluo before asking skeptically, "What do you mean?"

"Old Li, your words do sound a bit ambiguous. Anyone hearing it might think you're trying to set me up with someone."

Dai Xingluo covered her mouth and chuckled beside him.

"Actually, it's not much different from matchmaking—both involve finding someone to share life with."

Li Zizai smiled, twirling the Buddhist beads in his hand. "What I meant was, would you like to work at our shop under Miss Dai? Salary won’t be an issue."

"Sorry, but I have to take care of my master often. I probably won’t have time to help here."

Xu Mu refused without hesitation.

His schedule was already packed—how could he waste time here?

He had initially thought Dai Xingluo was almost won over by him, but now he understood the real reason.

She was only interested in his antique appraisal skills.

"You're Xu Mu, right?" Dai Xingluo asked.

"That’s correct."

Xu Mu nodded lightly.

"I understand. With an ability like yours, money isn’t an issue. You could easily become wealthy just by spotting hidden treasures."

Dai Xingluo carried an air of refined elegance. "I simply admire your talent. I won’t force anything."

"Thanks."

Xu Mu nodded again. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

"Going to meet that ‘ordinary friend’ of yours?" Dai Xingluo smiled faintly.

"I came here only to look for treasures."

With that, Xu Mu turned and left.

His visit to Dai Xingluo was merely to make an appearance and remind her of his existence.

He had other matters to attend to—namely, helping Feng Yue break through as a martial artist.

Watching Xu Mu exit the shop, Dai Xingluo reclined back into her chair.

"Even a beautiful boss like you couldn’t keep him around. This kid’s got some serious self-control."

Li Zizai grinned as he looked at Dai Xingluo.

"Earlier, I saw a pretty woman greet him enthusiastically. Maybe in his eyes, she’s the more attractive one."

Dai Xingluo leaned back, no longer holding the jade pendant Xu Mu had given her but instead a gold-edged dagger.

"That kid’s a martial artist too, and he could instantly identify an Earth-rank technique. He’s no ordinary guy."

Li Zizai smirked. "Should we test him?"

"What do you mean?"

Dai Xingluo turned her head toward him.

"I just want to see how strong he is. If he’s capable, wouldn’t it be perfect to recruit him? We’re short on skilled fighters right now."

Li Zizai picked up a magnifying glass and resumed examining a porcelain piece.

"Look at him—do you really think he’d join us?" Dai Xingluo shook her head slightly.

"With your beauty, plenty of men would jump at the chance to be your lapdog. Luring a young guy like him should be easy."

Li Zizai paused briefly before adding, "Besides, you seem to have a favorable impression of him."

Dai Xingluo recalled Xu Mu’s earlier words to her and smiled. "What good is that? I need top-tier fighters, not weaklings."

---

Xu Mu strolled down the street, hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning the market stalls like a high-tech scanner.

Even the most skilled antique appraisers needed time to examine items carefully, but Xu Mu’s ability worked like an instant label—revealing an object’s age and value at a glance.

Suddenly, his gaze landed on an intricately carved jade pendant.

"A Tang Dynasty white jade cloud-pattern pendant."

Xu Mu was inwardly stunned. He hadn’t expected to find something like this at a street stall.

Upon closer inspection, however, he noticed a flaw—a crack running through it.

If intact, this piece would easily fetch over five million. But with the damage, its value was halved.

Approaching the stall, Xu Mu deliberately ignored the pendant at first, pointing instead at a plain white jade tablet. "How much for this, boss?"

"Haha, young man, you’ve got a good eye! This pendant’s made of Hetian jade—almost flawless—and it’s an antique."

The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, grinned. "Twenty grand, and it’s yours."

"Too expensive. Got anything cheaper?" Xu Mu asked.

"Everything I display here is high-quality." The man chuckled.

"Really? Then what’s this? Low-grade jade with a crack—how much could it possibly be worth?"

Xu Mu pointed at the cloud-pattern pendant.

"That’s a premium piece!"

The stall owner glanced around before lowering his voice. "I bought this from tomb raiders."

"Boss, let me be honest—I wouldn’t even pay a hundred for it."

As he spoke, Xu Mu picked up a bracelet. "How much for this?"

"Ten thousand. It’s a celadon jade bracelet."

The man eyed the bracelet before answering.

"I’ll take it."

Xu Mu nodded.

The owner wasn’t lying—it was indeed celadon jade, and the price was fair.

"Great! I’ll wrap it up right away." The man beamed. "Anything else, brother?"

"What about this smaller one?"

Xu Mu pointed to another celadon jade bracelet.

Since he was buying, he might as well get two—one for Ye Tong and one for Ye Yu.

"Nine thousand for this one, but if you buy both, I’ll give them to you for eight and a half each."

The stall owner smiled.

"Deal. Pack them up."

Xu Mu then gestured to the cloud-pattern pendant. "Throw this in too."

"This one’s another ten grand." The man grinned slyly.

"Not honest? Fine, forget it." Xu Mu turned to leave.

"Wait, brother! We can negotiate!"

Seeing Xu Mu actually walk away, the owner panicked and called after him.

He’d found the pendant in an old wooden box while collecting antiques in a village. It looked aged, so he’d tossed it on display.

Selling it for even a hundred would still be profit.

"How much for all three?" Xu Mu stopped.

"Twenty grand for the bundle."

The man held up two fingers.

"Fine, I’ll reluctantly agree."

Xu Mu returned, scanned the payment, and took the items.

Since no one could see his storage space, he openly transferred the purchases into it right there.

Just as he was about to leave, he spotted Shen Wanning.

She stepped out of an antique shop, carrying a bag, and noticed him too.

"Hmph!"

Shen Wanning lifted her chin, ignoring Xu Mu as she walked away.

Xu Mu couldn’t help but smile. This woman was amusing.

But he didn’t chase after her. Unlike protagonists like Lin Yang, he didn’t lose all sense at the sight of a pretty face.

He was content—the women around him already provided a steady stream of justice points. That was enough.

Shen Wanning noticed Xu Mu seemingly following her and quickly turned left.

But Xu Mu hadn’t been pursuing her at all—he simply continued down the street.

Only then did she realize they’d just been going the same way.

She couldn’t stand it. Xu Mu clearly liked her—he’d even studied music for her sake.

Though she’d never accept his advances, being overshadowed by some green-tea girl was too much to bear.

With that thought in mind, Shen Wanning turned back and hurried after Xu Mu.

"Xu Mu! Stop right there!"