Looking at the troubled Wang Yue, it's likely that the girl wants the book but thinks the price is too high.

Li Muxin said that she had always wanted to buy books, and this was her opportunity.

"Boss, I'll take this book, and this broken incense burner too. Name your price."

If no one was around, or if it wasn't a case of being robbed, Li Mu might have to learn from the jokes he'd heard earlier and try to negotiate a lower price with the boss.

"Ah! You, you want it..." Wang Yue was really reluctant to spend 10,000 yuan to buy the book after hearing Li Mu say that he wanted it. However, she hadn't even said she wouldn't buy it yet, and someone else had snatched it away. She was a little unhappy about it.

"Young man, you have a good eye. I'm not exaggerating, these are truly rare ancient books, and this incense burner... that was used by Laozi..."

The old man's mind went blank the moment Li Mu spoke; this was the young man subtly flirting with a girl. "This scoundrel is here now," he thought, "I'll name my price."

"Boss, have you thought this through? This broken incense burner has probably been sitting here for ages. If the price is too high, I'm leaving immediately, and I don't want the book either!"

When Li Mu saw the shopkeeper's eyes darting around, he knew he was being taken advantage of. Money didn't matter; he was definitely going to buy the goods. It was bad to treat people like fools. And this guy even claimed that Lao Tzu had used it! This balding guy really dared to swindle people.

"Alright, young man, I'll take the loss and not ask for a high price. I'll give you this incense burner for 10,000. If you want it, take it; if not, forget it."

The small business owner was afraid of scaring people away. He had already made a profit from just one antique book. Although he bought this broken stove for a higher price, it was only a few hundred yuan. He could sell it for ten thousand yuan or keep it if he couldn't. He wouldn't lose money anyway. This was the rule of thumb in their antique business: three years without a sale, then three years of feasting.

.

Even though she didn't buy the medical book, Wang Yue didn't leave. Just like the little old man with the receding hairline thought, she wanted to see if this handsome boy with a smile would actually buy the book, and if he would buy it and try to win her favor by giving it to her.

Soon, she realized she was overthinking things. Sometimes, what you think is just what you think, and not the truth.

After paying, Li Mu smiled and nodded at Wang Yue, then left with the medicinal herbs, the book, and the incense burner, in a good mood. If the book was overpriced, the incense burner was definitely worth it.

The old man received the money and watched with a smile as Li Mu picked up the items. He was curious to see how the young man would try to impress the girl. Surprisingly, he simply left. The old man felt a little sorry for the beautiful woman waiting nearby.

Wang Yue looked at Li Mu, who had already left, and felt a strong sense of déjà vu about his back.

Li Mu walked out of the alley. In his mind's eye, the beautiful woman seemed to be following him, staring intently at his back. He thought to himself, "I just stepped on her foot, why is she following me?" Thinking back, he realized he had not only stepped on her foot but also stolen her book. Maybe he should just give the book away.

Wang Yue didn't know what was wrong with her; she just felt she had to catch up with the person in front of her, but she couldn't explain why. She finally caught up, but now she didn't know what to say.

"Excuse me, if you've finished reading that book, could I borrow it?"

Wang Yue waved her hand, stuck out her tongue, wanting to shake hands as a sign of friendliness, but then thought a girl should be more reserved. She didn't necessarily want the book; she was just making conversation and mentioned it casually.

Looking at the somewhat mischievous girl, Li Mu thought to himself, "I had already decided to give you the book." He replied, "No problem, but you might have to wait half an hour. I'll give it to you as soon as I finish reading it."

.

Since he had promised to give the book to the other person, Li Mu didn't delay. Seeing a bench on the street, he put down what he was holding and started reading.

Soon, Wang Yue was almost speechless with surprise. She was still wondering why the young man had to wait for her for half an hour when she saw him seriously turning the pages of the book. She absolutely couldn't believe that anyone could read the contents of a book at the speed of turning pages.

It's a thick, brick-sized book. Although the font is larger than that of a regular printed book, there are many obscure characters in it. It would be difficult to understand it, let alone just flip through the pages, in half an hour.

"Alright, I've finished reading it. You can have this book." In less than half an hour, Li Mu had finished reading the entire book.

"Ah! You, you've finished reading it already? Why don't you take another look? I'm not in a hurry. You can give it to me next time." Wang Yue looked at the book Li Mu handed her with a surprised expression, but did not reach out to take it.

Looking at Wang Yue, who was staring with her mouth agape in disbelief, and noticing the various changes in her facial expressions, Li Mu found the little girl quite adorable. He had indeed finished reading the book and memorized it; he just needed to spend a little more time reflecting on and organizing it in his mind.

He shoved the book directly into her hands and said:

"I'm really sorry about today. I wanted to buy some books about medicinal herbs, but they weren't available anywhere, so I had to take what others wanted. I've finished reading the books, so I'll give them to you. I've memorized all the contents, so you don't need to return them."

"Okay, thank you. Um, these days people usually buy books online. If you don't want the hassle and have the time, you can go to the medical school library; they have a pretty complete selection. Also, my name is Wang Yue. If you want to go to our school library, you can contact me; let's add each other on WeChat."

Wang Yue took out her phone and opened the QR code, only to find herself in an awkward situation: Li Mu didn't have a phone.

A little later, Li Mu, clutching the note with Wang Yue's phone number written on it, picked up his things and left under Wang Yue's slightly resentful gaze.

.

When Wang Yue realized she didn't have a cell phone, her incredulous expression amused Li Mu.

A mobile phone, as a communication tool, may be indispensable to others. But for Li Mu, it has little impact. He has very few people to contact now, and hardly any friends. As for those so-called fair-weather friends from his memories, he'd rather not contact them anymore.

Back home, after greeting Aunt Xia, Li Mu went to the study. The study had now become his main place of activity, where he spent more time than in his bedroom.

Li Mu took out the incense burner and casually cast a few dust-removing spells. The ancient incense burner became much cleaner, and Li Mu even smelled a faint fragrance. This fragrance didn't seem like the kind used for worshipping gods and Buddhas; rather, it smelled like medicine.

Guessing it might be the scent of medicine, Li Mu immediately picked up the incense burner with both hands and poured his spiritual energy into it. "Buzz!" The incense burner hummed, emitting a clear whistle. Some filth residue on the inner and outer walls of the burner instantly fell off naturally, and the entire burner became clean as new. Then, the burner slowly grew larger in Li Mu's hands, eventually becoming the size of a clay pot.

"Haha!" Li Mu laughed loudly. He had indeed found a treasure. This was no incense burner; it was clearly a pill furnace.

Touching the intricate patterns on the alchemy furnace, Li Mu was overjoyed; he had truly struck gold! These patterns, which looked like ornaments, were actually array patterns carved by a weapon refiner—unique array patterns for the alchemy furnace.

Just as Li Mu was about to refine pills, he found a pill furnace. This was something he never dared to dream of, as if it were preordained.

Having this alchemy furnace means that my cultivation in this world will be greatly enhanced. As long as I can find the corresponding medicinal herbs, I can refine the pills needed for cultivation. With the aid of these pills, even in this world of declining Dharma, my cultivation progress will be guaranteed.

It seems I still need to get out and about more. Whether it's in the mountains and lakes or in the bustling city, opportunities won't just come knocking on my door.