Chapter 102 The Goldsmith

Mu Xi turned her head and saw a woman dressed in a pale yellow velvet dress, adorned with pearls and gold ornaments, who appeared to have just walked out of a nearby restaurant.

The woman was followed by a matron, two maids, and two guards.

The girl looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, but her clothes were luxurious and elegant, no less than those of the city's noblewomen. She wore a large gold and ruby ​​necklace, which made her look just as good as those rich and dissolute young men.

There was even a magnificent car with crimson wheels parked behind her, one that would be hard to forget after just one glance, and her entourage was dressed even better than the servants of the Jin Fangjun Mansion.

If the Yan Sheng Continent didn't lack the concept of "overstepping the bounds," Mu Xi would have suspected that even an ordinary person riding in that carriage would be beheaded.

The woman had curved eyebrows and a sweet appearance, and when she spoke, she looked two years younger than she appeared: "I arrived in Moyang a few days ago. But Brother Xun, what a coincidence to meet you here?"

Mu Xi was almost blinded by the sight of wealth and luxury, but then he remembered that Madam Gao was still inside. Just as he was wondering what excuse to use, a woman came up and pulled Mu Xun aside, saying, "You know each other, why don't you invite this young lady to come in and have a look?"

Mu Xun hesitated.

The woman was quite generous, but when she looked up, she didn't seem to like it: "Brother Xun, do you want to browse the gold shops? If you want to buy jewelry, gold and jade, how can the things in these small shops be considered high-class in terms of quality, workmanship, or craftsmanship? Right across the street is my Qi family's Jianzhen Tower. Brother Xun, go over there, and this young master, just pick whatever you like."

Mu Xi was surprised by the woman's generous words.

Mu Xun had no choice but to introduce her: "Your Highness, this is Miss Qi from the Qi family of Xiangnan."

He turned to the woman and said, "This is Prince Jin Fang, whom I mentioned to you before."

The woman was surprised to see Prince Jin Fang standing in front of her. She quickly curtsied and said familiarly, "Your Highness, I am Qi Zhuying. I met Brother Xun in Xiyan. He calls me Zhuying. You can call me 'Zhuying' from now on."

Generally, young ladies from wealthy families do not introduce themselves by giving their full name.

But judging from how affectionate Qi Zhuying is with Mu Xun, she seems to treat her as one of her own.

"Oh, Miss Qi, there's no need for such formalities." Mu Xi thought to herself, "No wonder she's so wealthy, she's the daughter of the Qi family, the richest family in the country." But she was still thinking about the Gao family. "Miss Qi may not be interested in a small gold shop, but I'm curious, so I won't accompany you."

After saying that, Mu Xi turned and walked inside.

A shop assistant immediately greeted him: "Please come in, sir. What would you like to see?"

Mu Xi ignored it, glancing at the small main hall on the first floor. There were no guests in the hall, nor was Gao Shi in sight.

Just as I was about to go up to the second floor, I suddenly noticed another narrow door behind the stairwell leading from the first floor to the second floor.

The narrow door curtain was blown up by the wind, seemingly leading to the backyard, where people were coming and going, as if there was something else there.

Mu Xi then headed towards the backyard.

The shop assistant stepped forward to stop him: "Sir, are you looking to order jewelry? That's a small shop/workshop in the back, and it's not convenient to serve outside customers. If you want to order goldware, you can go upstairs."

"Since it's a place where tools are made, why not let people take a look?" Mu Xi still wanted to see it.

The shop assistant stepped aside, feigning to stop him: "Sir, if it weren't for the large-scale production of gold artifacts, the shopkeeper's instructions would have been..."

"You won't let us see it? If I buy this place, will you let us see it?" Qi Zhuying suddenly came up from behind.

“This young lady…” The waiter looked at Mu Xi’s clothes and assumed she was from a wealthy family. But when he saw Qi Zhuying’s imposing manner, he didn’t dare to speak for a moment.

Qi Zhuying raised her hand and said, "What 'Miss'? Let me tell you clearly, I am the young master of 'Jianzhenlou' across the street. As the saying goes, rivals are enemies. Tell your manager to come out and name a price. I want to buy this gold shop of yours."

Mu Xi was not intimidated by the tone, but was dazzled by the bright gold bracelet on Qi Zhuying's wrist as she raised her hand.

The waiter froze, and Mu Xi seized the opportunity to rush inside, lifting the curtain to go to the backyard.

In the backyard, there were indeed craftsmen and stoves, and on the left was a row of houses, while on the right was a staircase leading to the second floor.

The shop assistant, having been given something by Qi Zhuying, followed up with an apologetic smile: "This is where the masters work on their gold, and it's too stuffy to entertain distinguished guests here. If you'd like, please come up to the second floor for tea; the styles and jewelry there are much more upscale."

Mu Xi looked around but couldn't see anything amiss, so she was about to follow him upstairs.

Turning around, I discovered a moon gate, behind which seemed to be another courtyard.

Mu Xi then wanted to go over and find out more.

An older man who looked like he was in charge stepped out and stopped them, saying, "Sir, the back courtyard is a private and important place, and we do not entertain outside guests."

Mu Xi was about to retreat when she suddenly saw a figure wearing a cloak and mask flash by. She forced herself to take two steps after him, but the figure turned a corner and disappeared.

Although I couldn't see anything clearly, the mask of the figure was quite unique, with a black background and strange gold patterns.

Mu Xi then asked, "Since it's a gold shop, how come there are shamans around?"

"The goldsmith has invited a shaman to perform a ritual to ensure the business prospers," the manager replied, while extending his arm in a gesture of obstruction, "Please wait a moment, sir, why don't we go upstairs for tea?"

Mu Xi glanced at it again, then had no choice but to turn back.

Just as they were about to go up to the second floor, Mu Xun followed behind and whispered in their ear, "The person has already left from the second floor."

"Oh?" Mu Xi paused, then stopped going up to the second floor and returned through the narrow door.

Gao's figure was no longer seen in the main hall on the first floor of Liujinsi.

Mu Xi had a question in her mind: "You saw the masked shaman just now, didn't you?"

Mu Xun was looking around and didn't notice anything, so he shook his head.

Qi Zhuying didn't notice anything amiss, only complaining about the shop: "The shop here is small and the business is slow. No matter how many wizards you hire to perform rituals, I'm afraid the business won't pick up."

Mu Xi still felt something was amiss: "If there are shamans performing rituals in the backyard, why can't we hear any smell of fire pillars or the sound of bells and drums?"

Qi Zhuying suddenly tugged at Mu Xun's sleeve: "Brother Xun, it's a rare occasion for us to meet today. Why don't I treat you to a meal? My family's Heyunlou is right next door. Please come and sit with the young master."

"This... I still have things to do today, I'm afraid..." Mu Xun was about to get away from Qi Zhuying when Mu Xi happened to look over, so he had to find a topic to introduce, "In Yansheng, any business, shop, casino, or restaurant with the characters 'He', 'Zhen', or 'Xiang' in its name comes from the Qi family of Xiangnan. 'He Zhen Xiang' is the brand name of the Qi family of Xiangnan."

"Oh..." Mu Xi said "Oh" again, and didn't ask any more questions. Her mind was not on this at all.

Qi Zhuying was not discouraged when her arms were removed: "You think the outside environment is not clean, right? Don't worry, this is my Qi family's own chef. I'll have them cook carefully on their own, and I guarantee there won't be any problems."

Mu Xi wondered, was Mu Xun's germaphobia really that bad?