The next day, as usual, Zhang Xiaoyun woke up very early and quietly put on her clothes.
After tidying herself up, Zhang Xiaoyun left the Zhang Family by the back door.
When Zhang Xiaoyun arrived at the marketplace, the people around her couldn't help but point and stare, especially at the scar on her face. Her heart trembled. She quickly lowered her head and hurried forward.
"Who is this girl? How pitiful, to be in her state at such a young age."
"Exactly. How will she ever get married?"
"I heard she's the daughter of the Zhang Mansion's Patriarch, but isn't her status there lower than a handmaiden's? I think she was recently married off to Wen Qingye."
"What? Wen Qingye married into her family for *this* woman? He must have the worst luck of his past eight lifetimes!"
After a moment, Zhang Xiaoyun saw a shop ahead—Jishi Hall. Her eyes lit up, and she went inside.
The attendant was startled to see Zhang Xiaoyun and asked, "Miss, what can I get for you?"
Zhang Xiaoyun took out a piece of paper and handed it to the attendant. Biting her lip, she said, "I need these medicinal ingredients. I have ten Low-Grade Primordial Stones. Is that enough?"
The attendant took the paper, opened it, and examined it carefully. "It's enough," he said, "but you might get a smaller portion. This whole list should cost at least seventeen or eighteen Low-Grade Primordial Stones."
Zhang Xiaoyun nodded. "That's fine. Please wrap them up for me."
"Alright, I'll get these for you." The attendant nodded. He looked at the list in his hand. 'It feels a little familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen it before.'
After a moment, the attendant handed the packaged ingredients to Zhang Xiaoyun. "That will be eight Low-Grade Primordial Stones."
Zhang Xiaoyun gave the Primordial Stones to the attendant and took the ingredients, saying happily, "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. Take care, Miss!"
........
After waking up, Wen Qingye first practiced a round of the Longevity Technique before getting dressed and washing up.
"Husband, you're awake!" Zhang Xiaoyun said happily upon seeing Wen Qingye. "Look, I bought you more medicinal ingredients. Didn't you say you didn't have enough last time? I got you some more."
Seeing the ingredients, Wen Qingye asked in surprise, "Where did you get the Primordial Stones? And how did you know which ones I needed?"
Zhang Xiaoyun smiled. "These Primordial Stones were left by my mother from when she was a handmaiden in the Zhang Mansion. And didn't you leave the list on the table? I just took it and went to buy them."
Wen Qingye's heart lurched. He felt something soft deep inside him stir. 'She's always been too frugal to eat or dress well, saving those Primordial Stones for over a decade, and now she's spent them all on ingredients for me. She hasn't even changed out of those plain cloth robes, all just to keep me from worrying.'
Wen Qingye looked at the slender woman before him and couldn't help but pull her into a tight hug. Feeling how frail Zhang Xiaoyun was, his heart ached even more.
Zhang Xiaoyun pursed her lips and said softly, "Husband, it's not much. If it's not enough, just tell me. I'll go buy more for you."
Wen Qingye asked, "You still have more Primordial Stones?"
Zhang Xiaoyun fidgeted with her hands and said in a low voice, "Yes."
Wen Qingye walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry. I don't need any more. This is enough."
"Really?" Zhang Xiaoyun asked, her eyes wide.
Wen Qingye nodded. "Really."
Zhang Xiaoyun smiled happily. "That's good. I'll go do the laundry now."
After Zhang Xiaoyun left, Wen Qingye's brows rose. 'I can't properly refine these ingredients without a Medicine Cauldron,' he thought. 'I can only make simple things like Medicinal Mud or pills. But I wonder if people here would even buy them.'
After thinking for a while, Wen Qingye decided to go to the marketplace and see if he could find a way to earn some Primordial Stones.
Wen Qingye left the Zhang Mansion and headed straight for the marketplace.
Upon arriving at the marketplace, Wen Qingye began looking for a quick way to earn Primordial Stones. He noticed that several small stalls had Medicine Cauldrons on display.
"How many Primordial Stones for this purple Medicine Cauldron?" Wen Qingye asked.
The stall owner, a middle-aged man, glanced at Wen Qingye and immediately launched into his pitch. "Ah, I can tell you have a discerning eye, sir! This Medicine Cauldron is from Bei County Shuibei City. It's a top-quality piece. Just look at this finish, this material..."
Wen Qingye waved his hand dismissively. "Just tell me the price."
The middle-aged man held up five fingers. "Five Mid-grade Primordial Stones. The price is firm!"
Wen Qingye shook his head and turned to leave.
The middle-aged man blocked Wen Qingye's path. "Wait, Young Master, we can discuss it! Let's talk! Please, don't go!"
Wen Qingye stopped and said slowly, "I don't have that many Primordial Stones."
The middle-aged man's eyes darted about. He forced a smile and asked, "Alright, alright. Then how much do you have, Young Master? Name your price."
Wen Qingye held out his empty hands. "I only have seven Low-Grade Primordial Stones."
The middle-aged man's smile froze. He exploded in anger, "You come here to buy a Medicine Cauldron with just seven Low-Grade Primordial Stones? Are you nuts? If you don't have any Primordial Stones, then don't come here and waste my time! What do you expect to get for seven Low-Grade Primordial Stones?"
Wen Qingye ignored the stall owner's tirade and was turning to leave when a voice suddenly rang out.
"Well, if it isn't my brother-in-law. What's the hurry?"
"That's right, cousin. How is it that after leaving the Wen Family, you've fallen on such hard times?"
Wen Qingye turned to look and saw two young men standing there. He vaguely recognized one of them: Wen Hao, the younger brother of the Wen Family's other genius, Wen Shibei. Wen Hao was his younger cousin. The other man, however, he didn't really recognize.
Wen Qingye looked at the man beside Wen Hao and asked, "And you are?"
The man chuckled. "What, you married my sister and you don't even recognize me? Wen Qingye, you've got some nerve. My name is Zhang Jian."
Zhang Jian!?
Wen Qingye thought for a moment before it hit him. This was Zhang Chuan's younger brother. At that realization, Wen Qingye couldn't help but frown.
Zhang Jian smiled faintly. "Brother-in-law, what are you doing in the marketplace? Shouldn't you be at home, taking good care of my dear sister? And here you are, getting chewed out by a common street vendor?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged stall owner collapsed to the ground, crying and begging, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know he was Young Master Zhang's brother-in-law! If I had known, I wouldn't have dared, not even if you gave me a hundred times the courage! Please, Young Master Zhang, be the bigger person and forgive my lowly transgression! Spare me!"
Zhang Jian just smiled and shook his head. "Get up. Did I say I was going to blame you?"
Zhang Jian took out five Mid-grade Primordial Stones and tossed them onto the ground. "Here, brother-in-law. I have five Mid-grade Primordial Stones. Go on, take them and buy that Medicine Cauldron you had your eye on."
Wen Hao burst out laughing. "Hahaha, cousin! Looks like you hit a dead end on the Martial Dao and finally decided to try the Alchemy Dao instead? But how can you not even afford a single Medicine Cauldron? That doesn't sound like the great young master of our Wen Family. Young Master Zhang is being generous. Hurry up and take it. And make sure you thank him properly."
Zhang Jian waved his hands dismissively. "No, no, there's no need to thank me. Just be sure to serve my poor, pitiful sister well."