Prologue

As one moves north along the Nanqu Bridge, the atmosphere becomes increasingly lively, with fruit shops, paper painting stores, and various grocery shops. Everything that flies in the sky, swims in the water, or grows in the ground can ultimately be displayed in the storefronts, creating a dazzling array that is overwhelming to behold

"Hey, young master..." Wang, the shopkeeper, patted him on the shoulder, "That vendor is not an ordinary person."

At the moment when he was in a state of utter distress, Wang, the shopkeeper next door who specialized in various fragrant medicines, strolled over, habitually tapping his long pipe on the mahogany counter. Leaning over, he coughed twice and said: "Young master, since the pearls have been stolen, why not just take them back?"

Oh, oh. Lu Geng responded, extending his hand, unsure of how to properly "support" this turtle shell, so he could only place it back on the table.

Is it urgent cargo

There are also shops that do not engage in hawking, with a tall blue banner raised in front, inscribed with three large characters "Cloud Climbing Technique". Next to it, there is a slightly smaller line of text stating "Guaranteed to Teach and Master by the 15th Day". A young attendant is honestly lying on the counter waiting for customers to arrive, yet he is tempted by the enticing aroma wafting from the nearby beef vermicelli soup restaurant, causing his mouth to water.

This head of hair is neatly arranged, secured with a turquoise jade hairpin. The white eyebrows hang long, and the eyes appear drowsy, lazily stifling several yawns, presenting the look of someone who has not had enough rest during the afternoon nap

Business is small! Lu Geng was deeply hurt, over a hundred East Sea pearls, just those six scarlet pearls are worth over a thousand taels of silver... If you are worried about the commission, I will offer double the commission! He did not think much about it, only wanting to quickly resolve the urgent matter at hand, and the price increase came out of his mouth.

Lu Geng could not hide his disappointment: "What can be done?"

The rickety wooden table, with its legs askew, was covered with a square piece of faded blue cloth. There was no sign or indication of its purpose; one could only discern that this was a fortune-telling booth from the ink-painted bamboo tube with bamboo sticks inserted in it and a mottled green divination tortoise shell placed on the table.

You may not know, but there are those who do. "Pointing far to the south with a long pipe, he said, 'After crossing the Nanqu Bridge, head east, and under the banyan tree, there is a fortune-telling booth. You might as well try your luck.'"

Hey, hey, hey, hey! Lu Geng was anxious and called out to him repeatedly, "Wait a moment, since this is a business deal, there should always be room for negotiation..."

Naturally, there are ways, but... a mere batch of Donghai pearls, this business is indeed rather small.

"Young man, are you here to tell fortunes?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Geng

Three days later, at the first watch of the rabbit hour, you will be waiting at the Pearl Pavilion

Lu Geng did not even turn his head, let alone apologize, as he furrowed his brows and walked ahead. If the employees of the Lu Family Pearl Shop saw him in such a state, they would surely criticize the young master for his inconsistency. Usually, Lu Geng often taught them that being amiable brings wealth, and one should always wear a smile of seven parts. However, he truly could not smile now—his pearl shop had suffered a robbery yesterday during the transport of a batch of pearls imported from the East China Sea

"Fortune-telling and divination?" Lu Geng said irritably, "I can't retrieve the red pearl; I already know my fate without needing to calculate it."

With less than seven days remaining until Peng Sheng's grand wedding, it is evidently too late to seek the red pearls in the East Sea. Lu Geng ran through every pearl shop in Changliu City overnight, hoping to gather six red pearls as a temporary solution, willing to pay a high price if necessary. Unfortunately, the red pearls he found either lacked the desired luster or varied in size, and he could not find six red pearls that were uniform in size and had a smooth, radiant color.

Oh dear! Oh dear! My waist... my back... my arms and legs...

"Yes, there are hundreds of East Sea pearls, but the most important ones are the six scarlet pearls." Lu Geng paused, suppressing the urgency in his tone, and asked as calmly as possible, "Can you help me retrieve them?"

The turtle shell was laboriously swaying on the table, clattering as if something inside was struggling to get out—Lu Geng held his breath and waited for quite a while, almost unable to resist the urge to reach out and pry open the turtle shell, when suddenly a head popped out from the shell with a bang.

Lu Geng hurriedly turned around and discovered that the sound came from the turtle shell he had just thrown to the ground. He was momentarily taken aback and squatted down to examine the turtle shell closely

Xuanyuan Hill

My business here has always been at a fixed price

At this moment, a small green bird burst out from the dense treetops of the banyan tree and flew away into the distance

"That is still on the way..." The Tortoise Man muttered to himself in a low voice, then looked up at Lu Geng and said, "Alright, I will take this business, but since it is too small, I cannot calculate the commission well. We will split the pearls fifty-fifty when they are brought back."

Lu Geng detected an unusual tone in his voice: "What kind of creature is this?"

Seeing the ashes that had fallen onto the polished mahogany table, Lu Geng brushed them off with disdain and impatiently said, "It's easy to say, but the identity of the robbers is still unknown, and their whereabouts are even more uncertain. Where am I supposed to go to find them"

Changliu Mountain, this place was originally the residence of the White Emperor Shaohao. Since Shaohao ascended to the celestial realm, the world has undergone tremendous changes, and it is no longer comparable to the orderly and well-regulated Changliu Mountain of yore under the governance of the White Emperor. Although it is now a mix of fish and dragons, it remains as prosperous as ever

The turtle remains silent, tilting its head, seemingly lost in thought.

"If it doesn't work out, then so be it," the tortoise said without a care, in a friendly manner, "We are destined to meet again next time." As he spoke, he shook his head and prepared to retract into his shell.

Can we really find the pearl? Lu Geng felt doubtful, always sensing that this place was rather unreliable, his heart in a state of turmoil, and he left slowly.

You really have no other choice," Lu Geng said, scratching his head fiercely, making a resolute decision like a warrior cutting off his own wrist. "Fine! Fifty percent it is. When will I be able to see the goods?"

The quality of Donghai pearls is exceptional, and their price is high, which need not be mentioned. The most crucial point is that among this batch of pearls, there are six scarlet pearls, all of which are of superior quality, intended to be set into the bride's phoenix crown, as arranged by Lord Pengsheng of Changliu City for his marriage. Lord Pengsheng holds considerable influence in this area and has a hot-tempered disposition; if his matters are mishandled, it is feared that the future business of the Lu family pearl shop will face significant difficulties.

Lu Geng looked around in all directions, but he could not find a trace of anyone. He suddenly felt that he had been played for a fool by Manager Wang. His anger grew even more, and he picked up the tortoise shell from the table and slammed it on the ground before turning to leave

Imperial platform stone! Imperial platform stone! The imperial platform stone of the resting mountain, wearing it can prevent being bewitched, bringing peace and tranquility... The shopkeeper specializing in various fragrant medicines eagerly held the heavy, quail egg-sized colorful stones, calling out to the passersby to sell them.

I did not expect him to be so audacious in his demands, and Lu Geng was left speechless: "Fifty percent?! This is far too much! This is unacceptable!"

The eldest son of the Lu Family Pearl Shop, Lu Geng, hurriedly rushed through the streets, nearly colliding with a young man in blue cloth who was holding a peach blossom cake. Fortunately, the young man was agile, securely balancing the cake in his hand, and managed to dodge out of the way with a nimble leap.

What about the vendor

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and help me get up!" the turtle shell said angrily

A human skull

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Lu Geng had no other choice but to rush to the banyan tree, where he indeed found the divination stall mentioned by Manager Wang

There is no need to rush, please first tell me where the goods were lost

This turtle spirit is quite peculiar, perhaps it truly possesses some abilities. To show respect, Lu Geng bent down and looked it in the eye: "I have lost a batch of important goods from my pearl business, and someone sent me here."

Adjacent to it is a shop that exclusively sells birds and flowers. The shop assistant is carrying a birdcage and shouting at the top of his lungs: "Only the last three left! The fat-thieving bird that can predict fire alarms, only the last three left! Pre-order quickly, don't miss this opportunity, it won't come again!" Inside the birdcage, a fat-thieving bird with red feathers and a white crown buries its head in its wings, too lazy to pay attention to the surrounding commotion.

Among the bustling pedestrians on the street, in addition to ordinary people, there were also quite a few beast spirits that had not yet taken on human forms. For instance, there was a deer spirit with prominent antlers, yet dressed like a scholar; a water otter spirit resembling a child, speaking indistinctly; and a family of raccoon spirits with sleek, shiny fur, strolling along the street in a cheerful and harmonious manner

Lu Gengshang stood, looking at the turtle shell, then at the crooked-legged wooden table. A gust of wind passed by, and the fine aerial roots of the old banyan tree brushed against him, brushed against the table surface, brushed against the turtle shell. The surroundings were so tranquil, as if nothing had just happened.

What does it matter what kind of spirit he is? The important thing is whether we can retrieve the red pearl. In any case, there is no way to do it right now, so young master, you might as well give it a try.

Not willing to utter a single superfluous word, the head withdrew with a thud, retreating back into the shell. The shell wobbled on the table for a moment before returning to calmness

Where have your eyes gone? They are just for decoration! Do you believe that I..." The young man in blue cloth cursed behind him

Just as I lifted my foot, I heard someone behind me cry out in pain