As long as the precious, human-shaped shanglu root was still in Anzhi's hands, it was like holding a priceless jade. The other side wouldn't dare to take it by force.
Because of its rare and symbolic meaning, even if the root tips were broken, it would still cause the other party a lot of heartache.
Bang! The door shut again.
Anzhi led Yan calmly to stand behind a stone sculpture on the side of the Daoist temple to stay out of the sun.
The sunlight was a bit strong at that time.
One of them had just come back to life, and the other had just recovered from a serious illness. It was better to take care of themselves.
"Anzhi-jie, will that Daoist lady come back?" Yan was worried the woman wouldn't return after going inside.
Anzhi stood in the shade, one foot playfully ready to step into the sunlit area.
She looked at the ancient people on the street selling goods and carrying baskets. Even though she'd seen scenes like this many times, she still found it interesting.
This kind of old-fashioned life made her understand why so many scholars in ancient times chose to retire and live in the mountains.
If someone had money, fame, and peace, who wouldn't want to live a relaxed and carefree life like that?
No need to be stuck in a stressful job like in modern society.
She heard Yan's question and replied, "She'll come back. Don't worry. This shanglu root is very valuable to Daoist temples."
"Even more valuable than ginseng?"
Anzhi thought for a moment, then laughed. "If I had a ginseng this big, I'd keep it safe and only nibble on a tiny root hair each day. Who knows? I might live forever from it."
If such a large ginseng existed, it would probably be passed down through generations.
But this shanglu's value mainly came from its symbolic meaning in ancient times. In modern days, it would only have practical value—but it was still worth something.
"Oh…" Yan didn't fully understand.
He had grown up in the incense hall, so he didn't know much about these things. The Chu family would never teach a boy meant for marriage anything about money or trade.
"Once you get the money, are you still planning to visit the Chu family?" Anzhi suddenly asked.
Yan froze, then clenched his hand. His palm felt cold with nervous sweat.
On the way back to Shanshui Town, he had wondered if anyone would notice anything or if there'd be any news.
After all, the Chu family was an influential household in the town. How could a young master go missing and no one notice?
But when he entered the town—everything was the same.
The town hadn't changed, but he had.
Yan even had a bad feeling, but he didn't dare think about it.
The Chu house was just a street away, but if he went to the door, wouldn't that just bring humiliation?
Anzhi asked because she was worried he still had feelings for the past or had unfinished business. But seeing him lost in thought, she regretted asking.
"Sorry." Bringing up someone's pain did deserve an apology.
But "sorry" felt too shallow.
"It's okay," Yan smiled faintly.
He didn't even know why he was cast out. He only knew he used to be a "young master" and was thrown out like a servant. Clearly, there were deeper reasons behind it.
He didn't know—so he wasn't to blame.
"Anzhi-jie, I don't want to go back. You promised to take me with you," Yan said quickly, afraid she might try to send him home.
"Alright, alright. I'll definitely take you with me," Anzhi said with a helpless smile.
Looks like she'd picked up a clingy little troublemaker.
But aside from the time he thought she was a thief, he was actually quite cute, even when being bratty.
Such a sweet little brother.
"You better come quick!"
The door opened again. The Daoist woman peeked out like someone hiding from a dog and waved at her nervously.
"Anzhi-jie, you go ahead. I'll wait right here," Yan said happily, urging her forward.
Anzhi paused, then couldn't help but smile. "Then stay here and don't wander. I'll be right back."
"Got it. Go on." Yan was both curious and puzzled.
Why did Anzhi-jie suddenly smile like that?
Did he accidentally touch something weird?
He checked himself over.
Meanwhile, Anzhi walked over to the temple gate.
"Hurry, take this—and give me yours," the Daoist woman shoved a cloth bag from her chest into Anzhi's hands without hesitation.
She was so anxious that Anzhi almost thought the money was stolen.
The Daoist wanted to grab the shanglu, but she was afraid to pull too hard and damage it. She could only urge anxiously, "Give it to me already."
Anzhi smiled. "No rush, no rush. Let me check first."
She wasn't about to skip the step of inspecting the goods.
She opened the cloth bundle. Inside were mostly silver notes and a few loose silver pieces for daily use.
Satisfied with what she saw, Anzhi confirmed the amount and quickly handed over the shanglu.
"Careful! That's a treasure," the Daoist woman said nervously.
She planned to offer it up—such a human-shaped item, even missing an arm or a leg would ruin its worth.
After checking several times and confirming it wasn't damaged, the Daoist's joy was written all over her face.
"You really dug this carefully."
Anzhi thought, Of course—practice makes perfect.
And with that, the trade was complete.
"Then may the great Dao bless you. May your Dao grow stronger every day," Anzhi said with a polite smile.
She had a pretty good idea what the Daoist woman planned to do with the shanglu. But since the money was in her hands now, saying a few nice words was easy.
Just as expected, the Daoist woman blushed with happiness from receiving such a rare treasure.
"Thanks! I hope you gain rank and fortune soon, too!" she laughed, though she clearly didn't believe it herself.
They exchanged a few more polite words, then the Daoist ended the conversation.
"Alright, I won't see you off."
"Thanks for everything."
Anzhi turned around and let out a quiet sigh of relief—then saw Yan wandering over with a dazed look.
Where did he go just now? she wondered.
Still smiling, she grabbed his sleeve, and before he could say anything, she burst out laughing, "Let's go, Ah-Yan! I'm taking you to the fanciest inn in town—we'll eat and sleep like royalty for days!"
Then they disappeared around the corner.
"She's really shallow. Not afraid to take the money, but she might not live long enough to spend it," the Daoist woman muttered, still cradling the shanglu in her arms. Her eyes flashed with a cold glint.
…
At first, they walked normally. But after turning the corner, they sped up. Yan almost tripped trying to keep up. Seeing Anzhi's face suddenly turn serious, he didn't ask anything—just silently followed with quick steps.
They didn't know how far they had gone before Anzhi finally stopped. Yan gasped for air, breathing heavily.