I explained to Nova that I'd be back after some shopping and asked them to wait, then followed Stella out.
"Where are you taking me to buy dharma artifacts, sis?" I asked.
"The Yin-Yang Artifacts Market," Stella said nonchalantly, still seeming slightly affected by what had just happened.
I knew I'd behaved poorly—I shouldn't have teased her. But I had to keep at it until she laughed again. After I'd called her "Stellala" for the twentieth time, she finally pushed me into the road, nearly getting me hit by a car.
"Shut up, or I'll rip your tongue out," Stella threatened as she hailed a taxi, which I hurriedly entered after her.
Soon Stella led me to a secluded bazaar.
The place looked ancient, with buildings that bore the marks of time. Few people wandered about—for every ten shops we passed, only one remained open, mostly selling funeral items and coffins. No customers lingered, and even the streets stood empty. Though it was broad daylight, an eerie chill crept over me as we approached.
"Stellala, you're not bringing me here to murder me, are you?" I shuddered. Was she really this upset over a joke? Was homicide necessary?
"Shut up and stop calling me that. I told you it's the Yin-Yang Artifacts Market—of course it's strange. It only really comes alive at night. During the day, it's practically deserted," Stella explained.
No wonder they called it the Yin-Yang Artifacts Market. The name had startled me at first—it wasn't exactly auspicious.
After about ten minutes of walking, Stella stopped abruptly in front of a shop. I looked up at the sign, which bore two large characters: Yin Xuan.
The shop was fairly spacious, displaying a wide assortment of dharma artifacts—the most common mahogany swords, Bagua mirrors, yellow Taoist talismans, even a mortar and pestle.
Among the clutter were many items I didn't recognize, like a rectangular block of wood whose purpose eluded me.
Only when Stella explained did I understand—it was a courtroom block, also known as awakening wood.
What was it for? In ancient times, magistrates would slam it during trials to command order—one strike to announce the court in session, another to summon the accused. That block was the Court Awakener.
Why could it subdue ghosts? Because criminals feared it most. Those who had committed offenses would tremble at its sound—it carried immense deterrent power. Many executed criminals who became ghosts still dreaded it.
Stella added that this particular block was a relic of Bao Zheng, the legendary "Iron-Faced Judge." Infused with his unwavering righteousness, it terrified ghosts even more.
But it had one flaw: it only worked on ancient ghosts. Modern spirits weren't afraid of it.
Apart from this, there were many other rare and peculiar demon-subduing dharma artifacts, but I won't list them all.
At that moment, a man in a Republic-era Tang suit emerged from the back hall. He held a white fan—not exactly the picture of scholarly elegance, but refined and easygoing nonetheless. With a faint smile, he lightly fanned himself as he approached.
He looked to be in his early twenties, probably not much older than us.
"Stella, it's been days since you last visited. I've missed you so much, I—" The man spoke with heartfelt emotion, but Stella cut him off immediately.
"Shut up. I'm here for business today, so spare me the nonsense." She covered her ears as if refusing to listen.
I could tell—this guy was definitely one of Stella's suitors. A mischievous grin spread across my face. This deal might just get interesting. Maybe I can use Stella's name to haggle ruthlessly.
"What? Another admirer? Do I have a love rival?" The man frowned, snapped his fan shut, and tapped it against his palm before glaring at me.
I quickly waved my hands. "No, no, you've got it all wrong! I'm just a friend, heh heh. Nothing more."
"If you're just a friend, then I can relax. Honestly, I must've overthought it—there's no way Stella would ever fancy you!" His smile returned, bright and smug.
Me: "..."
Damn, is this how you treat customers? Shouldn't you at least pretend to be polite? Since when did "the customer is God" stop applying?
Seeing me deflated, Stella finally seemed to cheer up, as if her bad mood had lifted. If I'd known this would make her laugh, I wouldn't have bothered coaxing her earlier.
"Hello, I'm Esteban Li. My family is known as the King of Yin-Yang Artifacts. Feel free to shop with confidence—everything here is guaranteed to be one hundred percent fake." Esteban declared proudly.
"King of Yin-Yang Artifacts? Seriously? Is he for real?" I pulled Stella aside and whispered.
Based on my years of being scammed, people who bragged about being "the best" usually had zero actual skills.
Stella remained expressionless, replying flatly, "His family is the most prominent in Vervecity. His father is the richest man here."
Me: "..."
"That's how he became the richest man? By selling fake artifacts?" I asked skeptically.
"Pretty much," Stella nodded.
"You're lying, right? If this guy's loaded, why aren't you into him?" I refused to believe it. Are they teaming up to scam me?
"Che, it's just money. It's not like my family doesn't have any," Stella said, clasping her hands to her chest with a hint of disdain.
"And does your family have as much as his?" I pressed.
Stella shook her head and said no, but is there really any difference between one billion and ten billion? It's all just enough to spend.
I still couldn't believe that selling dharma artifacts could make someone the richest man. Besides, while this shop looked decent and was bigger than the ones we'd passed earlier, it didn't exactly scream "richest man's establishment."
Stella rolled her eyes and called me annoying. She asked if I had any idea how much a shop in the Yin-Yang Artifacts Market cost.
I shook my head, admitting I didn't know. Stella held up one finger and whispered, "A hundred million!"
"Pfft—"
I nearly spat out blood in shock. I knew property was expensive, but I never imagined the Yin-Yang Artifacts Market would be this pricey. This shop's floor space was about the same as my tattoo parlor's—how could it possibly be worth a hundred million?
"Stop nagging like an old woman. Are you buying or not? If not, I'm leaving," Stella said impatiently.
Buy! Of course I'd buy—we'd come all this way. I couldn't leave empty-handed. But before purchasing anything, I needed to understand what I was getting. If I ended up with a fake item or paid an outrageous price, I'd regret it to death. It wasn't that I didn't trust Stella—I just worried she might have been fooled too.
Since this Esteban was a super-rich heir, his goods surely couldn't be fake!
"Esteban, can you recommend a few items?" I asked.
Esteban snapped his fan shut. "Sure," he said. "What do you need the dharma artifact for?"