Ojos encantadores

Capítulo 57

"Lost it?! You're kidding—this is a precious cosmetic that I sourced from three major cities—even if you're rich, I wouldn't allow you to squander a businessman like this... Hahaha, business is a matter of mutual consent, you can't force it, you can't force it. If you don't like it, I'll throw it away for you right away, so it won't be an eyesore."

Just as the boss was about to lose his temper, he saw the noble-looking young man in front of him put down a large gold ingot, and the boss immediately became friendly and made money.

"Young master, would you mind giving me some pointers on these hairpins and hair ornaments? If there's anything you don't like, please do your best." He also quickly accepted the large gold ingot.

"Do you really have to do this?" Su Shaochu asked, sounding helpless at being deprived of his fun. "Sigh! As a prisoner, it seems I can only accept my fate."

"Whether he was a prisoner or the king was in ruins, my brother always seemed to like putting himself in a disadvantageous position."

"Has the Third Prince ever heard of 'Seeking a Stratagem Against the Odds'?"

"Can't you have any thoughts about me other than confrontation?" Whenever she was with him, she never said anything sweet. "Or do you think there's anything we'll never agree on?"

"Among these hairpins and ornaments, can the Third Prince pick out one that Shao Chu likes?" she asked with a smile, gesturing to the various dazzling ornaments on the stall.

Zhu Yu looked at the various hairpins and hair ornaments on the stall, her fingers searching and stroking over the precious gold, silver and jade inlays, finally coming to the wooden hairpin, and smiled with her eyes lowered.

"Boss, this hairpin..." He picked up a simple dark wooden hairpin, his eyes filled with admiration. Several flowers were carved on it, making the hairpin itself look like a small branch. It was very elegant. He never expected that there would be such exquisite items at a street stall.

"Should we throw it away? We'll do it right away."

The boss immediately rubbed his hands and smiled obsequiously. It was carved a few days ago by an old carpenter from a neighboring village who was said to have returned to his hometown to retire. The other party said it was to repay the kindness of taking care of his meals three times a year ago. He had no recollection of such a thing and was embarrassed to refuse, so he accepted it. He knew it was not presentable.

“I’ll buy it.” This time, he put down two ingots of gold.

"What?!" This, this... "Young master, this is a small business, don't joke around."

"No, this is its true value." Having seen many carved ornaments, the carvings on this wooden hairpin are definitely the work of an expert, and must be a masterpiece.

Ignoring the boss's wide-eyed expression, Zhu Yu reached for Su Shaochu.

"My lady, would you be willing to let me borrow this wooden hairpin to enhance your beautiful appearance?"

Looking at the wooden hairpin, Su Shaochu smiled brightly. Although she did not respond, she had already acquiesced to his words and choice. The elegant wooden hairpin was now a part of her dark hair.

"It seems that all I can do in return is... well, take you, who is so naive about the world, around and have some fun."

That night, seemingly infected by her playful spirit, Zhu Yuren was once again pulled away by her.

"Hey, how much is this box of rouge, boss?" a young woman passing by asked the boss, who had his mouth agape.

"Ah...do we have to throw it away?"

"What are you throwing away! How much did the rouge cost?"

"Ah... how many ingots of gold?"

"A few ingots of gold?!" the young woman shrieked, angrily throwing down her rouge. "Boss, are you robbing me or selling something?! Humph!"

The boss, finally snapping out of his daze amid the young woman's angry outburst, also jumped up.

"Young master—Young master—" But the man had already vanished.

Seeing the gold hidden among the ornaments, I quickly put it away. Luckily, it wasn't stolen while I was daydreaming. I didn't expect the old carpenter's things to sell so well. I should go back and curry favor with him and see if he has any more good stuff to sell.

The two strolled to a stall covered with various scrolls. An old scholar-looking man sat at one end, fanning himself, with fewer than five swords on the table in front of him.

"Selling paintings and swords too, how interesting." Su Shaochu pulled Zhu Yu to a stop. "Scholar, is this sword valuable or historical?"

The swords range in style from simple to intricately carved; these few swords, displayed alongside paintings, must have come from different backgrounds.

She picked up a sword with bronze engravings. As soon as it was drawn, the sharp and gleaming blade impressed her, and even Zhu Yu was lost in thought.

"The origin lies in the creation of the owner," the long-bearded old scholar greeted him amiably. "Only those who are qualified can be valued."

"It seems this little market not only has extraordinary goods, but also... a place where hidden talents abound!" Zhu Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, raising his lips slightly as he looked at the person before him. "Your eyes are gleaming with restrained light, and your speech exudes a profound and cold aura. Your internal strength cultivation can be described as... that of a master."

"Even the most accomplished person is but a grain of sand in this mortal world, hidden in the ways of the world and escaping the crowd. From ordinary people in the martial arts world to... even imperial relatives, everyone has their own desires and wants. I make a living by selling paintings, so please take care of me, sir." The other party stroked his beard and smiled gently, responding with equally enigmatic words.

"Have you met a member of the imperial family?" His narrowed eyes became even sharper; the other person's gaze clearly indicated that he knew his identity.

"I make a living by wandering around, and it's not uncommon for me to have met royalty and nobles who frequently travel." The old scholar spoke casually, always with that slow, gentle, and refined demeanor.

"It seems tonight's market has truly been an eye-opener," Su Shaochu joked. "May I ask which sword the reclusive master can sell me?"

“Madam, you are elegant and beautiful; this sword is fitting for you.” The old scholar lifted the cloth and took out a long sword, its crimson gleaming with a hint of blue, from a bamboo basket bound with countless scrolls.

To prevent any mishaps, Zhu Yu, who was extremely cautious, took over the first.

"Indeed, this is a superb sword." The unsheathed sword amazed Zhu Yu. Forged from the unique ice crystal iron of the Western Frontier, its blade was thin and translucent, shimmering with iridescent light. "The unique forging process created a light and thin blade, its iridescent light gleaming and sharp, unimpeded by the wind. I wonder how much this master intends to sell it for?"

"Let's use the wooden hairpin in your hair as the price!" The old scholar began by examining the hairpin in the lady's dark hair.

"You are a connoisseur, but this hairpin..."

“Bartering is fair.” Knowing that she hesitated because the hairpin was a gift from him and it was inconvenient to trade, Zhu Yu readily agreed.

"I am very pleased to have completed this deal with you two." The old scholar stroked his long beard and smiled. "Judging from your speech and appearance, you two are quite distinguished. Since you are here, why not follow the local customs and visit the 'Seeking Fate Spring'?"

"Seeking the Spring of Fate?" Su Shaochu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "The common people are truly full of legends, even in the temples."

"There is an old temple on the hillside ahead, and behind the temple is a 'Fate-Seeking Spring' where people can fetch water to drink from. It is very effective. If lovers drink from it together, they will surely have a good marriage. If husband and wife drink from it together, their love will be even stronger."

The old scholar turned to Su Shaochu and chuckled, "Madam, you can also put this precious sword into the spring water, and I guarantee you will find the answer to the question that is troubling you."

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"Where did Dad and Mom go?" Wuyou, watching the commotion in the crowd, muttered and complained as she looked for them. "Mom started acting like Dad, running away whenever she saw something fun. She's so disloyal."

"Young Miss—I saw it—over there—"

Wuyou turned around and saw Yan Pingfei leading a group of guards dressed in civilian clothes, locking onto her through the crowd.

"Young Miss—please wait—it's too dangerous for you to be alone—"

Seeing the people ahead quicken their pace and squeeze into the larger crowd, Yan Pingfei shouted urgently.

"I'm going to find my father and mother, don't come with me!"

"Have my men accompany you, young lady—"

The figure ahead disappeared after passing through a few street stalls, and Yan Pingfei looked worried.

"Everyone will split into two teams, one to find the master and the other to find the young lady. Once you find them, meet at the inn."

"yes."

The group of about ten people quickly split up and took action.

"Little girl, the bad guy is gone, you can come out now," an old man at a fortune-telling stall on the street said to Wuyou, who was hiding under the table.

"Thank you, grandpa!"

Wuyou, who had just crawled out from under the trees, thanked the old man at the fortune-telling stall. As she frantically searched for a place to hide among the crowds and vendors, the old man kindly waved to her.

"It's okay. There are a lot of bad people around. Be careful, young lady, as you're walking alone on the street!"

“I know…Grandpa, your eyesight isn’t good, is it?” I saw him reach out his withered hand to touch something on the table.

“The old man’s eyesight is excellent, otherwise how could he see that you have difficulty!” He picked up the pen that was lying aside, picked it up and began to write on the white paper. “It’s just that he’s old, and his eyebrows are too long, which makes it difficult for him to see clearly.”

"Then why not cut your eyebrows shorter?" Since he couldn't find his parents for the time being, Wuyou simply sat down at the fortune teller's stall and chatted with the old man.

"No, the old man's eyes can't see too much light, it will hurt others."

"What kind of eyes are those?" Wuyou asked curiously, leaning forward. "Grandpa, could I take a look?"

"I'm afraid of scaring the little girl."

"I'm not that cowardly!"

When they were still children, they had to call their fathers "Emperor" and "Master". They had done things that other girls dared not touch, such as killing people, gouging out eyes, and eating other people's flesh and blood. When they were young, their father said that the death of a person was no different from the death of an ant. Moreover, the more they dared to kill, the more interested the Emperor was in laughing. At that time, killing became something for them to amuse the Emperor.

Later, Young Master Su disliked it, and after she became a princess, her father didn't allow them to do that anymore. He also instructed them not to play with bloody things anymore, and that she and Wuchou could just live happily every day from then on.

All that could be seen was a pair of equally pale eyes on the old man's stiff, thin face, revealed by the white eyebrows that covered his eyes.

"Grandpa, you can't see it at all, can you? I don't see any pupils in your eyes!" Wuyou examined him carefully.

“Hehehe,” the old man chuckled, “Little girl, look more closely. How could a person not have pupils? They’re just hidden.”

A pair of whitish eyes suddenly seemed to turn over, and two beady blue pupils met Wuyou's gaze. Startled, she realized something was wrong, and a wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her to collapse limply onto the stall.

"The old man told you it would scare you, little girl, you're always so curious." The old man's laughter was somewhat sinister. "Is this handwriting beautiful? You've probably only honed your handwriting during your time in the Central Plains!"

With slender, withered fingers, he picked up the brush on the table and tore the words "Meng Yansi" to shreds.

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"I never expected my beloved brother to be interested in the 'Fountain of Fate'." Zhu Yu was quite surprised that she took the initiative to express her interest. "Given how my beloved brother always refused me, it seems unlikely that he would be interested in these kinds of places."

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Experiencing the local customs and joining in the fun is perfectly acceptable,” she said, looking at him. “It seems the Third Prince doesn’t take these local ancestral temple legends seriously.”

"This prince only believes in things that I can control with my own power; otherwise, would my beloved brother be standing here right now?"

Su Shaochu sighed and closed his eyes. "Is what you gain through force or coercion necessarily what you truly want?"

"Compared to not seeing you at all, or even seeing you become someone else's, do you still think this prince hasn't gotten what he wanted?"

The meaning is clear: he will do anything to get her by his side.

"Body or soul, I must retain one, isn't that right?" These were his forceful words at Butterfly Maple Garden. "It seems my playful nature has finally brought me bitter consequences!"

His power and her nonchalant attitude stemmed from their distinct styles and ideas, which led to their unique approach to matters within the palace, where they each held firm to their convictions and frequently engaged in witty and insightful interactions.

"Is your brother reflecting on his actions?"

"Um, I think I should thank the Third Prince for gifting me the sword." She looked at the sword in her hand and asked curiously, "Isn't the Third Prince afraid of giving Shao Chu a chance to wield the sword?"

“It suits you well. Besides, even though you have grasped the martial arts theories of the Ming Sect, they are not applicable to weapons.” Zhu Yu was somewhat puzzled by the sword. He seemed to have heard of a sword with the same characteristics, but he couldn’t remember it for the moment.

"It's very lively over there, let's go check it out!"

Ahead, a large square was surrounded by even more people, like traveling street performers, making it so crowded that people could barely squeeze through sideways.

"careful."

Several troupes carrying large wooden boxes passed by, and the oversized boxes made the crowd even more crowded. Zhu Yu hurriedly pulled her aside to protect her, but a group of children ran over laughing and playing, breaking their handshake!

"Shaochu!"

The moment her hand was pushed away, her eyes held a subtle expression. Zhu Yu reached out to grab her again, but she pulled away...

"Shaochu!"

Zhu Yu was shocked and hurriedly pushed through the crowd, but Su Shaochu was nowhere to be seen!

"Shaochu—Shaochu—"