Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 867: Worry-Free, Naihe (3)

It didn’t seem particularly abrupt to say, "I also want to see." Curiosity is a trait everyone possesses, especially when faced with something extraordinary. Whether they are adults or children... Although Song Ying felt somewhat annoyed that Luo Qiu interrupted her, the Song family would never scold one of their own in front of outsiders, so she didn't say a word. On the contrary, Song Ying was vaguely curious—curious to see the expression on Luo Qiu's face when he was surprised, to see if this guy was truly as composed as an old monk. “Of course, it won’t refuse anyone who praises it.” The down-and-out man smiled slightly at this moment, making a gesture of invitation: “Of course, besides having good intentions, foolish people can also see it.” “Why?” Luo Qiu countered. Everyone else seemed curious as well... The initially plump merchant straightened his chest slightly—because he had seen it. The down-and-out man calmly replied, “Ignorance blinds our eyes; since they are blinded, how can we see the beauty of things?” Luo Qiu nodded and began to examine the ‘precious ball’ he held. However, he first glanced at the guests around him, who were all looking at him with eager anticipation—most of the Song family members were familiar to him, and if even this little princess of the Song Dynasty had seen the beauty within the ‘precious ball’, then it might indeed be a genuine treasure. With the wealth of the Song Dynasty, there was no need to deceive anyone—any initial suspicions that this down-and-out man might be a fraud were surprisingly dispelled. “Hmm, let me take a look.” Luo Qiu smiled slightly, holding the ‘precious ball’ as he began to pace around. It was as if he had just acquired a treasure and was studying it in his own study, oblivious to those around him. When Luo Qiu walked toward the crowd, nearly colliding with them, the guests instinctively made way. But Luo Qiu quickly turned around and strolled to the other side—when he reached there, the guests also voluntarily cleared a path. Luo Qiu lifted the ‘precious ball’ to his eye level, seemingly to see it more clearly under the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Song Ying watched Luo Qiu nervously... he wouldn’t really be unable to see anything, would he? That would mean admitting in front of so many people that he was a fool! Despite her complex feelings toward Luo Qiu’s existence, and not knowing how to face this descendant of the Song family who shared her bloodline, Song Ying didn’t want Luo Qiu to be ridiculed in front of others—even if it were ridicule, it should be initiated by herself. “The lighting seems a bit insufficient,” Luo Qiu said, shaking his head. The down-and-out man simply stood casually, smiling; this time he didn’t remind Luo Qiu like Song Ying had. Suddenly, Luo Qiu seemed to remember something, picked up the ‘precious ball’, and quickly walked toward the window, beginning to carefully examine the ‘precious ball’ under the sunlight. However, a long time passed with no movement. “So, what’s the matter? Can you really see nothing?” Song Ying quickly walked over to Luo Qiu’s side and whispered. “What do you want me to see?” Luo Qiu softly asked. Song Ying shot him a glare and lowered her voice again: “This is a bit strange; that guy might be suspicious. But there are so many people here; just pretend you see something and say a few words… You can ask that guy for clarification later. I was a bit dazed earlier... I can’t even explain it clearly, but it felt odd. However, I absolutely cannot allow you to lose the Song family's face in front of outsiders.” Luo Qiu smiled slightly and suddenly moved the ‘precious ball’ to a beam of sunlight. As the ‘precious ball’ came into contact with the sunlight, it seemed to brighten a bit. “I can’t say what I see; let everyone take a look too,” Luo Qiu said seriously. “Since today is about beautiful things, we might as well share.” The ‘precious ball’, having absorbed the sunlight, appeared to be coated in a colorful shell... It suddenly refracted countless rays of light, like streaks of rainbows. In an instant, wherever these refracted lights shone, numerous landscapes appeared. The vast and magnificent sea, pristine unpolluted islands, splendid waterfalls, pavilions, and strange mountains and rivers... They seemed to seamlessly compose a real world. Guests could even see the gentle waves of the sea swaying in the sea breeze, the unceasing flow of the waterfall, the swaying palm leaves, and the butterflies fluttering over blooming flowers. It felt as though they were in a strange land... The down-and-out man's expression was somewhat stiff at this moment; he slightly opened his mouth as if to say something while gently furrowing his brow. When Luo Qiu put the ‘precious ball’ away and the magnificent scenes vanished, a lady let out a soft “ah” in longing, reluctant to part with it. As everyone looked at the ‘precious ball’, their gazes changed. The women, who were naturally fond of beautiful things, even displayed an impatient desire to possess it. The men began to reassess its value. Luo Qiu returned to the down-and-out man and offered him the ‘precious ball’: “It truly is an extraordinary item. Whether it is indeed tears gathered from a magical fish or crafted by a talented artisan using incredible skill, it’s impressive either way.” The down-and-out man suddenly smiled and took the ‘precious ball’ back from Luo Qiu’s hands. He walked back to the place where he had been sitting at the beginning, in the corner, where an old leather bag was still resting. In front of everyone, the down-and-out man placed the ‘precious ball’ back under the bag and then picked it up. He even put on a black top hat. “That’s why I said this is a one-of-a-kind item in the world; whether to sell it is indeed a difficult decision.” “No matter how much it costs! I want it!” “I want it too!” “Please, make sure to sell it to me!” In an instant, the guests swarmed forward, forming a sea of people that quickly engulfed the down-and-out man. Amidst the crowd, only the black top hat could be seen as the man shielded it with his hand, moving laboriously... As for what they were saying, it was already inaudible. “Which ‘precious ball’... is real?” Song Ying still found it hard to believe. “Haven’t you already seen it?” Luo Qiu countered. Song Ying furrowed her brow, “How did you know to put it in the sunlight?” Luo Qiu thought for a moment and said, “Just give it a try… for example, those people in novels who receive secret letters, even if they don’t know how to open them, might try things like roasting it over fire or soaking it in water. Hmm, that’s probably how it works.” Song Ying looked up seriously, meeting Luo Qiu's gaze, and after a while said, “Why don’t you go to heaven?” “Going to heaven comes with a price,” Luo Qiu shook his head. “Actually, walking on the ground is pretty good too.” “Master Qiu, Miss Ying, that man has disappeared,” Gan Hong suddenly interjected, interrupting the back-and-forth between Song Ying and Luo Qiu. Song Ying turned around and saw the guests who had surrounded the downcast man were now looking around in confusion, unable to find him, and were searching everywhere. Song Ying frowned, waved her hand, and soon, a woman dressed in an intellectual manner quickly approached her—this was Song Ying's office secretary. Since Gan Hong couldn't command anyone now, she had to call the secretary over temporarily… she didn’t really think Luo Qiu was someone who would carry her bag. When the secretary arrived, she noticed Luo Qiu, paused for a moment, then quickly nodded her head, showing a hint of gratitude. Song Ying casually ordered, “Su Mei, please look for that man from earlier. The item he had in his hand is quite good; I want to see if I can buy it too and give it to the old man.” “Okay, Miss Ying,” Secretary Su Mei quickly nodded and hurried away. Gan Hong then asked Luo Qiu, “Master Qiu, should we search for him too?” “What do we need to find him for?” Gan Hong asked curiously, “Don’t you want that treasure, Master Qiu?” Luo Qiu replied calmly, “If there are too many things you want, it becomes endless. Since I’ve already seen it, isn’t that enough? Only memories can’t be lost.” Gan Hong was taken aback, staring blankly at Luo Qiu. “Is there something on my face?” Luo Qiu asked. Gan Hong shook her head. “No, it’s just that I suddenly feel you resemble a teacher in the village.” “A teacher?” Luo Qiu became interested. Gan Hong nodded. “He is also from China; I don’t know where my father found him. But he is blind, and we all call him Mr. Blind. He has said similar things before.” “It seems you must really like this teacher,” Luo Qiu nodded. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t remember what he said.” “Mr. Blind indeed taught us many things, but Master, you won’t misunderstand; it’s not liking him, but respect,” Gan Hong quickly replied. “Let’s go over there and take a look,” Luo Qiu smiled. At that moment, Song Ying walked over and shot them a glare. “No running around!” “Alright,” Luo Qiu nodded. Song Ying suddenly found herself at a loss for words… why was it not following the usual pattern? Luo Qiu then walked over to a servant in the mansion and said, “Could you please open the windows here in the hall? I feel a bit stuffy… there are quite a few people smoking here.” The servant nodded; the guests’ request wasn’t unreasonable, as many people disliked the smell of smoke—indeed, he also felt that the air was somewhat polluted, causing the flowers that had just been moved here to lose their original fragrance, which was quite a waste. “Sure, please wait a moment, I’ll open them right away,” the servant politely nodded. --- In the corridor, the downcast man looked back and realized no one was following him anymore. He leaned against a window, took off his hat, and fanned himself. After a moment, the man suddenly placed his bag on the windowsill, unzipped it, and took out a ‘treasure ball.’ He casually tossed it up, then placed it under the window in the sunlight, examining it carefully for a few moments. Finally, he shook his head and directly threw the ‘treasure ball’ out the window. “Looks like we have some uninvited guests,” the downcast man muttered to himself as he closed the window again. At that moment, footsteps approached from the front of the corridor. Not far away, a woman dressed in black gauze-like clothing, wearing a gauze hat and with a pale complexion, walked slowly towards him. A cautious old man followed behind her. The downcast man, Mr. Takizawa, remained still, leaning in place, waiting for the old man and woman to approach. “You arrived quickly; I thought you would be a little late,” the downcast man suddenly spoke. The woman was the one whom Luo Qiu and Gan Hong had encountered in the yard—she had even white eyebrows, seemingly suffering from albinism. She replied indifferently, “The weather is cooler, making it more convenient to travel, so I arrived a bit early.” The downcast man glanced at the wooden box the woman was holding and suddenly reached out to touch it, but the old man behind the woman quickly raised his black umbrella to block the man’s hand. The old man flicked his wrist slightly, causing the handle of the black umbrella to spring up suddenly, revealing a sharp blade hidden within. The silver gleamed. “Mr. Takizawa, our young lady does not like strangers getting too close. Please step back,” the old man said calmly. Mr. Takizawa shrugged, leaning back again, and slowly said, “Twenty years ago, your father disappeared after drinking ‘Bianhua.’ Twenty years later, you brought the remaining half bottle of ‘Bianhua’… Do you really believe Tu Shenyi's words, Elizabeth?” The white-browed woman, Elizabeth, casually glanced at Mr. Takizawa. “Then why did you bring your ‘Naihe’?” “I never said I brought it,” Mr. Takizawa smiled slightly, casually lifting his bag to show it, “If you don’t believe me, I can let you check it.” The old man, however, used the black umbrella to block it again, his eyes glinting. “You fraud from the Takizawa family, I’ll say it again: please don’t get close to our young lady.” “Relax, relax, Mr. Aamon,” Mr. Takizawa said with a feigned expression of fear, squinting. “For us, being stared at by a former holy knight of the Church like this is quite pressuring… especially when this former knight is holding a pure silver sword.” The old man snorted coldly. Mr. Takizawa patted his bag, smiling as he said, “Alright then, I’ll go chat with someone else and won’t disturb you.” Saying this, he walked past Elizabeth and Aamon—only to stop shortly after without turning around and quickly added, “Just a free piece of information… It seems that besides us today, Tu Shenyi has invited a few other guests as well.” Elizabeth and Aamon exchanged glances, while Mr. Takizawa had already vanished from the corridor. Elizabeth then whispered, “Grandpa, be careful.” “Don’t worry, I can still hold on,” Aamon replied calmly.