Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Buying Jade, Her Immortal Realm Changed Again

The Shopkeeper immediately nodded and had his assistant exchange the payment into silver notes for Shen Ningning.

Then she asked, "Will we settle the bill for the Aconite next time?"

The Shopkeeper beamed. "That’s right. I’ll take it to the palace later. Only after I’ve received the silver from them can I split it with you, little miss."

Shen Ningning’s round, fair little face was full of curiosity.

"Who are you trying to save? And why do they have to keep eating this Aconite?"

"The noblest person in the land, second only to the Emperor," the Shopkeeper chuckled. "The Aconite is their life-saving medicine. But, little miss, you cannot speak of this outside. This is a secret."

Shen Ningning nodded knowingly. She raised a small finger to her lips, making a "shhh" motion.

"I understand," she said sweetly. "In that case, I hope they eat my Aconite and get well soon!"

The Shopkeeper tidied his ledger, shaking his head with a smile.

"That will be difficult. The noble’s illness is very strange. They say the sickness won’t get better until the drought ends."

’How could something be so strange?’

Shen Ningning couldn’t understand the connection between the drought and the illness.

She thought about it for a while until her little head felt like it would explode.

So, she decided not to think about it anymore.

All she could do was provide the medicinal ingredients.

So she arranged with the Shopkeeper, "Come pick me up at Wolf Mountain in six days."

Shen Ningning left the shop.

She walked to a deserted corner and took out the 200 taels Mrs. Meng had given her from her space.

Then, she headed straight for the jade market.

Before she even arrived, she had decided that today, she would buy a piece of jade to feed to her Immortal Realm.

She still had 480 taels left over from last time, which she kept untouched in her Immortal Realm.

With the money from selling the Aconite and the silver Mrs. Meng had given her, she had nearly one thousand taels.

The little girl was confident she could buy a decent piece of jade.

She entered the jade shop and was immediately noticed by the Shopkeeper.

Shen Ningning had rosy lips, pearly teeth, and delicate skin. Today, she was dressed in light green, her hair styled in two small buns and pinned with a small lotus flower.

Her sparkling eyes swept over the colorful, beautiful jades on the shelves.

"Little girl, you’re here again." The Shopkeeper recognized her.

It was hardly surprising. The four- or five-year-old girl was so delicate and pretty that she looked like the child of a wealthy family.

Yet she always came alone, without a single servant.

Shen Ningning’s eyes were bright and clear.

She stood on her tiptoes and placed the silver notes and the 200 taels of silver on the counter.

"Shopkeeper, I want to buy some jade. Could you please pick out a good piece for me that’s worth this much?"

She spoke as casually as if she were buying a handful of scallions.

The Shopkeeper was already dumbfounded when Shen Ningning took out nearly a thousand taels of silver.

He counted the silver. More than nine hundred taels!

’Definitely a child from a wealthy family!’

Any thought the Shopkeeper had of teasing her vanished. He wouldn’t dare treat her casually now.

He quickly brought out a palm-sized piece of lavender jade.

"This lavender piece is the best fit for this price. If you like it, little miss, we can carve it into a hairpin, a Jade Pendant, or a fan charm."

Shen Ningning didn’t know much about jade, so she simply held it in her small hand to examine it.

Against her fair skin, the purple jade seemed quite large, its color appearing even more vibrant.

The little girl looked at it. "This one is fine. No need to carve it. I’ll take it as is."

The Shopkeeper hurriedly brought out a box. "Let me put it in here for you. Be careful you don’t drop it on the way."

Shen Ningning shook her head, thinking it was too much trouble.

She clutched it in her hand. "This is fine."

’I’m just going to put it in the Immortal Realm later anyway.’

Just as she reached the door, the Shopkeeper chased after her. "Little miss, please wait."

"The jade costs nine hundred taels. You paid twenty taels too much. Here is your change." He handed her the silver.

Shen Ningning took it and tucked it into the purse at her waist.

Then she waved her small, jade-clutching hand, said goodbye, and skipped away happily.

Watching her leave, the Shopkeeper worried that she would drop and shatter such an expensive piece of jade.

’Children from rich families really are different.’

’Fine jade is no different from a common rock in her eyes.’

The moment she was in the carriage heading home, Shen Ningning entered the Immortal Realm and casually placed the jade she had bought on a shelf.

After that, she left the Immortal Realm.

She would just have to wait and go back in later to see if the Immortal Realm would really "eat" the jade.

As soon as she got home, the Black Wolf King and his pack immediately surrounded her.

They yelped and howled.

Shen Ningning was confused by all the noise. "What is it? Who are you saying was here?"

The entire pack seemed to be trying to answer at once.

The Black Wolf King let out a commanding roar, and the pack instantly fell silent.

Finally, the Black Wolf King let out two howls.

Only then did Shen Ningning understand.

"You’re saying the little monkey who used to steal food came and brought me another gift?"

The Black Wolf King nodded repeatedly.

Shen Ningning ran back to her room.

Her desk was by an open window, and there on the windowsill sat a beautiful sapphire. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Wow! The little monkey brought me something so beautiful this time." Shen Ningning’s bright eyes widened in amazement.

Ever since she told the wolves to spare the monkey, it had started leaving things on her windowsill every morning.

Last time it was a ruby ring. This time, it was a whole, flawless sapphire, as large as her thumb.

"SQUEAK..." Seeing that she had returned, the little monkey finally dared to hop inside. It sat on the windowsill, cautiously eyeing the wolves around Shen Ningning.

The little girl reached out to pat the monkey’s head. "Where do you get all these things from?"

The little monkey chattered, "SQUEAK, SQUEAK," and pointed outside, but Shen Ningning couldn’t understand it.

She could only accept it as a kind gesture and put the sapphire away.

Shen Ningning then took out a Red Fruit and offered it to the monkey.

The little monkey snatched it up, and clutching the fruit, it leaped out the window and vanished.

The Black Wolf King let out a derisive snort.

He was complaining about how cunning and greedy the monkey was.

It brought something every time in exchange for a bite to eat. He was afraid it was going to freeload off her for good.

Shen Ningning gave a sweet smile and threw her arms around the Black Wolf King in a hug.

"There, there, Langlang. The little monkey is just hungry, and he doesn’t ask for much. When you see him from now on, don’t be mean to him."

The Black Wolf King licked Shen Ningning’s small hand in agreement.

The little girl went to see her grandmother and found Grandma Qin busy in the kitchen.

Lang Si and three other wolves were with Grandma Qin, sitting and waiting to be fed.

"Grandma, what are you busy doing?"

"Ningning, you’re back! Your classes start again in a few days. Since the weather is so hot, I’m making some cooling cakes for you to take and share with your classmates."

The chubby Lang Si ran over to nuzzle Shen Ningning before returning to Grandma Qin’s side.

He sat properly on the floor, letting out an "awoo" or two every so often.

Grandma Qin laughed. "You greedy wolf. I just gave you four egg yolks. Haven’t you had enough yet?"

With that, Grandma Qin picked up a freshly made, jade-green cooling cake and held it under Lang Si’s nose for him to sniff.

Lang Si sniffed it excitedly, but when he realized it wasn’t meat, he silently turned his head away.

The Black Wolf King poked his head through the kitchen doorway and let out a growl.

He was showing his disdain for Lang Si constantly begging for food from Grandma Qin.

Scolded, Lang Si scurried past Shen Ningning and slipped out the door with his tail between his legs.

He was afraid that if he dallied any longer, the Black Wolf King would give him a thrashing.

Seeing this, Shen Ningning clutched her little tummy and giggled.

"I’ll go get some more meat from the Immortal Realm to put in the cellar. That way, Grandma and the wolves will have plenty to eat."

With that, she vanished into the Immortal Realm.

But the moment she entered, the scene before her eyes made Shen Ningning freeze in astonishment.