“Hmm?” Ruan Ning looked at the woman with confusion and asked, “Are you referring to this suitcase?”
The woman shook her head and said, “I want to buy the blue crystal you just took. If you’re willing to part with it, I’m willing to pay the price of one pack of biscuits.”
One pack of biscuits?
If Ruan Ning had only speculated before, now she could be almost certain that this woman, who was only a few years older than her, probably knew the purpose of the crystal cores. That’s why she was willing to offer a high price to buy it from her.
Otherwise, only someone with an abundance of food and nowhere else to spend it would be willing to buy a seemingly useless, thumbnail-sized “blue crystal.”
However, Ruan Ning wasn’t someone who didn’t know the value of things. She certainly wouldn’t treat this crystal core as an ordinary crystal and eagerly sell it for just a pack of biscuits.
If you really calculated it, she spent at least two packs of instant noodles to acquire this item.
“I’m afraid I can’t sell it to you,” she refused.
Hearing her words, Gan Lan frowned for a moment but quickly regained her composure and continued, “Do you think the price isn’t right? I really like this colour of crystal, and I sincerely want to buy it. If you sell it to me, I can add another pack of biscuits.”
“…Actually, a blue crystal like this isn’t worth that price.” Since this person wanted to play dumb, Ruan Ning was willing to play along. “You couldn’t even use half a pack of biscuits, or even half a biscuit, to buy this.”
Gan Lan assumed Ruan Ning was interested but thought the price was too high and was worried about being tricked. “Don’t worry, I know the principle of fair trade. Once I buy it, I won’t go back on my word.”
Ruan Ning, her face hidden behind a mask, made her expression unreadable, but her soft voice sounded pleasant. “Miss, I think you misunderstand. I don’t have a habit of taking advantage of others. Besides, I really like this blue crystal. I can’t part with this one. But if you truly like crystals, maybe you could check other stalls. You might find something even better.”
Gan Lan felt frustrated when she saw that the person showed no intention of selling. If only she had come to the market earlier.
Unfortunately, she was one step too late, and this person had already bought the crystal.
This crystal was really important to Gan Lan.
There were very few awakened abilities among first-level zombies, so most of the crystal cores in their brains were colourless and transparent. This deep blue crystal core was extremely rare.
She was an ice-type ability user. If she could obtain this deep blue crystal core, her ability could reach a higher level, and she could release more ice cones at once.
But all of this depended on whether she could successfully obtain the crystal core corresponding to her ability.
Gan Lan had thought it would be easy to buy, but even after offering two packs of biscuits, this person still refused to sell.
Could it be… this person also knew the value of the crystal core?
Gan Lan was unwilling to give up such a good opportunity. Thinking that this person might be aware of the meaning of the crystal core, she no longer concealed her interest in it and whispered, “I know you bought this suitcase and crystal core for two packs of instant noodles. I can offer you two more packs of instant noodles to buy it from you, and I only want that one crystal core. I don’t need your suitcase.”
So many?
It seems the woman in front is probably an ice-type supernatural ability user.
After all, other ability users wouldn’t need this deep blue crystal nucleus. Even if they knew its value, they wouldn’t spend so much food to buy it.
Should I sell it to her?
Actually, for Ruan Ning, an ordinary person, this ice-type crystal nucleus wouldn’t be of much use either. Exchanging it for four packs of instant noodles sounds decent, doesn’t it?
But before Ruan Ning could decide, three more people approached from the side.
Seems like people the woman next to me knows.
“Sister Gan Lan, what are you doing here? We’ve been looking for you for ages over there but couldn’t find you,” said a girl with a ponytail as she walked up, followed by two boys around the same age.
“Lan Jie,” the two boys greeted in unison.
A flicker of impatience flashed in Gan Lan’s eyes when she saw the three appear, an expression colder than the one she had given to Ruan Ning, a stranger. However, she hid her irritation well, not letting it show.
“I came to buy something,” she responded indifferently.
“Sister Gan Lan, what are you buying? Can I take a look?” the girl asked curiously, glancing at Ruan Ning, who was dressed somewhat oddly.
If Ruan Ning had considered selling the item earlier, that idea was completely gone now with more people around. After all, she wasn’t in dire need of those few packs of instant noodles, and keeping such a special crystal core might come in handy later. Besides, the atmosphere between the two women was odd, and Ruan Ning had no desire to get involved.
She lowered her hat brim and said softly, “Sorry, I have something to do, so I’ll head off now. You all go ahead and chat.”
Seeing that Ruan Ning was about to leave, Gan Lan wanted to say something to stop her, but although Ruan Ning looked petite, she moved quickly. In no time, she had vanished from sight. With the newcomer distracting her, Gan Lan had no chance to catch up, and she had no choice but to watch the crystal core slip away from her grasp.
**
Ruan Ning jogged a bit, and when she realized no one was following her, she slowed down.
There was still some distance between her and where she was staying. After catching her breath, she planned to head back quickly. But suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind, nearly scaring her. Out of reflex, she kicked the person.
“Ruan Ning, it’s me…”
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Ruan Ning stopped in her tracks, and the fruit knife that had appeared in her hand vanished just as quickly into her space.
Turning around, she saw that the person who had tapped her was indeed Lin Yang.
“Brother Lin Yang…” She glanced apologetically at the footprint she had left on his black pants and awkwardly added, “Sorry about that.”
Lin Yang dusted off his pants and rubbed his knee with a grimace. “Ruan Ning, you’ve got quite a strong kick there.”
Ruan Ning bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, I should be the one apologizing for scaring you first,” Lin Yang said quickly, seeing her guilty expression.
Looking around, Ruan Ning realized she didn’t see the person she was expecting and asked, “Where’s my brother? Did he come to the safe zone too?”
“Yeah, we arrived at the safe zone this morning. I was actually planning to look for you, but who knew we’d run into each other here?” Lin Yang replied happily. “Brother Gu and Chao Zi stayed behind at the house, and I came out on my own.”
Remembering her unfinished goal of cozying up to the male lead, Ruan Ning blinked and softly said, “Brother Lin Yang, can you take me to see my brother?”
“…I kind of miss him,” she added, lowering her head and sounding a bit dependent. Even she almost believed herself.
Faced with a request from the beautiful girl he admired, Lin Yang couldn’t resist. Besides, it wasn’t a difficult favour, so he agreed without hesitation.
…
Running into Lin Yang here and getting the chance to visit the male lead was an unexpected bonus for Ruan Ning on her trip out.
Perhaps her identity as Gu Yicheng’s “little sister” still held some value. Ruan Ning realized that Lin Yang wasn’t overly guarded around her, and it was easy to get information from him.
Through him, Ruan Ning learned quite a bit about what had happened to the male lead after they had parted ways.
Their journey had been much more perilous than hers, but given the strength differences between the two groups, it didn’t seem like it on the surface.
Leave a Reply