Chapter 321 - 320: Two-in-One -

This was Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei’s most immediate impression.

"And the colors are just gorgeous."

"It’s so thin, but strangely, it’s not see-through at all."

There were three colors in total. One was a sea-like blue, tinged with a hazy mist that made it look very mysterious.

Another was a pearl-like white, but under the light, patterns seemed to flow across its surface, only to disappear when you tried to look closer.

The last was a pink close to the color of rouge, yet it couldn’t be described simply by its hue. It gave the impression of a graceful, beautiful young maiden standing poised.

"I can’t identify what this fabric is made of. We’ll have to find an expert."

"There are six bolts in total. You should put them back in the box for now. Wait until you find someone who can identify them before opening it again."

Yun Jiao loved these fabrics, even more than the pearls in her collection.

"It’s so similar to Jue Sha."

Merfolk weep tears that become pearls, and they can weave seawater into a fabric called Jue Sha.

The former was true. The latter... was both true and untrue.

Merfolk could indeed weave Jue Sha, but not from seawater. Instead, they used many rare materials found on the seabed.

And they used a special kind of pearl for dyeing.

This fabric felt very similar to Jue Sha, but it wasn’t exactly the same.

’Like... a budget version of Jue Sha?’

"Jiaojiao, you actually know about Jue Sha?"

This time, even Mr. Mu was surprised.

Yun Jiao answered vaguely, "Mhm, I forget which book I read it in."

Mr. Mu didn’t seem suspicious. He just said, "Legend says Merfolk weep tears that become pearls and can also weave Jue Sha. You know, this fabric really does have the feel of Jue Sha to it."

Yun Jiao’s eyes widened. ’Wait, this world has Merfolk too?!’

She quickly asked, "Grandpa Mu, are Merfolk real?"

Mr. Mu said, "That, I don’t know. They’re just creatures of legend. But I’ve always wondered... if the legends exist, could it be that Merfolk truly did exist at one time? Perhaps in an era far more ancient than our recorded history. Back then, the world had no means of keeping records, so who can say for sure that they didn’t exist?"

Yun Jiao fell into thought.

Mr. Mu waved his hand. "I should be heading back. Don’t let anyone else know about these things. Find someone trustworthy to examine them."

Yun Linhai and the others nodded. "Right, right."

’I’ll have to warn the boys at home.’

In the end, the bolts of fabric were placed back in the ironwood chest, and the entire chest was moved into Yun Jiao’s room.

That night, Yun Jiao was still thinking about what Grandpa Mu had said about Merfolk as she fell asleep.

The next day, Yun Jiao had her father take her to Grandpa Gu’s place.

Ancient was an antique dealer, so he naturally had some expertise in gold artifacts.

Yun Jiao didn’t hide much from him. She explained clearly where the items came from, leaving out only the part about the shipwreck.

Ancient, being in this line of work, had seen it all before.

"Since you brought him up from the seabed and laid him to rest, these items can’t be considered bad luck."

Ancient examined the gold artifacts with a magnifying glass.

"The craftsmanship is excellent, and these gemstones are quite valuable as well."

"So, from what I understand, you want to use the money from selling these to repair your village’s temple and ancestral hall, is that right?"

Yun Jiao nodded.

Ancient stroked her hair. "Good. You’re a good child."

"I never would have thought a child not yet five years old could be so generous."

His eyes filled with regret. ’Why couldn’t she be my apprentice?’

Speaking of apprentices, Ancient recalled the little girl’s earlier promise to find an apprentice for him.

’First, let’s take care of these items.’

These items couldn’t be valued just by the current price of gold; they were antiques, after all.

After his assessment, Ancient gave Yun Jiao a figure.

"I’ll take them. I can offer you sixty thousand for the lot."

Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up. "I trust you, Grandpa Gu."

This amount of money wasn’t just enough to repair the village temple and ancestral hall—it was enough to completely rebuild and even expand them.

"However, little girl..."

Ancient put on a mock-unhappy face. "You’re quite the little fibber, aren’t you?"

Yun Jiao blinked. ’How am I a little fibber again? I’m not!’

"Hmph! Didn’t you say you were going to find an apprentice for this old man? Well? We’ve known each other for a while now, and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of this supposed apprentice."

Yun Jiao remembered.

Feeling a little guilty, the little girl fiddled with her fingers.

"Well, Grandpa Gu, you’ve met my brothers. Did any of them catch your eye?"

’My brothers were busy with their studies before, so I really did forget.’

"Oh, so you meant your brothers."

Ancient stroked the tuft of white beard on his chin.

He recalled Yun Jiao’s brothers. They each had different personalities, but it was easy to see they had all been raised well and shared a close bond with their sister.