"Thank you!" The proprietress took the tissue and wiped her eyes, then, with slightly reddened eyes, stood up and went to greet customers.

When it came time to pay, the two naturally exchanged a faint smile as they looked at each other. Although they still didn't know each other's names, it seemed as if they were already acquaintances.

Leaving A-Zhen's Bun Shop, Emily Clark wandered alone down the street. When he saw a goldsmith's shop advertising the purchase of gold and platinum, he went inside.

Just as David Sullivan had said, the price of gold had risen sharply, and those thugs' gold necklaces and bracelets were quite heavy. Altogether, Emily Clark sold the gold for a little over sixty-eight thousand yuan. Upon leaving the goldsmith's shop, Emily Clark ordered forty-nine silver needles.

After leaving the goldsmith's, Emily Clark continued to stroll toward Zhongshan Middle Road. Emily Clark knew that near Jiefang Road on Zhongshan Middle Road, there was a pen shop with a long history, which sold all kinds of high-quality brushes.

After last night's events, Emily Clark felt it was necessary to make some talismans just in case.

Chapter 13: Talisman Brush

Zhiyan Pen Shop was a traditional shop with a history of one hundred and fifty years. The storefront was elegantly decorated, and inside, all kinds of brushes, inkstones, ink sticks, and xuan paper were displayed with great care. The whole shop was filled with an atmosphere of scholarly elegance and antiquity.

Many of the shop assistants were elderly men, dressed in gray long gowns and sporting goatees, which added to the shop's scholarly and antique air.

When these assistants saw Emily Clark stroll into the shop, a trace of surprise flashed in their eyes.

Unlike some stationery stores, this pen shop sold items with a certain collectible value, attracting only true scholars and literati who were willing to spend a lot of money. Ordinary people who wanted to learn calligraphy would never come here to buy supplies. Thus, most of the customers were regulars, mainly elderly scholars. Young and unfamiliar customers like Emily Clark were rare—perhaps only a few in a whole year.

"May I ask what you are looking for, sir?" An elderly shop assistant stepped forward and asked with a smile.

"I'd like to buy a top-quality wolf-hair brush, an inkstone, cinnabar, and yellow talisman paper," Emily Clark replied.

Emily Clark's words caught the attention of an old man who was coming down the stairs from the second floor.

This old man had a thin, sallow face, but his eyes, which should have been presbyopic with age, occasionally flashed with a bright light.

The assistant led Emily Clark to a wall cabinet displaying wolf-hair brushes, pointed proudly at the antique-looking brushes hanging on the wall, and said, "These are all top-quality wolf-hair brushes."

Emily Clark glanced over them and shook his head. "I don't want brushes made from weasel hair. I want brushes made from real prairie wolf hair."

A look of surprise flashed in the assistant's eyes, and just as he was about to speak, the old man's voice sounded from behind.

"Old Bolton, go take care of something else. I'll attend to this gentleman myself."

"Yes, boss." The assistant called Old Bolton trembled slightly at these words, his surprise deepening. Except for a very few distinguished customers, even big clients rarely saw the boss in person. To call him a businessman was less accurate than calling him a hermit. Yet today, he had taken the initiative to personally serve this young stranger.

As the old man approached, Emily Clark, with his merged powerful spiritual senses, detected a slight shift in the man's aura, though it was somewhat sluggish and not smooth or fluid.

A strange light flashed in Emily Clark's eyes, but outwardly he remained calm.

"I am Henry Carter, the owner of this pen shop. I heard you wish to buy a real prairie wolf-hair brush, as well as cinnabar, an inkstone, and yellow talisman paper?" Henry Carter said with a smile, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he glanced at Emily Clark.

But he couldn't see anything special about Emily Clark. This wasn't because Emily Clark's cultivation was higher than Henry Carter's, but because Emily Clark had always practiced the highest-level immortal technique, the Tongtian Yuqing Xuan Gong. The true qi in his body was condensed like a thread; unless he actively used his power to change his aura, or the other party's cultivation was much higher, it was impossible to see through him.

Because of this, Emily Clark appeared even more unfathomable in Henry Carter's eyes.

Emily Clark nodded and said, "Exactly. If you have truly excellent wolf-hair brushes, please show them to me. Price is not an issue."

With nearly seventy thousand yuan in his pocket, Emily Clark finally swept away his former embarrassment over money.

"Our shop does have some truly excellent wolf-hair brushes, but since there are many people here, why don't we go upstairs? It's quieter there, and you can take your time choosing," Henry Carter said with a smile.

"That sounds good," Emily Clark replied calmly, following Henry Carter upstairs.

"May I ask your name, sir?" Henry Carter asked casually.

"My name is Emily Clark," Emily Clark replied with a smile.

Upstairs was indeed quiet and elegant, with a few landscape paintings hanging on the walls and the gentle sound of a guzheng flowing like a clear spring.

Henry Carter led Emily Clark to sit by the window on a bamboo chair, personally brewed a cup of top-quality Longjing tea for Emily Clark, and then said, "Mr. Yu, please wait a moment. I'll go fetch some top-quality wolf-hair brushes for you."

Very soon, Henry Carter personally brought over seven antique wooden boxes.