As the camel caravan of the Chang'an East Market kicked up a cloud of dust, Xiao Moli's wolf-hair brush paused over the *Map of Foreign Merchants and Trade*. Abacus beads instantly bounced onto the tip of the brush, forming the character "STOP"—she had accidentally painted the foreign merchant's beard as a string of abacus beads. "You rascals, look at this!" she shook the painting, the abacus beads bouncing within the merchant's pupils to form the character "ODD." "This princess has thought of a foreign name for Qingniu Seven: 'Zhurnute,' which means 'Flower of Abacus Beads'!"
Zhang Yifan shook abacus beads as he added saffron to the medicinal soup, the beads spelling out "EXQUISITE" on the surface of the broth. "Moli's foreign name is brilliant—" Suddenly, the abacus beads bounced onto the merchant's turban, spelling out "VERIFY." "However, foreign merchants believe more in seeing is believing. Behold, the abacus-bead version of the 'Foreign Merchant Verification Technique.'"
At the eighth quarter of the wei hour, inside the foreign merchant's tent in the center of the East Market, abacus beads bounced across the Persian rug to form the word "MEDICINE." A foreign merchant frowned as he pinched a Qingniu Seven-Leaf Herb. "In Persia, this herb is called 'Shatula.' How can you prove it's effective?" The abacus beads immediately bounced onto his sleeve, spelling out "BLOOD." The Protagonist gave a light chuckle, pricked his fingertip, and as a drop of blood fell into the Qingn…
Chapter 185