The Arbiter took Xiaoling to the marketplace. He seemed to know exactly which shop to get the qin from, so he led the way. In his hands was his own qin, covered with a silk cloth to protect it. Xiaoling followed him quietly, paying attention to the stalls they were passing by.
She had gone shopping with Weisheng earlier, but the liveliness of the marketplace never failed to surprise her. The Arbiter didn't talk at all, so they quietly walked to the zither store. As the Arbiter entered, the shopkeeper immediately bowed. He was a big figure, after all.
"Greetings to Lord Arbiter," The shopkeeper said, "I thought your qin's maintenance was later this year."
The Arbiter smiled, "We are not here for our qin, but to buy a new qin for this Young Lady," He looked back at Xiaoling, who was busy looking around with a thought in the world, "This is Lady Ren's adopted daughter," He smiled as he introduced her, "We are sure you might have a qin made just for her."
