Xia Yunzhao welcomed guests from every direction with a smile, never expecting the crowd to get even more excited. One cultivator asked eagerly, “Since this counts as your grand opening, does that mean today’s pills are unlimited?!”
Xia Yunzhao noticed the dark circles under his eyes too and thought about it. That tall, skinny cultivator had been lining up for an entire month and was still so far back; who knew how long this fellow near the front had been waiting? Feeling a little guilty, he considered it briefly. “Unlimited is impossible, but I can increase the quantity for everyone.”
The cultivator lit up. “By how much?”
Xia Yunzhao said, “Wait a moment. Let me see.” With that, he went inside.
After he said that, everyone froze. See?
They did not have to wait long. About a quarter of an hour later, the fragrance of pills from a freshly opened furnace drifted out from inside.
Everyone: “………………”
Wait. He was refining them right now?!
The cultivators at the front exchanged looks and gritted their teeth. Fine, freshly refined was fine! A single furnace yielded five pills. If he could refine three furnaces, that would still be more than ten pills, so surely some would reach them! Staying awake for three days to line up had not been for nothing!
Then Xiao Li came running out with a delighted expression and called loudly, “One hundred additional Dew-Condensing Pills for sale today!”
Everyone: “???”
Not long after, he ran out again. “One hundred additional Fasting Pills!”
“One hundred additional Bloodstanching Pills!”
“Additional…”
They watched him come out with one announcement after another, and before long, five hundred extra pills had been added to the day’s stock. The cultivators in line finally caught up. “Th-this speed… is there an entire pill-refining gang in there?”
“The heavens have eyes! I can finally buy Fasting Pills! Hahahahaha!”
“No, seriously, brothers, are these really being refined on the spot? Who can refine a hundred pills in the time it takes one incense stick to burn? Did the pill furnace gain sentience?”
“Ever since that senior went inside, the pill fragrance coming from the shop hasn’t stopped. Are your nostrils blind?”
“……”
That was not all. After two more common kinds of pills were added, Xiao Li ran out yet again and announced, “Fifty Refined-Iron Swords, fifty Tough-Hide Armors, and fifty Clear-Breeze Bindings added for sale. These magical artifacts may be purchased as complete sets. Esteemed guests, you are all welcome!”
The crowd that had originally been waiting for pills jolted, then erupted. “M-magical artifacts?!”
“Magical artifacts can be refined in batches too?!”
“Is this really the time to be surprised? Move aside… Hey, attendant, give me one set of magical treasures!”
“Me, me, me! I want a set too!”
“I want five sets! And twenty Dew-Condensing Pills while you’re at it!”
……
Bang!
A loud crash came from not far away. Wandan Hall had slammed its doors shut.
The crowd went silent for a heartbeat, then resumed its uproar as though nothing had happened.
Shang Shuangze walked out from the inner room. Xiao Li was still a little intimidated by him and nowhere near as relaxed as he was around Lord Xiao Xia, so he greeted him respectfully. “Lord Shang.”
Shang Shuangze nodded. “Stop calling out. Let them in.”
Xiao Li hurriedly bowed. “Yes!” He immediately removed the door panel on the other side as well, signaling that the shop was officially open for business.
The cultivators at the front forgot everything else and rushed inside to snatch up magical artifacts and pills, scooping out handful after handful of spirit pearls as though afraid the shop might refuse their money.
Xia Yunzhao came out too. He had just finished refining pills and magical treasures, had thoroughly gotten it out of his system, and now felt light all over. Watching the cultivators frantically buy things in front of him, he felt like a farmer gazing at a bumper crop of giant radishes in his own field. Tilting his head, he whispered to Shang Shuangze, “It’s a shame we can’t sell those magical treasures we seized here. Otherwise, we could clear them all out in a day.”
Most of those magical treasures bore no identifying marks, but there was still a chance someone might recognize them. Selling them through their own shop would be a little too brazen.
Shang Shuangze offered a suggestion. “You can leave them with Du Yan. Or put them through the underground market.”
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment. “How about selling them to merchant caravans passing through Qingxi City?”
Merchant caravans bought every kind of spirit item regardless of origin, as long as the price was right. If they could find a reliable caravan, it would be an excellent way to move the goods.
Of course, they could also take them to other cities and sell them there. The guiding principle was simple: the farther from their own home base, the better.
Over the next dozen or so days, Qingming Pavilion’s supply of pills and magical artifacts stabilized, and Xia Yunzhao returned to his old routine.
Every day he cultivated, refined artifacts, refined pills… Oh, and now there was one more item on the schedule: being lovey-dovey with his Dao companion.
Shang Shuangze was a little thin-skinned. Xia Yunzhao had known that for a long time. His favorite thing to do now was tease Shang Shuangze in public.
Not that he could really be blamed. They were in the middle of the honeymoon phase, so naturally they wanted to stick together every moment of the day.
Besides, Shang Shuangze was rather old-fashioned and reserved at heart, which made teasing him far too entertaining…
Whether Xia Yunzhao secretly stole a little kiss or slipped his hand into Shang Shuangze’s, Shang Shuangze never refused, but the tips of his ears would quietly turn red.
The only slightly alarming development was that after being teased like this a few times, Shang Shuangze seemed to be growing a thicker skin.
That day, the two of them came to Qingming Pavilion again to check on business.
All right, that was just an excuse. Ever since Qingming Pavilion hung up its signboard, there had not been a single bad day of business. The spirit items on its treasure display shelves sold out every day.
The shop was packed with customers, while Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze stood behind the counter.
Shang Shuangze felt the person beside him lean against him. Thinking Xia Yunzhao had been jostled, he instinctively reached out to steady him, only to see Xia Yunzhao look up from within his arms with a triumphant smile and gently blow a breath against his Adam’s apple.
A flush spread out from beneath Shang Shuangze’s impeccably neat collar and climbed all the way up his neck. His gaze darkened in an instant, and the hand supporting Xia Yunzhao tightened slightly.
Xia Yunzhao inwardly cried, Not good. I overdid it. He turned and tried to wriggle away. “There’s a customer over there who wants pills. I’ll go take a look…”
But the arm around his waist tightened and pulled him close. The next second, his vision blurred, his feet left the floor, and he appeared inside the inner room.
Qingming Pavilion’s inner room had originally been a tea room where tea was prepared for guests. It had since been converted into a pill room. Wisps of blue-green smoke drifted inside, but there was no pill furnace, leaving the room looking rather empty.
Xia Yunzhao’s first thought was: Thank goodness. There isn’t a couch in here…
Shang Shuangze gently set him down, pressing him against the wall. He lowered his head and lightly bit the tip of Xia Yunzhao’s ear, cool lips brushing warm skin. “Yunzhao…”
Xia Yunzhao did not dare move. Shang Shuangze’s voice was usually distant and calm, but now it carried a low, husky edge. The moment it sounded beside his ear, half of Xia Yunzhao’s body went numb.
Shang Shuangze brushed a finger over his reddened ear and gave a soft laugh.
At the sound of that low laugh, Xia Yunzhao’s legs immediately went weak too.
Then Shang Shuangze said, “Yunzhao, if you tease me like this again, you’ll bear the consequences yourself. All right?”
Xia Yunzhao: “……”
He silently cleared his throat. Shang Shuangze is so handsome.
Seeing him remain silent, Shang Shuangze thought he had frightened him. He sighed softly, and the aggressive edge around him gradually receded. “All right. Let’s go back out.”
He had just turned to leave when someone caught his wrist.
Xia Yunzhao tugged hard and pulled him back, looking straight into his eyes. There was a different kind of allure in his smiling gaze. “Shang Shuangze, have I ever told you that you’re the Dao companion I chose? You can do anything you want to me.”
He stepped closer and blew another soft breath against the man’s chin. “I’m giving you permission to do anything you want to me.”
Shang Shuangze slowly raised a hand and gathered him into his arms, his gaze deepening little by little…
……
At first, Xia Yunzhao had been relieved there was no couch here. Very soon, that relief turned into regret. Why wasn’t there a couch in here… Ahem.
By the time the two of them came out of the inner room, all the day’s pills and magical artifacts had been sold. The customers outside had left, and Xiao Li was sweeping the floor.
Seeing the two of them, Xiao Li made a surprised sound and smiled. “I thought the proprietor had already left.” He did not dare look at Shang Shuangze, but curiously gave Xia Yunzhao an extra glance. Strange. It was the dead of winter, and there were no insects around, so why did Lord Xiao Xia have a bump on his neck?
Shang Shuangze glanced at him. Xiao Li immediately lowered his head and wondered again: ordinarily, even when Lord Shang spoke to him with a mild expression, his heart would tighten. How come Lord Shang was glaring at him today, yet somehow seemed to be in an excellent mood?
Xia Yunzhao coughed lightly and said, “Since all the customers have gone, you should head home early too. It’s winter now, and it gets dark quickly.”
“Yes.” Warmth spread through Xiao Li’s heart, and he asked with concern, “My lord, have you caught a chill by accident? It’s colder today, and you travel back and forth every day. Would it be better if I brought the accounts and spirit pearls to your residence each day?”
How could Xia Yunzhao possibly let him go all the way to Liancui Mountain just to deliver the accounts? He hurriedly said, “I haven’t caught a chill. My throat is just a little hoarse, that’s all. Don’t think too much about it.”
“Y-yes…” Xiao Li quickly bowed and left with a bellyful of confusion. He did not dare criticize the two lords even in his thoughts, so he could only blame himself: what was wrong with him today? Why did every sentence that came out of his mouth seem to be the wrong thing to say?
Once he was gone, Xia Yunzhao glared at Shang Shuangze while holding back a huff. He tried to look angry but could not manage it, and suddenly burst out laughing instead, sweeping a foot at the hem of Shang Shuangze’s robe. “It’s all your fault.”
Shang Shuangze did not even dodge. One hand hovered protectively behind Xia Yunzhao. “Mm. My fault for what I did just now…”
Xia Yunzhao hurriedly pinched his two thin lips shut and muttered, “Who knows which one of us is actually more thick-skinned…”
Shang Shuangze quietly let himself be pinched, another trace of amusement spreading through his eyes.
The two of them had not gone all the way just now. There was not even a bed in that tea room, and Shang Shuangze had no intention of slighting the Dao companion he treasured above all else.
Even so, fooling around for half the afternoon was enough to make Xia Yunzhao behave himself.
They waited until Xiao Li had finished tidying up, then closed the shop and left with him. The moment they stepped outside, they discovered it was snowing.
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, building a layer of white across the ground. The fresh snow had not yet frozen hard and covered the earth like a fluffy blanket.
The people of Qingxi City were fairly prosperous, and most households had stored enough firewood for winter, so no one feared the snowfall. Many children, bundled up until they looked round, ran outside to play in the snow, while merchants took advantage of the festive atmosphere to call out their wares.
Xia Yunzhao was instantly swept up in the lively mood. He had originally meant to leave the city, but changed direction and dragged Shang Shuangze off to wander around town instead.
This little drop in temperature from the snowfall naturally could not make a Foundation Establishment cultivator uncomfortable. But Shang Shuangze had probably been frightened by what the secret-realm core had done to Xia Yunzhao before, because he still took out a cloak and draped it over him, then clasped both of Xia Yunzhao’s hands to warm them.
“Huh? Why are your hands warm again?” Xia Yunzhao’s hands were enclosed between Shang Shuangze’s warm palms. “They were cool just now, weren’t they?”
Apparently recalling the sensation of those cool fingers sliding over his skin, Xia Yunzhao gave a tiny shiver.
Shang Shuangze laughed softly. “I only changed the way I circulate my cultivation method.”
Xia Yunzhao immediately became interested. “How do you change it? Can you teach me?”
Shang Shuangze changed the subject. “It is a secret method of my sect and cannot be passed on. Would you like some warming wine? I’ll buy some.”
Xia Yunzhao narrowed his eyes. “Shang Shuangze, has anyone ever told you that you’re actually terrible at lying? What secret sect method? You’ll casually teach me even your sect’s mnemonic formulas, so how could this be some forbidden secret? Does this thing hurt your body?”
Shang Shuangze let Xia Yunzhao cup his face and turn him back around. He sighed. “There is no particular harm. It merely costs a little cultivation…”
Xia Yunzhao remembered how long the secret-realm core had tormented him before. During that period, Shang Shuangze’s body had been warm at every moment. “Does it cost a lot of cultivation? Since it doesn’t cause any other harm, teach me. I’ll try it myself.”
Shang Shuangze hesitated. Knowing Xia Yunzhao’s curiosity, if he refused to teach him now, Xia Yunzhao would probably find some other way to learn it… So in the end, he recited a few lines of the mnemonic formula.
Xia Yunzhao circulated his spiritual power according to the formula, then instinctively sucked in a sharp breath. His legs went weak and he nearly slipped. “This feels awful…”
How could he describe that instant? It was as though all the blood in his body had suddenly reversed direction, while his meridians twisted and knotted themselves together. It felt even worse than a flare-up of the secret-realm core!
A flare-up of the secret-realm core was only cold and pain, but the discomfort from reversing the cultivation method was impossible to describe even if every inch of his body had grown a mouth. It was the sort of agony one might feel after being injected with some bizarre drug.
Xia Yunzhao grabbed his hand. “No. This feels horrible. You’re not allowed to do this anymore. Reverse it back, quickly.”
He held Shang Shuangze’s warm hand. “If we get cold, we’ll find a magical treasure that keeps us warm. Worst case, we can fill a hot-water bottle. Why put yourself through something like this?”
Shang Shuangze himself did not think much of it, but seeing Xia Yunzhao react this way made his heart ache. “I’m used to it. I don’t find it uncomfortable.”
That only made Xia Yunzhao feel worse. “And you’re not allowed to say you’re used to it. Change it back right now, or I’ll get angry.”
The warmth in Shang Shuangze’s palm gradually faded back to coolness, and only then did Xia Yunzhao relax. He shook his head. “Don’t go looking for hardship when you don’t have to, Senior Shang. If being with me only makes you suffer even more, wouldn’t my trip to this world have been for nothing?”
Shang Shuangze smiled. “If this little discomfort is enough to bring me to you, I would gladly repeat it through a thousand lifetimes.”
Xia Yunzhao cupped his face and rubbed it back and forth. “Why do I feel like you’ve gotten so much smoother with words?”
Shang Shuangze kept smiling. “You become like the company you keep…”
The two were still bickering when a hesitant voice suddenly called, “G-guest?”
Xia Yunzhao instinctively turned around and, to his surprise, saw someone familiar!
Who was it? None other than Madam Jing, the firewood seller he had not seen in a long time!
Xia Yunzhao asked curiously, “I’m in disguise right now. So many people failed to recognize me, but you did?”
Madam Jing looked much better now. Her face had filled out, she no longer wore an expression of extreme fear and nervousness, and she was dressed in thick cotton-padded clothing. Smiling, she said, “Your voice sounded familiar to me.” She was only an ordinary mortal, but she was very clever. Knowing cultivators possessed all kinds of methods, she had recognized Xia Yunzhao from his voice alone.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Xia Yunzhao released Shang Shuangze’s cheeks and took his hand instead.
Shang Shuangze nodded to Madam Jing.
Madam Jing hurriedly bowed to Shang Shuangze.
Xia Yunzhao glanced behind her. No child… Now he was a little afraid to ask.
Madam Jing saw his expression and smiled. “Don’t worry, honored guest. My daughter is perfectly well. Thanks to your warning before, I found a chance to enter the city before the Mist-Barrier Period began. I work in the city now, and my employers are very kind. Look, it’s that dyeing workshop over there.” She smiled a little awkwardly. “I just don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
After the Mist-Barrier Period, many people in the camp at the foot of Liancui Mountain had died. Some had been eaten by the increased numbers of slaughter beasts, while others had been casually killed by cultivators.
By the end of the Mist-Barrier Period, fewer than half of the treasure hunters were still alive. With so many people dead, the camp’s former order had collapsed. On top of that, the Fang and Liu families had been brought down, and conflict in the camp became even more constant. There were old grudges between treasure hunters, and some people stirred up trouble in the confusion. Xia Yunzhao heard the place had been chaotic for quite some time.
If Xia Yunzhao had not warned her, Madam Jing, alone with a daughter to care for, would probably have been among the first to lose her life.
Xia Yunzhao followed Madam Jing’s gesture and suddenly understood. “Oh! You work at the dyeing workshop now? How are the old couple? And is that big white horse behaving itself?”
Madam Jing nodded quickly. “They’re doing very well. The old couple were talking about you just today, and the big white horse is doing well too. Would you like to come with me and see them?”
So Xia Yunzhao followed her back.
With the water frozen solid in the snowy weather, there was naturally no dyeing to be done, so the workshop was quiet today. As soon as they entered, they saw the old couple holding Madam Jing’s daughter and playing with her.
The little girl had grown plump and rosy and was wearing new clothes. Two tiny white rice-grain teeth had sprouted in her mouth, and she babbled out a few words. “Ride… ride big horse~”
The old couple smiled so broadly that every wrinkle on their faces unfolded. “All right, our little darling can ride the big horse!”
The old woman called, “Baiyun, Baiyun, come out!”
The big white horse apparently thought something good was waiting for it. It kicked open the stable door and sauntered out, but the moment it saw what was happening, it spun around to sneak away, only for the old woman to grab it.
The old woman stroked its smooth mane. “Be good and let our little darling ride you for a while. Grandma will bring you fresh beans tonight, all right?”
The big white horse pawed at the ground impatiently, but its body did not move. It obediently waited for the little girl to be lifted onto its back.
Xia Yunzhao walked in just in time to see this and laughed to Shang Shuangze. “This fellow has gotten a little more sensible.”
Shang Shuangze said, “All things possess spirit.”
The old couple from the Zhou family dyeing workshop were indeed delighted to see Xia Yunzhao. Perhaps the old woman had simply gotten used to it, because she grabbed Xia Yunzhao and immediately began praising the big white horse: “Baiyun is so good,” “so obedient,” “so capable,” “pulls the cart so quickly and steadily”…
Xia Yunzhao watched the big white horse listen from the side, its long face practically twisting with smugness…
While they were chatting happily, a young servant came over to report that the rice and firewood meant for the relief porridge kitchen had been prepared.
The old woman waved a hand and told him to hurry and deliver them.
Xia Yunzhao asked curiously, “Qingxi City has a porridge kitchen now?”
The old woman said, “It didn’t before, but many refugees from outside the city have arrived over the past two days. The lords of the Ji family set up a porridge kitchen and settled them there.”
“Refugees…” Xia Yunzhao frowned. “Because it’s too cold?”
The old woman shook her head. “Not that. It seems to be because of, because of that… Xiao Jing, what was it again? Tell Lord Xiao Xia.”
Madam Jing answered, “Because demonic qi is running rampant.”
“Demonic qi…” Xia Yunzhao exchanged a look with Shang Shuangze. “Could you tell us more?”
Madam Jing nodded. “I went to deliver rice yesterday and asked around a little. These refugees didn’t all come from the same place. Some came from the west. They said demonic qi was running rampant there, and the cultivator lords started killing people in order to deal with it. They were afraid, so they fled. Others came from the east because they refused to take that spirit pill that shortens your life by thirty years, so they had no choice but to leave their homes.”
At that, she looked gratefully at Xia Yunzhao. “I heard quite a few people who took that spirit pill dissolved straight into a pool of pus and blood. It’s terrifying. Thank goodness you protected us, Lord Xiao Xia.”
The elderly Zhou couple from the dyeing workshop knew about it too and immediately joined in thanking him.
Xia Yunzhao had not expected the conversation to circle back to him again. He waved awkwardly, then frowned in thought.
West, east…
The place in the east had to be Yunjiangguan, since they were the ones distributing the Demon-Warding Spirit Pill. As for the west, was it Puppet Gate? He had previously heard that demonic qi was running rampant in Puppet Gate territory and assumed that, under pressure from the Wentian Order, it would soon be brought under control. But now even ordinary mortals were fleeing? Had the demonic qi grown even worse?
Thinking of Xing Wenyu, who was still rampaging through Puppet Gate territory, Xia Yunzhao could no longer sit still. He pulled Shang Shuangze outside, intending to go to the porridge kitchen and ask around some more.
But the two of them had barely stepped out when they ran into a group of cultivators. The man in front pointed at them. “There! Found them!” He ran over, bowed with cupped hands, and greeted them, “Senior Xia, Senior Shang!”
Xia Yunzhao touched his face and wondered, Did my disguise fall off or not? Why does everyone recognize me?
He did not stop to think that outsiders were one thing, but every cultivator in Qingxi City knew that finding Shang Shuangze meant finding him. And Shang Shuangze happened to be rather conspicuous.
He looked over their clothes. “You’re cultivators from the Ji family? What do you need us for?”
The cultivator turned over his hand, and two tokens appeared in his palm. “The family head received a Wentian Order today, commanding Qingxi City to immediately purge all demonic qi within its territory. The other is the City Lord Token. The family head ordered me to deliver both tokens to you, Senior. You two are now the cultivators with the highest cultivation in Qingxi City, so naturally the city lord should be one of you. Everyone in the Ji family will obey the city lord’s commands. If you need money, we’ll provide money; if you need people, we’ll provide people!”
Xia Yunzhao: “……”
He was furious. Fine! Now that the Wentian Order had arrived, they suddenly knew how to shove the responsibility onto someone else, did they? Why had they never offered up the City Lord Token before?!
He snapped, “If I want the underground market, will you hand that over too?”
Unexpectedly, the cultivator genuinely thought about it for a moment. “Does the city lord want it today?”
Now it was Xia Yunzhao’s turn to be surprised. “You’d really give it to me?”
The cultivator nodded. “The family head said that whether the city lord wants the Ji family treasury or the underground market, we are to hand it over.” He hesitated, then added, “Actually, before we left, the family head had already ordered people to tally the underground market’s accounts. If the city lord is in a hurry, wait a little longer and they can be delivered after nightfall. If you want the treasury, you can go to the Ji family right now.”
Xia Yunzhao: “……” He had heard of people being desperate to become officials, but never anyone this desperate to force an official post onto somebody else.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt. “Who delivered this Wentian Order?”
The cultivator answered every question readily. “A member of the Wentian Sect delivered it personally.”
Xia Yunzhao fell silent.
The Ji family had only one Foundation Establishment family head, which made Qingxi City a Foundation Establishment-level power. Although Xia Yunzhao had only traveled far from home once, even he knew that powers at this level were countless in the cultivation world.
Yet the Wentian Sect had personally sent someone to deliver a Wentian Order. Either there was something special about Qingxi City, or the foremost immortal sect had made up its mind to eliminate every last trace of demonic qi.
Either possibility meant serious trouble.
No wonder the Ji family head had barely had time to warm the City Lord Token in his hands before sending it straight to Xia Yunzhao. What an old fox.
Xia Yunzhao continued, “Has demonic qi appeared anywhere within Qingxi City’s territory?”
The cultivator immediately replied, “None has been discovered.”
Xia Yunzhao said, “Go investigate whether there have been any reports in the territory of people undergoing sudden personality changes, maliciously harming others, disappearing, or anything similar. Once you’ve investigated thoroughly, send the information to Qingming Pavilion.”
“Yes!” The cultivator agreed without hesitation, then faltered. “And this token…”
Xia Yunzhao smiled, took the token, and said calmly, “I’ll take the underground market. Don’t forget to give me the account books. As for the Ji family treasury, keep it yourselves.”
The cultivator straightened immediately. “Yes, City Lord!” Then he led the others away.
After they had left, Shang Shuangze finally asked, “Why are you willing to become city lord now?”
Xia Yunzhao smiled at him. “Don’t forget, Yunjiangguan still has a kill order out on us. Having a power behind us is better than fighting alone. Besides, Liancui Mountain and Qingxi City are both our home. Living on our own territory is obviously more comfortable than living on someone else’s. And one more thing…”
He lowered his gaze to the oddly made Wentian Order in his hand. “Don’t you think there’s something strange about the Wentian Sect?”
In all the time since Xia Yunzhao had arrived in this world, every cultivation family and sect he had seen minded only the snow before its own doorstep. Never mind frost on someone else’s roof; even if another family’s roof tiles fell, as long as they did not smash into their own house, it was none of their concern.
Cultivators filled their heads with improving their strength and seizing resources. Who cared what happened to other people? If demonic qi appeared right in front of them, they would either avoid it or clear it away. If they had not encountered it themselves, they would not even spare it a thought.
Only the Wentian Sect had not only intervened, but issued Wentian Orders as well. They had even gone to the trouble of personally delivering those orders into the hands of one minor power after another, as though afraid any of them might slack off in the slightest.
Xia Yunzhao tapped the two characters “Wentian” on the token. Why was the Wentian Sect so wary of demonic qi?