Chapter Ninety: Xiao Eleventh Lady

“It has nothing to do with us; we’ll go about our own business,” Sun Miaoshu said.

The group shook their heads and walked away.

He then proposed, “Let’s split up and enjoy ourselves separately. Tonight, we’ll meet at the restaurant we just left, stay together, and tomorrow, on the thirtieth, we’ll roam Peacock City all night—no need for lodging. The day after, in the afternoon, which is the first day, we’ll head back down.”

Everyone agreed, and dispersed.

Cheng Xinzhan picked up a map at a pavilion by the roadside; the map was exquisitely made. He glanced over it, and suddenly four characters caught his eye: Bohai Market.

He folded the map and headed toward Bohai Market. The woman in white at the restaurant had mentioned that eating sea fish was good for his third sister’s eyes; he thought he’d inquire more after leaving, but since Peacock City had a sea market, there must be sea fish here.

The market was in the northeast corner of Peacock City, and he had entered from the west gate; quite a distance apart. The city prohibited swift flying, so he had to travel on foot.

He had learned the foot-stepping technique from Azure Dragon Cave, and after returning to his sect, he picked up the Snow Seeking Plum steps from the stone forest. Adding in some wind techniques from Mingzhi Mountain, he created his own method, which he called:

Heavenly Pole Shifting Steps.

This footwork excelled in agility and transformation, light and silent. He was quite satisfied with it.

He carried his third sister, gliding on the wind, while his companion, Deng, followed easily.

After their pets, the cat and dog, absorbed spiritual energy, he realized that his third sister was attuned to metal and fire, while Deng was attuned to earth, metal, and wind. So, during their play, he would transfer matching spiritual power to them, just as he did with the “high immortals”—it had become second nature.

Deng was a natural runner; after absorbing energy, his wind affinity made following his master effortless.

The sea market, at first glance, looked like an immense watery field, though the embankments were unusually wide and paved with stone. The water was deep and blue, with a hint of brine.

“Honored guest, are you here for a sea bath or to buy seafood?” a young attendant greeted Cheng Xinzhan as he stood by the pool.

He was surprised; sea bathing wasn’t his interest. “I’m here to buy seafood,” he replied.

The attendant nodded repeatedly. “Please, what would you like? The water, the fish—everything is freshly sourced daily from the depths of Bohai, absolutely fresh and diverse.”

He asked, “Do you have six-whisker loach or dragon loach?”

The attendant clapped his hands. “Ah, you’re an expert! Both are specialties of Bohai, dragons among fish. Their flavor is exquisite—good for stewing or frying, and for viewing, they swim like dragons. For eating, buy small loach; for keeping, buy large. Which do you want?”

“For eating.”

“Please follow me.”

They walked along the embankment. Cheng Xinzhan saw all kinds of fish; in a huge pool, he even spotted a silver-ringed sea snake with a fleshy bump on its head—it would be called a jiao once its horns grew.

Finally, they reached a pool filled with various sea loaches, none bigger than three inches, all vibrant in color.

“How do you sell these?” he asked.

The attendant smiled. “We sell by the piece. There are twenty or thirty kinds in this pool; same price for all. You can specify six-whisker and dragon loach, or mix and match. Fifty for one gold. Buy more, get a bonus.”

His brows rose—just as Brother Miaoshu had said, the lowest price here was one gold.

The Daoist asked, “Can I barter?”

The attendant’s smile didn’t falter. “Of course. What do you wish to trade? We accept what we need, but not miscellaneous items.”

The Daoist considered—his best and most popular wares were talismans and arrow charms. He hadn’t made new arrow charms since returning from Miao Territory, but creating talismans helped him comprehend the essence of the Dao, so he kept making them.

He said, “I have some talismans. Would you accept them?”

The attendant nodded; talismans were valuable everywhere. “Please come this way so we can inspect them closely.”

A short walk brought them to a refined pavilion for rest, with more than two attendants in each room. The attendant ushered him to the nearest one and told the maidens, “Serve tea to our guest.”

He turned to the Daoist, “I’m just the guide. The appraisal will be done by our resident expert. Please enjoy your tea while you wait.”

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, agreeing.

“I’m mortal, my eyes are dull. Which realm are your talismans from?” asked the attendant.

“First realm,” he replied.

The attendant nodded and told the maidens, “Call for Master Wang.”

---

One maid nodded, picked up a peculiar magical device, and spoke softly.

Soon, Master Wang arrived, a man in his forties or fifties.

Master Wang greeted the Daoist. “Thank you for your patience.”

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and dismissed the formality.

“Are your talismans self-drawn or collected?” Wang asked.

“Self-drawn.”

“Oh,” Wang nodded.

The Daoist then asked, “Which type of talismans do you favor?”

Wang was taken aback; it was usually his place to ask the customer for the type. Was this young first-realm cultivator asking because his five elements were lacking, or was he proficient in all? Judging by the youthful face, he guessed the former, but smiled and replied,

“We have many people and much business; we need all five elements. Whatever you have, if it suits us, we’ll take it.”

The Daoist nodded and asked, “Among attack, defense, enhancement, or invocation, which does your shop prefer?”

Wang felt a bit irritated by the persistent questioning but kept his smile. “We have many people and much business; if it suits, we’ll take it.”

The Daoist nodded and began laying out his talismans.

“This is Three Mountains Demon Suppression, earth attack.

This is Linked Earth Shield, earth defense.

This is Rooting Step, earth enhancement.

This is Fertile Harvest, earth invocation.

This is River Breaking Mountain, water attack.

This is Crossing River Weak Water, water defense.

This is Morning Dew Purification, water enhancement.

This is Small Cloud Rain, water invocation…”

Wang examined each one calmly. The more he looked, the more animated his expression became. These were ordinary yellow rattan paper, using common cinnabar and pine ink—so why did these talismans feel so different? The head, deity, body, heart, and foot of each talisman connected so smoothly. The Daoist intent within was abundant.

Meanwhile, Cheng Xinzhan noticed Wang’s furrowing brows and wondered. He knew his skill was above average for a first-realm, unless the shop didn’t value first-realm talismans, or perhaps the five-element talismans were too plain.

He thought for a moment and took out more. “I’ve also drawn some wind and thunder talismans, though not as complete as the five elements.

‘Here, this is Silver Light Truth Breaking, thunder enhancement; this is Earth-Shaking Awakening, thunder attack; this is Great Cave Lightning Invocation, thunder invocation; I don’t have thunder defense. This is Spring Wind Fatigue Dispelling, wind enhancement; this is Autumn Wind Summer Killing, wind attack…’”

Wang listened, then exhaled deeply, put down the fire talisman in his hand, and smiled at the Daoist. “Please wait a moment longer.”

He turned to the maidens. “Call for Masters Hu and Shen.”

Then to the Daoist: “I only have superficial knowledge of the five elements and some fire techniques; I know little of wind and thunder. I’ll need the other experts to inspect these. Sorry for the delay; you’ll receive a discount.”

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, thinking the sea market was indeed a grand establishment, but its hospitality was commendable.

Wang then asked the attendant, “What does the guest wish to trade for?”

“For sea loach to eat.”

Wang nodded to the Daoist. “With these talismans, you can trade for quite a lot. How many do you want? Our other seafood is excellent as well, or we could pay in gold and silver.”

Cheng Xinzhan was tempted; he drew talismans mainly for insight, and had no real use for them, so he often sold them at Dongtian Dao.

Many in his sect hadn’t yet opened their mansions, unable to store much spiritual power or use spells consecutively. They needed first-realm talismans, so he sold his practice pieces to them for the cost of materials, earning a reputation as Cheng Yi Talisman among the Xiao Wanshan crowd.

“How do you price them? I have quite a few,” he asked.

Wang smiled widely. “Let’s wait for Masters Hu and Shen. Rest assured, you’ll get a fair deal.”

Soon, several people entered the pavilion, but first among them was a woman in white fur—the very one who’d advised him about sea fish at the restaurant. Two elders followed, likely Masters Hu and Shen.

The Daoist was surprised to see her.

---

The woman was equally surprised, but smiled and spoke first. “So it’s you—here to buy sea fish?”

He nodded.

She thought the young Daoist was remarkably receptive—she’d just mentioned it, and he’d come. “This market is my family’s. I don’t want you to think I’m promoting my own business by recommending sea fish. So regardless of what you buy, I’ll give you half off.”

Cheng Xinzhan laughed. “My third sister loves fish—just letting her try sea fish for novelty. You’re hardly pushing your business. Master Wang already promised me a discount.”

She nodded, stepped aside for the two experts, and sat at another table.

Her visit to Peacock City was arranged by her family; henceforth, Bohai Market would be under her name, a coming-of-age gift. She was building relationships with the market’s experts, having met the sword and water masters, and after returning from the restaurant, found several vision masters summoned. Curious, she followed to observe their discernment.

She hadn’t expected to encounter the man from the restaurant, who’d dined with a three-flower cat and six others, sharing only two pots of wine.

Interesting.

She watched as Masters Hu and Shen examined the talismans one by one. Then the older Hu asked the young man, “May I ask if you’re from Yuzhang or Jinling?”

“Yuzhang,” he replied.

Hu stroked his beard and smiled. “Then, if I may hazard a guess, you must be from Gezao Mountain.”

The young Daoist, however, smiled and countered, “How did you guess?”

Hu answered confidently, “You’re so young, with such proficiency in talismans—you must come from one of the three talisman mountains. Since you’re from Yuzhang, it’s either Longhu or Gezao. But Longhu’s thunder talismans are unrivaled; forgive me for saying, your thunder talismans, though excellent, are not superior to your five-element talismans. So, you must be from Gezao Mountain.”

The woman nodded slightly—the annual tribute was well-earned.

But the Daoist shook his head.

“What? You’re not a high disciple of Gezao Mountain?” Hu was surprised; he’d hoped to impress the new proprietor.

The woman heard the Daoist laugh. “Yuzhang has another mountain—not famed for its talisman arts, but proficient in many things.”

Was he speaking in riddles?

She didn’t understand.

Fortunately, Master Hu quickly caught on. “So, you’re a disciple of Sanqing Mountain.”

This time, the Daoist nodded.

“No wonder, no wonder—my apologies,” Hu said repeatedly.

The woman was puzzled; she knew Sanqing Mountain—a first-class grand sect—but hadn’t expected its disciples to drink only the cheapest wine in Peacock City. Strange.

But she didn’t know Sanqing Mountain lacked minting furnaces and copper mines, nor did it receive tribute from sub-sects like other great sects. Sanqing Mountain never demanded tribute from its branches, nor did it consider itself superior to other sects practicing “multifaceted cultivation.” They saw themselves as fellow travelers, simply having walked a few steps ahead.

Thus, though Sanqing Mountain was ancestral to the myriad arts, it conducted itself more like a reclusive sect.

Noticing Master Hu’s gaze toward her, she knew what was expected.

She rose and approached the Daoist, bowing.

“Greetings, guest of Sanqing Mountain. I am from the Xiao family of Eastern Qingcheng, White Jade Capital. I am now doing business in Peacock City. In the family, I am ranked eleventh; everyone calls me Lady Eleven.”

Lady Eleven saw the Daoist was slightly surprised, and he bowed in return, holding a mudra in his hand—ancient and elegant, unlike her mundane courtesy.

He then said, “I am Cheng Xinzhan of Sanqing Mountain. Greetings, fellow Daoist. Boundless prospects to you.”

She blinked.

Then she heard Master Hu explain, “Mistress, the great sects of the immortal mountains speak in this way, especially the Daoists of the southeast. Their tradition is ancient, and their rituals are old. ‘Boundless prospects’ is a blessing for infinite and far-reaching success.”

Lady Eleven nodded, thinking this man’s manners were not only refined but his words carried charm—only his name was a tad unwieldy.