Zhen and I make our way back to the dirt path and quickly make our way to the next town. We had lost a lot of time while searching for herbs so we did our best to make up for the lost time. When the large wall and gate for the next town came into view I became excited.
Thunder suddenly rumbles from a distance making me frown. "I love when it rains but not when I'm stuck out in it..." I say under my breath. Zhen suddenly appears next to me but he's completely black! "It will rain tonight, we need to find shelter." He says lifted his nose into the air.
"Why are you now black?" I ask with confusion. He looks around before saying "My kind is feared by some and hunted by others. If I walk in there in all my fox glory, what do you think will happen? I've disguised myself as a Demon Wolf. They're known to be the fiercest, most loyal companion a Cultivator can have. They're also rare so they're very respected... just the way I should be!"
I scoff at him in disbelief but I shake my head and walk towards the large gates. Once inside, we see a large market. Tons of shops were open and bustling with people coming in and out. I look around in search of a medical shop but when Zhen nudges my leg I quietly follow him. Sure enough, he leads me straight to a large shop doing a lot of business.
I walk in and a middle-age man greets me with a pleasant smile. "How may I help you, Young Master?" I clear my throat and lower my voice a little as I say "I'm here to sell some herbs, do you buy?" The man nods his head and says "If it's something useful, we do. Prices depend on the amount and quality of the herbs."
I instantly nod my head in understanding as the man says "Please follow me." I quickly look behind me to see Zhen sitting at my heels. He looks up and winks at me before following the man down a long hallway in the back of the large store.
The man stops at a door and opens it before turning back to me and gasping. "That's... that's a Demon Wolf..." The man says with a trembling voice. I slowly nod my head and say "Is there a problem?" The man instantly shakes his head and says "Of course not Young Master! This way please!" I nod and walk through the door to see another large room but this time it was lined with smaller scales and more employees.
The middle-aged man leads me to the counter and introduces me to the other gentlemen. The older man behind the counter looks to Zhen with envy but he looks back to me with a large smile while saying "What do you have to trade or sell?"
I grab the Fire Flowers and carefully remove them from my cloth bag. I gently place them on the counter as the old man's eyes light up. "You have so many! That's pretty rare. Hmm.. let's see." He leans down and begins examining the flowers with sharp eyes.
He nods and says "They are all in good shape! I can give you two silvers for all of these." I nod my head in agreement and watch as the old man carefully collects the flowers but inside, I was slightly disappointed. Two silvers weren't that much but I know the old man was giving me a good price so I gratefully accepted the money and quickly left.
I tuck the silvers away safely before stepping out of the shop. After walking far enough away we find a small outdoor stall and order two bowls of noodles. I pay with the remaining copper and only after we are ignored do I turn to Zhen saying "I don't know if collecting herbs will give us enough money..."
Zhen quickly finishes his bowl on the ground before sitting up and quietly saying "Don't worry about that for now. We need to get a room for the night. The rain tonight will be cold and heavy, it isn't wise to travel in it." I want to ask why we shouldn't worry about money but we were still on the street so I quickly finish my noodles and begin looking for a room.