" Psst. " A voice whispered.
Once it gained the attention of the one it sought, the voice spoke on. " Look, in that direction. "
Hearing the words, the middle-aged man looked in the direction mentioned.
For a few moments, he wondered what his colleague saw. There were a lot of people today in the Southern City marketplace.
The place was crowded all the time with trade happening in the background and deliveries on the open. Lots of people passed by as they searched for the stuff they needed.
The majority were the workers that lived in the city, as there was a commoners marketplace outside the city walls.
The majority of the workers belonged to the Merchants and Crafters.
After them would the servants that belonged to the Merchants, Crafters, and the Clans.
Only after them, would be nobility.
So whenever they appeared it was easy to spot them, usually.
The most common way to spot them is to watch out for their fancy carriages.
On them, one would see the mark of the owner. When that happens people automatically make way for them to pass by.
Only such a thing was discouraged inside the marketplaces of the capital city, Zhongyang Feng.
There would be far too much traffic congestion as the majority of the horse-drawn carriage making deliveries are already causing traffic problems.
Still, when nobility said that they didn't like to walk, a small variant was invented, the hand-pulled rickshaw.
They were stationed all over the city. Despite having to pull said nobility all over the city, it was one of the best jobs that could be found in the city, if you were able to acquire the said job.
The stations were part of the public transportation system the government employed.
Not only was it a good way to earn money for the human pulling the rickshaw but all who are employed are given a very simple Mantra.
With it, they gain bodies that do not know of fatigue as a mortal does.
That being the case, any nobility seeking one of the four marketplaces in the city or any other destination usually traveled by said rickshaw. It is for that reason that they were easy to spot.
They also like to travel with their retinue and those are always the first things that one will spot about them, after all, big groups of people always attract attention.
After that would be the fancy colored silk they wore. With those, it was easier to spot the nobility inside the group, as their retinue always looked shadier than them.
Knowing all that, the man first looked for a rickshaw, yet the ones he saw were the ones he saw before, and his colleague would not mention them.
After that, he looked for a large group of people, but yet again he saw only the familiar things.
Paying more attention he searched for colors that stood out and that was when he saw it.
Two girls are led by a man in servant clothes.
One was older than the other, but it was easy to see that it was the younger one that was the more important one.
Another thing that contributed to the distinction was the lesser quality silk that the older one wore and that she still followed behind the younger one, as was usual for servants to do so.
Another quality that made them stand out was the green-colored silk that they wore. Only one Clan wore that Jade-colored silk in the capital, the Yu Clan.
Ignoring his work for a moment the man observed for a bit more when he noticed it.
The younger one had Jade-colored eyes.
Having figured it out, the man returned to his work of chopping the meat into tiny slices.
Not looking away from the clever in his hand, he spoke. " I can see that she's from the Yu Clan but why did you point her out? " The man asked his colleague.
" Friend, if you stopped chopping that meat for a second and used your head you would have figured it out. " His colleague replied.
Stopping his moving hands for a bit more, he observed the girl in question in more detail.
She was pretty, as all nobility was in a way, thanks to the superior blood in their veins and the Mantras that they practice. But there was something else that was gnawing on his mind as he observed.
Something that was obvious but kept missing. A few moments later, it came to him.
" Wait, are you thinking that the girl is the one from the rumors? " He asked his colleague.
" Yes, there is no doubt about it. I have once seen the older daughter of Clan Lord Yu, and that is not her. " His colleague at the steaming part of the shop answered. " Since he has only two daughters, it has to be the one from the rumors. "
The chopping man turned silent as he began remembering the rumor.
It was said that the second daughter of Clan Lord Yu was born with Heavenly Roots.
Just imagining an event like that, should have bolstered the Yu Clans' reputation by a lot, but when it was found out that they were broken because the mother was injured and subsequently died in childbirth, a celebration wasn't even on the menu.
After that, the girl was so sickly that she needed constant medical attention just to be kept alive.
Still, the gossip did drip from time to time that despite that, the girl that he was seeing now had been able to grow up normally, despite the broken Roots.
Had she been born of a lower standing, the chopping man was sure she would have died within days of being born.
Whoever gossiped about that fact could only say that the Heavens took mercy on her and had her born into the wealthiest family in the Empire.
For years that was all that came to the attention of the common people, but three years ago everything changed.
The girl took a fancy to the Prime Minister's son Xia Jingjie. Yu Jiao's father who loved his daughter with all his heart wanted to fulfill her every wish but when Xia Jingjie brutally rejected her by pushing the girl into their inner manor lake, everything changed.
For a moment, the chopping man had no choice but to reconsider his station in life. ' They have a lake in their family residence, and I am here chopping meat. '
Dismissing that useless thought, he began chopping again as he remembered all the gossip and rumors of three years ago.
Nobody was sure what happened that day, at least not someone of his lowly standing, and every accusation that the Yu Clan threw at Prime Minister Xia Renshu and the Xia Clan was denied.
That didn't stop the hostility though. Not long after there was a change, a change that those of lowly standing felt first before anybody else.
Soon after, the shops belonging to the Xia Clan began having problems.
Deliveries got delayed. Some were stolen by bandits. Some were lost for unknown reasons.
Their inventories began to vanish from time to time.
Due to that, any product from the south of the Empire began to increase its price.
Another thing that happened was that the price for those same products stayed the same in the other parts of the capital.
That created a shift in the prices coming from the other parts of the city and merchants began to capitalize on these changes.
Right now, most people knew that if you wanted stuff that originated from the south, you had to visit the other marketplaces, if you wanted them cheaper.
And since rice was the staple food of the south, the Xia Clan began losing money on a large scale.
Since then it was common to hear stories and rumors of how the Xia Clan angered the Yu Clan Lord.
The girl from the rumor vanished from the capital.
Yet barely half a year later another rumor began to spread.
Rumors of an assassination attempt by the Xia Clan spread like wildfire, and the target was the second daughter of the Yu Clan Lord. It was said that he even got injured by defending his daughter.
From then on wives began gossiping about the Galant nature of the Yu Clan Lord and his selfless love.
The wife's tales are fine and all, but the way his daughter expected the same, brought him more pain than love.
After that, everything began to escalate slowly. The conflict between the two Great Clans became public knowledge and stayed that way when a new rumor began appearing.
It spoke of the girl he was seeing, mingling with the crowd.
" Do you think it's true? " The chopping man asked the steaming man, who only shrugged his shoulders at the thought.
" Even if it were true that she is the reincarnation of an Immortal, I will never know. I am just a lowly man steaming some dumplings for coins. " Replied the steaming man as he opened the bamboo basket beside him.
Immediately his head was engulfed by a bit of steam. The very smell told him about the meal he was making, but testing the consistency with his chopsticks was the final decision-maker.
Once he was satisfied with them, he took them all out and laid them on a wooden plate beside him, and called a server to deliver them to a table beside the vendor where he and his colleague worked.
" Haa. " Sighed the chopping man. " True what would be lowly commoners know about Immortals and… "
" Shhh, she's coming over. Behave normally. " The chopping man heard from the steaming man.
It took a moment for him to process the words that the steaming man said, but when he looked away from the clever, he saw the very target of the rumors approach them.
For a moment dread showed itself in his stomach, in the possibility that he was overheard. After all, was it not said that Cultivators possess sharper senses than mortals.
Dreading the few moments that it took for the young lady in question to reach their stand, he heard her speak. " Tell me, is there anything special about your dumplings that makes them different from the others? "
It was… as if the chopping man deflated from the over-expectations of his imagination.
For a few moments, he stared at the young woman, before he felt something hit him in the back and nudged him to do what his job for the last ten years had been.
" Umm, no Young Lady. Dumplings are dumplings. The only thing we can boast about is the skill with which we make it. " Said the chopping man after bowing once as was customary.
Seconds later he pointed at the steaming man. " My colleague has an excellent nose and has been making dumplings his whole life. In truth, he inherited this vendor from his ancestors. "
" Oh. " The Young Lady said. " Very well, I will test his skill then. Give me three portions of every type of dumpling you can make. While it's being made, I will have a seat at one of those tables. "
" Yes, Young Lady. " The chopping man said in return.
At the same time, he was very glad that he did not botch up his reply to her.
When the Young Lady of the Yu Clan made her way to the table seats beside their vendor, the chopping man noticed a wet feeling on his forehead.
Whipping it away, he heard his colleague speak.
" You're lucky, she said nothing. " The steaming man and his boss said. " Now get all that chopped up, hurry. It's not every day that someone of the highest nobility asks for my dumplings. This will get me renown, like nothing before. "
With that said the steaming boss began his preparations and the chopping man began his mincing of the pork and the vegetables that went into the dumplings.
After he was done, he gave everything to the steaming man, who wrapped it all up with the dough.
With the ingredients, he made different versions and everything was tossed into the different levels of the bamboo steamer basket, for the different flavors that it created.
Now it was all up to the steaming man to make the best dumplings of his life.
The chopping man went back to preparing the meat and the vegetables for the next customers. Yet from time to time between the chops he would glance at the Young Lady of the Yu Clan.
Every time he saw her and her female servant sitting there in the middle of the ordinary worker, he had no choice but to compare it to a beautiful flower growing in the middle of a pile of shit.
Shaking his head at that thought, he returned to chopping.
After all, there is a reason as to why other Noble Ladies and Young Masters went to the famous inns and restaurants beside the marketplace and not this street vendor, whose main customers are the workers that worked here and there and the occasional traveler that passed by.
When it was almost time for the dumplings to be served an idea popped into the chopping man's head. He stopped chopping and stood beside the steaming man.
" Once it's done, I will go and serve it to the Young Lady. " He said to his friend and boss.
They looked at each other for a moment before a reply came. " Forget it, I will do it. You continue doing your job. "
" How about we both do it? You carry half, I carry half? " The chopping man proposed.
Not finding a good way without offending his friend and underling, the steaming man accepted.
Once everything was ready both of them carried half and delivered it to the Young Lady at the table.
" Ah, already done? " Said the Young Lady. " I thought it would take longer. "
Once everything was placed, both men took a step back, bowed and the steaming man spoke. " Young Lady, I have done my best to make the best dumplings of my life. I hope my skill will satisfy you. "
" We will see. " The Young Lady said and took the offered chopsticks into her right hand.
Within seconds, she held a dumpling with it and put it into her mouth.
While chewing it her eyes were closed as the Young Lady of the Yu Clan tasted the dumplings.
Once everything was chewed and swallowed, she took a different one and did the same for the next one.
Meanwhile, as the Young Lady tasted the dumplings, she stood out a lot when compared to those beside them. Everybody tried their best to not make any wrong moves and offend somebody so high in status.
If they did it would be the end of them. Their feelings and the simple tasting made for a very quiet gathering of people.
Some of the workers would, later on, swear that they had even heard the Young Lady chew because of the quiet.
The Young Lady did not seem to notice how everything unfolded.
Only once she had tasted every single one, did she speak up and break the silence.
" Fang, you try them too. " She said. " You too take some. " The Young Lady said to the other servant, who was her guide, that had taken a seat by her side on his Young Ladies order, of course.
Following the order, the male servant took some but the majority of the gazes now landed on the female servant eating the dumplings.
Unlike last time when the Young Lady ate, this time a few gulps could be heard echoing around them.
The man's eyes followed every single arm movement of the female servant that was very, very beautiful in their eyes.
In truth, despite the Young Lady being equally beautiful, there was something in her pose that was emitting an attraction to the males around.
So when she opened her mouth to take a bite of the dumplings, a few extra gulps could be heard.
Despite them being audible in her ears, she showed no reaction to it, but if one could examine her inner feelings they would notice the joy of being in the center of attention.
Only when she too was done tasting them was the silence broken. " So what do you think? " Asked the Young Lady.
" They are certainly better than the ones I have made, MIss. " The female servant said.
Hearing it the steaming man finally was able to release a sigh, when he noticed that he had been tense all this time.
That was also the time he noticed his brow was sweaty and it couldn't even begin to compare to his time by the fire he tended to, or the steam that cooked his dumplings.
Wiping it urgently he spoke. Yet despite being urged to speak he spoke carefully, as the female servant was still of higher status than a lowly vendor owner like him.
" I, Qiao Heng, thank the Miss for her compliment. "
" It's fine you should take pride in the number of years you have spent on perfecting your skills in making dumplings. " Qiao Heng, heard the Young Lady say. " Despite having used an ordinary recipe and with the lacking ingredients in your work and the side dishes that could complement the food you made, your skill more than made up for it. Fang, pay him… double the usual price. "
" Yes, Miss. " The female servant acknowledged.
" Thank you, Young Lady. " Qiao Heng replied a bit forlorn. " Your words and generosity have brightened this lowly cook's day. Please enjoy the rest of the meal. "
Once that was said he gave another bow and retreated.
It took him a few steps to realize that something was amiss. Somebody had not followed him back to the vendor.
Looking beside him, he noticed that his friend had yet to move from his place.
In truth, when he looked at the back of his friend a strange feeling arose in him, as if he was about to do something stupid.
Something very, very stupid.
" Young Lady, may I ask you a question? " He heard his friend say.
Fear gripped Quao Heng, as a hunch sprung up from his guts at what his friend was about to say.
In a second he was back by his side. With his left hand, he gripped his head and lowered it down into a bow alongside his own and urgently said his mind. " Young Lady, please let me apologize on behalf of my friend. I am not sure what overcame him but there is no need to bother yourself with his musings. "
That done he elbowed his friend to remind him to do the same, yet before his friend could the Young Lady spoke.
" It's fine. I don't mind. " She said. " I am curious what brought it forth. What is your name, and what are you curious about? "
A bit stunned it took both men to realize that there would not be any repercussions for their actions. Emboldened a tiny bit, the chopping man raised his head and answered.
" My name is Tao He, Young Lady. " He said, but when it was time for his question to be uttered aloud, his mouth just opened and closed a few times without making a sound.
That was when he realized even more, that just because the Young Lady had forgiven him so far, it did not mean that she would forgive him if he said the word that had spontaneously come to his mind.
" Go on. Say it. Whatever it is, I will not retaliate against you or your loved ones. You have my word on that. " The Young Lady of the Yu Clan stated.
Some musing was heard from those around them, and Tao He felt relief, settling down inside him.
If there is one thing that all commoners knew it was that once Cultivators have made a promise with their honor on something, they would stick with it.
If they did not everybody would learn about it, in the blink of an eye and their reputation would be besmirched.
Yet, there was danger if the Cultivator already had a bad rep, but deep down Tao He doubted that the Young Lady before him was somebody like that.
Finding his courage his words echoed in the little gathering of a Young Lady, her servants, and the workers who had stopped nearby to observe them happening.
" Is it true? "
" True, what? You will have to be more specific than that. " The Young Lady spoke in return.
" Umm, is it true that the Young Lady is the reincarnation of an Immortal? " Finally Tao He said what had been bothering him the moment he had laid eyes on the Young Lady before him.
His colleague/friend/boss almost got a heart attack as he heard his friend's question.
The workers on the other hand gasped at the question.
A few of them, those that were the closest to the Young Lady, had already realized her identity and knew what the question was about, after all as they too had wondered the same.
Only they did not have the guts to speak out.
The others though, learned in seconds as word spread faster than they could blink.
In moments all of them realized what this was about, as such they gasped one more time in shock at the boldness of this small-time vendor-employed chopping man.
As whispers began to echo with every worker that passed by, more and more people gathered and waited for the replay.
But one thing all of them had in common.
Even if the Young Lady said Yes, would she be telling the truth?
As moments passed in this silence, the Young Lady opened her cute mouth. " I am. Why do you ask and how do you know about that? "
A few gasps could be heard, but Tao He, on the other hand, was stumped. Immediately he realized that he didn't know why he was bothered by this or why he even asked in the first place.
" I… I, umm, I… I think that I am not sure about why I asked this? " Tao He replied, stuttering as his forehead began to sweat like a river.
It was as if his mind began to have a mind of its own as it imagined all the ways that it had dug the whole for its own grave.
" What do you mean, you don't know why? There must be a reason? " The Young Lady scowled at him before finally saying her opinion. " Fine, if you don't know why then it must be a spontaneous action of yours. At least tell me how you know about it? "
" Rumor. " Tao He replied urgently. The word came out on its own as if his mind knew the answer to rid itself of the problem but his conscious mind had yet to get up to speed.
Seeing the slight confusion on the Young Lady's face he explained. " About a year ago, a rumor began spreading that the Young Lady was the reincarnation of an Immortal and that it was because of that the Xia Clan was so hostile to the Yu Clan. "
" Oh. " That was all he heard in return. He saw the Young Lady stare into the sky for a moment before he felt something hit him in the ribs.
Then he heard a whisper. " Idiot, I don't remember you being so inquisitive before. So, why did you ask that question? "
Tao He shook his head and whispered back. " I don't know, it just felt like something I should do. So I did it. "
Hearing it, Qiao Heng cursed in his mind at his friend. He had known him for his whole life and never before had he attempted even anything similar before.
Still, Qiao Heng had to admit that he too was curious about the same thing and with a glance, he could tell so did the bystanders.
" I didn't know rumors existed about me, already. " Everybody heard as the Young Lady spoke. " To be honest it does not matter if they do, they won't change anything. Now that you have heard your answer, are you done? "
Tao He heard the words addressed to him.
For a moment he thought that he was done. That it was for the best if he did not speak at all and just ended this.
And for a moment he wondered if there was something else that bothered him.
When nothing came to his mind, he attempted to shake his head and apologize for interrupting the Young Lady's meal.
Only in that split moment that he opened his mouth and the moment that the words were formulated in his mind, did a feeling like nothing he felt before overcome him.
It wanted him to ask questions.
Questions that he never wanted to know the answers to.
So when his mouth spoke what came out was not the apology but another question.
" What's it like to live in the Immortal World? " His mouth said.
The next second his hands shot up and covered up his mouth as if the said action would keep his lips shut.
The Young Lady tilted her head to the left for a moment, before Tao He saw something appear on the Young Lady's right hand.
The next moment he felt a pain echo in his mind and alongside it a scream appeared. Despite the pain, he was sure that the voice of that scream did not belong to him.
When he came to himself, he realized that he was on the ground and his friend had been holding him upright.
Orienting himself for a moment he grabbed onto him and pulled himself up. Once he was steady enough, he looked around as everybody stared at him puzzled as to why he collapsed.
" Wh… what happened? I… felt this sudden pain in my head? " He asked out loud to voice his doubt, but most of all to make it seem that he didn't want to be labeled a lunatic.
" You have been manipulated by a Mind Mantra user. " He heard the Young Lady answer his doubts. " Too bad for him, he shot… wait, that expression won't work. Umm. He, and I know it is him from his scream, tripped himself when he used you. He probably never realized your unwillingness to want to know more, and your instinctive preservation to not speak more, told me everything that I need to know. "
" I… that's possible? " Tao He questioned but the next moment he knew the answer. Memories of the stories about Cultivators came to him.
" Of course it's possible. " He heard the Young Lady say. " Anything and everything is possible, what you should be asking is this. What is the probability of it happening instead? "
Not quite understanding it, Tao He just shook his head and gave up thinking about it. Instead what he did was bow deep with his head on the ground
" Young Lady, what will happen now? What will happen to me? I… I have a family to take care of. Please find it in your heart to forgive my actions. " Tao He said as his face kissed the ground he walked on.
" Very well. " He heard the Young Lady say. " I will forgive you, but only under one condition. "
" Anything, Young Lady. As long as it does not harm my family. I will do anything. " He urgently said.
" Alright, since you are that sincere. The condition is this. " He heard the voice of the Young Lady of the Yu Clan, but what he did not see was that smirk on her face.
Everybody else, though, saw it.
Immediately in their head, they knew that it was too late for him.
No longer would he be a free man, but would belong to the Young Lady of the Yu Clan as long as the debt of being used against her was not paid off.
Only all of them doubted it would ever be paid off.
" The next time I come here for dumplings, I want to be able to have a free meal. "
A bit stunned and shocked Tao He wondered if his ears worked properly. Lifting his head he looked at the Young Lady before him and saw the smirk on her face.
" But… but? " Stumped a bit on how to reply, he saw the Young Ladies' lips move.
" Idiot, you were the victim here and not the perpetrator. There is no need for you to grovel on the ground. " The Young Lady said. " The perpetrator was probably some information gathering specialist and wanted to confirm if the rumor you heard was true or not. That being the case, I should be apologizing to you for being used like that because of me. So stand up. "
" I… " Tao He wanted to say something, but something in the Young Ladies' eyes told him it was best he listened. So he stood up but still bowed to her.
" The punishment that I have called on you is not for being used against me, but for your groveling on the ground. " The Young Lady said to him. " I don't like it, therefore you will convince your friend here to give me a free meal the next time I come here. Understood? "
" Don't worry Young Lady. You can eat for free whenever you come. " Qiao Heng replied instead of his friend.
" No, that was not the punishment. " The Young Lady mentioned as she took the chopsticks on the table again, and picked a dumpling that had been cooling down because of all that happened.
" I have money to buy 10 little vendors like yours if I want, so why should I be bothered by something being free? I could just employ you both if I wanted to and there is nothing you both could do about it. " The Yu Clans Young Lady said. "No, the next meal here will be paid from his money as an apology for groveling before me. Oh, and for those of you watching this event happen, spread the word that I do not like people bowing to me. I will accept a small bow of respect, but not groveling on the ground like this idiot here did. Is that understood? "
" Yes, Young Lady. " They uttered as if they had just watched and heard something unbelievable.
Someone of the highest status did not like those below her to grovel on the ground and instead would punish them if they did, was simply unheard of in their minds.
" Good, now scatter. I am sure you have many things to do. I don't want you to get in trouble with whomever you work for. " The Young Lady said.
Yet, despite the words, she said most were hesitant to do so and only a wave of the hand told them to be gone.
So they silently began leaving.
Once most of them were gone, including those that had been staying at the tables to eat, did the Young Lady speak again.
" As for you two. Let me tell you this. " She said. " The question was asked, and no matter if it is of your own choice or not, I will answer it. In the Immortal lands, you will find treasures like nothing available here. You will be able to taste the best food and drink that the best chefs and winemakers can imagine and make. You can also enjoy the greatest entertainment that exists for every kind of soul. You could even understand the underlying knowledge of how everything worked too. "
Qiao Heng and Tao He heard the Young Lady say. It wasn't something that they had not heard before, so they wondered what the miss was going towards.
" Yet, no matter all those wonders, one thing will not change. " She said. " Humans will remain Humans, no matter if they achieved Immortality or not. The only difference between you and them is that they have possession of better toys to play around with and the number of casualties they leave behind as they play around with them. "
" So, when you go back home today to your families, give them a good hug and tell them how much you love them. Most of the time, that is all you need to live a good life. Immortality is wasted on those who do not understand that fact. "
With the profound words stuck in their minds, both men gave a bow of respect to the Young Lady of the Yu Clan and made their way back to their work.
Once they were gone the Young Lady spoke. " Fang, let's eat these dumplings and be on our way. There is a rat that I have to catch. "
" Rat? " Tao Fang wondered when she finally realized something and whispered to her Mistress. " Miss, are you saying that this was not your doing and that the Mind Cultivator actually exists? "
" Yup. " Her Mistress replied as she raised her left hand and above it floated a tiny ball of something. " In addition to making myself look good, I now get to have a chase scene. This will be so fun, at least I hope it will. I do need some action in this life! "