Herb Mountain Pavilion
"Does anyone know who that child is? To be escorted by the Marquis, not even a prince would have such an honor, right?"
"Maybe it's a relative. Doesn't Marquis Li have a nephew around his age?"
"But that's clearly a girl. The son of the legendary Duke of Snow should look like his father. Strong and war hungry. Not like that."
"Then maybe it's an illegitimate child. Marquis Li doesn't have a spouse, right? So maybe this is Marquis Li's love child."
Hearing the discussions around him, Xue Bai became annoyed. He hadn't even walked a full block yet, but the surrounding conversations and gossip were becoming increasingly distorted.
Yes, sure, he didn't look like his father and was a little feminine-looking. However, the gossip was getting out of hand way too quickly. One man even thought he was a concubine that his Uncle was raising!
Annoyed, Xue Bai was about to pull out his identity token and reveal his identity, but Li Huo stopped him.
Confused, Xue Bai asked, "Why are you stopping me? These rumors are getting out of hand. Don't you need to protect your reputation?"
Li Huo swept his gaze over the crowd before asking something else in return, "How do you think your father got his reputation as the Duke of Snow."
While Xue Bai was confused at such a question, he still subconsciously replied, "Because of his ice element Marital Veins, right?"
Xue Feng had a rare ice element Martial Vein. Meaning that he was able to alter the weather and summon not only icicles but also blizzards and snowstorms to kill his enemies.
And with a nickname like the Duke of Snow, it was only right for Xue Bai to assume his father got his nickname from his Martial Veins.
But to Xue Bai's surprise, Li Huo shook his head.
"Yes, while his Martial Veins are part of the reason. It was mainly because of his temperament. Brother Feng's face was always cold as snow. It was almost as if he didn't have any emotions. whether he was fighting a battle or walking through the Palace, nothing would faze him. Paired with his signature ice element Martial Veins, after Brother Feng was given the duke title, the Emperor also gave him the title Duke of Snow."
Xue Bai was surprised. He didn't know this side of his father. Neither from the game nor the memories he had. From his 7 years in the world, Xue Feng was always a doting father to him.
Never was there once an instance where Xue Bai felt an indifferent side from his father.
Li Huo waited for a moment as he waited for Xue Bai to digest the information. Thankfully the boy didn't take long, and once Xue Bai was back to reality, Li Huo continued his words.
"While yes, these rumors could get out of hand or damage my reputation, if you attempt to deny them or look embarrassed in public, it would only look like you're hiding something. So just ignore them and wait for something else to reveal your identity. The truth can't be hidden forever."
Hearing his Uncle's words, Xue Bai was enlightened. Yes, just like in cultivation novels, the protagonist never bothered to explain themselves. Instead, they just did what they wanted and let other people reveal it.
"Thank you, Uncle Li. I'll take your words to heart." Xue Bai expressed his gratitude with a bow. Those words helped Xue Bai understand this world better.
Seeing Xue Bai so willing to learn, Li Huo smiled and thought, 'It seemed those two are raising a good kid. It's nice my matchmaking wasn't in vain.'
So Xue Bai did as Li Huo said, ignored the surrounding gossip, and continued to walk forward with pride. He was, after all, the heir to a Duke. Even if the crowd didn't know who he was, Xue Bai still had an image to keep.
Eventually, the group of people disbursed after noticing Marquis Li wouldn't make a statement.
Noticing this, Li Huo turned to Xue Bai, "See, look, they already left. If you tried to defend yourself, they would've spent hours making you attempt to convince them about your true identity. And even then, some still wouldn't believe you. After all, you don't look like Brother Xue one bit."
Xue Bai felt wrong.
"You can't say that like it's my fault. It's not like I want to look like this, either. Most of the people who see me think I'm a girl." Xue Bai sighed. It was too much trouble being beautiful. He finally understood how women felt.
"I still can't believe someone as manly as Brother Xue could make someone like you. But, hopefully, you'll grow out of it. A tan and some muscles should even you out. If not, just get a sign saying you're a boy. It would help more than your looks." Li Huo joked.
After some more back-and-forth talk, the small group of people eventually made it to the business zone entrance gate.
The gate wasn't as tall as the outer city walls, but it was still over 5 meters tall. At the entrance, there were four guards wearing armor with Xue Feng's Duke symbol imprinted on it.
Each guard stood ramrod straight, eyeing every visitor and checking for any suspicious individuals. No one was different in their eyes, and no matter how noble someone was, in the eyes of the guards' everyone was equally suspicious.
However, at the site of Li Huo, the four immediately bowed and yelled out, "Welcome, Marquis Li."
Hearing that the Marquis himself was in their vicinity shocked the surrounding crowd. But Li Huo just waved them off and continued walking with Xue Bai and the Wang twins.
There was no need to interact with the people there, and while Li Huo had a free day, it didn't mean he could squander it all with Xue Bai.
Funny enough, as Xue Bai's group entered the Business Region, the same gossip emerged again, but this time from the group that was still waiting to be let into the Business Region.
Thankfully, it didn't reach the same conclusion. Instead, the crowd collectively agreed that Xue Bai was a hidden love child that Marquis Li took out for a stroll.
It was fortunate that Xue Bai was around to hear it, as he probably would have lost it.
Finally, in the business zone, Li Huo asked, "Alright, Nephew Bai, we are here now. What did you want to do here."
"Do you have a medicinal herb show around here? I want to buy a book about herbs. Mother spends all day with them. I want to see what makes them so fascinating." Xue Bai replied.
"While we do have one, surely your mother has a medicinal herb book at home? Why buy one here? The one your mother has would be better than the ones available at the shop." Li Huo looked surprised at Xue Bai's answer.
Even though she was less than 100 years old and had less than 30 years of Alchemy experience under her belt, Li Rou was still recognized as the Southern Continent's greatest alchemist. With her peak stage Domain Lord realm cultivation base, Li Rou was even able to cross realms and create low Black-grade pills capable of sustaining a Xiantian Great Realm expert.
So once Li Huo learned that Xue Bai wanted to ignore his mother's skills and buy a book elsewhere, it was only right for him to be shocked.
"You're right. Mother does have them, but she keeps the books locked up like Fort Knox. So I can never even see them let alone read them." Xue Bai sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. But once his words left his mouth, he felt stupid.
"Fort Knox?" Li Huo heard a weird noun come out of Xue Bai's mouth and was instantly confused.
"Uncle, I think you're getting old. You've already started to hear things."
"I'm in the Domain Lord realm and have a lifespan of more than 500 years. So how could I be getting old in my nineties."
"You should be asking yourself this, not me, Uncle Li."
As Xue Bai continued trying to convince Li Huo was hearing things, they eventually made their way to the city's biggest medicinal herb shop.
Called Herb Mountain Pavilion, it served as the best seller of medicinal herbs throughout the entire Dukedom.
On a side note, the Herb Mountain Pavilion owner was actually his mother, Li Rou. However, as she spent most of her days at her herb garden, she was really more of a figurehead.
Since she was busy being a duchess and a mother, Li Rou left its management to one of her ex-disciples.
The small group entered the pavilion and immediately noticed its interior design. It was built simply. The first floor was an expansive room with kiosks and small private rooms for customers everywhere. However, even though there were easily a few dozen kiosks on the first floor, almost every single one of them was occupied, showing just how busy the pavilion was.
However, as Xue Bai looked around, he failed to spot any items available for sale. Confused, he decided to ask the information bank known as Li Huo.
"Hey Uncle, where is the merchandise? I can't see a single herb here. Are they on a different floor or something?" Xue Bai asked curiously.
"Yes, you're right. The herbs are on the second floor for window shoppers. This floor is mainly for buying information and people like you who are here to buy books." Li Huo explained with a smile before continuing, "If you want to buy a book about different types of medicinal herbs and their uses, then go to that kiosk. They'll help you."
"Uncle, before I go, I don't have any money. Can you give me some Spirit Stones?" Xue Bai shyly asked.
As their boss, he had planned to make the Wang twins pay, but now with a tycoon like his Uncle with them, he asked him instead.
Not expecting a prestigious heir to a Duke to be broke, Li Huo started laughing.
"Hahaha, Nephew Bai, this is your territory. One order from you can destroy a family. Who would dare take payment from their Lord's only son." Li Huo said as he wiped away a tear,
"But won't they think I'm a tyrant by taking their goods without paying? This is my first public appearance. I don't want to have a bad image." Xue Bai asked.
He wanted to be sworn brothers with Huo Long. However, what if he gained a bad image in the empire, and Huo Long came out of nowhere and killed him in the name of righteousness?
"Don't you have your identity token? Show them that. Your mother keeps a tab here, which your father pays at the end of the month. You'll be able to buy anything you want." Then, still laughing, Li Huo explained.
Nodding, Xue Bai went to the counter, where he was greeted by a beautiful young girl who was the receptionist.
The receptionist seeing Xue Bai walk here was instantly smitten.
Though Xue Bai was 15 years old mentally, he was experiencing everything around him for the first time.
So to an outsider, he looked like a kid seeing the outside world for the first time. Coupled with his beauty, the receptionist almost fell in love instantly.
So putting on her best smile, she smiled and asked, "Young Miss, welcome to Herb Mountain Pavillion. Do you already know what you would like to buy, or would you like me to explain it to you?"
Seeing the receptionist light up at him, Xue Bai sighed. Sure enough, he wasn't a protagonist, and there were no face-slapping scenes. He wanted to be looked down upon by everyone, then pull out the identity token and shock them, but this receptionist looked at him like he was the epitome of beauty.
"Yes, I would like to buy a medicinal herb encyclopedia. What's the best type you offer here? Price isn't a problem." Xue Bai said.
"Our best one has ever known herb up to middle Black-grade. However, it was extremely expensive. Are you sure that you want it, Young Miss?" With the clothes Xue Bai was wearing, it was more than apparent that he was wealthy, but the book in question was expensive.
It was almost 10,000 Spirit Stones, and while she did think highly of Xue Bai, the receptionist didn't think Xue Bai had enough money to buy the book. So rather than have Xue Bai embarrass himself, she tried to persuade him to buy something else.
"I think this should cover it." Then, expecting that he had to show his identity before getting the book, Xue Bai pulled out the identity token that he had prepared earlier.
It was a small silver medallion with the Duke Symbol on it. However, on the back, it had his given name engraved on it.
The receptionist initially thought Xue Bai would pull out a spatial ring. However, after seeing the Medallion, she became confused.
'When I said it was expensive, I meant in spirit stones, so why are you handing me a large silver coin' She thought. However, the receptionist was highly trained, so she still took the Medallion before saying anything aloud.
Below Spirit Stones, there was actually another currency of copper, silver, and gold coins. However, these were only for mortals, as cultivator items needed much more money to be purchased.
And even if you had an infinite amount of gold coins, no cultivator would accept them. Spirit Stones could assist cultivation, but what could a gold coin do for a cultivator?
Make them look nicer?
They were useless, so once the receptionist saw Xue Bai pull out a larger-than-normal silver coin, she almost giggled. But as she finally looked closer, the receptionist was glad she didn't say anything.
'Oh my god, that is the Duke's Symbol! Who is this young lady? Doesn't the Duke only have a son? How would a little girl get his Medallion?'
But keeping her thoughts to herself, she bowed and respectfully said, "Yes, Esteemed Miss, this will certainly cover it. I will put the bill on Duke's tab. Give me one second. I will go retrieve the encyclopedia immediately."
Finished with her words, the receptionist turned around and started to rush to the storage room. But before she got too far away, she heard Xue Bai's voice come from behind and stopped.
"Miss, I don't think you looked at the Medallion correctly. Look at the back first before you go get the book." Xue Bai wanted to reveal his identity here, so he corrected the girl since she was still calling him Young Miss.
"Don't worry, Young Miss. I saw the Duke's symbol on it. I know you have the Duke's personal Medallion."
"No, that's the front of the Medallion. Look at the back. The fact that you're still calling me Young Miss means that you haven't seen the back of it yet." Xue Bai pointed out.
"What do you mean by that, Young M...." The receptionist couldn't finish her sentence as she finally saw the character Bai written on the back.
'Bai? Isn't that the name of the Duke's son? But then, who is this girl, and why does she have the Young Duke's Medallion?' As the receptionist's mind was reeling, she finally recalled what Xue Bai had said.
'The fact that you're still calling me Young Miss means that you haven't seen the back of it yet.
'Oh my God, he's the Young Duke!' When it finally clicked, the receptionist was astonished. 'The Duke is such a behemoth of a man. Shouldn't his son at least look somewhat like him? The Young Duke looks like a dignified Young Miss!'
"I'm so sorry, Young Duke. This servant didn't know your identity. Please forgive me for calling you a girl all this time."
"It's fine. You can make it up to me by spreading the word, so it doesn't happen again." Xue Bai waved her off with a smile. Even though she thought he was a girl, the receptionist didn't do anything wrong.
Seeing that the Young Duke didn't look angry, the receptionist sighed in relief. 'Thank the heavens the Young Duke is so understanding. I heard the Young Duke of the Wang family annihilated a small clan because a child sneezed at his birthday party.'
"Then this servant will go and retrieve the encyclopedia." The receptionist then bowed and continued to go to the storage room.
It didn't take long for the receptionist to return. However, instead of bringing the encyclopedia, an old hunched-over man with a long white beard was with her.
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