Shu He casually walked through the sect grounds as he looked around at all the new scenery, it was quite busy as people had begun waking up or taking a break from their cultivation for the early morning and were heading to different areas for the day, many of the disciples walked alone without talking but you would see the occasional pair together with the rare group.
'When I look at it like this, the sect doesn't seem that different from a normal city'.
He had entered the recreation district out of curiosity, now he knew where Yun Jiang was he was in no rush to go there, so he headed to whatever was closest to him.
*Sniff*
A scent tickled the tip of his nose as he felt his body shudder slightly.
'What's this smell?' His interest was piqued.
Like a dog he started walking while following the scent carefully, stopping every few seconds to pick up the direction it was coming from, but then he decided it was too much work so his eyes glimmered slightly, he activated his 'sight', but unlike usual he also tapped in to his 'sense'.
This was something he had worked out in the three years, he could mix and combine his senses in this state to bring about a special effect, in this case Shu He's vision became filled with clouds of different kinds, drifting from different sources be it fauna, plants, people or miscellaneous objects.
The sense he tapped in to was his sense of smell, what he was seeing was a visualisation of 'scents'.
He focused and zoned in on a specific scent, the one that was strongly attracting him as all the other scents became more transparent, a single wafting stream of white remained, like a path directing him towards its source.
'There we go' He smiled as he happily walked along following the white cloud, after a minute he reached the source, a small building, a stall that had a que in the double digits, Shu He deactivated his 'sight'.
'Guess it's popular, no surprise it smells amazing' He paused for a second then decided to join the que, there's no problem with indulging in something good once in a while after all.
The que didn't last very long as people walked away with a bowl towards a near sitting area within a minute of being served, Shu He only had to wait about 10 minute before he reached the front of the que.
"Welcome! One serving of Lotus Root Soup?" A young adult aged girl with her pair in a brown ponytail asked.
"Can I ask what it is?" Shu He said curiously.
"Oh, is it your first time here? Are you a new sect member? I don't recognise your face" She said with a smile.
"Yeah, I just joined yesterday" He answered honestly.
"My! And you're already here to splurge your points, you're a brave one" She laughed.
"I'm Yin Xiuying" She said lightly before gesturing to the man behind her who was working hard cooking, he had a large stature with short black spiky hair "That's my dao partner, Yang Ju, if you haven't guessed we run this little store together regularly".
"I'm Shu He" He responded in turn.
'Dao partner huh… I didn't think I'd meet people like this already'.
He had heard the term before and understood the meaning behind it.
Partners, lovers for a lifetime and beyond, inseparable and unshakable, a bond as strong as the heavens; They would never leave one another, nor would they ever be with another person.
It wasn't just a saying, a term, it was a binding contract created from words delivered to the heavens themselves, you couldn't go against them once formed lest you encounter disaster.
To Shu He it sounded a little insane, he already thought the idea behind marriage was bad enough, a dao partner pact was an entirely different beast.
Sure, you may like and love someone one day, but who says that won't wear out or change once you are together longer?
He just couldn't understand, maybe one day he would but right now he was lost.
But of course, he wouldn't look down on people that do it, that would be stupid; Everyone has the right to make their own decisions without others judging them.
"Nice to meet you then Shu He! I hope you'll come to us in the future if you're ever hungry; Now then, today Lotus Root Soup is what we're offering, it's a soup made from the valuable ingredients called 'Crystal Lotus' and 'Glassroot Ginseng', they're both incredibly beneficial for the body, refreshing the mind, reinforcing ones muscles and bones and even purging impurities, all of this together in a soup that is tantalising to the taste buds- It's only 8 points!" She went on to advertise it before Shu He could even reply causing him to feel a bit overwhelmed.
'8?! That's more than a single Qi Puddle Pill, just for a bowl of soup… but…' He looked up at Yin Xiuying's face that was plastered with an expression that just said:
'You're paying right? right?'
"…Okay I'll have a bowl" He said with a little reluctance.
"Great! Then just place your token here for a second" She put her hand on a small device next to her, it was metal and showed a number '8' on it, there was a square hole on top presumably where he was to place the token, so he did so.
The plate lit up with lines for a second and let out a beep.
"There we go, take your token back".
He took it in hand and looked at it, it displayed '-8' on the side before turning in to '592' afterwards.
"How convenient" He couldn't help but say, it really was like having a credit card.
"Right? I still remember being blown away when I first got to the sect because of all this stuff" She agreed.
"How long have you been in the sect anyway?" Shu He couldn't help but ask.
"Hmmm, how long was it?" She put her finger on her lips, clearly playing the fool.
"It's been a couple of decades now" A deep voice came from the back as Tang Ju walked towards the front holding a bowl with a lid on it on a wooden tray, a spoon lying beside it.
"Here" He placed it down on the counter.
"Hmph, you know I don't like to talk about my age" Xiuying pouted looking at her partner.
"You don't need to worry about that, you're even more beautiful than the day I met you" He said while walking back to the stove.
"Hehe, that's why I love you" She smiled sweetly.
Shu He couldn't help but cringe slightly.
'Am I watching a romance movie right now?' He thought.
"Don't talk for too long Xiuying we have other customers" Tang Ju's voice echoed once more from the back.
"Right! Sorry, here's your soup; Once your done eating just places the utensils over there" She pointed to a stack of trays, bowls and spoons in a box next to the stall.
"Thanks" He picked up the tray and began walking towards the rest area, as he did he heard Yin Xiuying's "Thanks come again!" from behind him causing him to turn and nod slightly before carrying on.
The rest area was a collection of wooden chairs and tables, it wasn't anything exceptional, but it does the jobs; He took a seat at a small table that was for a single person and placed the tray on it before sighing.
'8 points on food already, hope it's worth it'.
He lifted the lid off of the bowl and inspected the contents, he then raised his brows.
'…I didn't get scammed did I?'
Inside the bowl was a pure, clear liquid that basically just resembled water.
Right after he though that though, the intense smell that he had picked up before attacked his nose as it wafted from the contents of the freshly revealed contents of the bowl.
'Guess not' He picked up his spoon and scooped up a spoonful of the soup, as he did the soup shimmered with an almost crystal silver colour before turning transparent again.
'My common sense tells me not to eat something that does such an odd thing, but here we go'.
He put the spoon in his mouth with a hint of nervousness and then a second later-
"Mmmm!" His eyes shot open in delight.
He felt like a fresh spring was pouring down his throat, every inch of him the soup touched felt like it was born anew, as it pooled in his stomach he felt a refreshing chill steadily spreading out into his body, his muscles, bone and blood.
The taste was slightly salty, but also sweet, a delicate balance between the two accented by an odd freshness that you'd get from a freshly picked fruit.
He baked in the feeling for a minute before taking another spoonful, then another and another and before he knew it he had hit the bottom of an empty bowl with his spoon.
'It's already gone?!' He was confused, surely he hadn't eaten it all already.
He turned towards the stall in the distance, thinking that he should get another bowl.
'No! Get a hold of yourself Shu He, this stuff is expensive!'
He managed to control his desire as he put the lid on the bowl and basked in the feeling of the soup affecting his body.
He felt like he just had the most refreshing sleep after drinking the purest of waters, like his body had been flushed of defects.
Of course, this wasn't the case, it was just a feeling.
He stared at the sky as he laid back on his chair.
'Maybe this won't be so bad to do once in a while'.
Shu He thought as he almost nodded off.
…
After cleaning up his utensils Shu He decided to delve further into the district, though he had sworn to forsake any more food for today since he could feel the chains of addiction trying to latch on to his legs.
Steering away from the tantalising scents that were drifting through the air towards him he made his way more towards the 'entertainment' part of the district.
He was quite curious what exactly cultivators did in their free time other than eating such great good.
One store he came across seemed to be selling literature which didn't surprise him, it didn't matter if one was a cultivator or not a good book was a great way to spend free time, he would have to take a look at a later date when he knew he had a lot of free time; He didn't want to get himself trapped in pages right now.
There was some sort of toy store where someone was showing off all sorts of weird devices, they didn't look very practical so that's why he thought they were toys, though he could see they were made with simple formations and unique materials, so they weren't just mortal items.
There was a gambling hut… he could see some people playing with cards and dice, and one person being kicked out while yelling.
Shu He would stay far away from that place, gambling like that isn't good.
There seemed to be quite a few stages where musicians would perform, the zither seemed to be quite a popular instrument which had Shu He interested as he paid a couple points to sit and listen for an hour, he felt incredibly calm and safe as he listened to the tune and drifted off into a sleep before he was woken up since he had only paid for an hour.
He became incredibly wary of music though; he hadn't intended to fall asleep like that and did it without realising just from listening to it!
There was a large building with posters pasted on the outside, it seemed to be a theatre but there weren't any shows running right now, he would have to visit at a later date.
Eventually, Shu He came across a store that caught his interest, the title of the store was 'Striking Luck', a picture of some stones and one split open, a shining ball appearing from the inside.
'Interesting'
He had seen this kind of thing in some novels before, so he was interested in trying it once, he entered the store and looked around seeing a circle of counters filled with round rocks of all shapes and sizes, they were in a glass display case so you couldn't touch them.
"Welcome to Striking Luck! Would you like to try your luck at striking a stone?" The clerksman quickly hopped on over to greet him, rubbing his hands while smiling.
"What are the rules?"
"First time hmmm? It's rather simple, just pick a rock, any rock and we'll split it open, if you're lucky you can obtain a valuable resource inside!" The clerk happily explained.
"Aren't there ways to check what's inside the rocks? How do I know they aren't all empty because you've taken the valuable ones" Shu He asked the obvious question.
"Of course, you would ask that, it's something anyone would doubt but don't worry we're a reputable business running for decades in the sect! It's a given that we would check each and every rock- that's part of our business!"
"Then isn't this just a scam?" Shu He's eyebrow twitched.
'Why would he come out and say it?'
"Heavens no! Each day we select some rocks with valuable materials then put them out with duds, meaning that there will prizes guaranteed!" He clearly explained.
"Oh" Shu He realised; they were a legitimate business.
'It's like arcades, the chances of winning are controlled by the person running the place so they would make profit'.
"But if you run out of prizes then no one will buy them for a day? People will find out easily". He doubted this point, so he asked.
"You don't need to worry about us, like I said we have quite a history to us; Now then, will you give it a try? It's only 1 point per rock!"
Shu He paused like he was thinking for a while, but his eyes glimmered as he swept over the store.
"I'll take 10" He said blankly.
"10! Quite a spender I see, go ahead and pick out the ones that you fancy!" The clerk spoke with a smile, happy that he had got a new customer.
Shu He proceeded to walk back and forth, picking rocks here and there as the clerk took them out and lined them up.
"Now then, time to open them!" The clerk placed his hand over a stone, Shu He watched with his sight as he saw a yellowish Qi form a spike before entering the rock and plying it apart, creating split right around it as it fell in half.
'What a simple but refined technique' He praised internally, since he could emit Qi this senior of his was at least of the third stage, likely higher.
The clerk went through the rocks, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th but nothing but simple rocks were found.
But as the 5th rock was split open revealing a bright red rock.
"Congratulations! You've won a piece of Igneous Crystal, it's quite a find and is a great help in cultivating the fire attribute!"
Shu He smiled and nodded.
"What about the rest?" He asked.
"Of course, let's see if you have won anything else" The clerk said.
But Shu He knew, it was an act; The clerk probably knew the positions of all of the prize rocks.
And he did too.
The glass case was there to prevent people from touching the rocks and using an inspection technique, but Shu He's eyes weren't stopped by mere glass and the rocks were too thin to prevent him from seeing through them.
6th, 7th, 8th…
The 9th stone split open and another piece of material came falling out.
"Oh! Two! Congratulations, there was a piece of Spiritual Metal inside!" The clerk clapped, but behind the smile Shu He could feel that he was a bit sullen that someone took two prizes, but the fact that he bought 10 stones probably made him feel a little less bad.
Of course, the 10th stone was also a dud.
"Here are your prizes" She He took the two materials in hand, he didn't know what to use these for and chose them based on appearance only so he would just keep them on hand for now.
"Thanks! This place is nice" He smiled.
"Of course, I hope to see you again!" The clerk replied, waving him off.
Shu He left the store, content with his winnings for now, but he didn't plan on returning.
'If I just waltzed in there and got everything one the first try I'd either make the place go broke or get banned, the latter most likely…. If I did what I did today I'd basically just be purposefully wasting points on duds to cover myself up, it just doesn't feel right'.
He sighed, sometimes having a great advantage wasn't as good as it seemed.