Shi Ming Lia, who didn't see the strange man next to Mei Lin throw one of Feng Shen's spears after him from inside the auction house. He didn't expect to this happen, so he didn't dodge. Spier went through his chest toward the young man next to Mei Lin. Just before spier hit him, spier turned into iron dust.
Mei Lin saw an opportunity and pulled out a crystal bottle containing seven drops of QI Condensation blood. She let the blood out and started running to Feng Shu. No one knew what happened and only watched.
She ran to Feng Shu, who had already fallen on his knees. He could not do anything more, as the spear went through his head.
Mei Lin started venting like she was crying. As she was near him she pulled out a bottle from her sleeve and started to press the hole in his chest and tried to collect as much blood as she could.
She pulled him forward herself so more blood would come out. Feng Shu wanted to rip her apart, but he didn't have the strength to move a muscle and Mei Lin didn't care and tried to collect as much blood as possible.
After a few seconds, she put away the bottle. She collected two hundred milliliters of his blood and carefully snatched his storage bag. After everything was ready, she let him go. He fell on the ground and as she ran away, others went to help him heal.
Feng Shu state was very bad and healing was too hard for others. A lot of servants tried to inject more and more natural energy into his body to help him stabilize and heal the wound. Mei Lin put away his storage bag in her storage ring and went directly to the tea-house.
Mei Lin hesitated as her eyes swept over the young cultivator, the one who had silently stood beside her for so long without drawing much attention. Curiosity finally got the better of her as she circled him, and for the first time, she saw his face a sight that left her momentarily breathless.
His features were striking, almost celestial, as if carved by the gods themselves. Long, cascading locks of radiant golden hair framed his face, shimmering faintly with an ethereal glow that seemed to capture the light of the sun itself. His skin was flawless, pale yet with a faint golden undertone, giving him an unearthly aura. His golden eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to pierce into the depths of her soul, their brilliance reflecting both power and wisdom far beyond his years.
Upon his brow rested a faint, intricate mark that glimmered softly, like a seal. His robes were a masterpiece of gold and white, embroidered with intricate patterns resembling radiant flames, but they somehow felt understated, as if designed not to flaunt his power but to conceal it. Yet, the quiet strength emanating from him was unmistakable, like the weight of a mountain hidden beneath the calm surface of a lake.
No one had ever seen his face before. The City Lord was a figure of legend, his identity shrouded in mystery, his actions veiled in silence. Yet here he stood, his unveiled visage seeming almost out of place in the mundane world around him. Mei Lin struggled to tear her gaze away, feeling as though she stood before a being who walked the boundary between mortal and divine.
The young cultivator's lips curved ever so slightly, not enough to be called a smile, but just enough to carry a hint of amusement. He tilted his head, his golden eyes locking onto hers and a storage bag appeared in his hand.
"I think you lost something, why don't we make a trade." Mei Lin saw throw his lie instantly and played along. She smiled at the cultivator from behind the veil which was clearly completely useless against his sight. He wanted the storage bag, which she took from Feng Shu, so she quickly traded it.
"Thank you, that you found my storage bad." Mei Lin immediately traded storage bags and left.
Only she and the mysterious cultivator benefited from this fight. Mei Lin gets two hundred milliliters of 9-stage QI Condensation blood and a storage bag. She went as fast as possible into the tea-house and when she closed the door behind her she placed a sign outside that they closed.
*****
Tea-house. East part of the yellow zone.
Xia was happy when she saw Mei Lin come back. She was still trembling, but the sudden presence of Mei Lin calmed Xia down a little.
"What happened after I left? Tell us," said Xia, and as she was sitting at the table with the rest, they were also excited to know what really happened.
"After you left, the cultivator showed up and as Feng Shu escaped from the auction house, Shi Ming Lia made a hole with the spear in his chest. After that, I wanted to steal Feng Shen's storage bag, but the cultivator gave me this one instead. It's maybe because he had a reason to get something out of Feng Shu's storage bag."
Mei Lin placed the storage bag on the kitchen table and Xin Ming tried to open it. Storage spaces were protected very poorly with spirit sense to the extent, that everyone could open them. It was very strange, that someone didn't use spirit sense to block the entrance into the storage bag.
Because of this, Mei Lin would not be able to get inside Feng Shen's storage bag and would have to destroy the spirit sense inside with her own first. When Xin Ming opened the bag his spirit sense entered inside and he saw an extreme number of spirit stones. There were five high-grade spirit stones, a thousand mid-grade spirit stones, and two hundred thousand low-grade stones along with a golden token with a golden ornament in it. Xin Ming took out one high-grade and two hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
"I will take a few, as a payment for taking care of you and to repair the tea-house, so we could have guests."
He gave the bag back to Mei Lin. Mei Lin took two high and five hundred mid-grade spirit stones, she left the rest inside and gave it to Xia. She didn't tell her how much they left there, or what was inside. Xia was very curious, but before she asked she was stopped.
"If you want to know what is inside you need to be a cultivator to be able to open the bag."
Xin Ming was also curious about how much Lin left Xia, but he didn't care. He took two high-grade stones and a lot more. He never saw this much money in his life. With this, he can do whatever he wants. First, he needs to rebuild tea-house, and then he can start living his carefree life again. Girls already prepared lunch, so they start eating after Xia puts away the storage bag. After lunch, Xin Meng went to the cellar and came back with a sealed clay pot on the table. Mei Lin and Xia looked at the pot curiously.
"What is inside? Is there some kind of food?"
"No. There is alcohol," said Mei Lin, and felt proud, as she saw this kind of pot in their house. Both of them were exited about what was really inside. After unsealing the pot, the room was immediately engulfed in an aroma so enchanting it seemed to bloom in every corner.
The fragrance was intoxicatingly rich, a harmony of sweet and earthy notes that spoke of time and care. It carried the golden warmth of ripe grains blended with a delicate hint of honeyed sweetness, underpinned by subtle floral and fruity undertones. It wasn't just the scent of wine.
"It's a wine pot!" Xia exclaimed, her voice tinged with wonder as she took in the aromatic symphony. The sweet scent seemed to cling to the air, wrapping them both in a comforting embrace.
"My family was also part of the Caravan once, but the Caravan disbanded in the city after it was attacked and my family was killed in the accident. From then on, I decided to stay and bought this tea-house. Once I ran out of the spirit stones, I joined the guards and started working. That was until we were sent to guard the Caravan, where I saved Yu Lan and Hua Fey from slavery.
After telling Mei Lin his story, he went to the main hall of the yellow zone and exchanged a hundred low-grade spirit stones for a hundred thousand coins, so they could renovate the tea-house. It didn't take long and he was back. Mei Lin already went to the second floor to cultivate and Yu Lan and Hua Fey were already drunk. After scolding them, he gave a few thousand coins to Xia to go buy the most important things.