"Just two streets over, you'll see a big signboard, and that's it!"
"Many thanks, my lord!"
Gu Shi Yi hurried to express her gratitude with a bow, while the woman covered her mouth to chuckle, stroking the Three Tails cat in her hand before drifting away!
Gu Shi Yi kept her head bowed, waiting until the woman was far away before cautiously blending into the stream of people on the street. As a mortal without a speck of Cultivation, she was like a firefly in the dark night or a louse on a bald head; so conspicuous. Thankfully, though the Great Cultivators looked at her with surprise, they regarded her as nothing more than an ant and no one particularly troubled her.
Even so, Shiyi walked on thin ice, sweating bullets like a lamb among wolves, and only when she finally saw the signboard of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion did she breathe a sigh of relief. Approaching the counter, she saw a middle-aged beauty in her forties behind it who frowned upon seeing Gu Shi Yi step inside,
"Mortal, you..."
Her speech halted there, as if she suddenly saw something, a flash of insight in her eyes, and her demeanor changed with warmth returning to her tone,
"Welcome to our humble shop, is there something you need?"
Gu Shi Yi stepped forward with an apologetic smile and a bow,
"May I ask if you are Fifth Madam Wang?"
The woman nodded,
"Indeed I am!"
Gu Shi Yi breathed even more of a sigh of relief and extended her left hand to the middle-aged beauty, saying,
"I've been entrusted by someone to come here; please help me remove this Talisman Seal on my hand so I can relay the message to my lord!"
Fifth Madam Wang glanced at the Talisman Seal on her hand and immediately understood—it was a special kind of Talisman Seal from the Wonder Medicine Sect, not resolvable by those outside the sect. Recognizing the seal as one from her sect, she still did not act, only asking,
"Who has placed this seal on you, and what have they instructed you to do?"
Gu Shi Yi replied,
"This Talisman Seal was given to me by a lord surnamed Shang; he told me to find Fifth Madam Wang here. You would understand everything once you see the Talisman Seal on my hand, and after it is removed, I will be able to convey the task Lord Shang has entrusted to me!"
Fifth Madam Wang thought for a moment and nodded,
"Alright, I will remove it for you!"
Having said that, she took Gu Shi Yi's left hand, traced her finger over the palm, and just like that, a Golden Light flashed, and the Talisman Seal vanished. Gu Shi Yi, delighted, turned her palm over and then bowed deeply,
"Thank you, my lord!"
"Mm!"
Fifth Madam Wang nodded,
"What is the matter... Speak up!"
Gu Shi Yi reached into her bosom and took out the jade box, causing Fifth Madam Wang's expression to drastically change. In haste, she lifted her hand, and with a wave of her sleeve, the jade box was swept into it,
"Follow me!"
With that, she stepped away from the counter and lifted the curtain to go into the back hall. Gu Shi Yi hesitated for a moment before following. Upon entering, she saw Fifth Madam Wang already holding the jade box in her hands, carefully examining it. When she saw Shiyi enter, she asked,
"Is this what Shang San asked you to bring?"
"Precisely!"
Fifth Madam Wang scrutinized Gu Shi Yi from head to toe before asking,
"How did Shang San get this object into your hands? Tell me everything!"
"Yes!"
Gu Shi Yi bowed her head and recounted the entire story from beginning to end. Fifth Madam Wang listened without a word, followed by a cold laugh,
"The young lady really has decided not to care for sisterly affection! It must have been because an expert was sent to intercept the second miss that she had to use this last resort to transfer the object to a mortal."
After finishing her thoughts, her gaze circled around Gu Shi Yi once more, her tone becoming gentler,
"You have safely delivered the object and earned a great merit. What reward do you seek?"
Gu Shi Yi responded with an ingratiating laugh,
"It's an honor to serve the lords; I dare not ask for much, only that you also remove the seal on my right hand!"
The left hand was for entering the Market, the right for Exorcism; although the surnamed Shang had said so, Gu Shi Yi knew all too well there were tricks at play. How could she dare to ask for more? All she wanted was for them not to silence her by killing her, just remove whatever was on her body and she'd be more than grateful!
The beautiful woman chuckled at her words,
"You're quite the clever one!"
She then commanded,
"Stretch out your right hand!"
Gu Shi Yi followed the instruction and extended her right hand. The middle-aged beauty traced a few patterns on her palm and, sure enough, the Talisman Seal was eradicated. With joy, Gu Shi Yi bowed over and over,
"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"
Then she said,
"Now that the errand is done, I will take my leave!"
The middle-aged beauty watched her with an enigmatic smile and said nothing, simply observing as Gu Shi Yi edged back on her buttocks all the way to the curtain,
"Bang..."
Gu Shi Yi collided with an invisible barrier,
"Ah!"