Ling Yun donned his veil and asked a servant for directions to the local market before bidding farewell to Bi Yuxi and leaving the Bi family estate.
Even with his veil on, he was quickly approached as soon as he stepped out the door.
"Young master, please wait," a voluptuous woman, flanked by her attendants, blocked his way.
"What do you want?" Ling Yun asked calmly.
"I'm Mei Qingyan, may I ask where you're headed? Where do you live?" Mei Qingyan's lecherous gaze roamed over Ling Yun's body, lingering on more private areas, as if she could barely restrain herself from touching him.
"You're from the Mei family?" Ling Yun cast a glance at her.
"Yes, yes, I'm the sister of the Mei family head. How about it, handsome? Want to come over to my place for a visit?" Mei Qingyan's expression grew even more vulgar, her hand practically reaching out to grope Ling Yun.
Ling Yun's face darkened. Without hesitation, he kicked her right between the legs, sending her flying several feet.
Seeing their mistress attacked, the attendants rushed at Ling Yun with a battle cry.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
In an instant, Ling Yun's figure flashed, and the attendants fell to the ground, groaning in pain, each one bearing a clear footprint on their chests.
The onlookers, witnessing the scene, instinctively covered their own chests.
"Hiss! That looks painful."
"Who's this man? He strikes so ruthlessly—it hurts just watching."
"Well, Mei Qingyan had it coming. She's always been a bully, seducing men and taking advantage of them. Countless unmarried men have suffered because of her."
…
Ling Yun stepped over Mei Qingyan's head without so much as a glance back.
Little did he know, though she was crying loudly, Mei Qingyan was thrilled. To her, this was no punishment—it was a reward. There was no shame in it.
With this as a warning, no one dared approach Ling Yun again. They could only admire him from afar, imagining things in their minds.
Soon, Ling Yun arrived at Treasure Pavilion, a well-known and mysterious establishment with branches in every major city across the Phoenix Dynasty. The pavilion was home to countless experts.
Years ago, a group of rogue cultivators, including a Core Formation expert, attempted to rob a branch of Treasure Pavilion. The very next day, every participant in the robbery was found dead, their heads severed and hung outside the branch as a warning.
As soon as Ling Yun stepped into the Treasure Pavilion, an attendant approached him.
"Sir, how may I assist you today?"
"I'm new here. Could you give me a quick introduction?" Ling Yun asked.
"Of course. The first floor of our pavilion sells magical tools, the second floor offers various spiritual plants and herbs, and the third floor specializes in medicinal pills."
Ling Yun handed the attendant a list of ingredients. "I need these spiritual plants. Can you gather them for me?"
To prevent any suspicion, he had included some additional, unnecessary ingredients in the list.
The attendant glanced at the list. "Some of these items need approval from our manager. Please wait a moment."
With that, the attendant took the list and went to consult the manager.
Soon, a beautiful woman in a white robe approached Ling Yun.
"May I have your name, sir?" the woman asked with a smile.
"My surname is Ling."
"Greetings, Young Master Ling. I am Shi Jianmin, the manager of this Treasure Pavilion branch. We can gather most of the spiritual plants you've requested, but the Glazed Fruit… well…" Shi Jianmin hesitated, rubbing her chin as if troubled.
"Manager Shi, money is not an issue," Ling Yun replied, seeing through her act.
"You're quite straightforward, Young Master Ling. To be honest, the Glazed Fruit is only produced by the Sword Sect's spiritual herb plantations. We had to go through a lot of trouble to get some ourselves."
"All together, the plants will cost 6,430 low-grade spirit stones. I'll give you a discount and round it down to 6,000," Shi Jianmin said.
This was a large order, and if the deal went through, she stood to make a considerable profit.
"That expensive, huh?" Ling Yun clicked his tongue. But after a moment of thought, he figured that if he ran out of spirit stones, he could always just rob someone after he grew stronger.
"Deal." Ling Yun handed over a storage pouch to Shi Jianmin.
"Great! Here's your contract. Please come back in two days to pick up your order."
After confirming the amount of spirit stones, Shi Jianmin handed Ling Yun a yellow parchment contract.
Ling Yun accepted the contract, bid her farewell, and left the Treasure Pavilion—this place was nothing but a money pit.
As soon as he stepped outside, Mei Qingyan was waiting with a group of lackeys, surrounding him.
Ling Yun's patience was wearing thin. If this were outside the city, these people would already be corpses.
"I don't mind playing along, but you can't force me."
Unless, of course, it was a cute loli or a beautiful woman with long legs and fair skin—in that case, he might be willing to suffer a bit.
"Take one more step, and I'll cut off your pride," Ling Yun said coldly, drawing the Biwater Glazed Sword.
Upon hearing this, Mei Qingyan's group immediately took a few steps back.
After all, their "pride" was essential for their future happiness. They had no doubt that Ling Yun would follow through on his threat.
"You'll regret this! I'll be back!" Mei Qingyan ultimately didn't dare approach and retreated with her lackeys.
The onlookers, realizing there would be no further excitement, dispersed as well.
Ling Yun sheathed his sword and continued browsing the market, hoping to stumble upon a rare artifact, like something out of an ancient novel.
By evening, he still hadn't found anything of value, though he had bought plenty of snacks.
"New Moon Inn." Ling Yun glanced at the inn's large sign and stepped inside.
"Sir, are you here for a meal or lodging?" The server was a young girl, no older than ten, who greeted him with a wide smile.
"What's your most expensive room?" Ling Yun tossed her a spirit stone.
The girl's smile widened even further. With this spirit stone, she could finally buy medicine for her mother.
"Our most expensive room is 100 low-grade spirit stones per night, equipped with a spiritual gathering formation to enhance your cultivation speed."
"I'll book it for ten days. Keep the change."
Noticing the girl's frail appearance, Ling Yun figured she hadn't eaten well in a long time and handed her an extra fifty spirit stones.
"Thank you, sir! Here is your key and room number." The girl beamed.
Ling Yun took the key and went upstairs to his room. Inside, the room was fully furnished, with a bath, bedroom, and lounge, even offering 24-hour hot water.
Ling Yun stripped off his clothes, revealing eight well-defined abs. His skin was fair and smooth, as delicate as jade, tempting one to take a bite.
"Ah, this feels great…"
Sinking into the bath, Ling Yun felt the fatigue of the day melt away.
As he relaxed, thoughts of Li Rou, his harsh master, surfaced. What kind of nightmare would he face if she ever caught up with him?
The mere thought of her cold, ruthless face sent a shiver down Ling Yun's spine, killing his mood for a bath entirely.
…
Thousands of miles away from Moon Spirit City, Li Rou held a small oil lamp, constantly adjusting its direction.
Suddenly, as the lamp faced the direction of Moon Spirit City, its dim light grew slightly brighter.
"My dear disciple, I'm coming for you… hehehe…" she chuckled ominously.