"Let's tour the camp," he muttered, making his way toward the bazaar. There were many stalls, most temporarily set up by cultivators who had just left the Cloudy Forest and were looking to sell their findings or by wandering cultivators hoping to make a quick profit.
There weren't many treasures in this bazaar, as most cultivators preferred to sell them in Clear Cloud City for better prices which was only a two-hour journey from the camp.
After wandering around for a while, Yuan stopped before a stall where a peculiar-looking tortoise shell caught his eye. Strange symbols and patterns adorned its surface, and although he couldn't recognize them, he felt a strange familiarity from the shell.
A young man manning the stall noticed Yuan's interest and smiled. "Young friend, this shell was discovered in the cave of an ancient expert deep within the Cloudy Forest. It's definitely a rare treasure. For you, it's only ten silver coins."
Hearing the price, Yuan expressions shifted slightly. Seeing his uncertainty, the young man grew anxious. He immediately pointed at the symbol on his chest and said, "Young friend, I'm a disciple of the Thousand Pills Sect, Xu Kuan. We are sincere in our business."
Yuan examined the items on the stall, his brow furrowed in thought. He selected two herbs, glancing at Xu Kuan. "These two and the shell for six silver coins."
"Deal," Xu Kuan immediately agreed, a hint of smugness in his smile. Yuan's lips twitched. He instantly realized he'd just made a poor bargain. Gritting his teeth, he paid 6 silver coins, clutching the herbs and shell as he walked away.
"Why did you sell the shell to him?" a young man on the stall beside Xu Kuan asked, chuckling.
Xu Kuan laughed. "That broken shell is a piece of garbage. I already showed it to the sect's elders, they said it's just half a shell of some old tortoise. That fool didn't recognize it and thought it was some treasure. Hahaha!"
After an hour, Yuan finished his tour of the bazaar. He stopped by a food stall, savoring a steaming bowl of noodles before making his way to a rental company.
"Yuan, is that you? How have you been?" a voice called from behind.
Yuan turned to see a young man riding a horse, his face breaking into a smile. "Li Jiang! It's good to see you! I'm well. How about you?"
Li Jiang dismounted and stepped closer, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you for the help the other day."
Li Jiang was working as a guide to Cloudy Forest. Going in blind was very dangerous. Guides usually knew about almost all perilous areas in the forest. So many newcomers/parties/teams usually hired a guide, and Li Jiang was one of them.
As a frequent visitor of Cloudy Forest, Yuan knew many ins and outs of the forest and helped Li Jiang by telling him about new routes and dangers.
"Don't mention it," Yuan replied, waving off the thanks. "So, are you still guiding?" he asked, curious.
"Nah, it was temporarily. Actually, I'm a Grade 2 Alchemy Apprentice. I was working as a guide just to gain experience and broaden my horizons," Li Jiang replied, pride evident in his voice.
Yuan's eyes widened. He hadn't realized the young guide he saved was so accomplished. "A Grade 2 Alchemy Apprentice? Impressive! Even the Menghao Pavilion has only two, and they're much older."
"Thanks." Li Jiang shrugged, a modest smile on his lips.
Yuan suddenly thought of the tournament and asked, "Are you perhaps returning to the city to participate in the tournament?"
Yes," Li Jiang nodded.
Both talked as they sped toward the city. At the city gate, Yuan waved goodbye to Li Jiang and headed toward the pavilion. Upon entering, chaos engulfed him. People rushed around, their faces filled with worry. The usually serene atmosphere of the pavilion felt tense, with heightened security evident everywhere.
"Young Master Yuan! You're back!" A young retainer skidded to a halt in front of him. Yuan nodded and asked curiously. "What happened? What are you looking for?"
"Young master, it's bad. A thief is lurking around the pavilion. Today is the 3rd time something's been stolen from the pavilion," the retainer anxiously explained.
Yuan frowned. 'Who could be bold enough to steal from the pavilion?' he wondered.
"Where is mom? Does she know about this?" Yuan asked.
"Master and Mistress are on the top floor. They've been notified," the retainer replied.
"Dad? Is he back?" Yuan muttered, excitement tinged with worry.
"Okay, you go do your job," he said to the young retainer, making his way to the top floor.
"Dad, Mom," he called out as he reached the fifth floor.
Seated with Mother Bing was a handsome middle-aged man—Meng Hao, the Pavilion Master. They turned at the sound of his voice.
"Brother, you are back!" Xu'er squealed, racing toward him excitedly. Yuan sidestepped her, laughing as she chased him, her laughter echoing in the air. Pavilion Master Menghao and Mother Bing also smiled.
After playing for some time, He scooped her up into a hug, setting her on his lap as he settled beside Mother Bing. "Dad, Mom, what's the story with this thief?" Yuan asked, frowning.
"Oh, that. It's nothing serious. Just some ordinary herbs—Red Lily, Red Cherry, and Blue Silver Flower—nothing valuable," Pavilion Master Meng Hao said, waving a hand dismissively.
"But aren't those used to make pills in the pavilion?" Yuan asked again.
"Yes, but they're easy to find—except for the blue silver flower, which is rare but not impossible to track down," Mother Bing explained, her tone calming.
Yuan smiled bitterly, thinking he got worried for nothing. After chatting for a while, Mother Bing suddenly asked, "Yuan, how was your journey? Found anything new?"
Yuan's face changed and the scene of monkeys banging each other appeared in his mind. It was his habit to talk about things he did and found in the forest, especially with Mother Bing. But this time, it was a different story.
Seeing his reaction, Meng Hao's concern deepened. "What happened?'
Yuan hurriedly shook his head. "It's nothing. I just found myself caught up in a gathering of long-eared monkeys. It was their annual tradition."
Pavilion Master Menghao lip twitched. A slight blush crept on Mother Bing's cheeks, and an awkward silence settled over the room.