Tian Hao, Lin Mei, Fatty Wu, and Jiuwei stepped out from the Skyward Lotus Sect's accommodations and into the heart of this bustling metropolis, their senses immediately overwhelmed.
"Whoa," Tian Hao breathed, his eyes wide with wonder as he took in the scene before him. Colorful stalls lined the streets, vendors hawking their wares with boisterous enthusiasm. The air was thick with the aroma of exotic spices, roasted meats, and sweet pastries, a symphony of scents that made his stomach rumble.
Lin Mei, with a practiced caution, nudged him gently. "Don't get too distracted, Tian Hao," she warned, her voice a quiet counterpoint to the surrounding cacophony. "There are all sorts of cultivators here, some… less than reputable. Remember what Tian Shou said. The Iron Talon Sect..." She paused, but her meaning was clear.
Tian Hao, however, was too caught up in the spectacle to fully heed her words. His eyes darted from one stall to another, taking in the dazzling array of goods on display—rare herbs glowing with an ethereal light, talismans etched with intricate runes, and weapons that shimmered like captured starlight.
He paused, mesmerized by a display of glowing crystals, their facets shimmering with an inner light. "Look at those!" he exclaimed, pointing towards the crystals. "They're practically humming with spiritual energy!"
Lin Mei's vigilance didn't waver, but her eyes softened slightly as she saw Tian Hao's childlike wonder, his eagerness to embrace all things unusual. "Impressive, but useless if you don't know how to use them," she said, though the amusement laced her voice.
As they continued walking, Tian Hao's attention was caught by a small, rather shabby-looking shop with a sign that read 'Spiritual Tools - Bargain Prices.' He veered towards it, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Hey, Mei Mei, look at this place! I think I found the discount section of the cultivator world," Tian Hao said, chuckling as he gestured for Lin Mei to follow.
Lin Mei sighed, rolling her eyes. "Low-quality junk is more like it. But go on, entertain yourself."
Inside, Tian Hao browsed through an assortment of mismatched tools—most of them chipped, tarnished, or simply dubious in their spiritual efficacy. After a few minutes of rummaging, his eyes lit up at a display of hearing enhancement tokens. The tokens were small, coin-shaped trinkets, and there were two of them paired together.
"Lin Mei, check this out! These tokens improve your hearing, and apparently, you can share sounds with the person wearing the other one," Tian Hao explained with a grin.
Lin Mei glanced at the tokens, her skepticism palpable. "Hearing enhancement? Are you sure they won't just make everything sound like a broken gong?"
"Only one way to find out," Tian Hao said, ignoring her sarcasm. He turned to the shopkeeper, a rotund man with a missing tooth who gave them a lopsided smile.
"How much for these?" Tian Hao asked, holding up the pair.
The shopkeeper scratched his head. "Ah, those? Not many takers for them. I'll give you both for ten spirit stones. But no refunds!"
Tian Hao shrugged and handed over the spirit stones. "Deal!" He then tossed one of the tokens to Lin Mei. "Here, let's test them out."
Lin Mei caught the token, eyeing it warily before putting it on. "If I end up hearing Fatty Wu snoring from miles away, I swear, I'll throw this thing into the nearest river."
Tian Hao laughed and put on his token as well. He leaned in, whispering into his own token. "Testing, testing… Lin Mei, can you hear me?"
Lin Mei's eyes widened slightly, and she snorted, her lips quirking up. "Loud and clear. Though I still think you paid ten spirit stones too much."
"Hey, now we can communicate in secret. Imagine the possibilities," Tian Hao said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Lin Mei shook her head, smiling despite herself. "Yeah, imagine all the trouble you'll get us into."
Meandering through the crowded marketplace, Tian Hao's curiosity led him from one stall to the next. An elderly merchant, his face lined with wisdom, offered him a set of enchanted robes, claiming they could deflect even a Golden Core cultivator's strike.
At another stall, a wiry young woman displayed an array of rare spirit herbs, their leaves shimmering with otherworldly hues, promising everything from enhanced Qi flow to immortality itself.
Lin Mei found a small stall tucked away in a quiet alley where an old merchant displayed an assortment of strange talismans she hadn't seen before—their designs unfamiliar, the runes etched with a subtle power that hummed softly beneath her fingertips. The merchant, his eyes gleaming with mischief, explained that these were formation-disruption talismans.
"Ah, these little beauties… rare and potent. Capable of adjusting or even reversing formations up to the Golden Core level!"
Lin Mei's eyes widened. These were precisely the kind of talismans she had been searching for, tools that could give her an edge. She examined the runes carefully. Her hands trembled slightly, a growing sense of excitement pulsing beneath the casual demeanor, "How much?" she asked, though even she was unprepared for the amount.
The old merchant named his price. It was steep, far more than she had on hand. She glanced at Tian Hao, who'd been examining a set of ornate throwing knives with undisguised fascination.
Her thoughts raced—could she ask him for help? It felt like a risky move, a potential breach of their friendship, but her need for these talismans overrode her usual caution, the thought of what might be possible with these talismans far stronger than any decorum.
"Tian Hao," she began, her voice a bit hesitant, "I… I need your help."
Tian Hao turned, his gaze shifting from the gleaming knives to her face, and seemed to notice the tension she tried to hide, his easygoing demeanor replaced by a more serious tone as he sensed something deeper in her request than mere curiosity. "What is it?" he asked, his voice softening, the earlier playful teasing absent now as he awaited her words.
Lin Mei's usual confidence wavered slightly, a nervous flutter stirring in her gut as she decided how much to reveal, the weight of her mission for the Iron Talon Sect still pressing heavily on her, a constant reminder that her secrets were isolating her from him, turning her into a shadow, an echo of the person she'd hoped he'd come to know.
"I want to buy a few tools, but I'm a bit short on funds. Could you…?" She trailed off, leaving the request hanging in the air.
Tian Hao's eyes widened slightly at her request, and a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, amusement now coloring the worry he'd felt moments before.
"Short on funds, Mei Mei?" he teased, though his tone was gentle as though the situation wasn't an imposition. "I never would've guessed. You've always seemed to be… so good at managing your treasures and resources, right?" He smiled. "But since you asked so nicely…" He pulled a small pouch of spirit stones from his robes, offering it to her with a flourish. "Consider it an investment in our sect's future success." he added.
She tentatively reached out and grabbed the pouch from him, weighing the heavy, silken sack in her hands, surprised at how many he had thoughtlessly tossed at her.
Her lips curved into a grateful smile. "Thank you, Tian Hao," she said, her voice filled with a warmth, though his casual indulgence and the weight of her deceit—and gratitude, which gnawed at her—tempered the earlier easygoing banter they once enjoyed.
The distance seemed now to mirror her own carefully constructed facade, and she swore the jade coin felt cold against her skin even through several layers of thick silk, "I'll pay you back." Her voice trembled slightly as she forced the words out.
He nodded, giving Lin Mei a look that made her wonder what he saw beneath the casual indifference. "Don't worry about it, Mei Mei. Just promise to use those tools wisely. Wouldn't want you accidentally blowing up any important buildings or people."
He let out a slight grin. "Though, now that you mention it…" he trailed off.
Tian Hao watched as Lin Mei purchased several talismans, including a few designed to reverse the effects of others, his curiosity piqued. He was, of course, no expert on such things. He'd spent more time in the sect's kitchens than its libraries, his focus on the fine arts of enjoying himself rather than the intricacies of formations.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder what Lin Mei intended to do with these tools.
Fatty Wu's enthusiasm for formations and protective talismans, on the other hand, lagged far behind his interest in Skyveil City's vibrant culinary scene. He was immediately drawn to a nearby row of stalls where vendors sold an assortment of roasted spirit beast skewers, sweet lotus cakes, and spicy spiritual root dumplings, all freshly prepared and radiating tantalizing aromas.
"Young Master, look!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with delight. "We must try these! They smell amazing! There's a street vendor selling dumplings cooked on an open flame! That is something I must master upon our return. The aromas—I must taste each delicacy! Imagine, roasted skewered meat basted with sauces infused with rare spirit herbs! Young Master, we must savor this newness!"
Tian Hao's own stomach rumbled at the sight of such culinary delights.
He joined Fatty Wu, sampling each delicacy with gusto, his earlier reservations forgotten as he marveled at the different flavors, though his movements felt restrained compared to his usually relaxed approach. Still, with every delicious, juicy bite, he could feel the PINA method circulating his internal energies, his cultivation creeping upwards.
"This this is incredible!" he exclaimed, his mouth full, as he bit into a spicy spiritual root dumpling. "The flavor, the texture, the… Qi infusion! It's like a culinary explosion!" He looked at Fatty Wu, his eyes shining with delight. "We need to learn how to make these, Fatty Wu! Imagine, serving these at the next sect feast. The elders would be so impressed."
Fatty Wu beamed, his own culinary appreciation and mastery of basic flavors transcending Tian Hao's simplistic assessments of Qi infusions, "Indeed, Young Master! We must discern their hidden recipes, taste the balance, learn by savoring. Perhaps with a few enhancements, we could even make them more potent." A sly smile spreading across his face.
Jiuwei, never one to be left out of any culinary adventure, trotted alongside them, her nose twitching, her ears perked. She paused by a stall displaying an array of shiny trinkets and charms, her golden eyes gleaming with interest. She reached for one—a small, silver bell adorned with a jade pendant—her tiny paw extending towards the shiny object, a childish curiosity momentarily overriding her usual haughty indifference.
Before she could snatch it, however, Lin Mei's hand shot out, intercepting Jiuwei just in time, and grabbing the furry Guardian before she grabbed a talisman or started some low-level street brawl.
"Jiuwei! What do you think you're doing?" Lin Mei scolded as she plucked Jiuwei off the table, clutching her tiny form gently but firmly.
She placed Jiuwei back onto Tian Hao's shoulder and patted his shoulder lightly. A casual admonishment of him for not keeping an eye on his new and clearly meddlesome friend as well as for Jiuwei herself, for not acting in line with her status as something far more powerful. "You nearly caused a scene. Do you want to draw attention to us?"
Jiuwei, her ears flattening against her head, puffed herself up, her small form radiating indignation. "I merely wished to examine the craftsmanship," she huffed, her tiny voice laced with wounded pride as she swished her tail agitatedly before finally settling into something approximating relaxed dignity, though the act lacked its usual gravitas in her diminished size. "I've seen finer examples from the Jade Dragon Empire's most gifted smiths, but what sort of trash does this city—?" She trailed off, muttering to herself.
Tian Hao shook his head. "Don't worry, she doesn't have any money," he chuckled, and then gave her head another light pat. "Yet," he added, glancing at her with a look of mischievous teasing.
"How do you even know how to use money?" Lin Mei added with a teasing grin as she held her hand out and rubbed the top of Jiuwei's head, then gave Tian Hao a playful poke, as though she couldn't resist. "You certainly spend enough."
Jiuwei sniffed disdainfully at that—as if, despite her current form, such concerns for what they viewed as currency and tools were far beneath her, that the might of her lineage spoke volumes more of her stature and abilities than anything tangible or crude they could show her.
"Heavens! I've dined with emperors who used clouds as their purses! You should consider yourself lucky I'm lowering myself by spending even a moment considering such crude concerns. You'll learn, eventually, that when you're one with the Dao such needs—your worries—fade away like mist in the morning sun."