Chapter 19: Huangshi City

Three days later, a cart loaded with half a load of fine timber slowly moved forward, pulled by two black mules.

At the end of the main road ahead stood a city enclosed by yellow walls several zhang high; above its wide gate were inscribed three massive white characters: “Huangshi City.”

On either side of the gate, over a dozen soldiers clad in black iron armor inspected the caravans and crowds entering and exiting.

“Old Zhao, this is Huangshi City—truly bustling.”

As the cart joined the line entering the city, a young man carrying a bundle jumped down, smiling broadly—it was Wang Yu, though his Daoist robe was gone, replaced by coarse linen clothing, his face smeared with colorful dyes that obscured much of his appearance.

“Of course it is—Huangshi City houses hundreds of thousands. Young Wang, since this is your first time here, be careful not to offend the city’s nobles; otherwise, you’ll face serious trouble.” The black, gaunt driver grinned at Wang Yu, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.

Though Wang Yu’s body was only thirteen or fourteen years old, due to his bloodline awakening and consumption of Blood-Refining Decoction, he towered over his peers in height and bore a sturdy frame; combined with his mature inner disposition, even with traces of youth still on his face, others often mistook him for a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old.

“Naturally—I left my village only to see the world. Why would I offend the city’s nobles? Thank you, Old Zhao, for seeing me this far.” Wang Yu bowed to the gaunt old man.

“Hah! I’m coming to Huangshi City to sell goods too—taking you along was just a detour, no trouble at all.” The gaunt man, delighted by the boy’s politeness, cracked the reins and urged the cart onward.

Wang Yu stood for a while watching the armored guards at the gate; finding nothing unusual, he joined another line of pedestrians.

Entering the city was effortless—the guards merely asked which village he came from; he gave a random small town name he knew, paid a copper coin as entrance fee, and was allowed straight through.

Inside the gate lay a smooth stone street wide enough for three carts to drive side by side, flanked by rows of houses of varying heights, densely packed; people in diverse attire bustled along, presenting the image of a peaceful golden age.

Seeing this, Wang Yu exhaled deeply, his heart slightly eased—he suspected the city had not yet learned of the Huangshi City Lord’s death, or it would not be so calm.

He had joined Baiyun Pavilion for barely a month, and only the deceased Huangshi City Lord had seen him; outsiders of the pavilion should not know that Chongyun Daoist had a disciple.

Risking entry into Huangshi City was indeed the right choice.

He walked slowly toward the city center, occasionally glancing at the shops on either side; soon, he entered a general goods store.

When he emerged, he held a map of Huangshi City.

Wang Yu studied the map repeatedly, finally locating his target in an obscure corner of the city—a shop marked with the character “Zhen.”

He looked up at the sun, confirmed the direction, and without hesitation set off toward the marked location.

Over half an hour later, on a narrow street in the southwest of Huangshi City, Wang Yu stood before a stall, haggling over a small bag of candy-like snacks, insisting the vendor reduce the price by two more copper coins.

Amid the apparent intensity of the bargaining, his gaze casually swept toward a small shop on the other side of the street, its curtain bearing a silver “Zhen” character.

Finally, under the vendor’s reluctant gaze, Wang Yu succeeded in lowering the price, tossed down a few copper coins, and walked off with the bag of candy, never glancing back at the shop.

He then entered a clothing shop; when he emerged, he wore a dark blue fitted outfit and a black gauze hood that concealed his entire face, then checked into an ordinary inn.

One night passed.

Wang Yu left the inn carrying a bundle, wandered throughout Huangshi City, even deliberately passing by the City Lord’s mansion—still detecting no signs of disturbance, he finally relaxed.

In the afternoon, he returned to the unremarkable street and stood before the shop with the “Zhen”-marked curtain.

After hesitating briefly, he stepped inside.

“Welcome to Bai Zhen Pavilion, honored guest—what would you like to purchase?”

The room behind the curtain was small, containing only two worn wooden counters and a middle-aged man with an ordinary face, who was wiping a bronze lamp; upon seeing Wang Yu enter, he looked up with a smile, appearing exceedingly amiable.

“This is Bai Zhen Pavilion, correct? I wish to buy a ticket to Wu State.” Wang Yu lowered his voice, speaking in a deep tone.

“Ah, so you’re a fellow cultivator wishing to leave. Our sect’s magic vessel will indeed arrive in Huangshi City in a month. But due to recent spiritual labor demands, many are departing now—ticket prices have risen by thirty percent. Can you accept that?” The man paused his wiping, his smile fading slightly.

“How do you know I’m a cultivator? I heard most who take your vessel’s tickets are commoners.” Wang Yu replied cautiously.

“Heh, you misunderstand. Our vessel tickets can be used by commoners, but only fellow cultivators may purchase them. Had you not triggered a reaction in this ‘Spirit-Revealing Lamp’ the moment you entered, I wouldn’t have greeted you.” The man chuckled, shaking the lamp he held.

Wang Yu then noticed the lamp had no wick or oil, yet glowed faintly white—so dim that without close attention, one would miss it entirely.

“I see. Then give me a ticket.” Wang Yu felt somewhat reassured.

“One ticket: seven spirit stones or one hundred taels of gold. If you buy five or more at once, we offer a discount. If you lack spirit stones or gold, we also accept equivalent items in exchange.” The man smiled warmly.

“Seven spirit stones? One hundred taels of gold?”

Hearing this, Wang Yu’s heart sank.

From the corpse of the white-robed youth, he had only retrieved two gold ingots of about ten taels each; other copper coins and silver scraps were negligible.

As for spirit stones, Chongyun Daoist’s notes mentioned them as currency used by cultivators—he had none.

“Could you please assess how much this is worth in spirit stones?” Wang Yu’s mind raced; finally, he pulled a yellow talisman from his robe and handed it over.

“Ah, a low-grade Lightness Talisman—it grants lightness as if borne by swallows. Worth three spirit stones.” The man glanced at the talisman and replied without hesitation.

Hearing the price, Wang Yu finally relaxed; he pulled out two more identical talismans from his robe and handed them to the man.

“Three Lightness Talismans—worth nine spirit stones. Here’s your ticket and two spirit stones—take care of them.” The man smiled, tucked away the three talismans, turned, and retrieved two thumb-sized white crystal bars and a green paper crane from behind the counter.

“This is the ticket?” Wang Yu took the two items, stared at the paper crane, and felt confused.

“Yes, this is the ticket. For the next month, do not leave the hundred-li radius around Huangshi City. When the time comes, the paper crane will guide you to the magic vessel—you must arrive within half a day; the vessel won’t wait long.” The man explained calmly.

Though Wang Yu still harbored doubts, he could only nod in understanding.

“Since you’ve come to our pavilion, wouldn’t you like to buy something else—perhaps a magic artifact or spell scroll?” The man continued enthusiastically.

“Do you have magic artifacts and spell scrolls here?” Wang Yu was startled.

“Of course. While we don’t have formal cultivation manuals, we do have a few qi-refining stage artifacts and several minor spell techniques.”

“What minor spell techniques do you have?” Wang Yu grew interested.

“Wait a moment—I’ll look.” The man mumbled as he turned and rummaged through the shelves.

“Found them—these three minor spell techniques. Take a look.” He exclaimed, pulling three items from the cluttered shelves and placing them one by one on the counter before Wang Yu.

Wang Yu looked: a white short horn, a red animal hide, and a small blue bone fragment.

“You should know that all magic spells originally arose from nature. These three items are innate spiritual objects from low-grade beasts, each carrying an original spell pattern: ‘Lightning Flash,’ ‘Firefly Glow,’ and ‘Water Gathering.’ By slowly sensing them with your spiritual awareness, you can learn these three spells—unmodified, primal forms.” The man enthusiastically explained.

“Primal spells?” Wang Yu stared at the items, frowning.

“Heh, compared to ordinary spell texts, learning from these innate objects is harder—but once mastered, it proves your insight is extraordinary, your intellect superior; major sects will fight to recruit you. And they’re far cheaper than spell texts—perfect for you.” The man offered a slightly embarrassed explanation.

“So these primal spells are difficult to master. What’s the price? You know I have almost no spirit stones.” Wang Yu’s thoughts whirled, then he asked slowly.

“Price? Easy—two spirit stones per item. How’s that? Nearly giving them away.” The man replied promptly.

“Two spirit stones… I’ll take this hide.” Wang Yu’s heart leapt; he pulled out the two spirit stones he’d just received, placed them on the counter, and seized the red hide, sending his spiritual awareness into it—within, five faint crimson runes formed a complete pattern, barely visible—likely genuine.

“Aren’t you considering the other two techniques? Honestly, at this price, you won’t find such deals elsewhere. Miss this chance, and you won’t find it again. If you take all three, I’ll throw in a basic spell primer for free. It’s simple, but reviewing it alongside your own learning won’t hurt.” The man smiled, pulling a thin, filthy book with only ten or so pages from beneath the counter; its white cover clearly bore the words “Spell Primer.”

“Spell Primer? I’d like to buy it, but I truly have no spirit stones left.” Wang Yu flipped through a few pages and shook his head.

“Think—do you have anything else to trade? Other talismans, cultivation manuals, alchemical materials, beast parts?” The man enticed.

“You take alchemical materials too? Then see what this is worth.” Wang Yu stared at the other two items, reluctant; after a moment’s thought, he pulled a small iron box from his pack and handed it over.

It was the iron box that Chongyun Daoist had used to seal the sword-light that had slain the Huangshi City Lord—same material as the small iron shield; even sharp blades left no mark on it. It should hold some value in the cultivation world.

“This is refined iron! Hmm, such crude forging is a pity. The box itself is worthless, but refined iron is the most common alchemical material we cultivators use—such a large piece is rare. I’ll give you fourteen spirit stones. That way, you can get the other two techniques and still have ten spirit stones left.” The man’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the box; he took it, stroked it several times, weighed it, and immediately offered the price.

“Agreed.”

Wang Yu silently memorized the term “refined iron” and accepted at once.

As for the iron shield, no matter how dazzling the man’s praise, he would not reveal it.

The man stowed the iron box, then retrieved ten spirit stones and handed them to Wang Yu.

Wang Yu carefully packed the spirit stones, the book, and the two other items, gave them a quick check, and turned to leave the shop.

At that moment, the man called out with a smile.

“Fellow cultivator, I forgot to mention—these three beast innate objects are so cheap because they’ve been removed from their beasts too long and were never properly soaked in spiritual fluid; their spell patterns won’t last long. You should master the spells within a year, lest the patterns fade or degrade. But you’re not losing out—this price is absurdly low.”

Wang Yu paused at the door, silently cursed “greedy merchant,” and walked out without looking back.

“Another little fellow wanting to escape—how far will he get on this path? These nearly expired items are finally gone; otherwise, they’d have weighed me down, and my evaluation would’ve suffered. I just hope to leave this cursed place soon.” The middle-aged man muttered, picked up the bronze lamp again, and began wiping it slowly.