The market was even more interesting than Lu Fengmian had imagined.
He looked around everywhere, sometimes stopping in front of stalls selling protective talismans, sometimes curiously examining the strange components of magical artifacts.
Occasionally, he was hailed by street vendors peddling skewers of something called “spiritual candied hawthorn fruit,” glittering crystal-clear in the sunlight.
The Ink Jade Flood Dragon had also poked most of its body out from his sleeve, full of curiosity toward everything around it.
When they passed a stall selling spirit beast snacks, its nose twitched slightly, and its tail wagged without pause.
Lu Fengmian stopped and bought a small bag of dried silver-scaled fish.
The little dragon lowered its head to sniff, then carried off three pieces.
After strolling through half the street, Lu Fengmian finally stopped in front of a stall selling ornaments.
The stall was covered with all kinds of hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and bells; some styles were simple and elegant, while others were ornate and intricate, drawing many female cultivators to stop and choose among them.
Lu Fengmian’s gaze slowly swept across those delicate objects.
He picked up a jade hairpin, looked at it, then put it back down.
This one was too gaudy; with Junior Sister Yun Heng’s temperament, she definitely would not like it.
This one was too ordinary, as if she were not wearing anything at all; buying it or not buying it made no difference.
Why was this ornament set with such a huge gemstone? If Junior Sister Yun Heng wore it, she would probably be treated as a target for attack.
The stall owner was a round-faced middle-aged woman. Seeing him stand there for a long time, picking things up and putting them down without buying anything, she did not get annoyed, but instead smiled and asked, “Young Master, are you choosing something for your beloved?”
Lu Fengmian’s hand paused.
“No,” he answered frankly, “it’s for my younger sister.”
“Oh, for a younger sister.”
The stall owner revealed an
“I understand”
expression, and her smile grew even kinder.
“How old is the girl? Does she usually like plain things or bright colors?”
Lu Fengmian thought for a moment.
“Sixteen or seventeen, I suppose. She usually dresses quite simply.”
“Then this white magnolia hairpin would suit her very well.”
The stall owner enthusiastically handed him a hairpin.
“Dignified and elegant, not ostentatious at all, and most fitting for a young girl’s bearing.”
Lu Fengmian took it and examined it carefully.
He still felt something was off.
He was just hesitating over whether to go look in other shops when a surprised voice suddenly came from behind him:
“Senior Brother!”
Lu Fengmian turned around.
In the crowd, a tall young man in sword robes was striding quickly toward him, his eyes full of surprise and delight.
It was He Shi’an, Sword Peak’s direct disciple and the top of the elite rankings.
“Junior Brother He?” Lu Fengmian said in surprise. “Why are you here?”
“I came out of the scripture pavilion a few days ago and thought it had been a long time since I came down the mountain, so I came to town for a walk.” He Shi’an stepped forward in a few strides, his face carrying a brilliant smile. “I never thought I’d run into Senior Brother! What a coincidence!”
The corners of Lu Fengmian’s lips lifted slightly. He put the white magnolia hairpin, which he still could not make up his mind about, back on the stall and walked with He Shi’an toward the middle of the street.
“Has your cultivation in the scripture pavilion gone smoothly?” he asked.
“Smooth! Extremely smooth!” He Shi’an rubbed his head, looking a little embarrassed. “What Elder Shu chose for me happened to fill in the stage I previously could not understand. After several days of closed-door meditation, I have already reached perfect completion of the Golden Core.”
He paused, then added, “Speaking of which, I should thank Senior Brother for saving me at that time.”
“That time?”
“It was… that time we got locked outside the scripture pavilion.” He Shi’an’s face reddened slightly. “If Senior Brother hadn’t stepped in and resolved it, forget cultivation—we probably would have been blacklisted by Elder Shu already, and from then on we’d have to take the long way around every time we went to the scripture pavilion.”
Recalling that embarrassing incident from that morning, he seemed somewhat awkward. “You know my master’s temperament. If he found out I offended Elder Shu, he would definitely nag me for half a year. It was all thanks to Senior Brother.”
The two of them chatted as they walked. He Shi’an was clearly in a very good mood and spoke much more than usual.
He asked Lu Fengmian where he had gone these past few days and when he had returned to the sect. Lu Fengmian merely answered briefly that he had gone to the Beast Taming Sect. Hearing that, He Shi’an’s eyes lit up, and he repeatedly said, “As expected of Senior Brother.”
While they were speaking, He Shi’an suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Lu Fengmian.
“Oh right, Senior Brother, are you here for tonight’s auction too?”
“Auction?”
He Shi’an blinked, then suddenly understood. “Senior Brother didn’t know? The Lin'an Chamber of Commerce is holding an auction, and they started promoting it with great fanfare several days ago. I heard this time it’s a grand event, with Profound-rank magical artifacts, fragments of ancient pill formulas, thousand-year spirit herbs…”
As he spoke, he suddenly leaned mysteriously close to Lu Fengmian’s ear and lowered his voice.
“Most importantly, the final item is a sword seal left behind by an ancient powerhouse.”
Lu Fengmian’s brow twitched slightly.
A sword seal was not an ordinary magical artifact.
It was said that an ancient sword cultivator would seal within it a thread of their sword intent and Dao lineage. If someone could comprehend the meaning within it, they could glimpse the true meaning of their own sword path, and might even have a chance to learn a sword art passed down through the ages.
To sword cultivators, it was a priceless treasure.
“Is this news reliable?”
“It should be.” He Shi’an scratched his head. “My family participated in the preparations for this auction too, and they let slip a little information. They said that sword seal was obtained by chance by a rogue cultivator from a secret realm, but he could not understand it himself, so he brought it out in exchange for resources.”
As he spoke, even he himself seemed somewhat tempted. “If I didn’t know for certain that thing would be outrageously expensive, I would really want to try bidding on it.”
Lu Fengmian nodded and said nothing more.
But deep inside, a slight ripple had quietly stirred.
A sword seal left behind by an ancient powerhouse…
“I originally only came to watch the excitement. If Senior Brother is interested too, how about we go together?”
Lu Fengmian pondered for a moment.
He had already come down the mountain anyway.
“All right,” he nodded. “Let’s go take a look.”
He Shi’an’s eyes brightened, and he immediately turned to lead the way.
The Lin'an Chamber of Commerce’s establishment was located at the busiest street corner, with flying eaves and bracketed beams, looking extremely imposing.
There was a constant stream of people at the entrance. Many cultivators in all kinds of attire entered holding invitation slips. There were also some casually dressed cultivators standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to look inside, only to be politely directed to the side by the greeters at the door.
He Shi’an walked straight toward the main entrance.
He pulled out a token from his sleeve and flashed it before an elderly man at the entrance who looked like a manager.
The old man lowered his head for one look, and his expression immediately turned respectful. “So it is the young master. There is a private room on the second floor. Please come with me.”
He Shi’an nodded, then turned and gestured to Lu Fengmian. “Senior Brother, this way please.”
Lu Fengmian calmly followed, though several thoughts had already flashed through his mind.
He followed He Shi’an through the first-floor hall, climbed the wooden staircase laid with soft carpets, and was led into a private room facing the street.
The private room was not large, but the furnishings were very refined.
Red sandalwood tables and chairs, light gauze curtains hanging in front of the windows, and on the table stood an agarwood incense burner, its fragrance elegant and understated without losing its presence. Outside the window, it faced directly toward the auction platform below, giving it an excellent view over the entire venue.
The moment the two sat down, a maid pushed open the door and entered, quietly serving spirit tea and four kinds of spirit fruit, along with an extra plate of pastries.
The maid retreated to the doorway, bowed, and said, “There are attendants waiting outside. If Young Master has any need, please feel free to instruct us.”
After speaking, she gently closed the door.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
The private room fell quiet for a moment.