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Chapter 37: The Absent-Minded Immortal Master
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 11:32:42 +0000 UTCDu Rong had always thought that after arriving in the capital, Chen Xiao would quickly establish his career. However, to his surprise, the next few days saw Chen Xiao spending his time sightseeing, exploring various attractions, and indulging in the city's famous local delicacies.
It was unclear how he gathered all his information, but in just a few days, he had traversed every corner of the capital. Even Du Rong, who had visited the city multiple times before, had never realized there were so many places worth seeing. Especially when it came to the vast array of food, Chen Xiao's culinary adventures had even restored some fullness to Du Rong’s once slightly sunken cheeks.
That morning, as soon as Chen Xiao stepped out of his room, he turned to Du Rong, who was already waiting outside, and said, "Uncle Rong, have the shop arrange for a short-distance carriage later."
"Understood, Master," Du Rong replied without hesitation. By now, he was used to this routine every morning, Chen Xiao would request a carriage. A standard carriage meant they would be moving within the city, while a short-distance one indicated a trip to the outskirts.
Du Rong was typically serious while working, always maintaining a clear boundary between business and personal matters. Despite the camaraderie they had built, especially after sharing a soak in the bathhouse, Du Rong had not significantly changed his demeanor. While it had brought them somewhat closer, he still maintained a professional distance, which Chen Xiao actually found reassuring. He had worried that Du Rong might suddenly adopt an overly enthusiastic elder’s attitude, but this balanced dynamic suited him just fine.
After having breakfast in the inn's main hall, the two set off in the carriage toward a marketplace on the outskirts of the capital. According to the inn’s water-fetching attendant, this particular market was quite unique. It gathered specialties from all the provinces of Dai Country, featuring rare fruits and livestock that were hard to find elsewhere. Due to the large number of merchants and travelers, the food stalls offered a diverse range of regional delicacies. While the market lacked picturesque scenery and grand architecture, it was an excellent place to experience different local customs.
Of course, Chen Xiao would never admit that he was primarily there for the food.
The journey took a full hour by carriage. Since they had hired it for a round trip, the driver parked it at a designated spot and went to rest at a nearby teahouse while Chen Xiao and Du Rong explored the market.
The marketplace was actually an extension of a small town, spilling out from one side and forming a bustling hub of commerce. Goods from all over the country were displayed, and various regional accents mixed together, creating a lively and chaotic atmosphere. Due to its function as a trade hub, the market was packed with people. Thankfully, with Du Rong by his side, Chen Xiao was spared from being squeezed into a pancake by the crowd.
With such a mix of people, pickpockets were inevitable. After Du Rong intercepted three separate attempts, Chen Xiao finally found something that piqued his interest.
They had left the fruit and dried goods section and were now in the daily necessities and miscellaneous goods area. This part of the market wasn't solely occupied by established traders; there were also lone merchants carrying high-quality goods. These individuals, lacking sales channels and unable to secure buyers in the capital, refused to sell their products at a loss and instead came to this market in hopes of finding discerning customers.
One such stall caught Chen Xiao’s attention. The owner had traveled a great distance with several bolts of exquisite fabric. Unfortunately, the capital’s silk and satin shops had fixed supply chains, and their wholesale prices were significantly lower than what he could offer. Forced to slash his prices, he was on the verge of making a loss, and his anxiety was evident in the chapped corners of his lips.
When he noticed Chen Xiao’s interest, the vendor immediately stepped forward, eager to make a sale. "Young master, you have a keen eye! These are genuine Zhiyun brocades from the south, the finest silk available."
He carefully refrained from touching the fabrics himself, merely rubbing his hands together while allowing Chen Xiao to examine them. Compared to the professional salespeople Chen Xiao had encountered in his past life, the vendor’s pitch was clumsy and lacking in confidence. Clearly, he was not skilled in persuasion, hence why he was reduced to waiting here in hopes of attracting the right buyer.
Fortunately for him, Chen Xiao was indeed interested. Zhiyun brocade was woven from silk, gold and silver threads, and rare bird feathers. The fabric featured intricate cloud patterns, its vibrant colors gleaming with a lustrous sheen. In his previous life, this type of brocade had once been tribute silk, reserved for imperial robes. By then, its production had become extremely limited due to the labor-intensive process of handweaving on large wooden looms, making it a rare find on the market.
The bolts before him were all solid-colored, available in deep indigo, frost white, azure, tea brown, begonia red, pale pink, silver red, and lilac. Chen Xiao pointed to the frost-white one and asked, "How much for this piece?"
The vendor replied cautiously, "Three gold coins per bolt, no less." It seemed that repeated rejections had worn down his confidence, making even his quoted price sound uncertain.
Three gold coins were enough to support a family of five for ten years. Given that most people at the market were just browsing, it was no surprise that many had balked at the price. However, to Chen Xiao, it was reasonable. He instructed Du Rong to pay for four bolts in the colors deep indigo, frost white, tea brown, and azure. His body was still growing, and he needed to replace his clothes frequently. These fabrics would be perfect for his spring and summer wardrobe.
Having made his purchase, his enthusiasm for shopping dwindled. He took the lead and headed toward the area with the most food stalls, selecting one that seemed reasonably busy and sitting down.
Meanwhile, Du Rong temporarily left to find a suitable container to store the fabric. Chen Xiao, under the waiter’s recommendation, ordered several popular dishes and waited for them to arrive.
As he idly scanned his surroundings, his gaze landed on a young boy of short stature. The boy carried a long rectangular case on his back, about the width of a violin case and wore a deep blue fitted outfit. He stood at around 1.6 meters tall, with a round face and single eyelids. His heavy eyelids gave him a perpetually drowsy look, while his slightly sunken nose bridge made his nose tip appear more prominent. His full lips were tightly pressed together, as if deliberately maintaining a stern expression despite his youthful, baby-faced features.
Despite his seemingly harmless appearance, Chen Xiao could tell from the aura surrounding him that he was a cultivator. And not just any cultivator, his level of cultivation was at least a full realm higher than Du Rong’s, comparable to the two disciples of Xi Yunqing.
Strictly speaking, this person was an immortal master.
Right now, however, this immortal master was lost in the crowd. He looked just like a kid following the adults to wander the martial world, only to accidentally get separated and now circling around in confusion.
Chen Xiao couldn't help but stare at him. Every time the boy passed by, the air currents shifted. Others might only feel the faintest breeze, not enough to ruffle a strand of hair, but to Chen Xiao’s eyes, it was completely different, like a mischievous child constantly stirring the surface of a pond. Just as the ripples settled, he would come back to disrupt them again.
After the round-faced youth passed by him for the fifth or sixth time, Chen Xiao finally couldn't hold back and spoke up. “Are you lost?”
The boy startled and turned sharply, his expression tense with wariness. “What? I’m not lost!”
Chen Xiao looked at him in silence. Did he really seem like a bad person? Why was this kid so on guard? Besides, the boy was an immortal master, while he was just an ordinary mortal. If he wanted to, a single finger could probably crush him.
“I’ve seen you walking back and forth a lot,” Chen Xiao pointed out.
The youth stiffened and replied gruffly, “I’m just… just looking for a place. I’m really not lost!”
What could Chen Xiao say to someone so determined to deny reality?
Just then, the food he ordered arrived. Chen Xiao pulled a pair of chopsticks from the holder and gave a perfunctory nod. “Alright, suit yourself.”
The round-faced boy froze. He had clearly been the one approached first, yet this guy was now ignoring him completely and had started eating instead.
He shot a resentful look at Chen Xiao, who was focused on his meal, then let his gaze linger on the bowl in front of him. In the end, he didn’t say anything and turned to leave.
By the time all the dishes had been served, Du Rong had returned. He carried a rattan box lined with soft fabric, carefully wrapping the woven Cloud Brocade before placing it inside.
Chen Xiao said, “Uncle Rong, you’ve worked hard. The venison soup is pretty good try some.”
Venison was too nourishing, so as a young and healthy man, Chen Xiao didn’t dare eat too much. However, for someone like Du Rong, who had just recovered from an injury, it would be beneficial.
Du Rong understood this as well. He didn’t bother with politeness, and most of the venison soup ended up in his stomach.
It was a cold time of the year, and after finishing a large bowl of hot soup, a thin sheen of sweat formed on Du Rong’s forehead. He set his bowl down with satisfaction and, in a rare display of straightforwardness, said, “That was refreshing! Following you on this trip has been a real feast.”
Chen Xiao slurped up a mouthful of chewy glass noodles, swallowed, and asked, “Oh? So you didn’t eat well when you were out training before?”
Du Rong sighed. “When training outside, you eat whatever’s convenient. In areas with fierce beasts, you don’t dare light a fire. Most of the time, we ate cold and hard food, flatbreads, jerky, things like that.”
Chen Xiao sighed along with him. “Making a living out there really isn’t easy.”
Just then, the air before him rippled slightly. Chen Xiao immediately knew that boy had passed by again. Ever since Chen Xiao had called out to him earlier, the boy had clearly reduced the number of times he walked past. Over the course of their meal, he had only done so three times, each time moving especially fast.
He was probably too embarrassed now and tried to sneak past. But no matter how much he tried to be subtle, the faint fluctuations in his aura betrayed him completely.
Perhaps due to the difference in their cultivation levels, Du Rong hadn’t noticed that a cultivator stronger than him had been lingering nearby. Blissfully unaware, he finished his meal, settled the bill, and asked, “Boss, do you have anywhere else you’d like to visit this afternoon?”
No matter how lively the market was, it had its limits. They had already explored two major sections, with only the livestock area remaining.
Chen Xiao was hesitating, wondering if he should check it out for any interesting animals, when the air before him suddenly rippled again, this time, the fluctuation was even stronger.
Turning his head, he looked past Du Rong and saw the round-faced youth standing behind him.
It was only then that Du Rong belatedly sensed something was off. He twisted around, his expression instantly turning serious.
The round-faced boy stood stiffly, looking down at him with a blank expression.
Du Rong’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t noticed at all when this boy had gotten so close, let alone the fact that he had positioned himself directly behind him, an extremely dangerous spot.
Oblivious to Du Rong’s alarm, the boy didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he lowered his voice and asked, “Daoist friend, do you know the way to the Inner River Wharf?”
Note: Although Du Rong is a supporting character, he won’t have a major role overall. Meanwhile, this round-faced youth who just appeared will be one of the mainstay companions.
