One month later, Gu Wanhao brought Gu Changhuan and Gu Shiyou from Nine Perches Market to Cloudheaven Market.
Gu Shiyou possessed quite a talent for alchemy, and much like Gu Changhuan, he was already a First-Tier Middle Grade alchemist.
Gu Wanchang also brought Gu Changcheng and Gu Changze from Emerald Maple Mountain.
Gu Changcheng truly lived up to his reputation as a little genius with Dual Spirit Roots; in just ten short years, he had already reached the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, whereas Gu Changze was currently only at the seventh layer.
It was worth mentioning that Gu Changze had also become a First-Tier High Grade spirit talisman master!
Now working under Gu Wanhua in the General Affairs Hall, he was quick-witted and efficient, which quickly earned him Gu Wanhua’s favor.
Gu Wanhao and the others arrived at Cloudheaven Market first.
Cloudheaven Market was three times the size of Nine Perches Market!
After paying the entry fee, they settled into an inn within the market, while Gu Wanchang’s party arrived the following day.
The three cousins of the Chang generation were excited to see one another.
Gu Changcheng was especially warm toward Gu Changhuan and trusted him deeply.
Without his quick intervention in the classroom ten years earlier, Gu Changcheng might have died then and there.
He certainly would not be where he was today.
After that, he had wanted to become friends with Gu Changhuan.
Unfortunately, Gu Changhuan had soon been taken to the market and had seldom returned to the clan over the next ten years.
Still, Gu Changcheng visited him whenever he came back to Emerald Maple Mountain, so they knew each other fairly well.
As for Gu Changze, he always greeted his clansmen with a smile, leaving no room for estrangement.
Gu Shiyou and Gu Changze had been playmates since childhood and were delighted to be together again.
Gu Changhuan, having spent a long time away from his other relatives, was overjoyed as well, and Gu Wanchang looked on with a warm smile.
“The four of you, go out and look around!
Remember that fighting is strictly prohibited within the market!
Just be back before the curfew.” Mutual affection and unity among kin naturally strengthened the clan’s cohesion, and the elders were always pleased to see the younger generation enjoying themselves.
At Gu Wanchang’s words, the four youths felt as delighted as students starting a long holiday, scattering out of sight in the blink of an eye.
“Let us find somewhere to eat first!
Changcheng and I have spent days on the road, and I am sick of Inedia Pills.
I hear Xiaoxiang Restaurant does a roaring trade, and its roast spirit pig is superb.
My treat!
Let us have a proper meal.” Gu Changze proposed.
“I doubt you’re only craving the food at Xiaoxiang Restaurant!
Their Yunxiang Spirit Wine is equally famous, and I refuse to believe you haven’t set your sights on it,” Gu Shiyou teased.
Anyone slightly familiar with Gu Changze knew of his fondness for wine, a trait he shared quite openly with Gu Wanhao.
“Quite right, Little Uncle.
Good food deserves good wine.
Without the wine, the food loses much of its appeal!” Gu Changze bobbed his head as though expounding a profound truth.
“So that was you, Sixth Brother!
I kept catching a whiff of wine on the way here,” Gu Changcheng said, understanding at last.
“Since Sixth Brother is treating, I certainly won’t stand on ceremony!” Gu Changhuan spent most of his time at the market and dined at the Gu Clan’s own restaurant.
While the clan’s spirit chefs were skilled, eating the same fare for ten years made even the finest dishes wear thin.
Chatting and laughing, the four made their way toward the center of the market.
Xiaoxiang Restaurant occupied a prime location right in the heart of the district.
The moment they stepped inside, a waiter hurried forward to greet them.
“Welcome, Fellow Daoists, to Xiaoxiang Restaurant.
Please, right this way to a second-floor private room!” Noticing the clan emblems on their robes, the waiter guided them upstairs without a second thought.
Once settled in the private room, the waiter promptly stepped forward to pour tea for each of them.
“Four honored guests, here is our menu.
Whatever you desire, just name it, and I will personally urge the kitchen to prepare it immediately.” Retrieving the menu, the waiter handed it with both hands to Gu Changze, who sat at the head of the table.
“One roasted spirit pig, two pots of Yunxiang Spirit Wine, and a serving of Good Fortune and Good Luck.” After placing his order, Gu Changze passed the menu to Gu Shiyou, who added two more dishes.
The four ordered eight dishes in all, then the waiter withdrew.
“Xiaoxiang Restaurant certainly deserves its reputation.
Even the waiter is at middle Qi Condensation,” Gu Changze said with a sigh.
“The Yun Clan owns this restaurant.
You can see what it means to be a Golden Core clan,” Gu Changhuan said, impressed as well.
“If we work hard, our clan is sure to prosper more and more!” Gu Changcheng said firmly.
“Naturally!” Gu Shiyou agreed without a shred of doubt.
They talked and laughed in the private room, and before long all the food and wine had arrived.
Yunxiang Spirit Wine lived up to its reputation.
It went down smoothly, leaving a soft, sweet aftertaste, and contained a remarkable amount of Spiritual Qi.
After just one cup, Gu Changhuan felt his Spiritual Power increase a little.
The increase was tiny, but drinking it regularly would probably work as well as cultivation pills.
Better still, spirit wine contained no pill toxins.
Many cultivators used it to aid their cultivation, which was one reason men and women alike were so fond of wine.
“This really is good wine.
I wonder if we can buy some to take back,” Gu Shiyou said.
Even as an alchemist, he dared not take too many pills to aid his cultivation.
Yunxiang Spirit Wine seemed a good alternative: despite his poor tolerance for alcohol, he could drink several cups.
A supply of it would help his cultivation.
“A small quantity should be fine, but buying in bulk will likely prove difficult,” Gu Changze noted.
Working in the clan’s General Affairs Hall, he understood that resources like spirit wine were rarely sold in large amounts to outsiders; the bulk was kept for internal use, and some clans even distributed it as welfare.
The roast spirit pig lived up to its reputation too.
The little pig had springy skin and tender meat, rich without being greasy and delicious even on its own.
All four loved meat.
Their chopsticks scarcely stopped as they ate with relish, their faces glowing.
“No wonder this place is so prosperous.
These dishes are leagues ahead of our clan’s Dining Hall!” Gu Changcheng praised between bites.
The other three were too absorbed in eating to reply.
Gu Changhuan had ordered a fish dish and discovered, when it arrived, that it was spicy.
The slices were silky and tender.
As a lover of spicy food, he ate a full half of the fish himself.
The other dishes were good too.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the four called the waiter back.
When they explained that they wanted to buy wine to take away, the waiter looked troubled.
“I am afraid we have rules about takeaway wine.
Each guest may buy no more than five pots of spirit wine, or three in the case of Yunxiang Spirit Wine.” “Do you happen to have any Second-Tier spirit wine for sale?” Gu Changhuan suddenly asked.
Both Gu Wanhao and Gu Xuanzhan were fond of good wine, so acquiring Second-Tier stock would make a fine offering for the two elders.
“We carry Green Leaf Spirit Wine and Red Mulberry Spirit Wine, both Second-Tier Low Grade.
If you wish to purchase them, guests are restricted to one pot of each variety,” the waiter replied.
They agreed that each of them would buy three pots of Yunxiang Spirit Wine.
Gu Changhuan also bought one pot of Green Leaf Spirit Wine and one of Red Mulberry Spirit Wine.
Naturally, they had to pay out of their own pockets; had Gu Changze offered to cover the entire bill, his entire savings would have been wiped out on the spot.
“You certainly have money to spare, Seventeenth Brother!
Alchemy really does pay best.
But it is so hard to learn.
Luckily, I have some talent for drawing talismans,” Gu Changze said with a sigh.
“You flatter me, Sixth Brother.
I had to steel myself to spend that much on second-tier wine.
Besides, the Nine Perches Mountains border demon territory.
Talismans sell just as well as pills.” Gu Wanhua was every bit as wealthy as Gu Wanhao, with plenty of money to spare.
His five pots cost over four hundred Spirit Stones.
Even with the money he had saved, Gu Changhuan winced at the expense.
They parted ways shortly after leaving Xiaoxiang Restaurant.
Gu Changhuan intended to browse the rogue cultivator stalls.
Cloudheaven Market was far more bustling than Nine Perches Market, and with the impending Cloudheaven Auction, even Foundation Establishment experts occasionally set up stalls here.
He first returned to the inn, changed into clothes without the clan emblem, and put on the jade pendant the patriarch had given him.
Still not satisfied with these precautions, he disguised his face as well.
Finally, he put on a broad-brimmed hat and left the inn.