SPLASH!
The waves churned. The Xiangshui was exceptionally turbulent today.
Although the aura had vanished in a flash, the dark figure moved swiftly through the Xiangshui. It swam through the water and quickly confirmed the approximate location of the aura’s source.
Considering the difficult trial that lay ahead,
the figure was unwilling to abandon even this glimmer of hope. Soon, a person in a hooded cloak appeared on the banks of the Xiangshui, walking steadily toward Jinning Town!
...
At the Jinning Huang Family estate, Master Huang’s eyes flickered as he ate his breakfast, and the surrounding servants all withdrew.
Only his most trusted butler entered from outside.
"Master, the men have arrived."
"They are Traveling Merchant Priests who were specifically sought out as they passed through Xiang Prefecture..."
Master Huang, who was in the middle of drinking his congee, was taken aback.
"What’s their level? They’re not the type..."
Hearing this, the butler hurriedly spoke up.
"How could you need to worry about that, Master? They’re legitimate cross-province merchants. The job was taken by a few peripheral members of a Traveling Merchant Priest caravan who were just a bit short on travel money."
"They have Tier Five Cultivation, and their leader is a Tier Three Sacrificial Priest."
Only then did Master Huang relax. He continued to eat his congee, casually picking up a couple of side dishes with his chopsticks.
"That will do. You’ve been busy all night. Have someone bring a bowl and chopsticks. Eat breakfast with me, then go get some rest."
Upon hearing this, the butler was ecstatic, so much so that he didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet.
He gingerly sat on the very edge of a stool at the lowest end of the table, his body still leaning forward, not fully seated.
Master Huang saw this clearly but said nothing, instead repeatedly urging his butler to eat.
Inwardly, however, he was making an assessment of the Traveling Merchant Priests.
’That boy, Zhao, has some skill, but he was born unable to practice Cultivation.’
’Even if he had some fortunate encounter, he couldn’t possibly be above Tier Two now. A Tier Three Sacrificial Priest is definitely enough...’
’But if it isn’t enough...’
’That might not be a bad thing!’
Actions have different scales and outcomes.
If handling Zhao Tiansheng proved to be a big enough favor, then the Huang Family would truly get more support when going to the Prefecture City for that opportunity.
After all, the Huang Family hadn’t spent all these years in Jinning for nothing.
If they really put their minds to it, anyone who crossed them would be in for a world of hurt!
A look of anticipation flashed in his eyes as Master Huang swallowed his last mouthful of congee.
’Let me see just what other characters are hiding in Jinning Town!’
’Anyone who stands in the way of the Huang Family’s rise...’
’...will die without a proper burial!’
...
The moment the Traveling Merchant Priests entered Jinning Town, they drew the attention of the local residents. After all, their attire, different from that of the Xiang Prefecture locals, and the Jade Certificates hanging from their waists, all pointed to their origins.
Without these Jade Certificates, these Traveling Merchant Priests would attract special attention from the local Government Office wherever they went.
They could even be arrested on the spot at any time until they proved their identities were legitimate.
Thus, these Traveling Merchant Priests valued their Jade Certificates as much as their own lives.
However, the fact that these few men had come without any goods to sell, carrying only book baskets and wearing silent expressions, caused a stir throughout Jinning Town.
Changshu and a few other more worldly townsfolk, who occasionally traveled to the Prefecture City to sell goods, suddenly slapped their foreheads as if recalling something important. They exchanged a few words with those nearby and then rushed off toward the small town’s various eateries and restaurants.
These cross-province Traveling Merchant Priests were almost all individuals with limited aptitude and achievement on the path of the Sacrificial Priest or the path of Cultivation. They hoped to break through their old barriers by roaming through the Jiu Province.
In fact, as long as they could complete a single cross-province trade journey, they were more or less guaranteed to achieve some kind of breakthrough.
This was what many Cultivators, stymied by a lack of resources or aptitude, were most enthusiastic about.
Likewise, their experiences along the way would become secrets, which was why these people often became the source of all kinds of trouble throughout Jiu Province.
As a result, some places were extremely hostile toward Traveling Merchant Priests.
Furthermore, Traveling Merchant Priests loved to engage in "sparring matches" with local Sacrificial Cultivation practitioners whenever they arrived in a new place. Some of these were simple spars, but others used sparring as a pretext to seize things they coveted by force.
This was why these Traveling Merchant Priests did not have a very good reputation.
After all, once these people left with their main caravan, it was often very difficult to find them again.
Unless a major incident like a death occurred, even the local Government Office would have a hard time tracking these guys down.
It was precisely because Changshu and the others had remembered the reputation of Traveling Merchant Priests that they rushed into town to warn the Sacrificial Priests at the restaurants and eateries to be wary of these troublemakers.
If they really started trouble with the people of Jinning Town, the locals would act together. They certainly wouldn’t let their own people suffer a loss.
...
"Tiansheng, you need to be careful! Based on my guess, these people might be here for you!"
Slightly out of breath, Changshu ran into Zhao Tiansheng’s small restaurant and told him about the Traveling Merchant Priests.
Chi Xuan, hidden behind Zhao Tiansheng, shifted her gaze slightly. It seemed she could already see the outsiders who had entered Jinning Town, and a hint of coldness appeared on her face.
’They’re just a few Tier Five Cultivators, Tiansheng... Let me handle them!’
Against those from the Non-human World, Chi Xuan couldn’t easily make a move, as it would be easy to leave traces that would attract investigation from all sides.
But for these Traveling Merchant Priests to drop dead on the road somewhere would be the most normal thing in the world.
No one would care where they had been.
’Sister Chi, there’s no need. Just let me handle it.’
’This is a perfect opportunity for me to see what Sacrificial Cultivation outside of Sheng Province is like...’
Suppressing the killing intent in Chi Xuan’s heart, Zhao Tiansheng kept a smile on his face.
"Uncle Changshu, I understand. This isn’t a big deal."
"By the way, I went out and got some excellent quality pine mushrooms. The shredded pork with pine mushrooms topping is very good today. Would you like a bowl?"
Zhao Tiansheng, who already had a plan, pulled Uncle Changshu over and had him sit down quickly.
He was certain that these Traveling Merchant Priests were here to cause trouble for him. Since Liu San and his gang of thugs hadn’t found an opportunity, these priests had shown up instead. Zhao Tiansheng now had a pretty good idea who was really pulling the strings.
Jinning Town was only so big. There were only a few parties who could afford to make such a grand move.
"You kid..."
"You’ve always been full of ideas since you were little, anyway."
"I won’t say any more."
Seeing that Zhao Tiansheng wasn’t worried, Changshu didn’t move from his seat. An adult needed to stay here, no matter what.
Besides, Zhao Tiansheng’s cooking was truly superb. If he said the topping was very good, then today was a day for a treat.
Before long, a steaming bowl of rice noodles with shredded pork and pine mushrooms was served. The aroma of lard drifted up from the bowl, which was dotted with pine mushrooms and mixed with tender strands of stewed pork. Beneath a light soy-sauce-and-meat broth lay snow-white rice noodles, garnished with a generous amount of green onions. The fragrance was so tantalizing it would make one’s mouth water from a single sniff.
Mind you, Changshu had already eaten a bowl of rice with broth before leaving home, but upon seeing this bowl of noodles, he couldn’t resist his appetite. Without hesitation, he picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
SLURP, SLURP, SLURP.
With a series of loud slurps, the smooth rice noodles slid directly into his mouth.
Many shops in Jinning Town served rice noodles in the morning, but only Zhao Tiansheng’s were exceptionally smooth—tender, yet with a distinct, clean bite.
He didn’t add starch or anything similar. The quality came from being freshly made and using a blend of different rice varieties, especially the addition of aged rice, which made the noodles refreshing without being too fragile and gave them an especially rich, rice aroma.
Rice noodles made with a higher proportion of regular rice, while having a strong aroma, also broke easily—that was simply the nature of ground rice.
To solve this problem, one either had to increase the water content in the noodles or use different types of rice to increase their resilience. To avoid this trouble, many places in Xiang Prefecture simply added some starch.
As a result, their noodles lacked the authentic taste of those found in the towns outside the Prefecture City.
To say nothing of Zhao Tiansheng’s handmade noodles, which were crafted from a specially selected and precisely proportioned blend.
When he ate the shredded pork and pine mushroom topping, the texture of the pine mushrooms was a revelation. They were smooth, yet had a unique, slight crispness that crumbled at the bite, unlike the soft, meaty texture of common mushrooms. This, combined with their rich umami flavor and the tender, stewed pork, was simply intoxicating. Even a single mushroom would coat all the other ingredients in the mouth with a layer of exquisite flavor.
The rice noodles, originally having only the taste of rice and salt, became increasingly savory and rich.
The broth was savory, the topping was savory, and the noodles were fresh. It was completely addictive. There were no overpowering flavors, just a simple deliciousness that made him unable to stop himself from taking another bite, and another.
It could be said that it wasn’t until Changshu had finished the entire bowl and looked up that he was struck by a sudden realization.
’Tiansheng’s cooking skills...’
’They’ve improved again?!’
...
"Boss, it seems the residents here aren’t too friendly to us!"
The Traveling Merchant Priests, with their Jade Tokens hanging at their sides, searched for their target within Jinning Town while conversing amongst themselves.
Having arrived in Xiang Prefecture, they were eager to see for themselves just how many spectacular delicacies could be found in Xiang Prefecture City, a place known as the heart of Sacrificial Priest activity in central Sheng Province.
But their purses were light.
If not for that, they wouldn’t have accepted this job to come to Jinning Town and stir up some trouble. Ideally, they would take over the target’s restaurant directly.
"As long as we don’t make a huge scene and follow the proper rules of the Sacrificial Lineage,"
"what can they possibly do?"
The tall man in the lead, wearing a conical hat and carrying a book basket, wasn’t concerned.
Compared to cultivators like them who traveled with the large caravans of Traveling Merchant Priests, the local Sacrificial Priests were nothing more than delicate flower buds in a greenhouse.
Even against another at the level of a Tier Three Sacrificial Priest, he was confident he could crush most of them.
Otherwise, on what basis would he have stepped up to take this well-paying, yet low-difficulty, mission?
"It’s time to let these sheltered children, who have never faced any real hardships, experience the true responsibilities of the Sacrificial Lineage!"
Patting his book basket, the tall man gave a cold smirk.
Soon, they stopped outside a small alley. Not only was this one of their designated targets, but a distinct and rich aroma wafting from within also genuinely caught their attention...