Yuanbei Continent was indeed quite different from Dingsi Continent in customs and culture, but perhaps because Zhelin City was closer to the demon territory, the cultivators here were all quite bold and unrestrained in their behavior.
Weisheng Zhen had only been sitting outside that bookstore for a short while when he felt the noise was giving him a bit of a headache.
Why were these people so loud?
Still, he did manage to pick up some useful information.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into them, but they insisted that humans stole their treasure, and I got searched three or four times when I left the demon territory. Those demons were out of their minds too they even searched my spatial ring. Lucky, I had a backup plan, or if that batch of goods had been found, those crazy demons would definitely have put a bounty on my head. This is the skin I just changed into, and I don’t want to waste it that fast!”
Weisheng Zhen listened for a while and roughly gathered that what they called “goods” was probably a general term for treasures and such.
“But now that I’m back, once I sell that batch of goods… heheh, I’m going to go have some fun with those people!”
Weisheng Zhen frowned slightly, then quickly lowered his head to look at the book spread open in his hands, not even sure which page he’d flipped to, afraid of being noticed by others.
The conversation over there continued: “You got lucky this time. You don’t know the batch of goods I moved last time wasn’t great, and the money ran out within a few months. So I just took on a mission, planning to head out and give it a try. If it works out, I should be able to rest for a few years.”
“Be careful, then. Things aren’t peaceful lately. I can tell this demon territory is about to see some big changes!”
The two quickly walked away, and Weisheng Zhen’s gaze drifted vaguely over the pages, lost in thought.
Combined with what City Lord Wu had said earlier, the reason the demon territory’s ruler was so agitated might indeed be related to that stolen treasure.
Stolen by human cultivators?
Either way, he would need to be careful about everything once he left.
Weisheng Zhen listened a while longer, and after finding that there wasn’t much more useful information, he decided to take a walk around the city to see if he could find where these cultivators took on missions.
He closed the book he’d picked up and was just about to stand and return it when he suddenly noticed the large characters on the cover.
The Unspeakable Things Between the Pure Young Hero and the Icy Sword Cultivator
Weisheng Zhen: “…”
Wait a minute? What the hell?
It wasn’t that Weisheng Zhen was easily curious. A few days ago, in the eighth-floor illusion of the Nine-Turn Buddha Pagoda, he had returned home, and the modern memories he’d somewhat forgotten had suddenly come flooding back. Now, seeing the words “sword cultivator,” he easily thought of Li Changshuang, the male lead he’d written about.
Weisheng Zhen knew that quite a few people in this cultivation world enjoyed writing novels. When he was in his early twenties and had snuck into a town at the foot of the mountain, he’d picked up a novel out of curiosity only to find halfway through that it was fanfiction, starring Sect Master Lin and Pavilion Master Hua.
Seeing those two great powers of the cultivation world completely out of character entangled in tender romance, whispering sweet nothings, and exchanging honeyed words, Weisheng Zhen felt like his eyes were going to fall out. It got so bad that for a while afterward, he actively avoided Sect Master Lin.
Later, his master had even pulled him aside for a private talk, saying that even if he had some issue with the sect master, he shouldn’t make it so obvious.
After that, Weisheng Zhen never read any more novels from the cultivation world.
This time, it was mainly because he’d only noticed that the bookstore had outdoor seating, and he’d grabbed a book without paying much attention to what it actually was.
It was only now, seeing it, that he was shocked.
Not only that, compared to the shockingly long title, what stunned him even more was the author’s name.
Crazy Shipper.
Weisheng Zhen had originally planned to leave immediately, but upon seeing the author’s name, he instantly sat down quietly.
He wanted to see just what kind of nonsense Xian Yuyi had written.
This novel had been completed sixty-seven years ago, and the copy in Weisheng Zhen’s hands was already the third edition—it seemed to be quite popular.
Flipping open the first page, Weisheng Zhen was so startled he nearly threw the book out of his hands.
Huh?
Were fanfiction writers these days this bold? They just straight up used his surname?
After flipping through a few more pages, Weisheng Zhen could basically confirm that this novel was indeed about him.
That so-called “ice-cold sword cultivator” it couldn’t be,
No way, right?
Weisheng Zhen didn’t actually have much aversion to fanfiction, but reading fanfiction about himself was simply too embarrassing especially out in public like this. It almost felt like he wasn’t wearing any pants. He quickly stood up, put the other books back, and prepared to buy this one to read quietly at home.
Then he would strongly condemn Xian Yuyi, and the two of them would definitely have a proper back-and-forth argument on the Immortal Slate later.
But just as Weisheng Zhen placed the book on the counter, the clerk in charge glanced at the title and suddenly smiled: “Honored guest, the book you’re holding is the earliest installment of the entire ‘Pure Young Hero’ series. After that, the author Crazy Shipper successively published more novels in the series, totaling twenty-four books in all. Would you like to purchase the complete set?”
Twenty-four books…
Weisheng Zhen’s eyes went numb. He nodded mechanically, and the clerk’s smile became much more genuine: “That will be three hundred top-grade spirit stones.”
“That expensive?” Weisheng Zhen couldn’t help but frown. The clerk quickly explained: “Our Yuntian Bookstore is the only bookstore in the entire cultivation world where you can purchase novels by Crazy Shipper. Moreover, all our materials, packaging, and promotion use the finest, top-tier quality the series has been widely praised since its release. Besides, inspiration is priceless. Selling you the entire series for three hundred top-grade spirit stones is already a very favorable price. You know, when Crazy Shipper released a new volume a few years ago, a single book could sell for fifty top-grade spirit stones.”
Weisheng Zhen had only mentioned it casually he wasn’t actually short on spirit stones. He quickly paid and tossed the books into his mustard-seed space.
It was only after walking out of the bookstore that he remembered he had originally been planning to find the location where quests were handed over in this city.
The matter of condemning Xian Yuyi could be put aside for later. Weisheng Zhen paused mid-step, and instead of heading back to the inn, he began wandering through the city.
The quest handover location wasn’t hard to find at all. He didn’t even need to ask around he could see a glaringly obvious sign with a few words written on it.
“Come Get Rich Quick”
Weisheng Zhen was stunned, but he couldn’t help stepping inside.
That sign, it had such a strong pull!
“Esteemed Daoist, are you here to take on a quest?”
No sooner had Weisheng Zhen walked in than someone came to greet him. He was about to shake his head and decline, but the receptionist smiled politely and said: “The Daoist’s aura feels quite unfamiliar around here. If you wander into restricted areas carelessly, you might easily be followed. If you have no intention of taking on quests, you could also consider whether you need a guard. Everyone here is a cultivator hired through proper channels there will absolutely be no cases of murder and robbery.”
“The robes you’re wearing look like they’re from a cultivator from Ding Si Zhou. Besides those, we also sell robes, artifacts, and talismans that conceal one’s aura. Also, once you leave Cun Di, an ordinary jade boat is like a sitting duck out there. Would you like to take a look at the special jade boats we sell in our shop?”
At this, Weisheng Zhen was genuinely surprised.
Just a cultivator tasked with receiving guests could glean so much information from his attire and movements. He couldn’t help but wonder how many people had seen through him during that brief exposure at the bookstore.
Weisheng Zhen wasn’t like Li Changshuang, who traveled and cultivated in various places. Over the years, he’d been no different from a flower raised in a greenhouse, and only now was he getting a real feel for the cultivation world. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. “Then let me take a look…”
“I’ll join you.”
Hearing Li Changshuang’s words suddenly, Weisheng Zhen glanced at him in surprise.
When had this man arrived?
As if reading the confusion in his eyes, Li Changshuang said, “There are too many people here. I’ll explain later.”
Seeing that the two knew each other, the receptionist led them up to the third floor.
The first and second floors were where tasks were exchanged, while the third floor onward was where trade and transactions took place.
Li Changshuang seemed very familiar with the place. After politely declining the receptionist’s continued accompaniment, Weisheng Zhen transmitted his voice, asking, “Why do you look so practiced at this? Have you been here before?”
Li Changshuang said, “I came a few years ago, but not in Zhelin City. Cun Di has quite a few demons and monsters, which suits sword cultivation.”
Though Li Changshuang had only said a few simple words, the demons of Cun Di could hardly be simple. Coming here just after entering the Void Refinement stage a few years ago he must have harbored a mindset of burning his bridges, determined to succeed or die trying.
The cultivation world was cruel. Even a genius, no matter how gifted, was nothing but a hollow shell of flashy moves without real combat experience.
Take Weisheng Zhen, for example.
Though he often went down the mountain to slay demons and could even kill above his level, when it came to truly facing those desperate outlaws, his strength and ability were far from sufficient.
Weisheng Zhen knew his own shortcomings. Though he was trying to overcome them, having lived in the modern world, how could his mindset change so quickly?
No matter whether the person across from him was guilty of heinous crimes, as long as they were human, he found it hard to deliver a killing blow.
He wondered when he would truly adapt to the rules of this place.
Most of the items traded on the third floor were things Li Changshuang already had in his mustard-seed space. Taking care of Weisheng Zhen, who was here for the first time, he unexpectedly took on the role of guide for once.
“This robe, at first glance, seems to only have a defensive formation added to it. But if you look closely, you’ll find the formation has been slightly modified on top of its defensive base. When spiritual power circulates through the formation, it can be converted into demonic energy, used to simulate the aura of a demon race when entering Cun Di. This way, you can avoid harassment from some demon clans.”
“This artifact looks like a pair of mother-and-child cauldrons, but it’s actually a type of mustard-seed space. Once the mother cauldron is placed in a fixed position, it can’t be moved. The child cauldron can be carried around. If you have any treasures, you can send them through the child cauldron to the mother cauldron. It’s suitable for certain ‘under-the-table’ dealings.”
Weisheng Zhen understood it was for goods that weren’t easy to move through the open, all of which could be handled through this mother-and-child cauldron.
“This boat can turn invisible and also simulate the aura of demonic beasts. If we want to enter the Inch Grounds, we’ll need to switch to this kind of jade boat, or one that can both turn invisible and conceal our aura otherwise, we’ll easily be spotted.”
Weisheng Zhen followed Li Changshuang around the third floor for a while longer, taking in many novel items that couldn’t be found in Dingsi Prefecture, before reluctantly preparing to leave.
But going out empty-handed like this made Weisheng Zhen feel a bit uneasy, so after some deliberation, he decided to go ahead and purchase that Mother-Child Cauldron.
He had a feeling that magical artifact might prove quite useful in the future.
After returning to the inn, Li Changshuang took out a number of garments from his mustard-seed space.
“These are all clothes I picked out before entering the Inch Grounds last time. I originally planned to, these are all unused and brand new. If you like them… take them all.”
Weisheng Zhen, however, was a bit taken aback.
The clothes casually brought out already numbered over thirty pieces, with styles and tailoring all of the finest quality, and just a quick glance revealed that these robes weren’t even prepared for Li Changshuang himself from a few years ago.
These styles, instead, seemed more like what Weisheng Zhen might have liked a few years back.