Chapter 55: The Market
“Jingxue! Jingxue! Look, I’m almost at the Golden Core stage!”
Bai Jingxue, emerging from her meditation, glanced at the dog wagging her tail excitedly at the foot of the bed. Lü Qingyan’s cultivation had indeed progressed.
The cat was pleased. Lü Qingyan was naturally talented, and with Bai Jingxue’s guidance, she had been improving rapidly.
Bai Jingxue stretched, her muscles aching pleasantly, then leaped down from the bed.
Although her expression remained impassive, she couldn’t help but praise the dog. “Good job,” she said.
Those two simple words were enough to send Lü Qingyan spinning in circles, her tail wagging furiously. She nudged Bai Jingxue with her nose. “What reward will you give me, Jingxue?”
The word “reward” triggered a rather embarrassing memory. Bai Jingxue stared at the dog, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What are you planning?”
Lü Qingyan grinned. “We haven’t been down the mountain in a while,” she said. “I heard Fu Yuan mention that the disciples are holding some kind of trading event. Will you go with me, Jingxue?”
So it was just a simple request. Bai Jingxue let out a sigh of relief, then felt a pang of disappointment.
She shook her head, dismissing her inappropriate thoughts, then nodded curtly.
This trading event hadn’t been mentioned in the original story, but it seemed to be a cultivation version of a farmer’s market. Cultivation required a lot of spirit stones, and earning them through missions was risky. The stipend provided by the sect was only enough to cover basic necessities.
Disciples with limited power had to find other ways to earn spirit stones. Crafting weapons, refining pills, creating talismans, and setting up formations were the most profitable skills.
But as Bai Jingxue browsed the stalls, she noticed something strange. The stalls selling weapons, pills, talismans, and formations were mostly deserted, while a large crowd had gathered around a single stall selling books.
Lü Qingyan, her curiosity piqued, tugged Bai Jingxue’s tail. “Jingxue, let’s go check it out!”
Bai Jingxue disliked shopping. In their past life, Lü Qingyan had always been the one dragging her to stores.
The cat and dog brazenly cut in line, or rather, they simply walked through the crowd, settling down at the vendor’s feet.
The vendor was dressed in the robes of an Ejian Sect disciple, but the small sword embroidered on the chest of her robe was missing a blade. Inner sect disciples had three blades, outer sect disciples two, and servant disciples only one.
This was clearly an outer sect disciple. She wore a veiled hat, its fabric occasionally lifted by the wind, revealing a mask beneath.
As if that weren’t enough, her voice changed with every word, suggesting the use of a voice-altering artifact.
The only certainty was that she was female.
“Hey! Come one, come all!” she shouted. “Exclusive stories, available only here!”
“A sickly Senior Sister slays her way through the cultivation world for love! Junior Sister is smitten!”
“A ten-thousand-year-old fox demon signs a contract with a human, only to discover that the human is the real treasure, possessing endless pills and treasures!”
“I accidentally stabbed the main villain, and he fell in love with me! How strange!”
The more Bai Jingxue listened, the more familiar those stories sounded.
Lü Qingyan, however, was enthralled. As a dog, her entertainment options were limited. These stories sounded intriguing.
“Jingxue, let’s buy some,” she whispered.
Bai Jingxue glanced at her. “Can you even read?”
Lü Qingyan, embarrassed, admitted that she was illiterate. She then had a brilliant idea. She nudged Bai Jingxue with her nose, her voice a playful whine. “Read them to me, Jingxue. Please?”
Bai Jingxue subtly moved away, her expression aloof, but her heart was pounding.
Lü Qingyan tried to get closer, but Bai Jingxue placed a paw on her head, her voice firm. “Why don’t you learn to read yourself?” she said. “You can’t rely on me for everything.”
Lü Qingyan sat down obediently, wagging her tail. “But I can’t live without you, Jingxue,” she said. “I’ll die.”
She then dramatically collapsed to the ground, her eyes rolling back, her limbs twitching.
Bai Jingxue sighed. She couldn’t win against Lü Qingyan’s dramatics. But they were just pets. Where would they get spirit stones?
Those books weren’t free.
“We don’t have any spirit stones,” she said.
Lü Qingyan, in her past life, had never worried about money. She hadn’t considered this. The realization that she was now a penniless dog stunned her.
Seeing the dog’s crestfallen expression, Bai Jingxue couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
Perhaps she could perform some tricks to earn some spirit stones. A fire-breathing Golden Core cat would surely attract a crowd.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was too proud. She glanced at Lü Qingyan, her heart aching at the sight of the dog’s miserable expression.
She gritted her teeth. She was just a cat. Why should she care about human dignity?
Just as she was about to sacrifice her pride for the dog’s happiness, Lü Qingyan suddenly perked up. “Jingxue, I have an idea!”
Bai Jingxue, startled, her heart skipping a beat, withdrew her paw, her voice hesitant. “What idea?”
The solution was simple. Lü Qingyan dashed back to the mansion, grabbing Luo Nianshang’s robe with her teeth and pulling her towards the market.
Luo Nianshang, assuming the dog was in distress, followed, arriving at the bustling market.
The moment she appeared, the lively atmosphere vanished, replaced by an icy silence.
These ordinary disciples rarely had the opportunity to encounter their ancestor. Now, this legendary figure was standing before them. They were terrified.
But Luo Nianshang was also terrified. She hated crowds, and this market was teeming with people. Her expression became even colder, her anxiety intensifying.
Someone finally reacted, dropping to their knees. “Greetings, Ancestor!”
The others, as if waking from a dream, followed suit, their voices echoing through the market.
Luo Nianshang clenched her fists, her voice cold. “Rise.”
“Thank you, Ancestor!”
They rose, but they remained frozen in place, their bodies stiff.
Bai Jingxue, watching this scene unfold, felt a headache forming. She guessed that Lü Qingyan had intended to have Luo Nianshang pay for the books. It wasn’t a bad plan, but had she considered who Luo Nianshang was?
The Sword Saint. The most powerful being in the world. The leader of the righteous realm. The oldest living monster. A force capable of silencing even the cries of demon cultivators.
Bai Jingxue sighed silently. Lü Qingyan, however, oblivious to the awkwardness, whined, tugging Luo Nianshang’s robe, trying to get her to move.
She finally managed to drag Luo Nianshang to the book stall.
The long line of eager customers had vanished, leaving only the trembling vendor, who was clearly contemplating a hasty retreat.
Lü Qingyan, releasing Luo Nianshang’s robe, barked excitedly, then jumped onto the stall, her paws tapping the books she wanted.
“Woof!”
These, these, and these! I want them all!
Luo Nianshang, staring at the dog wagging her tail furiously, then at the cat, who had buried her face in her paws, pretending to be a mushroom, finally turned her gaze towards the vendor, who was frozen in terror.
Surprisingly, Luo Nianshang understood. She picked up one of the books Lü Qingyan had chosen, flipping through it. “You want to buy these?” she asked.
Lü Qingyan nodded eagerly, then spun in circles, chasing her tail, before settling down.
Luo Nianshang flipped the book over, her gaze falling upon the title. Her hand froze.
“The Domineering Sword Saint’s Fierce Love: My Runaway Bride!”
The Sword Saint’s mind reeled. She resisted the urge to toss the book aside, trying to reassure herself.
Perhaps this “Sword Saint” wasn’t her.
She opened the book to the first page. The only sound in the entire market was the rustling of paper.
The Sword Saint’s name was Luo Nianshang.
She slammed the book shut, then picked up another one.
“Reborn as the Sword Saint’s Cat: My Path to World Domination!”
“A Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Woman Finds Love: My Never-Ending Night with My Nemesis!”
“Help! All Seven of My Girlfriends Are in Love with Me!”
“My Two Masters Are Acting Strange!”
The Sword Saint, who had lived a life of celibacy, was once again bombarded with new and rather disturbing ideas. And that “ten-thousand-year-old woman” title felt a bit too personal.
Lü Qingyan, seeing Luo Nianshang’s silence, nudged her with a paw. “Woof?”
Bai Jingxue, the mushroom, burrowed deeper into her paws, chanting, “She can’t see me, she can’t see me. Dog’s actions, not cat’s actions.”
Luo Nianshang’s gaze shifted from the books to the vendor. She could see through the vendor’s disguise. She memorized her face, her voice cold. “Such books are forbidden within the Ejian Sect,” she said. “I will overlook your transgression this time, but these books will be confiscated and destroyed. Report to the Disciplinary Hall for your punishment.”
Lü Qingyan’s jaw dropped. She had simply wanted to buy some books. She hadn’t intended to get anyone in trouble.
Bai Jingxue sighed. “Who brings a police officer to a porn shop?” she thought.
The vendor, her veiled hat trembling, wailed, “No, Ancestor! These books are my life!”
Luo Nianshang’s expression darkened. “A cultivator should focus on the Dao,” she said.
She waved a hand, and the books vanished.
She scooped up the dog and cat, then disappeared, leaving the vendor standing there, her face pale with shock.
The other vendors, their hearts filled with sympathy, were about to offer words of comfort when the vendor suddenly jumped up, her voice filled with rage. “I’m going to write you into my story!” she screamed. “You’ll regret this!”
She then glanced around nervously, her shoulders slumping when she confirmed that Luo Nianshang hadn’t returned. She left, her head bowed.
Luo Nianshang, back in her chamber, her face and ears flushed, was furious.
She paced her room, her anger simmering, until she resembled a pufferfish.
The cat and dog sat before her, their tails wagging.
Seeing them, her mood lifted. She remembered that Lü Qingyan had wanted those books, but she couldn’t condone such inappropriate material.
Lü Qingyan barked, nudging Luo Nianshang’s shoe with her nose, her tail wagging, her eyes pleading.
Luo Nianshang’s resolve crumbled. She considered this for a moment, then decided that a dog wouldn’t understand those books anyway. She retrieved the books Lü Qingyan had chosen, placing them on the floor.
Lü Qingyan was ecstatic. She rolled around at Luo Nianshang’s feet, then grabbed a book in her teeth, dashing around the room.
Luo Nianshang’s mood continued to improve. She suddenly felt a surge of curiosity about these scandalous books.
She picked one up, opening it randomly, her gaze falling upon an illustration.
She slammed the book shut, her face burning.
This time, it was embarrassment.
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