Within the vast reaches of the Vermillion Ginkgo Forest, famed for its beautiful scenery and relative safety, a rather odd pair were currently strolling beneath its towering canopy.
One was a man wearing a bright yellow changshan, and carrying an erhu. The other was a handsome and slim man, but slung across his shoulders was a gargantuan bear that dwarfed him in size, while he dragged two large panthers with either hand. Huang Ruifeng seemed to be troubled, as he continuously glanced to his side at his compatriot.
Shen Jintian, for his part, was in a considerably good mood. He was humming a small tune to himself, a variation of the song his little brother had sung once, so long ago.
Spirit stones~ Spirit Stones~ Oh how I love you, Spirit Stones~
Even by conservative estimates, he was currently carrying fifty spirit stones worth of demonic beast. His back and arms strained with the effort, as the three creatures' combined weight neared a full one thousand pounds. But just thinking of the sound the spirit stones clinking together would make made him forget about his burden. Instead, he looked at them much the same way Cao Huixian had looked at him when she thought he was a young lord.
As large bags of money!
Such was his mood that he didn't even seem to notice the troubled expression on Ruifeng's face, until finally the man spoke.
"The forest is usually safer than this." He muttered, and Jintian paused his humming to glance at the minstrel.
"What was that?" He asked, and Ruifeng looked at the monster carcasses Jintian was carrying.
"Usually, seeing demonic beasts is a rare sight. Even mortals like myself can travel the woods safely, so long as we know which territories to stay away from." He explained. "To be attacked by so many in one day… it is not a good sign. I worry there may be trouble deeper in the forest that is driving the creatures from their territories."
Jintian considered his words. Come to think of it, Kang Shanxi had only returned with three beast cores, and that was a round trip. Jintian had, in only two days, tripled that amount.
"If it's something capable of driving these creatures out en masse, I think it might be beyond my ability to deal with." He finally reasoned, and Ruifeng's eyes widened.
"Oh no, I did not mean to trouble you with it. I was only thinking aloud. I'll report it to the town's chief, and see what he would like to do." He said, and Jintian nodded.
"Chief, huh?" He muttered, thinking back to his own village. "How far away is it now? You mentioned we were close."
Ruifeng smiled, tapping the neck of his erhu. "Only another ten minutes or so. You'll smell it before you see it. Guipi Zhen is renowned for its production of cinnamon." He said, and Jintian tilted his head ever so slightly.
"Cinnamon? What is that?" He asked, and Ruifeng stared at him for a few moments.
"Young fellow, you only get stranger by the hour." He said, and Jintian shrugged, returning to humming his song.
True to Ruifeng's word, after another five minutes, Jintian saw a break in the treeline. Just past it, stone walls rose high in a clearing, while a small river rolled past the opposite side of their path. There was also a scent in the air, strangely spiced yet sweet. Jintian figured it must have been the cinnamon Ruifeng had mentioned.
As they approached, Jintian swept the entrance with his spiritual sense, and was surprised to find that it was manned entirely by cultivators, nearly a dozen or so. Although these cultivators were also all below the Third Circle, sensing so many of them at once was a shock.
One of the guards peeked their head over the ramparts. "Hail! Is that Ruifeng I see? Didn't you just leave not too long ago? And who is that with you?"
The minstrel laughed awkwardly. "It seems fate had other plans. This is Shen Jintian, one of your fellows. He saved my life!"
The guard, an older man with a trimmed beard and loose armor, nodded to them. He was only of the Second Circle, but carried himself with a fair bit of confidence. "I see you've brought some beasts with you. Not enough room in your bag of holding to carry them?" He called down, and Shen Jintian frowned.
Even if his pack had been emptied entirely, fitting the two panthers alone would have proven troublesome. The bear was out of the question completely. Kang Shanxi had been right, it would seem his bag of holding was unusually small.
"I may have to purchase a larger one!" He called back, and the guard laughed, nodding. He then waved a hand, and the gate swung open, allowing the duo to enter. Once they passed through, the gates closed behind them with a rumbling boom.
The town was seemingly ordinary, though was far larger than Anhe. While not quite the size of Chenghe, he could still see rows of buildings that stretched a good distance away, while the town's interior was a bustle of activity. Through Jintian's spiritual sense, he realized that while the guards were all cultivators, many of the residents were mortals. Filing that information in his mind, he turned to see Ruifeng smiling at him.
"Many thanks for escorting me here, young fellow. I'll make my way to the chief to make that report I mentioned." He said, then gestured towards the town. "If you're looking to sell those beasts, there's a spiritual pavilion close to the center of the town. It will have a bronze sculpture of a dragon in front of it."
Kang Shanxi had told Jintian about these spiritual pavilions. In towns that weren't cultivator-centered, they served as the main hub for most things a traveling cultivator might need, such as spiritual herbs and medicines, cultivation pills, magical items, or other necessities.
Jintian nodded his thanks, while Ruifeng bowed. "Thank you again for saving me." He said, and Jintian smiled as he took his leave. After a few steps, he turned his head. "If you happen to still be in town by evening, you can hear me play in Copper Saddle tavern. I have an agreement with the owner there, and I can get you a free meal and a bottle of baiju."
"Perhaps I'll have to take you up on that offer." Jintian said, and Ruifeng chuckled, bowing his head again before walking away. Soon he disappeared into the crowd, and Jintian readjusted his hold on the beast carcasses before walking forward.
He earned many strange looks as he walked through town, soaked in blood and carrying three dead beasts with him. Jintian was a little embarrassed, but remained cheerful as he nodded his head to anyone who stared at him for too long. Soon a wide berth was given to him, and after several minutes he finally arrived in front of the pavilion Ruifeng had mentioned.
It was a large building, nearly twice the size of the Border Bureau had been. It stood at three stories, and was wide enough that Jintian figured that each floor could fit a half dozen or so rooms. There was a small fountain in front of it, with a bronze flood dragon that lay curled in its center, water spouting from its mouth.
Jintian approached the entrance, and found that the doors were surprisingly wide enough for him to carry the bear directly inside.
He briefly scanned the entrance, but remembered the Foundation Establishment expert's chastisement, and quickly retracted his spiritual sense. The interior of the building was large and sparsely decorated, arched doorways separating the building into several different sections. He saw several people sitting on cushioned seats in what appeared to be the main hall, in cross legged meditation. Further into the interior he could hear the ringing of a hammer on steel, though he could not see its source.
As he stood there, a young man glided out from one of the archways, a smile plastered on his face. A quick scan from Jintian revealed him to be a cultivator, though only in the First Circle.
"Greetings, sir. How might I help you?" He asked, his eyes darting to the beasts Jintian carried.
Jintian cleared his throat. "I was hoping to sell these creatures, and perhaps purchase a bag of holding." He said, and the young man nodded.
"Certainly. If you'll wait here a moment, I can have our demonic beast appraiser come and inspect your bounty." The youth said. Jintian nodded his assent, and he walked away primly, in that same strangely elegant glide. Jintian briefly thought about asking the youth to teach him how to walk like that, but decided against it.
After a few moments, the youth returned with another man, appearing to be Jintian's age. His cultivation, however, was above Jintian's, as he could not clearly sense it.
The man was handsome, though his hair was a bit unkempt, while his robes looked burnt and frayed at the edges. His eyes darted around, never settling in more than one spot for too long, until they focused on the beasts in Jintian's possession.
"Sir, this is Shangguan Anshen, our alchemist and demonic beast expert." The youth introduced, and Jintian smiled.
"Nice to meet you. I am Shen Jintian." He greeted, and the man nodded absentmindedly, gesturing with his hand towards the beasts.
Jintian obliged, setting them down carefully. They dominated most of the entrance's space, and Jintian circled around the bear to stand beside the youth while Shangguan Anshen inspected them over.
"Juvenile Crimson Cloud bear. Damage to many of the organs, but the liver and heart are intact." He muttered to himself, pressing a hand to the bear's fur. "Fertile, good, good."
He continued to make low remarks and observations about each of the beasts, before he was seemingly satisfied. Anshen turned to Jintian, his eyes once more darting around. "I think fifty three spirit stones would be fair. The kidneys and lungs of the bear are too damaged for use, and that panther's heart has been ruined by Sword Qi." He said, and Jintian nodded. He had nearly bisected one of the Viper Panthers with his sword, as it had ambushed him shortly after his fight with the bear and startled him greatly.
"I hear Crimson Cloud Bears aren't common in this area." He said, recalling what Ruifeng had said. "On account of its scarcity, perhaps fifty five spirit stones would be more fair?"
Anshen pursed his lips, muttering to himself some more, before nodding. He waved a hand, and a bag of holding flew out from his sleeve, opening to pour spirit stones into the air. Jintian opened his own bag of holding, and soon the deal was complete.
Anshen turned to the meditating cultivators. "Which one of you is Liu Feng?" He asked roughly, and one of the cultivator's eyes snapped open as he stood.
"I am, Senior!" He exclaimed, and Anshen nodded.
"Very well. Carry these to my lab. You may assist me today." He commanded, then flicked his sleeve and swept back through the hall he had come from. The cultivator, an older man in the Second Circle, grunted as he hefted the bear onto his shoulders. He took a few wobbling steps forward, then seemed to find his footing, and waved his hand to store the panthers into his own bag of holding. He then followed after Anshen.
Jintian watched the small procession curiously, and the youth smiled as he saw his expression.
"They are all hoping to be his apprentices." He explained, and Jintian nodded as he finally understood. Alchemy was the premier profession among cultivators, followed closely by what Jintian hoped to pursue, spirit forging. He looked at the rest of the meditating cultivators, who he realized were patiently waiting for their chance to prove themselves to Shangguan Anshen.
I might be like them, when I attempt to find a forging master. Jintian thought to himself, then shook his head. He needed to focus on getting accepted into the Sect first. He could worry about his possible profession later.
"I believe you stated you were looking for a bag of holding as well. Is there a size you were hoping to find?" The youth asked, and Jintian turned his attention back to him as he shook his head.
"What sizes do you offer?" He asked, and the youth smiled slightly.
"We offer only three sizes here, the largest being five hundred square meters, the second being two hundred square meters, and the smallest being fifty. The smallest will cost you twenty five spirit stones, the second will cost you fifty, and the largest will cost one hundred. If you are looking for a larger size, they are only available in the larger cultivator cities."
Jintian nearly wept internally at the prices. By his guess, his current bag of holding was a mere twenty five meters. He debated the cost with himself for a few moments, before sighing deeply.
"I'll take your two hundred meter size." He grumbled reluctantly, and the youth's expression brightened.
"Certainly sir. If I might take your payment, I will have the bag of holding out to you momentarily." He said, and Jintian gritted his teeth as he coughed over his hard earned spirit stones. The youth swept them away into his own bag of holding, before turning to leave.
"Ah, if you also have a scroll on the demonic beasts that inhabit the forest from here to Shan'an, I would also like that." He said, and the youth paused, thinking for a few moments.
"I think we have something like that. Please wait here, I will include it with your purchase of the bag of holding." He finally answered, and Jintian nodded. While he waited for him to return, Jintian curiously peeked his head through one of the archways, where he heard that ringing metal sound coming from.
He could see faint, purplish light glowing in the hallway, emanating from a side room he couldn't quite peer into. Instead, he saw someone's shadow splashed against the wall of the wide corridor, their arm raising and slamming downward in rhythm with the clanging.
"Here you are sir." A voice called behind him, causing Jintian to jump with fright, emitting a scream just high enough to cause him shame. He wildly looked back to see that the youth had returned, a small bag in his hand, while he too had jumped backward and screamed with Jintian.
"M-my apologies sir, I did not mean to startle you!" He hurriedly stammered, and Jintian put a hand over his heart. It pounded in his chest, and he let out a deep breath as he steadied his nerve.
"No, it's alright." He assured the youth, before taking the bag. He opened it and scanned it with his spiritual sense, and was immediately gratified with his purchase as it was nearly ten times as spacious as his previous bag of holding.
He then pulled out a scroll from the new bag, unfurling it reading the words for a few moments before nodding, satisfied. The youth smiled once more.
"You are free to enter the hall to the right, to peruse other magical items. We also have a medicinal bath house for use if you wish to clean yourself, in the second hall to the right." He said, and Jintian looked down at his grisly state. He was covered in dried blood, and his robes had been torn open.
Clearing his throat, Jintian gave an embarrassed smile. "A trip to the bath house might serve me well." He admitted, and the youth's smile widened as his eyes sparkled.
"Wonderful. The fee is one spirit stone for two hours to soak in our medicinal spring." He said, and Jintian's smile turned wooden on his face, before a hollow laugh left him. Of course.
Why should he have expected it to be free?