Part Two: Crouching Tiger, Bloody Fangs
Shen Jintian arrived at the gates of Chenghe by early afternoon, something that made him sigh emotionally once again as he filed into the slowly moving line to enter it. He had made the trip in less than two hours, which was just a little more than a third of the time it would have taken him previously. What's more, he hadn't been running, only bolstering his walking speed with Qi, but even that had shortened the trip by a considerable duration.
He was dressed in robes that were such a light blue that they appeared almost white. On his back were stitched in golden lettering the characters for "Drifting Snow", which he had been told was the rank assigned to Outer Sect disciples in his master's old Sect.
Combined with his slim frame, more toned now after his months of training but still nowhere near his previous size, he gave off a scholarly appearance. His skin was fair, his hands clean of calluses, and his dark hair long and flowing past his shoulders, stopping just above the small of his back. In all aspects, he resembled a member of elite aristocracy.
Of course, Jintian did not know this. In his heart and his mind, he still held himself in the image of a rough and tumble farm boy.
This fact ensured that he was growing more and more unsettled by the glances that were cast in his direction by others in line. He would smile and nod at any who met his eyes, who would then hurriedly look away, as if afraid to offend him. Jintian could do nothing about this but chuckle awkwardly to himself, confused by the attention he was getting.
As he finally reached the guards at the entrance, one of them studied him, a bright smile blooming on his face. "Good afternoon to you, honorable sir. If I may ask, what is your business in our city?"
Jintian lightly cleared his throat, concealing the surprise on his face with a gentle nod. Internally though, he could not believe the respectful attitude they had taken with him. Every other time he and Liuwen had come to the city, they were met with cool disinterest at best, and open scorn at worst.
"I am merely passing through. My master retired in a village to the south, and now that my business is concluded, I am heading to Jianling." He answered honestly. He was not as good of a liar as Liuwen was, and figured he could get by with a small bribe if the guards really pressed him.
Just as he was reaching into his pouch to do exactly that, however, the guards hurriedly bowed to him and parted. "Please then, honorable sir, enjoy your time in Chenghe." They said, and Jintian once more felt surprise filling him. Still, he was not one to let opportunity slip past him, and he immediately strode past them, sweating underneath his robe despite the chill in the air.
"Strange." He muttered to himself once he was on the main street. "Too strange."
Chenghe was alive in the early spring, crowds of people flowing in an endless tide throughout its hold. He saw countless street vendors calling out their wares, eager to make up for the slowed business in the winter. As new crops had yet to be sold, the city was awash with the scent of grilled meats and heartier grain breads that survived the cold.
The noise had always been offsetting to Jintian, but now with his far superior senses, it was deafening in a way the forest never could be. He grimaced, struggling to pierce the thick haze of voices, odors, and clattering horse hooves that seemed to demand his attention in dozens of different directions.
He quickly retreated into the nearest shop he could see, closing the door behind him and finally breathing in relief as the overloading burden lessened on his mind. Although it was not gone completely, as he could still hear and smell it beyond the door, it was now manageable.
"Ah, welcome to my shop, honorable sir!" He heard a prim and feminine voice call from the side. He finally took in his surroundings, and found that he seemed to have stumbled into some kind of jewelry store. Priceless stones and precious gems were solidly locked beneath wooden shelves with glass tops, and there were several pieces of glittering gold necklaces, bangles, and rings that were on prominent display.
He looked up and saw a delicate and pretty young woman smoothly gliding over the floor to greet him, while a large man wearing tightly fitted leather stood by the door, watching him with a careful eye.
The young woman subtly looked him up and down, and Jintian shivered as he felt like she had pierced through his very bones with that simple gaze. Her smile grew radiant and dazzling, and she bowed her head when she got close to him.
"I am Cao Huixian, honorable sir. Is there anything that you have come into my shop for in particular, or are you only browsing?" She asked, her voice soft enough to compete with silk.
Jintian felt a cold sweat form on his neck, and he groaned internally. He had only been trying to escape the noise, and now he was in what was clearly a high-end jewelry store. He certainly did not belong here. He had only the money he'd made when he'd sold the furs last summer, which was meant to last him the entirety of his trip to Shan'an.
Ensuring he kept his expression calm, he flicked his sleeve. "I am only browsing." He said, his voice calm and soft enough to surprise even him.
Cao Huixian shivered when she heard it, and for a moment Jintian thought he saw golden coins flash in her eyes. However, when he blinked again the illusion was gone.
"Oh certainly, honorable sir. May I introduce a couple of items that may suit you?" She implored, and he nearly sobbed internally. He felt bad for wasting her time, and shook his head.
"There is no need. There is nothing in here that I would want." He said, turning to leave. However, unknown to him, his demeanor, attire, and words simply screamed to Cao Huixian's trained sense that he was rich, rich, rich!
How could she possibly let such a big fish go? She had been bored out of her mind, as most of her business was done after a harvest. Such time was when lords and lieges both were flush with money, but now, just after winter, there would be no customers. And any customers she did have were all haughty small fry who only wanted to impress some local lady that they had set their sights on, absolutely tasteless and classless.
However, just when she had been debating on closing for the day, in walked this handsome young lord. Not only was his clothing of impeccable make, but his skin was fair only in the way someone's who had never done more than lift a brush in their life could be.
Furthermore, when he turned around just now, she could clearly see a crest stitched into the back of his robe. No one other than aristocracy, nay, royalty, would boldly claim their lineage like that. Although she could not quite discern what the characters meant, he was clearly a scion of great importance merely passing through their city.
Which meant if she didn't snag him now, she might never see him again!
"Young lord!" She hurriedly called, practically sprinting to stand in front of him, bowing deeply as if in reverence. Although really… she was standing between this young man and the path to retreat! "Truly your eye is impeccable. Indeed, nothing on display currently could catch the eyes of one such as yourself. Please, allow me to bring my specialty items to your attention. If you do not like even a single one of them, then I, Cao Huixian, will not even dare call myself a jeweler any longer!"
Cao Huixian could not see Shen Jintian's expression, but if she could, then she would have immediately known that… he was poor, poor, poor!
Jintian felt like crying. No, he really did feel some tears spring to his eyes. Trying his hardest not to sniffle, he looked forlornly at the door, and then at the man guarding it. The guard seemed taken aback, before frowning. He seemed to have caught on that Jintian was not what Cao Huixian thought he was, and was just about to speak up before she gritted her teeth, bowing even lower.
"Young lord! In fact, if you do not like even a single piece of jewelry I bring to you, then… I shall make you a custom piece, exactly to your demand!" She promised, before raising her head, though she did not dare to meet his eyes. "And in fact, I shall even do so for free! All I request is that when you are asked where you received such finery, to point them towards this one's store!"
Both the guard and Shen Jintian looked at her with shock. The guard only shook his head, clearly not wishing to get in the way of what was transpiring. He was paid to guard her store from thieves, but if she was going to just willingly give out money, that was none of his concern. Additionally… there was something about the young man that put him on edge. An animal instinct, buried deep in his subconscious, that told him if he tangled with the youth he would die. Undoubtedly.
Jintian was conflicted. On the one hand, he felt like there was something that she was greatly mistaken about with him. On the other… it was practically free money that she was handing him! He wrestled with the thought for a few moments, before finally sighing. It would be wrong to take advantage of her, even if he didn't know exactly how he was doing so.
However, just as he was about to refuse her, he felt something within his spiritual sense. Over the past few months, he had formed a habit of occasionally pulsing it outwards. He did not have it active at all times, as it was too much of a drain on his Qi without enough heavenly spiritual energy to replenish it reliably. Still, he did it at regular intervals on reflex, and just now he sensed…
Beast Core energy! Furthermore, it was especially powerful, nearly a dozen times stronger than the small marbles of Beast energy he had consumed previously. He sensed the vague shape of an orb the size of his fist, hidden away in the back.
Hiding his excitement, he looked closely at Cao Huixian in front of him. She was mortal, possessing none of the spiritual energy he would feel from another cultivator. Just how she had come into possession of such a Core he did not know.
"Very well." He said quietly, and a shiver ran through her as she cheered internally. Even if he did not purchase something from her, having a noble like him wearing one of her items would not necessarily end in a loss. Others would naturally imitate someone of his status and bearing.
Jintian was led toward the front counter, and he listened to Huixian's heartbeat accelerate as she raced to the back. She brought out item after item, priceless jades and glistening rubies and sparkling diamonds, but Shen Jintian kept his face calm as he shook his head at every piece she presented to him. In truth, they were all very impressive, and he felt bad about swindling her in this way. If he had the money, he would have bought any one of the items she brought out, but alas… he was poor. Although he had never really struggled for money before, he couldn't help but feel depressed with the fact that he could have worked a lifetime and never afforded the luxuries she seemed so eager to throw into his hands.
Cao Huixian smiled bitterly. She had been watching his expression carefully, but he only seemed more and more disappointed with every item she showed him.
Finally, she admitted defeat. If she had thought that he was trying to simply trick her, she would have pushed the issue. But seeing the genuine sadness in his eyes, she could only come to terms with the fact that nothing she could show him would impress the scion.
"Thank you for your patience, young lord." Huixian said, bowing. "Although it is a bit shameful, I am still grateful that you spared such time for me. Please follow me to the back, and we can select which gemstone and which metal you would like."
Jintian cleared his throat, his earlier mood brightening as he was led to the back. He only just barely stopped himself from gasping as he saw held within various custom cases were a veritable mountain of treasures.
He felt a cold shiver down his spine. Even just one or two of the items here would be enough to buy his entire farm. Cao Huixian, however, simply gathered the cases into her hands and deposited them into a hefty safe. She then led him to another safe, which she opened deftly, and pulled out two large boxes.
Opening both, she revealed to him a large number of precious materials, sorted neatly by category. "Please, select which gem you would like to use." Huixian said.
Jintian's eyes naturally settled onto the Beast Core that was in the very center of one of the boxes.
It was just slightly larger than his fist, and in his spiritual sense, it radiated with a wild and violent energy. Just like the marble sized Cores, he could see within it a swirling crimson haze. However, in this orb the haze was more like a roiling thunder cloud, and he could even see minute flashes of scarlet colored lightning.
"That one." He said, pointing to the Core. Huixian looked surprised, before smiling awkwardly.
"I'm sorry young lord, but that one is already spoken for." She mumbled apologetically. "Please choose another one."
Jintian frowned, and shook his head. "That is the only one I'm interested in." He said resolutely. She looked at first unsure of what to do, before she froze, her lips slowly drawing into a frown and her eyes narrowing as she studied him once again, her gaze inescapable. When she spoke, it was as a whisper.
"... are you, perhaps, Zhao Jintian?"