Severing Time & Space

A Day of Rest

While training was important, it was equally important to rest when one's muscles so they could recover and rebuild.

It was their day off from training; Wu Jian, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu had decided to visit the market that day, to see if there was anything interesting for sale. While it didn't happen often, sometimes one of the merchants or shop owners would get an unusual trinket or an item that could be used to increase a person's training.

Wu Jian had once discovered an item called a gravity stone, which could be used to increase the gravity around a set area. Working with a heavier than normal gravity had allowed him to increase his training's productivity. Sadly, the gravity stone had been of subpar quality and only lasted for one month. But that one month had been enough for him to receive an explosive growth in his strength.

"I love how it's so lively but not crowded like the Imperial Capital," Hou Jingshu commented as they wandered through the streets.

"Is the Imperial Capital really that bad?" asked Wu Jian.

"It's horrible. You can't walk ten feet without bumping into at least fifty people, and there are pickpockets who use the crowds to steal your money and slip away. I remember one of the few times Father let me leave the palace. My wallet was stolen. Then I got lost chasing after the thief. I was almost kidnapped by some ruffians after that. Honestly, if it wasn't for Liu Bei finding me when he did, I might not be here."

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying could only gawk at Hou Jingshu as she regaled them with her biggest misadventure when she was younger. They had no idea what her life had been like before arriving in Zahn City. Hearing her tale of woe made them wonder if she might have been cursed with bad luck.

"That's... pretty crazy," he said at last.

Wu Meiying nodded. "Very crazy, though I guess I'm not too surprised. The more people who exist within one place, the more crime there will be."

"That's why I like Zahn City. It's small and doesn't have all the luxuries of the Imperial Capital, but it's also pretty and there aren't so many people that I have no breathing room," Hou Jingshu said.

"I could imagine," said Wu Jian with a slow nod. "Anyway, let's check out Won Ju's Medicine."

The group wandered down the main street to Won Ju's Medicine, but they all stopped when they got there. Nothing about the shop had changed outwardly. There didn't appear to be anything different. Yet Wu Jian noticed how there wasn't a single customer inside, which was unusual in and of itself.

While Won Ju's Medicine was not the only store that sold medicine and ingredients, they did have the largest and most extensive selection available. The vast majority of Zahn City's residents came there for their everyday needs.

"Something seems wrong here," Hou Jingshu murmured, fingers pressed to her lips.

"Let's go inside and see what's going on," Wu Meiying suggested.

They entered the store to see that it was just as empty on the outside as it was on the inside. Only one person was inside of the store, Won Ju, the proprietor, and he looked like he had seen better days. His face was drawn and there were bags under his eyes. It looked to Wu Jian like he had been going days on end without sleep.

"Mr. Won, what's going on? Is everything okay? Why are there no customers?" asked Wu Jian.

"Ah. Young Jian and Meiying. It's good to see you both. Hello, Ms. Hou, it is a pleasure to see you again," the disheartened proprietor said. If Wu Jian had to describe the man's voice with a single word, he would have said the man sounded "defeated."

"What's wrong, Mr. Won? How come there are no customers?" asked Wu Meiying.

Won Ju released a long, drawn out sigh. "All my customers are... gone. I'm guessing you haven't heard yet since you're asking. About three days ago, the Ming Family began selling Healing Pills in the north market. Word spread, and ever since then, my business has been dead."