Hua Cheng kept walking along the same winding road for quite a while after his stop at the market, but eventually he gave up on the idea of finding that one specific bookstore. At least for today. He'd already passed by several other bookshops along the way anyway; he'd just get some random books from one of those.
Having decided, Hua Cheng promptly turned around and walked back. He'd seen a rather small bookstore just a few moments after he'd made his way out of the marketplace, and he thought he could try his luck there just as well.
Finding the store again was easy enough, though unfortunately it was even smaller on the inside than it already looked from the outside, and there was only a single shelf that wasn't even half full of books. Hua Cheng saw this the moment he stepped into the tiny room, and he only paused for a short moment before he promptly exited the store again, not even bothering to say a word to the shopkeeper.
Hua Cheng would have very much liked to avoid walking through the market again, but at least he was mentally prepared for the sight this time, and thus he didn't feel quite as sick once he'd walked past all those stalls again. Still, he made a mental note to avoid this place in his future explorations.
If Hua Cheng wasn't mistaken, another bookstore should be located just before the road had split into two, which would take him a while to get to. He managed to find his way back with no issues whatsoever, and when he stepped into the shop, he felt rather relieved. At least it looked like a proper bookstore of a decent size. There were even two other customers, one of which was currently tended to by who he presumed to be the owner of the store.
While Hua Cheng waited for the other two to finish their business here, he strolled around the several shelves, pretending he could read the titles. He'd hoped that the book covers, which were very different from the books he'd known up until this point, could give him some sort of clue about what the contents were, but he had no such luck. So instead, he wondered how these books were made. The books he'd read in his life had all been bound by string, and only had a paper cover. These books however had a much thicker cover, and looked quite heavy.
Hua Cheng couldn't help himself, and grabbed a random book from the shelf for inspection.
He'd been right; the book was indeed quite heavy, and the cover was made entirely of leather. He had to admit that it certainly gave the pages better protection than the simple paper covers he was used to, and he felt a little impressed.
"I see you've taken interest in my tomes", said the shop owner by way of explanation, once Hua Cheng had lifted his head to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I have indeed. However, I'm rather indecisive. Why don't you give me some recommendations", Hua Cheng requested.
"Oh, gladly. Most demons like to burrow fantasy stories, I can show you that section if you like. Though I have to say I find these philosophy tomes much more compelling. Personally, this one is my favourite: The dilemma of looking like your prey. It's a great read, and very thought-provoking", the owner said, and carefully pulled out a different book from the shelf, before holding it out for Hua Cheng to take.
Seeing the care with which the owner was handling his books compelled Hua Cheng to treat them a bit more carefully as well, which was he made sure to place the book he'd been holding back in its place properly, before taking the offered one.
Hua Cheng leafed through the book for a moment, before he closed it again.
"I will listen to your advice then. But I'd also like to do some light reading for simple entertainment."
"Very well, please follow me", the owner said.
Hua Cheng had tried not to stare while the owner was facing him, but it had been rather jarring to hear a human voice come out of a beak like that. The owner was undoubtedly a raven demon. And with not only the beak, but also the tail feathers, as well as the talons, he looked rather menacing. Though it was easy to tell by just looking into this creature's eyes that it was very intelligent. Hua Cheng certainly wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating it.
YOU ARE READING
The King's Mate - Part 2: Yaoshi
Fanfic--- Arc 2/3 --- Hua Cheng had just left Guishi behind and was on the journey back home to his palace in Banyue. He'd already been excited to finally see his gege and their two children again, after having been separated for a few weeks because of hi...
