Zanxing

Chapter 8 - Pingyang Town (2)

Ten days later, they arrived at Pingyang Town.

Gufeng Mountain is located to the east of Duzhou, with a river named Lixiu flowing down from the cliffs. The river surged like a silver ribbon, and the boats swayed gently in the morning sun. Fishermen shouted unknown calls as they cast their nets into the river, dyed red by the sunrise.

Pingyang Town sits at the foot of Gufeng Mountain, beside the Lixiu River.

The carriage stopped at the city gate.

Hong Su helped Zanxing down from the carriage, and Old Niu cheerfully said, "Miss, this is Pingyang Town."

Zhanxing raised her eyes to look into the distance.

Pingyang Town is a small town at the foot of Gufeng Mountain. Looking up, one could faintly see the distant mountains, their peaks like clouds, shimmering with a five-colored glow. Amidst the purple mist, it resembled a fairyland in a secluded valley.

Old Niu followed Zhanxing's gaze and smiled, "That's the site of the Taiyan Sect. If the young lord successfully joins the sect, perhaps you can visit Gufeng Mountain to see the scenery there."

Zanxing withdrew her gaze and smiled back, "Let's go."

It was a bustling little town.

The streets were wide and clean, with carriages passing by from time to time. On either side were various shops and inns, filled with people in strange attire chatting on the streets. Some cultivators, wearing long swords, sat gracefully in tea houses sipping tea. There were also burly men with bare chests, arguing with a smiling old man while holding a glowing flower.

"Twenty spirit stones? Take a good look! This herb is a mid-level spiritual herb, 'Tao Hua Mian,' worth at least a hundred spirit stones!" the burly man shouted fiercely.

The old man in front of him wasn't afraid and replied softly, "Sir, this 'Tao Hua Mian' is indeed a mid-level spiritual herb, but its leaves are incomplete, and the flower is only half, so its quality is poor. Even if used for refining, its efficacy would only be one-tenth of a complete one. Twenty spirit stones are already enough. If you don't want to make this deal, you can check elsewhere. We have other business to attend to."

After a brief dispute, the burly man ultimately took the twenty spirit stones and walked away grumbling.

Zhanxing remarked, "That person is quite stubborn."

Old Niu, standing beside her like a dutiful assistant, explained, "That should be the 'Hua Jin Lou' (Hua Jin Pavilion) that others speak of."

"'Hua Jin Pavilion'?" Zhanxing asked.

"I've heard of it!" Hong Su chimed in eagerly. "I heard that Hua Jin Pavilion is the largest trading post in Pingyang Town. Some people bring their treasures here for consignment, and Hua Jin Pavilion takes a commission. They have all sorts of techniques, weapons, elixirs, and herbs. Since it's near Gufeng Mountain, disciples from the Taiyan Sect sometimes come here to trade. Many precious spiritual medicines and secrets aren't available at other trading posts!"

"The owner of Hua Jin Pavilion, Jin Feicui, is said to be a stunning beauty..." Old Niu's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Uncle Niu, don't just think about that beauty; let's focus on the beauty right in front of you first," Zanxing interrupted his daydream. "This place should have some herbs to treat my facial injury. Shall we go in and take a look?"

"To buy herbs, we need spirit stones," Old Niu pondered.

Right, in this cultivation world, the currency is spirit stones; ordinary money wouldn't work.

"Then let's take out some spirit stones," Zanxing waited for the two to pay.

Hong Su and Old Niu exchanged glances. After a moment, Hong Su cautiously said, "Miss, what are you talking about? We don't have any spirit stones."

"How is that possible?" Zanxing countered, "Am I not the young lady? How could I lack spirit stones?"

"But... but..." Hong Su looked at her with a pitiful expression, "The young lady used to ask the young lord for spirit stones directly. When we came out, we didn't bring any money..."

Zanxing: "..."

In the original story, "Young Lady Yang," despite being called the "young lady," actually didn't have much wealth, just a regular merchant background. If it weren't for her exceptional beauty, Wang Shao wouldn't have betrothed himself to her. Now that she had clung to Wang Shao, she had taken full advantage of that long-term meal ticket.

Buying clothes? Use Wang Shao's card. Buying jewelry? Use Wang Shao's card. Washing the pet? Use Wang Shao's card. From furniture to nail clippers, everything was on Wang Shao's card.

Wang Shao, a heartless card machine.

Thus, on this trip to Pingyang Town, Young Lady Yang didn't bring a single spirit stone; all transportation fees and daily expenses were covered by Wang Shao. But now, the problem arose: when Wang Shao separated from her, she realized she didn't have a single spirit stone in her pocket.

"A woman should have some money in hand," Zanxing sighed.

"It's alright, young lady," Old Niu thought of something, "Didn't you obtain a demon core? You can sell it to Hua Jin Pavilion for spirit stones."

"Right," Hong Su perked up, "That demon core is definitely worth more than that person's 'Tao Hua Mian'!"

Zhanxing interrupted their excitement: "I refined it."

"What?"

"I said," Zanxing repeated, "That demon core has been refined by me."

Hong Su and Old Niu were stunned into silence.

Zanxing looked at the bustling crowd in the distance, which appeared especially lively in the morning light. Pingyang Town seemed like a tourist town, exuding an unreal old-world charm.

But everything here was real.

The pain in her face was growing worse; she needed to find a doctor quickly. Without money, it was impossible to move forward. Despite wanting to avoid the plot from the past, fate seemed to push her to meet the characters and trigger the next part of the story.

Well, let's just go.

"Miss, what should we do now?" Hong Su asked.

"Let's go," Zanxing smiled, "to find our ATM."