On a similar one-meter-square black cloth sat several white porcelain bottles and a few slightly worn-out Lower Grade Magical Artifacts. There were also two hides from Tier-One Demon Beasts, essential materials for creating High Level Talismans, capable of holding Spirit Ink and enhancing a Talisman's power.
At that moment, a middle-aged Cultivator in a cyan Taoist Robe was haggling with Shen Yunjiao. After some back-and-forth, the Cultivator left a few Talismans, picked up the two Beast Hides with a satisfied look, and walked away from the stall area.
Zhao Zuo approached the stall, squatted down, and sniffed at the medicinal fragrance wafting from the porcelain bottles. Unfortunately, the body's original owner had no knowledge of pharmacology, so he couldn't identify a thing.
He then examined a nearby Defensive Magical Artifact. It was a hexagonal shield shaped like a Heart-Protecting Mirror. Its longest diameter was about twenty centimeters, and its shortest was around fifteen. Several dents marred its surface, ruining its appearance.
"Taoist Friend Shen, may I pick it up for a closer look?" Zhao Zuo asked cautiously. 'When trading at street stalls, it's taboo to handle the merchandise without permission. You must wait for the owner's consent.'
"Of course," Shen Yunjiao nodded, her beautiful eyes quietly sizing up Zhao Zuo. 'His muscles are showing signs of secondary development. A change like this... he must have progressed in his Body Refining.' What intrigued her most, however, was the anxiety and fear Zhao Zuo occasionally let slip—an emotion that made him stick out from everyone else.
Zhao Zuo shifted the bag of Spirit Rice to his left hand, gripping it tightly, and picked up the Heart-Protecting Mirror with his right.
[Level: Lower Grade Magical Artifact · Golden Light Mirror]
[EXP: 0/200]
[Status: Not upgradeable]
[Creation Points: 6]
Zhao Zuo quickly came to a conclusion. 'The internal Spirit Patterns are slightly damaged, but it's still usable.'
"How many Spirit Stones?"
"So, Taoist Friend Zhao is looking to give me some business? In that case, I'll give you the absolute lowest price: ten Spirit Stones."
Shen Yunjiao said with a giggle, and as she moved, the curves of her chest strained against her clothes, looking as if they might burst free at any moment.
"Ten is too expensive. A brand-new Lower Grade Magical Artifact averages only fifteen Spirit Stones," Zhao Zuo said, scoffing inwardly. 'And she calls *that* the lowest price? It's obviously higher than the normal market rate.'
"Oh? Then what price does Taoist Friend Zhao think is fair?" Shen Yunjiao asked with a faint smile.
"Eight Spirit Stones," Zhao Zuo offered, what he considered a very fair price.
"Deal," Shen Yunjiao said instantly, her smile this time coming from the bottom of her heart.
Zhao Zuo realized it instantly. 'I overpaid.'
In the Moyun Market, damaged Magical Artifacts had a very niche audience. Any Cultivator with a steady way to earn money would never choose a damaged artifact that could fail at any moment—after all, their life could depend on it. Only those Cultivators in the early stages of Qi Cultivation, who struggled to earn Spirit Stones, would save up to buy one.
Still, Zhao Zuo took out three Spirit Stones and an upgraded Willow Leaf Dart. Seeing this, Shen Yunjiao understood his intention and accepted the Spirit Stones and the dart, placing them into the Storage Bag at her waist.
"The Golden Light Mirror is yours."
With that, Zhao Zuo had traded away all his repaired Willow Leaf Darts. Only the two un-upgraded ones in the hidden clasp at his waist were left.
After completing the transaction, Zhao Zuo stood up but didn't leave, his gaze lingering on Shen Yunjiao.
'Since the road home was the most likely place to run into Tribulation Cultivators, why not latch onto someone strong for the trip? Shen Yunjiao, an experienced fighter at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, was clearly that person.'
An hour passed in a flash. Shen Yunjiao finally waved a hand to pack up her cloth and stood, intending to leave the Moyun Market. After all, she needed time for her own Cultivation and couldn't spend all of it tending a stall.
Seeing this, Zhao Zuo awkwardly approached her, racking his brain for a way to ask to tag along without earning her disgust.
"Well now, Taoist Friend Zhao, were you waiting for me? All sales are final, you know," Shen Yunjiao said, her eyes narrowing as a greedy smile spread across her face.
Faced with her smile, Zhao Zuo subconsciously took half a step back and hastily explained, "No, I'm not trying to make a return! I'm just a little worried about getting ambushed on the road and was hoping to walk back to Qingni Lane with you."
"Oh? Well, as long as you're not trying to return something..." Shen Yunjiao breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening. But that softness lasted only a moment. "Who did you piss off recently?"
A scrutinizing glint flashed in her eyes. She had no intention of becoming Zhao Zuo's human shield for no good reason.
"No, no, that's not it," Zhao Zuo said. "It's just that an old fortune-teller told me I was headed for a bloody disaster."
"You mean Old Li from the Market?" Shen Yunjiao scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. "He told me I was facing a bloody disaster six years ago. The path to the Immortal Dao is a long one... bloody disasters couldn't be more normal."
"Fair enough." Hearing her say that, Zhao Zuo relaxed considerably. After all, two people had now told him that Old Li's fortunes weren't reliable.
"Let's go," Shen Yunjiao said coolly and started walking toward the market exit. Zhao Zuo hurried to keep up. As they walked side by side, a faint yet lingering floral scent wafted into his nose, and he instinctively took half a step away from her.
Many of the ancient trees along the road were thick, having grown for a hundred or two hundred years. Their lush, green canopies formed vast umbrellas that blocked out the sun, casting deep shadows on the ground below.
The Moyun Sect must have cleared these trees when it was first established, but nature always finds a way. It took a hundred years for them to grow back to this state.
The pair walked on together, the sun stretching their shadows long behind them.
"You keep approaching me. Are you after something?" Shen Yunjiao finally spoke, breaking the silence between them.
"Uh..." Zhao Zuo was at a loss for words. Would it be inappropriate to say he just wanted to be friends? 'The social skills from my past life don't apply in this world anymore.'
"So you *are* after something," Shen Yunjiao stated, her tone certain. Mana circulated to the Magical Artifact at her waist, ready for use. She began to suspect this was a trap laid for her. Her eyes darted around, searching for potential ambushes, even as she asked calmly, "Are you trying to become my Tao Companion?"
"No, that's not it at all," Zhao Zuo immediately retorted.
"Then what is it?"
"I just want to be your friend," Zhao Zuo said with a serious expression.
Shen Yunjiao's smile vanished, and her words turned dangerous. "I thought you were just lusting after my body like all the others. I didn't realize you were after my life."
Relatively speaking, "friendship" was the most fragile relationship in this world. It wasn't a bond forged through the intimacy of Tao Companions, nor was it built on the blood ties of family.
When enough was at stake, friends were the most unreliable people of all.
"I have absolutely no intention of harming you," Zhao Zuo swore solemnly.
"I doubt you have the guts, anyway." Shen Yunjiao averted her gaze, now certain there was no ambush waiting for her. So Zhao Zuo's invitation... was it really just to have a companion on the way home? 'What a waste of all my preparations,' she thought. 'I can't believe there's still someone this naive in the Cultivation Realm.'
"So, you only asked to travel with me because you're worried about some 'bloody disaster'?" Shen Yunjiao asked.
"That's right."
"You're such a coward..." Shen Yunjiao sneered.
...