The marketplace lay in Qinglan City's eastern commercial district, adjacent to Qinglan Port, the largest dock in the Cangyun Empire. It was one of the most prosperous markets within a thousand li.
A broad avenue ran through the entire marketplace. Buildings stood row upon row on either side—tea houses, taverns, inns, pharmacies, pawnshops, government offices, and more.
The shops displayed an overwhelming array of silks and satins, jewelry and spices, incense and paper horses. There were also physicians offering consultations, fortune-tellers reading faces and telling destinies, acrobatic performances, and trades of every kind—everything one could want.
The larger shops even had colorful ceremonial gateways erected before their doors, with market flags hanging high to draw in customers. The streets were packed shoulder to shoulder, an unending stream of people: merchants doing business, gentlemen admiring the streetscape, officials on horseback, hawkers crying their wares, great households traveling in sedan chairs, wandering monks carrying baskets on their backs, travelers from afar asking for directions, alley children listening to storytellers, wealthy young masters drinking wildly in taverns, and crippled old men begging by the city walls. Men and women, young and old, scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, and people from every walk of life—all were present.
Ever since entering the marketplace, Hao Xiaomeng had completely let loose her nature. She dragged Ling Mu and Hao Meng through shop after shop, holding a candied hawthorn skewer in her hand, chewing on grilled meat skewers, her eyes filled with rouge, face powder, and exquisite jewelry. Like a curious child, she wanted to investigate every single thing here.
"Xiaomeng, when you women go shopping, are you actually there to buy things, or to enjoy the process of buying them?"
Ling Mu, who had been following behind Hao Xiaomeng the whole time, could not help asking. It was a question that had always baffled him. In his previous life, he had tried dating several girlfriends, but every relationship had ended without a trace. Shopping was something he especially could not understand. One of his exes had once described it as the thought process of a loser being utterly incomprehensible.
"Brother Mu, women have never pursued shopping just to buy things. What they seek is the feeling of having someone accompany them and share what they love. You're so strong, yet you don't understand women's thoughts at all. How are you supposed to keep Senior Sister Qingzhu by your side like this?"
Hao Xiaomeng turned around and blinked at Ling Mu. Her little adult-like manner made Hao Meng beside her unable to suppress a chuckle.
"Alright, alright. You're only eleven, yet you keep going on about women this and women that. Eat your candied hawthorn."
Watching the eccentric Hao Xiaomeng solemnly deliver such seemingly philosophical words, Ling Mu could only look helpless. He had not expected that after living two lives, he would still be lectured on this matter by a little girl.
"Ah..."
While speaking to Ling Mu over her shoulder, Hao Xiaomeng failed to watch where she was going and rammed headfirst into the chest of a passerby coming toward her, letting out a soft cry.
"Where did this stinking little brat come from? Don't you have eyes? You even dirtied my clothes."
The person she had bumped into was a young man in black robes. His long brows resembled willow leaves, and his body was like a jade tree. Yet his handsome face did nothing to conceal the lofty superiority in his gaze. In Ling Mu's words, one look was enough to tell he was no good.
"Brother, spare others when you can. My younger sister was wrong to bump into you, but she truly did not mean it. I hope you will not blame her."
Seeing the black-robed young man spouting foul language, Hao Meng frowned and spoke up to stop him.
"Oh, isn't this Brother Hao Meng from Qinglan Academy? What, still unable to break through? Haha, five years have passed, and your cultivation has not improved in the slightest. If I were you, I would have dropped out long ago. I heard you made quite a splash during your academy's grand competition this time. Looks like Qinglan Academy is truly weak beyond measure—an academy student who has not improved in five years can actually sweep through the competition in all directions."
The black-robed young man had clearly recognized Hao Meng, yet he did not fear Hao Meng's strength in the slightest. He even began provoking him. Only then did Ling Mu notice a white jade token tied at the young man's waist. The two characters "Cangyun," written in cinnabar with the force of dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing, were inscribed upon it. It was Cangyun Academy's exclusive identity token.
Cangyun Academy was the largest and most widely distributed standardized academy in the Cangyun Empire. Every medium-sized city or larger throughout the empire had a Cangyun Academy, used to select outstanding talents for the empire.
Within Qinglan City, Cangyun Academy had held the throne of the number one academy for many years. It had indeed cultivated a great many outstanding students, but after graduation, every last one of them entered various imperial institutions or the military. This had always been Cangyun Academy's tradition. Any student who had trained there would be branded with the mark of the empire.
There were a total of one hundred and eight large cities in the Cangyun Empire. Most had their city lords and officials of every rank appointed directly by the empire. Cities like Qinglan City, which possessed relative autonomy, were exceedingly rare. But naturally, the empire would not readily relinquish control over such an important port city. Thus, for many years, a force belonging to the Cangyun Empire had remained within the city to restrain the City Lord's Mansion, and Cangyun Academy was an important component of that force.
With Qinglan Academy's rapid rise in recent years, the two academies had constantly competed with one another both openly and in secret. Their students looked down on each other as well, and clashes in all kinds of settings were commonplace.
"Brother, you speak so aggressively. Clearly, you are deliberately looking for trouble with us. But the three of us are in a good mood today, so hurry up and move aside. We will not hold it against you."
Ling Mu was in an especially good mood today because of Hao Meng's breakthrough. Seeing this ignorant young man insult Hao Meng so freely, he quickly urged him to leave. Hao Meng was now a genuine Core Formation Realm expert. A casual punch from him would probably be more than this fellow could bear.
"I know you—Ling Mu, son of City Lord Ling Yubai. A worthless piece of trash who cannot cultivate, the famous boss of Twin Phoenix Tower. Hahaha, the two of you really are a match made in heaven. Enough talk. This stinking girl dirtied my clothes. Have her kneel and kowtow three times to apologize, and I'll let bygones be bygones."
But this Cangyun Academy student clearly had not realized that he was making an enormous mistake. He continued mocking Ling Mu and Hao Meng, even threatening Hao Xiaomeng.
Clearly, he had touched Ling Mu and Hao Meng's bottom line. The gazes they turned on the black-robed young man instantly became cold.
Before Hao Meng could make a move, Ling Mu took a swift step forward. In the blink of an eye, he was before the black-robed young man. His right hand formed into fingers, which he thrust directly toward the young man's shoulder. It was the thrust from the third form of the Ling Family Sword Style.
Ling Mu's attack took the black-robed young man completely by surprise. The two people before him were both infamous for having stagnated on the path of cultivation. Seeing them, he had merely intended to give Ling Mu and Hao Meng a little embarrassment. An opportunity to publicly humiliate Qinglan Academy students was extremely rare, and if he handled it well, he might even receive praise from Cangyun Academy.
The young man's strength was mediocre, still far from even half a step into Core Formation. Though Ling Mu used his hand in place of a sword, he still brought forth the profound mysteries and essence of the move. This thrust appeared plain, yet it contained the force of thunder crashing through ten thousand junctures. It was not a move the black-robed young man could possibly withstand.
Sure enough, before the black-robed young man even had a chance to react, Ling Mu's thrust struck his shoulder. Agonizing pain erupted in an instant, and his entire body was sent flying backward, smashing a fruit stall behind him into a complete mess.
Ling Mu did not pursue. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, watching the wretched black-robed young man before him. As the city lord's son, he naturally had to be cautious in word and deed. This was a bustling area with an endless flow of people, and countless eyes were watching. Any improper action on his part could indirectly affect his father's governance. If the Cangyun Academy youth had not insulted Hao Xiaomeng, he would not have acted.
The black-robed young man painfully crawled out from a pile of smashed fruit. His once splendid robes were now soaked and stained with all kinds of fruit juice, while half a watermelon sat over his head. Where was his former elegant and handsome appearance now? The spectacle drew a crowd of onlookers from the street.
"Good, good! Just you wait! If you've got guts, don't leave! I'm going to call people!"
Feeling the pointing fingers and quiet snickers coming from every direction, the black-robed young man's face instantly flushed red. Together with the watermelon juice flowing down from his head, it made an even more ridiculous sight and sparked another wave of discussion.
"So Cangyun Academy students are this bad. Their strength is lacking, and their character is even worse. Hmph, just watch Brother Mu deal with you."
Seeing the black-robed young man flee in disgrace, Hao Xiaomeng waved her little pink fists after his retreating figure.
"Though ordinary Cangyun Academy students are not very strong, most of them like to huddle together for warmth, and they always repay even the smallest grievance. Junior Brother Ling, you made him lose face by attacking him. He must be going to summon help now and wait for a chance to retaliate."
As an old student of Qinglan Academy, Hao Meng was very familiar with Cangyun Academy, its rival. He spoke up now, pointing out that the other side might still return to cause trouble.
"But he dared bully my sister, Hao Meng's sister. Whoever comes, however many come, I'll beat them all."
When Ling Mu first heard Hao Meng's words, he felt they were worlds apart from Hao Meng's previous low-key and honest image. But after thinking about it slightly, he understood. Hao Meng had now broken through into the Core Formation Realm and returned to the ranks of geniuses. Moreover, the deep accumulation of five years meant his true combat strength was enough to look down upon those of the same rank. A raw jade stone was once again radiating dazzling brilliance; it was only right that its edge should shine forth. This was the spirit a cultivator ought to possess. If one were blindly low-key in one's youth, one would instead lose the courage to advance and find it difficult to climb the peaks that followed.
The three of them did not let this little interruption spoil their interest in sightseeing. They continued wandering together through all kinds of shops, taking in Qinglan City's unique night scenery and lively mortal atmosphere.
Turning a street corner, a magnificent five-story building came into the trio's view. Between its pavilions and towers were carved beams and embroidered pillars; jade steps and vermilion courtyards outlined a palace of jade and gold. Upturned eaves and soaring roofs were paired with vast stretches of glazed tiles, its craftsmanship and splendor so extravagant that it shook the heart.
High upon the building hung a plaque of golden-thread nanmu wood. The large characters upon it were written with dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing, their strokes cutting deep into the wood. Hao Meng focused his eyes and saw the three words: Twin Phoenix Tower.
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