Ten days later, Yunlai City was at its liveliest during the morning market.
The bluestone streets were packed with merchants carrying shoulder poles laden with goods. White steam billowed from snack stalls lining the road, while sugar-painting artisans traced golden threads across stone slabs with iron ladles, drawing children into cheering circles.
Amid the clamor, a young man in a woven bamboo conical hat walked over at an unhurried pace. The brim slanted upward, and the filtered morning light scattered flecks of brightness across his shoulders.
He wore a coarse linen short shirt washed pale with age, its sleeves rolled up to his forearms and revealing the clean contours of his muscles.
His back was ramrod straight, like a verdant pine facing the wind. Even amidst the bustling crowd, he carried an air that set him apart.
Half his face occasionally showed beneath the hat. A faint smile rested at the corners of his lips, and his eyes were as clear as a stream. When he smiled, the corners of his eyes curved slightly. He looked sunny and forthright, with not the slightest trace of the ruthless ferocity he had displayed while turning the Demon Abyss upside down.
The young man stopped before a vermilion gatehouse. The four gilded characters on its plaque—Dragon Rhyme Trading Company—shone brilliantly. This was Yunlai City's acknowledged foremost trading company.
He was Qin He.
Over the past ten days, he had traveled eastward, crossing nearly half of Xuanwu Continent, and finally shaken off the Divine Punishment Department's pursuers in the northern wilderness.
This continent was vast and boundless, and the Divine Court's influence was tangled together like roots and branches. If he wished to gain a secure foothold, a detailed map was indispensable.
When he lifted the door curtain and entered the shop, a bronze