Lin Yang was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't say anything. He simply followed behind Yun Shu.
Yun Shu approached a Dynasty powerhouse at Body Refining Fourth Level who was near the front of the line. "Go wait in the back."
Then he took out two Qi Nurturing Pills and handed them over. His meaning was obvious.
The Dynasty powerhouse's eyes lit up with delight. "Sure, sure. Go ahead."
Just like that, Yun Shu bought his way to the front again. Even though the Dynasty powerhouse had nearly reached the front, he still happily ran to the back and joined the line again.
Cultivating was hard enough as it was, and a Qi Nurturing Pill was precious. All it took to get a spot in line was some time.
Thus, Yun Shu and Lin Yang successfully secured two places.
The two young men glanced at them, then bent their heads and returned to work.
Strictly speaking, this didn't really count as cutting in line. As for maintaining order, they figured it was better not to make more trouble than necessary.
Seeing the disciples' robes worn by Lin Yang and Yun Shu, they didn't pay it much mind.
They were Inner Sect disciples themselves, here after accepting a mission. Naturally, they would look out for their own disciples.
"Which sect are you from?"
The young man took out an intact Jade Token. Even after seeing Yun Shu's disciple robes, he still went through the proper procedure and asked.
"A disciple of Myriad Sword Pavilion."
"Name?"
"Yun Shu."
"First time here, right? Hand over ten Qi Nurturing Pills and you can go inside." The young man nodded.
"Sure." Yun Shu took out twenty Qi Nurturing Pills, gave ten to Lin Yang, and handed the other ten over.
"Here's your Jade Token. Keep it safe. You can get these ten Qi Nurturing Pills back when you return. Next time, just show the token." The young man spoke.
"Thank you."
After getting the Jade Token, Yun Shu didn't bother with Lin Yang any further. He only said, "Come find me inside later."
Then he headed inside.
Cloaks were being sold by the roadside, and Yun Shu bought one right away.
"This thing only lasts for two hours. After that, it stops working automatically, so make the most of it. One more thing: if you're above the Golden Core Stage, the cloak's ability to conceal your aura won't work on you." The shopkeeper grinned, his shifty eyes sparkling with amusement. "Also, remember that when you use your power, it'll stop hiding your aura."
"Two hours, and all those restrictions." Yun Shu couldn't help cursing under his breath. This thing really wasn't very reliable.
But honestly, a cloak that could conceal your entire aura and fool anyone below the Golden Core Stage for two hours was well worth the price.
Yun Shu didn't think about it any further. He tossed down a Qi Nurturing Pill, put on the cloak, and headed inside.
By then, that figure had already vanished around the corner.
The cloak's power was like a layer of gauzy, rippling energy that cut off Yun Shu's vital energy.
Yun Shu was rather surprised.
Then he thought, This must be a Talisman Master's work.
Talisman Masters could draw spirit formations that concealed a person's aura. Blocking vital energy at the Body Tempering level was something they could do with a flick of the wrist—a low-margin, high-volume business.
Talisman Masters, potion makers, Alchemy Masters, and Artifact Refiners were all powerful Auxiliary Professions. But even the lowest-level Talisman Master had to be at the Qi Condensation Stage. These were things one could only hope to encounter in the Inner Sect.
It was extremely difficult to get access to such things in the Outer Sect. Even if you were only watching over a Spirit Medicine garden, they'd practically investigate your family for three generations.
That alone showed how much the sect valued these Auxiliary Professions.
For some scarce primary ingredients and supplementary materials, the Big Shots in those Auxiliary Professions would even post missions directly, offering incredibly generous rewards. Those people were rolling in riches.
Yun Shu couldn't get involved with them for now. He could only dream about it.
Still, potion-making had potential. It didn't require Qi Condensation Stage strength, but it took far too much time—learning Alchemy Art was much more practical.
There were plenty of people on the street, but most were disciples at Mid Body Refining Stage or Dynasty powerhouses.
Yun Shu immediately used Ghost Shadow Steps and hurried in the direction the figure had disappeared.
Ever since the Head Seat had taken her on as a disciple, Chu Huangyue had devoted herself to cultivation. She had now broken through to the seventh level of Body Refining.
Her strength had improved at a shocking pace.
In less than ten days, she had advanced from Body Refining Fourth Level to Late Body Refining Stage.
But constantly cultivating had grown dull, so her master had sent her out of the sect to get some fresh air and given her a large supply of Qi Nurturing Pills and other such medicine.
Her master had originally planned to send a Foundation Establishment Realm Senior Brother along with her. But Chu Huangyue was used to going wherever she pleased on her own, and seeing that, her master didn't insist.
Chu Huangyue glanced behind her. Ever since she'd entered this place, she'd had the inexplicable feeling that someone was following her.
It felt as if someone were watching her.
It was intuition.
She had never doubted her intuition.
The feeling came and went. Sometimes, she even wondered if she was imagining it.
She shook her head and continued wandering.
Perhaps her master had sent someone to protect her.
Still, she didn't like the feeling. It made her deeply uncomfortable.
Her long lashes fluttered lightly over her clear, lovely eyes.
At a turn, she pretended to head into an alley. But at the very moment she rounded the corner, she suddenly used a footwork technique and leaped onto the roof of a wooden house.
She looked down from above.
"Gone again?" Chu Huangyue's heart gave a faint thump.
This person was far too cautious!
She'd already shown an opening, yet he still hadn't made a move?
But as she thought about it, her heart eased. Then it probably wasn't someone tailing her. If they were following her, they'd surely have given themselves away here.
It was probably someone her master had sent to protect her in secret. If so, though, their cultivation was rather weak—they'd even let her notice them.
Still, there was no way to confirm it.
She couldn't exactly go and ask her master directly.
Before her eyes stretched a sea of people. The market was bustling with traffic, and people in black robes hurried to and fro.
This was the market here.
Finding one person among them would be like searching for a needle in the sea.
From a distance, Yun Shu saw Chu Huangyue turn into the alley.
He stopped following close behind her.
He only needed to know roughly where Chu Huangyue was going.
There was no need to keep tailing her.
Besides, the Female Protagonist's senses were incredibly sharp. She had probably already noticed him to some extent.
No matter how careful he was, it would be hard not to give himself away.
The Female Protagonist was one of the Soul Slices of an overwhelmingly powerful being. A Soul Slice of that level had Mental Energy far beyond ordinary people from birth, and her perception was naturally unparalleled.
But as long as he didn't seem too focused on his purpose, the Female Protagonist wouldn't sense him as clearly.
Yun Shu knew how to exploit the bug.
Only when that faint, elusive feeling had faded until it was almost gone—and Chu Huangyue herself thought it might have been her imagination—did she begin taking care of her own business and looking for things.
The feeling of being watched had nearly vanished. But even if it was still there, it didn't affect her mood in the slightest.
She had no particular goal and browsed around casually for a while.
Though she had a fortune on her, there was ultimately very little that caught her eye.
This was a gathering of street stalls. Cultivators in black cloaks had set up their booths here, displaying all kinds of wares: pills, tools like knives and swords, and various Exotic Treasures.
There was no shortage of bizarre things whose names she couldn't even guess.
They looked dazzling and precious, but had no real quality to them.
Most were just common goods.
Or rather, anything that shone was there to fool low-level disciples and ignorant Dynasty powerhouses.
That was how markets went.
If you got swindled here, you got swindled. There was no room to argue.
Before you continue