Market Gossip

After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Qian didn't hurry back to that gloomy old lair. He'd finally gotten a whole day out in the open, and he needed to be like a sponge, soaking up as much information as he could. The Heavenly Prison was a place cut off from the flow of news; apart from the prisoners' wails and the jailers' grumbling, it was almost entirely isolated from the world. He needed to learn what kind of world he was living in—and might one day wreak havoc upon.

With the few dozen copper coins left in his pocket, he strolled into a nearby teahouse that looked popular and was frequented by all sorts of people. Places like this were often hubs for rumors and bits of gossip.

He found an inconspicuous seat in a corner, ordered a pot of the cheapest coarse tea, then pricked up his ears like a spy lying in wait, catching whatever useful information he could from the noisy din around him.

The teahouse was thick with smoke and buzzing with voices. There were scholars discoursing at length, merchants sighing over their troubles, and bare-chested men boasting about their adventures in the martial world.

At first, most of what he heard was mundane gossip: one household's husband sneaking around, another household's cow going missing. Nothing of value. But soon, a few more intriguing words drifted into his ears.

"...Have you heard? Azure Mist Sword Sect is opening its gates to recruit disciples again this year! Tsk, tsk, a true Immortal Sect! If you get chosen, you'll soar to the heavens in a single bound!" A man in a long gown, who looked like a down-and-out scholar, was speaking to his companion at the next table, spittle flying.

"An Immortal Sect? It's not that easy!" His companion scoffed. "They say the Heart-Questioning Path alone weeds out ninety-nine percent of people! And that's before the Spirit Root test! People like us might as well stop dreaming!"

Azure Mist Sword Sect? Immortal Sect? Heart-Questioning Path? Spirit Root?

Xu Qian's heart stirred, and he silently committed the words to memory. So cultivation sects really did exist in this world, and their entry requirements were sky-high. That made him treasure his Longevity Dao Fruit even more. Spirit Roots and heart-questioning trials be damned. I've got a cheat of my own. I can live forever lying down!

At another table, several armed men of the martial world were speaking loudly about something else.

"...Those Black Wind Stronghold bastards really kicked an iron plate this time! Of all the people they could've picked, they went and robbed the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. And what happened? Old Master Liu, the chief escort with the title Tablet-Splitting Hand, led his men to raid their den overnight. The stronghold master's head is still hanging at the city gate for all to see!"

"Old Master Liu, the Tablet-Splitting Hand? You mean that old hero who's said to have reached Houtian Great Perfection, with one foot already in Xiantian?"

"That's the one! They say the old man's hands are so powerful he can smash a granite gravestone into dust! What a formidable man!"

Houtian Great Perfection? Xiantian?

Xu Qian nodded to himself. These were probably the ranks of martial cultivation in this world. That old fox Zhou Kang was probably around the Houtian Mid-Late Stage, wasn't he? He wondered how his own Houtian Early Stage cultivation—barely at the peak of the early stage, thanks to the Dao Fruit's automatic growth and the boost from Killing Intent—would stack up in the martial world. Probably still near the bottom...

The revolution hasn't succeeded yet. Comrades, we still need to lie low. He silently took a sip of the bitter coarse tea.

Besides rumors about the martial world and Immortal Sects, there was plenty of speculation and gossip about the imperial court. After all, Divine Capital was right beneath the Son of Heaven's nose, and the political winds were what the common folk most loved to discuss.

"...In my opinion, the skies over the Capital City are about to change." An old man lowered his voice as he spoke to the people at his table. "I heard that a while ago, the Third Prince lost his composure before the emperor and was severely reprimanded by His Majesty. Even his mother, Consort De, was implicated and ordered to remain in her palace to reflect!"

"That's not all!" another man chimed in, his voice just as low. "Haven't the Second Prince's people been keeping a low profile lately, too? And that one... He used to be so glorious, then all of a sudden... Ah, it really is lonely to be the emperor's companion!"

That one? Who?

Xu Qian pricked up his ears, a vague suspicion forming in his mind. They were speaking vaguely, but they'd mentioned a Prince falling from favor, as well as "that one"... Could it have something to do with E-98, the young man in the Heavenly Prison who was surrounded by faint purple nobility?

He remained there inconspicuously for nearly another hour, picking up bits and pieces of information. It seemed the imperial court really had been unsettled lately. The open and covert struggles between several adult Princes had grown increasingly fierce, and plenty of nobles and officials had been caught in the crossfire. Some had been dismissed from office, others thrown into prison.

Though there was no definite proof linking E-98 to it, Xu Qian was almost certain the young man was one of the victims of this political storm—and that he was someone of considerable standing!

Good heavens. He really is a hot potato among hot potatoes. Xu Qian clicked his tongue inwardly. A struggle between Princes was a battle among immortals. A little nobody like him shouldn't even think of taking part; if he got too close, the shockwaves alone could grind him to dust.

This only strengthened his resolve to follow his policy toward E-98: "Look, but don't touch."

Besides all that "high-level" gossip, Xu Qian also heard things more relevant to his own situation. For instance, rumors about the Heavenly Prison itself.

"...If you ask me what the most sinister place in Divine Capital is, aside from the Imperial City, it has to be the Heavenly Prison!" A red-faced old man slurred. "I've got a distant nephew working there. He says the Killing Intent is so thick in that place, even a good person can go mad if he's locked up long enough! And inside, too... Heh, supposedly they've got some things locked up that aren't even human!"