Chen Lin stood on a low hill some distance from the main road, holding his head in his hand. He had also fashioned a shoulder pole from a piece of wood, with a bamboo basket hanging from each end.
Both baskets were filled to the brim with medicinal herbs, making him look like an herb gatherer who had just emerged from the mountains.
An endless stream of people traveled along the main road, coming from nearby villages and towns to attend the Grand Bazaar. They carried bundles large and small, and some drove ox carts, chatting and laughing in a lively procession.
Of course, the scene would have been even more perfect if everyone had not been carrying a head.
Chen Lin waited for a gap in the crowd, then walked over with the pole across his shoulder.
"Oh, quite a haul you've got there, herb gatherer! You must have ventured deep into the mountains to gather so many herbs?"
Seeing Chen Lin join the main road from the mountain path, an old man held his head closer to the bamboo baskets and spoke with some envy.
Those two baskets of herbs were worth quite a few jiao coins.
Chen Lin glanced at him and placed the head he was carrying on his shoulder, pretending to free his hands to tidy the baskets. "You're right, sir. I did go deep into the mountains. What have you brought with you?"
At the same time, he used his mana to move the head's lips, making them open and close as though it were speaking.
The old man suspected nothing. He looked at the bundles hanging from his own shoulder pole and said, "Some little trinkets my wife made. Spirit Welcoming Day is coming soon, isn't it? I'm hoping to trade them for