The overloaded Flying Boat swayed through the clouds for half a day before finally arriving safely in West First Ward, Ask-Dao City.
The stalls in West First Ward weren't laid out with much fuss. As long as there was an open space and you didn't block the road, you could set up shop anywhere in the streets and alleys.
That made it the liveliest, most bustling part of Ask-Dao City.
Chen Xian stepped onto the broad street paved with carved bluestone slabs. Shop banners on both sides blotted out the sky, while cries of hawkers, clopping hooves, and the haggling of vendors and customers swelled into a wave of heat that swept away the chill of early winter.
"Grand Martial Uncle, it's right here. Yesterday, just after Junior Brother Duan and I set up our stall, it got smashed."
Jian Shan rubbed his still-bruised cheek and pointed toward a bustling street corner ahead.
Chen Xian followed his gaze, and his eyelid twitched.
The two of them had picked a spot with uncanny precision.
Right beside them stood a grand, three-story redwood teahouse. Gilded red lanterns hung beneath its sweeping eaves and elaborate brackets, and the signboard bore the four bold, free-flowing characters: "Qian Family Tea House."
A banner nearly fifteen feet long snapped in the wind, emblazoned with the words "Sole Supplier of Shou'er Tea."
Chen Xian walked to the teahouse entrance. A faint aroma of tea drifted over on the breeze, and the clinking of cups and the singing of performers came from inside. Clearly, business was booming.
"No wonder they beat you up."
Chen Xian slung the bundle of hawthorn skewers over his shoulder and gave a helpless smile. "You were hawking your wares right outside their door. Of course you'd disturb their business and spoil their customers' enjoyment."
Jian Shan gave an awkward chuckle and deftly set up the stall farther away. Along with the candied hawthorns, he put out some pills he'd refined himself.
Lin Xiaoyan still looked like a beggar. He clutched a heavy sword to his chest and crouched there like a piece of deadwood. His air of despondent, tightly suppressed menace made passersby instinctively give him a wide berth.
"Shoo, shoo! Go crouch somewhere else. You'll scare away the customers!"
Chen Xian gave him a light kick on the backside, then took a recliner and tea table from the Spirit-Concealing Jade Ring. He brought out a pot of brewed tea, leaned back, and became a hands-off shopkeeper.
Lin Xiaoyan looked innocent as he shifted his legs and crouched beneath a nearby wall.
"Blood Sugar Hawthorns! Strengthen your kidneys and essence, nourish your qi and blood! One skewer takes effect right away! Sweet and tangy, delicious for young and old, men and women alike!"
As soon as the candied-hawthorn stall was set up, Duan Cui opened his booming voice and began hawking their wares. The once-quiet street corner fell silent for a moment.
"Well, look who it is! Aren't you the two boys who got chased off yesterday? You've got some nerve, bringing an old man along today!"
"Never mind all that—give me a skewer first! My lazy boy ate one yesterday, then got up in the middle of the night and punched for half the night before he could settle his surging qi. It really works!"
Chen Xian hadn't expected the first customers to be the neighboring vendors.
But Jian Shan was now selling the candied hawthorns for fifteen taels of silver apiece. Most of them ran small businesses and didn't earn much, so they could only afford one to take home to their children and grandchildren.
Chen Xian had also learned from Jian Shan that the candied hawthorns he made seemed to have a special effect that aided martial artists in their cultivation.
He'd struck it rich by sheer accident!
Some well-dressed dignitaries passing by had been on their way into the Qian Family Tea House for a cup of tea. When they saw a crowd gathered here, they assumed it was some novel snack and bought a skewer for their families and children.
The Blood Sugar Hawthorns' bright, translucent red color and distinctive flavor caused an instant stir in the street. Business was even a third brisker than yesterday.
The surrounding vendors watched with envy. They had to be making a fortune!
Just then, a customer who had witnessed the whole thing yesterday spoke up quietly. "I say, young brothers, you've got some nerve. Those martial artists smashed your stall yesterday, and you dare set it up in the same spot today? Aren't you afraid they'll come back?"
To his surprise, Jian Shan showed no fear. Instead, he puffed out his chest. "We're doing honest business. What's there to be afraid of? Do you think those bandits can really kill disciples of the Sword Sect?"
The customer couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up.
Before the words had even faded, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded from the street corner in the distance.
The crowded throng scattered to either side like mice that had spotted a cat, leaving a wide-open space where the street had been packed just moments before.
A sea of dark figures surged in from the east street entrance. Every one of them wore a close-fitting martial outfit, their muscles knotted and their temples bulging.
At a glance, it was clear they were all martial artists.
Remembering what had happened yesterday, the nearby vendors hurriedly moved their stalls farther away from the candied-hawthorn stand, lest they get caught in the crossfire.
Jian Shan and Duan Cui's expressions instantly turned grave. Duan Cui's hand was already on his sword hilt, his knuckles cracking as if he were ready to fight to the death.
But when Chen Xian saw the man leading them, he laughed.
The man was tall and slender, dressed in a blue silk robe. A mole on his cheekbones spoiled his refined appearance with a hint of slyness. He was none other than Li Youde, the Qian Family's steward.
Li Youde strode over. When he spotted Chen Xian reclining nearby, basking in the sun and leisurely sipping tea, he froze.
He lowered his head, then raised it again. His expression had already changed into an ingratiating, fawning smile.
"Oh! High Person, what are you doing lounging here? Why not come sit in my Qian Family Tea House?"
Li Youde hurried forward, then stopped five paces from Chen Xian. He bent so low his waist nearly touched his knees.
"Someone smashed this old man's candied-hawthorn stall yesterday, so I came in person to see who it was."
Chen Xian rocked his recliner without even looking Li Youde in the eye.
At that, Li Youde immediately broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly pasted on a smile. "These candied hawthorns were made by you, High Person? What a mess this has become! It's just like the flood washing into the Dragon King's temple!"
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
Steward Li of the Qian Family usually threw his weight around in West First Ward. Why was he bowing and scraping to an old man today?
The old man must be from Xuanyun Sword Sect—and he must hold a very high position!
Some quick-witted people edged closer to Chen Xian's recliner, hoping they might find a chance to make his acquaintance.
"Steward Li, did you bring all these people to help me pack up my stall?"
Chen Xian rubbed the jade ring on his thumb, set down his teacup, and looked at Li Youde with a faintly amused expression.
"High Person, you're joking! Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare!"
Li Youde spun around, his expression darkening as he barked, "Bring those blind fools up here!"
The crowd behind him immediately parted. Several martial artists dragged forward two men who were beaten bloody and barely alive, then dumped them at Chen Xian's feet with a thud.
"It's him!"
Jian Shan immediately recognized one of them: the Hua Jin martial artist who'd led the group yesterday.
All four of the man's limbs had been broken. He lay sprawled on the ground like a lump of mud, able only to let out faint whimpers.
"The head of the family heard that some foolish servants had offended disciples of your sect. He was so furious, he crippled their martial arts on the spot."
Li Youde bowed again, then pulled two heavy brocade pouches from his sleeve and offered them with both hands. "There are two thousand taels of Dao Silver inside. The head of the family instructed me to make sure you accept them, as compensation for your medicine."
"I also hope you won't be angered, High Person, or pursue the matter further."
His words sent a stir through the crowd.