Green Cloud Market and the Nouveau Riche

Green Cloud Market had no fixed entrance or exit. From the foot of Green Cloud Mountain, Lu Ye merged into the flow of people entering and leaving the market, naturally blending in among them.

A clamor rushed over him. On the maze-like streets, cultivators coming and going brushed shoulders in a constant stream.

Lu Ye had not expected such a small market to gather so many cultivators. Back on Green Cloud Mountain, he had not even seen a single person—no, that was not right. He had seen half of one.

On second thought, it was hardly strange. No matter which sect it was, the number of low-level cultivators was always the greatest, and the outermost reaches of the Spirit Stream Battlefield were precisely where the lowest-level cultivators gathered.

Judging solely by appearances, there was no way to tell which faction these passing cultivators belonged to. After all, no one would carve their origins onto their forehead and parade through the streets.

He could not even distinguish their levels of cultivation.

Lu Ye had originally found it strange. The Vast Sky Alliance and Myriad Demon Ridge were two opposing factions. After countless wars and clashes, they had beaten each other's brains into dog brains, harboring hatred that could not exist beneath the same sky. How could cultivators from these two factions live together peacefully? Only after arriving here did he understand. No one knew which faction the others belonged to. Even if they mingled together, they could at most remain suitably wary of strangers; no one would rashly make a move.

The cultivators passing by wore all manner of clothing, leaving Lu Ye dazzled. Some female cultivators were dressed extremely lightly, revealing large swaths of snow-white skin—a truly beautiful sight.

Only then did he learn that the customs of the Nine Provinces were so open.

But he had misunderstood. The Nine Provinces was a vast world, and customs differed across the nine Continents. In some places, that was simply the local custom; dressing scantily did not mean someone had an open personality.

"Kid, move aside."

A deep, resonant voice suddenly sounded behind Lu Ye. He turned around and found himself facing a sturdy chest covered in a thick mass of black hair. Under Lu Ye's gaze, those two pectorals even flexed deliberately, displaying an explosive sense of strength.

Lu Ye raised his gaze and saw an outrageously Burly Figure standing behind him. Lu Ye only came up to the man's chest.

Two curved bull horns grew from the man's forehead, leaving Lu Ye somewhat dumbfounded.

"Huff..." Two waves of scorching breath billowed from the Burly Figure's nostrils as he looked down at Lu Ye. "You're blocking the way!"

Lu Ye hurriedly jumped aside, raising a hand to grip his sword hilt.

But his vigilance was quickly swept away, because a petite woman stood beside the Bull-Horned Man. More importantly, two fluffy ears stood upright on her head, looking like cat ears. She was probably the Bull-Horned Man's companion.

"Meow~" The woman looked at Lu Ye with amusement and gave a soft cry, batting her eyes at him with boundless charm.

Wow...

Lu Ye's heart blossomed with delight.

Under his reluctant gaze, the Bull-Horned Man and the Cat-Ear Girl soon disappeared into the crowd.

"Those were Demon Cultivators who have not fully taken human form yet." A voice suddenly sounded beside Lu Ye.

Lu Ye turned his head and saw a plump figure standing beside him, smiling broadly with his eyes slightly narrowed.

The man's clothes were adorned with gold and jade, and several Jade Thumb Rings sat on his fingers. He did not look like a cultivator at all, but rather like a nouveau riche.

"Demon Cultivators?" Lu Ye raised a brow.

He had heard of Demon Cultivators before. The Sect Master had mentioned that many Demon Cultivators possessed natural advantages in their physiques, making them suited to the path of a Body Cultivator. Many sects also accepted Demon Cultivators as disciples.

But he had never seen one before. Seeing them for the first time, he could not help finding them novel.

"That's right. But once their cultivation grows higher, those Monster Beast traits will gradually fade away. It seems, Fellow Cultivator, that you are interested in that sort of... cute Demon Cultivator?" As the nouveau riche spoke, he raised two fingers beside his own head in a gesture.

Lu Ye hesitated before saying, "It's my first time seeing one."

"I see. Fellow Cultivator, you are a Rogue Cultivator, aren't you?" the nouveau riche asked with a chuckle. He had drawn this conclusion mainly because Lu Ye was alone. Generally speaking, disciples from sects entering the Spirit Stream Battlefield would never travel alone. At the very least, they would act together with some fellow disciples, so they could look after one another—just like those two Demon Cultivators, who were actually from the same sect.

Lu Ye answered casually, "More or less." The Sect Master had instructed him never to mention his identity as a Crimson Blood Sect disciple to anyone, so naturally he would not speak of it carelessly.

The nouveau riche sighed. "Life is not easy for Rogue Cultivators. This old brother also came from Rogue Cultivator roots, so I understand your circumstances well." Then he changed the subject and grinned. "If Fellow Cultivator has an interest in such cute little things, you may visit my Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild. As long as Fellow Cultivator can afford the price, hehe, anything can be discussed."

Lu Ye's expression turned solemn. "You misunderstand. I'm not that kind of person!"

"Understood, understood." The nouveau riche nodded repeatedly. "Of course, if Fellow Cultivator wishes to buy any Spiritual Pills, Spiritual Artifacts, Spirit Talismans, intelligence, maps, or sell any good items, you may also visit my Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild. We guarantee we can meet Fellow Cultivator's needs."

Lu Ye was puzzled. "What does your Merchant Guild do?" This Merchant Guild seemed to deal in a very broad range of business. What caught his attention was that it actually bore the name Heavenly Mechanism, which made it seem rather unusual.

The nouveau riche said, "A Merchant Guild naturally bases itself on trade. We do whatever business makes money, welcoming guests from across the Nine Provinces and gladly taking wealth from all four corners. But Fellow Cultivator, please rest assured. Though our Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild is large and wealthy, we have always upheld the principle of fair dealing with young and old alike. Therefore, no matter what kind of customer comes to trade with us, we treat them equally and will never differentiate based on the level of their cultivation."

By now, Lu Ye finally understood.

This nouveau riche was from the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild. He had probably seen Lu Ye acting like a country bumpkin entering the city, so he had come over to make friendly conversation and see whether there was any business to be had.

"I'm very poor." Lu Ye shook his head.

The nouveau riche chuckled. "A dragon traveling through shallow waters may be unable to fulfill its ambitions, but I see that Fellow Cultivator has an extraordinary bearing. You will surely become someone great in the future. It does not matter if you are poor for now; the day will come when winds rise and waters surge for you."

"Thank you for the kind words!" Lu Ye nodded. Of course, he did not believe the man had truly seen anything in him. Most likely, he said the same thing to every stranger he met, merely forming a good connection.

"If Fellow Cultivator wishes to visit the Merchant Guild, simply head in this direction. The most conspicuous building is it." The nouveau riche pointed Lu Ye in a direction, then cupped his fists in salute. "Then I shall not disturb Fellow Cultivator any longer!"

With that, he left in a carefree manner.

After their conversation, Lu Ye had become somewhat interested in the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild. And he had to admit that although the nouveau riche had approached him to strike up a conversation, he had not given Lu Ye a single unpleasant feeling from beginning to end. Even after deciding that Lu Ye was a Rogue Cultivator, his words remained proper and tactful, making it easy for others to form a good impression of him.

It would not hurt to take a look.

Lu Ye naturally did not have the means to buy anything, but he still had items he could sell. Perhaps he could exchange them at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild for some Spiritual Pills or the like.

But there was no hurry. He had only just arrived at this market. Familiarizing himself with the surroundings and the atmosphere of the Cultivation World was more important.