"This is the place Uncle Nian used to bring me to. I still don't know whether it appears punctually on every full-moon night, though. He always brought me in and out..."
In a seaside town on the eastern coast of Horsehead Island, Zhao Ziren arrived with his wife and daughter, hoping to find the Sea Market he had often visited in the past.
It held more than Gilded Den. Plenty of cultivators made their living there, giving rogue cultivators a place to gather, survive, and seek refuge.
Even if the orthodox factions knew of its existence, they would not act rashly. It belonged to the middle ground where orthodox and unorthodox paths met, with people from every walk of life and far-reaching connections.
Now that the Night Watchers were hunting him and Du Shi everywhere, only that place could offer them shelter.
Zhao Ziren had only gradually learned these things after being forced into life as a fugitive. Circumstances drove him to seek out any place that might take him in, and that happened to be the cultivation world's market ward he knew best, as well as the nearest.
Looking at Zhao Ziren, who had grown visibly haggard after weeks of travel, Du Shi said guiltily, "Husband, I've dragged you into this. If I weren't a ghost, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
Zhao Ziren shook his head with a bitter smile. "What nonsense are you saying? How could I blame you? Those so-called orthodox factions are the ones pressing us at every turn. If they hadn't attacked without distinguishing right from wrong, we wouldn't have ended up like this."
As they spoke, the swaddled baby suddenly began crying, and Du Shi hurried back to soothe her.
Zhao Ziren sighed softly and went over to the bed to organize