Xu Qingtong walked up to the stallholder, took out a spirit stone, and said, "Sir, we came in such a hurry that we forgot to bring any silver. Would you accept this piece of jade as payment for our meal?"
The stallholder glanced at the spirit stone in Xu Qingtong's hand and said, "Never mind. Since you two came to eat at my stall, there must be some affinity between us. This meal is on me. Also, judging by your hurried manner, you must have something urgent to attend to. The road ahead is not smooth. Take care when trouble comes your way."
Xu Qingtong's heart tightened, and he looked at the old man again, but the man had already bent his stooped back to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.
The two bade the stallholder farewell, left the market town, stepped onto their flying swords, and continued flying north.
After another four hours or so of flight, the sky began to darken. Xu Qingtong planned to find somewhere to rest for the night and resume their journey early the next morning. He looked around as he flew, but even after searching for quite a while, he saw no sign of human habitation.
Xu Qingtong took out the map jade slip and checked it, discovering that they were in Worryfree Valley's territory. Worryfree Valley lay between the Azure Sea Gate and Gloomwind Valley. In earlier years, it had paid tribute to Gloomwind Valley every year, relying on its protection. Later, it had switched its allegiance to the Azure Sea Gate. In recent decades, however, it had neither leaned toward the Azure Sea Gate nor maintained contact with Gloomwind Valley, showing every sign of seeking sole dominance.
Xu Qingtong pondered this silently, then recalled the words of the old wonton seller,