Mo Caihuan had shouted out the words "Immortal Ascension Token." Word of this would certainly spread.
If anyone interested looked into it, the old woman's attempt to pocket the token would be exposed. Frowning, she said, "Get up and follow me into the quiet room."
The girl felt as though her meridians had frozen. Her internal energy would not circulate, her vocal cords could make no sound, and an invisible force bound her body, compelling her to walk toward the quiet room.
The old man likewise had no control over himself and could only smile bitterly. He thought that, quick as Mo Caihuan's reaction had been, she had angered a cultivator. He could only hope the immortal would care enough about her dignity not to strike at mortals.
The quiet room upstairs and the noisy first floor were two different worlds.
The old woman looked at them and said, "Do you know what an Immortal Ascension Token represents?"
"The right to take a master," the old man said quietly.
"Not merely taking a master, but joining one of the seven great sects. The seven sects jointly decided to issue the Immortal Ascension Tokens. The tokens all have the same design, differing only in their patterns. Possessing one entitles you to certain benefits." The old woman continued, "It would be a real waste to use yours merely to ward off retaliation from Spirit Beast Mountain."
The old man understood. The cultivator had surely intended to pocket the benefits the Immortal Ascension Token could be exchanged for.
Mo Caihuan said solemnly, "As long as it protects us from retaliation, I am willing to give all the benefits to you, honored immortal."
Seeing that she understood, the old woman said, "Then you must follow my arrangements."
"What would you have me do?"
"How about this? Take me as your master. Then you will be a disciple of the Covering Moon Sect, and Spirit Beast Mountain certainly won't lay a hand on you. Although you cannot cultivate, I will give you a martial arts cultivation manual. If you practice diligently, you may yet have a chance to enter the Dao through martial arts."
Mo Caihuan thought, Go on, keep spinning your tales. Having no spiritual roots means having no spiritual roots. Even reaching the pinnacle of martial arts would amount to nothing more than Body Tempering. Still, the woman was clearly saying this to comfort her. What could she say?
"Greetings, Master." She accepted her as her master without hesitation.
Seeing Mo Caihuan kneel straight away, the elder said with satisfaction, "Now I shall tell you my identity, so you know the lineage you belong to. I am a Golden Core elder of the Covering Moon Sect, known as Fairy Cang Yue. I specialize in artifact refining, which is why I have long been stationed at this shop. In a moment, you will return to the Covering Moon Sect with me, and we will report to the sect master."
"I will follow all your arrangements, Master," Mo Caihuan said obediently.
The old man stayed behind while Fairy Cang Yue took Mo Caihuan back to the sect.
About eight hours later, the two returned. They had met the sect master and collected the Foundation Establishment Pills granted for immortal ascension. Naturally, before the pills could even grow warm in her hands, she had handed them all over to her master.
This made the procedure entirely proper. Even if someone investigated, they would have nothing to say.
Fairy Cang Yue brought Mo Caihuan back to the shop and took out a talisman and a secret manual. "This is a Sound Transmission Talisman. It contains a thread of my divine sense. If cultivators from Spirit Beast Mountain come to attack you, tear it up, and I will tell them myself that you are a disciple of the Covering Moon Sect. This manual was created by a mighty Nascent Soul cultivator during his time in the mortal world. That senior entered the Dao through martial arts and once shook the Heavenly South with his fame. Practice diligently, and you will have a promising future."
"Thank you, Master."
"Go home." With a wave of Fairy Cang Yue's hand, the two found themselves outside the shop.
Mo Caihuan carefully tucked the talisman into her robes, then lowered her gaze to the old book with its plain blue cover. In the upper-right corner, three characters danced like soaring dragons and phoenixes-Overbearing Blade Art.
She opened it and began reading.
"Read it when we get back," the old man said.
But the girl said, "I need to check whether there are any characters I don't recognize. If it's written in an ancient script, I'll have to ask Master about it."
"You're far too meticulous," the old man could not help saying.
The girl thought, I have no choice. Never mind mortals-even cultivators have to deal with unfamiliar writing and languages. I have to be careful too. It would be awkward to get home and discover it contains some lost ancient script.
The old man waited patiently.
The girl skimmed ten lines at a glance. There was no ancient script. This was an exquisite set of blade techniques that used domineering force to enhance their power. As for entering the Dao through martial arts, that was wishful thinking. Without spiritual roots, no amount of domineering force could be converted into magical power.
"Since we're already here, let's look around the market. Maybe we can buy something good with gold and silver," Mo Caihuan said.
"You must be hoping to find an overlooked treasure, just like I did when I was young," the old man said. "But I advise you not to pit your hobby against a cultivator's expertise. They've cultivated for a hundred years, with enough learning to fill five cartloads of books. Their horizons are far broader than ours."
"Let's just browse," she said.
The market had quite a few mortal employees, as well as restaurants and taverns serving food and drink. However, the establishments serving mortals and those serving immortals were as clearly divided as two rivers of different colors. Mortals never entered the immortals' restaurants, nor did immortals enter theirs.
The food was different. Mortals ate ordinary ingredients, while immortals ate spirit beasts and drank immortal brews.
Most shops served cultivators: pill refining, artifact refining, auction houses, trading houses... Cultivators could exchange what they had for what they lacked. Naturally, they used spirit stones rather than gold and silver.
"Everything is meant for cultivators. Apart from the mortal restaurants, none of the shops accept silver." Mo Caihuan was deeply disappointed.
"I told you already, this is immortal territory. We should return to the mortal world and its worldly dust. Wealth and splendor are what we ought to pursue," the old man said.
"Hehe, this elderly patron speaks very sensibly. I also find cultivation far too dull. Wealth and splendor are much more comfortable." Someone had overheard their conversation and now presumptuously cut in.
The two turned to see a jewel-bedecked nouveau riche, plump and smooth, with fair, clean skin, looking like a provincial rich man's foolish son. He was in his twenties, his face all smiles, and wore an ornate Daoist robe of embroidered silk.
Seeing them look his way, he chuckled. "I am Daoist Wealth. Greetings to you both." He certainly lived up to his name.
"Greetings, honored immortal." They could feel the pressure emanating from him and knew he was a cultivator.
"Hehe, I'm merely a minor cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage, no honored immortal. Would you two like to get rich?" he asked with a chuckle.
Mo Caihuan glanced around, making sure he was speaking to her, then asked, "Can you make us rich, honored immortal?"
"Follow me."
"Come on, let's take a look." Mo Caihuan thought that, as a nominal disciple of the Covering Moon Sect, she should be safe from anyone attempting to harm her in the market, so she boldly followed him.
Seeing this, the old man could only follow too.
Daoist Wealth led them straight into the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, a restaurant serving immortals.
With a cultivator leading the way, the three entered a private dining room. Daoist Wealth told the waiter, "Bring out your best wine and dishes."
"Certainly. Please wait a moment, honored guests."
Mo Caihuan asked, "What business would you like to offer us, honored immortal?"
Daoist Wealth was in no hurry to get to the point. "You came to join the Covering Moon Sect with an Immortal Ascension Token, didn't you? Don't say anything yet. Let me guess: Senior Cang Yue of the Rising Moon Tower pocketed all the good things you received in exchange for it."
"Master has shown me kindness. I gave them willingly," Mo Caihuan said, though inwardly she thought, Daoist Wealth knows all this so clearly. It seems he didn't strike up a conversation by chance. He approached us deliberately.
"Hehe, having a high cultivation level certainly is impressive." He did not call out the discrepancy between Mo Caihuan's words and feelings. After all, this was the cultivation world. Even in her place, he could only have said the same thing.
"Let's talk about the business," Mo Caihuan said curiously.
"So young, yet so impatient." Daoist Wealth chuckled and took a Storage Bag from his sleeve, then brought four objects out of it.
Mo Caihuan's expression turned odd when she saw them, for the objects Daoist Wealth had taken out so carefully were a mirror, a drinking glass, reading glasses, and a magnifying glass.
"This is the business you mentioned, honored immortal?" She looked at the plump Daoist and said curiously, "These are all things from the mortal world."
"Exactly. They're all mortal goods, but immortals like them too, especially female immortals. Some are willing to spend spirit stones on mirrors. If you can procure a steady supply, I can offer you a good price." He was here to do business with the female disciples of the Covering Moon Sect and happened to have encountered someone with the potential to become a partner.
"Why don't you buy the goods yourself, honored immortal?" Mo Caihuan asked, puzzled.
The plump man said awkwardly, "As a Rogue Cultivator, if I become too active, I'm bound to attract covetous eyes. But you're different. You have ties to the Covering Moon Sect, and being a mortal makes buying stock more convenient. You don't know this, but cultivators have their own difficulties. I don't know what's been happening lately, but several Rogue Cultivators I know have vanished for no apparent reason. It's better to keep a low profile."