This time, Chen Mu had not brought A Huo to the market. He had come alone.
He had brought A Huo along before mainly because he bought a lot of supplies when returning to the village. Carrying so much by himself would have been inconvenient.
Now that he had a storage ring, its space was enough to carry plenty of things except when he was buying supplies in bulk, so he no longer brought anyone else along.
After leaving the Vast Sea Pavilion, he paid a visit to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
The Vast Sea Pavilion had only recently risen to prominence, after all, and its selection was still a little limited. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion, on the other hand, had stood here for many years and stocked every kind of supply imaginable. Its prices were considerably higher than the Vast Sea Pavilion's, but it made up for that with its comprehensive selection.
"Oh, young Master Chen, you're here! Please, come in!"
Just as Chen Mu reached the entrance of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, a beautiful woman in a close-fitting gauze dress came out and warmly led him upstairs.
Recently, he had been buying large quantities of spiritual materials here every month. He could be considered one of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's major customers, so naturally, he received special attention.
Once on the second floor, he took out a list and handed it straight to the woman leading him, unwilling to waste time.
"Hua Ying, there's no need to take me to a tea room. I'll wait out here.
Please get me the goods on this list. Sorry for the trouble, but could you ask your people to hurry? I have something else to do and would like to get back early."
Chen Mu spotted a wooden table nearby, walked over, and sat down.
"Of course! Please wait a moment. I'll be right back."
Hua Ying had attended to Chen Mu many times and knew his temperament. She immediately took the list and went to fetch the goods.
The second floor of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion sold only high-grade goods, and few people were able to come up here. Only three or four people were scattered throughout the spacious floor.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a light blue robe caught Chen Mu's attention.
"Is that Nan Huaiyuan?"
Nan Huaiyuan noticed him as well and walked over with a smile.
Chen Mu did not dare put on airs and politely stood up.
"Greetings, Mr. Nan. I didn't expect to see you here."
"No need for courtesy. Please!"
Nan Huaiyuan gestured for Chen Mu to sit, then sat down on the other side of the wooden table.
"Master Mu, though this is only our second meeting, I don't know why, but I've always felt that you and I are alike.
"If you have time, feel free to visit me more often. We can exchange insights on the Dao of Formations."
Nan Huaiyuan had been famous in the Wuyan Mountain Range for over a decade, yet he was actually extending goodwill to him. Chen Mu was quite surprised.
"You flatter me, Mr. Nan. I have merely learned the barest basics of talisman formations from my master. I would never dare show off my meager skills before an expert like you."
"Haha, I can tell that your tribe's talisman formation is ingenious, but it isn't a single formation. It's made up of many smaller talisman formations linked together.
"So I guessed that it must be your work. If your master had done it, why would he need to go to such trouble?
"Your master must be like a divine dragon whose head is seen but whose tail remains hidden because he wants to hone your abilities!"
Nan Huaiyuan spoke with a calm smile, but his words gave Chen Mu a secret fright.
Nan Huaiyuan was indeed a formation master. Chen Mu's talisman formation consisted of interlocking formations, and many of its designs took unconventional paths, yet Nan Huaiyuan had easily spotted the clues.
"You have a keen eye, Mr. Nan. I did set up Chen Village's talisman formation myself, but my master also gave me a great deal of guidance on its design, so I can't take all the credit for it. Haha..."
Nan Huaiyuan nodded, utterly convinced that Chen Mu had a master behind him.
After all, even if a common man from the mountains had chanced upon a talisman master's inheritance in a ruined cave dwelling, he could not possibly have achieved so much at such a young age without someone to guide and teach him.
What Nan Huaiyuan thought was also what the vast majority of outsiders suspected about Chen Mu. Even most of the villagers of Chen Village believed Chen Mu had a master who never showed himself. After all, how could a thirteen-year-old boy have brought such great changes to Chen Village on his own?
"Master Mu, there's no need to be modest. Speaking purely of formations, when I was your age and at your level of cultivation, I was far beneath you.
"That's why I say I feel we're alike. We're both people who are especially focused on a particular field. Mine is formations, while yours is the Dao of Talismans.
"Compared with other fields, formations and the Dao of Talismans have the most in common. So, if you're interested, feel free to come and exchange pointers with me."
Chen Mu thought it over. What Nan Huaiyuan said did make quite a bit of sense. If runes were the mathematics of the scientific world, then formations were its physics. Runes were used more in formations than anywhere else, and the principles behind formations were often simply combinations of runes.
"What you say makes sense, Mr. Nan. If I have time, I'll certainly trouble you with a visit."
Chen Mu and Nan Huaiyuan chatted happily, and before long they were addressing each other as brothers.
After quite some time, Hua Ying came looking for Chen Mu, carrying a tray in her hands.
She noticed that Nan Huaiyuan was there too and looked somewhat surprised, then gave a slight bow in greeting.
"Young Master Chen, everything you requested is ready. Please check the goods."
She set the tray on the table and laid the goods out one by one for Chen Mu to inspect.
Chen Mu nodded and gave each item a cursory look. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion was fairly trustworthy, so after a quick inspection, he put the goods into his storage ring.
"Here are the spirit stones."
After checking the price list, Chen Mu took several third-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and handed them to Hua Ying, completing the transaction.
Ever since the rune printer had become capable of printing nine-mark talisman paper, its price had risen severalfold from that of the seven-mark paper. Spending third-grade spirit stones no longer pained him quite so much.
"Brother Nan, I'll be going now."
Chen Mu bid Nan Huaiyuan farewell and prepared to head downstairs.
"Brother Chen, wait a moment!"
Nan Huaiyuan was just about to wave goodbye when he suddenly seemed to remember something. He stood up and called out to Chen Mu.
Chen Mu stopped and looked back at Nan Huaiyuan in puzzlement.
"I just remembered. I think I saw Wu Hongtian of the Wumeng Tribe at the Listening Wind Tower this morning.
"I remember that your Chen Village has a grudge against them. Be careful on your way back."
Chen Mu frowned, seized by an ominous premonition.
The Wuyan Market was only a little over forty kilometers from Chen Village, but it was more than a hundred kilometers from the Wumeng Tribe. If Wu Hongtian had come here, it was unlikely to have nothing to do with Chen Village.
"Thank you, Brother Nan! I'll be careful."
After cupping his fists in thanks, Chen Mu turned and went downstairs.