Immortal Market City

(I saw it, thank you all for your support. P.S.: content warning: later on, the female lead will die when her lifespan runs out, and the male lead will bring her back to life... that's how the outline is planned...)

An upper-realm demon venerable?!

Su Fuxi stopped dead and immediately looked up at Lin Sui.

A child of fortune! Sure enough, he's no ordinary person. He picked a sword at random and found a demon venerable's remnant soul inside!

That old fellow must know some secret arts. If Lin Sui's Cauldron Mark matures, it might not escape the notice of the demon venerable sword spirit!

Besides, would a dignified demon venerable willingly become someone else's sword spirit?

Her voice dropped. "Lin Sui, why didn't you tell me sooner that your sword spirit was..."

Lin Sui froze. He scratched his forehead and averted his eyes. "I... I think I forgot about it. I'm sorry, Master, I..."

He felt guilty. When he was with Su Fuxi, he unconsciously stopped caring about everything else.

The last time they had left the secret realm, she had remained asleep in seclusion. After so long, he had completely forgotten about the sword spirit.

Su Fuxi gave him an exasperated glare. "Next time, whatever happens around you, you must tell me!"

Afraid she was angry, Lin Sui nodded hurriedly. "Yes, I'll remember."

Su Fuxi turned and walked away, considering what to do.

"Oh, you two have just arrived from outside, haven't you? Your accents don't sound like you're from Southern Province."

A Foundation Establishment male cultivator suddenly approached them. Dressed simply, he greeted them with great enthusiasm and handed them a piece of paper. "I was born and raised here, and I specialize in receiving visitors. If there's anything you'd like to know, you can ask me."

Three large characters on the paper read "Know-It-All." A line of smaller writing said he could provide reliable rental cave abodes, information on Immortal Market City's main streets and the distribution of its factions, and so on.

Su Fuxi had been about to walk away impatiently, but when she heard that he had been born and raised here, she immediately changed her mind.

"How much do you charge for information?"

"Not much, not much. Just ten... oh no, eight. Eight spirit stones will do." The plainly dressed cultivator bowed, his face full of ingratiating smiles, as though he had seen the god of wealth.

Su Fuxi took out ten spirit stones. "Do you know if there's an expert in this Immortal Market City who's skilled in talisman restrictions? Also, are there any cave abodes here with a good reputation?"

"Talismans? Or talisman restrictions?" The plainly dressed cultivator was taken aback. "If you're talking about talismans, there is one expert. Runes and restrictions, though, I haven't heard of anyone. As for cave abodes, of course there are."

Su Fuxi pondered for a moment. "Lead the way. We'll find a cave abode first."

Only then did the plainly dressed cultivator accept the spirit stones, beaming. "Please follow me, you two."

Su Fuxi and Lin Sui exchanged a glance and followed him.

The powers in the Fallen Dragon Marsh were tangled and complex, and Immortal Market City alone was no small place. Searching for a master of talisman restrictions here bit by bit would be inefficient.

"You two, we've arrived!"

After winding their way around for roughly half an hour, the three finally stopped before a massive rocky mountain that resembled a termite mound.

The mountain rose into the clouds, with countless cave abodes dug densely into its sides. A vast array enveloped and protected the whole mountain.

At the entrance in the middle of its base stood a gatehouse with upturned eaves, built against the mountainside. Its plaque read "Dragon Rock Guest Residence."

"This cave abode rental business belongs to the sixty-third district and is a property of the Yellow Springs Sect. It has good protection and reasonable prices, and it's also equipped with a Spirit Gathering Array. You two can take a look."

"The Yellow Springs Sect?"

"Senior, the Yellow Springs Sect is one of the three major sects of the Fallen Dragon Marsh. I've heard its headquarters are in the center of the inner region, but no one has seen them to this day."

Su Fuxi swept the guest residence with her spiritual sense and found restrictions inside that blocked it. A guest occasionally came or went. There were several thousand cave abodes inside at the very least; some were occupied, while others were empty.

"All right. Do you know where in Immortal Market City I can post a bounty to find someone?"

"For that, you'll have to go to the Treasure Seeking Pavilion. You can post any kind of bounty there, but it's rather far from here."

"All right."

"This is a communication talisman. If you two need me later, just send me a message."

Making a mental note of the Treasure Seeking Pavilion, Su Fuxi accepted the plainly dressed cultivator's communication talisman and led Lin Sui through the guest residence's gates.

She figured that a broker like him would receive a commission for working with the inn. Renting two cave abodes cost three thousand spirit stones.

And they could only stay for one day.

Su Fuxi wasn't short of spirit stones now, but even she felt it wasn't cheap. Lin Sui had wanted to say that one cave abode would be enough, but Su Fuxi didn't give him the chance.

The cave abode contained only a bed, a meditation cushion, a simple wooden table, and some very ordinary candles. Activating the Spirit Gathering Array cost extra.

Only after Su Fuxi cast a spell to clean the entire cave abode did she sit down on the bed. With a thought, a ball of light flew out of her storage bag and transformed into a jade box before her.

She held the jade box and examined the yellow seal, but after a long while she had gotten nowhere. She simply put it away, closed her eyes, and prepared to lie down and sleep.

Suddenly, there was a knock, knock on the cave abode's wooden door, followed by Lin Sui's voice. "Master? Are you asleep?"

Su Fuxi sat up and thought for a moment, then went over and opened the door's restriction. She saw the tall, broad Lin Sui standing outside. "Master, I..."

"Come in and then talk." She turned and stood beside the table.

A glimpse of her peach-blossom dress showed beneath her black robe. With her hood lowered, she tilted her ordinary, delicate face, altered by disguise, toward him. "What is it?"

The chamber was cramped, and Lin Sui's arrival made it feel even more confined. Light flashed in his hand, and a stack of quilts and blankets appeared. He held them out to her.

"Nothing. I just thought you might need these, Master."

The cave abode really was bare. Su Fuxi had planned to make do for the night and perhaps stay outside the city tomorrow.

"Oh. Then make up the bed and go back to your own cave abode."

"Ah, can I stay here with you? I'll just meditate."

"No." Su Fuxi looked perfectly serious. "Although we're master and disciple, we're away from home, so we should avoid arousing suspicion and causing misunderstandings."

Lin Sui was disappointed. "Can't we be like we were when I was little anymore? You on the bed and me on the floor."

"..."

Su Fuxi looked at him expressionlessly. "You're not a child anymore."

"Hahahahahahaha! Lin Sui, you brat, don't tell me you have designs on your master? Who would have thought it of you!"

The sword spirit was rolling with laughter in his mind.

After making the bed, Lin Sui stepped out of Su Fuxi's room and closed the door behind him. At those words, his ears grew hot, and his embarrassment left him feeling miserable. He had forgotten to seal the No Falsehood Sword inside his storage bag.

He snorted coldly. "What if I do? What if I don't?"

"Senior, next time, please don't listen to what you shouldn't."

The sword spirit was shocked instead. "Wait, you're serious??"

Last time, the No Falsehood Sword had been sealed in the storage bag by Su Fuxi, so the sword spirit didn't know about the absurd things that had happened between them.

Lin Sui lay down on his own bed and ignored him.

No one knew, but it couldn't have been more true: he had once held his master in his arms.

How can I covet my master and succeed? Only through cultivation!

He suddenly sprang up and began meditating and cultivating.

The spiritual energy outside was too thin. Cultivating at the bottom of the cold spring for a year would let him break through a minor realm, but outside, it would probably take several times as long.

Su Fuxi, meanwhile, lay on the bed her disciple had made soft and comfortable and slept peacefully through the night.

"Seniors, the Treasure Seeking Pavilion is in the ninth market district."

The next day, Su Fuxi sent a message directly to the plainly dressed cultivator, and they went to the Treasure Seeking Pavilion together.

They weren't familiar with the area, and it was easy to get lost.

Immortal Market City had seventy-two immortal market districts in all, and each market district covered a vast area.

The plainly dressed cultivator explained, "There are many cultivators in Immortal Market City and very few ordinary people. Visiting cultivators can only pay to stay in the immortal markets or live in the mountains and wilderness outside the city. But safety can't be guaranteed outside the city. It's bad enough that there are so many robbers; there are also plenty of fierce demonic beasts."

Lin Sui silently followed along. Su Fuxi's cloak concealed her figure, and only half her face showed beneath her hood.

"Besides the Yellow Springs Sect, what other powers are there in the Fallen Dragon Marsh?"

"I grew up in Immortal Market City and have never been to the inner region of the Fallen Dragon Marsh. I've heard there are three major sects, seven great schools, and five great cities there. Immortal Market City is in the north and is one of the five great cities."

As the plainly dressed cultivator spoke, he watched Su Fuxi's expression. Worried she wouldn't be satisfied with the information, he poured out everything he knew.

Su Fuxi nodded, signaling for him to continue.

"The major powers occasionally clash, but things are fairly peaceful here in the outer region. Immortal Market City has people specifically assigned to manage it, so generally no one dares cause trouble..."

After walking for the time it took an incense stick to burn, Su Fuxi felt it was too slow. Seeing cultivators flying through the sky on light at a moderate pace, she stepped directly into the air and said:

"Lead the way. Go straight to the Treasure Seeking Pavilion, and don't dawdle."

The broker cultivator hurriedly said with a smile, "Yes, Senior. High-speed flight is forbidden in Immortal Market City, so we can only fly slowly!"

He then flew ahead of the two on his sword to lead the way.