Chapter 67 – I’ll Take Two!

  As they walked side by side through the winding streets of Yunlai City, Shen Yuren kept her hands clasped behind her back. Her posture was perfect, something ingrained in her from her education in the City Lord’s Mansion, but she would occasionally slip up and sway her hips more than necessary before catching herself.

  She couldn’t help but glance at Jun De more often than was appropriate for a ‘young man’ to do, but she couldn’t stop herself. Her eyes would linger on his profile whenever she thought he was looking away, and Shen Yuren felt a strange sense of nervousness that she rarely experienced before.

  Before she spoke, she would weigh each of her words carefully to ensure she didn’t slip up and reveal too much, but the more time she spent with Jun De, the more she wanted to know about him.

  “How are you enjoying the city?” Shen Yuren asked.

  “It’s very peaceful compared to some of the other places I have been, and much busier than I expected.” Jun De replied. He was also watching what he said, but for a different reason. He had no idea why Shen Yuren had waited outside his inn for him, or why she was hiding her identity as a woman.

  Until he knew why she was acting the way she was, Jun De was wary of sharing too much with her.

  “People come from all over the region to trade, and many stay when they discover how safe it is here. I realize I didn’t ask you last night, Brother Jun, but what brings you to Yunlai City?” Shen Yuren replied, and she successfully kept the eagerness for an answer out of her question.

  “Nothing much, really. I was travelling with a group, but I was separated from them by a teleportation array. It just happened to bring me to Yunlai City.” Jun De said, keeping the details of his journey vague but offering enough truth to keep his story straight.

  Shen Yuren blinked in surprise at the response, then gave Jun De a small smile.

  “What a fortunate accident, Brother Jun. Yunlai City gets its fair share of interesting visitors, and I think you fit in with their company well. Perhaps there was a reason for fate to bring you here.” Shen Yuren said as she tried to keep her tone deliberately light.

  Shen Yuren couldn’t help but notice that Jun De attracted a large amount of attention as they walked toward the market. She was trying not to stand out and conceal her identity, but it was rather hopeless when she walked next to someone who appeared like an immortal walking amongst mortals.

  ‘What would grandfather say if he learned I was walking side by side with such a person?’ Shen Yuren thought, and her cheeks blushed slightly at the scandalous idea.

  The market had come to life in full bloom when they arrived less than an hour later. Stalls spilled out onto the roadway, and the air was rich with the various smells of products and food for sale. Cultivators haggled over pills, talismans and other items, while they saw Disciples from lesser Sects moving amongst the crowd in coloured robes that displayed their Sect symbols.

  Shen Yuren cleared her throat nervously and gestured to a stall up ahead.

  “That merchant there is honest and deals in mid-grade refining cauldrons and cultivation tools. His prices are high, but his materials are authentic.” Shen Yuren explained as they walked past a large stall with a variety of pill refining cauldrons and materials.

  Jun De nodded as they passed, letting her explain everything. She really did know the market well, and her recommendations were thoughtful, while her assessments regarding the quality and reliability of the vendors seemed accurate.

  At least as far as Jun De knew. He wasn’t an expert on anything here, but he started to trust that Shen Yuren didn’t seem to be deliberately misleading him. Whatever her reason was for concealing her gender, it didn’t seem to have anything to do with him in particular.

  ‘Maybe her parents are strict and she’s sneaking out of the house?’ Jun De thought. However, that seemed to be a silly reason for someone her age to resort to.

  Jun De began to relax slightly as they walked, but a part of him remained cautious. Even if Shen Yuren turned out to be completely harmless and well-intentioned, there was still the fact that the lecture the night before was filled with concerning material.

  Shen Yuren, for her part, stole glances at Jun De whenever she could. She didn’t know how to express her feelings or why she liked being around him. He had a calm presence that made her forget the pressures of the City Lord’s Mansion and how she was supposed to act.

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  She had never taken an interest in someone before, and the experience was completely foreign to her.

  After weaving through rows of vendors and shops selling everything a cultivator could need, Jun De and Shen Yuren came to a large talisman stall tucked beneath a tiled awning. Wide strips of paper etched with gold and silver script fluttered in the breeze, while scrolls and jade slips were arranged neatly on bamboo shelves.

  The familiar smell of ink, incense and parchment filled the air around the stall, while an older woman sat behind the counter with neatly braided silver hair and a cultivation base at the 3rd level of Qi Condensation.

  Jun De offered a small, polite bow.

  “Good morning, Fellow Daoist. I’m looking for a communication talisman, and teleportation talismans if they are available as well.”

  The woman chuckled dryly and shook her head.

  “Teleportation talismans are extremely rare, even in Yunlai City. They are hard to make, harder to find, and those that are available are priced high enough to drain a Sect’s treasury. None are available in the market right now, not for any price.”

  Jun De didn’t look surprised, only mildly disappointed.

  “That’s unfortunate. How about a communication talisman? I will purchase multiple, if you have them available.”

  “You are in luck, I have several available at the moment.” The older woman said, gesturing toward a case behind her. Several slips of clearly higher quality paper were carefully contained inside a glass case with protective seals around it.

  The talismans were made of a dark yellow paper with silver ink that glowed brightly, even without direct sunlight.

  “The prices will vary depending on how fast you want your message to travel, and how far.” The shopkeeper explained.

  “I need it to reach Tranquil City as soon as possible.” Jun De said, and Shen Yuren looked at him with uncertainty. He had said that he had been travelling with a group and had become separated. Did he want to contact Tranquil City for transport now that a teleportation talisman was unavailable?

  ‘I was hoping Jun De would stay in Yunlai City longer.’ Shen Yuren thought, and she resisted the urge to pout.

  “Tranquil City, you say? That’s a mid-range distance. Three low-grade spirit stones for each talisman, and they will arrive at your destination within a day.”

  Jun De nodded and retrieved enough spirit stones from his storage bag to pay for several talismans.

  ‘I don’t even know where Elder Shen is right now. He could still be at the Hollow Stream Sect, or back at Tranquil Mountain. Maybe I should contact Elder Mu as well.’

  Jun De tried to resist thinking about the fact that they may have all perished at the Hollow Stream Sect, and that he might have been the only survivor, but he wasn’t entirely successful.

  He cut the thought short. He didn’t want to consider the possibility that anyone from the Tranquil Mountain Sect may have died in the attack.

  “I’ll take two.” Jun De said as he passed over the spirit stones.

  The woman accepted the payment and removed a pair of talismans inscribed with flowing script from the case behind her. She delicately handed them over, and Jun De placed them in his storage pouch for safekeeping.

  “You’re trying to reach someone important?” Shen Yuren asked, all the while hoping that it wasn’t another woman or someone who would take Jun De away before she got to know him better.

  Jun De gave her a measured look before nodding.

  “Yes, my teacher. He was travelling with me when we became separated. He may be on his way back to the Tranquil City by now, but I want to let him know that I’m safe.” Jun De replied.

  Happy to hear that it was his teacher, and a man, that Jun De was going to reach out to, Shen Yuren smiled and nodded as they left the stall and continued to walk through the market together.

  Jun De returned to the inn as the sun dipped lower, painting the rooftops of Yunlai city in a soft, warm light of spring that was on the cusp of turning to summer. The bustle of the market had been replaced by the quiet solitude of his upper-floor room.

  He closed the door and pulled out the communication talismans from his storage bag.

  With a steadying breath, he placed the first talisman on his palm and injected his Qi into the paper. The runes flared brightly, and Jun De whispered a short message to Elder Shen.

  “I’ve arrived safely in Yunlai City. I was separated from the Hollow Stream Sect by a teleportation array. I’m doing well, and I hope you are too. Things in Yunlai City appear peaceful, but I have concerns that things are heading toward disaster.”

  Jun De rose to his feet and opened the window. The talisman lifted from his hand and twisted in the air until it folded into a paper bird. With a soft cry, the talisman soared upward and vanished in a streak of light toward the distant horizon.

  Taking out the second talisman, Jun De repeated the process. He said a similar message to Elder Mu, along with his warning that things in Yunlai City may not be as peaceful as they appear and that anyone coming here should be careful.

  He tossed this talisman into the air as well, and it shimmered as it morphed into a shining paper crane. But rather than flying off into the distance, it hovered in the sky above, circled the streets several times, then suddenly dove back through the open window in a flash of white light.

  Jun De stumbled back from the window in surprise and turned to see where the talisman had gone, when he saw Elder Mu Yanyu standing calmly in his room. Her long, blue robes caught in the breeze from the open window, and her black hair hung loose down her shoulders.

  The talisman hovered beside her, and she smiled as she plucked it from the air.

  “I’m glad to see you are well, Jun De.”

  Jun De stared, speechless, before managing a bow and cupping his hands together respectfully.

  “Elder Mu! I didn’t expect you to be here.”

  “Where else would I be? I am responsible for your safety when you are out of the Sect, Jun De. I never thought you would be so difficult to keep track of.” Elder Mu replied with amusement, and he could see that she was clearly pleased to find that he was unharmed.

  She stepped closer to him, and Jun De shivered slightly as her Qi enveloped them. It was cold and sharp, but she was careful to spare him from the effects.

  Mu Yanyu blocked the multiple spiritual senses that had been locked on Jun De from curious third parties who were interested in such a remarkable and talented young man, and had no doubt been spying on him since he had arrived.

  The Elder’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the message.

  “Tell me what concerns you regarding Yunlai City.”