His broad, fanged smile caught the councilwoman off guard. After a brief period of stunned silence, she snorted with laughter. Realizing her mishap, she immediately covered her face with both hands in embarrassment.

  “Daoist Ren, I can see how some people might take you for one, if the stories are to be believed,” she said, her laughter melodious.

  “Yes, it has happened in the past,” Cade chuckled, before quickly changing the subject. “I’ve spent my entire life in the north, where the Brightheart Empire considers itself the cradle of human civilization. I didn’t expect to find humans here. Has your Red Jewel City been around for a long time?”

  “Quite long, at least by human standards. We’ve been living here for more than 1,200 years. The city sits on a large vein of bloodstone, which is the source of our prosperity. Are you familiar with it, Daoist Ren?”

  Cade had only recently returned to learning alchemy, and his knowledge of various ingredients was still mostly based on what he had read in his father’s books. There was a crossover between artifice and alchemy, as certain gems and ores were used in both, and he had at least heard about some of the more exotic ones. Not the bloodstone, however.

  “I’m afraid I’m not, Miss Berker,” Cade shook his head, smiling faintly.

  “It’s a type of precious gem that can preserve blood qi. Properly charged, it can be used to bring someone back from the brink of death. To make it work, one first has to send their own blood qi into it. Due to this, the process of charging is long, often taking up to a year. As I’m sure you know, only a small amount of blood qi can be taken from the body at a time without harming one’s cultivation potential. The effort is well worth it, though. Most importantly, the gems crumble after being used, which for us means consistent demand,” the councilwoman elaborated, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

  His eyes shot wide open in surprise. Isn’t this the perfect thing for me? A gem that could store blood qi meant he could quickly and discreetly refill his voracious heart. In theory, Cade could directly drink the blood essence his red ring extracted from corpses, but doing so with others around was too much of a risk. The bloodstone would be an ideal carrier for blood qi.

  “Miss Berker, where can I buy these bloodstones?” Cade asked, his interest piqued.

  “All gem merchants sell them. We even have rock gambling shops, where for a small amount of coin, you can test your luck. If you happen to win, the gains can be immense, as a single bloodstone gem is typically worth between one and three spirit crystals, depending on its size—several dozen times more than the cost of the rock. Regrettably, many citizens have lost their fortunes to rock gambling. We did try to put an end to the practice, but this only led to the creation of a thriving black market. Eventually, the council was forced to make it legal in order to retain control over the gambling dens,” the councilwoman explained, sighing slightly as she offered the details. It was obvious that gambling was both a source of problems and revenue for the city.

  As they traveled through the streets paved with time-worn sandstone, they passed many half-restored, squat buildings with colorful fabrics draped over their entrances and windows, allowing for air to move while protecting the inhabitants from direct sunlight. From everything Cade had seen so far, Red Jewel City appeared prosperous and thriving. He had learned a lot from the talkative councilwoman, and while most of it wasn’t of particular interest to him at that moment, one could never tell when such knowledge could become useful.

  Most importantly, throughout this whole journey, Cade felt he was getting closer to the object tugging at the prismatic energies within his blood. He eventually saw a narrow building in the distance with a characteristic signboard displaying a set of red dice—the mark of a rock gambling shop. Whatever he was after, he knew he would find it inside.

  “Miss Berker, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to visit this gambling shop. I feel like today is my lucky day,” Cade smiled.

  A flicker of disappointment passed through the woman’s features, but she quickly recovered her poise, and a neutral smile returned to her lips. “Naturally! In that case, please enjoy the rest of your stay in our city, and good luck,” Anastasia said, her voice warm and pleasant to the ear. Despite lacking the level of refined beauty some women possessed, the councilwoman had a rare innate charm, not to mention her tempting curves. He could tell this almost palpable allure hid a shrewd, calculating mind. He was beginning to understand how she had managed to obtain such a high position at her age. A dangerously smart woman who knows how to play to her strengths.

  Stepping out of the carriage, Cade cupped his fist, offering a small bow and thanking the councilwoman for the conversation and company. He glanced at the expressionless driver, then turned and directed his steps toward the gambling shop.

  “Miss, shall we return to the mansion? Your father will be waiting,” the driver asked through the comms gem, glancing at his wristband. His voice was also rather plain and forgettable, matching him well.

  “In a moment. Erol, what do you think of him?” the councilwoman asked.

  “Powerful physique. He's probably hiding his cultivation. There is a very faint scent of blood around him,” the driver answered concisely.

  “Blood? Hmm, how interesting. Do you think he could be an actual vampire? I feel like there was more to his words.”

  “I don’t think so, Miss. These ungodly creatures rarely leave their fortresses in the Dead Mountains. I've never met one, and hopefully, I'll never have to.”

  “Ah, no matter then. We can go now.” With a thoughtful expression on her face, the councilwoman positioned herself comfortably on the bench as the carriage began moving.

  When Cade stepped into the shade of the spacious shop, he saw multiple shelves and several long counters, all filled with brown, irregular packages of various sizes. There were two guards inside, their appearance suggesting they were local cultivators, both middle-aged and in early Foundation Establishment. Any cultivator who worked in a place like this was probably on the bottom rung of the ladder. The two men stood on both sides of the entrance, wearing bored expressions. Cade scanned the room for the one thing that had brought him here, narrowing his search area to one of the low wooden shelves.

  “Hello, young sir! My name is Bulut, and I’m the owner of this modest establishment. How can I help you today?” A jovial, slightly overweight shopkeeper appeared out of nowhere. He was getting on in years, but despite the wrinkles on his face, he had still retained plenty of his youthful energy.

  “I’d like to buy a few rocks,” Cade said with a tight-lipped smile, trying not to put his fangs on display.

  “Fantastic! After all, rocks are what I sell. Have you any specific ones in mind?”

  “Let me have a look.”

  Cade slowly walked around the shop, pretending to look at different packaged rocks as if he was deliberating on what to buy. In the meantime, a group of three young men walked into the shop, discussing something in a rather obnoxious manner. They were all short-haired like most other men Cade had seen, dressed in fairly expensive but not extravagant clothes—possibly the sons of influential merchants. The guards glanced at them but quickly lost interest. A moment later, their faces returned to their previous bored expressions. Only one of the three men was in Foundation Establishment, while the other two were at the ninth stage of Qi Condensation. The guards probably weren’t too concerned with these youngsters giving them trouble.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  The effect of greater spiritual qi density in the area was certainly noticeable, as the cultivation ranks of the people he had seen so far tended to be a little higher than those in the north-eastern part of the continent. Eventually, Cade picked five rocks, among them the largest one, which caused the prismatic spherules to behave like excited little puppies. It lay on a bottom shelf, behind several other stones, covered in a thick layer of dust. Being so close to it, he could feel their restless nature, and his voracious heart trembled eagerly, as if infected by their tireless enthusiasm.

  The shopkeeper brought all five rocks to the sales counter on the other side of the store to weigh them. Cade was about to follow when one of the three youngsters walked up to the older man before him. It was the man in the Foundation Establishment realm, who also happened to be the loudest of the three.

  “I want to buy these rocks!” he announced, his speech slightly slurred. He was in his early twenties, dressed in green and brown fabrics.

  “I’m sorry, Young Master, but these have already been reserved by a customer,” shopkeeper Bulut quickly explained with an apologetic smile plastered on his face.

  “Who?” the man asked, looking around. He noticed Cade standing with his hands clasped behind his back near the opposite wall. “Him? He’s not even human. Who the hell let him into the city?” He laughed a drunk man’s laugh.

  In the corner of his eye, Cade noticed the guards frown. He slowly walked toward the young man, whose inebriated mind gradually registered the difference in size between them. His laughter died down. However, he must have realized this tall stranger didn’t release any spiritual fluctuations, and he immediately regained his confidence, his facial expression relaxing.

  “You want to buy my rocks? Interesting. But can you afford to pay the price?” Cade asked, his voice calm, yet inside, his blood began to simmer, his anger rising like a crimson tide.

  The man stood on his tiptoes, pointing a trembling finger at the Asura. “Hmph, ‘can I afford the price,’ he asks. Do I look poor to you?! You don’t know who you’re talking to, so I suggest you fuck off before you find out,” he jabbed the finger at Cade, each jab inching closer to his face.

  Cade's jaw muscles tensed as he involuntarily clenched his teeth.

  “I’ll give you one chance to apologize. I'm not in the mood to waste time on idiots,” Cade said, the restraint in his voice now palpable, each syllable pressed flat under the weight of his rising fury.

  The guards immediately gripped their swords, readying themselves, while the youth looked at Cade, shaking with outrage.

  “Sirs, please calm down. We can surely come to an agreement. Young Master, these are standard rocks; I have thousands more you can choose from,” Bulut attempted to calm down the unreasonable youngster, but the latter ignored him, instead focusing his anger on the young Asura.

  “Apologize…? An idiot? Me?! Impudent beastborn scum!” the young man spat with indignation and immediately swung his fist in a wide arc.

  Cade wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. The youngster’s punch could do some damage to a low-ranked Qi Condensation cultivator, maybe even kill a weak one. But to him, it was slow, sloppy, and harmless. His new danger sense barely bothered to signal anything. The guards hesitated to move, hoping the young man’s punch would simply knock Cade out and the situation would resolve itself. However, their assumptions were wrong.

  Instead of dodging, Cade stepped into the youth’s space. His arm shot forward like a viper, fingers locking around the man’s throat as the weak hook thudded against his shoulder. Cade ignited a thread of qi, warmth flooding his muscles. His grip tightened, nails digging into the man’s neck, though he was careful not to crush him outright. The youth clawed at Cade’s hand, straining with all his might. His eyes bulged, his face reddening with effort—until the realization hit: he was hopelessly outmatched.

  “Release him!” both guards shouted, drawing their short swords. At the same time, they ordered the other two youths to stay put. The pair clearly wanted no part in it and backed off without protest.

  “Oh, now you want to interfere? A bit late for that,” Cade said as his upper back tensed, the thick cords of muscle along his neck flexing like two coiling pythons. An eyeblink later, his forehead drove into the young man’s nose bridge with a sickening crunch. The dazed man howled in pain, blood spraying from his broken face, arms flailing weakly in an instinctive attempt to shield himself.

  Both guards moved towards him at once, but Cade quickly placed the stunned youth between them and their sharp swords, slowly backing away. He had used a small portion of his strength, further restraining himself right before the strike landed. He wanted to teach the youth a lesson, not kill him. Seeing now that he had, in fact, used too little, the Asura pulled his head back, and before the guards could react, his forehead snapped forward in a blur of motion. The young man’s head bounced back with a hollow thud, as if smashed with a sledgehammer, and his body instantly sagged in Cade’s grip. Compared to Master Nine, he was laughably weak.

  The two guards gritted their teeth, powerless to do anything. They couldn’t flank the foreigner, who now stood in the corner, able to easily block their frontal attacks with the young master's body. Neither could they use any battle arts inside the shop without obliterating everything in sight. The scared shopkeeper hid behind the counter, peeking with a single eye.

  “Three things are going to happen,” Cade said, his voice low and gravelly. “One: I buy my rocks. Two: I leave this useless fellow here. Three: I leave the store. If anyone tries to stop me, a fourth thing happens—this place turns into a cemetery. Then I walk out with my rocks. I’m done dealing with idiots for one day. How badly do you want to reincarnate?”

  The guards furiously clenched their teeth, but the reality of the situation began to dawn on them. This unconscious young master was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, same as them. His body was likely not much weaker than theirs, and yet he could offer no resistance in front of the red-eyed beastborn. Even if they attacked him here and, by some miracle, won, they'd have to pay a heavy price, and the shop would still end up destroyed. There would be nothing left to guard.

  “Do we have an understanding?” Cade asked after giving them a few moments to reconsider. He was still holding the arrogant young man, whose bloodied, battered face was quickly changing color to various shades of purple. Red Jewel City was truly testing his patience. He no longer cared about repercussions. With no defensive formations protecting the city from above, he could simply take out his speeder and leave.

  The shopkeeper was the first to recover his wits, and he promptly stood up from behind the counter. “Ayaz, Kaan, return to your posts. Everything is under control; let me deal with this mess,” Bulut quickly said, turning to Cade with a placating expression. “Sir, if you’d be so kind as to release this youngster. I know his father; he’s a good, hard-working man. His son, though… Well, you’ve seen it yourself. Please have mercy,” Bulut pleaded, helplessly spreading his hands.

  The Asura observed as the sheen on the shopkeeper's forehead turned into beads of sweat under the weight of his gaze, the rotund man swallowing nervously. He then exhaled slowly, loosening his grip. The youth's limp form struck the floor like a bucket of bricks, his arms and legs sprawled. Cade smoothed out his longcoat. He really didn’t want this situation to turn into a full-on fight. He had better things to do. The guards stared at him with hate in their eyes but didn’t move.

  Cade pulled out a couple of spirit crystals, and the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up like paper lanterns, his lips stretching into a wide grin revealing two rows of yellowing teeth. “For your trouble,” Cade said, placing the crystals on the counter and swiping all five rocks into his ring. He could feel his skin tingle and the spherules in his blood sing with joy as his hand neared the largest of the rocks. His voracious heart’s beat was so rapid that Cade was concerned it was really going to burst out of his chest. Fortunately, when the rocks disappeared inside the storage ring, his body began to calm down, though it was accompanied by an unexpected sense of disappointment, even loss.

  “Thank you very much for your patronage, sir! And please accept my apologies for this whole unfortunate situation. I will make sure to discuss it with my guards and let them know my thoughts,” Bulut said, his tone turning from warm to cold as he looked toward the doorway. The two men shuffled nervously.

  “Mhm. Is there a local specialist who can open these without damaging the contents?” Cade asked, unmoved by the shopkeeper's hasty apologies. Everyone quickly turns courteous in the face of superior power. What would've happened if I couldn’t stand up for myself?

  “Of course, sir. There are three Rock Masters on this street alone, and they’re all very experienced. Look for a signboard with a red rock,” Bulut hurriedly explained, clearly wanting nothing more than to get rid of his problematic customer.

  Cade nodded, throwing the two Qi Condensation youngsters a glance, then unhurriedly left. Despite his face expressing nothing, deep inside, his excitement was rising rapidly. His instinct, together with the spherules’ restlessness, was telling him that whatever was hidden inside that biggest rock was a real treasure.

  Thank you for following my story. I'm grateful, and appreciate every single reader.

  Have a great day!