Chapter 210: Preparations |
We got to the ground floor and split up outside the inn. Liu Chang went to a teahouse to meet the information broker. Su Yue and I walked to the market district.
The market district took up most of Wuqi City's middle tier.
It was a big maze of connected streets and alleys full of shops, stalls, and trading circles. This wasn't like the neat markets in imperial cities. Here, business didn't follow any real order. You'd see herb sellers next to weapon smiths, and formation material sellers sharing walls with food stalls.
The crowd had local merchants, visiting cultivators, mercenaries for hire, and what looked like professional treasure hunters with special gear for valley trips. They all moved with urgency before the big event.
"I can feel the tension," I said quietly as we walked through a crowded area. "Everyone looks on edge."
"Harvest cycles always bring out the worst competitive instincts," Su Yue said. "Look at how different sect disciples act around each other. They keep their distance, avoid eye contact, and always keep their storage items close."
She was right. I saw the careful dance happening around us. Disciples from rival sects made invisible lines between themselves, changing their paths to avoid direct meetings. When they had to meet, they used too much formality. They gave stiff bows and used exact courtesy that barely hid their real feelings.
"There," Su Yue pointed to a section ahead where several cultivators in silver and blue robes were looking at goods at a crystal stall. "Morning Star Sect. They focus on divination and fate manipulation techniques. We should watch what they buy. It might tell us their valley strategy."
The words divination and fate manipulation made me shiver. If any cultivators could find out my secrets, it would be a high-level cultivator who knew those strange cultivation paths.
"They're buying astral resonance crystals," I sent a spiritual message to Su Yue after we passed.
"I see," she nodded thoughtfully. "Those are mainly used for navigation in places with messed up natural laws. Looks like they plan to go deeper into the valley than the normal harvesting zones."
That was interesting. No one knew the exact spot of the Moonlit Dew flower yet. Had they found it through divination, or were they just getting ready?
We kept going around the market, collecting bits of info from what we saw. The Five Elements Sect people were buying lots of stability charms. Black Palm disciples focused on attack talismans, no surprise there. A lone cultivator from the Northern Ice Palace was getting what looked like illusion protection talismans.
When we got to the herb section of the market, the crowd changed a bit. Here, alchemists and medicine cultivators were more common. Their robes often had special marks showing their focus.
"This area belongs to the Yun Clan," Su Yue explained, pointing subtly at several vendors whose stalls showed the same cloud symbol. "They control the medicinal herb trade in Wuqi City, especially rare plants from the valley."
"Are they connected to any major sect?" I asked, noticing the high quality herbs on display. Many would be hard to find in a small city like this.
"They stay neutral and sell to all sects," Su Yue said. "But rumors say they give the city lord special medicines in exchange for their special position."
That wasn't unusual. Secret deals were normal in the cultivation world.
"Senior Sister, we should split up to cover more ground," I suggested through spiritual message. "Would you look for spatial anchors and illusion detection tools?"
"Sure. What exactly should I look for in the spatial anchors?"
I thought carefully before answering. "We need something light but strong. The valley's spatial problems will easily beat standard anchors. For illusion detection, find a tool that can spot foreign qi signatures and also break illusions. Better to spot tricks than walk into them."
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Got it." Su Yue nodded. "And you?"
"I'll look for a good substitute for the Moonlit Dew Flower, something that could pass for it at first glance. Also, I'll get an illusion talisman good enough to improve whatever we find."
"Let's meet back at the central fountain in three hours," she suggested.
I agreed, and we split up. Su Yue went toward the equipment section while I went deeper into the herb district.
The briefing had included a detailed picture of the flower.
It grew on a thin silver stalk about thirty centimeters tall, with leaves that spiraled up the stem. The bloom itself was unlike anything I'd seen before. It had see-through petals that made an inner glow that shifted between pale blue and silver. In the center of the flower, tiny crystal structures formed that held concentrated spatial energy. The spatial energy was the most valuable part used in pill making.
"Master, I've been comparing our observations with what's in the market," Azure's voice said in my mind. "Nothing here naturally looks like the Moonlit Dew Flower."
"I was afraid of that," I replied in my thoughts. "It's too unique to easily copy."
I stopped at a stall showing what the merchant claimed were "valley-touched" plants. They were supposed to be normal plants that had been exposed to the spatial weirdness of Black Mist Valley. While interesting, none looked close to what we needed.
"What about making a good fake?" Azure suggested. "We could combine a base plant with formation techniques and illusion methods."
The idea was good. I'd been thinking something similar, but it would need multiple parts: a good base plant, quality illusion talismans, and a formation to keep the illusion going longer than normal.
"It would need to fool other cultivators, at least for a while," I thought. "Let me find a quiet place to think about this."
I found a small tea stand at the edge of the market and ordered a cup of spirit leaf tea. I took a corner table where I could watch the market while talking more with Azure.
"The best base would be a flower with similar structure but simpler look," I said in my head while sipping the tea. "Something we could make better rather than completely change."
"I agree," Azure replied. "Complete illusions need more energy and are easier to spot than enhanced reality. What about the Night Lotus? It has the right structure, though its color is totally different."
I thought about the Night Lotus. It was a common flower used in basic alchemy. It had a similar size and petal arrangement to the Moonlit Dew Flower, but it was dark purple instead of clear silver.
"Good suggestion but I think I could make a convincing fake using the Primordial Wood Arts."
While I wasn't good enough with plants to create the special traits of the flower that made it so valuable, it shouldn't be hard to make something that looked very similar.
"We could use an illusion talisman to make it show the special traits," I continued. "Then use a formation to keep the illusion going."
"I could design a formation that combines illusion enhancement with a basic spatial fluctuation signature," Azure offered. "It wouldn't hold up to close inspection by a formation master, but it could work as a quick distraction."
"That's all we need," I agreed. "Just enough time for us to get the real flower and leave."
With a clearer plan forming, I finished my tea and went back to the market. It would be easier to change an existing herb than create a new one, which is why I spent a couple hours buying different herbs that might help.
Now I needed to find an illusion talisman that fit our needs.
After some searching, I found a narrow shop with a simple sign showing the character for "Concealment."
I pushed the curtain aside and went in. Behind a low counter sat a middle-aged woman with streaks of silver in her black hair, carefully painting designs on a strip of yellow paper.
She didn't look up when I came in, still doing her brushwork. "Close the curtain properly," she said. "The draft messes up the inks."
I did what she said, then walked up to the counter.
The woman finished her brushstroke before finally looking up. Her eyes were a surprising shade of purple, unusual even in this world. "Azure Peak," she noticed, looking at my robes. "Here for the harvest, I guess?"
I nodded.
She put down her work and stood up, moving to a locked cabinet behind her. "What kind of illusion are you looking for? I have basic hiding, full visual replacement, or complete sensory options."
I thought carefully. "I need something that can keep a specific object illusion going for at least several hours."
She unlocked the cabinet with a small key hanging around her neck. "Object copying falls under mid-tier visual manifestation." She took out a small wooden box and put it on the counter, opening it to show several talismans, each with slightly different patterns. "These keep fixed illusions for about six hours, depending on how complex the image is and the quality of the user's qi."
I looked at the talismans. They were very well made. "How customizable are these? I need to copy something with specific light-reflecting properties."
She raised an eyebrow. "Light effects need premium-grade paper and special ink components." Her fingers moved over the selection before picking one with a slightly bluish tint to the paper. "This one has essence from moonglow moths. It handles light manipulation better than standard talismans."
"Perfect," I said, trying not to seem too eager. "How much?"
"Fifty spirit stones," she replied right away.
I tried not to wince at the price. Good illusion talismans were always expensive, but this was steep even by sect standards. After a few minutes of bargaining, I bought it for forty spirit stones. Not bad, maybe I deserved the honorary Wei Clan status after all.
She put the talisman in a protective sleeve. "To activate, focus your qi on the center symbol while picturing your desired illusion. The more detailed your mental image, the more convincing the result. For best results, keep contact with the object you're disguising."
I took the sleeve and carefully put it away. "Thanks for your help."
Before I could leave, a hand grabbed my wrist.
"A word of advice, young cultivator."
Comments 2