What Should I Do When My Junior Sister Loves Me Too Much? - Chapter 5

The Shuanghan Sect was located in the southeastern part of the cultivation world. Although it did not border the sea, rivers and lakes were abundant throughout its territory.

The sect was vast, occupying an entire mountain range, with the outer sect situated along its outermost perimeter.

After leaving the outer sect and traveling several dozen li downhill, one would arrive at the town closest to the Shuanghan Sect.

Thanks to its proximity to the sect, trade flourished in the city. Its streets bustled with people, and all kinds of shops lined the roads, making it an excellent place to purchase supplies.

Cultivators at the Qi Refining stage were not yet capable of flying on swords. Traveling several dozen li entirely on foot was not particularly exhausting, but it inevitably took quite some time.

By a rough estimate, there were at least six or seven hundred outer sect disciples. Some merchants in the city had spotted a business opportunity and purchased several swift-footed spiritual horses to rent out to these disciples.

After being selectively bred and improved by beast tamers, these spiritual horses could already reach speeds more than ten times that of ordinary mortal horses. Their endurance had also increased severalfold, making them perfect for earning spirit stones through this business.

Three low-grade spirit stones per rental.

Zhu You owned a storage pouch with a storage space so small that it measured only three chi on each side. It had been issued to her by the sect when she first joined.

Now, she slipped her hand into the pouch, rummaged around, and counted out three low-grade spirit stones.

While she was at it, she also carefully calculated her remaining savings.

The Shuanghan Sect was not harsh toward its disciples. Outer sect disciples under the age of twenty only needed to complete five outer sect missions per year and received a monthly stipend of fifty low-grade spirit stones.

Furthermore, all disciples under twenty were required to attend various classes to help them discover the cultivation path best suited to them.

Such treatment was relatively uncommon in the cultivation world. Even renowned major sects tended to be somewhat strict in their treatment of outer sect disciples.

Not only were the Shuanghan Sect’s outer sect disciples exempt from having to perform tasks for inner sect disciples, but the sect even arranged for inner sect disciples to teach classes in the outer sect. This was truly an exceptionally rare sight.

Zhu You had been in the sect for a year and a half. She was not extravagant with her spirit stones and had never had any particularly pressing expenses, so she had managed to save two hundred and thirty-six spirit stones.

Mm. Now she had two hundred and thirty-three.

She remembered that she had been diligently saving spirit stones in the hope of purchasing a sword worthy of being called a magical artifact as soon as possible.

The sword Zhu You currently used was an ordinary black iron sword that even mortals could forge. It had been issued by the sect for disciples to practice with.

In terms of market prices, taking swords as an example, a Yellow Grade magical artifact sword usually cost somewhere between eight hundred and twelve hundred spirit stones.

Zhu You had previously calculated everything quite carefully. By the time she reached the late stage of Qi Refining, she should have saved almost enough spirit stones to visit a swordsmith’s workshop and choose one.

Among inner sect disciples, a Yellow Grade magical artifact was hardly worth a second glance. But for a Qi Refining cultivator, possessing an additional magical artifact meant gaining another measure of combat strength. It could even barely compensate for a disparity of half a minor cultivation realm.

If the artifact was suitable and used properly, it could often produce unexpectedly effective results.

Of course, Zhu You had not come to the city this time to buy a sword.

Because she could not afford one.

“Zhu Xiaoyou!” Bai Xi was riding her horse at a rapid pace. After waiting for Zhu You a little farther ahead, she asked cheerfully, “How about I treat you to some roast duck later?”

Zhu You raised one eyebrow, her bright, easygoing demeanor instantly taking on a slightly roguish charm. “Have you ever heard a certain saying?”

She was quite attractive, with her eyes being her most beautiful feature. Clear and lively, they gave her the appearance of an upright, righteous young person.

However, in the cultivation world, practically everyone capable of embarking on the path of cultivation was good-looking, and their appearances would gradually become even more attractive as their cultivation increased.

Thus, among cultivators, Zhu You was not particularly the type who would catch someone’s eye at first glance.

Zhu You continued with a beaming smile, “When someone offers kindness for no reason, they’re either plotting something wicked or trying to steal from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m offering to buy you a meal, and you’re insulting me for it.” Bai Xi huffed twice and turned her head away. “I’m telling you now, don’t come begging me to treat you later.”

Zhu You stroked her spiritual horse’s mane and waited unhurriedly.

After spending so much time together, she understood Bai Xi rather well.

Sure enough, it was not long before…

Just as the two of them were approaching the relay station outside the city on their spiritual horses, Bai Xi finally spoke, sounding rather hesitant.

“Zhu Xiaoyou, I need to meet someone first when we get there. You can go get yourself something to eat in the meantime. My treat.” She promised, “I’ll definitely come find you very soon!”

“Go ahead and do what you need to do.” Zhu You smiled. “Forget about treating me. With how freely you spend money, your pockets are probably even emptier than mine.”

Although Bai Xi, who had invited her down the mountain in the first place, was now abandoning her, Zhu You was not annoyed in the slightest.

In fact, Zhu You thought it worked out rather well. It would be much more convenient to visit the place where she intended to purchase her supplies alone.

The two returned their spiritual horses and successfully entered the city, named Hujiang, after the guards at the gate verified their Shuanghan Sect outer disciple tokens.

“I’m off, then! Don’t get lost!”

After shouting this, Bai Xi quickly ran off.

Her voice was hardly quiet. Seeing several people cast curious glances in her direction, Zhu You could not help covering her face with one hand.

She was not a three-year-old child!

After grumbling inwardly, Zhu You also disappeared into the crowd, making her way toward the city’s West Market.

Hujiang City had three streets dedicated specifically to selling cultivation-related goods.

One was called the East Market, which consisted entirely of legally operated shops. The merchandise there started at Yellow Grade magical artifacts and went upward in quality. Zhu You could not afford to shop there.

Another was Treasure Street. Not only were all the businesses there properly licensed and regulated, but they also sold exclusively high-end products. Zhu You was even less capable of affording anything there.

In fact, she could not even get inside. Entry required proof of assets worth at least thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones.

The West Market, where Zhu You was currently headed, was the most unrestricted of the three—or, to put it another way, it was a place where all sorts of people mingled.

There were no proper shops in the West Market, only stalls.

The merchants operating these stalls did not need to undergo the city’s specialized inspections. They only had to pay a minimal stall fee.

Quite a few cultivators who wanted to sell their belongings without having pawnshops drive down their prices would simply come here and set up a small stall.

Of course, there were also merchants who operated in the West Market permanently.

One had to be even more careful when dealing with those merchants.

Sixty to seventy percent of them were unscrupulous swindlers!

And Zhu You happened to be looking for one such swindler.

On her way to the West Market, she purchased a fox-shaped mask, an ordinary mortal item.

Its concealing properties were only effective against mortals or cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, like herself.

Upon entering the streets of the West Market, Zhu You heightened her vigilance.

Her main concern was keeping her storage pouch safe.

Petty theft and pickpocketing were commonplace in places like this.

She slowly made her way inward from the entrance, carefully examining the merchandise displayed on the stalls from a distance.

Zhu You did not dare touch anything carelessly.

Some merchants were exceptionally cunning and would even pull staged-damage scams.

The moment you picked up one of their products for a closer look, something might suddenly crack here or break there.

Then, after a whole series of practiced tricks, that perfectly ordinary, unremarkable little object would somehow turn into a precious magical artifact.

Anyone who was a little timid, too honest, or not particularly good with words could easily be tricked out of most of their possessions.

This place really was practically beyond the reach of the law.

“Y-you… How…” A timid voice suddenly sounded. “How could this possibly be a magical artifact? There’s not even the slightest fluctuation of sp-spiritual energy…”

Zhu You stopped and looked toward the source of the voice.

“You’ve already broken it! How could there possibly be any spiritual energy fluctuations left?!”

The merchant, a burly, rough-looking man, rose to his feet. He slammed his fist into his palm and exclaimed, “Heavens, have mercy! This is a magical artifact that’s been passed down in my family since my great-great-grandfather’s generation! It was bestowed upon my ancestor by the sixteenth Sect Leader of the Shuanghan Sect!

“Do you have any idea how important this is to me?” The man suddenly wiped his eyes with his palm, his voice growing nasal. “If it weren’t for… my elderly mother’s grave illness, why would I ever bring this ancestral magical artifact here to pawn it? Father! Your son has failed you!”

He began sobbing, his body trembling. “Once Mother passes away, I’ll follow her into death and go to the underworld to beg your forgiveness!”

After this entire performance, the young woman who had spoken so timidly earlier, yet had still been trying to point out that something was wrong, stood frozen in place. She did not even know what to do with her hands and feet.

“I-is… is that so?” Her lips opened and closed. “I’m sor…”

Zhu You thought, It’s over.

This girl was about to be taken for a fool and fleeced.

“What?! This is actually a magical artifact left behind by the sixteenth Sect Leader of the Shuanghan Sect!”

She hurried over, her voice filled with delighted surprise. “Quick, quick, quick! Let me have a look!”

With another person suddenly inserting herself into the scene, the burly merchant spread the fingers of the hand covering his face and examined the newcomer wearing a fox mask.

What kind of act was this?

As he wondered about it, he spoke with an expression of pain mixed with dejection. “It’s already broken, so I’d rather not show it to another customer.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s broken. My family has plenty of artifact refiners. We can simply have it repaired.” Zhu You spoke confidently, sounding utterly assured. “As long as you let me examine it, if it truly belonged to Sect Leader Song, I will certainly purchase it. When the time comes, I’ll even invite Medical Immortal Wenren to treat your mother!”

The merchant had heard of Medical Immortal Wenren. A renowned divine physician in the cultivation world, someone whom ordinary people could never hope to invite for treatment.

The merchant sneered inwardly. To think someone had actually come here trying to bluff him!

Why would anyone wealthy enough to invite Medical Immortal Wenren come shopping in the West Market?

Yet a trace of doubt also crept into his mind. What if he really had encountered such a person? Offending someone of high standing would not end well.

This person had mentioned Sect Leader Song. The merchant had no idea what the sixteenth Sect Leader’s surname actually was; he had simply made the entire story up on the spot. Who would have thought someone might genuinely know?

He carefully examined the robes worn by the fox-masked stranger. Judging by her appearance, she had a straight, dignified bearing. Although she wore a rather playful-looking mask, her overall demeanor was quite impressive.

He could not tell whether her robes were valuable or not.

Just as the man was concentrating on his inspection, he suddenly noticed a flash of silver light passing across the fox-masked young woman’s robes!

Were those clothes a magical artifact?!

He concealed his astonishment. Could he really have hooked a big fish this time?

While the merchant secretly rejoiced, his mind spinning furiously as he tried to devise a way to swindle this newcomer, the young woman he had originally been extorting spoke up.

“I…”

Zhu You turned toward her and asked with a smile, “Miss, would you be willing to let me have this opportunity? Sect Leader Song once extended great kindness to my Ji family. For me to encounter a relic of Sect Leader Song on my very first visit here is truly an extraordinary stroke of fortune.”

The young woman pursed her lips. “But this isn’t…”

Ji?!

The merchant’s eyes darted about as he recalled a recent rumor that a member of the Ji clan was visiting the Shuanghan Sect.

He hurriedly interrupted the young woman. “Very well! Fairy Ji, since you’re so sincere, I’ll let you take a look! This treasure, you see, has only survived to this day after being painstakingly passed down through the generations!”

“Miss, it looks like this uncle intends to sell the item to me.” Zhu You chuckled. “My apologies.”

What a gullible rich fool! The merchant smiled as well. “That’s right. Since Fairy Ji is here, I won’t hold this against you anymore. Hurry along now!”

The young woman bit her lower lip, looked at Zhu You, then at the merchant. Without saying another word, she left, looking somewhat unhappy.

“Fairy Ji, please take a look!”

The man raised the chipped pottery object with both hands. “This here is a figurine. When Sect Leader Song bestowed it upon my great-great-grandfather, he said that if someone destined to possess it infused it with spiritual power, the figurine would transform into a divine soldier! It would possess the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the very least!”

Zhu You nearly burst out laughing.

This uncle really was far too good at making outrageous claims.