BXBX NOVEL Chapter 69 - 69: Sea Tribe Market
On the shores of the Eastern Sea.
At the border of Anyang Kingdom, lies the town of Shiqiao.
A light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
A man and a woman, sharing an oiled paper umbrella, walked side by side on a cobblestone path.
The roads of the town, paved by the local residents, were neatly arranged with cobblestones, both long and square-shaped.
Cheng Lingzhu tiptoed, walking in a deliberate manner as if practicing a specific stepping technique.
Lu Xuan glanced down and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Hmm…”
Cheng Lingzhu eyed the cobblestones on the ground, hesitating before explaining, “I can only walk on the square stones, I must not step on the long ones… otherwise, I lose.”
Lu Xuan couldn’t help but laugh at her words.
“What are you laughing at?”
Cheng Lingzhu’s face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, and she shook Lu Xuan’s sleeve: “I never… Played this before.”
Her rebirth had changed her perspective; she now saw many things with a sense of novelty.
“No, I’m not laughing… really.”
Lu Xuan straightened his face, then took her hand, “Come on, let’s step together, to build our understanding.”
As a result, the cobblestone path, which normally took half an incense stick’s time to traverse, took them half an hour to complete.
In the southeastern part of Shiqiao Town, lay an abandoned wharf.
Fine rain, like silk, interwove into mist, shrouding the dock.
Weeds grew rampant, and the desolation contrasted sharply with the neatly maintained town, almost like a different world.
“We’re lucky it’s raining today.”
Lu Xuan looked up at the sky, a faint glow emanating from him.
Holding the umbrella in one hand, he took Cheng Lingzhu’s hand with the other and stepped into the mist.
It was as though they passed through a curtain; the quiet wharf of Shiqiao vanished, replaced by the bustling, lively atmosphere of a market—
“Specialties from the Mermen Nation, Yangqing sea dog kidneys, invigorating and enduring, only three left, hurry if you wish to buy!”
“Qimai youth fruit, a specialty of the Southern Ridge, mermen friends, take a look!”
“Urgently needed for a secret sea expedition!”
“My goods are straight from the sea, you think it’s expensive? I think so too…’ Cheng Lingzhu stood still, surprised by the lively market scene before her.
“This is a market set up by the mermen in this area.”
Lu Xuan explained, “The mermen, as a Sea Tribe, have ancestral rules forbidding contact with land races, and thus have historically not interacted with cultivators from other domains.
However, with the passage of time, many foreign legends and objects have entered the mermen nation.
In recent years, curious nobles have defied these ancestral teachings to secretly establish coastal markets for exchange with the outside world.”
“I see.”
Cheng Lingzhu began to understand.
Lu Xuan continued, “Actually, the policies of the mermen nation are loosening, but due to the ancestral teachings and caution towards land races, there’s no official stance yet.”
Anyang Country, with its scarce spiritual energy, is considered a mundane martial nation. The mermen at the Shiqiao Town wharf used secret methods to create an independent space, detectable only by cultivators.
Shiqiao Town experiences rain thrice a month, and during these times, the market opens.
As a result, after the market became famous, it attracted numerous cultivators, who often concealed their aura, but still left traces in Shiqiao Town.
Since then, legends of “immortal trails” began in Shiqiao Town.
Wealthy young masters and high-ranking nobles, seeking immortality, often visited, becoming an important source of income for the town.
The local magistrate was considering renaming Shiqiao Town to Xianqiao Town, to attract more tourists.
Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu wandered the market, inquiring about the mermen nation.
Both the mermen and land dwellers were curious about each other.
In the market, some were involved in smuggling; Lu Xuan, not planning to join a group, still inquired about traveling to the mermen nation.
After about half an incense stick’s time, they turned into a quiet area, when suddenly a man in black, wearing a bamboo hat, appeared, blocking their path.
The man in black spoke, “Dear cultivators, I have a lucrative business proposition, are you interested?”
Lu Xuan was curious.
A man in black, wearing a bamboo hat in broad daylight, seemed overly conspicuous.
“If the two of you are interested, follow me. This is not a place for conversation.”
The man in black led the way, with Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu exchanging a glance before following.
Lu Xuan, confident in his abilities, wasn’t worried about any ill intentions from the man.
The Jiaoren market was extensive, and after about half a cup of tea’s time, a tent appeared in their view.
The man in black lifted the tent flap, and Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu entered.
Inside the tent were eleven people; three in black robes, surrounded by eight ordinary cultivators in a protective stance.
The leader in black robes took off his bamboo hat, revealing a youthful face:
“Yushou An of the mermen nation, pleased to meet you both.”
Lu Xuan greeted him, getting straight to the point:
“Independent cultivator Lu Xuan, pleased to meet Yushou An… May I know why you have invited us here?”
“There’s no need to be nervous.”
The black-clothed man who had invited them laughed:
“As independent cultivators visiting the market, you must be seeking resources for your cultivation. Our young master is planning to explore a… A tomb, and we are short of hands.
Seeing your considerable abilities, we sincerely invite you to join us. Rest assured, whether successful or not, you will be handsomely rewarded.”
Mermen cultivators were known for their wealth, and for them, any problem solvable with money was not a problem. “Exploring an underwater tomb?”
Lu Xuan pondered for a moment:
“May I ask, what tomb are we to explore, and whose is it? If it’s the resting place of a great being, the risk might be significant.”
He was kindly reminding them of the risks involved in tomb raiding.
“You need not worry, Lu Xuan.”
The young master Yushou An calmly replied:
“The tomb we are to explore is that of my own ancestors.”
Lu Xuan & Cheng Lingzhu: ‘I???”
“Cough cough…”
The black-clothed man who had brought them cleared his throat, “What do you say? If you agree, we can set off immediately.
If you decline, I have a small token of gratitude for your silence. We can always collaborate in the future.
We just hope you can keep this a secret, as such matters are not exactly… Honorable to discuss…”
Seeing Lu Xuan’s hesitation, the man thought he might refuse and took out a deep blue crystal as a token of silence.
Unexpectedly, the young man waved his hand, “Raiding a tomb? What’s so difficult about that? I’ll accompany you on this venture. It’s good to see the world..”