"A spirit fox? Oh, it’s you," Shen Yan said, his voice laced with doubt. His hand shifted toward the Soul-Summoning Banner on the counter before Nie Shiyun, looking as though he might strike at any moment.
"Combat is forbidden within the trading area," Nie Shiyun reminded him. He didn't know what grudge existed between Shen Yan and Duan Mingyu—after all, grievances between cultivators usually boiled down to one person scheming against or robbing another. For the time being, he had no intention of exposing the identities of Duan Mingyu’s party, so he treated them as complete strangers.
"And what if I do strike?" Shen Yan sneered. The reputation of the Soul-Summoning Valley was already abysmal; a little more infamy wouldn't hurt.
"What did he do to you?" Rong Lü asked.
Upon hearing this, Duan Mingyu was overcome with grief. "Right after entering the secret realm, I was targeted and had to hide everywhere. My spirit fox was heavily injured while protecting me. I finally managed to escape my pursuers and went to gather some spiritual herbs to treat it, but in the blink of an eye, he... he killed my spirit fox!"
The noise was giving Shen Yan a headache. He frowned and said, "It only had one breath left anyway. I simply granted it an early release. You should be thanking me."
"You—how can you say such a thing! And then you took it for yourself, didn't you?"
As Duan Mingyu cried out, his sharp eyes caught sight of the Soul-Summoning Banner on the counter. Assuming Nie Shiyun was unaware of what it was, he advised with an air of righteous indignation, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but this man is a demonic cultivator! He killed my spirit pet and trapped its soul within that banner. You shouldn't do business with such evil paths."
Nie Shiyun opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words. Did Duan Mingyu actually think he was being deceived?
Meiqiu clung to Nie Shiyun’s leg. Realizing his current cultivation was higher than that of the man named Xu Yehua, his confidence surged. Before Shen Yan could defend himself, Meiqiu snapped, "He’s a Golden Core cultivator from a refinement sect; do you really think he doesn't know what a Soul-Summoning Banner is?"
Only then did the group take a proper look at the child beside Nie Shiyun. They had never known Nie Shiyun’s sect had such a young child, let alone that he would bring one into such a dangerous secret realm.
However, though the child looked young, his tongue was sharp. Duan Mingyu should have been angry, but he found he couldn't bring himself to be cross with a child. He lectured patiently, "You are still young, so I won't hold it against you. But in the future, when you meet other cultivators outside, you mustn't speak with such a poor attitude. Do you understand?"
"None of your business," Meiqiu muttered.
Seeing the expressions of the trio opposite him sour, Nie Shiyun pulled back the troublemaking Meiqiu. Adopting the persona of an ordinary, disgruntled businessman, he warned, "Regardless of your issues, if you have a dispute, take it outside. Do not argue in my shop."
"My apologies. I'll be going then. Forget our agreement; I don't want that fellow disciple's banner anymore." Shen Yan pursed his lips and picked up his treasure from the counter. He glanced sideways at the three newcomers. Previously, he had dared to seize the spirit fox's corpse in front of Duan Mingyu because their cultivation levels were similar. But now, the two men beside Duan Mingyu did not look like easy targets. He decisively chose to retreat.
"I've finished my research. As promised, take this one as well."
Nie Shiyun had no use for the banner anyway, so he simply tossed both of them to Shen Yan.
Shen Yan was somewhat astonished, unable to believe a cultivator could see through the intricacies of a Soul-Summoning Banner so quickly. According to the elders of the demonic path, the materials of the treasure itself were rarely extraordinary; the brilliance lay in the formations within the silk. Ordinary artifact refiners usually had to seek the help of professional formation masters to decipher the principles together.
But who would refuse a bargain delivered to their door? Shen Yan didn't care if Nie Shiyun was being polite or if he truly understood the item. He quickly snatched up the two banners, donned his hood, and hurried away.
"You actually went out of your way to study that thing? That is a unique treasure of the demonic path." Duan Mingyu was shocked by Nie Shiyun’s words, looking at him with disbelief and accusation. For a moment, he even forgot about Shen Yan, who had vanished out the door like grease on a hot pan.
Feeling impatient, Nie Shiyun sighed. "I am merely a businessman. You are overstepping, guest."
Seeing Duan Mingyu get rebuffed repeatedly, Rong Lü frowned. "Even if you are a senior in terms of cultivation, shouldn't you be more polite to your customers?"
"Oh, so you are customers. I thought you were here to cause trouble," Nie Shiyun said with a dry laugh, leisurely sitting down behind the counter. "Then please, take your time looking around. Call me if you have any questions."
Throughout the entire exchange, Xu Yehua had not made a sound. He merely observed Nie Shiyun, sensing that the other man’s cultivation had indeed reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage. During the Great Cultivation Assembly, Xu Yehua had been the top cultivator among the younger generation; now, he was being firmly suppressed. Xu Yehua did not believe a dual-root cultivator could be so efficient. To be able to run a business here and still cultivate to such a degree, the man must have had some extraordinary encounter.
Duan Mingyu put on an act, wandering around the shop like a customer. However, Xu Yehua and Rong Lü felt that after that earlier scene, they might have already been exposed. Coming to a rival's shop in disguise to scout was not exactly an honorable thing to do. They looked at Nie Shiyun, only to see that he wasn't even sparing them a glance. He sat there serenely flipping through his notes, which only made them feel more stifled.
"It’s so noisy outside, what’s going..."
Nie Shiyun stiffened and quickly turned his head to see Zhai Bairong walking out. Zhai Bairong cut his question short when he saw the warning look in Nie Shiyun’s eyes. He scanned the three people in the shop, sensing something strange about them, and immediately guessed that they, like himself, had taken Disguise Pills. Zhai Bairong cursed his bad luck inwardly.
"A customer came by and there was a small dispute, but it’s settled now," Nie Shiyun said with a smile, signaling with his eyes for Zhai Bairong to return to the back. He then gave Meiqiu a nudge. "You stop causing trouble too. Go to the back and rest."
Zhai Bairong nodded and didn't say another word. He silently grabbed Meiqiu and turned to hurry back inside.
He had only spoken half a sentence, but because he had been off-guard, he hadn't lowered his voice. Duan Mingyu froze, finding the man’s mannerisms and voice somewhat familiar.
Rong Lü and Xu Yehua were not well-acquainted with Zhai Bairong, so they didn't share the feeling. However, Xu Yehua had been staring intently at Nie Shiyun and noticed his expression flicker for a moment, as if he were slightly nervous. He narrowed his eyes, observing suspiciously.
"Was that person just now... your Dao companion, Senior?" Duan Mingyu murmured. He had heard rumors that Nie Shiyun was with a junior from his sect and that the two were in that kind of relationship.
"That is a rather intrusive question, Fellow Daoist," Nie Shiyun replied.
Duan Mingyu choked on his words. Seeing that Nie Shiyun neither admitted it nor seemed angry, he said awkwardly, "I only heard others say so. I’ve always thought it seemed very romantic for two people to open a shop together; I’m quite envious! That’s why I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. Besides... I felt that the Daoist just now seemed a bit familiar. Perhaps we’ve met somewhere before."
"Oh? Is that so? If you’ve visited my sect before, perhaps you caught a glimpse of him."
Nie Shiyun smiled and gave a casual brush-off. Duan Mingyu nodded, but seeing that Nie Shiyun had no intention of continuing the conversation, he was forced to shut his mouth.
The three of them wandered around the shop for a while but didn't actually buy anything. Duan Mingyu actually found a defensive necklace that he thought was very beautiful, but knowing it was made by Nie Shiyun’s hand, he feared Xu Yehua would be consumed with rage if he actually bought it. After some thought, Duan Mingyu kept his mouth shut.
As for refining or maintaining their treasures, the three of them couldn't do that either. They weren't like Nie Shiyun, who belonged to that strange school of thought where one just threw away a broken item and replaced it; they each used a few specific, well-honed weapons. Even if they had already been recognized, bringing those weapons out would be a blatant admission of their identities, which would be too humiliating.
Duan Mingyu wandered aimlessly for a long time while an awkward silence echoed through the shop. He watched Nie Shiyun from a distance as the man sat behind the counter, head down and silent. He recalled how, long ago, this man had fervently gifted him so many things. The person before him now seemed like a different soul... At some point, this passerby whom Duan Mingyu had looked down upon had transformed into a brilliant gemstone that could no longer be ignored.
"Let’s go," Duan Mingyu said, tugging on the sleeves of Rong Lü and Xu Yehua. Rong Lü obeyed and turned to leave immediately. Xu Yehua, however, seemed lost in thought, stubbornly eyeing Nie Shiyun out of the corner of his eye. Duan Mingyu had also seen with his own eyes that Nie Shiyun had indeed reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, and he believed the rumors that the man’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage was imminent. He knew exactly how uncomfortable this made Xu Yehua. Remembering how agitated Xu Yehua had been at the Great Cultivation Assembly, Duan Mingyu feared he might lose control. If they violated the rules of the trading area, they might become public enemies.
"Let’s go..." Duan Mingyu tugged hard on Xu Yehua’s hand, his watery eyes looking at him with sincerity.
"..." Xu Yehua finally relented. The three of them left the shop together.
Once he was willing to leave, Duan Mingyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Outside, the snow fell heavily as the three headed to a nearby forest to rest.
Inside the shop, the seemingly relaxed Nie Shiyun also let out a sigh of relief.
He scanned the outside to confirm that Duan Mingyu’s group had gone, then quickly stood up and walked to the back room.
As soon as he entered the jade pendant space, Zhai Bairong walked over nervously. "It was Duan Mingyu and the others, wasn't it?"
Nie Shiyun nodded.
Zhai Bairong sighed. "I’m sorry. I was careless."
He had been refining pills in the jade pendant earlier and had vaguely heard sounds of a dispute outside. Usually, the trading area was peaceful, so Zhai Bairong had been curious and sent Meiqiu to check.
Not long after, the commotion died down, but just as Zhai Bairong was about to start another batch, the outside became even noisier. His divine sense detected several people in the shop besides Nie Shiyun, and since Meiqiu hadn't returned to report, he grew worried and went out to check.
"It’s not your fault. Things were chaotic today. Everything just happened at once," Nie Shiyun said with a wry smile.
After returning to the jade pendant, Meiqiu gave Zhai Bairong a rough description of what he had seen. Nie Shiyun now filled in the rest of the details. Hearing this, Zhai Bairong frowned. "I didn't expect them to actually come, and to come so stealthily. Do you think they noticed anything wrong?"
"Perhaps a little. But they likely haven't connected it to you, so don't worry." Nie Shiyun shook his head.
Zhai Bairong wasn't as optimistic, but he had his own thoughts on the matter and wasn't as anxious as before. He was mostly afraid of this affecting Nie Shiyun’s business.
"I wonder what they are actually here for," Zhai Bairong mused.
Nie Shiyun remained silent; he didn't know either. However, he was delighted to find that the sense of suppression emanating from Xu Yehua had diminished. Although he still felt extremely uncomfortable when the other man stared at him, it was much better than before. In the jade pendant space, he had spent twice as much time—if not more—cultivating than the protagonist's group. Knowing his luck wasn't as good as theirs, aside from intercepting their opportunities, he had spent countless spirit stones and natural treasures to convert into spiritual energy. Now, he had finally surpassed them, especially Xu Yehua—the wall that had once stood firmly in his path.
"Everything has indeed been completely changed by me," Nie Shiyun whispered, looking at the palm of his hand.
"You’re only realizing that now?" Zhai Bairong laughed, reaching out to take Nie Shiyun’s hand into his own. "From the moment you arrived in this world, it had already changed."
***
In the forest not far from the trading area.
"Alright, let’s keep moving."
"Why the rush? I want to rest a bit longer." Facing Xu Yehua’s urging, Duan Mingyu spoke with dissatisfaction.
"Resting again?"
Duan Mingyu said aggrievedly, "I know, I’m the one holding everyone back..."
"..." Xu Yehua turned and saw Duan Mingyu’s frail posture. It wasn't an act; he knew Duan Mingyu’s chronic cold constitution was acting up again. He had no choice but to sit back down on a tree stump.
Seeing the impatience in his expression, Rong Lü suggested, "If you can't wait to explore, you can go ahead on your own. I will stay here and rest with Mingyu."
"No need. I’ll stay here with him."
Duan Mingyu felt a warmth in his heart, thinking that Yehua did care for him after all.
Xu Yehua naturally wouldn't agree to leave. Although his anxiety had reached a peak after seeing Nie Shiyun’s cultivation, he remembered his sect’s instructions to look after Duan Mingyu. Moreover, Duan Mingyu’s face was pale, and the way he leaned in to seek warmth from Xu Yehua’s higher body temperature was quite pitiful. When he first met Duan Mingyu, he had found that fragile expression endearing. Although his mindset had changed somewhat, he was still susceptible to it.
"I’ll help warm you up." Xu Yehua pulled Duan Mingyu close.
"Ah!" Duan Mingyu was caught off guard as he bumped into his chest.
Rong Lü’s expression turned sour, but he knew this was actually good for Duan Mingyu, and it was something he couldn't provide himself. For Duan Mingyu’s sake, he couldn't bring himself to stop them. After a long moment, he turned his head with a grimace, leaving with the words, "I’ll go scout the surroundings."
***
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 87 | A Tense Encounter | Novela.app | Novela.app
