"For the time being, you can rest here. I'll come visit you from time to time," Ye Wan said softly, standing in front of a beautifully carved wooden house. "I'll also send someone to help take care of you. If you have any questions, you can ask them."
Yang Ze first looked at the wooden house in front of him, then glanced at the two people still sitting on the boat. He nodded quietly. He hadn't even had the chance to properly look around the sect before the boat stopped halfway up a mountain, at a place that felt quite remote. Other than a dense forest and a small lake about two hundred meters away from the house, there was nothing else nearby. The only path led downward, winding through a thick patch of trees.
Yang Ze was very satisfied with the location. Even though he wanted to explore the world and gather knowledge, he still liked being left alone. To him, the fewer people around, the better it was.
When he first arrived at the sect, he hadn't expected this kind of treatment. In his eyes, Ye Wan and her master had already done far too much for him. Not only did they save his life and heal his injuries, they also shared knowledge about the world, gave him a place to stay, and asked for nothing in return. The more they helped him, the more he felt buried under their kindness. He didn't say anything out loud, but deep inside, he had already made up his mind—if they ever needed his help, he would not hesitate to offer it.
After giving him a few basic instructions about what he could and couldn't do, Ye Wan and the old man finally took their leave. Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Yang Ze let out a long sigh before walking toward his new house.
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"Alright, spill it," the old man finally said a few minutes after they left Yang Ze. "Why are you doing all this?"
Even though his disciple was kind and a little naive, she wasn't foolish. If it were just out of pure kindness, she would have parted ways with the boy after healing him. There was no need to go this far.
He didn't believe for a moment that his beloved student would bring a complete stranger into the sect without some kind of reason. Sure, they found the boy half-dead, floating in the river, but that didn't mean he was harmless—or without secrets.
Ye Wan didn't answer right away. She simply smiled gently.
----------------
"It's decent," Yang Ze muttered, looking around the inside of the house with a satisfied expression. He hadn't been expecting much to begin with, but what he found still surprised him a little.
There was an exquisite wooden bed, a sturdy table with a few sheets of blank paper, a quill, and a pot of ink neatly placed on top. On the floor lay a luxurious carpet, woven from some unknown material, soft and warm underfoot. The house was simple, yet everything about it spoke of care and craftsmanship.
"Now, what to do next?" Yang Ze wondered aloud after exploring the small house.
Before dropping him off, Ye Wan had warned him not to roam around by himself. Without a Moonlit Sect token, his movements would be heavily restricted. If he wandered off alone, he could be seen as an intruder and apprehended on the spot.
He thought about it for a moment, the temptation to explore gnawing at him. But in the end, he decided against it. He still needed time to recover.
Throwing himself onto the soft bed, Yang Ze closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he drifted off into a deep sleep.
.
.
Knock... Knock... Knock...
Yang Ze didn't know how long he had been asleep. It was the sound of knocking that woke him up. Still half-asleep, he blinked in confusion before stumbling to open the door.
"Are you Yang Ze?" asked a young voice the moment the door creaked open.
"Hmm." Yang Ze nodded, looking up at the man standing outside. The newcomer seemed no older than twenty but was a full head taller than him.
"Good. My name's Chen Bo. I'll be taking care of you for now," the boy said, stepping back slightly to give Yang Ze some space.
As he spoke, Chen Bo subtly observed the young boy in front of him. When he first heard he was being assigned to look after some random child, he had been furious.
An outer disciple genius like him—someone who had just broken through to the Qi Guiding Realm and was preparing for the Inner Disciple Trials—was being sent to do such a menial task? Outrageous.
At first, he had stormed straight to the steward, ready to cause a scene. But after learning that this task was personally assigned by an Elder, he immediately swallowed his anger. In the end, he even handed a few gold leaves to the steward with a bright smile on his face.
After all, it was rare for the Elders to personally issue a task. If it had been under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been his turn at all.
When Chen Bo first received the assignment to take care of a "guest," he had instinctively assumed it would be an esteemed senior or someone influential. But to his surprise, when he arrived, he found that the so-called "guest" was just a young boy. He wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed or secretly relieved.
Yang Ze, on the other hand, didn't think too much about it. Once he realized the person in front of him was responsible for looking after him, he quietly sighed in relief. He didn't have many needs—he was content as long as someone handled the things he couldn't manage himself for now.
After their brief introduction, an awkward silence settled between the two of them.Chen Bo stood stiffly, unsure of what he should be doing next, while Yang Ze was lost in his own thoughts.
Given how large the sect was, there should logically be a market too. He wondered if he could visit it—and more importantly, if his handful of spirit stones would be enough to buy anything useful.
Breaking the silence, Yang Ze finally spoke. "I don't know much about the Moonlit Sect," he said, looking at Chen Bo earnestly. "Can you tell me more about it?"
"Umm..." Chen Bo blinked, momentarily speechless.
He hadn't expected someone staying as a guest to be completely clueless about the sect. For a brief moment, he couldn't help but let his mind wander, imagining all sorts of possible secret relationships this boy might have with the Elder. But quickly, he shook the unnecessary thoughts from his mind.
No matter what the truth was, it wasn't his place to question it. All he needed to do was complete his task properly—and with the Elder's backing behind this assignment, his upcoming Inner Disciple Trials would be as good as secured.
"What do you want to know?" Chen Bo asked, looking a little more relaxed now that the conversation had started.
"Is there any market around here?" Yang Ze didn't ask anything grand like where the sect stood in the broader world or how many Innate experts they had.
He was more concerned with immediate, practical matters.
"A market?" Chen Bo blinked, a little surprised by the basic question, but he still nodded. "There's one a few miles away. If you want, I can take you there."
"Sure, let's go." The moment Chen Bo made the offer, Yang Ze agreed without hesitation, afraid that the man in front of him might change his mind if he waited too long.
Without wasting any time, the two of them set off, following the winding path that led downward through the forest. It was only after they had been walking for a while that Yang Ze remembered something important—money.
Though he had a few spirit stones and some gold and silver he'd collected before, he had no idea if it would be enough.
"Can you tell me more about the market? Like, what's for sale there, and... how much do things cost?" Yang Ze asked carefully.
Chen Bo thought for a moment before replying, "Almost everything, really. Formations, talismans, training slips, rare materials—you can find a bit of everything if you know where to look."
"As for the cost..." He paused, giving Yang Ze a meaningful look.
"It basically depends on how rare the item is. But most decent stuff will cost you anywhere between two hundred to a thousand gold leaves."
"Not spirit stones?" Yang Ze asked in surprise, his eyebrows lifting.
He had been worrying all this time whether the handful of spirit stones he had were enough, and now he was being told the transactions used gold?
For a moment, he didn't know whether he should feel relieved... or just even more anxious.
"Spirit stones?" This time, Chen Bo was genuinely surprised. He cast a deep, slightly suspicious look at Yang Ze before shaking his head with a sigh.
"I'm guessing you're from the city."
"Hmm," Yang Ze replied with a simple nod.
"Well, that explains it." Chen Bo shook his head again, a little exasperated.
"No wonder you'd ask such a stupid question."
Seeing Yang Ze's confused expression, he decided to explain properly.
"Spirit stones are the currency of the Innate realm," Chen Bo said. "Only those who have stepped into the Innate realm or above will commonly use them for transactions. As for those below the Innate realm—people like us—we all use gold and silver."
"Huh!?"
Yang Ze was stunned, his mind reeling from this unexpected revelation.When he visited Ignis City, most of the important tasks rewarded spirit stones, and while rare, many people still carried them around. After all, hadn't he 'borrowed' a few from the people who tried to sacrifice him?
Looking at Yang Ze's wide-eyed expression, Chen Bo grew even more convinced that the boy beside him didn't come from any prestigious sect or powerful family.Otherwise, how could he not know such a basic thing?
"Think of it like this," Chen Bo continued patiently, "Spirit stones contain the aura of heaven and earth, which is useless to regular people. Gold and silver, on the other hand, are different—they're universally accepted everywhere."
He paused, making sure Yang Ze was following before going on.
"All the rare materials, herbs, and basic necessities you'll see at the market? They're gathered by mortals or Qi Guiding cultivators. None of them are strong enough to really make use of spirit stones.So for all of us, gold and silver are much more practical."
After hearing Chen Bo's explanation, Yang Ze remained confused for a while. Yes, he knew that spirit stones weren't of much use until reaching the Innate realm, but... why would they be almost useless for normal transactions?
Weren't spirit stones supposed to be even more precious?
After all, with enough of them, maybe you could even ask an Innate powerhouse for help, right?
He voiced his thoughts to Chen Bo.
Hearing it, Chen Bo fell silent for a long time.
His expression was a strange mix of helplessness and pity, as if he didn't know whether to laugh or scold.
Finally, he said slowly, "The resources we use are completely worthless to an Innate powerhouse. And the resources they need... we're completely worthless to gather."
"As for asking an Innate powerhouse for help..." Chen Bo gave him a long look.
"Do you think they're cabbages being sold in the market? Even if by some miracle you managed to find an Innate powerhouse wandering around, do you really think they'd patiently listen to your request?
No... It's more likely they'd just slap you to death on the spot and take all your spirit stones."
"Umm..."
Yang Ze scratched his cheek awkwardly.
When he thought about it... If someone came to him carrying a mountain of spirit stones, would he actually help them out for free?
Heh. Probably not.
Chen Bo saw Yang Ze's silent acceptance and continued with a shrug,"There are a lot of small reasons, but the gist is: unless you're at the main market on the Eighth Peak, all the other markets—including this one—use gold and silver for trading."
"I see," Yang Ze finally nodded, his confusion clearing up.
It took them nearly half an hour of walking through winding mountain paths before they finally reached their destination.
Standing at the entrance, Yang Ze couldn't help but pause and take it all in.
The market wasn't much different from a bustling city market at first glance.The difference lay in the small details:
The streets were wide and orderly, lined with proper buildings instead of ragged stalls.
There was no litter, no chaotic shouting matches.
A soft, constant breeze flowed through the market, carrying the faint fragrance of flowers that relaxed the heart.
"This is the market," Chen Bo said casually, stretching his arms a bit.
"You don't have to worry about anything here. You can freely explore by yourself."
Before Yang Ze could say anything, Chen Bo was already backing away hurriedly.
"I still have some business to take care of. If you have any questions or get lost, just ask the shopkeepers. Most of them are pretty friendly."
And with that, he turned and ran off at full speed, disappearing into the crowd as if afraid of being dragged back.
Yang Ze blinked blankly at the spot where Chen Bo vanished, before letting out a small laugh.
"This guy..." Yang Ze muttered, looking at Chen Bo's disappearing back.He shook his head helplessly and turned his focus to the market before him.
The so-called "market" was relatively simple at first glance.Exquisite buildings lined both sides of a wide, clean road.Further ahead, he could see an open-air market where vendors had spread their wares directly on the ground, almost like a bustling fish market.
After glancing around a few times, Yang Ze made up his mind and headed toward the open market.
Finding a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, Yang Ze crouched down and began looking through the items laid out in front of him.
It didn't take long for him to realize something depressing—
He couldn't recognize anything.
Yang Ze could only pretend to examine the goods with interest. Among the strange items, one thing caught his attention: a finger-long, thin strip that looked like it was made out of tree bark.
Curious, he picked it up and turned it around a few times but couldn't spot anything special.
"What is this?" he asked, frowning slightly.
The old man cracked open one eye, visibly annoyed.
He glanced lazily at Yang Ze's simple clothing, clearly losing even more interest.
"Place it on your forehead," he said in a hoarse, disinterested voice.
Yang Ze hesitated for a moment.
His instincts screamed caution, but then he thought:'...Screw it. It's not like I have anything valuable to lose.'
With half curiosity and half defiance, he pressed the bark-like strip against his forehead.
And the moment he did it, the world around him immediately blurred. Before he could react, he found himself standing on a stone platform.In front of him stood a wooden training dummy, its form lifelike under the dim light.
Yang Ze's heart skipped a beat. He didn't think that a seemingly simple piece of wood had the power of teleportation. Are the people in the sect so fearsome? But after looking around, he realized that he hadn't been teleported but instead was stuck in a small area surrounded by darkness. He tried to leave the small stone platform, but hit an invisible wall.
"How do I get out?"
The moment the thought crossed his mind, the darkness collapsed inward—And Yang Ze found himself sitting back in front of the middle-aged man.
"Training slip," the man said in the same apathetic tone."Thirty gold coins."