Volume Two, Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Power of the Free Alliance

Since learning that the teleportation array had been sealed off, Meng Fang had been in low spirits. First, he feared this delay might shorten his uncle’s lifespan. Second, both of them found this perilous place unbearable and wished to leave the City of Freedom as soon as possible.

Meng Fang noticed the concern written all over Yu Mu’s face and broke into hearty laughter, speaking with boldness, “Brother Gada, don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. Besides, as soon as we get in touch with Aunt E, we’ll be able to use the teleportation array again.”

“Aunt E?”

“She’s the head of the Avian Ridge here, the gray-robed woman we saw just now.”

“Oh? That was her!”

Meng Fang nodded in confirmation, though he tried to sound casual. But Yu Mu knew all too well how difficult it would be. With the array under guard, reaching her now was a near impossibility.

The two walked on, lost in conversation, and without realizing it, arrived at a bustling district.

A colossal building, several times larger than the teleportation array facility, loomed before them. Streams of people surged around its entrance, seemingly unaffected by the recent events at the teleportation array.

“Meng, what’s this place? Why are there so many people? And they all seem to be cultivators.”

“This is a grand emporium, a marketplace where cultivators trade and exchange items for cultivation. It’s the largest trading hub in the city—everything you could wish for is here. Rumor has it that even saint-grade artifacts have turned up now and then, though those are extremely rare and can only be acquired by auction.”

“Saint-grade artifacts! An auction!” Yu Mu’s eyes lit up at once, and he made to stride inside. At present, he owned nothing related to cultivation and was eager to get what he needed.

Meng Fang caught him by the arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To shop, of course! Didn’t you say I have neither cultivation techniques nor artifacts? This is the perfect chance to buy some!”

“Do you have any money?” This simple question left Yu Mu stunned where he stood.

He pulled a long face. “No.”

“Come with me.” Meng Fang led him to a secluded corner, produced a leather pouch, and handed it over. “Here’s a bag of mid-grade spirit crystals. It should last you for a while.”

Yu Mu peeked inside, deeply grateful. “Thank you, Brother Meng.”

Spirit crystals, like the banknotes of his previous life, came in denominations. Entry-level crystals were worth about ten units; mid-grade ones equaled a hundred. Top-grade crystals—those were like ten-thousand-unit bills. Each spirit crystal was no larger than a fingernail. The bag Meng Fang had just given him easily contained a thousand or more. If he converted that to the currency of his former world, it would amount to at least a hundred thousand—a fortune Yu Mu had never possessed in any of his lives.

The two of them shared a bond of trust and both were straightforward by nature, so Yu Mu didn’t stand on ceremony. After thanking Meng Fang, he tucked away the pouch and headed for the main entrance.

“And where are you off to now?” Meng Fang caught him again.

“To shop,” Yu Mu replied, now thoroughly confused by Meng Fang’s behavior.

“Hold on, brother. I told you, everything in there is top-tier.”

“Exactly, which is why I want to buy something—what’s the problem?” Meng Fang’s words baffled Yu Mu even further.

Meng Fang lowered his voice. “This emporium is owned by the Free Alliance. If anything happens, you won’t just be dealing with a simple robbery.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier! Let’s get out of here.” Yu Mu turned to leave at once.

“Wait.” Meng Fang stopped him for the third time. “Since we can’t leave the city for now, let me show you around. There’s a free market not far from here, mostly independent vendors. Things are cheaper and more practical, and you might even stumble upon a real treasure.”

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” Yu Mu was instantly excited.

“Good!”

The two strode away from the emporium, spirits high.

After winding through several streets, they reached a market. It too bustled with life, but compared to the grand emporium, it was far more modest in scale and the people lacked that air of distinction.

This was a simple trading market, frequented by wandering cultivators and even some martial artists from the mundane world.

Yu Mu was about to step inside when Meng Fang held him back once more. “Brother, I forgot to mention: this place is also run by the Free Alliance. So be very careful.”

“The Free Alliance again?” Yu Mu grumbled.

“In this city, trade is managed by the Free Alliance. Even the inn where we ate and the hotel where we stayed are under their control—so what’s so strange about it? Just be careful, that’s all. Besides, Le Dao is just an ordinary member of the Alliance. I doubt such a minor incident would put the whole city on alert for us. Don’t worry. Let’s go in.”

Only now did Yu Mu understand how the city’s three major powers divided their influence: waterway trade belonged to the Sacred Sun Sect, land routes to the Avian Ridge, and city commerce to the Free Alliance. The latter, he supposed, must be the native faction.

Once inside, they were instantly dazzled by the array of wares, all other concerns forgotten.

Though the market was rudimentary, it had everything—from daily essentials to cultivation tools.

They strolled along, picking things up and putting them down, torn between the desire for everything and the realization that they needed nothing in particular—a classic case of shopping indecision.

At last, they stopped before a medicine stall, the place where they truly needed to be.

This was a permanent stall, sprawling and well-stocked with hundreds of medicines: remedies, poisons, antidotes, healing salves, even substances to obliterate corpses—an astonishing variety.

Some of these medicines Yu Mu had never so much as heard of.

He even spotted a bottle labeled “Foundation Pill” priced at one hundred top-grade spirit crystals. Only now did he grasp its true worth—no wonder only the great sects could afford it.

Other pills were even more expensive. Yu Mu realized that the bag of mid-grade spirit crystals in his tree hollow was not as much as he’d imagined.

Meng Fang, clearly familiar with this market, quickly bought all the medicine he needed—two of each kind, giving Yu Mu a full set as well.

Through Meng Fang’s explanations, Yu Mu learned that most of these pills were for replenishing energy and healing—essentials for any cultivator.