90 Return to Market Street
"... so we will visit Madam Li's and move onto the House of Willow; we can stop for tea at the Jade Dragon, they really are the…"
"No," interrupted Dàilán from one of the inner 'protected' seats in the slowly moving carriage across from Yue, who was marshalling out the day's schedule like a general.
Yue's eyes narrowed, shawls snapping out rigid for a moment, before fluttering back down to the floor of the Essence carriage, "No? Could you be more specific in your objection, Cousin?"
"No, we are not going to spend all day just going from one high-end clothier to another," expanded the younger woman, "Look, I understand that the 'best' shops are where we are supposed to shop, I am sure that the rest of Guan is quite aware of that already."
Beside her, Ài made a small exclamation of surprise, "So they would already have a lot of the Clan's business - from the Heirs and others…"
Chénli, who was perched comfortably on one of the 'guard' positions on the outer benches of the carriage, laughed and when everyone turned to look at her, she waved her hands in humour, "apologies, I just had a sudden mental image of one of your male Cousins trying to act like they usually do in Li's."
Yue blinked then giggled, "they would have been thrown out and the whole city would have known of it within a shi, but why is that…" Yue stopped and Dàilán could see the thoughts bubbling up through the 'empty vase' facade.
"You want to make a statement," came a cheerful rumble through the silk partition from the male side of the carriage and Dàilán nodded, "thank you, Heir Ji," she replied, "we need to be seen frequenting establishments that might be feeling slighted - which means merchants that typically, Guan members would not choose to visit, or if they do, they act.. highhandedly."
"Show Guan acting with graciousness, by visiting lesser known merchants," added Míng, "better bargains."
"Yes, that too," agreed Dàilán. "That's why I like going to the pawn shops, older, smaller book stores and other unusual places - they often have different products or even treasures…"
"I do like to keep an eye out for overlooked talents or small businesses worth investing in," mentioned Heir Ji.
"I know a few small shops on Market Street with interesting beauty products and cloth - a few of them have specific custom items that are superior to similar products offered in the middle ring," added Ài, "it is how I managed to keep up my look on a regular maid's income. Although it is not as much of a problem since the youngest mistress chose me as a lady-in-waiting - I still prefer to spend more of my money for more or better products, rather than paying for the face of the prestige shops."
Yue's eyes lit up with the passion of one who pursued the Dao of Shopping and she tapped her lips with her fingers, "it occurs to me that I usually go out much later in the day than this - the exclusive shops are not normally prepared for custom until highest-flight. They would, of course, open for us early if we arrived - but it might be better to go on an adventure for new and unique finds in the Market Street now rather than causing rumours - either for forcing prestigious establishments to work early or not frequenting them later."
She cast a hard look at the others, "We will need to be seen going into the middle ring establishments at some point."
"We can do that on the return trip," interjected Chénli, "it makes more sense as we will be heading back though the inner ring as we return to the Clan compound afterwards and the time lines up. We have to meet with the peddler first as he said he would be early and if we did not arrive before highest-flight, he would sell his information to the highest bidder."
Yue nodded, "Right. Peddler first, then we go hunting for bargains, then we give face to the shops in the inner ring… that is the plan," she leaned forward towards Dàilán's lady in waiting, "Now, Ai, you -must- tell me more about these custom crafters you have discovered. If I can get unique outfits or skin creams the other Clan Heiress' cannot…" her eyes glinted and Ài showed a conspiratorial grin as she lent forward and the two of them started a muttered conversion, quickly joined by the two younger maids and the Senior Enforcer.
Despite having remained silent, on the male side of the carriage, the disgruntled expression on Chian's face spoke volumes. Heir Ji just laughed at him as the fatty cheerfully relayed instructions to the Cultivator controlling the carriage to head for Market Street.
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The most prestigious merchants and auction houses that Yue had been referring to were not in Market Street - they were carefully placed at the best vantage points possible in the middle ring just outside the inner ring walls, almost in an extension of the inner ring - and catered almost exclusively to the Cultivator Clans and the wealthiest merchant Houses. It was in this area that Ji house had managed to build up their Compound, signalling their wealth and power.
Some incarnation of Market Street, however, had existed in Hujian since it was a small town. Originally several districts of the city just outside the middle ring wall's Four Gates in the lower ring - over the years it had spread along the wall and gradually had grown together - into a band of businesses, auction houses, tea houses, inns, open air markets, wet markets, stalls, shops, stands and so forth - around the entire outside circumference of the middle wall.
This placed it close enough to the middle ring for protection - with good coverage of the city guard and access to the wealthier merchants and citizens - while still allowing the greater mass of Hujian's populace from the lower ring the ability to sell, buy and trade.
As opposed to the exclusive restaurants, boutiques, tea-houses and pavilions run by the Clans in the middle ring, in theory anyone had access to the Market Street, although in practice, citizens of the lower ring would find it increasingly difficult to be welcomed to the stores as they travelled closer to the middle ring. The area between the middle ring wall and the Market Street was generally referred to as the 'Upper Market' - the shop guards maintained by the merchants as well as the city guard actively discouraged anyone who looked too shoddy from getting too close to the larger, more expensive, permanent stores and merchants that could be found closer to the Middle ring wall.
Conversely, the further one moved out away from the middle ring walls, the less safe it became to proceed unguarded. This area was mostly referred to as the 'Lower Market'; the shops and stalls clustered around the far side of the Market Street became shabbier, mostly run as part of the shopkeeper's dwelling, or temporary street stalls and carts and patronised almost exclusively by lower ring citizens and travellers from outside of Hujian.
More disreputable businesses could be found here too; brothels - far removed from the elegant 'tea houses' providing ancillary services that were scattered around the Upper Market and only a mockery of the Falling Plum Blossom pleasure pavilion that was in the same prestigious and exclusive area up against the inner ring that Yue's favourite shops were sprinkled through - loan sharks, pawn shops, drug dens, gambling houses, blood fighting rings - both of Essence Beast and Cultivator - and so on.
The area that Ai was referring to - and where Dàilán and Chénli had met the peddler previously - was actually the city road that people were referring to when they said 'Market Street'; an open paved area of approximately a half li in width between the 'Upper' and 'Lower' Markets that was maintained all around the circumference of the middle ring by the City Lord as a security measure, travel-way and a means of connecting all the commercial districts around the middle ring wall. City Guards kept up a regular patrol on the upper side of the empty street at night.
During the day however, both sides of the road filled with the temporary stalls, grills, carts, and stands of enterprising peddlers, travelling merchants and businesses either no longer able to maintain businesses in the Upper Market, or successful small businesses from the Lower Market working on building up enough of a reputation to perhaps gain a more permanent location further up. The open air market generally left barely enough space for a four horse carriage or merchant's cart to squeeze through the middle of the road and sometimes not even that - most people elected to stay on foot.
There was a loose association of merchants and businesses from both sides of the Market Street that had a vested interest in keeping the open air markets open as a useful channel for business and communication operating and somewhere safe for travelling merchants and commerce to do business. They kept guards around the road during the daytime to prevent any behaviour might cause anyone important to shut it down.
A lot of Clan Cultivators never bothered with shopping themselves and just swapped Clan Currency for whatever they needed from their Clan's stores - managed and refilled by trusted servants or low ranked clan members - who made purchases on the Clan's behalf.
It was considered something of a minor scandal for nobles to venture so far outside of the inner ring as Market Street, but Noble teens tended to go fairly regularly - although again, very few went as far down as the open air market - and most of them were uninterested in leaving the comfortable and expensive shops of the Upper Market.
The Upper Market was generally as far as anyone from the upper rings was willing to go - unless they had business outside the city and had no other means of egress. Since that was rare for the noble clans and wealthy merchants, very few inner ring or even middle ring residents ever ventured past the Upper Market. Many Clans only frequented the exclusive businesses in the middle ring, or at the very most, the Upper Market Street businesses closest to the Middle ring wall.
Dàilán, however, loved to go hunting in the older pawn shops, bookshops of both the Upper and Lower Markets - as well as the stalls of the itinerant merchants in the open air market - for new Cultivation manuals, treatises of sages, accounts of Relic Hunters or histories and legends. She often went to Market Street and even crossed into the fringes of the Lower Market looking for hidden treasures in the curio shops.
With her Cultivation levels and Chénli's presence it generally was not a risk - lower ring civilians and Mortal Rank Cultivators were wary of being killed by higher rank Cultivators - so unless she deliberately went looking for trouble she generally had more trouble dealing with bored or arrogant silkpants thinking highly of themselves on her return to the inner ring.
Similarly, Ài was originally from the lower ring despite being descended from a defunct Clan as her family had fallen on hard times - on top of being a skilled Cultivator in her own right from what her parents had managed to retain and pass on to her. Thus she was considered a 'local' who had made good and had not forgotten her roots - and she was known to help lower ring citizens who had marketable products or ideas with introductions and small but significant investments into establishing a presence in the open air market.
Combined with her recent increase in status as the Lady in Waiting of -their- 'Mountain Orchid' who was -also- known to treat lower ring people respectfully, neither of them was in any danger - any idiot from the lower ring who tried to cause them trouble got quietly disappeared - if only for self-preservation, because the lower ring residents would not survive if the Clans felt one of their own had been hurt by them.
Heir Ji of course often frequented the area, looking for opportunities to increase his personal business empire or add to his House, but the other three nobles had never ventured this far out from the middle ring.
Dàilán watched with a carefully concealed amusement as her younger maids who rarely came this far into the Upper Market - despite Chàng being part of her escort last time - and her cousins all grew increasingly fascinated as the large shops of the Upper Market by the gates gave way to a much more crowded and bustling scene, even this early in the morning. They were so busy looking around at the smaller shops crammed side by side competing with bright banners, signs, singers, musicians, criers and illusionary Formations advertising their wares that they barely noticed as the carriage came to a halt next to a set of stables emblazoned with the Ji family sigil.
"Alright, girls," spoke up Chénli as her mistress smirked, "We are going on foot from here. The streets below the Upper Market are too narrow for anything but pedestrian traffic - time to wear something a little less eye-catching, First and Second," Chénli tossed them a pair of ordinary faded brown cloaks.
Yue held the cloak thrown at her out with an outstretched arm pinched between two fingers and an expression of distaste on her face, "You want me to be seen in public in peasant clothes?"
Ài laughed politely, "A peasant would not have access to a clean, un-patched or unworn cloak."
"Not peasant clothes," Míng was examining the hems of the cloaks critically, "Protective formations stitched into the cloth."
Dàilán nodded and said soothingly to her Cousins, "It is just to make us less obvious targets. Out here silkpants who flaunt their wealth often find more of it missing than they had spent by the end of the day. No sense making ourselves obvious targets - it will be clear already we are nobles, regardless - but doing our best not to incite theft or worse. The formations on the cloaks will encourage people to lose interest in us once out of line of sight."
"Noble servant's robes are all made with formations like that," remarked Chàng, tugging at her own off-brown tunic, off-white skirt and off-grey daily robes, "it helps us stay safe outside the compound and keeps us from bothering nobles with our tasks inside the compound. Servants are a common sight in the Market Street anyways…" she trailed off shyly.
Fatty Ji appeared at steps to the girls side of the carriage after speaking quietly to the Cultivator driving the carriage, wearing a much more ordinary robe than he usually appeared in when visiting, his usual gold and jade not in evidence, "Dearest, you can see I am in my business travelling clothing, remember," he said quietly slyly placing a finger alongside his nose, "nobles are simply not seen coming to the Market Street."
Dàilán laughed at a sudden memory, "En, brother-in-law, I seem to recall you were in full finery last time we met here - suddenly you are incognito?" She poked at him in a teasing fashion.
Heir Ji grimaced, "I had other business that day and had to rush to catch you that day when I was informed you were at Market Street - I did not have time to change and took the chance, since you were still in the open air market and not lower down."
Yue blinked as Míng threw her cloak on over her own simply decorated, but fine silk robes, "Remind me to have a set of plain robes made up for next time, Third."
"I forgot about not being seen," remarked Yue unhappily, "it is usually the opposite - to need to be seen - when going out. Very well, I will wear the… servant's robe. At least it is not grey." She threw it over her shoulders unhappily and extended a hand out to Heir Ji, who ceremoniously assisted her down from the carriage.
"I am fortunate Míng does not seem particularly bothered, brother Chāng," remarked Gi Chian as he appeared beside his sworn brother, waiting for Míng to leave the carriage, also wearing plain clothing for a noble. Yue shot him a dirty look, but stepped away with the Ji Heir as Ai came out of the carriage next, to assist her mistress out, then the maids followed behind. The two Enforcers were already standing a pace or two away at both sides of the small group, casually keeping watch.
"The tea-house where I met with Third Heiress should take a few kè of walking at a normal civilian's pace to get to," opined the Ji Heir, "since the old peddler set up his cart-stall up around that area last time, we should check there first."
The group set off on foot out of the stable courtyard into the streets that led down from the middle ring wall's Tiger Gate and into this section of the Upper Market. Market Street and the open air market was only a hundred or so paces further down, so this was considered the border of the Upper Market.
Ji Chāng was right however, between the already busy flow of people looking to buy, sell or both slowing their progress and one or another of the group pausing to look at something that caught their attention - Chénli kept having to remind them they had an appointment to get to before they would have time to browse - it took almost a shi, before they emerged from the winding, twisted, narrow streets crowded with small businesses and reached the actual main City Road - and the temporary open air market that everyone referred to as 'Market Street'.
Yue looked like she was about to burst - Dàilán kept having to tug her away from stalls selling exotic materials, cloth, plants, medicinal compounds, spices or jewelry, while the others herded Míng and Chian away from book stalls and Formation related materials.
"I understand how everyone feels," commiserated Dàilán wistfully, her own gaze on a particularly interesting looking book stall, "but we have to meet the old peddler first - we can shop after!"
The group reluctantly kept moving through the open air stalls and marques, barbeque stands, steamed buns and other baked goods and preserves from housewives or small households trying to supplement their income, fresh produce direct from farmers and fishermen trying to earn better margins by selling direct to customers, arts and crafts or relic hunters with poor fortunes trying to convince people they had something valuable.
Despite the relatively early shi, the air was abuzz with the sounds of thousands of people shouting, laughing, singing and/or playing musical instruments and bargaining while having hundreds of heated conversations at once.
The breezes that moved through the Market were redolent with the smells of baking, roasting, grilling and frying, competing with the scents of wines, liquors, spices, Essence herbs, perfumes, and soaps.
Manure, urine, the occasional vomit from someone who had already overindulged, smoke from various forms of herbs some people were smoking and various body odors among other things added their own element to the melange.
Míng looked a little overwhelmed and Dàilán leaned in, "pull your senses in and circulate your Essence to filter the unpleasant smells; I find the Air of the Mountains technique focused around your head really helps." Míng frowned, her face looking pinched, but the color started coming back to her face a moment after. She smiled and nodded her thanks at the youngest Heiress, leaning over to Chian to pass on the suggestion.
Looking around Dàilán spotted Ài making similar suggestions to Yue. The others already had organised their own ways of dealing with the problem as they were old hands at traversing the Market Street.
"I see the teahouse over there," Heir Ji's voice sounded in each of their ears courtesy of some communication technique and they changed course to follow him back towards the upper side of the City Road the temporary market used.
A short time later the group was sitting down at one of the outside tables similar to last time, thanking the cheerful servers as they brought out tea services, watching the bustle as people passed to and from on the Market Street and just generally letting their newcomers catch their breath from overstimulation as they drank the very good tea and tried to spot the peddler.
A few enterprising stalls had set up just outside the entrance to the small teahouse, doing a brisk trade in treats that complimented the various teas on offer; Biyu wandered over and within short order the group was snacking on a variety of handmade treats as well.
Seeing the Senior Enforcer walking slowly around the small courtyard, sipping tea while seeming to idly watch the people passing by and the people coming and going out of the teahouse, Dàilán took the opportunity to fall into step beside her, keeping an eye on the servers and crowds herself.
"Something concerns you Heir?" enquired the deceptively young looking Senior Enforcer as they walked around.
"I was just wondering what happened with that report - Father told me to stay out of it, but I have not noticed any changes in the compound," answered the young teen in a murmur.
"We were attempting to decrease the chance you would be a target," replied the Bloodwitch quietly, "and hopefully, if you have not noticed anything, neither have the traitors or any Grass agents - especially if they were paying more attention to you than us."
She paused for a moment, then shrugged, "If your Father and GrandMother's plan works, everything should be resolved by the time we get back today - your Clan Leader was reluctant, but he had to accept the proof. The rest of the Knife Enclave will be assisting, of course."
The young teen Heiress blinked, then let a breath, "I -thought- Father was suspiciously supportive of this shopping trip. Was it part of getting the Heiresses out of the line of fire?"
"We took advantage of it, yes," admitted the young looking woman, "I am here in case things go sideways and any of your Second Uncle's people attempt to strike you or the others."
"Gods help the Clan," murmured Dàilán in distress, then took a deep breath. "I assume we should act as if nothing is happening?"
"Heirs JI and Gi know that we are out here while the traitors are dealt with, but not the specifics - just that they are to keep the others distracted and busy until we get the all clear," replied the Senior Enforcer, "your GrandMother decided not to inform your Cousins in case…"
Dàilán closed her eyes in pain, "Yue is sad at her Father's actions, but still hopes for a resolution…"
The Bloodwitch steps came faster and she opened up a gap between them, putting her several paces ahead by the time Dàilán composed her face and re-opened her eyes. Sighing, Dàilán scanned the stalls within view, looking over to the area she remembered the peddler had set up last time, but she could not catch any sight of him. Frowning, she walked around the table to Chénli's seat while the others talked animatedly about what had caught their eye, still scanning up and down the street as she shifted position.
"Do you see him anywhere?" she asked Chénli, who was looking around similarly.
"Your report mentioned the peddler may have been a sect field enforcer?" asked the Bloodwitch, standing next to the ornamental fence that surrounded the teahouse's small courtyard and gave it a little separation from the bustle of the street, "I am picking up a reporting beacon - it is possible that he is attempting to contact you, Enforcer Fuan, unless he is expecting another knife sect contact in the area."
Chénli blinked and pulled out her soul tablet from beneath her robes as Dàilán's hand went to her over her robes where hers lay similarly, "I am not picking anything up."
"He might have assumed that as the Heir's guard you would have a high enough clearance to receive his signal. He must be a high rank field Enforcer - similar to myself - if his signal is that restricted," the Senior Enforcer scanned the crowds.
"En," replied the peddler, suddenly visible harnessed behind a large covered gliding horse on the other side of the small fence. Chénli, Ài, Dàilán and the BloodWitch, stiffened and slid into combat stances as the old man grinned and put his hands behind his head without un-harnessing.
"Good to see you brat - about time the sect put a proper guard rotation on the Heir," he said laconically, nodding respectfully at Dàilán, "no offence to you, Heir's Guard," he grumbled, turning and looking at Chénli, "but one young knife is not sufficient - especially if they have not granted you higher security access - it is a good thing my old student was here."
The other members of the group around the table spat out tea or made other expressions of shock; Míng and Chian's eyes widened as they both exclaimed, "Advanced Concealment Formation!"
"Might of known it was you, Master," the Bloodwitch said sardonically as she relaxed, "I could have killed you, pulling a stupid stunt like that."
The others slid back out of defensive postures as the old man snorted, "Not your master any more brat. Apologies for the surprise, but things got very strange on this trip and I decided to be a Knife before a merchant for a change. Been a while."
"So you waited under concealment Formations until we arrived?" asked the youngest Heiress.
"En, not difficult, I only arrived a quarter shi before your group did," answered the old enforcer gruffly.
"That is later than you warned us last time," pointed out Chénli warily, "and you are not where you told us to expect you."
Instead of answering, the old man dropped his hands to the harness, started unstrapping himself and lowered his gliding horse to the ground, glancing over at the group, "There seems to be a few more people here than I expected," he returned dryly.
"Well, it has been strange on this side too," admitted Chénli, her cheeks pinking as she sighed and rubbed her chest, "guess you have a point."
"You got wounded, I see," observed the peddler, reaching into the large cart for a moment and tossing a pill to Chénli "here, a free sample of some of the 'strange' I mentioned." Observing Chénli's caution as she examined the round pill and Yue hurriedly jumping up to get a closer look, he grinned, "it is safe, I have used a few of them myself, or I might not have made it back."
The BloodWitch stepped back and gestured inside the courtyard, "Come and drink with us, we can swap stories and you can tell us what happened since you were last in Hujian."
"A good idea, although you might want to find someplace a little more private than this, for that last part," suggested the old Enforcer.
Gi Chian rose up and bowed respectfully, followed by Míng at his side, "Senior, this teahouse belongs to the Gi Clan. I will go and organise a private room - if you wish to bring your goods up once it is arranged, there will be no problem."
"Thank you, lad, that sounds like a much more sensible idea than conducting business in the open at the moment," replied the peddler kindly, his eyes twinkling.
"It will only be a moment then, Senior," both he and Míng's body language expressing eagerness as they bowed and turned, moving swiftly into the teahouse.
