Taking a Stroll (2)

Yuan and the others made their way towards the bazaar, located in the heart of the town. He observed numerous wagons heading in the same direction, likely transporting goods from another town for today's market.

'This truly is a different world,' he mused quietly, watching the horses pull the wagons with impressive speed.

As they walked, several pairs of eyes turned towards Yuan. He was a striking young man, capable of making a woman feel self-conscious. Many of the women along the roadside couldn't help but focus their attention on him. They could easily rival some of the most beautiful people on Earth, even competing with movie stars.

"Look! Isn't he too handsome?"

"He's really my type!"

"I saw him first, so he's mine!"

"Look at the beauties with him; do you think he'd even spare a glance at your ugly face?"

"Humph! Coming from a whore who throws herself at any man like a dog!"

"What did you say, you bitch?"

"Enough, all of you! What's so special about a handsome face? With that slight build, I doubt he'd make it past the second round!" A man, clearly irritated by their banter, interjected.

Though they spoke casually, Yuan, his mother, and Emma could hear every word clearly due to their cultivation, which heightened their senses beyond mortal limits. It was no surprise that they caught wind of the conversation.

Despite hearing their remarks, Yuan chose to act as if he hadn't, continuing to walk alongside his mother and sister, unfazed.

"Fufufu! Darling, it seems like those females are starting to take an interest in you now," his mother remarked, leaning closer to his ear, clearly relishing the chance to tease her son.

His body tingled with excitement as he felt his mother's warm breath brush against his ear. Despite the sensation, he managed to maintain his composure, not allowing himself to be embarrassed in front of others.

'Damn, she's really good at this; it's too hard to resist!' Yuan thought to himself.

"How can he fail to get those women's attention? He is, after all, my handsome younger brother!" Lily mused inwardly, adding a silent sentiment, 'And soon my husband!'

"Young Miss is right, and Young Master is too appealing for them to resist!" Emma affirmed Lily's statement. Even she found it incredibly challenging to resist the allure of his handsome features. If he were to insist on taking her as his wife, she would submit with little to no resistance.

"These are just a bunch of worn things that won't grab my attention, and besides, they're not as gorgeous as you guys are," Yuan replied, his words filled with genuine affection.

'I wonder if the young master will ever accept an old woman like me.' Emma's gaze rested on Yuan, her thoughts tinged with a touch of longing. Her cheeks flushed brightly, and she behaved as if she were a young girl experiencing her first love.

"hmm?" Grace, walking alongside Yuan, observed Emma's behavior. As she took in Emma's flushed face, she couldn't help but chuckle softly. 'Fufufu... It seems that Emma and my darling have become romantically involved!'

After a continuous walk of 15 minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance of the bazaar.

"This is a lot bigger than I first anticipated!" Yuan exclaimed in astonishment. Initially, he had imagined the bazaar to be rather modest given the town's size and age. However, he was clearly mistaken. The bazaar sprawled out significantly, bustling with people of all ages.

"Even though this town is small and in danger of going out of business, on this day a large number of traders would come together to offer their wares; as far as anybody could recall, this bazaar is one of the oldest bazaars that has ever been in this kingdom."

"In addition, this bazaar is the sole thing sustaining our town at this time; without it, our town would have long since perished," Grace explained, emphasizing the crucial role of the bazaar for their town's survival.

Yuan couldn't help but agree with his mother's assessment. He had witnessed firsthand the town's current impoverished state. The once formidable defensive wall, designed to repel monsters, now bore numerous colossal cracks. It wouldn't hold against an onslaught of powerful magical creatures for more than an hour, even with reinforcements.

"Leaving that aside, we should head inside the bazaar and stroll around a bit, what do you say?"

"Well, let's follow your lead; I'm quite curious to see how much the interior has changed after all this time," Grace replied with a nod to Yuan.

"I'm also very eager to explore the area. Let's end this pointless conversation and get going!" Lily chimed in enthusiastically, with Emma nodding in agreement.

Without further ado, they entered the bazaar. Yuan couldn't help but notice the numerous small food stands that had sprung up, offering an array of street foods like grilled meats, seafood, and various kinds of bread. Some of the stands were bustling with people.

Among the various options, one food stand in particular caught Yuan's eye. They were selling grilled octopus legs that emitted an irresistible aroma.

"Mom, you guys wait here for a moment. I'm going to pick up something to eat while we explore," Yuan said to them, before heading straight to a small stall selling what looked like deliciously grilled octopus legs.

"Hello, dear customer! What are your preferences? Octopus legs, squid, grilled clams, and squid are also on the menu," the stall owner offered.

"Four legs of grilled octopus please. The cost is..."

"10 copper each, good sir!"

He handed over 40 copper coins and received four grilled octopus legs, then promptly returned to his mother and sisters.

"What have you bought?" Curious, Lily asked, her senses captivated by the aroma of the fried octopus legs.

"I have bought grilled octopus legs. Here, take one; here is one for mom; and this one is for sister Emma," Yuan said, distributing the delicacies.

"From the aroma alone, this appears to be very delicious!" Grace remarked, taking a moment to savor the scent before biting into it.

"Mmm, it's remarkably delicious; you guys should try it too!" she encouraged after a satisfying taste.

"This is really good; you do have an eye for food, little Yuan!"

"I merely bought them because they looked delicious; I hadn't anticipated this outcome!" Yuan admitted. In reality, this was a dish he used to enjoy every Sunday at noon back on Earth.

While strolling through the bazaar, they savored the grilled octopus legs. They glanced into several shops, but nothing quite caught their attention.

The majority of the stores specialized in common spellbooks and wands for mages, along with some low-level offensive and defensive spells, but their costs were exorbitant, making them inaccessible for most common folk. Even though the spells were of low level, their price tags were anything but.

Magical items with diverse functions like magic armor and dimensional pouches, akin to a cultivator's storage ring, as well as jewelry such as rings and earrings, were also beyond the reach of the average person due to their high prices.

After perusing through several shops, they came up empty-handed. The majority of the stores catered to mages and magic knights, neither of which applied to them as non-magic wielding cultivators.

As they explored further, they stumbled upon a sizable restaurant. It wasn't particularly crowded, but the mouth-watering aroma of food wafting from within was enticing.

"Well, it's like a blast from the past; I never thought this restaurant would still be here. I used to eat here every day, seven days a week, because the food was so incredibly good and reasonably priced," Grace reminisced, her eyes scanning the establishment. It was a place she used to frequent for lunch when her health was in its prime, and seeing it still standing brought back a flood of memories.

"Why don't we go in and have our lunch here today?" Yuan suggested promptly, noticing his mother's excitement.

"It would be a wonderful experience, little brother, to taste some of mom's favorite dishes from this restaurant," Lily chimed in.

"Indeed, Young Master!" Emma agreed.

"What are we waiting for, let's go in!" Grace exclaimed, as though she'd been eagerly anticipating this moment for a long while.

Yuan and the others could only shake their heads affectionately at her childlike enthusiasm before following her inside.

As they stepped into the restaurant, they swiftly spotted an unoccupied table and hastened to claim it before anyone else could snatch it away.

When the waiter approached, Grace placed her order, choosing some of her old favorites. Since everyone else wanted the same dishes, they didn't need to make additional requests.

The group garnered quite a few stares, particularly from women. It was evident that they were drawn to Yuan's striking appearance.

"Darling, look at all these ladies interested in you, some of them are quite attractive!" Grace remarked, a brief grin softening her usually composed demeanor.

"They might be beautiful, Mom, but not as beautiful as you!" Yuan responded, shaking his head at his mother's comment.

"Ohh, is this a compliment... or perhaps a proposal?" Grace arched an eyebrow, a faint blush gracing her cheeks.

"Both!"

"Hope you don't regret it later then...!" Grace said, her face now a bright shade of red.

'Huh?... Did... Did she accept? I was just teasing her... She really accepted it!' Yuan's thoughts raced, taken aback by his mother's response.

"Damn it! Grace, are you insane? Remember, we are mother and son; we cannot have such a relationship with Yuan; he is our son!" Anna's voice echoed in Grace's head, her own face flushed.

"Oh, shut up, will you? There are many high-ranking aristocratic mage households that have partnerships like this to maintain their bloodline's purity, and we both know how much we admire him as a man. What if, now that we are cultivators, we follow suit? We're not exactly breaching any imperial rules here, at all," Grace countered. Anna had helped care for Yuan when he was younger, and while her affection for him began as maternal, it had since evolved.

"What! Mom! Are you serious? Isn't this wrong?" Lily's astonishment was palpable as she listened to her mother's words. Emma remained quiet, unfazed as such relationships were common in her snake-Beastman tribe.

"I am dead serious!" Grace declared, her expression resolute.

'This is real; I'm not dreaming!' Yuan reflected, still processing the revelation.

The family continued their lively conversation. Suddenly, a young man and two others approached their table.

"Pardon me for the intrusion, fair lady. But may I have the honor of knowing your name? For I believe a name as exquisite as yours must be accompanied by an equally captivating persona."