Xiulan

The city of Xiulan, two hours away from the province of Guanjin, a well known destination for those considering to peruse ingredients for alchemy. Simply put, if you're looking for low prices and rare items, then Xiulan is your stop.

The master and student's search for the spirit beast Huli Jing begins here.

"If you are done shopping for alchemy ingredients then you will find me parked over here. Are you sure you don't need me to accompany you, Elder Xiao?" Fang Xuan watched as their new elder hopped off the sect's last remaining carriage.

"No need, I would suggest you take a stroll around, it might take me a while. I'll see you soon."

Xiao stared at the fervent market before her. It's going to be a hectic day.

(Young miss, come and buy from us!)

(Discounted ingredients just for you, young miss!)

(Hey, young miss, looking for something? Come and shop here!)

Despite the abundance of market goers, the vendors still hustled, calling for Xiao everytime she would pass by their store. Only for them to look at her strangely when she asks for the rare ingredient that she was looking for. Still, Xiao decided to not fault them for it. Absolutely no one even considered Huli jing blood due to how elusive they are.

The sky above had finally turned orange as the sun was about to descend from the sky.

Sitting at the bench for a bit of repose, Xiao couldn't help but think that this whole endeavor is worthless. It's not like she's resigned to be a cripple for life but the task that her master had set out for her is like finding a single grain of rice thrown into the vast ocean.

"Teacher, I don't think we're going to find any Huli Jing blood in this city."

Xiao spoke aloud to the voice inside her head, since there were only a few passers by, she figured that her teacher would not mind conversing.

<<If we cannot find any blood, then we must look directly for the source.>>

"Did you not hear the part where I just said we can't find even a single drop of their blood? How the hell are we supposed to find one in the flesh!?"

<<One of my most prominent lover was once a Huli jing. Her hair pink like cherry blossom, her eyes as blue as the clearest sea. Ah, I still remember how soft to the touch those fluffy tails of hers are as our bodies touched.>>

"Look teacher, I'm sure that's a nice little memory for you and all but how is that going to be of any help?"

<<Not only was I a master of the traditional path, I have also reached the peak of dual cultivation. I have absorbed so much of a huli jing's qi essence that I can now detect if one is close by.>>

There are so many questions going through Xiao's head right now. For starters...

"There's a peak in dual cultivation!? I thought it was merely to absorb the qi essence of your partner so you could use it to speed up your own cultivation !? Also, why didn't you tell me from the start that you could detect one?"

<<Yes there is a peak, what you know is merely scratching the surface. I will show you some of my scrolls after we have restored your limbs. As to why I didn't tell you, I didn't want you to be complacent - I am your teacher, my job is to help you grow, not give the answers to all of your problems.>>

Now that every shop had been scoured and all other options exhausted. It was time for Zhen to step in and lend her student a helping hand.

"That is fair. But I'm sure it would've saved us some time if you thought about helping me in the search much earlier."

<<Do not doubt my teaching methods. Now follow me.>>

It seems that fortune favors her dear student, for there is a huli jing close by, and a rather powerful one at that. A rough guess is that the fox woman is about a realm higher than her student.

Zhen would consider it as a trial of some sort. With brute force out of the question, her student must use her wits if she wants to pass and acquire the Huli jing's blood.

If all goes well, then her student wouldn't have to deal with a Huli jing's most fearsome ability.

+++

Her master guided her to a place she'd been before, it's one of her first stops as a matter of fact.

The White jasmine pharmacy. The second largest seller of ingredients in all of Xiulan.

Its inside verdant like the medicinal plants they sell, the rich aroma in the air solidifies the distinction that is indeed an establishment housing a variety of ingredients.

"We told you miss, we don't have the blood of a huli jing here." One of its female attendants quickly approached Xiao as she entered their shop, hiding her disinterest to serve a non-buying customer behind a fake smile.

<<Tell them we have a vial of Huli Jing blood to sell, if our Huli Jing is the curious sort then the fake information will serve as our bait.>>

"I'm actually here to sell, I have a vial of Huli Jing blood! I wonder what wondrous pills and elixirs I could make with this!?" Xiao dramatically shouted, practically announcing it for the whole establishment to hear.

"Wait a minute, isn't that the ingredient you've been looking for? Why are you suddenly selling to us?" Xiao's action puzzled the attendant. Looking for a rare ingredient only to sell it after acquiring it? The lady before her might in reality be crazy!

"Don't question me! It's part of our plan!"

*Bam*

The door to what appears to be an important room opened with a thud.

From it emerged a woman with long obsidian hair. Her white cheongsam had vivid flower patterns on it curved on her splendid figure. Her face had a strict but gorgeous appeal, the tellings of a businesswoman.

The woman sauntered towards Xiao with a dignified gait.

"Do you truly have the blood of a Huli Jing? I want you to show it to me." The woman's voice was equally as sultry but more commanding than her teacher's.

<<That is her. I could sense it.>>

Although her master confirmed, the attractive woman showed no signs of being a feline much less the wicked aura that came with being a demonic cultivator. Is she truly the Huli Jing they are looking for? The only thing that Xiao was sure of is that…

(Oh no, she's hot!)

<<Xiao, for the love of…stop staring and start to parley!>>

Xiao's master shook her out of her dreamy stupor, regaining her composure.

*Fake cough* "My name's Yao Xiao. It is true, I have the blood of a Huli Jing in my possession. Can we discuss it somewhere private?"

"I am Duan Yanmei, the owner of this establishment. Follow me, we shall discuss this matter at the V.I.P. room upstairs."