29. The market stop

Mei Lin moved very slowly between two slugs, scanning for items to conceal her identity. Spotting an old, rusted carriage selling raincoats and bamboo hats, she approached. After selecting one of each, she exchanged two low-grade spirit stones for the items. The elderly man who sold them appeared as a slave. He rarely had the opportunity to conduct transactions with cultivators, let alone receive payment in spirit stones. Hastily concealing the precious stones to safeguard them from potential theft, he promptly closed up shop, content with his unexpected fortune.

As Mei Lin saw the scene before her, she remained silent, choosing not to voice her thoughts as she ventured into the inner part of the caravan, shielded by the wall formed by the slugs. Navigating the winding alleyways that snaked through the slums where the downtrodden slaves eked out their existence, Mei Lin's senses were assailed by the overwhelming stench of decay and deprivation. Amidst the dilapidated carriages and refuse-strewn streets, she found naught but the detritus of forgotten dreams and shattered hopes.

After thoroughly scouring her surroundings, Mei Lin finally approached the slug wall. Before entering through the designated point, she handed over one low-grade spirit stone as payment and was granted passage by the guards stationed there. Assuming she was a cultivator slave like themselves, they levied the charge without question. However, had she chosen to show them her entry token, they would have waived the fee.

As Mei Lin stepped onto the slug wall, she entered a realm vastly different from the slums outside. Houses interconnected by bridges formed a network, facilitating seamless movement between them.

Upon entering the first house, she noticed a special token positioned at the entrance. Utilizing her spirit sense to interact with it, Mei Lin discovered a detailed map of the house along with brief descriptions of its contents. Additionally, the token provided information regarding the house's position within the convoy, offering valuable insight into its layout and structure.

The house Mei Lin entered turned out to be a bustling food market spanning three floors. On the first floor, designated for non-cultivators, ordinary food items were available for purchase using either gold or spirit stones. Moving up to the second floor, Mei Lin discovered a selection of food infused with natural energy, exclusively purchasable with spirit stones. Adjacent to this house stood a quaint tea house, offering a tranquil respite amidst the lively market atmosphere.

As for the third floor, its specific offerings were not specified, but it was assumed to cater to cultivators, likely featuring specialized cuisine or services tailored to their unique needs and preferences.

Mei Lin embarked on a leisurely exploration of the first floor, encountering a dazzling array of exotic fruits and vegetables she had never saw before. Impressed by their appearance and intrigued by their potential flavors, she decided to purchase some with her spirit stones. The fruits proved to be relatively inexpensive, costing her approximately one low grade stone for nearly twenty of different fruits.

Satisfied with her exploration of the first floor, Mei Lin made her way to the entrance of the second level. Presenting her token to the guard stationed there, she was granted passage to the less crowded second floor of the market. As she looked around if she found something good, many cultivators observed her with curiosity, though none dared to speak.

Mei Lin's attention was captivated by a large, vibrant red dragon fruit that stood out amidst the array of goods. After wandering around for a bit, she found your looking service attendant in green cultivation robe, different from others, so everyone will notice her and approached to inquire about the price of the fruit.

The young woman was pleased that someone was interested in the fruit, so she thought about if and decided to lower the price slightly, because she was scared that Mei Lin will. Normally priced at ten low grade spirit stones, so she lower it to nine. "Hello miss, this dragon fruit costs nine low grade spirit stones and its last one here?"

 Mei Lin, not being familiar with the real price. "I will buy it," and immediately pulled out a ten spirit stones. However, before the attendant could process the transaction and gave her spirit fruit, another young girl reached for it and took it out of the shelf.

Attendant start talking to her about the fruit that she just sold to Mei Lin, but girl didn't listen to her and put the dragon fruit into her storage bag. "I already sold this fruit. Please let the fruit go and try to find another one, which you will like." Girl was already angry and start shouting at the shop attendant. "No way! I like to eat this fruit so I will buy it. Tell me the price so I will buy it." Girl was starting to get angry because she wanted to buy this fruit and gave it to her mother. Shop attendant didn't give up so she start jelling at her once again. "Do you know who am I? I am Feng Xue." When young attendant heard this name she let go of the fruit. She knew who was Feng Xue. She was daughter of Feng Huayuan head of security in the caravan. Her cultivation was also higher than her and she was not shop owner so she cant cause trouble for a shop or for herself.

Immediately after she asked Feng Xue for a payment. When Feng Xue hear prize, she start getting even more angry. "You don't want to sell me this fruit and now you want me to pay for it? The one who will pay is the one who wanted it first." When attendant heard it, she immediately turned pail. In this moment Mei Lin went to the attendant and asked him about her fruit. "Well, how should I tell you, the fruit is already sold miss. You need to buy another fruits you want. I already gave you money for it," said Mei Lin, As Feng Xue heard it, she immediately accused Mei Lin that she stole her the fruit and that she will not get it. "How can slave like you bought this fruit. You are laying." Mei Lin start explaining that she paid to the shop attendant.

In the midst of the commotion, a few guards and Feng Lian, Xue's mother, entered the room. Feng Lian had initially tasked Feng Xue with purchasing the fruit for their celebration dinner. Despite their advanced cultivation levels, they occasionally shared a meal for the sake of relaxation.

Upon hearing Feng Xue's explanation, Feng Lian deduced that Xue had attempted to take the fruit without paying or something like that. However, rather than intervening herself, Feng Lian chose to remain passive, allowing Feng Xue to handle the situation on her own.

After the argument, Mei Lin no longer desired the fruit and simply wanted her money back so she could leave. She decided to buy something else to eat from the first floor. "Then you can have it. I don't want this fruit anymore." Mei Lin didn't resist any further and began searching for other fruits.

The young shop attendant went after Mei Lin and returned her money back. However, when Feng Xue heard about this, she threw the dragon fruit, as big as a watermelon, at Mei Lin. Mei Lin didn't react in time, and the fruit hit her in the back, causing her to fall to the ground. The impact reopened her wound, and blood began to flow again.

"You can have it!" Feng Xue started screaming at Mei Lin. Mei Lin didn't know what to do and began to stand up. "Why did you throw the fruit at me?" Feng Xue didn't say a word and started leaving the shop. The shop attendant tried to stop her because she hadn't been paid for the fruit. "You need to pay for the fruit before you leave." After she said that, Feng Xue turned around, and a small knife appeared in her hand. She slashed at the attendant, cutting off a few fingers from her hand. He started screaming in pain, and blood flowed from the severed fingers. The attendant screamed, and the guards immediately rushed forward. When they saw the blood, they prepared to fight. At this moment, Feng Lian stepped in. The guards recognized Feng Lian and didn't want to get involved.

"That slave angered my daughter and tried to steal her spirit fruit!" Feng Lian accused immediately, pointing at Mei Lin. Mei Lin saw that and was immediately furious. "What are you saying! I am not slave!" Mei Lin's voice sliced through the tension like a sharpened blade, her words a defiant challenge that reverberated through the air. In the heat of the moment, fueled by an anger, she directed her fury towards Feng Lian with unbridled ferocity.

Feng Lian, her own temper flaring in response to Mei Lin's brazen outburst, surged forward with a primal instinct driving her actions. With a feral snarl, she seized hold of Mei Lin's raincoat, her fingers clawing at the fabric with unrestrained force. The sound of tearing fabric echoed in the shop, a harsh symphony of destruction as the raincoat surrendered to Feng Lian's relentless assault.

In an instant, Mei Lin found herself tumbling to the ground, her form sprawled amidst the wreckage of her torn raincoat. With a sense of vulnerability laid bare for all to see, her white hair cascaded around her shoulders in disarray, her cultivation robe left in tatters, a stark testament to the intensity of their confrontation.

Mei Lin lay exposed before Feng Lian, her defiance undiminished even in the face of her newfound vulnerability. With a defiant glare, she met Feng Lian's gaze and her red sight were burned into Feng Lian's eyes.

As Feng Lian saw her red eyes and extremely beautiful face covered in blood and dust she didn't know what to say.