The departing sun spelled evening on Cloudless Sky Continent, where the Xian Clan's territory was settled. Inside this territory was Silent Rain City, a dystopian trade city that stayed under the radar, where quarrying and the selling of high-end goods took place. 

The distance between Silent Rain City and the next closest city, Fallen Heaven City, was a lengthy three thousand kilometers, and the dangers on the thoroughfare between the two deterred almost everyone. 

It was almost certain that anyone who set foot on the paths would be swarmed by bandits and wild beasts, or get lost on the way there.

Therefore, the few who were willing to take the risks in order to purchase rare, precious items that were located in Silent Rain City were all aristocrats that were filthy rich and willing to spend it all in one place, or people with a background so awe-inspiring that no one would dare to make any problems for them.

However, it was a different story for the commoners who lived there. 

A teenaged youth was working as a clerk in a small, high-maintenance pill shop. Not only were beautiful images of flood dragons carved into the walls, the ceiling was decorated with hanging jade dragon statues, and even the air was stifled by majesty as emerald light shone down the stairs from the enigmatic upper floor.

Fine, raven hair pulled back into a short ponytail with clear and pale skin, the youth's face was obscured by a white demon mask, and his slender hands were lightly rested on the counter.

As his frail figure stood at one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, he had the demeanor of an immortal who was reincarnated into a lesser world, exuding an urbane charm that couldn't be acquired, but rather something he was born with. 

The robe he was given to wear along with his long waist apron once he started working at the shop were both originally white, but were now very shabby and almost grey. However, since the black pill embroidered into the robe was still visible, he didn’t want a new one. 

Aside from this, the mask he wore was contoured to his face perfectly; it had no mouth, and its horns almost seemed lifelike. It didn't fit his attire very well, but it completely concealed his true appearance, adding another layer of mystery to him. 

Behind the counter, his very presence made every customer shiver, but his personality was exceedingly easygoing.

As for his name, it was Yan Wei.

"Never have I met such a kind and helpful person," the middle-aged woman on the opposite side of the counter said with an awkward smile.

"My customer's well-being is more important than my own," Yan Wei said as he nodded and sent her off with his eyes. 

This woman was his one-hundredth customer for the day, which was actually a high number in comparison to their usual thirty or so; furthermore, they were all travelers from Fallen Heaven City. 

Yan Wei could discern this from their cultured and distinguished appearances, going along with the fact that they could afford most of what was in the shop.

Given how small the shop was, their inventory was dwindling visibly with every customer, with only a third of their shelves still stocked.

Muttering to himself in a low voice, Yan Wei was shocked at the sudden rise in traffic. "I wonder why there are suddenly so many travelers in the city," he thought. "Did something happen on the route to Fallen Heaven City? Pill Master should be ecstatic..."

Without him even realizing it, a little boy with messy hair and ragged clothing, who was even shorter than the counter walked in. Taking in a mouthful of air, he stuck out his chest and shouted, "I'm here to buy immortal medicine so I can become a cultivator!"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"Oh?" Yan Wei peered over the edge of the counter, smiling faintly beneath the mask.

"You heard me..." the boy said, trembling as if he instantly regretted it. "Just... point me towards the good stuff!"

"Can you afford anything we have?" Yan Wei asked skeptically.

The boy looked down at his feet, searching through his pockets with an embarrassed look. "Erm... I have these!"

Eyes shining with pride, he pulled out four black coins with a golden, three-tailed majestic bird carved on both sides.

Those coins were 'rocs,' the common currency on Cloudless Sky Continent. Rocs were forged from a metal that could only be found within the borders of Cloudless Sky Continent—black iron.

Although black iron itself was relatively common on Cloudless Sky Continent, rocs were jointly forged and distributed by the ruling clans of the continent, and were, therefore, a staple in the lives of everyone who lived there.

Yan Wei came from behind the counter and crouched down to eye-level with him. Tousling the boy's hair, he said, "Four? That's one tenth of the price for the cheapest pill we have."

"Oh..." Tears welled up in the boy's eyes, which he forced back with everything he had.

After thinking for a moment, Yan Wei cleared his throat as he looked him up and down.

Rubbing his chin dramatically, Yan Wei said, "On second thought, you look pretty strong. Hm... how about this: you help me tidy the place up in time for closing, and I'll give you something that will make you faster, stronger, and maybe even a little taller."

Hearing the words "stronger," "faster," and especially "taller," the boy's eyes glittered. "Are you serious?"

"Promise," Yan Wei said. "If it turns out I'm lying, may the heavens punish me in your place."

After ridding the boy of his skepticism, he followed behind Yan Wei and blew through the place from top to bottom. Sweeping dirt that was tracked in back out the door, organizing the shelves, and catching insects that found their way in. He even got another customer to come in and buy a bottle of pills; the astonishing part was that they were pills the man didn't even need.

"What a sweet talker..." Yan Wei thought. "Too bad he's too young, or else I would recommend him for hire."

Two hours passed quickly, whereupon they closed up and Yan Wei sat the boy on the counter.

Panting, the boy looked up at Yan Wei with a broad smile. He was no longer frightened by the demonic mask; he even came to find it was elegant, in a way he couldn't quite find the words to describe. "I don't think we missed anything. Did I do good?"

"Commendable," Yan Wei said as he reached under the counter and found a simple-looking pill bottle. He shook out a perfectly rounded, golden pill into his hand, then dropped it into the boy's petrified hand.

The texture was granulated, and the fragrance it carried seemed otherworldly. "You came here for immortal medicine, right? Well, there it is."

The boy's panting had already passed, but now it was back. Shaking, he murmured, "Immortal medicine..."

"That is a Low-Grade Revitalization Pill," Yan Wei explained. "For cultivators, they're a commodity; however, for regular mortals, one with a low enough quality to be safely consumed by someone without cultivation is a priceless treasure."

"Priceless treasure..."

"The medicinal strength contained inside one of them will enhance your body with some minor improvements permanently, and may even lengthen your lifespan. However, they leave impurities that must be cleansed before enough time passes for them to root themselves into your body."

Yan Wei fixed his hair and asked, "Kid, what's your name?"

"C-Chen Yifeng," the boy said.

"Chen Yifeng, I can tell at a glance that you've grown up here, but you are still too young to know what kind of place Silent Rain City is. The people here are vile, despicable demons, and will commit nearly any crime to make a profit. That pill is more valuable than your life to those very people.

"That being said, once you consume that pill, if anyone finds out about it, one can only imagine what will happen to you. Do you understand?"

After a long silence, Chen Yifeng blinked thoughtfully at Yan Wei. "If everyone in the city is a terrible person, why aren't you?"

"Because I was raised by someone who came from a better place," Yan Wei said. "If it wasn't for them, I would have been targeted for my peculiarities a long time ago."

"Well," Chen Yifeng grinned, "I won't have to worry about that. With this pill, I'll be able to travel with the caravan back to Fallen Heaven City!"

"Caravan?" Yan Wei blurted. "What caravan?"