“Young customer, will that be all?” A finely built middle-aged man smiled courteously while rubbing his hands. This customer of his had been quite needy with his requests, had it not been for the ample resources of his shop he would have been unable to satisfy even a third of his requests. Fortunately, the other hadn’t been too harsh on him, leaving ample freedom regarding the brand of the products and therefore allowing him to barely salvaging the deal. Hell, he could still feel shivers running down his spine at the thought of almost losing such a wealthy customer. After all, the amount he was going to make today off this one trade would be that of several weeks’ worth!
“Almost done.” A black-haired, golden-eyed replied absent-mindedly, his attention on an old man sitting by the entrance of the shop. This old man was a peak Basic Stage, the heavy fluctuations of the Qi surrounding him announcing he would be breaking through to the Advanced Stage soon. He had originally been thinking about making some spare change off this mid-sized shop, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to be a thing. The experienced eye of an old man at a quasi-Advanced stage was not something he felt like testing today. Furthermore, it’s not like he was short on money, it was merely an habit from his penniless days. “I’d also like a couple of spare pieces for each of the main components of the tent’s structure to be added as well.”
“That can easily be arranged for, not a problem at all. We are used to requests such as these so it shouldn’t take any longer than a couple of minutes, just long enough for my colleagues to place everything in their storage items and bring them over. Oh, now that I think about it, is young customer in need of a storage treasure? I can easily fetch one for a low price-”
“That’s fine, I have one of my own already.” Cheng Hao flashed the Heaven&Earth Pouch he kept below the robes: it was the one the group of bandits had gifted him after his ‘heroic sacrifice’. The one he had stolen from the Core Sect Disciple Liu Biao was far too expensive for him to show others. He had no intention to cause an uproar right before having to leave Xiao Wu alone for what could very well be weeks, months even. For that reason, he would be using the bandit’s in public, as although it would still attract malevolent glances, it was not enough to prompt action: people were not that stupid when it came to backgrounds.
A child with a storage treasure? Their background would be way too much for some Inferior Stages to handle. As for Basic Stages and above, they would barely blink at a treasure so lowly they would be able to buy with some spare change.
“Very well. My colleagues will be bringing everything over soon. In the meanwhile, young customer, feel free to browse our little shop some more. In case anything catches customer’s eye, we will be happy to gift it to you to thank you for your patronage…”
At that, the child’s eyes gleamed, “Oh? In fact, this whole shop had caught my eye from the moment I walked in! Does that mean everything present here is up for grab?”
“…”
“Eheh, no need to worry, I was just joking.” Cheng Hao winked playfully at the owner.
Do I look like I’m laughing to you, the middle-aged man shouted in his heart while secretly wiping off the cold sweat on his palms.
“Mph!” The old man sitting by the entrance loudly scoffed almost as if he were warning the child. The smile hidden beneath his long, grey beard however betrayed his amusement.
“Is customer satisfied then, all your needs taken care of?” The shop owner forced a smile.
“Ahem! As a matter of fact, I do need one last thing…” The golden-eyed child rubbed his nose in embarrassment. “Does either of the seniors perhaps know… where the bazaar’s tavern is?”
...
Bazaars didn't merely hold stalls managed by the Sect's cultivators. In fact, most of those selling their goods at the cultivator bazaars present in the Sixth Ring weren't the disciples themselves, but were instead merchants that had disregarded cultivation so as to completely immerse themselves in the wonders of trading. Those people were the wandering merchants; cultivators that dedicated their whole lives to traveling from one sect to another, seeking wealth and status regardless of their cultivation bases.
Now, the largest sects in the Western Continent, a massive continent where the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect reigned supreme at its very center, did not shoo away these people, as more often than not a treasure or two that even Reverend Stage experts would drool over might appear. However, those same mighty existences also would never humiliate themselves by allowing these people to enter and exit their sect at their whim. As higher powers, they had their pride after all, and therefore refused to lower themselves just like that, giving away their hard-earned honor for free...
In other words, those high and mighty sects wanted money.
For a conspicuous sum, these mighty Sects would be opening their doors during the disciple entrance exams that took place several times per year and allow the merchants to temporarily enter the Sect. Unfortunately for the wandering merchants, these periods often did not fit well with those of other Sects and even some, such as the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect, only let those merchants in for at most a week after the end of the examinations. This entailed difficult choices for those wandering sellers, as they would only be able to visit a much smaller amount of the Sects than they would have wished. Over time, the most optimal routes that took into account these timings were calculated, resulting in smaller caravans departing at the same time separately before joining forces on the way, merging into mid to large scale caravans and then later following these paths together, finally traversing dozens of Sects every year.
All those caravans piled together carried mountains of goods and precious treasures in their storage, which more often than not would catch the eye of both rogue cultivators and Spiritual Beasts, attracted by either the astronomical wealth in the merchant's magical purses or the precious ingredients in their treasury.
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Therefore, wandering merchants would often hire the very best mercenaries available, all in order to defend themselves in their journey across the continents. Those most experienced among these wandering merchants would not hesitate to contribute a huge amount of money to invite powerful cultivators to make sure each journey would proceed unhindered. Over the years, cultivation bases as high as the Advanced or even Superior Stage would be hired as bodyguards, all so their traveling could proceed on safely.
This time around however, a huge beast horde had formed just outside Four Divine Beasts Mountain Range, which had resulted in the caravan suffering disastrous losses...
"Honestly, had it not been for that brat, we might all have died right there and then!" a merchant sighed as he guzzled down a pint of some exotic wine. Sitting right across him, Cheng Hao furrowed his brows as he listened to the middle aged man's recounting of the events. This person, Gu Qiu, was an acquaintance of his that he had met some months ago, long before he stepped in the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect and his existence tangled with that of Xiao Wu’s. It could be said to be “Cheng Hao’s” first friend.
Cheng Hao and Gu Qiu's caravan had crossed paths back then and the two had hit it off rather well. Gu Qiu was a mortal, and yet his skill in the art of trading had acquired him the respect of many cultivators. At their first encounter, even Cheng Hao hadn't been able to stop himself from praising the guy's intellect! It had been Gu Qiu that had explained the geography and history of this world to Cheng Hao, and in exchange Cheng Hao had granted him many unique cultivation methods for him to sell.
The two had gotten along to the point Cheng Hao had reveled his identity... at least, to a certain extent, only mentioning his past as an expert and his rebirth as a child. After mentioning he would be heading to the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect, Gu Qiu had chosen to meet him there. To think he would face such mortal danger on the way...
According to him, one of the caravans they had merged with this time around housed an errand boy just barely over fifteen years of age. He was skinny, pale and of weak constitution. Due to reasons pertaining his behavior and unknown background, as well as his distinct physical appearance, he had been shunned as an outcast by his colleagues working at the caravan...
"Behavior? Unknown background?" Cheng Hao inquired as he motioned for a waiter.
"Yes. An old friend of mine says the guy was picked up on the road a few months ago. I believe he also added the kid's intention was hitching a ride to get to the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect, but that he never revealed anything regarding his past." Gu Qiu happily welcomed a second round of fiery wine jars. Cheng Hao watched on calmly as the cultivationless middle-aged man proceeded to pour and chug down a large cup of the burning alcohol. "He also had a few quirks that made him stand out. At times, the errand boys would find him talking to himself. At others, he would be caught writing down weird symbols and drawings on the floor."
At this, his interest piqued, the golden-eyed youth added, "You mentioned there were reasons pertaining to his physical appearance as well?"
"There sure are!" Gu Qiu nodded, his eyes squinting as he tried his best to recall the lone figure of the youth, "For starters, he has white hair; not just a strand or two, mind you, but a head full of long, white hair! Secondly, his whole body is completely covered in scars! Not merely a couple, but so many most of his actual skin is oftentimes difficult to spot... He must have originally been a very handsome guy, but all those wounds have ruined his beautiful appearance. The color of his skin, or at least of those little bits that can be seen, is also not characteristic of our continent. It’s a kind of unnatural, pale blue, almost as if he were sickly… Or it could be some weird cultivation technique at work, who knows! The amount of such manuals is way too large for me to be able to say with certainty for it not to be so."
"Mmm..." Cheng Hao rubbed the bridge of his nose pensively. Then, he narrowed his eyes and snorted with impatience. "As a wandering merchant, how hard could it possibly be to meet a couple of oddballs that match that description every now and then? Just hurry and tell the redeeming quality that makes this youth in particular stand out from the rest!"
"Ah..." Qiu chuckled and, under the glare of the golden-eyed child, he finally revealed the shocking piece of information: "It is none other than this young man's pupils! They're very special, you see… In their original state, they are just a pair of black orbs. When he rotates his cultivation base however," the middle-aged merchant began tapping his index finger atop the wooden table "They turn into inverted triangles!"
Inverted triangle pupils?
Cheng Hao's brows immediately shot up.
"The eyes of the Underworld King!" His eyes widened as he muttered disbelievingly, "How could they possibly appear on a being besides Yama?"
"Yama? As in... King of Hell?" Gu Qiu inhaled sharply. "It seems like I've unknowingly gotten myself involved in something very interesting!" Then, with the somewhat awkward chuckle preceding a bad joke, he added, "Well, in a sense, that youth could kind of pass off as some sort of devil king, with his ability to summon and control the armies of the dead and all..."
"Summon the dead... you mean the souls of those who died on the battlefield?" Cheng Hao furrowed his brows: as long as it was the summoning of souls, he could think of many methods, a few that could actuated even with lower cultivation bases. Secret rituals, mysterious treasures or even just plain-out heaven-defying Qi Scriptures; there was no shortage of methods to call out a dead man's fading consciousness…
"Souls? Oh, nonono... I mean open a pair of gigantic doors and have dozens, hundreds of cultivators' corpses flood out!"
"!!!"
…however, Gu Qiu's words made his expression change greatly!
"Necromancy at the Mortal Realm!" Cheng Hao's eyes widened noticeably, "Then, that's gotta be... King Of Hell type Sensed Qi, the Underworld Door!" He immediately fell into contemplation, muttering countless calculations and guesses under his breath. In what could only be called a panicked frenzy, this appearingly all-knowing one thousand year old reborn soul found himself at a loss!
"Oh? Even an old devil such as you is oblivious in regards to this dilemma?" Gu Qiu watched all this with satisfaction: to see the terrifying child in front of him so flustered, it was indeed a rare sight!
"Oh, gimme a break with your prickly remarks!" Dismissing the merchant with a wave of his sleeves, Cheng Hao spoke with a sense of urgency. "Just tell me where he is now!"
"Ahah..." Gu Qiu chuckled. "You should be able to find him easily enough by checking back at the Caravan. He doesn't seem to enjoy walking around as much as he does toying around with his weird symbols."
"The Caravan, of course." Cheng Hao gulped down the last few drops of wine in his cup. "What's he called?"
"He goes by the name of Fuyin; surname is Wang." Gu Qiu replied as he extended a hand towards the child.
"Wang as in King and Yin as in darkness and evil… Really original.” Cheng Hao rolled his eyes, “I know a couple beings who have such a bad name sense, I’m pretty sure they would get along quite nicely with this guy’s parents… Alright!" The golden eyed youth shot to his feet after tossing a golden coin as big as an adult's fist at the merchant. "Newly inscribed 13 zodiac formation, capable of withstanding five full-powered low level Advanced Stage strikes. Make good use of it. Now then, let’s go meet this little ‘Evil King!"