Camp Black was established well over two-hundred years ago and serves as a safe haven for cultivators foraging into the perilous Western Forest. Populated by countless tribes and sects of demon beasts, humans are not a welcomed existence. It was only with the strength and support of two nascent soul cultivators that it had survived the test of time.
In fact, the border between the Western Forest and the human realm has always been guarded in a joint effort by The Eight Great Sects since almost forever- the Bloody Path Sect being one of them. Without this joint protection, the human realm would’ve long been invaded by the demon beasts and turned into a wasteland.
However, immortal sects didn’t guard the border from the human realm because they necessarily wanted to. Yes, they were humans too and they obviously wouldn’t allow their people to be slaughtered so easily, but it was only because it was the only place with adequate ambient spiritual qi for their cultivation.
From the far north to the south extended a long mountain-range that divided the mortal realm from the Western Forest, rich with veins of qi. These veins, situated deep underground with almost inexhaustible supplies, released qi that created the perfect environment for cultivation. The ambient qi that these veins produced significantly increased the cultivation speed of any cultivator.
It rejuvenated the soul, sprouted wild spiritual herbs amongst the valleys, and allowed them to train without worrying about how long it was going to take them to recover.
In comparison, the mortal realm is completely barren. There are only a few minor veins within its entirety and this lack thereof is the reason why immortals don’t meddle with mortal affairs.
This was also the reason why in the east, cultivators are thought to be myth. Whereas, in the west- close to the border - they are instead urban legends and often talked about in rumors. Like how the old man living next door who is blind in one eye, witnessed two robed man barge into his house and fight while literally flying across the room, how a little girl saw a man disappear into nowhere after turning a corner that had a dead-end, and how old guards say they saw the clan patriarch get on his hands and knees in front of a mysterious, masked figure.
But why would two nascent soul level cultivators decide to establish a town all the way in demon beast territory? It wasn’t because they were genuinely trying to establish a civilization.
It was to procure the rich resources that the Western Forest provided. It was a treasure trove filled with the would-be corpses of powerful demon beasts, their accompanying cores, and rare, aged spiritual herbs that only grow in isolated places deep within the Western Forest. Metallic ores, earth fires, yin and yang outcroppings, the eggs of demon beasts waiting to be stolen, and the list goes on.
Yet, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. It wasn’t rare for even core formation cultivators to go missing. Those at foundation establishment were killed by the dozens every year and for a vessel cleansing cultivator to venture into the Western Forest was a death wish.
As for nascent-soul level cultivators, they could tread without worrying about their own safety so long as they didn’t provoke any nascent soul beasts. Neither party wished to casually engage in mortal combat as they each had long lives ahead of them and would only do so if it heavily leaned in their favour.
So, as Xing Yi walked down one of the many streets of Camp Black, he paid great attention to the wares of each merchant that laid their wares bare, hoping to find the spiritual herbs that he was looking for.
For a place all the way out in the middle of the harsh jungle, it was very well kept and quite tidy. Although its many humble buildings were small, they were built with great craftsmanship.
Walking past a particular shop with a collection of a variety of strange, colourful fruits, he saw that the owner of it sat upon a wooden chair, smoking out a pipe and blowing smoke into the air with each puff. And to his left, a dark-skinned man with skinny legs silently meditated on a yellow straw mat in lotus-position. He sold big chunks of spiritual wood with tough, dark brown bark.
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None of them had what he wanted and as he continued, he saw all sorts of bizarre things being sold. There wasn’t a large crowd of cultivators on the street, but there were always a few cultivators within the nearby area, either looking at items or on the hunt for a particular thing like he was.
A few hours passed and Xing Yi still hadn’t found a clue where he could find spiritual herbs. So, walking up to an orange-robed monk chanting ‘Amitabha’ over and over and selling gourds, he asked him kindly, “Excuse me senior. Do you mind if I ask a question?”
Stopping in the middle of his meditation, he opened an eye and replied, “Of course. What question does almsgiver have for this one?”
“Does Senior know which merchant this junior could buy spiritual herbs off of?” Xing Yi asked.
The monk raised an eyebrow, “Hmm, does almsgiver not know the circumstances of Camp Black?”
“No,” Xing Yi shook his head.
“All spiritual herbs and demon-beast related items are monopolised by the two Light Clan patriarchs that own Camp Black. No one else but them can trade them in Camp Black,” The monk explained.
Just as Xing Yi lost hope, the monk pointed to a tall, green-roofed seven-floored pagoda in the distance, “That pagoda is the only place you can buy spiritual herbs. But I will warn almsgiver in advance, the prices are very, very high.”
Relieved, Xing Yi bowed to the monk before travelling to the pagoda. After a twenty-minute walk, he arrived at the stone steps that lead inside the red, towering giant. Walking inside, he was greeted by a beautiful, tall woman with enchanting green-eyes. A golden, rectangular-shaped earring dangled from her right ear.
“What brings you to the Paragon Emporium today?” The lady
“I would like to buy spiritual herbs.” Xing Yi said, looking up at the lady who was a couple heads taller than him.
Smiling, she turned around, “Follow me and we can talk privately.”
Following in her steps, Xing Yi walked past glass cases containing shiny treasures, tall jade pillars, and other cultivators currently browsing the Paragon Emporium’s wares.
They came into a spacious room adjacent to the main hall and Xing Yi took a seat at the table at the centre of the room. Upon the wall to the side was a small window that let in a few rays of golden light.
“Are you looking for any specific one?” She asked, taking a seat next to Xing Yi. She held up her chin with her elbow against the table, a cute expression on her face.
“Oh, yeah! Let me pull this out…” Xing Yi fumbled around his leather bag until he found what he was looking for,
Unfurling a yellow-paper scroll, he read from a list totalling seventeen ingredients. Once he was finished, the lady seemed be surprised at how much he was looking to buy.
“Oh, are you perhaps looking to refine the Lotus Explosion and grade-one Qi Gathering Pill?,” The lady exclaimed.
“How did you know?”
Her face brightened up with a smile, “Why wouldn’t I know such things? I work at the Paragon Emporium after all. ”
Xing Yi blushed, not sure if he was reacting like this to the lady’s beauty or his lack of foresight.
“How many pills are you looking to refine each? Tell me and we can get you the correlating amount of ingredients for each. And don’t worry, our Paragon Emporium will not slight you of a single leaf. You can check yourself too,” The lady explained.
Xing Yi thought on it for a second but recalled what he originally planned and went with that.
“I want to buy enough ingredients for five of each.”
“Ok. I will go call for a man by the name of Hua. Once he arrives, we can stamp out the cost of these spiritual herbs.” The lady said.
Over the course of a few minutes, the lady hit up some small talk with him, asking him about his origins and whatnot. He danced around these questions for the most part, but when the lady touched his hand out of nowhere, he became flustered.
Just then, a moustached man wearing green-robes and green eyes walked in.
“Please Ying’er, he is just a boy. Maybe if it was an older customer it might work. All you are doing is making him feel shy,” The man smiled.