They waited for almost an hour while Wu Guang made his occasional movements. But as the guard saw the first set since they arrived he was captivated and observed without any intention of leaving. The last set that Wu Guang performed looked and felt like if there was an opponent in front of him and the illusion was so complete that after his last swing, that looked like if he had just pierced the heart of his opponent the observers could swear they heard a body fall to the ground.

The teen opened his eyes and returned to his senses, noticing the pair standing near one of the edges of the grounds he recovered the sheath and after carefully sheathing the sword walked towards them.

"Miss Li, excuse me for not noticing your arrival" He said with an apologetic smile.

"Do not think about it, Master Wu. I did not want to interrupt your training, and I have actually arrived without notifying you beforehand" She answered in greeting

Wu Guang dismissed the guard who was looking at him respectfully while saying that he will escort Miss Li himself. The guard nodded and left. Before continuing their talk, Wu Guang motioned for them to move towards the pavillion and calling out the servant that remained almost invisible near it for these few days asked the latter to bring tea and refreshments.

While this was brought, he excused himself and after quickly washing off the sweat and changing into another set of clothes returned. Before talking he glanced at Li Xia who this time looked like a young lady and not the guild runner that he had met before. She was dressed in a green dress, simple but clean and neat. Her face had not even a speck of dirt and her hair was groomed. Now Wu Guang was sure that she was actually not older than 16 or 17 and that he was not mistaken about her being pretty. She was, with a good figure and white skin, although some would say she was a bit plain. Her mood had also seemingly improved as she had a smile on her face.

"Miss Li, may I ask what brings you here? Did you have any luck with my request?"

"Indeed. As Master Wu requested I found Merchant Li. You can either visit his store, or he will bring the bows he can recommend tomorrow if you allow it" Li Xia quickly answered.

"Hmm. I am a bit short of time tomorrow, and I don't really want to accommodate him by asking him to come or send the bows. Is today too late already?"

"Actually, he said that you can visit anytime today between the Rooster and the Dog hours without any problem"

"Can I bother you to accompany me to take a look then? In any case, I will pay any fees necessary even if I don't end buying anything" Wu Guang implored.

"Don't worry about that" Li Xia dismissed the offer of remuneration with a casual wave of her hand.

"Oh and before we leave, can I request you to drop the honorifics? Call me simply Wu Guang. I feel a bit uncomfortable being called master by such a beautiful and young miss as you"

"You flatter me. Then I will have to ask you to do the same, after all, I am not so old as to be called a miss"

"Deal" Saying this Wu Guang flashed a smile. Then excusing himself for a moment, he notified the servant of his destination and after a quick visit to his room during which he retrieved his wallet and after a brief thought also strapped one of the hunting knifes he had kept to his ankle, hiding it under his clothes.

The latter was done more as a precaution against a possible thief than for any other reason.

Returning to the pavillion, he called out to Li Xia and they started walking towards the nearest Manor exit.

***

While they walked towards the store, Li Xia and Wu Guang did not remain silent. During their conversation, she asked about him and he briefly explained that he arrived at the city to take part in the entrance tests. To her question about why he stayed in the manor, he also answered the truth, that he was invited by the young lord of the manor.

Wu Guang noticed that she tried to evade talking about herself, so he didn't question anything.

When they arrived at the store, the same old servant that had chased off him during his previous visit opened the door and let them in. Right after entering Wu Guang tensed, although the room was clean and did not have any signs of misuse, all the stalls and shelves were empty.

Noticing this Li Xia said a phrase that made Wu Guang instinctively take some steps towards the nearest wall and stand on guard, while slowly thinking of a plan to escape if needed. This phrase was

"I am sorry to have tricked you"

He silently stared at her face that now was showing an expression between sadness and shame.

"I did not intend to do it, and I did not lie about the bows or anything. Please let me explain"

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"That would be the best, Miss Li" Said Wu Guang while preparing himself to activate the maximum amount of pressure his soul and consciousness could exert. He had calculated that even with his subpar cultivation he could sustain for some brief moments a pressure comparable to a sage realm cultivator, which would be enough to give him time to escape.

"First, let me formally introduce myself. I am the current master of the Li merchant store, Li Xia. The store has been closed for several weeks but some of the merchandise is still here. And if it's okay, I would have you take a look"

"But why the secrecy? You mentioned Merchant Li several times and I am sure it was a man though?" Sensing that she wasn't lying, Wu Guang relaxed himself a bit.

"I am really ashamed for that. Indeed he is a man and my foster father. Regretfully he did not return from his last trip towards the Coast Hill City and so he has been considered missing by the guild"

"I met you as a Guild runner. Your story does not seem to add up"

"By the law, a merchant permit can be only bought by working with one of the established merchants or after working in the guild for several years. It's personal and obviously not inherited in any case, anyway even if it was I don't have merchandise to sell and sustain the store and taxes. Also, I need to eat" With a sad chuckle Li Xia answered this and then sensing the following question continued without letting him speak

"And yes, my father indeed had savings, but he deposited most in the guild bank. I cannot access it before either his death is confirmed or two years from have passed"

Wu Guang nodded in response to her glance, which was somewhat akin to asking if he was following the explanation.

"I closed the shop and started working for the guild to also dissuade anyone who would take advantage of the situation. It also stopped the constant offers of selling the shop as well" She took a brief pause and added

"Talking with you during my time as your runner made me think that you are a good person and would not take advantage of me"

"I see. I came here only to buy a bow, so I am not really interested in any advantage you talk about"

"Well, then let me show you what I have left and I hope you will forgive me for this ruse"

Sensing no danger, Wu Guang nodded silently and walked towards the center of the room where she stood.

She motioned for him to follow and they left the storeroom via a small side door which took them into a small armory-like room. It was mostly empty with only two chests at the center, several dozens of quivers, and a few bows in one of the corners.

"The bows that you see there are medium quality. Inside the left chest, you will find a high-quality Clan scout bow while the right one has a bladed bow. The latter quality is considered high, but my father thought it was actually of superior quality. I can also show the only rune bow that I have"

"A rune bow? Do you know the runes inscribed on it? I may not be rich, but I should be able to pay for it" Wu Guang said with tangible interest. Indeed, a rune weapon was a far better choice. Especially as he would be able to use it for the entire Spirit realm.

"If I am not mistaken it's a set meant for ease of use" Li Xia said pensively. Then she motioned to the servant that had followed them in silence and asked him to bring it.

When the bow was brought, Wu Guang took it from the servant and carefully observed it.

It was a big composite bow made in the military manner, but after looking and sensing the runes he returned the bow.

"The runes are good for a non-cultivator, but I intend to use it as one. It actually has two sets of runes and both of them are meant to make the bow usable with no preparation. The first one is meant for it to be unbreakable and remain prepared without having to mount the string or take care of the wood. The second one helps drawing and power, although the effect is smaller than the one qi can reach"

"Thank you for the explanation, at least now I know exactly. I had the idea of showing it to one of the guild experts, but I fear that it could make me a target. After all, the price for a rune weapon is at least ten times superior to a common one"

"I understand your concern. The description I gave should be fully correct, if you need an expert authentification I can ask the rune expert from the manor for you. With your permission, I will now observe the other bows"

"Please go ahead and thank you" Li Xia said with a small curtsy. Indeed this offer was extremely tempting. A rune bow without the exact effects being described by a known rune expert was twice cheaper. Almost every merchant knew the basic runes, but only a real expert vouching for them would be considered.