They passed two more — one with knives so finely balanced the seller could spin them on a single fingertip, another with lacquered scroll tubes inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
Then she stopped.
The stall was modest — just a narrow table draped in faded blue cloth — but upon it lay an array of delicate hairpins, each topped with a gemstone so clear it caught even the faintest lamplight. The pieces were fine work, old enough to have a whisper of history to them.
Ling Ruxin leaned closer, fingertips hovering just above a pin shaped like a plum blossom, its petals cut from pale pink jade. "These are beautiful," she murmured.
Lao Xie glanced once, then back to the crowd — though his gaze flicked to her again, noting the way her fingers stilled above the jade blossom.
"If you like it, choose one," he said, his tone even, but with the faintest undercurrent that it wasn't an idle offer.
She blinked at him. "You're offering to buy it for me?"
"If it catches your eye, take a closer look. We're not in a hurry."
Her lips curved into the faintest smile as she returned her gaze to the plum blossom pin.
Ling Ruxin's gaze lingered on the plum blossom hairpin, the pale pink jade petals catching the lamplight like frozen dawn.
"How much for this one?" she asked, lifting her eyes to the stall keeper.
The man smiled faintly. "Fifty silver coins."
Her brows rose. "Fifty?"
"It's not a mere ornament," the vendor replied, lowering his voice as though sharing something meant only for her ears. "This jade was refined to hold qi within its core. Enough for a single mid-tier strike or technique — a reserve you can draw upon in an emergency."
Ling Ruxin's fingers stilled above the hairpin. She'd expected it to be expensive — the craftsmanship alone warranted that — but fifty silver could fund half a month's travel supplies.
Lao Xie, standing just beside her, let out a quiet huff. "Fifty silver? That's the kind of luxury an outer disciple could only dream of."
She gave him a small, almost sheepish smile. "It's fine… I knew it'd be costly. Just didn't think it would be this costly."
"You're not buying it?" he asked, tone unreadable.
"I could," she admitted, fingertips brushing the jade blossom before she pulled back. "But I have other things I need the coin for."
Lao Xie's gaze slid to the vendor. "For that price, it had better be more than a pretty trinket."
The stall keeper straightened slightly. "It is. For someone who uses long-range techniques — say, a musician cultivating through sound — a sudden loss of stamina can be fatal. This pin would give her enough power to keep playing, to unleash one more song when it matters most. That can mean the difference between walking away and not walking at all."
That earned the vendor a faint lift of Lao Xie's brow.
Ling Ruxin's brows lifted slightly. "Musician? How do you know that I cultivate through music?"
The stall keeper only chuckled, his voice carrying the easy calm of someone who had spent decades watching people pass through his stall. "I don't," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, as if the thought hardly mattered. "Just an instinct of mine. I've got a good eye for people, that's all."
She hesitated, her fingers brushing lightly over the delicate plum blossom pin. Her expression was unreadable, though there was a faint flicker of interest in her eyes. Still, she didn't seem ready to make the purchase.
It was then that Lao Xie, who had been quietly standing beside her, took a single step forward. "Do you accept spirit stones?"
The old man looked at him as if the question were almost amusing. "This is the Cloudsky Market, young man," he said with a grin. "Spirit stones are more than welcome here."
The casual answer seemed harmless enough, but Ling Ruxin's heart gave a small jolt. Her head turned toward him, eyes widening ever so slightly. "Wait… you're not thinking of—"
Before she could finish, Lao Xie's fingers brushed over his storage ring, and in the next moment a small pouch appeared in his hand, giving a faint clink. "Pack it for her," he said simply, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"Wha— Lao Xie, you don't have to buy it for me," she protested, her voice laced with both surprise and a touch of panic. "Really, I can—"
He didn't even look at her. His gaze stayed on the stall keeper, calm and unwavering, as though her words had simply drifted past him. The man, clearly pleased, began to wrap the plum blossom hairpin with practiced care, the soft rustle of cloth filling the space between them.
Ling Ruxin's lips parted, as if to argue again, but in the end she only stood there in silence, unsure whether to be annoyed, touched, or simply bewildered by his unexpected decisiveness.
The stall keeper set the wrapped hairpin into her hands with a small bow. "May it serve you well."
She looked down at the bundle, the weight in her palms feeling far heavier than a trinket. "You really didn't have to—"
"I know." Lao Xie's tone was quiet, almost indifferent, as he adjusted his sleeve and stepped past the stall. "But I did."
For a moment, she just stood there, watching his back as he blended into the slow-moving crowd. The noise of the market swelled around her — hawkers calling out their wares, the clink of coins, the aroma of roasted chestnuts wafting on the air — yet the simple warmth of the parcel in her hands seemed to drown it all out.
With a faint exhale, she quickened her pace to catch up. "You're difficult, you know that?"
He glanced at her sidelong. "So I've been told."
She shook her head, but the corners of her mouth betrayed the smallest smile as they moved on, weaving past stalls piled with shimmering silks and jars of preserved spirit herbs.
Clang~
A familiar panel began to form in front of him, its translucent frame shimmering into view. Just before it fully appeared, Lao Xie lifted a hand in an almost casual motion, dismissing it with a light flick of his fingers.
"You don't want to check it, host?" the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Not now. I'll look at it when I'm home," he replied without breaking stride.
The system fell silent.
Ling Ruxin had been watching him from the side, her brow furrowing. "What was that just now?" she asked, having clearly noticed the strange gesture.
"Nothing. Just a fly," Lao Xie said with a perfectly straight face.
"…A fly?" she murmured under her breath.
They continued walking, the space between them now holding an odd, quiet tension. They browsed a few more stalls, neither speaking, and before long they had left the Cloudsky Market behind.
The air outside was cooler, but the awkwardness still lingered. At last, Ling Ruxin broke the silence. "I knew you were strong," she said, her tone a little lighter, "but I didn't expect you to be wealthy as well. Especially for an outer disciple. Honestly, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen you in the tournament."