The afternoon sun cast a warm golden hue across the old district's streets. Stalls lined either side of the narrow road, filled with trinkets, charms, herbs, and fragrant street food. The air buzzed with chatter, the sound of sizzling oil, and the ring of bronze bells dangling from shop canopies.
Fang Chen strolled casually through the crowd with hands in his pockets and a lazy smirk on his lips. Behind his eyes, Huan Chen's voice complained endlessly.
> "You just embarrassed the curator last hour, and now you're walking like you own the city. Can we please not cause more trouble?"
"Silence, brat," Fang Chen replied internally. "This immortal walks where he pleases. Also…" — his golden eyes flicked toward a stall — "...someone is about to be swindled."
Up ahead, a group of female students giggling, stood before an elderly merchant selling talismans and charms. His table was cluttered with parchment, dusty stones, and hanging pendants said to "repel evil spirits" and "boost qi flow."
The old man's grin was all too sly. "Only fifty yuan each, my young ladies! Crafted under the full moon using phoenix ashes and dragon incense. You'll never find another deal like this!"
"Really?" one girl gasped. "They're so pretty!"
The other nodded. "I'll take two!"
She proceeded to pay 100 yuan while the other two in the group, paid 50 yuan each after sighting a pendant they wanted.
However, immediately after making payment, the merchant proceeded to say their money was incomplete for the charms they picked.
"What do you mean?" One of them questioned.
"Please, we already paid you! You said the charm would cost fifty yuan!" Another one of them cried.
The man sneered. "I said fifty per blessing. This piece posesses three while this piece possesses five! So, unless you balance up, you're not getting it and no refunds."
Before they could argue further, Fang Chen stepped forward with a relaxed expression. "You're a bold one, old man. Daring to scam ladies right in front of me."
The merchant froze mid-sale. "Who the hell are you?"
Fang Chen smiled faintly. "Someone who doesn't tolerate frauds. These charms are as real as your teeth—fake and brittle."
Laughter erupted among a few nearby onlookers. The merchant's face darkened. "Watch your tongue, brat. These charms are blessed by my ancestors—"
"Your ancestors must've been street beggars then," Fang Chen interrupted lightly. "Tell you what. Let's make it interesting."
He leaned lazily against the stall table, drawing everyone's attention. "I'll craft a charm right here, with whatever I find around us. If mine is weaker than yours, I'll pay for every charm you sell today. But if mine is stronger…" His grin widened. "…you'll return fifty yuan to every girl you scammed."
Gasps rose. The girls looked between them, nervous but intrigued. "You can make charms?" one whispered.
Fang Chen chuckled. "Little one, when I was your age, gods requested me to make theirs."
The merchant scowled but couldn't resist the taunt. "Fine! I'll enjoy humiliating you!"
He motioned for Fang Chen to proceed.
Fang Chen crouched, plucking a few pebbles from the dirt and a discarded red string from a nearby stall. No proper tools. No rare materials. Just a few tiny stones and his confident smirk.
Everyone murmured in confusion. "What's he doing?"
He didn't bother with the stares and questions coming from the background.
His fingers moved swiftly, tracing invisible runes in the air with his qi flowing faintly through them. A faint golden light flickered from his fingertips, etching spiritual patterns into the stones. Then, with a smooth motion, he strung them together.
When he lifted the finished piece, it gleamed faintly in the sunlight. He had created a necklace-like charm of dazzling beauty, glowing softly with restrained power. The crowd fell silent.
The merchant's grin faltered. "That—That's impossible…"
"Go ahead," Fang Chen said before tossing it lightly to him. "Compare it with yours."
The merchant pulled out his best charm and activated it. It glowed weakly for a few seconds before fading. When he tried the one Fang Chen made, the air rippled.
The faint scent of lotus and spirit incense filled the space. Several weaker cultivators in the crowd felt their qi tremble faintly just by being near it.
The merchant's jaw fell open. He dropped to his knees. "This… this is a celestial-grade charm! Young master, please—teach me your method!"
Fang Chen only chuckled. "You? A trickster trying to sell dust as diamonds? Learn to sweep floors before dreaming of heaven."
He turned away while handing the charms to the girls. "Keep them. They'll protect you from bad luck and worse men."
The girls' eyes sparkled with gratitude and more than that. "Huan Chen, you're amazing!" one of them squealed.
"Call me Fang Chen," he corrected with a wink. "And yes, I know."
They practically melted where they stood, while Huan Chen groaned internally.
> "You just had to flirt again, didn't you?"
"What can I say? Old habits are hard to seal away," Fang Chen replied smugly.
As they continued touring, Fang Chen admired this part of the city.
The pagoda crafted rooftops, ancient calligraphy on wooden signs, and distant sound of temple bells all reminded him of the past. "At least they didn't ruin everything over the millennia," he muttered.
Just when the class gathered to return to the museum, a thunderous blast ripped through the air.
BOOM!
The shockwave shook the ground beneath their feet. A column of black smoke rose from the direction of the museum. Panic erupted instantly as alarms wailed across the district.
"W-What was that?!"
"Run! Everyone, run!"
From the crowd, screams pierced the air. "The Xiao Demons! It's the Xiao Demons!"
Students scattered in fear as teachers yelled to keep everyone together.
Fang Chen gaze sharpened as he narrowed his eyes toward the rising smoke.
"Xiao Demons, hm? What is that?"
> "Don't you read the news? Its a terrorist group... they've been constituting nuisance in the city for months and the cops still haven't caught them—"
"Interesting... very interesting."
> "Wait, you're not thinking of..."
"Of course I am," Fang Chen interrupted smoothly as his lips curled into a smirk.
"What better way to stretch one's limbs after twenty thousand years than to toy with a few pests?"
And as the chaos spread, his silhouette disappeared into the smoke.