Su Yan walked down the street with 2B by his side. It was already busy with people going about their day, while carts and carriages carrying goods and passengers rumbled slowly down the main thoroughfare.
Consciously or unconsciously, people simply parted as the carts and carriages approached, then immediately filled the vacated gap once each vehicle had passed.
There really were too many people here. He kept moving and soon found the shop he had been looking for, a medicine hall.
Even this early, there was a stream of people entering and leaving. Stepping into the hall proper, Su Yan was immediately hit with an earthy smell, mingled with the complex aromas of different herbs and medicines.
To one side, several stoves were cooking up herbal brews, with many plainly dressed people seated nearby waiting for their medicine as steam slowly wafted from the pots.
On the opposite side of the hall stood a long wooden counter, with three attendants stationed several paces apart behind it. Beyond them, an enormous cabinet filled with small drawers spanned the wall from floor to ceiling, leaving an aisle between it and the counter where several assistants moved back and forth.
Su Yan noticed a young girl sliding a small ladder along a rail in front of the cabinet. She paused to check the list in her hand before climbing to retrieve herbs from one of the higher drawers, while two other assistants gathered ingredients from those within reach.
Farther back in the hall, chairs had been set out near a doorway leading deeper into the building. A man sat beside it, taking names and calling the next person inside whenever a patient emerged. Those coming out usually held a narrow strip of paper and made their way straight to the queue at the medicine counter.
Su Yan joined the queue with 2B beside him, but it moved slowly. After a while, he noticed her quietly watching the people moving back and forth.
He leaned closer and whispered, "2B, is something wrong?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing," she whispered back. "Just wondering whether my world could one day be like this again, with people going about their lives in peace."
Su Yan hesitated to say anything. She did not know that humanity in her world had long since died out.
No matter how long or hard the androids fought, it would never happen.
After a little while longer, they finally reached the front of the queue, where a female attendant greeted them.
"Hello there, please hand me your prescription and we'll collect the herbs for you."
"I don't have one," Su Yan replied.
The attendant looked towards 2B.
"Then does your friend have one? Is it for her eyes?"
"She doesn't have one either."
"Oh, then you must want to see the physician. You can register over there, and someone will call you in shortly."
"Miss, I'm here to buy medicine."
"Oh, you want to make a direct purchase." Understanding dawned on her face. "This counter only handles prescriptions. You'll need to speak with the shopkeeper."
She glanced towards the growing queue, then called to the young girl who had just finished gathering herbs for another attendant.
"Xin'er, come here."
The girl stopped beside the ladder and hurried over.
"How can I help, big sis?"
"Please take this young master and his friend to one of the guest rooms, then tell the shopkeeper they wish to make a direct purchase. Come back as soon as you've done that. We'll need your help here."
Xin'er gave a little salute.
"Understood!"
The attendant gave her a quick pat on the head before the little girl approached Su Yan and 2B and took their hands.
"This way, big brother, big sister."
She dragged them towards the back, through a side door and along several corridors before bringing them into a small room furnished with a table and several chairs. Scroll paintings hung on the walls, and small potted plants stood here and there.
"Please wait here. I'll fetch the shopkeeper."
She dashed off again in a blur.
Su Yan poked his head out of the room and watched her disappear down the corridor.
Cute kid, he decided, before returning to the table and taking a seat. 2B settled beside him.
Another ten minutes passed before a slightly pudgy man in neat, fine robes stepped into the room.
"Greetings, young master, young miss. I am Feng Yu and I apologise for the wait."
He shot a glare back the way he had come.
"One of our medicine suppliers tried to go back on the agreed price, claiming that this batch had been particularly difficult to obtain and demanding more money."
He turned back to them and let out a sharp breath before his expression smoothed again.
"Regardless, I heard that you're here to purchase some medicine. How should I address you?"
"Su Yan, and this is my companion, 2B."
"A pleasure, Young Master Su. What medicine are you looking for?"
Su Yan was about to answer when an idea occurred to him. He drew a bottle of pills and a sheet bearing their recipe from his storage soul tool, setting both on the table.
"Please have a look."
He slid the recipe towards Feng Yu.
The shopkeeper sat down and slowly read through it, surprise gradually appearing on his face. Then he looked up at Su Yan with a puzzled expression.
"You didn't just come to buy medicine today, did you?"
"That was my original intention, but an opportunity occurred to me that might benefit us both. You recognise this, then?"
"Not this particular recipe, but I know a pill recipe when I see one. I'm no physician, though I've spent enough time around them to have a passing understanding of these things."
He picked up the porcelain bottle, removed the stopper and gave its contents a quick sniff.
"Hmm. What does the pill do?"
Su Yan shifted slightly in his seat before answering.
"It accelerates cultivation."
Feng Yu's expression twitched.
"How much? And are there any side effects?"
"The acceleration differs from person to person," Su Yan said, keeping his uncertainty out of his voice. "However, no more than one pill should be taken every seven days. Taking them more frequently risks damaging the user's meridians and destabilising their cultivation foundation."
He pointed towards the bottle in Feng Yu's hands.
"I've brought those for you to test."
"Generous and straightforward. I like dealing with people like you." Feng Yu set the bottle beside the recipe. "I assume you want the medicine hall to prepare and sell these pills, with a share of the profits and a regular supply for yourself. Is that correct?"
Su Yan nodded.
"We'll still need to test the pills and verify their effects before we can negotiate properly. But what makes you trust us so readily, young master?"
Feng Yu's brows furrowed.
"You've shown me the recipe before we've even reached an agreement. Aren't you afraid we'll simply make and sell the pills ourselves and leave you out of it?"
"Honestly, Shopkeeper Feng, the very fact that you would ask gives me reason to trust you."
Feng Yu remained silent for a few moments, studying Su Yan, his eyes drifting to 2B before returning to him.
"If Young Master Su is so willing to put his trust in us, then we will certainly not let you down."
Su Yan nodded again. This had been an impulsive decision, and he really should have thought it through, but at least Feng Yu seemed receptive.
"There was one more thing I wanted to inquire about."
"What is that?"
"Do you sell whale glue here?"
Feng Yu gave Su Yan an exasperated smile, evidently familiar with such requests.
After another half hour discussing the details, Su Yan left the room having secured an agreement that the medicine hall would order whale glue on his behalf as part of its regular procurement, arranged every two weeks.
The whale glue was a somewhat popular product, but the stock the medicine hall usually kept on hand was for medical purposes only, so it would not be sold to Su Yan.
He could try another medicine hall, but Feng Yu had warned that it would likely be a fruitless endeavour, with much of the incoming supply either reserved in advance or set aside for actual medicinal use.
Su Yan sighed. It looked like he was just going to have to wait.
When he and 2B arrived back at the main hall, it was to a small commotion.
"Please, sir, you have to pay for that!"
"I already did. Can't you see the coins on your counter?"
"The medicine costs seven silver coins. You only put down copper ones."
"Coins are coins, and as if these stupid herbs are worth that much. I bet I could find them myself if I just took the time to go outside the city."
The attendant kept a firm grip on the man's clothes from across the counter as the crowd backed away from the confrontation.
Instead of continuing to pull away, the man suddenly shoved her backwards, breaking her grip and sending her crashing into the cabinet behind her.
He made a run for it, pushing others out of the way, when Xin'er suddenly appeared in his path with her arms spread wide.
Su Yan was about to use Bastion to stop him, but 2B moved even faster, darting between the gathered people and placing herself in front of Xin'er just before he reached her.
Lowering her stance, she drove her right fist straight into his stomach.
The punch lifted him off his feet and sent him tumbling backwards, spit flying from his mouth. The medicine package fell from his grasp, spilling herbs across the floor.
Su Yan pushed his way past the gathering crowd and saw that the man had passed out, the whites of his eyes showing, though he was still breathing.
Moving past him, Su Yan found 2B kneeling in front of Xin'er, gently stroking her hair as the little girl cried. There was a faint, reassuring smile on her face.
It took a few minutes for the situation to settle, but when they eventually left the medicine hall, Su Yan looked back to find Xin'er still enthusiastically waving goodbye.
He couldn't help smiling. She really was a cute kid.
Glancing at 2B, he noticed that the corners of her lips were still slightly raised, not quite a smile, but a subtle change from her usual expression.
On the way back to the house, Su Yan spotted a bookstore and remembered his promise to Pod, deciding to stop and take a look.
Inside, books were stacked in careless piles, and the attendant seemed considerably less enthusiastic about his work than those at the medicine hall. He lounged in his chair with an open book covering his face, snoring softly.
Su Yan briefly considered waking the man but thought better of it, instead telling 2B what sort of books to look out for before they began browsing.
Two hours later, he was growing annoyed. Most of the cultivation books he had found contained little more than introductory material. Some offered knowledge he hadn't encountered before, but their scope was still limited. He would buy those for Pod regardless.
As for complete cultivation manuals or anything that could be considered advanced, there were none. He suspected this was another reason why attending an advanced Spirit Master academy was the usual path.
Other books with impressive-sounding titles turned out to be fantasy novels, which honestly did not interest him much.
The most ridiculous thing he found, however, was still the so-called Grandmaster's theory book. Much of the information came from Spirit Hall's accumulated records, supplemented with deductions Su Yan found considerably less convincing. How many of those conclusions had the man actually verified before publishing this thing?
He threw it straight into the rejected pile.
Finally, at the back of the shop, Su Yan found something he hadn't expected.
Several smut novels, though he supposed some people would insist on calling them art. After browsing a few passages, he decided they weren't even good smut.
He put them back and stretched. Even after all this time, the attendant still hadn't woken.
Then again, not a single other customer had entered since their arrival, so he could somewhat understand.
He rubbed his tired eyes and turned towards 2B as she placed another book onto the pile beside her.
"Find anything good?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing exceptional. There are remarkably few useful books here."
Su Yan sighed.
"Yeah, I think we should leave it here for today, head home and be happy with the few useful ones we've managed to find."
2B nodded.
Su Yan gathered his small pile while 2B picked up hers, and they carried the books over to the desk. He set his pile on the desk, the resulting thump jolting the attendant awake.
"I'm awake, I'm awake! I swear I wasn't sleeping again!"
Then he caught sight of Su Yan and 2B.
"Oh, it's just customers."
He relaxed back into his chair.
"I thought you were Owner Lu. Damn near scared me silly."
"How much for the books?"
The man leaned forward and counted them.
"About five gold soul coins for these."
"I can't tell if you're trying to get me to haggle or just bad at your job."
"I was hoping you'd haggle. You don't know how boring it gets in here. Thought I could have a little fun, at least."
"How much for the books?" Su Yan repeated, a trace of exasperation in his voice.
"Four gold soul coins."
Su Yan paid, stored the books away and walked out with 2B as the attendant leaned back in his chair and placed the open book over his face again.
Earlier that day, Xiao Wu collapsed onto the training ground at Shrek Academy, the baskets falling beside her and spilling their heavy rocks across the dust.
Sweat poured off her as she panted for breath, her hair dishevelled and her clothes covered in dust from the few times she had fallen. She felt absolutely shattered, her legs like jelly.
"Am I free to go now, Teacher Erlong? I've completed my fifty laps around the school grounds."
Liu Erlong stared down at her in surprise.
"So soon? Xiaogang said this would take you until the end of the day."
She eyed Xiao Wu suspiciously.
"You haven't skipped any laps, have you, Xiao Wu?"
Irritation welled up in Xiao Wu's chest.
"I haven't! All fifty, completed properly. You can ask the others when they get here. I definitely didn't lie or cheat."
Xiao Wu waited with bated breath for Teacher Erlong's decision. When her stern expression softened, she began to relax.
"I believe you. Go and wash up. Just remember to get to bed early. Your training starts first thing tomorrow morning."
Xiao Wu nodded, though the reminder did little to improve her mood.
Ever since the Grandmaster had heard that Su Yan was here, he had practically doubled their training. They had enjoyed some leisure time before, but for the past week they had been run ragged, with weighted laps waiting for them at the end of their other exercises.
She hated it. She wanted to go out and play, to visit Su Yan's new house.
So today she had given one hundred and ten percent, pushing herself to finish the laps as quickly as she could, and now she finally had time.
She dashed off before Teacher Erlong could change her mind, though her legs felt like lead with every step.
When she reached her room, she quickly washed and changed into fresh clothes before grabbing the key Su Yan had given her and heading outside.
On her way out, she came across the rest of the group, still completing their laps at a sedate pace, keeping together so that nobody fell behind.
Normally, Xiao Wu would have stayed with them, but Rongrong had told her to go ahead if she wanted to finish early. Zhuqing had agreed, and even the boys had assured her they didn't mind, so today she had finally put her plan into action.
They really were the best. She gave them a huge wave and her brightest smile before heading out.
Once she was outside and the excitement of getting away began to fade, the full weight of her exhaustion caught up with her.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed through the aching weakness in her legs until the property Su Yan had described finally came into view.
She leaned against one of the red gates and panted, waiting for her breathing to settle before slipping the key into the lock and turning it.
With a crisp click, the gate unlocked, and Xiao Wu let herself in.
Her eyes brightened as she looked around the courtyard. Everything was so neat and well maintained. After closing and relocking the gate behind her, she crossed towards the building ahead.
Passing through it, she emerged into a larger courtyard with a metal sculpture standing in the middle. Looking around at the greenery and shaded benches, she decided this would be a wonderful place for a nap.
But there was still nobody in sight.
She headed right and began opening doors, slowly exploring the rooms in search of Su Yan.
After a while, she started making a game of it, creeping up to each door before throwing it open, ready to surprise him if he happened to be inside.
So far, no luck.
Eventually, her explorations brought her to the stable yard, where two horses immediately caught her attention. Both turned towards her as she approached.
She held out a hand, and one stretched its head towards her, nudging against her palm. Delighted, she stepped closer and began giving the adorable creature plenty of loving scritches.
Apparently dissatisfied with being ignored, the other horse neighed loudly and pushed its head towards her as well.
Xiao Wu laughed and raised her other hand, soon finding herself occupied with keeping both of them happy.
Reluctantly, she left the two behind, silently promising in her heart to visit them again.
Continuing her search, she reached a two-storey building whose entrance stood slightly ajar. She pushed the door open a little farther and peered inside.
A young man with black hair stood beside one of the pillars, apparently occupied with something.
She crept closer, but he still didn't notice her.
"Whatcha doing?"
The young man jumped, nearly dropping whatever he held. He hurriedly tucked it behind his back as he turned towards her, his eyes wide.
"Who are you?!"
"I'm Xiao Wu, a friend of Su Yan's. Do you know where he is?"
His eyes darted past her towards the doorway before returning to her face. He straightened and shook his head.
"I don't know where he is. Sorry, I have to get back to work."
Before she could ask anything else, he hurried past her with his head lowered.
That was strange.
She approached the pillar he had been examining. Nothing seemed out of place, though a closer look revealed a faint scratch on the holder surrounding some sort of orb.
Had he been trying to repair it or something?
Putting the thought aside, she continued her search.
By the time she reached the second floor, her legs were aching again, and she still hadn't found anyone. Looking out over the rear garden, however, she spotted three more places worth checking. There was even someone in the gazebo on the island, or at least she thought there was.
Once outside, the grass looked temptingly comfortable. She could lie down for just a little while, let her legs recover…
But she had come all this way to see Su Yan.
She pressed on towards the island gazebo.
As she drew closer, she couldn't help admiring the surrounding trees and greenery. The secluded little spot almost felt like a clearing in a forest.
Just like home.
Then movement in the gazebo caught her attention.
Nihilister lounged with her legs kicked up, their dark, segmented armour ending in sharp red claws.
Her usual clothes were gone. A sheer, smoke-coloured body glove clung to her torso, while angular metal plates covered her chest and hips. More armour encased her arms and legs, its jagged edges giving her a distinctly inhuman appearance.
But what caught Xiao Wu's attention most were the tail and the two enormous dragon heads flanking her, their armoured necks curving around her shoulders.
They moved as if they were alive.
Xiao Wu watched as Nihilister picked up a skewer of meat from a plate and raised it towards one of the dragon heads. It turned towards the skewer, a glow building inside its jaws before a brief tongue of flame washed over the meat.
Nihilister promptly took a bite, then reached for another skewer.
Xiao Wu stared in shock.
Was Nihilister a Soul Beast?
She took a step back, but one of her legs suddenly gave way, sending her falling to the ground. The soft thump made her freeze.
When she looked up, however, Nihilister still seemed occupied with her food.
Xiao Wu let out a breath of relief and lowered her gaze, planting her hands against the ground to push herself up, only to suddenly find herself being lifted by the collar.
The two dragon heads hovered to either side of her.
She hung in Nihilister's grip, her feet dangling above the ground as the woman regarded her with an annoyed expression.
A glow began building inside the dragon heads' jaws.
"NO! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SPY ON YOU! I WON'T TELL ANYONE YOU'RE A SOUL BEAST!"
Tears welled in Xiao Wu's eyes as she cried out, her gaze darting between the two heads.
Nihilister stared at her in confusion as Xiao Wu began to sniffle.
The glow faded, easing a little of the fear gripping Xiao Wu's heart.
She sniffled again.
"I'm a Soul Beast as well. A hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit. I just cultivated into a human, so you can trust me to keep your secret. I swear!"
She looked up at Nihilister with wide, pleading eyes, trying to look as cute and harmless as she could.
"Please, please don't kill me."
Nihilister stared at her for a few moments before heading back to the island gazebo, still carrying her.
"I can't be bothered. Su Yan can deal with this when he gets back. Till then, you'll be a good little rabbit and keep quiet so I can enjoy my food, ya hear?"
Xiao Wu nodded as fast as she could, not daring to make a sound.
Nihilister unceremoniously dropped her onto one of the seats before sitting down across from her and continuing to roast her meat.
Through it all, Xiao Wu couldn't stop imagining herself on one of those skewers.