Chapter 8

In the bustling city of Xilu, the Tianyilou was as busy as ever, with the hall filled with people coming and going, their voices a cacophony of noise. Amidst the smiles and conversations, a large amount of spiritual materials and spirit crystals changed hands. Some people were elated and satisfied, while others were dejected and disappointed. The myriad facets of human life were all reflected on the faces of these cultivators.

However, it seemed that no one noticed that a young boy, who had grown up here from a young age and played among the counters and spiritual materials every day, had already left Tianyilou and gone to another place.

Shen Tai once again returned to the front hall of the shop, walking slowly with his hands behind his back. Although he was dressed in ordinary clothes and lacked any aura of supreme authority, there was a subtle air of a lion casually patrolling his territory as he looked at the shop hall.

As he passed by, the busy clerks, both male and female, all nodded respectfully to him. Shen Tai did not appear arrogant; instead, he smiled and nodded in return. Many itinerant cultivators, who often came to Tianyilou, also recognized this fat shop owner and greeted him with smiles. Shen Tai responded to each of them with a smile, his demeanor warm and pleasant, making people feel as if they were basking in a gentle breeze.

After making a round, Shen Tai turned back and walked to the long counter on the west side where spiritual materials were purchased. He had a low conversation with an old man with white hair and beard, his expression relaxed. After giving the old man a few more instructions and receiving a nod in agreement, he smiled and turned to leave through the back door, heading towards the inner hall.

The noisy clamor was left behind, gradually fading into silence. The smile on Shen Tai's face also gradually faded, and his expression became more composed. As he passed by a pavilion in the small garden, his steps paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on the pavilion as he silently pondered something. Then, he continued walking deeper into the courtyard.

In the spring light, the shadows of the flowers gently obscured his short and plump figure.

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On the long horseshoe street, the cultivators passed by in a hurry. In this season that should have been bright and sunny, everyone seemed to have a beautiful vision and hope for their future. On the long street, shops of all sizes were still open, and countless clerks greeted the itinerant cultivators with smiles, earning large amounts of spirit crystals for their hard work. Among them, the two most popular shops were the Tianyilou and the branch of the Immortal Assembly in Xilu City, which faced each other on the horseshoe street, each holding its own ground.

Unlike the Tianyilou, which had risen to prominence in the past decade, the Immortal Assembly, which had existed for a long time on the vast continent, had a more profound and substantial appearance. The branch in Xilu City on the horseshoe street did not have the grand and magnificent appearance of the Tianyilou across the street, but it exuded a solemn and dignified air, evoking the glorious and long history of this great commercial association. In comparison, the Tianyilou across the street seemed a bit like a nouveau riche.

At this moment, a seemingly ordinary plain white note was sealed in a blank envelope and passed through the back door of the Immortal Assembly's branch. The person who received it glanced briefly at a chrysanthemum-shaped mark in the corner of the envelope, and his face immediately darkened. He quickly walked up the stairs and through a quiet, deserted path to the highest third floor of the building, knocking on the only door there.

The envelope was handed over, the door closed again, and the person quickly left. In no time, this unremarkable letter was delivered to the hands of a woman standing by the window, looking out silently.

She was a woman of intense yet quiet presence.

Her hair was piled up, a phoenix hairpin adorned with pearls, her thin lips and delicate nose, and her bright eyes. Her back was composed and elegant, but once her face was seen, it revealed a sharp and resolute spirit. She was no longer a young girl of seventeen or eighteen, but a woman at the peak of her maturity and beauty, with a graceful figure and a deep, alluring cleavage visible through her green silk dress.

In this city that was often overcast, she was as beautiful as a blooming peony, intense and dazzling, making people dare not look directly at her.

Her fair hands opened the small note, her bright eyes scanning the simple words. She took a deep breath, lifted her head, and looked at the bustling shop across the street.

Then, she slowly revealed a cold smile. At that moment, her beauty turned into a cold, sharp blade, quietly flashing an unknown brilliance in the noisy street.

At the same time, the short and plump man who had personally created the current prosperity of Tianyilou was not in the shop. Instead, he quietly arrived at a nondescript alley a few streets away from the horseshoe street. His hands were in his sleeves, his expression composed, looking like an ordinary, unremarkable mortal, quietly walking deeper into the alley.

At the end of the alley was a secluded courtyard, the wooden door slightly ajar, with a faint bloody smell.

The bustling noise of Xilu City seemed to have quietly faded away in this secluded alley, as if it were in another world. Shen Tai, who had come from the bustling and prosperous area, now stood at the door of a butcher's house, his eyes slightly squinting, carefully observing everything. Then, he gently pushed the slightly ajar door and walked in.

As the wooden door opened, the smell of blood became even stronger. At the entrance, in the small courtyard, the stone floor, although washed with clear water, still showed spots of dark and glaring red blood in the crevices and corners.

The courtyard was not large, with a hall in front and on the right side. The butcher who had killed pigs in the courtyard was nowhere to be seen, and it was unknown where he had gone.

Shen Tai paused slightly at the door, without calling out or hesitating, and walked towards the room on the right. The door and windows of the room were open, and the sunlight shone in, making the room very bright.

In the center of the room was a round table, a reclining chair, and two or three round stools, all looking somewhat old but still sturdy and practical, with a simple and down-to-earth feel.

Shen Tai walked over and sat directly on the reclining chair, then leaned back, causing the chair to creak and sway, making the fat man rock back and forth. Shen Tai closed his eyes, a look of ease and comfort on his face.

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the room, and a tall and strong figure appeared at the door. It was the butcher who had spoken to the young Shen Shi and killed pigs here not long ago. When he saw the fat man suddenly lying on the reclining chair, his face did not show any surprise, but he only frowned slightly, walked over silently, and pulled a round stool next to Shen Tai, sitting down.

"Snap," a light sound, and Shen Tai casually threw a small cloth bag onto the table. The fat man did not seem to have any intention of opening his eyes, still lying comfortably and lazily, but he said in a light tone, "Where is my son?"

The butcher glanced at him, reached out to take the bag, and opened it casually. A pleasant sound like the clinking of jade, accompanied by a beautiful and dazzling light, burst out of the bag. Under the beautiful and mysterious light, there were dozens of spirit crystals, each crystal clear and flawless, like the most precious gems, emitting a captivating color.

The butcher extended his rough, calloused hand, grabbed a handful of spirit crystals, and a rare satisfied smile appeared on his fierce face. After a moment, he put the spirit crystals back into the bag, glanced at the fat man on the reclining chair, and said, "I just killed two pigs and am a bit tired. I let him go to the back to wash and rest. He will come over later."

"Um," Shen Tai closed his eyes, his body gently swaying up and down on the reclining chair.

The butcher grunted, his voice still low and hoarse, like a sound coming from a barrel, sounding quite strange. Perhaps thinking of something, the butcher glanced at the courtyard and the well, then, after a long silence, suddenly said, "A good child, why have you been secretly approaching him these past years, teaching him these bloody and violent things?"

Shen Tai's reclining chair suddenly became still.

The butcher looked at him, his expression unchanged, and continued, "The few vassal families under the Xuan Yin Sect now have far less wealth and resources than you, but any child with similar potential in their families is treated like a precious gem. You have only one son, why don't you raise him well, but instead force him to be involved in these things from a young age, and make him learn all sorts of things, recognize spiritual materials, and even draw yin-yang and five-element talismans, which are just minor skills."

Shen Tai slowly stood up from the reclining chair, looked at the butcher, and the butcher met his gaze without flinching. After a moment, Shen Tai turned, his hands behind his back, and walked to the door, looking out. In the small courtyard, the four walls enclosed a small sky, and he seemed like a small frog at the bottom of a well, gazing at the vast horizon, where only a small patch of blue sky and clouds were visible.

The short and plump man suddenly smiled, then turned to look at the butcher and said, "Because I am too weak."

The butcher frowned.

"I am too weak, so weak that even with the current situation, I still live in constant fear, afraid that one day I will wake up and everything I have will be easily taken away." Shen Tai's expression was calm, as if he were talking about someone else, and he looked at the butcher with a smile, saying, "I have a bit of a business, not much, but I still want to pass it on to Little Stone. I am very worried that someone will take it away, so I often can't sleep. So I thought, Little Stone must not be weak like me. Having seen blood and killed, even if not people, it will make him bolder and stronger in character. Knowing more things and recognizing more spiritual materials, although it may seem insignificant and not very useful, it will be of some help in his future cultivation."

The butcher suddenly "hehe" laughed coldly and said, "Those geniuses from famous sects or large families who have never seen blood, I can kill two or three of them at the same level."

Shen Tai smiled, not taking it seriously, and said lightly, "My cultivation is too poor, and I can't teach him much about cultivation. The only thing I can do is these things."

The butcher was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed and said, "What you said does make some sense, but the things you have done to your son over the years, both openly and secretly, are too much for a child. Even I sometimes can't bear to see it and worry whether this child can endure it."

Shen Tai walked to the table, picked up a transparent and shiny spirit crystal, his expression showing a hint of sadness, but also a touch of comfort and affection. He laughed softly to himself, saying, "It's all right, he has finally made it to today. I hope that the hardships he has endured in the past will eventually bring him some reward in the future."

(Will update at 10 AM tomorrow.)

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