9

On a hilled framed by the full moon, a figure stoked a campfire over which was roasting a fowl. The red tailed fowl had run long and hard but she caught up to it and made it accept its fate. Birds strive only to end up as meat in soup while man strives only to die. The hours passed quickly for Bai li yue who spent the night meditating. The poison core from the purple horned snake was yet to be completely absorbed. She had experienced a few relapses which, albeit brief, pushed her to focus on absorbing it quickly.

She left her camp after watching the sunrise. It coloured the land in warm bright hues of yellow. 

It's been five weeks now since we left the array and we are already half way through the journey. Apart from the moment after my encounter with the purple horned snake, teacher hasn't spoken to me. I hope he is doing well.

She checked her map once more. She straightened the crumpled oiled leather that had seen better days. She had traversed several towns and villages, but had chosen to skirt around them. No matter how curious she was about the peoples and cultures of this new world, she didn't have the luxury of time.  

She could feel time running out. 

'I'll be entering the northern province in a few days. I have to traverse a small part of the region to enter the north eastern region. Yangyang city is the largest city on my route until i reach my destination. As teacher Chu instructed, i'll stop there and meet the sect representative. That way the sect will be informed even before my arrival.'

As the sky lightened, she packed up her gear. Rest time was over. She groaned as she rose to her feet. Her body was protesting against the cruel treatment. The sustained rhythm of travel was taking a toll on her. Even the hours she dedicated to rest and recovery had become ineffective. She knew what she needed: sleep. 

I can't grow soft now. I just have to hold on till i reach my destination. I will be able to sleep for as much i want. 

She rotated her spiritual energy throughout her entire body and felt a cool refreshed. She was fine for now, she had shoved the underlying problem into the back of her mind, but sooner or later she would have to repay her debts.

She passed through more forests on her way out of the western region. She was more experienced now and fled from most fights except those that were too much trouble to avoid. If the purple horned snake had taught her anything, it was that snakes were for want of a better word evil incarnate. She'd already killed two more of the species before entering the northern region. A golden comb serpent had attacked her without provocation and so did the four eyed snake. Both fights were just as challenging as the fight with the purple horned snake. 

When she encountered another snake in the northern region, she began to suspect a conspiracy.

Can they perhaps smell the others on me?

Is that why they attack me on sight? Wow! I never knew snakes were such a close knit family. Ahh… it's not like i'm the one at fault. I didn't begin this feud.

After the fifth snake fight and subsequent death of said snake, Bai li yue nursed a true hatred for snakes both big and small and a slight distaste for all snake kin. 

The thick forests transitioned into a light wooded region with more foot traffic as she entered the northern region. She came across several groups of heavily armed men and women that she discovered were mercenaries by trade. They accepted a wide range of tasks from rich individuals in exchange for payment. These tasks usually involved entering the forest to harvest medicinal herbs, minerals or kill savage beasts for their body parts. It was a dangerous life for these men and women who relied on these jobs to earn a living for their families. She stopped only to verify her route before swiftly moving on. Time was not on her side. 

Yangyang city was a big city. It was the biggest she'd seen since she left the natural array. The walls spanned for miles in every direction and towered over the landscape. There was a queue of people waiting patiently in front of the main city gates. A unit of twelve armoured guards stood at attention flanking two city officials. One of them collected the gate toll from the people in the queue. The other handed a stamped document to visitors who had already paid the fee. After receiving their papers, they were free to enter the city.

An older looking man arrived at the head of the queue and pleaded with the officials to let him. He had half of the required money to enter, but they were deaf to his pleas.

' why do want to enter the great yangyang city when you don't have the wherewithal? Throw him out and stop wasting our time!'

The first official shouted. The guards threw the man out of the queue and returned to their posts. The official scoffed and added a warning for the waiting crowd.

' listen to me. The great yangyang city is not a place for beggars. The entry fee is five gold coins, if you can't afford it, don't even bother standing in front of us, or i'll have you thrown into prison for waiting my precious time.'

To Bai li yue, the five gold coins wasn't enough to make her raise an eyebrow. She had seen the amount of gold coins, spirit stones, precious artefacts in the spatial ring. It had literally taken her hours to get over her shock. Matter of fact, her jaw dropped automatically each time she remembered the sheer wealth she was carrying on her person. It was enough to feed a nation, nevermind a sect.

She paid the entry when it came to her turn and entered the city with a light step, receiving a few looks of disgust at her shoddy appearance. 

The city of yangyang was bustling with life. There were crowds everywhere she looked. The shops were filled with shiny brand new wares, items gathering dust just waiting to be purchased. Hawkers and salesboys shouted their prices and items at the top of their voices.

She heard a 'visit the treasures pavilion' here and a ' for only 3 silver coins, there. A ' rice cakes! Rice cakes!' here, and a ' Du family blacksmith shop' there.

She followed her nose and approached a stall selling steamed dumplings. She handed a gold coin to the dumpling vendor and grabbed a basket of steamed dumplings. She bit into the first one and moaned in pleasure. Meat and vegetable juice ran down her chin, but she didn't care. Nobody knew her in this city, she could walk around barefooted without a care if she wished.

The noise brought everything to life. It was a welcome improvement after the long period of isolation. She was a city girl after all. The noise invigorated her. It was a feast for her ears. 

I'm going to fit right in. Well- not for long. I have to head to the sect first, but i'm definitely coming back here it better savour everything. 

She noticed that the crowd gave her a wide berth. She knew that she looked out of place in the city. In fact she looked too noticeable with her dirty matted hair and blood caked clothing. She had done her best to maintain a level of cleanliness, but it was difficult to do so out in the wild when there was no nearby water body.

She walked for a while, sight seeing and eating until the crowd lessened before pulling a passing salesboy aside for directions to the nearest inn. He looked her up and down and to his credit, didn't show his disgust.

'sir, may i recommend the thousand pleasures pagoda? Even though their prices are on the high end? They are used to serving all manner of visitors. They will definitely not turn you away if you are willing to pay them handsomely.'

She nodded overlooking the fact that he thought she was a man. 

I must look much more terrible than i imagined. 

He led her through the winding streets taking care to point out places of interest like the city lord's mansion, the treasure pavilion with its golden sign and the thousand pleasures pavilion that catered to gentlemen of good taste.

' is the thousand pleasure pagoda related to the thousand pleasures pavillion?'

The salesboy sighed in suffering.

' that is a common mistake. The thousand pleasures pagoda has lost many customers that way. Either the clients head to the thousand pleasure pavilion thinking it is the thousand pleasures pagoda or they turn their noses up at the thousand pleasures pagoda thinking it is the same as the thousand pleasures pavillion.'

'i see. Why don't they just change the name to something else?'

' many clients also come to the thousand pleasures pagoda thinking that it is the thousand pleasures pavilion. It is very profitable.'

He ended the conversation when they arrived in front of an inn. Its facade dominated the entire entire half of the street. A female employee walked towards them, winked at the salesboy and bowed respectively.

' welcome to the thousand pleasures pagoda, honourable sir. My name is Pei ling. I will be your maid for the duration of your stay. If you will follow me.'

Bai li yue turned to follow the girl inside when the salesboy gave a loud cough.

' ahem, kind sir. Please show mercy on me. I left my work to escort you here.'

The girl whispered to Bai li yue when she didn't react immediately to the subtle prodding.

' it is normal to give a tip for services rendered.'

Bai li yue threw him a gold coin which he caught deftly. He hid his surprise and thanked her with enthusiasm. He winked at the girl and ran off.

The girl was staring open mouthed at the dirty man in front of her. Tang hua was her good friend. They came from the same village to work in the city. He brought customers to her and she was grateful for the extra help. It meant that she contributed to the business of the inn.

Manager shui had noted this detail and she was sure that her hard work would pay off one day. She had almost ignored tang hua's arrival when she saw the person behind him. Manager shui was present; she could do nothing but come out and greet the disgusting looking prospective guest. 

The gold coin was a welcome surprise. Rewarding such a trivial task with gold, meant only one thing. Wealth. If she worked hard during this guest's stay, she might earn more money than what she earned in six months. She reminded herself to thank tang hua, maybe invite him to the restaurant for a meal. It all depended on how much tip she got. 

Bai li yue couldn't understand how a person's smile could grow any warmer. 

Money does that to people

She thought following Pei ling into the inn.