Naked Sword Art

Jadepeak City was vast and bustling, its long, wide streets lined with stores selling everything a cultivator could need—cultivation centers, pills, spirit beasts, martial techniques, performances, gambling dens, and more. If it existed, Jadepeak City had it.

Since there was still time before he needed to meet Chu Piao at the rendezvous point, Xiao Fang decided he would take his time exploring the vast city.

Tying his blindfold over his eyes, his natural aura and presence vanished, at the same time Xiao Hei's disappeared as well. To anyone passing by, he appeared as nothing more than a wandering scholar.

"Xiao Hei, you're not planning to go out like that, are you?"

Standing beside him in her usual thin black gown, Xiao Hei glanced down at herself before looking back up. "What's wrong with it?"

If they wanted to keep a low profile, wearing their Black Paradise Sect uniforms was out of the question. However, her current outfit—cheap, revealing, and wholly unsuitable for a proper city—would only draw even more unwanted attention.

"Let's go," Xiao Fang said.

Without another word, Xiao Fang held her up against his waist and opened the balcony door.

[ Stealth ]

In the next moment, Xiao Fang's fading body shifted then disappeared as he began jumping from roof to roof. Xiao Hei's arms and legs dangled as he carried her, but she curiously looked down at all the people and stores below.

Before long, they arrived at a clothing store. Xiao Fang approached a female shop attendant, holding Xiao Hei up as if she were an unruly pet.

"Can you dress her?" he asked.

The woman hesitated, torn between amusement and sympathy for Xiao Hei.

"What's her name?" the clerk inquired.

"Xiao Hei," Xiao Fang replied.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Ah… isn't that more of a pet name?"

"Fei. Lin!" Xiao Hei kicked and struggled in the air. "My name is Fei Lin, hmph!" She crossed her arms angrily.

Xiao Fang nodded as if he had just remembered. "Ah, right. Fei Lin. Can you help her?"

The clerk smiled. "Of course. But if you don't mind me asking, what's your budget?"

Xiao Fang took out a few silver coins and handed them over. "If you need a little more, that won't be a problem."

Xiao Fang didn't want to give her too much, because he didn't want to buy anything that would make Xiao Hei stand out too much. Unexpectedly, the clerk's eyes gleamed with excitement as she accepted the coins.

"Just dress her up with something simple."

"As you wish," the clerk replied with a slight bow.

'I hope I didn't overpay… I should familiarize myself with the currency here,' Xiao Fang thought as he turned and left Xiao Hei in the shop's care.

Now free to explore, he wandered through the city, keeping his ears open for any sign of Chu Piao. Since Jadepeak City stretched across several mountain peaks and spanned for miles, finding him by chance alone would be difficult. The busiest areas seemed like a good place to start, but as he moved through the streets, he quickly became distracted by the many sights and sounds.

Eventually, something caught his eye—a towering, opulent pagoda that stood out even in a city of grandeur.

[ Pawn & Appraisal ]

'With any luck, I might be able to sell some of the jade artifacts I took from the Scavenging Sect,' Xiao Fang thought.

The structure was a masterpiece of architecture, its exterior crafted from polished jade and reinforced with gold-trimmed beams. Elegant carvings of mythical beasts and celestial patterns adorned the walls, while powerful formation inscriptions shimmered faintly under the sunlight, warding against thieves and ensuring the security of everything within. The entrance alone was enough to deter the common folk, as two stone guardian statues, carved from spirit-infused marble, loomed over the doorway with piercing, lifelike gazes.

Stepping inside, Xiao Fang found that the interior was no less extravagant. The floors were made of translucent spirit glass, reflecting the ceiling above, where an intricate mural of dragons and phoenixes danced in a sea of clouds. The air carried a faint scent of rare incense, calming yet invigorating to the mind. Rows of golden display cases lined the main hall, each containing rare treasures, their auras carefully concealed by intricate formations.

Unlike the bustling markets outside, this place carried an air of refinement and scholarly pursuit. Rather than brawny cultivators, the room was filled with well-dressed scholars and wealthy merchants, each carefully examining the wares or engaged in deep discussions about appraisal techniques and artifact origins.

A well-dressed man near the entrance noticed Xiao Fang's presence and greeted him with a polite nod.

"Welcome, young man. You're a new face. Are you here to buy or find an appraiser?"

"I wish to have my items appraised," Xiao Fang answered.

"Very well. Please wait in line into one of our private rooms, and an appraiser will assist you shortly."

The line he was referring to wasn't very long, but he wanted to look around first.

"Thank you, I think I'll have a look around first," Xiao Fang replied.

Contrary to what he was expecting, the first floor was filled with scholars rather than powerful cultivators. Many seemed more interested in studying the artifacts on that floor than buying them.

Xiao Fang wasn't an appraiser, and since he kept his blindfold on, he couldn't see how impressive the items looked in their air tight casing. However, there was one thing that caught his attention, ever since he entered the pagoda, he noticed a few curious stares, but seeing that his presence was lacking, everyone lost interest in him after a single glance, everyone but one. Surprisingly, this young girl eventually approached him.

"See anything you like?" She asked with her arms behind her back, looking up at him suspiciously.

She wore scholarly attire, but he could sense a faint presence from her, indicating that she was a cultivator trying to hide her cultivation like him.

"Nothing yet, I assume they keep better stuff on the higher floors," Xiao Fang replied.