"Herbal iced tea! Herbal iced tea here, secret recipe iced tea, cool and refreshing, four wen per bowl!"
On the streets of Jiangdu Prefecture, a young man dressed in plain clothes stood by a herbal tea stall, hawking his wares.
A white towel hung over his shoulder. At first glance one could tell it had been washed countless times, yet it still looked clean.
This season, Jiangdu Prefecture was sweltering, so iced tea naturally sold well.
Since selling iced tea was lucrative, more and more people wanted to get into the iced tea business.
As more vendors showed up, however, competition heated up and the trade stopped being so easy.
At first a bowl of iced tea cost eight wen.
Then seven, then six, five, and finally four wen.
Seeing that prices could not realistically fall any further, the vendors began to think of other ways to keep competing.
That kind of competition drove profit margins down, and a bowl that once earned five wen profit was now yielding less than one wen.
If you wanted to make extra money, you had to be like the young man in plain clothes, standing at the stall and actively courting customers.
"Cool and refreshing, four wen a bowl…"
He kept shouting, then his gaze landed on a few pedestrians walking down the street not far away.
All were wearing deep green robes with a style that was quite uncommon.
They were certainly not locals of Jiangdu Prefecture.
As the most prosperous city in Yunxi Country and home to its largest port, Jiangdu Prefecture saw many foreign merchants passing through.
Those foreign merchants tended to be more lavish with their spending compared to the locals.
So the young man hurried toward the strangers in deep green robes:
"Honored guests, come have a bowl of iced tea! Our iced tea is brewed from premium ingredients, not only cooling and refreshing, but it also replenishes qi and blood!"
"Iced tea?"
Among the deep-green-robed pedestrians, the elder who looked like their leader murmured the words, then turned to look at the young man and the young woman beside him, and the girl trailing at the end:
"How about it, have a taste?"
"All listen to Senior Uncle."
The young man answered.
Senior Uncle?
These foreign visitors weren't merchants?
The iced-tea seller thought to himself.
"Then have a taste. Shopkeep, four bowls of iced tea."
The elder said, then led the three young people behind him toward the stall.
"Got it, four bowls of iced tea!"
The young man called out loudly.
He shouted loudly for the people on the street to hear, creating the impression of a bustling stall to draw in more customers.
Then he picked up the white towel draped over his shoulder and wiped the thin sweat on his brow brought on by the sun.
What a hot day…
He thought inwardly.
He then turned his gaze back to the guests in deep green robes.
As those guests passed his stall, the young stall owner suddenly felt a cool breeze sweep across in front of him.
Like the riverside in late autumn.
Strange.
The young man in plain clothes displayed a puzzled, surprised expression.
Why…
"Boss, two bowls of iced tea!"
Another customer's call came from the front of the stall.
"Alright, two more bowls!"
The iced-tea seller shouted, quickening his pace to move toward his stall.
…
"Sit."
The elder in Mirage Palace robes sat in front of the stall and motioned for the young disciples before him to sit as well.
He was Huang Yong, Protector of the Illusion Time Pavilion within Mirage Palace's Dao Pavilion, his cultivation level mid Qi Sea Realm.
The well-featured young man was named Wang Jianian, a disciple of Mirage Palace's Illusion Time Pavilion, nineteen this year, late Energy Channeling cultivation, and the direct disciple of the Pill Pavilion's Protector. Among Mirage Palace's younger generation he ranked upper-middle in talent.
If he cultivated well, he might reach Martial Spring Realm before twenty-five, with a real chance to obtain Spirit Connection or higher later.
He could be considered Mirage Palace's future backbone.
The other young woman, similar in age to Wang Jianian, was Feng Ya, also a disciple of Illusion Time Pavilion, eighteen this year, early Energy Channeling cultivation.
She had known Wang Jianian since childhood and the two were close. Especially after Wang Jianian showed cultivation talent, she enjoyed following him even more.
As for the last girl who looked only thirteen or fourteen…
Jiang Shiyu.
To be honest, Huang Yong did not know her well.
Or rather, as the mid-Qi Sea Realm cultivator and Protector of the Illusion Time Pavilion who had never taken disciples, Huang Yong was not familiar with this generation of young disciples.
He knew Wang Jianian because Wang was his friend and the Pill Pavilion Protector's direct disciple. Feng Ya always stuck close to Wang Jianian, so through that relationship Huang Yong offered them some guidance.
As for Jiang Shiyu —
Fourteen years old, mid Body Forging cultivation.
Her talent ranked among the worst within Mirage Palace’s Inner Court; even in the Outer Court she was, at best, average.
Yet before this sect mission began, an elder specifically entrusted this little girl to Huang Yong, demanding that he take good care of her on the road.
Did this girl have some powerful backer behind her?
At first Huang Yong had entertained that thought, but he quickly dismissed it.
Feng Ya seemed familiar with Jiang Shiyu and had apparently known her for years.
After all, Feng Ya was just an ordinary Inner Court disciple.
No matter. Since it was the elder's order, he would protect her on this trip and bring her back safely, Huang Yong thought.
Wang Jianian and Feng Ya scanned the city around them.
"How does it feel?"
Huang Yong asked.
"This mundane city is teeming with people, bustling and vibrant, completely different from the sect's secluded cultivation grounds…"
Wang Jianian replied.
"Hmm."
Huang Yong nodded.
"You three have all cultivated within the sect since childhood and seen little of the world. This journey to Yunxi Country is to carry out the elder's orders and to broaden your horizons, to observe how the mundane world operates. It will help your future cultivation."
"Disciple understands."
Wang Jianian and Feng Ya both bowed their heads and answered earnestly.
Only Jiang Shiyu remained quietly seated to the side, her eyes lowered, saying nothing.
"...Meow!"
A tabby cat held its fluffy tail high as it passed the iced-tea stall, moving gracefully before leaping nimbly onto a nearby wall.