Chapter 87
Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Excursion (3)
Cultivators threw themselves into training, striving to ascend to higher realms, but that didn't mean they shunned leisure entirely.
Go, mahjong, calligraphy, painting...
Some plucked the qin or pipa to savor music, listened to storytellers spin tales of amusing news and rumors from distant lands or watch lively plays, feasted their eyes on the graceful, seductive dances of beautiful courtesans, or indulged in affairs with married women or men under the guise of romantic pursuits.
That was why the various shops in this commercial district catering to cultivators—especially inns and teahouses doubling as spacious venues—were stocked with all the spots and tools needed for such entertainments.
Hidden deep in a ravine that ordinary folk couldn't approach, this commercial district boasted a teahouse that also served as a mahjong parlor.
At square green mahjong tables designed for four players, groups of cultivators huddled intently over their tiles.
One table drew everyone's gaze: a man accompanied by three women.
They had turned heads the moment they entered the teahouse. The man wore special silk gauze that blocked divine sense to veil his face, while his three companions were each stunningly beautiful.
Normally, these cultivators would chat and swap information over their games, but now they sat in silence, staring at the newcomers.
Travelers from afar spotted the matching emblem on three of their robes and pegged them as members of a sect or clan. Locals recognized it as the insignia of the famed High Heaven Sect.
"Yoo Lang, you've really never played mahjong before? It's too easy."
"Hmm. I kinda get the rules..."
A woman in a pink robe claimed points from the veiled man and asked in wonder. He tilted his gourd to sip his liquor and replied.
"Go and mahjong just never clicked with me."
"Oh? It's fun, though."
"It's tricky. I prefer simpler games."
"Like what?"
"I could show you plenty tonight, if you want."
"Heh heh. Shall I hold you to that?"
The woman let out a pleased, nasal laugh at his bold words.
They shuffled their tiles anew and kept chatting.
"By the way, Yoo Lang, why'd we come to this commercial district?"
"Last time we were in one, I figured there might be an auction house."
"But this one's too small—no auction."
The red-haired woman chimed in on the pair's conversation.
"That's why we're trying an auction this time. Hey, when's the next one here?"
The man handed a fragment of spirit stone to a server boy bringing simple refreshments and tea, who grinned and answered.
"They just had one not long ago, so probably in half a year."
"Hmm. Stick around for half a year, then?"
Mid-sentence, the man flashed a sudden smile.
"What's up?"
"Nothing."
A patron at a nearby table noticed the man's excellent hand and clicked his tongue in pity.
With a grin that obvious, he'd lose even a winning hand.
Of course... the man wasn't smiling because he read his tiles and felt good. He had no clue if his hand was strong or weak.
'Half a year feels like nothing now.'
He smiled because he'd realized how accustomed he'd grown to a cultivator's sense of time.
Nearly a year had passed since Yong Yoo, Do Mun-hyang, Wi A-han, and Pyeong Yu-ran left the sect.
They'd departed at year's end, so it wasn't a full year of travel—only three months by the calendar.
The journey had started as a quest for the fortuitous encounter tied to Yong Yoo's Triple Life Unity Scripture, but the past three months had piled on new goals.
First came word from Ha Star Sect.
"When are we visiting Ha Star Sect?"
"Hmm. No rush, right?"
Yong Yoo recalled their message and shrugged.
It was nothing major.
Yun Seonguk of Ha Star Sect had fallen hard for a woman due to time-distortion tactics from High Heaven Sect. Then, spurned by a cultivator she fancied instead, he'd nursed a wounded heart that birthed a heart demon.
"No, ha..."
Unable to badmouth Ha Star Sect's pride and future hope Yun Seonguk in public, Yong Yoo trailed off—but the three women, who knew the story, nodded in agreement.
"Cultivators really need to temper their Dao hearts."
"Mental discipline is key."
"So, how do you plan to fix it?"
Yong Yoo discarded a tile without much thought.
"Eh. It'll work itself out somehow."
They played on idly, chatting all the while.
Yong Yoo truly had no strategy, but the three women played desperately—they'd agreed the winner would share his bed.
Do Mun-hyang proved surprisingly strong.
Did her beast-taming talent sharpen her read on human psychology? She steadily gained the edge, losing few points and claiming many.
Wi A-han inwardly fumed that they should've gone to a go parlor instead. Pyeong Yu-ran, hopeless at both mahjong and go, hoped the auction house might spark some drama after their peaceful trip.
Anyway, resolving Yun Seonguk's issue at Ha Star Sect was their top new goal.
Next was Do Mun-hyang's beast problem.
She'd lost most of her sect-tamed spirit beasts fighting Pyeong Yu-ran, so they'd detour whenever they heard of promising spirit or yao beasts en route.
"Who'd have thought intel would be this scarce."
"High Heaven Sect's influence has grown huge. Yao beasts used to lurk nearby, but they've all vanished."
"We're farther from the sect now, so they should start appearing. We might snag a good one at auction too."
"Why are you so hyped for the auction, Yoo Lang?"
"In the plays I heard, protagonists sweep up fortuitous encounters at every auction."
"Those are just plays."
Do Mun-hyang giggled endearingly and poked Yong Yoo's cheek.
He sipped his tea to dodge the women's gazes—like they were watching a boy lost in daydreams.
'No, with our heavenly luck, we'll snag a few at auction... Pyeong Yu-ran even had a treasure like the Great Freedom Heavenly Sword drop from the sky.'
As he sipped, Yong Yoo's expression turned subtle.
"Hmm."
"What?"
"Nah. I still prefer liquor over tea."
The tea from Yi Sim-gyeol had real depth, enjoyable even for him—but this teahouse brew, meant for casual mahjong chatter, fell short.
Brewing and refining his own liquor had turned him into something of a gourmet.
The snacks pleased him, though.
Sweet treats were rare in cultivator life, outside fruit and liquor.
How many rounds did they play?
Do Mun-hyang rose with a satisfied smile, victory secured. The other three followed her out of the teahouse.
"If we're staying half a year, let's get nice lodgings. Or buy a cave mansion nearby."
With ample funds, Yong Yoo's group rented a whole small inn for six months.
As core direct disciples, Yong Yoo and Pyeong Yu-ran drew hefty stipends, making them quite wealthy.
Do Mun-hyang had saved nearly everything during her High Heaven Sect days—Geum So-ryeo supplied plenty—save occasional spending on clothes, accessories, or Yong Yoo's gifts. They wouldn't lack for coin anywhere.
After securing rooms, they wandered the district.
Most wares paled against High Heaven Sect's markets, but rare treasures sometimes sat unnoticed like junk, turning shopping into a treasure hunt.
Pyeong Yu-ran snagged a dharma treasure she liked: a paper crane crafted from gem shards, her first solid defense since losing her flame-wing robe.
"Oh. A-han, what about this one."
Yong Yoo offered Wi A-han a decent offensive dharma tool.
Busy studying formations and feng shui to aid him, she'd learned no spells despite Core Formation.
Yong Yoo had wanted to pass her his spares, but most were wrecked long ago. His Refined Flying Sword's energy wouldn't suit her anyway.
Handing it over would've earned Geum So-ryeo's wrath.
"Thank you, Master."
"No biggie. Hey, this district has more dharma treasures than High Heaven Sect?"
"They don't sell low-grade stuff there. Making them isn't easy."
"Ah, that explains the scarcity."
Determined to arm Wi A-han properly, Yong Yoo bought her a few more and rummaged bookstores for cultivation manuals and spellbooks.
After three weeks scouring every corner, they deemed the district tapped out and holed up in their inn for training.
Steady cultivation pushed Yong Yoo to 6th Layer Kang Core Formation, Do Mun-hyang to 5th Layer.
Yong Yoo harnessed Stupa and Black Tortoise's mystic qi, while Do Mun-hyang grew apace on Geum So-ryeo's boons and the tortoise egg—not far behind heavenly prodigies.
Among Geum So-ryeo's direct disciples, Yeom Suk and Do Mun-hyang's explosive gains made them artificial heavenly geniuses.
'Insane growth speed. What was I doing back then?'
Pyeong Yu-ran kept pace growth-wise too.
Plain until Core Formation, she'd digested Great Freedom Heavenly Sword insights post-Nascent Soul, hitting 2nd Layer in under a decade.
She knew it well—yet vividly pictured Yong Yoo and Do Mun-hyang overtaking her someday.
'...They'll definitely undergo core ascension, right?'
She yearned to follow them there, truly.
Of course, Pyeong Yu-ran never considered Wi A-han's feelings.
No heavenly genius or great luck, Wi A-han felt she'd spent all her fortune serving Yong Yoo as master.
She feared the day her realm lagged too far, rendering her useless and discarded.
What then? That dread drove her relentless training.
After half a year nursing their private thoughts, Yong Yoo's group attended the district's auction.