Chapter 24: A Tangle of Entangled Encounters

While Swift Tiger possessed the desire to flee yet lacked the courage to do so, Han Tianyue, Fang Zhe, Mao Xuanzi, Feng Shang, Lei Cong, and Guan Tian had already entered the underground trading center.

Although named an underground trading center, it resembled an ancient, picturesque little town. Pedestrians were few, and all were dressed simply, looking like ordinary townsfolk. Seeing Han Tianyue and his group, they smiled at them and continued on their way.

The streets of the town were paved with bluestone slabs. Upon entering, the town was lined with various shops, whose proprietors all wore welcoming smiles.

Han Tianyue stepped forward and asked, "Do you have any Sound-Qian Pouches here?" Since Han Tianyue and his companions were now operating as a team, using Sound-Qian Pouches would be much more convenient, so everyone had tacitly agreed to purchase them.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Little brother, the Sound-Qian Pouches you want are not for sale right now. They should be available at the front square this evening!"

Han Tianyue thanked the shopkeeper, then returned to Fang Zhe, Mao Xuanzi, and the others, saying, "The shopkeeper says they won't be on sale until tonight!"

With that, they had no choice but to wander around the ancient town.

Since their interests and what they wanted to see differed, they agreed, "We can walk around separately for now, but once the sun sets, we must gather at the front square!"

With this settled, Feng Shang and Lei Cong, who were the most fond of mischief, quickly vanished around a street corner.

Fang Zhe and Mao Xuanzi were the quiet, taciturn types, trailing closely behind Han Tianyue like two older brothers looking after a younger sibling. Han Tianyue glanced around. Since it was daytime, the shops only sold ordinary goods with no rare treasures in sight. Just then, a man in a black cloak walked past him, followed by two companions. Although these two did not wear black cloaks like the man, even when standing very close to Han Tianyue, their faces remained completely obscured.

"What is the background of these three?" Han Tianyue was currently a child, and his abilities flickered in and out of existence, naturally failing to draw undue attention. However, Mao Xuanzi, Fang Zhe, and Guan Tian attracted a few watchful glances. Though the others' intentions and positions could not be precisely determined, every gaze directed at Mao Xuanzi and the others failed to escape Han Tianyue's sharp senses.

"It seems this place conceals countless unknowns!" As Lei Cong had said, it was far from safe. Han Tianyue and his companions continued to stroll around, feigning ignorance of everything.

"Little fellow, you've come all the way here to play at such a tender age!" As Han Tianyue walked up to a storefront and examined the merchandise, the shopkeeper emerged from the back room and said amiably.

"My big brothers said this place is a lot of fun, so I came along!" Han Tianyue replied with a feigned smile.

The shopkeeper glanced at Mao Xuanzi, Fang Zhe, and Guan Tian behind him and remarked, "Judging by your appearances, you've all been injured. Let me give you a warning—bringing a child along means you'd best not linger here for too long!"

"Thank you for the advice, shopkeeper. How much is this item?" Before long, Han Tianyue had picked up a wooden box from the shop. Fang Zhe stepped forward, pointed at the box in Han Tianyue's hands, and asked.

The shopkeeper took a look at them, then walked over to Han Tianyue and patted him on the head. Instead of asking an exorbitant price, he said, "I thought I'd never be able to sell this thing, but it seems to share a genuine affinity with this little fellow. Since that's the case, just three copper coins will do!"

Fang Zhe didn't expect it to be a rare treasure; he merely wanted to strike up a friendly rapport with the shopkeeper. He stepped forward, paid the three copper coins, and asked, "Might you have any rare treasures here, or do you know of any being sold in the vicinity?"

Han Tianyue held the wooden box in his hand. No matter how he tried to open it, he found it remained firmly shut; open it or not, the box stayed persistently closed. Observing Han Tianyue fiddling with the box, the shopkeeper scooped him up and said, "Can't open it, can you? There's a clever little mechanism hidden inside. When you grow up, I'm sure you'll be able to open it!" Hearing Fang Zhe's question, the shopkeeper laughed and replied, "Our town has many rare items. What kind of thing are you looking for?"

Fang Zhe wasn't quite sure what to ask.

The shopkeeper carried Han Tianyue over to Fang Zhe, glanced at Fang Zhe's hands, and observed, "You look like a player of the qin. If you're looking to buy a good instrument, there's a guqin shop just around the corner ahead. The instruments there are a bit pricey, but the quality is absolutely top-notch!"

"Thank you, shopkeeper!" Fang Zhe expressed his gratitude.

As they prepared to leave, the shopkeeper held onto Han Tianyue and said, "Wait a moment, please. I've grown quite fond of this child; let me get him some candy!"

Carrying Han Tianyue back into the shop, the shopkeeper looked at him with a smile and said, "You look just like my son when he was little."

"Then where is your son now, Uncle?" Han Tianyue asked with a child's innocence.

"Speaking of my son, he should be eighteen by now, but I've never been able to find him!" The shopkeeper let out a long sigh, handed Han Tianyue two pieces of candy, and said, "I'll give you two candies. Remember this: one is for you, and the other is for your injured elder sister, understand?"

Han Tianyue nodded and said, "Thank you, Uncle!"

Carrying Han Tianyue out of the shop, the shopkeeper set him back down on the ground.

Bidding the shopkeeper farewell, Han Tianyue and his group departed.

That shopkeeper surely wouldn't harm a child, but why he had asked Han Tianyue to give a piece of candy to Guan Tian was a mystery. Han Tianyue did not give the candy to Guan Tian as instructed; instead, he tucked it away in his pocket, and together they headed to the guqin shop the shopkeeper had mentioned.

To their surprise, the owner of the guqin shop was a young woman.

Seeing Fang Zhe, Mao Xuanzi, Guan Tian, and Han Tianyue, the female proprietor immediately hurried over to greet them. "Welcome, guests!" Her eyes instantly locked onto Han Tianyue. Without a word of warning, she stepped forward, scooped Han Tianyue up, planted a kiss on his cheek, and exclaimed joyfully, "Oh, I haven't seen a child in ages! How utterly adorable! Sisters, come out and look, there's a little child here!"

At that moment, six young women emerged from the back room. Just like the proprietress, they found Han Tianyue completely irresistible, passing him back and forth for hugs until Han Tianyue nearly suffocated from the affection.

While the seven female proprietors doted endlessly on Han Tianyue, they remained thoroughly polite to Fang Zhe, Mao Xuanzi, and Guan Tian. Instead of rushing to showcase their guqins, they brewed a pot of tea and offered it to them, saying, "Please sit down and have some tea first. I'll introduce our guqins to you shortly!"

Fang Zhe sat in a chair and looked around the room. True to their reputation, the instruments on display were indeed exceptional.

Fang Zhe, Mao Xuanzi, and Guan Tian sat quietly, but Han Tianyue was not so fortunate. The seven women crowded around him, taking turns picking him up and bombarding him with questions. Not daring to answer with an adult intellect, Han Tianyue was forced to reply in a childish voice, leaving his head spinning.

Seeing Han Tianyue's exasperated expression, the seven women only found him more charming. "So this is what a little fellow looks like when he's mad! His cheeks are puffed out like a little rubber ball!"

Observing Han Tianyue being endlessly tormented by the seven women, Guan Tian stepped forward and said, "Seven proprietresses, my younger brother dislikes this sort of treatment. Please put him down." Guan Tian currently looked frail enough to be blown over by the wind, the picture of sickly delicacy. Hearing this, the seven women set Han Tianyue down with a sigh, saying, "If only we could have a little boy just like him!"

Han Tianyue hastily scurried over to Guan Tian, hiding in the adult's embrace like a frightened child, while thinking to himself, *If you lot ever had a child, you'd play him to death in no time!* At that thought, Han Tianyue couldn't help but shudder.

Fang Zhe, Mao Xuanzi, Guan Tian, and Han Tianyue had originally come simply to look at guqins. The seven women stepped forward and began explaining the instruments to Fang Zhe one by one. "This is the Ancient Fangqin, boasting a history of three hundred years. This is the Ancient Hangqin, with a history of seven hundred years..."

As the seven women introduced the instruments, Fang Zhe's gaze fell upon a plain-looking qin nearby, and he asked, "And what is that one?"

The seven women smiled. "You truly have an eye for this. Don't look at it as simple and plain; this is the supreme treasure of our shop—the Falling Blossom Qin. Once this qin is played, blossoms fill the air wherever its notes travel!"

Just then, a voice echoed from outside: "To think the Seven Fairies would hide in this underground trading center to run a shop. Truly unexpected!" Hearing this, the expressions of the seven women shifted slightly.

At that moment, a man walked into the shop, followed by five others. Among them was none other than the master of the "Divine Brush" who had plummeted from the heavens into the Purple Bamboo Forest when Han Tianyue and his group encountered him previously.

"Zeng Cheng, Gu Yang, Xiaolang, Long Qi, Xiaoshi, Mingyang, aren't the six of you supposed to be in the Azure Firmament?" the seven women exclaimed in shock.

"Our coming to the underground trading center today is merely to catch a glimpse of the Zhongtian Tripod, one of the Nine Heavenly Tripods. Could it be that you have guarded this place for so long not to catch a glimpse of the Zhongtian Tripod yourselves!" retorted Zeng Cheng, the wielder of the Divine Brush.

"Even if we are, word has it that the Zhongtian Tripod would appear here, yet it has yet to materialize. You traveled all this way—aren't you afraid your trip will be in vain?" the seven women countered.

"This time we have obtained reliable information: it will undoubtedly manifest here tonight. Rest assured, we have no interest in seizing the Zhongtian Tripod; we simply wish to witness what manner of artifact it is that could stir such a massive uproar!" Zeng Cheng continued.

"That being the case, you are unwelcome here. Please leave; we still have guests to attend to." The seven women issued a polite expulsion.

The six men who had descended from the Azure Firmament cast a glance at Han Tianyue and his group before turning to leave.

"For the likes of these six to appear here means there must be even more formidable individuals about!" Realizing this, Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, and Fang Zhe felt a jolt of alarm. *Once we acquire the Sound-Qian Pouches, we must flee this perilous place at once!*

"Would you still like to inspect the other instruments?" the seven women asked.

By now, Han Tianyue and his companions were in no mood to look at any instruments. They turned around and said, "Apologies, we have urgent matters to attend to. We must be going!"

The seven women nodded, smiled at Han Tianyue, and said, "Little fellow, come back and play whenever you have time!"

Remembering how he had been kissed, hugged, and nearly played to death by these seven women just moments before, Han Tianyue swore that nothing could ever drag him back here again. *Rest assured, Your Highness, my heart belongs only to you!*

Neither Feng Shang nor Lei Cong had continued their sightseeing; after purchasing a few items, they set out to find Han Tianyue and the others. Because the town was small, they reunited quickly. It turned out Feng Shang and Lei Cong had bought three pet collars and some spiritual beast feed. "With these, we won't have to worry about the little cat running away!" Whenever Feng Shang thought of the Swift Tiger, he would snap the collar onto it, walking down the street with an incomparably majestic air.

Lei Cong stepped forward and whispered, "We'd better not separate now. It seems a good number of powerful figures have arrived here."

Han Tianyue added, "The men we saw earlier came from the Azure Firmament. There are bound to be many others like them here. We must proceed with utmost caution!"