Treasures Of Heaven And Earth

After almost a shi of good natured bargaining, each of the people in Dàilán's group had acquired at least one thing from the peddler's wide range of goods. Apart from the strange and wonderful items from the mysterious relic hunter, he had a range of other products from other places as well, some of which which were of more interest to the members of the group than raw harvested materials from the wilderness - such as bolts of Essence silk from some of provinces that specialised in Essence silkworm harvesting.

Yue and Ài both went a little wide eyed at the silk; Essence Silk was highly regulated by the Imperial Monopoly and it was rare to see an independent merchant with it - unsurprisingly, given their particular interests in fashion and cloth based martial techniques both of them wound up purchasing a bolt - after promising not to spread where they had gotten the material from.

Chian managed to purchase a very fine Formation's Masters portable scribing table - including a very nice scriber, Essence ink and Essence imbued paper.

When it came to the more unique items from the Relic Hunter, Dàilán had grabbed a pot of those healing pills for herself and a small pottery art piece as well as the map that she had managed to bargain the peddler down to eight low-rank Essence stones for. On the other hand, she had to pay almost twice that for a single Essence Stone suitable for Cultivating with.

Chénli and the Bloodwitch both selected various choice pieces of Essence Beast hide and bones - talking about finding a skilled Essence Blacksmith to turn them into weapons.

Yue on the other hand, had gone more than a little crazy, purchasing a small fortune in those potted Essence plants, promising Míng that she would let her examine the strange pots that kept them alive if her Cousin helped offset the cost.

There was some amus.e.m.e.nt when Míng stated that she would rather let Yue buy them on her own rather than spend her Essence stones, since Yue already wanted them - then rapidly changing her tune when Yue promptly decided she only wanted one pot after all.

In the end, both Chian and Ming pitched in with Yue to purchase a pot each, so they would all have examples to study - with all three of them making all sorts of over the top promises to Dàilán, if she would let them study her gifted pot as well.

It was all in good fun of course; between the four of them they had enough examples to share and examine without unduly breaking anyone's purse; Fatty Ji even agreed to pitch in a little to offset everyone else's purchase as long as he shared in anything the other three worked out - whether to do with the Essence plants or the mysterious Formations.

Chian and Fatty Ji both bought some of the Cultivation level Essence Stones - at a much higher price than Dàilán had paid - although Fatty Ji paid for his with some precious stones and several hundred taels of gold and silver rather than the low-rank Essence stones normally used in place of large amounts of taels similar to what Fatty Ji just handed over; on the other hand, Chian exchanged his Cultivation stone for several advanced Formation talismans of his own making. Judging from everyone's expressions it appeared each person thought they had got the better of the deal.

The others all bought things as well - Ài had picked up a collection of salt and other odd minerals - salt being a difficult item to get, it would be a good present for the Third House Chef. The other minerals would be useful in concocting various alchemic mixes and poisons.

The other maids were largely uninterested in the raw materials although they all picked a small ceramic figurine, choosing to save their relatively small allowances for more prosaic shopping - sweets, cosmetics, jewelry and dresses appeared to feature heavily in their discussions - none of which the peddler had on hand.

The peddler packed up his gliding horse and left the teahouse by late morning. Sitting with the others around the stone carved table in the teahouse's small garden, as Yue excitedly organised the next stage of the general shopping exhibition into the Market Street, Dàilán noticed the BloodWitch standing a little way off on the other side of the small courtyard and causally got up and walked over to her.

"Problem, Senior Enforcer?" asked the young heiress.

"Just wondering about the intelligence my old teacher brought back," the young looking woman answered, her voice hinting at frustration, "if Grass has been doing everything he indicated, what else is going on under our noses?"

"Yes," agreed Dàilán, "no news is not always a good thing. It makes exercises like this," she gestured around them, "frustrating."

"There is no news yet, though I expect some soon," replied the Senior Enforcer, raising an eyebrow, "it is still before highest-flight, so we should probably suggest to Yue to add food stall explorations to the shopping expedition, before the troops rebel due to empty stomachs."

"Only if everyone remembers to use poison testing techniques, before they eat anything," added Chénli as she walked over to join the two of them, "some of those stalls - let us just say - the meat is not always the freshest."

Dàilán colored slightly and the older lady chuckled, "I sense a story there."

"One of the first times the young mistress came to the market and decided to try the 'commoner foods that smelt so good'. I tried to warn her that they used spices to cover bad meat, but" Chénli grinned, "she did not leave the washroom for two solid days after that."

"Ài probably has it covered," pointed out Dàilán, rolling her eyes, "but I will go and remind them." She moved quickly back to the other group at the table, hearing the laughter of the two Enforcers behind her as she left.

---

"So what is the best way to shop in the market then?" questioned Yue once the group had left the teahouse and were walking slowly to take in all the different offerings, without going against the now much heavier crowds pushing in and around the stalls. The slow pace was not a concern as different members of the group would break off to investigate stalls of interest before hurrying back to the group as they slowly progressed.

Yue and the two younger maids kept stopping at stalls selling exotic materials, cloth, plants, medicinal compounds, spices or jewelry. Dàilán, Ming and Chian were focusing on stalls selling books and Formation related materials - specially treated ink and parchment and Essence Hides - while Chénli and the BloodWitch more often paused at the various blacksmith, weapons master and armour master stalls.

"Keep your guard up, without being obvious about it, do not throw your status around," suggested Ài, who had taken the role of guide, being the most familiar with the market, "most mortals will give way to people who are obviously Cultivators, but irritating too many people by being aggressive or pushy will backfire."

She pointed out a group of surly looking mercenaries who were being stopped and questioned by the guards the market paid to maintain order, "acting like a silkpants or being pushy will just make you a target of thieves and bad service. You will get no sympathy from the guards. There is no need to be overt anyway - trust me, the sellers here can spot someone with taels from one end of the street to the other - and will treat you accordingly."

Fatty Ji broke into a delighted rumble of laughter, shaking his fats, "I often think they have developed Essence techniques to do just that - it does not matter how plainly I dress or act they always treat me like an honored customer."

Yue broke into a ripple of giggles, "As if you could look anything other than wealthy, Fatty dear, even I know poor people do not have the opportunity to acc.u.mulate your - gravitas."

The Ji Heir affected an offended look, "Are you suggesting I am overweight?"

Yue made a scared face, although her eyes sparkled, "Well, I have had more than one reason to improve my Cultivation lately; I wish to survive my wedding night - not be crushed!"

Fatty Ji's face changed rapid colors at the women's laughter at Yue's quip while Dàilán tapped her Cousin gently on the shoulder, "Do behave, Cousin," she reminded Yue mildly, "or you will land me in trouble for not being an adequate chaperone," she turned to Ài and smiled brightly, "you were explaining the best way to shop here?"

Ai nodded quickly, swallowing her chuckles, "Yes, mistress." She bowed slightly to the others and took up her explanation again, "Bargaining in good spirit is encouraged. If you honestly feel that you are being taken advantage of, put your item down and move on. As you can see," she gestured around as the group slowly moved through the open air stalls and marques, barbeque stands, steamed buns and other baked goods and preserves from housewives or small households trying to supplement their income, fresh produce direct from farmers and fishermen trying to earn better margins by selling direct to customers, arts and crafts, smiths of all shapes and sizes and many others, "everyone has plenty of competition. You might find something similar just a little way down the street at a better price."

It had grown even more crowded than it had been earlier in the morning - without using Essence techniques it was hard to hear specific conversations over - the sounds of tens of thousands of people shouting, laughing, singing and/or playing musical instruments and bargaining while having hundreds of heated conversations at once, redolent with the smells of baking, roasting, grilling and frying, competing with the scents of wines, liquors, spices, Essence herbs, perfumes and soaps. Thankfully, because of the air filtering techniques Ài and the other more experienced shoppers had suggested, no one was being disgusted or nauseated by the more unpleasant smells - although everyone did still have to watch their steps for noisome filth.

"On a trip like this," Ài's voice was transmitted directly to everyone's ears with a basic Air Essence technique, "it is fun to just browse and see what catches your eye. Usually when I come here though, I do have a plan to visit specific businesses and bypass most of the chaos. That includes the jewlers, tailors and cosmetic vendors I can introduce to all the women, of course."

Ài paused, then continued, "Finally the obvious, stay alert and aware, keep your Essence air filter techniques running unless you want to have an unpleasant olfactory experience, watch your feet to avoid stepping in things you will regret, check any food or drink for spoilage or poison, do not overindulge and do not go anywhere alone with anyone promising you a bargain or asking for help."

Chàng and Biyu exchanged looks then exclaimed, "Food first!"

---

The group spent a pleasant shi or so hunting for new and interesting food stalls, just for novelty sake; the range of cuisines and styles were certainly wider than what was normally offered at 'appropriate' restaurants or their Clan kitchens. Of course, there was always the potential for food poisoning, but remembering to use basic testing techniques ensured they would not be caught on the toilet for the next day or so.

The reality was that competition was bitterly fierce - the small business owners who were actively trying to move further up the market street towards the middle ring could literally not afford to get a bad reputation - so worked themselves to the bone making absolutely sure their food was the highest quality possible. A single customer falling ill or detecting spoiled food would spell the end to their livelihoods.

To offset the difficulty of standing out from the crowd and reducing complexity, almost all of the stalls focused on making a single item or dish as well as they could; a few offerings rivaled the higher reputation restaurants close to the inner ring - but their products were in high demand and generally sold quickly.

Fortunately, Ài assured the others, new stalls were always opening - or older stalls working to improve their product to achieve that standing; so there was always a chance of being the first to find the next great thing, before word got out and it became next to impossible to purchase it.

Yue and Fatty Ji were basically in heaven; Dàilán spotted both of them handing out invitation tokens to stall owners that had particularly good sweets and deserts - she guessed they wanted to ensure they could make sure they could get access to them again.

Eventually, the group got to the point where food became a secondary concern, despite the tempting array of smells and sights and the group split up to pursue their interests in areas other than culinary; and the group split up to go hunting for other interests.

"Right," exclaimed Yue, clapping her hands "It is almost Wèishí now. So we will meet back at the teahouse in a shi - that should be long enough to at least look at everything we need to see. Remember, we can come back another day to any place we want to spend more time in - today is more of a scouting mission! Do not get bogged down! Strike hard, move quick!"

"If she only behaved like that during training," remarked Chénli quietly, leaning closer to her ear from where she was standing beside Dàilán "she would make a good commander."

Dàilán smirked at Chénli's comment as Ming rolled her eyes in agreement. Chian stood patiently beside her elder Cousin as Yue finished her directives, "We still have to be seen up in the mid-ring exclusive boutiques after this, so we have to head back up-ring by Shēnshí at the latest!"

At Yue's declaration, the group split into two groups; Fatty Ji got roped in by Yue and the majority of the women to accompany them clothes, cosmetics and jewelry shopping - with Ài promising to take them to her preferred vendors and the BloodWitch attaching herself to that group as escort. Dàilán gathered up Ming and Chian with Chénli to go hunting for books, relics and other formation related materials or resources.

Dàilán directed a questioning look at the BloodWitch in the midst of the bustle of the groups organising themselves, but the only response was a frown flickering over the Senior Enforcer's features momentarily as the woman shook her head minutely.

Dàilán took that to mean that there was no news yet regarding the Clan dealing with the conspirators, which was somewhat concerning, but not unexpected. Hopefully, the Clan would have finished with dealing with the situation before the group of Heirs had to head back to the Guan Compound, or things could get difficult.

As Dàilán and Chénli took the lead towards the lower side of Market Street where Dàilán's favourite relic hunting grounds among the older and less reputable curio stalls and shops were, her bodyguard and best friend directed a quiet query - using the same air technique that Ài had earlier - into her ears, "What was that about?"

Dàilán frowned to herself - had the Senior Enforcer not warned the other Enforcer accompanying them? That seemed, shortsighted of her. She responded with the same technique.

"Father had another reason for encouraging all of the Heiress' out of the Compound today. Second Uncle is being dealt with."

Chénli's eyes widened and Dàilán raised an eyebrow. Her friend shook her head, "I was not told."

"Foolishness," grumbled Dàilán under her breath.

"She is older than your Father," pointed out Chénli, "older people sometimes forget to include the younger in their discussions - and if she decided I did not need to know… for security sake."

"It is your job to know," pointed out Dàilán, "but she only told me more or less because I asked her directly this morning - I suppose my rank overrode her concerns over secrecy."

"More likely, it is unlikely either of us knowing would make any difference at this point," suggested the young Enforcer, "it does explain why she went with the others though - if there are problems it is the best balance of force in both groups with Ài as back up there and the two of us here. Do we tell your Cousin?"

"No point in worrying them," the youngest heiress decided, "part of me is already wishing I was not aware of anything going on."

Chénli nodded and paused to look at a passing stall as the group crossed onto the lower side of the street, following just behind the three of them a moment later.

"There are a lot of older, less obvious vendors in this part of the market," explained Dàilán enthusiastically to Cousin and the Gi Heir, "I have found some interesting oddities and relics in some of the less traveled corners of some of the shops here."

"She has come down here enough to have gained a reputation as a favoured customer - some of the shopkeepers keep back interesting items for her," Chénli elaborated dryly, "they call her their, 'Orchid Princess'. If her father knew how popular his Heir was in the less than polite corners of the city, he would likely be most dismayed."

Dàilán colored, visibly despite the dimmer light in the street caused by the crowded tenements obscuring more of the sky above them, "Lay out a few thugs and everyone acts like you are a hero. I just treat everyone normally and pay fairly for anything I purchase, instead of acting like an arrogant noble."

"Grandmother would ground you for a year," stated Ming flatly, looking around at the more raucous and shabbier looking stalls, "She will ground - me - if she finds out where we went."

"We are in no danger in this neighborhood," Chénli assured the Eldest Heiress, "The local White Lotus Society head partially owes his position to the young mistress knocking out those thugs and he has a lighter hand than the last one did, so the average individual around here has a lot of respect for her - still, step carefully and do not flash your Essence Stones around."

"Sounds like a story I would like to hear," remarked the Gi Heir with interest, "although we knew that the local White Lotus had changed leadership in the last year or so, the exact details were never uncovered by the Clan's network."

Dàilán coughed and gestured towards a larger, ramshackled building ahead of them, the paint and varnish peeling and worn with the faded characters 'Relic Curiosity' above the door.

"This place is always worth a check, Madam Nou always has something interesting to share", she confided in a lowered voice as she pushed open the sagging door, letting out dusty air redolent with the smell of old paper, wood, metal and incense, "time to hunt for treasure!"

---

Dàilán frowned to herself. This was the fourth bookstore, pawnshop or curio stall they had spent time browsing though, but while she was enjoying her shopping trip with like-minded companions instead of being alone with just Chénli for company, something felt… off.

Ostensibly watching the other three who were currently occupied, heatedly if quietly arguing over some item Chian was examining, even while the two women continued to look through the stacks of old items, scrolls and various objects that might be ancient relics or trash, Dàilán carefully slid her eyes over at the proprietor in her peripheral vision.

The man looked nervous, beads of sweat visible at his hairline - eyes fl.i.c.k.i.n.g towards her and back towards the entrance.

The young heiress bit her lip, a shiver of worry skittering up her spine. This was the third shopkeep she had noticed acting strangely apprehensive today - each more acutely than the last. The fact that she was usually welcomed warmly by all of the shops the four of them had visited this afternoon made it all the more unusual.

She casually walked over to the dusty counter, keeping one ear on the intense discussion even as she smiled at the man behind it, "Did you find that scroll on first age relics you were telling me about last time I was here, Merchant Wú?"

Wú's answering smile was a shadow of its usual enthusiasm, but he answered in something close to his usual plummy tones, "Of… of course, young mistress. I… I put it aside for you… thank you for reminding me!"

Dàilán kept her face from showing any reaction, difficult, given that there had never been any such discussion, even as the merchant turned to fumble at the shelves behind him, searching through the old books behind him, then pulling out a dusty scroll.

"Here… here it is… young mistress. It is fortunate that the young noble came by first… I have had a number of inquiries from various interested parties who wanted�� this scroll…" he lowered his voice,"...the location of... orchids... in relics… very forceful inquiries!"

"Oh. I had no idea anyone else besides myself was interested in this old stuff," replied Dàilán casually as she took the scroll and opened it, scanning briefly what seemed to be a dry treatise of imperial clan politics from fifty years ago, "Everyone I talk to about this stuff always seems to be bored by it."

The merchant wiped his sweating face with a cloth and lowered his voice again, muffled by the cloth, "Maybe I have been talking to the wrong people…?"

She raised her eyebrows, "The White Lotus?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, you do not need to worry about the criminal gangs here, young noble," replied the shopkeep in his normal tone of voice and volume as he dropped his hand to the wood, "why just last week, some mercenary cultivators came through and cleaned all that up - they do not like flowers apparently," he laughed at his own joke, absently swiping at the dusty countertop with the cloth, "It has never been safer in the lower ring, we are all very grateful for their help."

"Really? Well, that is… good to hear," answered Dàilán, injecting a note of satisfaction into her voice, "those gangs are a menace."

"Yes," agreed the shopkeeper, "especially to young women like yourself. Really, you should head back up-ring, as soon as possible."

"Thank you for the… advice, Merchant Wú," acknowledged the young Heiress, bowing, "I believe I shall take it."

"Please, do not mention it. If you will excuse me…" he bowed back, then turned and disappeared with almost indecent haste into the haphazard stacks of dusty stock.

Dàilán walked back to the other three, "It is getting late - we need to be heading back to meet with the others," she reminded them firmly, then used the Air Essence Technique Ài had utilised in the noisy market to speak quietly into their ears, "We need to leave immediately," as she turned and headed towards the entrance.

Chénli materialised beside her as Chian put the item the three had been discussing down with an expression of regret, Ming making a satisfied noise as the two of them casually turned to follow behind Dàilán.

'Problem?' flashed Chénli's fingers in their private battle sign.

'Possible ambush,' Dàilán tapped out her reply on her bodyguards shoulder as Chénli pushed past her and opened the door.

"Is there a problem?" Chian's voice sounded softly in their ears as they stepped out into the late afternoon light and Dàilán nodded, thankful he was using the same Air Essence technique as she had before, even as Ming hummed and spoke normally, "I did not realise it is almost Shēnshí, Second Cousin will be complaining for weeks about not having enough time to visit Madam Li's if we do not hurry."

"Gods save us from such a fate," replied Chian with asperity, looking up and down the narrow street, "I am not sure how brother Ji copes with your cousin's obsession with clothing sometimes."

"Not clothing dear, fashion." Ming tapped him reprovingly, "You like it when we look good, right?"

Chian flushed slightly and Dàilán smiled turning her head slightly, to look over her shoulder at them, "Flirt less in public, cousin."

"Not much traffic here," replied Ming pointedly, "is that normal for this time of day?"

"No," replied Chénli sharply, "Something is definitely off. We need to move back to Market Street, now!"

Dàilán shot a surprised look at her bodyguard even as all of them activated their preferred movement techniques and blurred through the suspiciously deserted streets as the afternoon shadows lengthened. Chénli elaborated hurriedly even as they ran, "I am unable to contact the Senior Enforcer…"

Chian's and Ming's voices sounded out - overlapping "My jade token is not reaching brother Ji... cousin Yue either."

Dàilán's mouth set in a grim line as Chénli dropped back slightly to act as a rearguard and grasped the special communication token her Cousins had given her, "Orchid to Moon - respond.

There was no reply as a fēn passed and Dàilán muttered a curse as Ming's voice echoed out from the jade as well as over her shoulder, "Dagger to Moon, Dagger to Dragon - Priority!"

Again no response and a shùn later Ming spat, "The transmissions are blocked - the only jade I can connect to is yours, Orchid."

"Proximity," ground out the Gi Heir, his expression dire, "We are being blocked from communicating."

"Ambush close!" came Chénli's sharp warning and Dàilán rapidly circulated the 'Mountain River' technique to pass through the wall of the tenement she was passing. The clang of thrown weapons deflecting off the street where she had previously been, accompanied by the crack, flash and detonation of a near-miss from violent Essence techniques indicated it had been a wise move, even as the poorly built building shook.

Dàilán looked around at the small living/kitchen area she found herself in even as she moved towards the back entrance out of the kitchen - scattered rocking bowls, plates, chopsticks and food indicated it had clearly been hastily vacated by the occupants, which relieved her - unnecessary complications were the last thing she had time for now.

As she walked quickly across the meger room to the back door, Dàilán reached down to pull at panels of embroidery on either side of her 'appropriate' noble dress. As Ài had designed, the panels split down the sides of the dress, freeing her leg movement.

She dropped her Essence daggers out of the wrist sheaths hidden by the wide sleeves of her dress into her hands, suddenly thankful that she had taken to wearing them constantly since the Knife Sect had started training her - the BloodWitch was fond of springing 'suprise attacks' on her - and calling them 'exercises in situational awareness'. Pushing open the worn, wooden door, she ran out, into the alley behind the building and leapt for the nearest awning to head for the roofs.

The jade communication tablet around her neck spoke with Ming's voice, "Team of three pursuing you, Orchid. Knife holding off one mercenary after us - teahouse. We are looking to shut down the blocking formation."

Dàilán cursed loudly as a large man with a horse cleaving saber appeared on the road below and swung his oversized weapon in her direction, sending a ugly arc of Sword Essence into the building whose roof she was moving across. She leapt clear as the building collapsed with a thunderous crash, all but drowning out the screams of terrified occupants.

She increased her speed in desperation, pushing the 'Mountain Mists' technique into her legs. The faster she got to the Market, the less damage these mercenaries would do in their attempts to capture her before she got to an area with witnesses. A pitched battle was out of the question as well - it would leave her overwhelmed against three attackers and undoubtedly devastate any area they fought in, with the potential to have her trapped or her movements restricted in debris and wreckage.

But, maybe… she narrowed her eyes. That zhǎnmǎdāo was slow, if she timed it right… The brute below her committed to another swing towards the building she was running across, roaring as he did so.

Dàilán leapt straight off the building and pushed her Essence to accelerate. Rather than using the 'Mountan Mists' technique to make her as light as mist and dissipate the force of impacts that would crack ground and bone - as she normally did - she pushed the Essence running through the technique to dump the impetus of her landing directly into the mercenary's head through her toes; the resulting rebound launched her onto the buildings on the other side of the street

She sensed, more than felt, the man's head disintegrate under the transfered energy of the landing as she soared in midair again, hearing a soggy thump and a clatter as the giant saber and mutilated body fell to the street behind her.

A sudden thought had her push Essence into the Knife Sect Soul tablet around her neck, but even as she touched safely on the roof of the building ahead of her and began running up-ring again, leaping across narrow alleys and side streets, she felt a flash of confused rage and warning - with an impression of danger. "Sect Under Attack!" a monotone 'voice' seemed to drop into her mind, reverberating like a drum, "All Enforcers Respond. Jade Level Order."

The suddenness of the warning, sensations of feelings and shock at hearing a voice in her head made her mistime her next jump and she plummeted towards the alley below her; a pair of essence techniques flashed overhead - along with a curse - from behind her, to explode violently in a shower of wood, mud, bricks, straw, clay tiles and cheap plaster against the the building on the other side of the alley, accompanied by shouts and terrified screams.

"Shit…" Dàilán stopped trying to arrest her fall and dove for the alley as the next attacks impacted where she would have landed if she had done it safely. The explosions slapped her with waves of overpressure that she rolled away with, using the momentum to push herself quickly out of the alley. Hooking a dagger into the wall beside her, she let herself swing around, slamming herself frantically around the corner into the front of the groaning building as a crowd of panicked occupants came streaming out into the street from the front doors, running in all directions into the street.

"Find the b*tch!" Dàilán heard curses, shouts and thumps from the entrance of the alley as people were flung aside. Closing her eyes, she pushed the Veiling technique she had kept constantly running since she had left the Sect outward, hiding her from sight, then walked into the open door of the precariously leaning building as the last couple of people rushed out in a panic.

Screams and cries from outside let her know that her pursuers were still searching in the street; covering her mouth and nose with her right sleeve to avoid coughing from the dust and dirt falling from the celling and hanging in the air, she walked rapidly across the creaking, shaking, cracking, disarrayed kitchen, dodging a ceiling beam as it came loose and crashed downward.

Making it out another back door, which was already flung open from people escaping - and still running the Veil technique to stay invisible - Dàilán pushed 'Mountain Mists' into her legs to rush down the back lane towards the teahouse on Market Street as the poorly built and now heavily damaged building collapsed into a pile of rubble behind her, blasting out a thick billowing cloud of dust and dirt.