"I suppose that's the place…" Jun Li stood atop an outstretched branch of a lofty tree, looking out over a wealthy-looking town, densely built and crowded with buildings.

  Jun Li estimated that the town must easily have a population of a few thousand people, but that was from the perspective of someone who had grown up in a crowded household.

  According to what her master had told her, this town, 'Lanxiu,' was built around the territory of the Lan Clan, a relatively minor power, one with connections to a local Sect.

  Unlike the Zhao Kingdom, where Jun Li had been raised, in Lanxiu, cultivation was a simple and expected part of life. With its intrinsic connection with the local community of Martial Cultivators, this small town was, by nature, part of the Jianghu.

  Breathing in the warmer air of a temperate climate for the first time in years, Jun Li struggled to contain her excitement. She had heard so much about the Jianghu from her master that it was difficult to manage her expectations.

  Jun Li planned to seek out a branch of the Alchemist's Association so that she could start building a reputation. That way, Zhu Enlai would easily be able to find her.

  But this small town was too small to have such a branch, so it was just a place to rest before continuing north. With a bit of luck, she could follow some convoy or carriage north on its way to a larger city.

  Looking down towards the unfamiliarly green forest below her perch, Jun Li saw the glint of Little Yun's white scales peeking through the underbrush.

  Stepping off her tree branch, Jun Li plummeted a dozen meters before landing silently on the forest floor.

  "Little Yun, stay close, but quiet."

  Leaving her companion to roam nearby, Jun Li made her way towards the town of Lanxiu. 'I wonder if there’s some sort of entry requirement…'

  … … … … … …

  “…Huh.” Jun Li found herself a bit dazed. After passing into the wealthy-looking town without being intercepted, she found her eyes struggling to adjust to a density of detail that she hadn't encountered on her frozen mountain.

  Every building seemed absurdly elaborate to her, as someone who had lived in a cave for half a decade.

  She couldn't find a single building with fewer than two floors. Above the wide streets, a web of ropes extended overhead, some serving as clotheslines, and others bearing hanging lanterns to add ambient light to the shaded streets.

  This place had a beauty different from the Zhao Kingdom Jun Li remembered. The streets weren't immaculate as they were in her homeland, but were instead lined with small, verdant trees whose shedding leaves dappled the roads below, lending a relaxed, peaceful air to the town.

  At first, Jun Li felt a desire to stop by each and every store, but it wasn’t an option. Although she had a small amount of Purple Jade in her Spatial Ring, it wasn’t much. Likely not enough to buy more than one decent outfit, and certainly not enough to buy a weapon.

  In the end, she noticed a restaurant, and couldn’t help herself. ‘It's been years since I've eaten anything I'd call a 'meal…’

  The restaurant looked quite richly decorated to Jun Li, but at this point, almost any business might seem that way to her eyes.

  Passing through the door, a soft chime rang out, alerting a nearby employee to Jun Li’s presence. “Oh!” The employee, a young woman, was surprised by Jun Li’s appearance.

  Though Jun Li hadn’t paid much attention over the past few years, and didn’t bother to wear anything more elaborate than a modest, sleeved robe, her natural beauty had completely bloomed as she grew into a woman, unreliant on the adornment of accessories or cosmetics.

  “Welcome! You have excellent timing, esteemed customer! There’s only one open table left!” As the greeter woman spoke, Jun Li looked around the restaurant and saw that it was packed. In addition, she also noticed that a few of the clientele were Cultivators of the Crimson Palace stage, raising her interest.

  “I suppose that would be the open table there?” Jun Li pointed out a section of seating that neighbored two young Cultivators of the Crimson Palace stage.

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  Producing a small bag of Purple Jade, Jun Li, without much thought, handed it over to the greeter, whose eyes widened at the bulk. “I’ll go ahead and seat myself, bring out whatever this is good for, I’m not picky.”

  “Ah! Yes, right away!” As the greeter ran off to the back of the store, Jun Li scratched her head, wondering if it was too much.

  In truth, Jun Li had just handed over whatever Purple Jade she had yet to use in her training. In her eyes, the small bag of scraps was of little value, perhaps good enough to save a few hours of natural recovery, but that's all.

  In her eyes, food was more important than those scraps, and with her skills as an alchemist, there would be plenty of opportunities to earn more Purple Jade in the future, should she need it.

  Jun Li didn't waste any time sitting herself at the only table left, even if it was too big for just one person.

  "Hmm…? Who could that be?" Nearby, a duo of Cultivators, a young man and woman in green robes, noticed Jun Li's appearance.

  For those in the Crimson Palace stage, it was quite easy to assess the cultivations of those near their level, so Jun Li stood out like a fire in a dark room.

  "She seems around our age, but I don't recognize her, so she shouldn't be from the Pavilion?" The young man commented quietly to his companion.

  "She shouldn't be part of the Lan clan either; her talent doesn't seem bad, she surely would have been sent to the Pavilion. Not to mention her clothing is a bit… dull." The young woman contemplated quietly.

  Jun Li, on the other hand, didn't think too hard about the duo, and her mind was geared towards her next steps, figuring she wouldn't be able to stay in this town for long. 'If I want Uncle Zhu to find me, I should make a splash in the Alchemist's Association…'

  Before Jun Li could get too lost in thought, a waiter came out from the back of the restaurant with two trays, each crowded with dishes. "There's more on the way, Esteemed Customer!" As the waiter spoke, he served a half-dozen dishes.

  Chicken skewers covered with some manner of sticky sauce and garnished with sesame seeds, pork buns with wispy trails of steam still rising from their surface, fluffy pure white rice, and soup garnished with pepper and onion. And of course, all this was served with a cup of fragrant pu'er tea.

  Jun Li's face lit up at the sight of the assortment. Even these individually simple dishes fascinated Jun Li, who had barely ever eaten such a savory meal even before her seclusion.

  "It looks great, thank you!" In the face of Jun Li's unexpected enthusiasm and remarkable appearance, the waiter was caught off guard. "Uh? R-right, the house's specialty dishes will be coming out soon!"

  As he hastily made his way back to the kitchen, the waiter exchanged a glance with the greeter, who was making her way back to the door. "...makes you wonder who she is, huh?"

  Smiling at her colleague's expression, the greeter stepped up to the entrance of the establishment just as a duo of new customers entered. "Ah." Recognizing one of the duo, the greeter's expression soured for a half-second. "Young Master Lan… what a pleasant surprise!"

  One of the men who walked in wore expensive clothing trimmed in green and looked about with a lax, bored expression. "Business seems good today, huh?" At his comment, the greeter felt a bit of strain, having been put in a difficult position. "Right, there are no open tables right now, but I should be able to-"

  "No need." This 'Young Master Lan' interrupted the greeter as something caught his eye. Striding casually over to Jun Li's table, he pulled out a chair and made himself comfortable, his strict-looking lackey following to stand behind him.

  "This table seems plenty open enough."

  Jun Li, having seen this man's manner, wasn't particularly bothered. Even if he were to bother her with questions, it wouldn't disturb her.

  But she had a feeling he would be more troublesome than that, noticing how the other customers seemed to deliberately avert their eyes from her table.

  'Hmm… is this going to be one of those types of people Uncle Zhu mentioned…?' Hoping quietly that there wouldn't be a scene, Jun Li quietly continued to eat.

  "So tell me…!" Young Master Lan leaned towards Jun Li as he spoke. "Where are you from? It's not every day an unfamiliar face comes into town at the Crimson Palace stage, so I can't help but be curious!"

  "Oh. I'm from pretty far south of here. I've been training in seclusion with my master for some time." Jun Li let her guard down slightly, feeling that his line of questioning was harmless enough. "It's been a while since I've been to such a populated place, to be honest."

  "Hm! Do you have a place to stay? I know a good place…" Young Master Lan looked over Jun Li, not having listened to anything she had said. "Ah, I was just stopping in town for some directions. I plan to head out within the day."

  Behind this Young Master Lan, that strict-looking lackey who had remained silent and motionless up until now, shot Jun Li a perturbed glance, as if to plead, 'Please don't make this harder than it needs to be.'

  "Are you sure? You know, my family owns this town. I could show you around before you head out…" The young man's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to up the pressure, and Jun Li let out a silent sigh in her heart. "Sorry, I'm a bit busy."

  "Ah, don't be like that, come on, let's go have some fun!" Reaching to grab Jun Li's wrist, Young Master Lan felt a sharp pain, stopping his hand mid-motion.

  A greasy wooden skewer stuck up and into the air, impaled through his wrist.

  "AACK! You…!" The young master jolted back and toppled over his chair, and Jun Li looked down on him impassively from her seat. 'Hah… Why did he have to be an idiot… Oh well, 'conflict drives growth,' as Uncle Zhu says...'