Chapter 8 - Xianghou

The sound of hurried footsteps filled the hall, breaking its silence.

"Your Majesty, Lao Yi has a message for you."

"Speak."

An icy voice responded shortly, with a distinct authoritative tone that seemed to chillingly tear apart the facades of all who heard it.

"A figure was sighted entering the capital city from the Valley of Death, with orange spiritual qi. They had long black hair and wore dark blue."

Abruptly, the very atmosphere seemed to freeze with those words.

Pure silence filled the hall, suffocating the pitiful message carrier who was already sweating profusely. It was only until he felt that he would breathe his last, that the icy voice spoke up once more.

"...What was he doing there?" He inquired calmly and slowly, quickly snapping the messenger back to reality.

"He said that... he was just taking a stroll..."

"I see. You may leave now."

As the messenger hurriedly fled the scene, silence once again covered the imperial chamber, though not nearly as oppressive and suffocating as it once was.

"...It seems Old Yi has noticed your unnatural attitude towards that place."

A different, lighter voice arose from the shadows as he stepped forward.

"And that description, do you think it might be-"

"Zhao Wu, enough."

"My apologies, your Majesty."

Zhao Wu quickly apologized, though his eyes shone dimly as he looked upon the silent figure he had served for so many years now.

---

The sun shone weakly overhead, casting light, but no warmth, as people bustled about their day. Buildings loomed tall and majestically, creating criss-cross patterns of winding streets and alleyways. Loud voices advertised their wares and shops, almost drowned out by the sounds of idle chatter and laughter amongst the people. Much more shrouded though, likely not audible to those with lower cultivations, was the sound of muffled voices crying for help.

Ah, Xianghou, the capital. How it hadn't changed at all.

Mao Shuhai thought to herself dryly, taking small sips of the hot tea in her hands. Yue sat obediently on her lap, watching the tide of people with a curious, but cautious gaze. Yue was not the only one unnerved by the large amount of people, Mao Shuhai herself couldn't exactly say she was comfortable either. After spending so many years in tranquil seclusion, with only really two people to speak to on a daily basis, this was rather overwhelming. Not to mention that she had always been a person that preferred solitude or little company, even before that.

But, she had no choice but to adjust quickly. Afterall, there were many things that had to be done.

Quietly leaving behind a dusty old copper coin on the tea stall, one of the scarce savings she had saved in her spatial ring five years ago, Mao Shuhai continued her quiet stroll through the commerical district, occasionally telepathically talking to Yue who sat on her shoulder.

The farther she walked, the quieter the streets became. Crowds dwindled until there was barely anyone around, yet Mao Shuhai continued onward until pausing for a moment, and quietly entering a small shop in the corner that had caught her eye.

The bell rung as she put her foot through the door, awakening the young man napping by the countertop. His hair was messy and blond, lightly obsuring orange-brown eyes that slowly squinted open.

Time hasn't been kind to this place.

But, I'm glad it's still here.

Mao Shuhai thought to herself nostalgically, as she patiently waited for the man to wake up fully.

The shopkeeper's changed too, which makes it even more convenient for me to keep my return low-key. Though, I doubt the previous owner would've remembered me anyway.

"Ah? A customer, welcome to Jin's Treasures. Anything I can do for you miss?"

He stretched his arms as he greeted her in a laidback, but friendly manner.

"I would like to sell some trinkets I found on my travels."

He subtly raised an eyebrow at the young miss, who was wearing worn, patchy clothing but somehow still gave off an air of sophistication. He didn't forget about the white cat on her shoulder too, watching him cautiously with beady pink eyes.

"Alright, let's have a look."

Mao Shuhai immediately pulled out a few ungraded artifacts, and a couple of first-grade artifacts from her spatial ring. Her movements were casual and unorderly, as if she just had a messy collection of items she wanted to get rid of.

The man watched in mild surprise, not expecting the young lady to bring relatively high-tier goods to his small shop to sell. He thought for sure that she just wanted some junk off her hands, that couldn't be successfully sold at other shops.

"This is a Grass Lantern, it's light is particularly effective for plants and their growth."

Her pale hand pointed towards one of the first-grade artifacts, which was lantern-shaped with patterned leaf engravings.

"This is just a painted crane statue. But if you click the button on its side, it flaps its wings and spins."

She pointed to an ungraded artifact, though it was perhaps the most beautiful looking one.

"And this..."

Mao Shuhai explained each of their functions and uses matter-of-factly, whilst the shopkeeper before her found it harder and harder to restrain his excitement.

Even when she first brought out those items, he was pleasantly surprised, already matching his common patrons to the artifacts they'd visually like most, and thinking of how to market them for maximum sales.

But after hearing how each little trinket was more than they appeared, he felt he had hit a gold mine, and had dozens of customers in mind.

He had been in this business for a while now afterall. He knew his few regular customers very well.

"I'll take them all! How does 30 silver taels sound?"

He honestly showed his enthusiasm and offered a reasonable price to the little lady in front of the counter.

Her demeanor so far had been calm and straight to the point, almost naively so since they were talking business. But he didn't want to exploit her and scam her off of her items. He could faintly sense that she was more than what she seemed... And if anything, he wanted her to come again in the future!

"Sounds good, thank you."

Mao Shuhai nodded softly in return, as she watched the stars in the young man's eyes sparkle even brighter with her agreement.

He's just like his mother.

She couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

Though she rarely went to this shop in the past, the intelligent but transparent shopkeeper had left a long lasting impression on her. One that seemingly will last through the present, also.

"Please come again!"

He called out as Mao Shuhai left the store, the bell ringing lightly behind her as she wandered the streets again.

"You could buy 3000 cups of tea now!"

Yue chimed in her mind lightly, surprised at how easy it was to get food and drink in the human city. She had been surprised at many things so far, like how crowded it was and how many tall shelters were around them, but she kept most of her thoughts about them to herself, opting to wait till she was less ignorant before commenting, like now, since she understood that those coins could be exchanged for things!

"I could indeed. But I don't think I'm that thirsty right now."

Mao Shuhai chuckled at her familiar's words, though she also mentally praised her quick learning.

"Where to next?"

"A clothing store."

She hummed lightly, looking around for a small clothing store in the area. She liked this quieter section of the commercial district, it was a breath of fresh air from the main road. Though the goods were likely to be lesser in quality, they were also probably cheaper too. She wasn't exactly a business person though, there could be hundreds of other reasons why this place was quieter than others. Perhaps there were hidden treasures here too.

Thinking to herself idly, Mao Shuhai entered a shop not too far from Jin's Treasures, called Yunyifu.

An old woman, who was in the midst of moving garments and cloth atop a mannequin, enthusiastically greeted her with a smile, her cyan eyes shimmering thinly.

"Welcome dear! Oh my- look at what you're wearing! Don't worry, I have just the thing for you- wait maybe this orchid pattern would complement your golden eyes better, oh, how about-"

Immediately, Mao Shuhai was swept up in a storm, as the elderly lady hurriedly tried out dozens of garments and held them up in front of her, trying to see what would look best.

Suddenly however, the old lady bent over and started having a coughing fit, likely caused by her sudden, over-enthusiastic excitement.

Patting her lightly on the back, Mao Shuhai supported her up and onto a wooden chair in a careful manner, still in a bit of a daze from the abrupt course of events.

"Thank you dear, and sorry, I don't often get young customers like you. The designer in me got a little bit excited."

Her face crinkled as she laughed breathlessly.

"Why don't you take a look yourself whilst I rest here for a bit?"

Mao Shuhai nodded with a quiet smile, as she began looking over the various hanfu pieces the old lady had set aside for her.

When she had the identity of the eldest lineal daughter of the Mao Clan, it was quite hard for her to be able to go out and explore small shops such as this.

Firstly, she struggled against being suppressed by Concubine Yin, who after her mother's death, had basically full control of the inner courtyard. If Mao Shuhai wanted to go out back then, whether she would use a family carriage or not, she could be denied, with whatever poor excuse Cao Yin wanted to give her. It was hard enough, just to visit her friends as often as she used to.

Secondly, she was a noble young miss. Openly going to such places would deteriorate her and her family's status, which Cao Yin would no doubt use against her for as long as she could...

Despite living in Xianghou for almost all her life, most of her experiences outside of her residence consisted of tagging along wherever her younger concubine-born sister, Mao Muli, wanted to go. Which usually consisted of the biggest, brightest shops on the main road, even if the fallen Mao Clan's finances could barely afford anything there. Or whatever tea parties she wanted to go to with her friends, whilst also stepping on her older sister's reputation.

Hence, why such open, transparent friendliness that seemed to be common in shops around here, was quite new to her.

She couldn't say she disliked it though.

Most of the fabrics were rather old-fashioned, or tacky, especially compared to the high-class clothing that Mao Shuhai had seen in the past. But after some patient searching, she managed to find something she liked.

With a careful hand, she picked up a light-blue pleated skirt and a white jacket with water-lily embroidered lapels, cuffs and collar.

"Don't you think that would be a bit plain, young miss?"

The old lady frowned slightly, not quite understanding her tastes.

"It's just what I'm looking for."

Mao Shuhai nodded lightly as she responded.

Simple and discreet.

"Alright then. But at least take this matching sash and outer coat too!"

She enthusiastically shoved them into her hands with a smile. Just as she saw that the young lady was about to refuse, she added. "For free! I won't be able to sell them on their own anyway."

She waved off Mao Shuhai's dismissal, leaving her little choice but to take the whole outfit with her. Alongside Mao Shuhai's particular request for a plain, black winter cloak as well.

After the fitting and purchase, Mao Shuhai appeared a new person. Before, she merely gave off the impression of a poor traveller, though with hints of her nobler upbringing. But now, she very much just looked like the young miss of a family. Not one of a powerful or a big family, but an educated lady nonetheless.

"It looks like its time to pay my good family a visit."

She smiled icily, as Yue immediately straightened up from appreciating her summoner's new look at her words. Her crystalline rose-coloured claws couldn't help but outstretch at the thought, though she quickly calmed down.

Mao Shuhai's eyes were warm and gold, yet frozen in depth, as she calmly made her way back to her old prison and home. There was no way she could forget where that forsaken residence existed... if only to care for her mother's grave.

She calmed the turbulent storm of thunder and wind swirling in her core, as she looked upon the Mao Residence with an unfeeling stare.

It seemed oddly quiet and lifeless, outside the main doors. There were no guards, and few even seemed to be passing by. Just as she pondered investigating at night, an elderly voice called to her from the side.

"Young lady, you shouldn't loiter around here. This place is filled with bad karma."

She looked towards the old man with a broom, who was sweeping the wintry dust and dirt off the floor.

"Oh, how so?" Mao Shuhai looked at him curiously, wondering what kind of drama her good family had gotten into whilst she was away.

The old man blinked at her vaguely, wondering if she was joking with him or not. Seeing that she seemed genuine, he explained.

"Didn't you hear? It was all over the news. The new king revealed all of the Mao Clan's hidden crimes and exterminated the family! Just this time last year!"

"It was a bloodbath... but they deserved it. Oh, how far the Mao Clan had fallen. Their crimes were limitless..."

"I heard they even murdered their own lineal eldest daughter! She was a Rank 3 Qi Refiner! Any other family would've raised her like a treasure..."

He continued to ramble on, oblivious to her daze. Yue was equally shocked on her shoulder.

"Wait... who is the new king?"

Mao Shuhai asked after a pause, her mind slowly recovering from the shock.

"Have you been living under a rock these past few years? Our new monarch is the son of the previous king's elder brother, Lai Taizhi!"