Chapter 48- Gearing Up and Sorting Out

“I honestly thought I might have something going with Sister Su. You know, she’s got that cool elegance to her, and she said on a couple of occasions that she enjoys my company. Not something I hear a lot from jade beauties. Hit me like a thrown brick, in fact. But she never showed any interest beyond wanting to argue with me, and seemed to either ignore or dislike my flirting, so that was that.”
“Brother Wang, respectfully, why are you telling me this?” The Five Element Courtyard had a Treasure Mountain, which Tian found was just an enormous shop open to disciples. It was open to visitors too, with restrictions on what could be purchased and the understanding that there was a certain mark up.
There wasn’t any problem with the two walking from the guest house to the store unaccompanied. The internal surveillance made the distinction a bit meaningless. Besides, it was a pleasant six mile stroll. Just nice for a chat and admiring the illusory beauty of the Courtyard. Also, while Tian could believe Brother Wang had a crush on Sister Su, he would be eaten by owls before he believed Brother Wang said a single word about it to her.
“Because I don’t have anyone else to vent to, and I know you aren’t chasing her so no feelings will be hurt. Look at it from my perspective- the brilliant beauty, fragile, trapped in her wheelchair while I can stand out in front being her big, strong protector. Doesn’t that tickle the ego and swell the heart? I’m big enough, and I still feel myself inflating at the thought.”
“She is in a wheelchair because the literal walls of corpses she made screened a eight tenths dead demon for long enough that it could ambush her. And she still managed to kill it in the end. When you get right down to it, I’m fairly sure she could take you in a fight.”
Tian was having trouble reconciling the words “elegant, cool, jade beauty” with Sister Su. She wasn’t bad looking by any means. It was just the intensity of her, the way her eyes focused on you. That’s what Tian thought of. Not how she looked, or whether she was pretty, just the feeling of that relentless mind focusing down on you through unblinking eyes.
“Shh. We are talking about appearances and ego, Brother Tian. Let’s not let crude reality intrude. Yes, I was reconciled to once again suffering an unreciprocated… if not love, then affection and interest. Unpleasant, but we have all been there-”
“I haven’t.”
“You put Daoist Shu in a box and sealed it with talismans marked ‘Just Friends’ in seconds. So cold blooded, you might be part lizard. You are on the other side of this dichotomy. Anyway, WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE, and part of maturing is learning to accept that your feelings might not be returned and coming to appreciate what you do have. But then Lil’ Mei rolls in, and she is interested. Playing a role, and playing me, sure, but I’ve seen that game too many times. There is something real there, for both of us. We know we are playing with fire, but damned if we aren’t having fun doing it.”
“Mmhmm. Yes. I understand and agree with you completely.” Tian had given up trying to make sense of his brother’s prattling. They had met Daoist Mei last night. It hadn’t even been a day. What, by all that was holy, was Brother Wang on about? He could understand why ascetics abstained from sex. It was the easiest way to avoid unwanted conversations.
“But now Sister Su is acting outraged. Now she is acting like I’m doing something unpardonable. What, exactly, am I doing that is wrong? I want it laid out plainly. I want clear instructions in unambiguous terms.”
“Hear hear!” That, Tian could wholeheartedly agree with.
“I can do better? With who? Where? And nevermind fertilizing someone else’s fields, we are still some ways from that, and I sure wouldn’t mind having Mei marry into the Wang Clan. But again, we aren’t remotely near anything like that. We are flirting, for heaven’s sake! We are just enjoying the messed up situation for what it is.” The big man stopped and looked across the enchanted landscape, his eyes settling on a cloud wreathed mountaintop.
“Is it so wrong for this Wang Shizhong to find happiness, even if he is to be denied love?”

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Tian started clapping. The pose was immaculate, the chosen scenery framed the picture beautifully, and the emotion in Brother Wang’s voice was pure. What was there to do but applaud?
“Brother Tian, you are perhaps the most caring person I know. I must trust you to be my heart tying emissary here-”
“No. Absolutely not. No chance, not on a bet, not for all the tea on ten mountains. Oh look, the store is only two miles away. I’ll just step in since we are here.” Tian activated his light body art and vanished before the echo of his voice did.
He might not know much about affairs of the heart, but he could spot annoying nonsense from miles and miles away. It hadn’t even been a day. Not even a day! What in the nine hells was wrong with people?!
The shop was a seven story tall structure, and that was the least odd thing about it. For one thing, there were no stairs between floors. Instead, disciples pressed a pendant they all carried to a glowing stone plinth, at which point a flying cloud emerged and carried them up through the ceiling. There was some sort of illusory array that stopped you from seeing up through the hole, and presumably an array that stopped people from just jumping up. Each floor had ascending costs, and goods of increasing rarity.
“Does Ancient Crane Monastery have anything at all like this? The Five Elements Courtyard doesn’t seem as segregated by rank as the Mountain, but even here this seems wild.”
It probably does in Mountain Gate City. Maybe not exactly like this, but having a central hub for all the really valuable trades makes it easy to supervise. Though with how we have seen them operate so far, I have to imagine a lot of trades just bypass it entirely. Inner Court Disciples aren’t the kind to appreciate supervision.
“May I help you, honored guest?” A disciple wearing a little round hat hurried over to Tian. She was pretty, in a bland sort of way. Probably his age or a little younger. Tian shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. Brother Wang’s nonsense was infecting his brain.
“Sorry, I was distracted. Yes, I could use some guidance. I’m looking for soft inner armor, anything useful for communication over distances where just shouting wouldn’t be useful, navigation aids that can be used over long distances, anything you use for aerial navigation, combat talismans, tea and a variety of tea snacks. Hmm… if I can think of anything else, I will let you know, but that’s basically all… oh, books! Yes, medical textbooks, medicine, medical devices, a swing arm scale and accurate weights…”
Tian started rattling off a list of every single thing he could imagine wanting. He didn’t know how much they cost, or if they had them here, or if they even existed. He just let the stream of consciousness flow. The nervousness at being in a shop had come back in full force. The poor clerk was quickly overwhelmed.
“Hon… honored guest, please! I, let me get my supervisor.”
“Why?” Tian blinked. “What needs supervising?”
“What? I mean, pardon?” The clerk quickly corrected herself.
“What needs supervising? Everything looks quite orderly here.”
“I’m- me. I’m the one being supervised, along with the other clerks. Your list is so long, I’m not sure we have all those things. I am quite sure many of them are only available on higher floors, and exceed my ability to sell, so you would need a more senior clerk to assist you.”
“Oh. Well. That’s troublesome. Could you just show me what you have before we call him over? I’m not used to stores.”
“Pardon?” She blinked, clearly lost. Tian kindly repeated himself more slowly.
“I’m not used to stores. I use what I am issued, commission things, trade directly with people, or I kill people and take their things. Buying things in a store? This is my first time. So if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to start here, with you, and work my way up.”
“Kill people?!”
“Yes? We are cultivators. Killing people and taking their things is quite normal. Your breath seems a little weak… Level Three? Are you new to commerce as well as cultivation?” Tian smiled understandingly. “Don’t worry. We will go slow and learn together.”
Tian left the store feeling quite cheerful. He was able to stock up on loads of things. Once he demonstrated to the supervisor that he could liquify the inside of a melon without breaking the skin, the experience was downright pleasant. The prices remained utterly criminal, but Tian appreciated the way they understood the sincerity in his gaze as his knuckles whitened holding on to a particularly handy folding shovel. A few small discounts were granted. He had made a point of memorizing every facet of the supervisor, from the sound of his breath to the feeling of his qi, to the little scars on his hands.
The man had been visibly moved when Tian promised to never forget him. He even refunded some of his crystals as a special “Retroactive Friendship Discount.”
“Shopping really isn’t so bad. I built the whole thing up in my head, and once again, I was being silly for nothing.” Tian scolded himself as he walked out of the store. Not noticing Brother Wang, who was turning a curious red color and clutching his ample guts as he leaned heavily on a counter.