The merchant tent smelled of old parchment and burnt sage, a stark contrast to the void mist drifting outside. Wei Chen sat on a velvet cushion while Tigress Yu adjusted her silk sash nearby, watching him with eyes that glowed like embers in dim light. He held the Soul Key between his fingers; it hummed faintly against his palm as if recognizing the woman who stood up and walked over to him.
"You need power to buy this," she said, stepping closer until her knees brushed his thigh on the cushion. "And you need me to keep your aura hidden." She leaned forward, pressing her body flush against his chest while her hand slid under his robe to touch his lower back directly. The friction sparked a low hum of heat that masked the cold void leaking from the key itself.
Wei Chen closed his eyes as he guided his Yang energy into her Yin essence through their skin contact alone; no full penetration was needed here since they were in public but she gripped him firmly to anchor any spikes before the merchant noticed them. Her warmth spread through his chest like a furnace kicking on after winter, stabilizing the unstable power within his veins without drawing attention from the shadows lurking beyond the tent flaps.
"Good," he murmured against her ear when they separated slightly to check their reflection in a polished bronze mirror hanging above them. "Your fire hides my cold." He stood up and walked toward the counter where an old man with one eye covered by an eyepatch waited behind stacks of scrolls.
Wei Chen placed a single gold coin on the table that shimmered like molten starlight while Tigress Yu stepped back to watch from the shadows near the entrance, her eyes scanning for threats without breaking their cover. The merchant picked up the key and examined it with trembling hands before nodding slowly. "This will buy you three scrolls," he whispered hoarsely.
He handed over a small box wrapped in black cloth that felt heavier than its size suggested inside. Wei Chen opened it to find pills carved from solidified moonlight—cheap ingredients refined into something potent enough for early stage disciples who had no access to spirit stones yet but could afford silver coins instead of the usual expensive currency used by nobles.
"These are sold at ten times their value in other realms," he explained, pointing out how even normal people willing to pay high prices would find them useful for breakthroughs without burning themselves up with raw energy like previous generations had done centuries ago before cultivation methods were lost forever during wars that destroyed records entirely when empires fell apart piece by piece over time.
He turned back toward Tigress Yu who raised an eyebrow as he stepped closer again, pulling her into his arms while the merchant counted coins behind them without looking up at their faces anymore now that business had concluded successfully with both parties gaining what they wanted from each other's unique needs and resources gathered together for mutual benefit rather than just one person taking everything away from another because power dynamics always shifted when people stopped caring about balance between giver and receiver alike.
Wei Chen pulled out and pressed his forehead against hers again, breathing hard as roots from his veins lashed out like tiny serpents before vanishing into her skin like ink in water. The platform beneath them shuddered once more but this time a massive shadow form rose above the gateway with eyes that blinked open like shutters in a storm—this one wore armor etched with runes of the First Emperor who sealed it centuries ago.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
All rights reserved.