After walking for what felt like ages, they finally reached the entrance of the market.
Xianan touched her pocket. There were still quite a few acorns left. Xianan and Jin had been reluctant to eat anything along the way.
"Xianan, do you want to take a break?" Jin asked, noticing the sweat on her forehead.
"Nope. Let's go in quickly!" Xianan exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
She loved lively places—especially a market like this, where all kinds of strange and unfamiliar things could be found.
Inside, the market was packed with people. Vendors shouted over one another, and the crowd pressed shoulder to shoulder. There were stalls selling snacks, handicrafts, trinkets—everything imaginable.
Xianan and Jin darted from stall to stall, finding everything fresh and fascinating. They stopped first at a woodcarving stand. Xianan picked up a comb carved from yellow pear wood and turned it over in her hands.
Jin, uninterested, stood beside her, glancing around idly.
After a while, they moved on and continued wandering. Xianan still carried half a string of coins—the result of years of saving. She looked at everything, yet couldn't bear to spend even a single coin.
Soon, they entered the vegetable market. It was crowded with stalls, each vendor loudly praising their produce as fresh and cheap. Fresh vegetables were rare and precious in the Soil Realm, so business here was brisk.
In one corner, however, sat an old man in coarse linen clothes. Unlike the others, he made no effort to shout or attract customers.
The climate in the Soil Realm was hot, so his sleeves and pant legs were rolled up. A worn satchel hung at his side, patched in many places.
In front of him were two baskets of bright red apples. Beside him stood a cloth banner with four characters written on it:
"Fortune Telling and Fate Reading."
Xianan blinked in surprise.
A fruit seller… who also tells fortunes?
Curious, she watched him quietly for a long while. To her surprise, he hadn't sold a single fruit, nor did many people come to have their fortunes told.
She tugged Jin closer and asked, "Sir, how much are these apples?"
The old man wiped the sweat from his face with his dark, rough hand, looked up, and smiled.
"Fifty coins each."
Fifty?!
Xianan couldn't help but gasp. No wonder no one was buying—this was enough to cover a whole month's expenses for a Soil Realm family.
Seeing their silence, the old man smiled shyly.
"These are top-quality. Grown carefully by my own hands. Take a look—you'll see they're worth the price."
Xianan looked more closely. The fruits were indeed much larger than those she had seen in the Wood Realm—perfectly shaped, richly colored, and irresistibly tempting.
The old man watched them with an honest, hopeful expression. His hair was already gray, his forehead lined with deep wrinkles, and his hands were rough, scarred, and stained with dark soil.
Seeing his expectant gaze, Xianan felt a sudden pang of sadness. He hadn't sold a single fruit all day…She clenched her purse, hesitated for a long time, and finally took out one hundred coins.
"I'll take two."
Jin tugged at her sleeve.
"Xianan, are you crazy? They're way too expensive!"
She stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Let's just try them. One for me, one for you."
The old man accepted the coins with both hands, carefully wrapped two fruits, and handed them to them.
Just as they were about to leave after thanking him, the old man called out: "Miss, you're the first to buy my fruit today. I'll read your fortunes for free."
Xianan had always been curious about fortune-telling, so she nodded eagerly.
They each wrote down their birth details and drew a fortune stick.
Xianan's read:
"Heaven and earth overturn beyond human will;
This life shall be a sacrifice for all beings."
The old man's expression changed at once. He stared at her, grave and silent.
Jin Zhou's read:
"Even on a path of peril, a way of life remains;
Through trials, one shall return to guide an old companion."
"What do these mean?" Xianan asked.
The old man smiled faintly.
"Fate is shaped by oneself. These words mean nothing. But you—" he looked at Xianan, "—are of Wood. When Wood meets strong Metal, it will either break or be wounded."
He stroked his chin, then turned to Jin Zhou.
"You are of Water. Water nourishes Wood. Your meeting was no coincidence."
Xianan pondered his words but couldn't make sense of them. If the fortunes meant nothing… why have them draw lots at all?
Years later, she would finally understand.
When she tried to ask again, the old man simply smiled and said no more. His eyes were bright and clear.
Jin Zhou paid little attention to the man's words. He pulled Xianan away, and they left the market.
As they walked, Jin Zhou carefully held the apple in his hands, as if it were a precious red gem. Apples were rare in the Soil Realm—only the wealthy could afford them. He had never tasted one before.
After a while, he suddenly asked,
"What's that?"
Xianan followed his gaze. Not far away stood a bun stall, with a long line stretching out in front of it.
"That's a bun stall," she said with a smile.
She had only eaten buns a few times in the Wood Realm, but the taste had lingered in her memory ever since. Now, just looking at them made her mouth water.
"What's a bun?" Jin Zhou asked.
He rarely left the Soil Realm and knew little about the outside world.
Xianan's eyes lit up as she explained,
"You chop up meat and vegetables into filling, wrap it in dough, then steam it. When you lift the lid—each bun is white, soft, and steaming hot, with the smell of meat…"
Jin Zhou swallowed hard.
Without another word, the two of them hurried to join the line. After what felt like forever, it was finally their turn.
"Excuse me, how much are the buns?" Xianan asked, staring at them hungrily.
"Three hundred coins."
"What? Three hundred?!" Jin Zhou blurted out.
The vendor—a thin, middle-aged man—barely looked at them.
"If you can't afford it, get lost. Don't block my business."
His tone was sharp, his gaze full of disdain.
These merchants from the Wood Realm had come all this way to the Soil Realm for profit—and nothing else. They looked down on the people here.
To them, the people of the Soil Realm were no better than worms crawling in the dirt.
They even had a name for them—
"Soil vermin."
Jin Zhou's face flushed red with anger.
Xianan quickly grabbed his sleeve and said calmly,
"We can afford three hundred coins. There's no need for insults. But in the Central Realm, a bun costs only two coins."
The vendor sneered, clearly irritated.
"Are you buying or not? If not, get out of my face."
Xianan hesitated. She did have enough money for one bun… but that money was her savings from years of hardship. And she had just spent a hundred coins on the apples. How could she bring herself to spend the rest on a single bun?
"…Sorry. We won't buy it," she said softly, pulling Jin Zhou away.
The vendor's face twisted.
"Not buying? Then why waste my time? Get lost! Poor trash thinking you can eat buns—go eat dirt instead! Filthy Soil vermin!"
Jin Zhou snapped. "Who are you calling vermin?!"
"You." The vendor shoved them aside roughly.
Xianan stumbled slightly—red marks instantly appeared on her arm.
That was enough. Jin Zhou's restraint was shattered. He swung his fist straight into the vendor's face. "Say that again! Who are you calling vermin?!"
The vendor's wife, who had been working in the back, turned around in shock—then immediately ran off.
Around them, the people of the Soil Realm watched coldly, unmoving. If anything, they seemed to welcome the beating.
"Stop—don't!" Xianan rushed forward to pull Jin back.
After a few punches, he finally stopped. Though furious, he had held back—he hadn't struck with full force.
The vendor curled up on the ground, silent. But then—A sly smile crept across his lips.
Xianan's heart dropped. "Jin… we need to leave. Now."
Too late.
Before they could move, a group of Golden guards surrounded them.
Security troops from the Golden Realm.
They were not from the Soil Realm. They were recruited from the Golden Realm and assigned across the four realms—Wood, Soil, Water, and Fire—to maintain order.
"Causing trouble in the market?" the captain said coldly.
"Take them all."
Before anyone could react, Xianan, Jin, and the vendor couple were all bound.
Jin Zhou struggled violently.
"He insulted us first! I only hit him a few times—I didn't even use force!"
The vendor and his wife panicked.
"Sir, please! Spare us! We were wrong!"
Xianan didn't resist. She knew it was useless. She simply extended her hands, a bitter smile on her lips, silently cursing the couple.
The captain, a towering man, stepped closer and studied her.
"You're not afraid?" he asked.
"Afraid of what?" Xianan replied calmly.
The captain narrowed his eyes, then waved his hand. "Take them."
After some time, they arrived at a massive circular lacquered gate lying flat on the ground—over forty meters wide.
The captain gave a light laugh.
"Open it."
The gate split into six sections, sliding outward. A dark pit was revealed beneath.
Bottomless.
From within came faint, chilling screams—like the howls of wolves, filled with despair.
Everyone froze.
Jin's hands trembled violently as he clutched Xianan's arm.
The captain smiled.
"This is the underground prison. Want to spend a few days down there? Or…I can give you another choice."
He looked at them leisurely.
"Option one: go down there. Survive four days, and you'll each receive one hundred taels of silver—and be released. Option two: stay out of it. Pay ten taels each—and take twenty lashes."
The vendor couple immediately dropped to their knees, kowtowing frantically.
"We'll pay! We'll pay!"
The captain turned to Xianan and Jin. "And you?"
Jin Zhou's voice trembled.
"W-we'll pay…"
Ten taels. That was several years of income for Xianan's family.
She hesitated— Then another scream rose from the pit.
Closer. Louder.
It felt as though it was tearing straight into her soul.
Her face turned pale.
"...We'll pay…"
After the punishment, both Xianan and Jin could barely stand. Their bodies ached as if they were falling apart.
Xianan's father, Bai Ye, and Jin's mother arrived and paid the money, finally bringing them home.
As they left, the vendor sneered behind them:
"Go on, crawl back to your filthy Soil Realm. That's where you belong, you vermin."
This time, neither of them spoke. They walked with their heads lowered, stumbling forward.
Jin's mother sighed,
"You two should study harder. If you can enter the Golden Academy one day, no one will dare treat you like this."
Xianan glanced quietly at her father.
She knew— He had never wanted her to go to the Golden Academy. He only wanted her to live safely and happily.
She tugged at his sleeve and whispered,
"I'm sorry… It's my fault. The money…"
Her voice broke. The fear, the guilt—everything crashed over her at once. She burst into tears.
Her father, Bai, gently placed a hand on her head.
"It's alright. We'll earn it back," he said softly.
"Xianan… stand up straight."
"Remember this—everyone has desires, fears, emotions. No one in this world is truly above anyone else."
"If they call us vermin… does that make us so?"
"The best answer… is not to care."
Xianan nodded slowly, lost in thought.
Seeing her still downcast, Bai added with a smile, "I bought you some sweet cakes. Let's go home and eat."
Xianan's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really."