The bustling Night Market stretched far into the distance.
Lantern light shimmered across polished stalls, reflective masks, glowing talismans, and shelves lined with strange, unfamiliar treasures.
Ling Yue glanced around cautiously.
"...Senior."
The invisible white-scaled lizard moved silently beside them as they walked.
His voice remained calm.
"The Night Market is a trade gathering open to those who have reached the Foundation Establishment Realm."
Ling Yue blinked.
"...Foundation Establishment?"
"Yes."
He continued in the same matter-of-fact tone.
"It is not restricted by species."
"Human."
"Beast."
"Demon."
"Ghost."
"All may enter, so long as they possess sufficient cultivation."
Ling Yue slowly looked around again.
Her eyes drifted across a fox-faced merchant negotiating with a masked cultivator.
Past a ghostly figure gliding silently between the stalls.
Past a beastman carefully examining medicinal scrolls with surprising patience.
"...So everyone here is at least at the Foundation Establishment Realm..."
Her voice unconsciously lowered.
"...That's terrifying."
Ling Wei nodded slowly beside her.
His mind raced.
*A market exclusively for Foundation Establishment cultivators...*
*No wonder the aura here feels so much heavier than the city outside.*
He swallowed.
*Every single person here could crush me with ease.*
The realization only deepened as he continued looking around.
A towering beastman with the head of a black hawk stood beside a smiling human woman, the two calmly haggling over a jade box.
A skeletal cultivator dressed in layered robes passed by carrying a basket filled with rare herbs.
A silver-eyed demon youth leaned lazily against a weapon stall, examining blades that shimmered beneath layers of spiritual restraints.
None of them caused any disturbance.
None of them appeared out of place.
It was as though this impossible gathering of races had always belonged together.
Ling Wei thought grimly,
*It doesn't matter what they are.*
*Human, beast, demon, or ghost...*
*All of them can trade here.*
His gaze swept across another row of stalls displaying rare ores, beast cores, spiritual pills, and talismans crafted through methods he had never seen before.
Then another thought quietly surfaced.
*For someone like me, who's only at the Spirit Refining Realm...*
*Everything here is a treasure.*
At that moment, his eyes landed on a single palm-sized shard of dark crystal displayed upon a nearby shelf.
Even from several paces away, he could sense the dense spiritual energy contained within it.
He stared.
Then stared even harder.
That single shard alone was probably worth several months' worth of cultivation resources back home.
And it was merely one item among countless others on display.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
"...Senior."
He spoke carefully.
"...What exactly are we looking for?"
No reply came.
Lizarius remained silent.
Only his golden eyes shifted beneath the veil of concealment.
Watching.
Observing.
Searching.
Ling Wei exchanged a glance with Ling Yue.
Neither asked another question.
If Senior wasn't answering...
Then he was likely concentrating on something.
The siblings simply continued following behind him.
---
The Night Market seemed endless.
The farther they walked—
the stranger the merchandise became.
One stall displayed bottled lightning sealed inside crystal spheres.
Another sold exotic insects slumbering within pieces of translucent amber.
Rows of jade slips floated weightlessly above carved stone tables.
A six-armed beast carefully polished rusted ancient weapons while ghostly customers browsed in complete silence.
Ling Yue found herself unable to stop looking around.
"...I've never seen anything like this..."
Ling Wei quietly nodded.
"...Neither have I."
Even without purchasing anything—
simply walking through the market broadened their understanding of the cultivation world.
Compared to this place...
Lotus City's markets suddenly felt unimaginably small.
Time quietly passed.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Nearly half an hour.
Throughout it all—
Lizarius never spoke.
Then—
his eyes suddenly brightened.
A familiar scent drifted through the air.
His tiny nose twitched once.
Then again.
*...There.*
It wasn't spiritual energy.
Nor blood.
Nor the fragrance of medicinal herbs.
It was something far subtler.
A faint trace concealed beneath countless other scents.
His head slowly turned.
Without hesitation—
he spoke.
"...Left."
Ling Yue immediately changed direction.
After several dozen steps—
"...Straight."
The siblings obeyed without question.
Another intersection.
"...Right."
Once again, they followed his instructions.
Gradually—
the bustling crowd began to thin.
The scents lingering in the air also began to change.
The fragrance grew richer.
Sweeter.
Blended with the mellow aroma of countless wines aged over many years.
Several moments later—
they came to a stop.
Before them stood a modest wooden stall.
Unlike the extravagant shops surrounding it—
this one possessed almost no decoration.
Only rows upon rows of clay wine jars rested neatly upon sturdy wooden shelves.
Some were no larger than a person's fist.
Others stood taller than a grown man.
The air surrounding the stall carried the rich, mellow fragrance of countless wines that had been aged for years.
Behind the counter sat an elderly man.
His appearance was entirely human.
White hair was loosely tied behind his head.
Simple gray robes draped over his thin frame.
His eyes remained half-closed, as though he were dozing.
Yet despite his ordinary appearance—
his presence felt deeper than anyone the siblings had encountered since entering the Night Market.
Ling Yue blinked.
"...A wine seller?"
Ling Wei looked equally puzzled.
After everything they had passed...
After all the priceless treasures they had seen...
This...
Was what Senior had been searching for?
Above them—
Lizarius' golden eyes remained fixed upon the rows of wine jars resting quietly on the shelves.
The scent...
Was coming from there.
Not from the wine itself.
But from something hidden within it.
His tail gave the slightest twitch.
"...Found it."
Ling Yue instinctively looked upward.
"...Found... what?"
The little lizard did not answer.
His gaze never left the old wine jars.
The elderly wine seller smiled warmly.
Years seemed to vanish from his face the moment customers approached.
"Welcome! Welcome!"
"You've come to the right place."
With surprising agility, he stepped around the counter and lifted a sturdy clay wine jar.
Holding it up proudly, he declared,
"This is **Spirit Dew Wine**."
He gently patted the side of the jar.
"It is fermented from one hundred and eight varieties of spirit fruit, blended with pure mountain spring water, and aged beneath the light of the moon."
"It nourishes spiritual energy."
"It warms the meridians."
"It relieves fatigue."
"It even possesses a mild calming effect upon the mind."
He chuckled proudly.
"Many of my returning customers swear by it."
Before either sibling could respond—
he had already reached for another jar.
"This one is **Frost Plum Wine**."
"Excellent for cultivators with yin constitutions."
"And this..."
He pointed toward a dark crimson vessel.
"...Blood Flame Wine."
"Far stronger."
"I wouldn't recommend drinking too much unless your cultivation is sufficiently high."
One introduction followed another.
His enthusiasm never diminished.
Even Ling Wei found himself impressed.
*...To think a Foundation Establishment cultivator would personally advertise his own wines...*
After nearly a full minute—
the elderly man finally finished.
He smiled pleasantly.
"So..."
"How many jars shall I prepare for you?"
Ling Wei instinctively looked toward Ling Yue.
She, in turn, looked upward.
Although no one else could hear him—
Lizarius' calm voice reached only the siblings.
"...Everything."
Ling Yue hesitated.
Then let out a soft sigh.
"...Really..."
Without offering any further argument—
she stepped forward.
"We'll take everything."
Silence.
The elderly wine seller blinked.
"...Everything?"
"Yes."
"The entire stall."
The old man stared at her.
Then at Ling Wei.
Then back at her once more.
For several long moments—
he wondered if he had somehow misheard.
"...Young friend..."
"...Everything?"
Ling Yue nodded with complete seriousness.
"Everything."
"Not a single jar left behind."
The elderly man's eyes slowly widened.
Then—
his face blossomed into the brightest smile either sibling had ever seen.
"Hahaha!"
"Excellent!"
"Wonderful!"
"I knew today would be a fortunate one!"
He laughed heartily as he hurried behind the counter, already preparing to gather every last jar.