The old man went back to the desk and took out a large roll of leather half a finger thick and cut three-pieces. He explained to Liang that one was to create a bracer that locked the shield in place and the other was for the pommel of the sword.
The larger piece would be used to cover the shield as he said both were too flashy for the current him and they would only bring disaster. Once again, the old man carved a series of symbols into the leather before pouring the silver liquid over them, causing the symbols to light up.
They were simple arrays according to the old man. Illusion arrays, indestructibility, and a few others. Liang worried about the leather on the shield being damaged but the old man laughed and said, “I’d like to see someone destroy this dragon hide with my arrays.”
He was a little skeptical about the leather being made from dragon hide. Every story he knew said dragons were mythical creatures that lived forever and could not be killed. They disguised themselves as bandits to steal from wealthy merchants and only fed on virgin girls. Dragon’s were feared for their strength and despised for their cunning
When the old man was finished, he showed Liang how to lock the shield to the bracer and allowed him to look the equipment over. The shield was no longer a dazzling blue and silver instead it was dark brown with a golden dragon in the center. The swords blade also turned silver like a normal sword and the pommel was covered with the brown leather. Both looked well made, but not like treasures.
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea the old man said, “Ok, now that you’ve looked them over hand them back. We need to buy a few things and its best that you don’t walk openly with a sword.”
Tian City did not restrict people from carrying swords openly but the old man said it was bad practice to do so. In larger cities, martial artists were expected to keep their weapons in a storage device and only uncivilized people walked around openly armed.
He explained further by saying, “Hot blooded people who are looking to fight walk around with their weapons showing. If you don’t want to waste your time fighting idiots then just put your weapon away. Larger cities often have arenas for these types of fools. They’re actually not a bad place to train, maybe I’ll take you to one someday, I haven’t gambled in a while.”
Going from vendor to vendor he bought out all the steamed buns they were selling. Liang could not understand why the old man enjoyed steamed buns so much. When he asked the old man seemed offended and said, “Unless you want to learn to make buns for your master then don’t concern yourself with such things.”
He was also adamant they purchase their items from a small shop that was more expensive than others around. There were very few customers and it looked as though they had no intention to buy anything.
He purchased spices, several sets of heavy clothing, thick blankets, heat stones, two tents, pots and pans, a hatchet, and a large amount of food rations. Surprisingly the old man did not haggle at all and was even friendly with the owner. They spoke for a short while but unfortunately, Liang was unable to hear what they were saying.
After spending a long time at the overpriced shop, they went to the herb house that held the auction. Once again, the young girl greeted the old man with a blush and escorted them to various herbs the old man named. To Liang it all sounded amazing, Silver Spirit Grass, Three Leaved Snakevine, Purple Star Fruit, everything the old man rattled off sounded like a spell in his ears.
Before they paid, he gave the young woman a pink pellet, which she happily accepted. After the long tirade from the old man about how alchemists fooled the world and wasted the potential of people and plants alike, Liang did not understand why he would carry pills with him.
The total was seven low-grade spirit stones, which was a large amount of money to Liang, but the old man misunderstood his slightly shocked face so he explained, “These are just common herbs, that’s why they are so cheap. We don’t need to purchase anything special, besides the shop has a very limited selection. About what I’d expect from a small city in this backwoods area.”
Afterwards they went to a large weapons shop that apparently held a bit of fame in the city. The shop had many customers enter, however, most left with a frown on their face. After entering, Liang understood why.
The weapons started at one medium grade spirit stone for cheap swords and went up to 10. For most people spending that amount for a sword or spear was out of the question. The old man was clearly not impressed and explained that this was the display iron and most likely, the more expensive scrap iron was being held in a different room.
However, according to him they were not here for a weapon. He walked up to the counter and told the sales clerk, “I need a storage ring, doesn’t need to be large, 10 cubic meters will be big enough.” The clerk behind the counter stood with his eyes wide before telling them to follow him.
He took them into what looked like a reception hall with a few chairs and a large chandelier, telling them to wait there. Liang thought something was wrong so he asked the old man, “Isn’t he acting strange?” However, the old man did not seem bothered by it so he just shrugged.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, a thin man with a hooked nose wearing a black scholars robe came out carrying a small jade box. He walked over to them and asked, “Are you the ones looking for a 10 cubic meter storage ring?” The old man simply nodded his head and the thin man scoffed, “Who has heard of such a thing? Did you come here only to waste my time? If you have money then the price is 50 medium spirit stones for a 3 cubic meter ring, non-negotiable.”
Liang could not believe how rude the thin man was but the old man simply pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before taking out 50 stones and telling him to show him the rings. The thin man’s face instantly turned amicable after seeing the stones and proceeded to open the jade box.
There were only five rings and the old man checked each one before he chose the least flashy of the five. When they left the shop, Liang asked the old man, “Why didn’t you teach him a lesson after the way he talked to us?”
Almost looking confused the old man replied, “Do you want your master to fight every toad that walks across his path? It’s best to ignore fools who believe 3 cubic meter rings are special. It doesn’t matter much; I can increase its size but the material is cheap, three cubic meters is still enough for you.”
The old man carved a few symbols on it once again and told him to place a drop of blood on the ring. It was now bound to him and the only way for someone else to take what was inside was to break the array, which he confidently said, “There is nobody in the nine heavens who can break an array made by I, your master.”
They stopped at a stable near the north exit of the city and purchased two 250 li horses to Liang’s delight, which according to the old man were descendants of the 1,000 li horse. He said it was unfortunate they were not savage beasts that had beast cores, as they would be perfect for their use.
Soon after a fight broke out not far away and two men began slashing at each other with their swords. Both were bloody and it was unclear who the final victor would be. The old man pointed his finger to Liang saying, “See, this is what happens when fools walk around with swords on their waist. People want to challenge you when you look tough.”
They did not stick around to watch and after exiting, the old man looked exhausted. A full day of shopping appeared to take a toll on him. Wondering where they were going the old man looked to him and replied, “Unfortunately you are very weak. Embarrassingly so, it’s about time you get stronger.”
