Volume One: A Youth Enters the World Chapter Eight: Redleaf Town

"This is some excellent noodles! Another bowl, please!" Fang Tian smacked his lips as he finished the soup and called out to the waiter.

By this time, Fang Tian had arrived at Maple Leaf Town.

"Right away, sir! One moment, please!" In no time, the waiter brought over a steaming hot bowl of noodles and set it down in front of Fang Tian. "Enjoy your meal, sir." He cleared the empty bowl, wiped down the table, and hurried off to tend to other customers.

Fang Tian picked up his chopsticks and devoured the noodles voraciously, barely pausing for breath. His eating was nothing short of ravenous, and this display did not go unnoticed by the other patrons.

"That fellow must have been reincarnated from a starving ghost—look at him eat!"

"I agree! Just look—he's ordered another bowl!"

"My heavens, that makes twenty bowls already. Impressive!"

"Impressive, maybe, but he looks as poor as a church mouse. I doubt he can even pay for all that food."

"You have a point. Let's wait and see if he can settle the bill."

Every word of their whispered conversation reached Fang Tian's ears, but he couldn't be bothered to argue. He was simply in a hurry on his journey and hadn't eaten properly; his clothes were shabby only because he hadn't found time to change—food was his priority, everything else could wait.

After thirty bowls, Fang Tian finally felt sated. He closed his eyes for a moment, stretching out and still savoring the lingering taste of the noodles.

"He’s finally done. Let’s see if he can pay!"

"I bet he can’t. The innkeeper’s about to teach him a lesson!"

"This will be good to watch!"

"Pathetic," Fang Tian thought, ignoring their scorn. He called out to the waiter, "The bill, please!"

"Right away, sir!"

The waiter approached with a polite smile, though inwardly he was uneasy. The man before him hardly looked like someone with money; if he couldn't pay, there would be trouble.

"Sir, that will be two hundred coins," the waiter announced.

"Here’s a silver ingot—keep the change," said Fang Tian, handing over the silver and rising to leave.

The waiter stared in surprise at the ingot in his hand, but quickly recovered and said with a broad smile, "Thank you, sir! Please come again!"

As Fang Tian walked past the table of people who had been waiting for a spectacle, he noticed that they had all fallen silent. He paid them no further heed and strode toward the door.

"What a joke," Fang Tian mused. "With Old Tian’s treasury, all I have to do is give my robe a shake and I could have as much silver as I want. Even the spirit crystals used by cultivators—I have a mountain of those."

Spirit crystals, formed from the condensation of the world’s spiritual energy, could be used by cultivators to restore their power or further their training. Over time, they became the currency of choice among cultivators.

Gold and silver, by contrast, circulated only among ordinary mortals, for only a tiny few could cultivate.

As for why Old Tian had forbidden him from using spirit crystals for cultivation before, it was because Fang Tian was still in the body-forging phase and spirit crystals were unsuitable at that stage. Once his body was fully forged, he would be able to use them to assist his training.

Maple Leaf Town was full of ordinary people and few cultivators.

Exiting the restaurant, Fang Tian wandered along the street, taking in the sights. All around him were large trees with crimson leaves that rustled in the breeze. The town bustled with people; vendors hawked their wares with loud, lively cries.

"Fresh steaming buns! Come and try!"

"Sugar-coated hawthorn! Sugar-coated hawthorn!"

"Fresh vegetables! Sir, would you like some?"...

Fang Tian stopped at the sugar-coated hawthorn stand and picked up a skewer. He handed a silver ingot to the vendor, who hurriedly protested that he had no change.

"Keep the rest. Use it well," Fang Tian replied.

Overjoyed, the vendor bowed deeply in thanks, calling Fang Tian a truly good man.

Without a word, Fang Tian continued on his way, munching the sweet treat.

"Move aside! Out of the way! Don’t block the road!"

"Are you blind? If you delay our business, can you afford the consequences?"

A sudden clamor rang out. Fang Tian turned to see what was happening. The townspeople were hastily making way, as if in fear, and a path opened up along the street. Fang Tian, undisturbed, strolled forward, eager to see what the commotion was about.

Moments later, he saw a group of men hurrying down the street, their urgency plain. At their head was a middle-aged man, talking as he strode along, his companion nodding respectfully—the man was clearly a subordinate.

The group drew closer, but Fang Tian, curious, remained in the middle of the street, oblivious to the warnings from either side.

By the time Fang Tian realized, the group had reached him. One of the subordinates, frowning at the obstruction, reached out to shove him aside.

Hearing the warnings from the crowd, Fang Tian snapped to attention. Seeing the hand about to push him, he gathered his spiritual energy, dodged nimbly aside, and retreated to the edge of the road.

The subordinate, surprised at missing his mark, felt a twinge of resentment and approached Fang Tian with a menacing look.

The middle-aged leader, seeing his subordinate about to cause trouble, frowned and barked, "Enough! We have important matters—don’t waste time."

Chastened, the subordinate abandoned his plan and returned to the group.

At that moment, the middle-aged man glanced briefly at Fang Tian, his eyes flashing, before leading his party out of town.

Once the group had passed, the street returned to its former bustle. Fang Tian, puzzled by the aggressive subordinate, found his curiosity piqued.

He stopped an elderly man nearby and asked, "Who were those people just now?"

The old man, startled to be addressed, replied, "They’re the town’s cultivators! You must never cross them! Good thing you dodged in time, or you’d have brought trouble upon yourself. Those people are overbearing and ruthless. If you ever see them again, steer well clear."

"What were they rushing off to do?"

"I don’t know—must be something major!"

Fang Tian continued questioning the old man about the town’s cultivators. He learned that all the cultivators belonged to the great families of Maple Leaf Town. There were three such families, each with their own cultivators, and together they controlled every aspect of the town.

The three families were the Chen, Sun, and Zhou families. Each patriarch was at the third level of Spirit Gathering. The middle-aged man in such a hurry just now was Chen Shikang, head of the Chen family.

The Chen family was notorious for its arrogance and lawlessness, while the other two were more restrained. Of those, the Zhou family was known for kindness and charity, often helping the poor.

The old man couldn’t stop praising the Zhou family, and Fang Tian had to interrupt his enthusiastic account. Realizing he’d said too much, the old man smiled sheepishly and bade Fang Tian farewell.

After the old man left, Fang Tian muttered to himself, "The Zhou family does seem admirable. As for the Chen family, as long as they don’t bother me, I have no interest in their affairs."

He knew that to grow strong, he needed to better understand the cultivators of this land.

"It seems I’ll have to pay the Zhou family a visit someday."

After a moment’s thought, Fang Tian began searching for a place to stay. He needed to rest and collect his thoughts, to plan his next steps.

He entered an inn, paid for a room, and was led upstairs by the innkeeper. Once inside, he closed the door and entered the space within his sword.

Meanwhile, Chen Shikang, patriarch of the Chen family, stood gazing intently into a pool of water thick with spiritual energy.