Carrying a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green wine, Liu Xiaolou first stopped by the entrance of First Alley, then made his way to the rundown market in Wuchao Town. He looked around, but there weren’t many vendors out today. Fewer than usual, in fact. Even the number of customers wandering about was noticeably low. That struck him as odd.

He hadn’t found Sister Qing at the alley or back at their courtyard, and now she wasn’t here either. Where could she have gone? Had she managed to get in touch with someone from the Qingyu Sect?

Liu Xiaolou found a quiet corner, set down the wine jar beside him, and glanced around. Only a handful of people were still manning their stalls, and they all turned to look at him.

“Spirit wine?” someone asked.

He nodded.

But that was it. No one else seemed interested. He started thinking maybe he should find a brush and write out a sign that said “Bamboo Leaf Green” to stick on the jar.

Just then, someone walked in quickly and whispered a few words to the person who’d spoken to him earlier. That man immediately bundled up his exotic mountain goods and hurried off without a word.

The others glanced around at each other, confused, unsure what was going on.

A few minutes later, the same thing happened again. Another vendor packed up and left.

That’s when Liu Xiaolou started to feel uneasy. Something’s off, he thought. Is trouble coming? Without hesitation, he grabbed the wine jar and made a swift exit. The moment he moved, the rest of the vendors seemed to take the cue; some rolled up their mats, others packed their baskets. Chaos swept through the market.

As soon as he stepped outside, he ran straight into Sister Qing.

“There you are! I was just looking for you,” she said, grabbing his arm. “Come on, we need to go. Now!”

Liu Xiaolou let her drag him out of Wuchao Town before asking, “What’s going on?”

“They’ve all gone up to Wulong Mountain,” she said. “Who’s still hanging around here trying to sell stuff? That wine you brought... is this it? Just one jar? That’s barely enough…”

Liu Xiaolou looked confused. “Wait, Sister Qing… we can’t go up Wulong Mountain. They’ve locked it down. There’s a sweep going on...”

“And who’s going to buy your wine if you don’t go up?” she shot back. “The Qingyu Sect buyers are all on Wulong Mountain. You think they have time to come down to the town? Every merchant in the area’s already headed up; things are booming up there. Meanwhile, you’re still hanging around that alley like someone’s magically going to show up one day. You’d be waiting until the end of time!”

Before he could argue, Sister Qing dragged him onto an old ox cart, and they rattled their way toward the mountain. Sure enough, there were crowds going both up and down. Way more people than he’d expected. The place was buzzing with activity.

“Where’s the market set up?” Liu Xiaolou asked as he pulled his straw hat low over his eyes.

“Ghostdream Cliff,” she replied. “Used to be where that young cultivator Wei Hongqing lived. Good-looking young man, kind of like you. You know him? Anyway, he’s probably gone from Wulong by now.”

So we’re really doing this? Really heading into the heart of the mountain?

They ditched the cart and started hiking. When they finally reached the base of Ghostdream Cliff, Liu Xiaolou suddenly felt a wave of nervousness. He started running through his past encounters with the Qingyu Sect, wondering if there was anyone who might recognize him. And then it hit him. There was someone. A steward he’d bribed back on Xingde Mountain. That man definitely remembered him.

He stopped in his tracks.

“Come on!” Sister Qing urged, glancing back.

Liu Xiaolou pulled her into a patch of dense woods off the path. She let out a laugh. “What’s the rush? Weren’t you saying you’d wait until you broke through the five meridians?”

He lowered his voice. “I need you to find out something. The Qingyu Sect has a patrol steward named Hou Sheng. I need to know if he’s here on Wulong Mountain.”

“You know him?” Sister Qing asked. “You looking for him?”

“He’s the only one in the whole sect who knows who I am,” Liu Xiaolou said. “If he’s up there, I’d better stay away. Maybe… you could go up and sell the wine for me?”

She shook her head. “Forget it. You cultivators have all kinds of tricks. I don’t know any of that stuff; one slip and I could get scammed. What if they swap out your spirit wine? I wouldn’t even know it. I’ll go ask around for you, though.”

Liu Xiaolou waited in the woods for the better part of an hour before Sister Qing came back.

“That Hou guy is not here,” she said. “Got sent up north on assignment.”

Liu Xiaolou finally let out a breath of relief. Shouldering the spirit wine jar, he started up the mountain again. He wasn’t even at Ghostdream Cliff yet when the noise hit him. Voices, shouting, the unmistakable buzz of a crowd. He pulled the front of his straw hat down lower, trying to hide his face as best he could.

When he finally stepped onto the cliff, the sight stopped him cold.

The cliffside clearing, maybe three acres wide, was packed. There were over a hundred people at least. Vendors and cultivators had set up stalls everywhere. Disciples, stewards, servants. People from all branches of the Qingyu Sect moved between the stalls, browsing through all kinds of goods.

He even spotted a few familiar faces. Those vendors who’d bailed early from the market back in Wuchao Town. They’d arrived late, so their stalls were set up along the outer edge. They were already deep in noisy haggling, their voices rising above the crowd.

Just as Liu Xiaolou was still taking in the busy scene, someone brushed past him and slowed down, squinting at him. The figure ducked down a bit to get a look under his straw hat, then suddenly grinned and slapped the hat clean off his head.

“Xiaolou!”

Liu Xiaolou jumped in surprise and quickly reached to fix his hat. When he looked up, he saw that it was none other than Tan Bajhang.

“Brother Tan…”

“Haha! So you’re here too. I was just looking for you.” Tan Bajhang laughed. “Lose the hat, no need to hide; wearing it just makes you stand out more.”

Then he glanced over and noticed Sister Qing, still holding on tightly to Liu Xiaolou. “Well now, Sister Qing, finally set your sights on our Xiaolou? Clinging pretty close, huh? Hahaha…”

“Pfft! You damn rascal, Tan the Turtle! Just wait... I'll have Yezi give you a proper beating later.” Sister Qing huffed, then turned to Xiaolou. “I’m over there if you need me, just holler.”

She let go of him and headed to a cluster of big trees on the west side of Ghostdream Cliff. Liu Xiaolou happened to spot Mama Zhang under those trees too, whispering something to a steward from the Qingyu Sect.

He couldn’t help but shake his head. Seriously? Business has reached even Ghostdream Cliff now?

Tan Bajhang grabbed his arm and started pulling him through the maze of vendor stalls. As they walked, Liu Xiaolou spotted the Seven Heroes of Guzhang Mountain. Their stall was the biggest of them all. They were selling spirit rice, but something seemed off. The grain jars and the weighing tables looked… familiar. The paint was different, but Liu Xiaolou could’ve sworn he’d seen those exact items before.

He also saw Dragon Mountain Wanderer, whose stall was stacked with spirit herbs, and Lingling Traveler, who was selling honeycombs.

There was also Fairy Huangye from Jade Maiden Cave, the Ma brothers from Five Sons Peak, Jiang Feihu from Flying Tiger Cave, Zhang Shihua from Stone Flower Valley, and Old Hu Du from Gourd Pass...

Are all the Wulong Mountain folks back now?

Liu Xiaolou was still trying to make sense of it when Tan Bajhang dragged him straight into a stone cave on Ghostdream Cliff. Turns out the cave had already been claimed by Zuo Gaofeng. He was using it as his stall to sell all sorts of specialty goods from his Half-Mu Gorge.

Right at the entrance sat a big clay jar filled with fat, lively fish. Freshly caught by Tan Bajhang himself from beneath the Longma Falls.

Zuo Gaofeng laughed loudly when he saw them. “This the wine you're selling, Xiaolou? Is it spirit wine? If it is, you might be in luck. The Qingyu Sect’s full of drinkers. However much you’ve got, they’ll take it all!”

With Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Bajhang’s help, he ended up setting down the wine jar right at the mouth of the cave. They even stuck a wooden sign next to it with “Bamboo Leaf Green” carved in bold strokes.

He hadn't even had time to sit down when a Qingyu Sect steward spotted the sign and rushed over.

“Real Bamboo Leaf Green? From Tianmen Market?”

Without waiting for an answer, Liu Xiaolou broke the seal on the jar. Instantly, a rich, fragrant spiritual aroma spread through the air.

The steward took one sniff, slapped the seal back over the jar. “Name your price. I’m buying it.”