The meal consisted of six meat dishes, three vegetarian and one soup as well as a bowl of rice each, which seemed a bit extravagant to Leon considering that it was just Sun and two guests, but neither Sun nor Jin Li said a word about it, as if this was a normal fair to be had. Leon did not know that usually the servants were given the left overs to eat, hence the quantity, but he also did not know that this was not Sun's usual practice either. In the second family's part of the Ramas Palace, such was just not done, servants should not be given scraps but served their own meals, however the kitchens dished out food to their Masters equally on the instructions of the Matriarch and this was the result.
Again, this was a pointless detail, whether there would be leftovers or not, only Jin Li's stomach was aware.
Small talk revolved mostly around what Jin Li and Leon had been up to today and though the more personal details were left out, Sun came to understand that the pair had explored the extravagant north town and its many expensive shops and venues. As expected, they came away as empty handed as they arrived.
"I'm not surprised," Sun admitted as his chopsticks grabbed quickly a few pieces of red braised boar into his bowl before Jin Li could sweep clean the juicy chunks of glistening meat and leave him without. When it came to dining, Sun could admit that he preferred Leon's company, at least the alchemist's tastes were light and would not fight him for the richer flavours available. They only shared a liking of sweet dishes, but again Leon was too polite and would always concede to others. Not that it was a problem at the Institute, there was always plenty of food to go around, it was buffet style and one filled their plate as they liked, but when it came to dining such as this...
Jin Li did glare at him for half a heartbeat, but his chopsticks redirected their path towards the sliced horned oxen in chilli sauce and attacked this delicious dish instead.
"I know! I'll take you both to the west town and market!" Sun continued between savoured bites. "It's nearest the river to the port town, there are always interesting things to look at there! Plus the shops prices are more reasonable, even though they aren't cheap, the things aren't bad either."
This agreement, the weather did not agree with and the heavens that had not managed more than a smattering of snow released a cold fury onto the land below it, suddenly covering everything in white. It was not much more than ankle deep, but its slippery legacy would make carriage travel more difficult and as the trip was not urgent, they did not feel brazen enough to request horses nor wish to unkindly drag servants from the palace in order to care for them. The labour servants had it difficult enough clearing the paths of the palace in order that their Masters did not trip and damage their tender skin.
Knowing their trip was cancelled, Jin Li and Leon lingered over tea following breakfast, but unused to feeling so lazy, Leon headed to a side room prepared as his alchemy space and began to prepare herbs. Jin Li had followed him like a second shadow, glancing about the space for one second and losing interest within the next. While the Ramas palace did have a few alchemists living in an area to the rear and technically just outside the palace walls, which was where all of the Ramas army and personnel to support them lived, these had a high sense of their own existence and looked down on others. So all the things in the side room had been brought along by Leon and he had arranged them much as he would at home, so there was nothing really new to look at.
The currently empty kegs had been placed against one wall. Herbs had been organised into baskets or bottles, depending on their state. The single, portable stove had been placed upon an old table (which was one of the very few things that didn't belong to Leon) and empty jade bottles lined the shelf, ready to be filled. Leon's cauldron and the old kettle he'd kept for boiling water to use for potions were also on the table in wait.
The stove's mage stones were activated and Leon placed the cauldron on top. His able fingers had already reached for familiar herbs used in making his improved one heart pills, which he made at least once every ten days to keep in practice. Improved One Heart Pills were a little trickier than normal ones after all, as were Improved Blood Pills, so he liked to remind himself of their recipes. These sold well and steadily in Pharmacist Clawse' shop back in Julip Town anyway, so it was of no loss to Leon to continue making them.
However Jin Li was not resigned to watching Leon making pills for very long, as although he often enjoyed watching the serious concentrating expression on his small alchemist's face, he also enjoyed the expressions he made when frustrated, tearful, lost in pleasure...
Sun arrived as the sun was nearing its lazy zenith, to hear a small explosion and witness a cauldron shattering the wooden window of the guest courtyard side room followed by a cross little alchemist pushing a not remorseful Martial Artist out of its door. With a puffed up pout, the alchemist stormed across the courtyard to pick up his cauldron, before continuing the show back into the side room and shutting Jin Li out. Sun hesitated, feeling really awkward for a moment and not thick enough of face to ask what happened.
"Well?" Jin Li demanded of him, inadvertently rescuing him from becoming a permanently silent accessory in the guest courtyard's outside space.
"Er... I just wanted to know... do you want to see where we can spar?" Sun blurted out.
Jin Li glanced over his shoulder, slightly sullen, before looking back at his roommate and giving the other boy a curt nod. Sun exhaled, feeling relieved.
The training grounds that Sun took Jin Li to happened to be in the army base, however it was also considered off bounds to the majority of the soldiers and others who lived there. This was part of a compromise between the patriarch, General Ramas and his wife.
General Ramas, as one who had practically been raised within an army, wished for all of his descendants to learn martial arts and experience life as a common soldier in order to understand the men better if leading them. Lady Ramas, as one noble born, wished for her sons and grandsons to also have the option of following a scholar's path, becoming officials in the future perhaps and wished for her female descendants to hone their talents and marry into good families. She also felt that her sons might be bullied by commoners due to jealousy of status and did not want them mingling overly with the soldiers, less they develop bad habits.
Have to say, that in hindsight, bad habits can develop no matter the status of a man and his peers. Two of her sons caused her endless shame, but she couldn't abide others pointing fingers and speaking unkindly of them nonetheless.
And so a private grounds for the Ramas descendants was developed and only a chosen few outsiders with potential could also spar here. It was much unlike the soldiers own basic grounds, which in turn were not unlike what could be found at the institute either. The latter did not need fancy equipment nor artificially created rugged terrain, they were surrounded by trees and mountains! And if there was a want to experience a more life-like scenario, there were the mage induced illusions in which one could fight beasts and spirits and other Cultivators in numerous terrains along with the injuries and mental statuses, pain and agony they might have to deal with in reality. In fact the only thing that would not happen is true death.
In this private area instead, of which trust servants had already cleared of some of the snow, General Ramas may have taken inspiration from immortal fiction, with a series of thick bamboos staked into the ground to create a tall forest of beams for one to spar within or on top, as obstacles or points of balance. There were also pits and traps, though nothing that would cause fatal injury, plus tall but fake rockeries and small plain of uneven mounds. There was also a riding grounds and an area to practice long range attacks such as archery and magic.
Jin Li felt the cells of his body lose the sullenness of early and become tense with anticipation. He glanced towards Sun with raised brows and his lips quirked into a satisfied smile. Sun grinned, cheerfully and both boys vanished into the bamboo stake forest, oblivious to the added difficulty of the patches of icy ground beneath their feet. A clash of swords rang out.
The snow naturally melted over the course of the following day and after breakfast on the day proceeding, Jin Li, Leon and Sun stepped into a carriage arranged by Mond and began their journey to the west town.
In passing, the day before was spent grooming two idle Coeurl after taking them to exercise at the riding grounds of the army's base, less their muscles and instincts become numb from inactivity. The pair had cruelly chased a stubborn horse that had been ignoring the soldier attempting to coax it. Without the intelligence of an Equine, the horse had become startled, throwing off the soldier before fleeing (he wasn't hurt) unaware that the Coeurl weren't planning on actually hurting it. Of course, if prey runs...
Grooming was another affair. Coeurl's were felines but they were not cats, especially Wu Ye who no longer had fur. After washing in water of a decent temperature, Coeurl scales liked to be oiled less they harden and crack and have to be shed exposing the fragile flesh beneath. In the wild, a Coeurl might use the oils obtained from the fatty parts of its meal to coat itchy parts of its hide with its long tongue, but there were always places difficult to reach. Plus, the scent of raw animal fat was not exactly pleasant.
Li Ming, on the other hand, had areas about its neck to gently brush with a comb, which also did not want to be coated in oils, plus the excitable beast was not easy to settle now it had its human's attention. Leon had spent some time grooming the not so little Coeurl draped across his lap.
That had been yesterday, today was another day. The Coeurl remained in the stable, teasing the servants occasionally, lazing about otherwise, while their humans were travelling and exploring another region of Cenapar.
West town was likely the place most merchants gathered, due to its river linking sea and the fertile southern farms. Thus there were a hodgepodge of courtyard properties and small palaces half circling the area more abundant with shops and stores, restaurants and teahouses. There were also areas with market stalls and opportunist vendors, who would throw blankets on the ground to display their wares rather than rent a basic stall for a month. At least until the guards came along. At that point, if they did not flee with their things and earnings, they would likely have to pay a fine (also known as a bribe) before being let off with a warning.
Of course this town would naturally have a red light district as well, but this was off to one side and not a place Sun had ever visited for all his trips to West town.
Even though the air was still cold and the sky remained a steely grey, the streets were filled with the bustling of people, their raucous calls, bantering and bartering. The clinking of coins was often heard in this market area, the chime of brass coins rather than silver and for the most part, buyer and seller departed content. Numerous aromas also filled the air, but the scent of hot oil and spice rose above them all to become dominant.
As the three were jostled, Leon found his hand captured by Jin Li, but poor Sun had to rely on himself to ensure that the trio remained together. Fortunately, Sun was light of foot or he surely would be separated in this kind of crowd.
Leon's eyes wandered past the various food stalls with the heavy smells not sitting comfortably with his stomach and instead were drawn to others. Such as the stall selling silver trinkets and the stall selling wooden dolls for children. There was also a stall selling embroidery threads and handkerchiefs. This latter he bought two white, silk ones for Jin Li, one embroidered with the a golden koi swimming in blue waters and the other with a brightly coloured persimmon growing on a branch with green leaves. In return, he found stuffed in his own hands a handkerchief embroidered with a magpie in a wutong tree.
Sun rolled his eyes at such dog-food, recalling what his Di-sister once told him about the symbolism of the last one as she embroidered a similar pattern upon a token pouch for her husband; the wutong tree along symbolised longevity, but with a magpie in its branches it could express sharing joy together in this long life.
After this stall, Leon became drawn to one selling herbs, but the quality was only so-so and instead he ended up bartering for the seeds of a few common herbs that he did not already own. This was because, while they were easily cared for once established, growing them from scratch was another matter. So seeds were not distributed to students at the institute, nor would most shops bother to stock them, simply the buying the herbs from farmers in the industry instead. The vendor therefore thought Leon must be a bit dumb and so easy to trick coin from. He did not bargain on the malevolent shadow standing behind the small youth, so while he did not make a loss, he did not managed to take advantage either.
Sun purchased some sweet pastries, which he and Leon enjoyed as they paused for a break, while Jin Li wandered off after discovering a stall selling weapons, unable to resist the lure. He returned with a conceited expression of one who has managed to find a treasure hidden in muck and the glint in his eye suggested that he had further more secured it at a fraction of its actual worth. Indeed, the vendor had been vastly unaware of what he held in amongst the blunt blades and rusted knives to one side that he was pretty much selling as scrap. Only the discerning eye of a martial arts cultivator would ever be able to spy that the tarnished sword coated with a thin layer of red rust held a matrix of spiritual energy in its handle and blade, waiting to be activated.
To this end, Jin Li later purchased vinegar and mineral oil as well as a soft bristle brush. That evening he would soak and brush and tenderly treat this sword with the touch of a lover. The rust removed and the sheen of the blade restored beautifully, he would continue to polish and coax the weapon, marking it with his blood to claim a bond of ownership with his spiritual energy. And eventually, it would be a pouting Leon who grabbed him and dragged him to bed, where Jin Li found that he would have to coax his unhappy lover with a much more attentive touch and finally subdue him in a night of dual cultivation.
As the afternoon wore on and their purchases began to mount, their stomachs overfull as well with treats and fried food, they began heading back to the carriage and awaiting driver, when a voice called out suddenly from the crowd;
"Leo? Leo! Is that really you?!"
I gift you another bonus chapter this week x
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