"Hm?"
Jian Dan paused, a little stunned as a voice spoke directly into her mind. She scanned the rows of cages before her but saw no sign of the speaking bird.
"Over here, beauty! Look down—I'm on the bottom shelf!"
This time, she glanced at the bottom shelf, where a colorful parrot-shaped bird flapped its wings wildly against its cage, shedding feathers with every movement. When it noticed her gaze, it raised its nearly bald head and blinked at her ingratiatingly, flapping even harder.
"Beauty! It's me! Me!"
Jian Dan suppressed a laugh at the parrot's pitiful state and turned to the shop attendant.
"How much to rent this one?"
The attendant followed her gaze down to the caged bird in the dusty corner. His expression twitched for the briefest moment before settling into a strained politeness.
"Ahem… Fellow Daoist, that parrot—he, uh, got into a bit of a scuffle with our proprietor's spirit beast. We were planning to… handle it in a few days."
"Nooo! Kind-hearted beauty, save me! I've got exclusive intel—you won't regret it!"
Despite its protests, the cage didn't so much as tremble. It was solid, well-enchanted. The parrot's watery eyes brimmed with feigned tears as it stared at Jian Dan with pitiful devotion.
Amused, Jian Dan decided to play along. She turned back to the attendant with an earnest tone.
"Look, I'm just a rogue cultivator. My storage pouch's cleaner than my face right now. I barely scraped together enough spirit stones to pay the city entry fee. I probably can't even afford your cheapest guide. But that parrot? You're disposing of it anyway, right?"
She pulled out five low-grade spirit stones and dropped them into his palm.
"This is all I have left. You keep them. Better than wasting a good cage on a dying bird."
The parrot immediately collapsed in its cage, tongue lolling out, playing dead flawlessly.
Jian Dan nearly facepalmed. What a performance. Truly… seamless teamwork.
The shop attendant's face contorted for real this time. But seeing no point in arguing, he deftly pocketed the spirit stones, unlocked the cage, and yanked the bird out with two fingers. He raised his voice as he handed it over.
"Step aside, Fellow Daoist. I'll handle this nuisance—wouldn't want it stinking up the shop."
Jian Dan followed him out, sighing.
"Your guides are great, but my pockets are empty…"
Once outside, she tucked the "lifeless" parrot into her sleeve and headed toward the city center.
Back inside Thousand Questions Pavilion, the shopboy turned and climbed the stairs to the second floor. At the end of the hall, he entered a private chamber.
Lounging on a couch of soft brocade was a man dressed in white robes embroidered with subtle talismanic patterns. He fanned himself lazily with a feather fan, casting a sidelong glance at the attendant.
"Got rid of that menace?"
The attendant dabbed imaginary sweat from his brow and bowed.
"As you instructed, my Lord. Everything's been handled."
"Good. You're dismissed."
The man waved him off with a flick of the fan. The boy bowed again and left in silence.
Back on the street, Jian Dan continued walking down the city's main road. Not long after entering through the gate, the road split into three forks.
Just then, the parrot in her sleeve stopped playing dead and spoke directly into her mind again:
"Gorgeous, listen up. The road to your left leads to the harbor freight yard. The central one heads straight to the City Lord's manor, flanked by high-end shops and the estates of resident cultivators. But the path on the far right? That's the juicy one—messy, lawless, full of opportunity. And danger, of course."
Without hesitation, Jian Dan turned and took the rightmost road.
The street buzzed with energy. Shops of every kind lined both sides, their signs proudly flaunting "Immortal" this and "Heavenly" that: Immortal Talisman Hall, Treasure Delight Pavilion, Immortal Tool Tower, and even a garish inn labeled Immortal Delicacies Guesthouse.
Cultivators of all stripes mingled here—Dao, demon, beastkin. The city might have been divided by sect and status, but here on this road, everyone walked the same muddy ground.
Jian Dan didn't linger. She picked a nearby shop and stepped inside.
Despite its refined name—Elegant Exchange Pavilion—the place was clearly a glorified pawnshop. The parrot had recommended it moments earlier via voice transmission.
Behind the counter sat an old man with snow-white hair and beard, the latter flowing all the way to his chest. He gave off the aura of a sage, though each word he spoke came with a wheeze as if he might pass out at any moment.
"Does the honored cultivator… have any items to… pawn…?"
Jian Dan didn't waste time. She reached into her inner robe and tossed a storage pouch onto the counter.
"Sell it all. No need to haggle—just give me whatever spirit stones you think fair."
She wasn't being generous—she'd felt it the moment she stepped inside: a thread of spiritual sense had locked onto her the entire time. No killing intent, but definitely not friendly. And this old man? Definitely not as frail as he appeared.
Up close, she could even sense a faint yin aura clinging to the shop. It raised her guard instantly.
As for the parrot in her sleeve? Dead silent. Playing the role of lifeless cargo to perfection.
"Hmph. Young cultivators these days… always in a rush," the old man muttered, his hands trembling as he examined the pouch. "Let me… take a look…"
Jian Dan was already planning her escape route when, without warning, the old man flung the pouch back toward her.
"Deal's done. No refunds."
Jian Dan caught the pouch like it was her salvation and vanished out the front door in a blur.
Inside, a flash of white light shimmered. The man from earlier—the one in white robes with the feather fan—appeared at the old man's side.
He bowed deeply, eyes filled with respect.
"Many thanks."