Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Market

“Learn martial arts?” Ah Qing looked puzzled.

Yuan Zhao nodded. “Yes, martial arts. With martial arts, we can become stronger. When we’re strong, no one can bully us!”

“Okay! Martial arts! Ah Qing wants to learn martial arts with Sister!” Ah Qing nodded seriously. “Ah Qing wants to become strong. Ah Qing doesn’t want to be bullied!”

Grandpa’s death had left an indelible mark on Ah Qing’s heart.

The two sisters knelt at their grandfather’s grave until nightfall before returning home.

From that day on, Yuan Zhao began teaching Ah Qing how to cultivate using the Yin Yang Ode.

Since they were still in mourning, the family noodle stall was temporarily closed—which also gave Yuan Zhao time to recover from her injuries.

With the money obtained from the soldiers and Grandpa Zhao’s savings, the sisters didn’t have to worry about living expenses for the time being.

Training in martial arts was tough. Every day, Yuan Zhao woke Ah Qing before dawn, and they didn’t rest until late at night. Mornings were spent practicing Heaven-Sweeping Hand and Hellgate Blade, dedicated to internal energy cultivation.

Luckily, Ah Qing was hardworking and persistent. No matter how hard or tiring the training was, she gritted her teeth and pushed through.

However, Yuan Zhao quickly realized that Ah Qing didn’t have the same physical foundation she did. The Hellgate Blade, with its emphasis on wide, powerful movements, didn’t suit her. So for now, she only taught her the Heaven-Sweeping Hand.

To help with training, Yuan Zhao set up wooden posts and large stones in the courtyard. The posts were for practicing hand techniques, while the stones helped build physical strength.

Before they knew it, seven days had passed.

During those seven days, the sisters barely left the house. Only the Luo brothers dropped by a few times out of concern.

That morning, Ah Qing was in the courtyard practicing Heaven-Sweeping Hand, humming and shouting as she moved, when Yuan Zhao walked out of the house and called to her:

“Ah Qing, I need to go buy some things. Do you want to come with me?”

She wanted to bring Ah Qing along because she was worried the girl was getting too pent-up at home. Ever since Grandpa passed, the once cheerful and lively Ah Qing had changed—she only focused on training now.

Hearing her sister’s voice, Ah Qing immediately stopped what she was doing and responded loudly, “Yes! I’ll go too!”

Then she darted into the house to wash her face.

Since Grandpa’s death, Ah Qing had become very clingy—she didn’t want to be apart from her sister for even a moment.

After getting ready, the sisters set out together. At the door, Yuan Zhao said to the old wolf behind them, “Watch the house!”

“Awoo~” the old wolf responded, sitting at the door and watching them leave.

***

The sisters made their way to the market in Tianmen Town.

It was bustling with activity. Just stepping into it, they were greeted by the pleasant jingle of camel bells. Merchants from various regions loudly hawked their goods.

Tea, salt, spices, and furs were among the most sought-after items at the market.

Merchants selling tea and salt usually came from Great Liang; those selling furs, cattle, and sheep came from Great Xiao. Spices were brought in from even farther away.

Yuan Zhao’s eyes quickly scanned the goods on display as she searched for what she wanted, while Ah Qing tightly held her sister’s hand.

Yuan Zhao was looking for vegetable seeds. She had decided to start a small garden in their yard. Whether the vegetables would actually grow or not, she’d leave to fate.

After all, mourning had to be observed, but life had to go on.

Though she didn’t find any seeds, Yuan Zhao spotted a vendor selling baby chicks.

Her eyes lit up—raising chickens was also a good idea. Once they grew up, they could lay eggs. Then they’d have both meat and eggs to eat!

With that thought, Yuan Zhao led Ah Qing straight to the vendor.

“How much for these chicks?” she asked, pointing to the fuzzy yellow puffballs in a basket.

The vendor grinned widely, pleased. “One coin each. Miss, you’ve got a good eye! These chicks are all carefully selected—look how sturdy they are! You won’t regret buying them!”

He picked one up to show her.

Yuan Zhao had no idea how to judge the quality of chicks, so she bent down to pick through them.

Suddenly, Ah Qing tugged her sleeve and raised two fingers at the vendor: “One coin for two!”

The vendor’s smile froze. “Little girl, you drive a hard bargain! No, no, I can’t do that—I’d lose money.”

Ah Qing frowned, took Yuan Zhao’s hand, and got ready to leave. “Then forget it. We’re not buying.”

The vendor panicked. “Wait, wait—don’t go! Let’s talk about it some more!”

Ah Qing stopped, then turned back and squatted down again.

The vendor gave a bitter smile. “You’re too impatient, little one! We’re still negotiating, no need to storm off.”

Ah Qing scowled. “You’re not being honest. Not many people in Tianmen Town raise chickens. Most people eat beef or lamb. Chickens, ducks, and geese are hard to raise—not because people don’t like them, but because they’re delicate. Chicks aren’t like cows or sheep that can just eat grass. No one’s going to buy your chicks. You’re trying to cheat my sister, aren’t you ashamed?”

The vendor looked awkward. “Ahh… just trying to feed my family, that’s all. Okay, okay—how about three for two coin?”

A-Qing shook her head firmly. “Still no. One coin for two chicks. Take it or leave it. If not, we’re leaving.”

She stood up again, pretending to walk away.

The vendor gave in immediately. “Alright, alright! You’re too good at bargaining!”

Ah Qing beamed and urged Yuan Zhao, “Sister, hurry—pick some!”

“My Ah Qing is amazing!” Yuan Zhao looked at her with admiration and then bent down to pick out some chicks.

Truth be told, she didn’t know how to choose either, so she just picked the bigger ones.

Soon, she selected ten chicks and paid five coins. The vendor even threw in a tiny cage, barely larger than a hand, where the ten chicks were crammed together.

Ah Qing looked at the cage in her sister’s hand, confused. “Sister, we’re raising chickens now? But we’ve never done that before…”

Yuan Zhao replied, “We’ll try. If it doesn’t work out, we won’t do it again.”

Ah Qing nodded and continued walking beside her sister.

After a while, Yuan Zhao’s gaze was drawn to something in the distance.

It was a green plant in a pot, with red and green round fruits of varying sizes.

She quickly walked over for a closer look. After careful inspection, she was certain—it was a tomato plant, and those fruits were tomatoes.

She immediately asked the vendor, “Brother, how much for this tomato seedling?”

The man looked confused. “Tomato seedling? You mean this red fruit tree?”

Ah Qing also looked puzzled. She had never seen anything like it. Her sister really was knowledgeable!

Turns out, tomato plants didn’t exist in Great Liang or Great Xiao. The vendor had brought it from a foreign land. Because no one recognized it, it hadn’t sold at all.

Seeing Yuan Zhao’s interest, the vendor enthusiastically started promoting it.

“Miss, you’ve got a good eye! People who don’t know about this fruit don’t realize how great it is. It’s sweet and sour—delicious!”

As he spoke, he picked one and handed it to Yuan Zhao. “Here, try it! Go on!”

Ah Qing frowned at the bright red fruit. “Sister, are you sure this is edible? What if it’s poisonous?”

That was exactly why the vendor hadn’t managed to sell any so far, everyone in town had the same suspicion as Ah Qing.

It was too vibrant, too strange—no one dared to eat it.

Hearing Ah Qing’s words, the vendor’s face immediately darkened. “Little girl, what are you saying? I’m a businessman, how could I possibly sell you something poisonous?”

Yuan Zhao quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Brother, don’t be upset. No one’s ever eaten this before, so it’s only natural for my sister to be cautious. She didn’t mean anything by it.”

The vendor calmed down after hearing this, though his face still looked troubled.

Would he really be stuck with all these “red fruit trees”?

He assumed Yuan Zhao wouldn’t be buying after all.

But then, to his surprise, she wiped the red fruit in her hand with her sleeve and took a bite.

Hmm… not bad. The fruit was full of rich fragrance.

It was just that the variety hadn’t been bred or improved, so it was much smaller than the tomatoes Yuan Zhao had seen at the vegetable markets in her past life.

Still, better than nothing.

The vendor looked at Yuan Zhao with anticipation. “Well? Tastes good, right?”

“It’s actually not bad,” Yuan Zhao nodded, then shoved the remaining half into Ah Qing’s mouth.

Ah Qing’s face immediately scrunched up in fear, but as the sweet and tangy flavor spread in her mouth, her eyes lit up.

Delicious!

When her sister slyly winked at her, she felt reassured and started chewing without hesitation.

Of course her sister would never harm her.

Then Yuan Zhao turned to the vendor. “Brother, how much for all of these red fruit plants? I’ll take them all.”

The vendor was overjoyed and hurried to reply, “Five coins each!”

Ah Qing’s face instantly soured. “Five coins? You might as well be robbing us! These are worthless things no one even wants! I wouldn’t take them even if you gave them to me for free! And you have the nerve to charge five coins?”

“Hey! You little rascal!” the vendor snapped. “We brought these all the way from the foreign lands! You think there’s no cost in that? You act like these are pebbles on the street and want me to just give them away? Dream on!”

Ah Qing shot back, “Whether you had to pay for it or not, that’s your problem. What does it have to do with us? What if you brought a pile of dirt from abroad and claimed it cost you silver—should we just hold our noses and buy it too?”

“I… You…” The vendor was left speechless.

Yuan Zhao once again stepped in to smooth things over. “Brother, brother, don’t get mad. Kids say the darndest things, don’t take it to heart!”

The vendor puffed his cheeks in annoyance. “She’s almost grown and you still call that childish talk?”

Yuan Zhao was momentarily at a loss—after all, in this world, someone in their teens wasn’t considered a child anymore.

“But my sister wasn’t entirely wrong. How about this? Three coins each, and I’ll buy them all.”

The vendor was about to argue again, but his companion stopped him. “Three coins are fine. Just sell them. You really wanna haul them all the way back?”

The vendor sighed deeply. “Fine, fine. Just because you two are young, I’ll take the loss and sell. But you have to take all of them.”

He had around a dozen tomato plants in total.

Plants were fragile and didn’t handle bumps well.

He had already regretted bringing them to the desert. This had all been a huge headache.

“Deal. We’ll take them all,” Yuan Zhao agreed readily.

“By the way, how are you going to carry them back?” the vendor asked after counting the plants.

Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing looked at each other awkwardly. “Could you… maybe help us bring them back to our house?” Yuan Zhao asked tentatively. “We live just nearby.”

The vendor hesitated, then finally relented. “Alright, alright. I’m really just too kind.”

He led out a cart pulled by a camel, loaded the tomato plants onto it, told his companion to keep an eye on the stall, and followed the sisters home.

The girls led the way. Ah Qing grumbled as they walked: “Big Sis, you should’ve haggled even more. Two coins each would’ve been cheap enough!”

Yuan Zhao shook her head. “They came a long way, and those plants already have fruit. Three coins is already a good deal for us.”

Ah Qing muttered, “Everyone has it tough. We’re not exactly living the easy life either!”

Yuan Zhao chuckled and patted Ah Qing’s head. Then she turned back and asked the vendor, “Brother, will you be coming back to Tianmen Town again?”

“Of course,” he replied. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Could I trouble you for something then?”

“What is it?” the vendor asked curiously.

“Next time, could you bring some vegetable seeds for me?”

The vendor laughed, “Oh, that’s it? No problem! Leave it to me!”

Soon, the three of them arrived back at the house.

To their surprise, a man and a woman were standing outside, having a standoff with the old wolf.

It seemed like the pair wanted to enter, but the old wolf wouldn’t let them. It had been chasing them around, making them flee in panic.

Yuan Zhao recognized them—it was Liu Dazhu from next door and her son, Wu Yong.

Though they lived right next door, when Grandpa died, neither of them had even shown their faces, much less paid their respects.

They had barely interacted before. Why had they suddenly shown up now? Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing were both puzzled.

At that moment, the mother and son also spotted them returning and rushed over.

“Yuan girl! Ah Qing! Where have you been? Thank goodness you’re back. Quick, quick, call off your dog!”

They thought the old wolf was just a dog!

Just as the old wolf was about to pounce, Yuan Zhao called out, “Old Wolf, stand down.”

“Awwoo~” the old wolf skidded to a halt and trotted back to Yuan Zhao’s side, though it still bared its teeth at the intruders.

“I was scared half to death!” Liu Dazhu patted her chest and gasped for breath. “That dog of yours is completely untrained! It bites everyone it sees! If you ask me, it should be slaughtered for meat!”

“Grrr…” the old wolf let out another threatening growl.

“You d*mn dog!” Liu Dazhu shrieked and hid behind her son.

Wu Yong wasn’t brave either and kept backing away.

“Filthy mutt! We should kill it!” Liu Dazhu peered out from behind her son. “Yuan girl, tell your Uncle Wu to come over and butcher that beast for you!”

The “Uncle Wu” she mentioned was her husband, a butcher in town known for slaughtering cattle and sheep.

Because they ate meat every day, all three in their family were tall and broad-shouldered.

Yuan Zhao waved her hand for the old wolf to back off, then asked, “Dazhu, what brings you here today?”

At this, Liu Dazhu broke into a wide smile. “We’ve got news—great news! Huge news!”