The first thing that Clark did was look unto the open sky. It was different from where he came from a moment before because a full moon was now mirrored directly at his eyes.
He had picked a place that was on the other side of the world as night time always invited the shadiest dealings of the trade. Or at least Clark believed it to be so.
After a moment of appreciating the bizarre change of his surroundings, Clark then went out from the shadowed corners he teleported unto.
The city at this late hour was still buzzing with people and the wide streets accommodated both pedestrians and travelers alike in this peaceful eve.
A middle aged handsome man joined the excited masses while the night was illuminated fully by the numerous lanterns around them.
'What a prosperous place this is!' Clark commented while enjoying the festive mood of everyone.
It was pretty contagious and so he would often smile here and there in admiration to something he has only experienced as Lu Chen.
After three minutes of slow walk, Clark found himself standing before a huge majestic pavilion.
He was not alone in his task because there were many such guests like him who frequented this establishment even at this late in the evening.
"What time is it in this part of the world, Nancy?" Clark asked.
"About thirty minutes to midnight, host."
'Hmmm... There must be a celebration of something.' Clark mused and ended his curiosity on the matter right there.
He had more important things to settle and he was only too eager to complete the quest tonight.
"Good evening, dear guest. Do you want to purchase some alchemy pills and magical tools?" a beautiful girl asked after she was approached by our good protagonist.
Most women in this world possessed a beauty that was randomly seen even in the previous world of Clark.
Perhaps it was because of the over abundance of world essence that resulted in such but Clark never gave it much thought afterwards.
As long as he was always surrounded by lovely fairies and luscious young girls that he could only see in hentai movies before, this fact alone was more than enough to satisfy him.
Any little tidbits of truths other than this was truly irrelevant to the current emotions of delight that Clark felt.
"Call your master. I bring big business in tonight's auspicious event." Clark said in a serious tone. He looked like a middle aged man after all and so he decided that it was best for him to sound the part also.
"..." the precious girl gazed at Clark from head to toe as if sizing up if Clark was real or not. Few breaths elapsed and the good girl finally came up with a decision.
"Wait a moment, dear guest. I will see if Grand Master Gao is not busy at the moment."
"Please come with me."
"Hmmm...Very well." Clark nodded in understanding. The young girl smiled and gracefully led Clark deeper unto the busy halls.
There were pills in display and a short note beneath them that described well enough of what their effects were. Clark's attention was caught by a few significant products on the side.
"Qi Recovery Pill, Instantly recovers lost spiritual energy."
"Battle Frenzy Pill, Forcefully breaks into 3 stages on the same Cultivation Realm but with adverse effects depending on the user's luck. Death is certainly probable."
"Aphrodisiac Pill, a sweet couple's healthy drug or a last resort for a bitter heart. The Liquid Poison Sect is not liable to whatever actions our customers do with our products!"
The last one brought tons of amusement towards Clark.
He saw the long line of people that wished to get their hands on the 3rd pill and realized that no matter what world he was in, whether it be the prior or this one, sex products would never run out of patrons.
On the other side was of course the mystical powerful tools that cultivators usually use. There were flying swords, sharp enchanted daggers and many more.
'Too expensive!' Clark shook his head after he saw the prices of these items.
Each one was not sold with gold coins and such mortal equivalents but only with the priceless spirit stones that was ever the constant currency in this xianxia world.
And the cheapest items were tagged at 1,000 spirit stones!
'FUCK!'
'Someday, I too, will hoard all of this treasures in my hands! At least one of each. No, let's make it a pair!' Clark swore with great determination. Since when had he lacked material things in the past?
He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth and so this feeling of poverty was indeed a whole new experience for Clark.
Although there was Lu Chen to make him see visions of destitution but those neither felt real nor significant on Clark's consciousness. After all, he was Clark and would never be Lu Chen.
He would even willingly erase Lu Chen's wants and regrets from his mind if he could because what this other memory brought for him was only added burdens and no respite whatsoever.
"Please wait in here, honored guest. I will return shortly." the pretty lass said then exited the room in silence.
'Ahhh... Another one of these rooms.' Clark smiled as he scrutinized the same archaic feel that this waiting room gave him.
Just like the previous rooms in Lu Family's properties, this one also exuded a vibe of a dead olden age to the eyes of Clark.
Nevertheless, old simply did not mean ugly. Far from that of course as every bits and pieces of furniture around him were arranged with the most intricate of care.
Perfectly showcasing another side of beauty that could be considered a masterful work of art even on Earth. It was just different.
'I guess I'll slowly get used to it someday.' these were Clark's last thoughts before whistling his favorite songs into the air once more.
This was his little way on recalling a world that was not anymore real in the present. He did not want to forget where he came from. His true origin.
'Let me try some anime songs for a change.' Clark decided after whistling two full songs already. Clark whistled the Slam Dunk song first and even sang some epic lyrics to life in his solitude.
Afterwards was of course one of his all time favorites, Flame of Recca. He loved this upbeat kind of music rather than the slow dramatic ones in recent anime.
He was about to get to the next song but heard the soft footsteps coming this way. Even the thick doors couldn't hide away any whisper a few meters from Clark.
Being a Mortal Shedding Cultivator has sharpened almost all his senses to an unbelievable state. A few seconds more and the doors opened up to invite the solemn figure of an old man.
"THUD!" No greetings were shared until the dull echo that hinted the closure of the doors behind this newly arrived old character.
Immediately after, the gentle echoes that Clark could hear from outside totally halted.
'A sealing formation?' Clark mused.
"Welcome to the Pill Pavilion of the Liquid Poison Sect, esteemed guest!"
"This humble servant is called Gao Guanyu. Is there anything else you need, Master...?" The old man cupped his fist in greeting.
Though Clark remained seated on his chair, this seasoned pill grand master still treated Clark with the utmost respect possible.
The dark robes that Clark wore tonight indicated a family insignia that Gao Guanyu has never seen before in the city of Haran which earned a strong cause for caution unto this wise old man.
'A rogue cultivator or an expert from faraway lands?' Gao Guanyu thought as he examined closely every tiny changes on Clark's form.
Although he was only at the 8th Stage of the Mortal Shedding Realm and could not send his spiritual sense for inspection like those in the Foundation Establishment Realm but Gao Guanyu was after all a man who has existed for more than five hundred years already.
What he can't know in certain, he can remedy with intuition and experience. And after met this nameless man, Gao Guanyu could sense the silent danger that his visitor has represented unto his midst.
It was as if he was facing a wild beast in a man's skin.
"You can call me Clark." the middle aged man agreed to satisfy the query of Gao Guanyu. Although he could also use Lu Chen's name but this was an identity he was planning on forsaking sooner rather later.
"Well met, Master Clark!" The pill master smiled and slowly approached. When the old man got seated opposite Clark's, the rest of the talk was finally all business.
"My apprentice said that you have something to tr...." Gao Guanyu started but was not allowed to finish what he was about to say.
"About that... let's find a place with a bigger space than this, Master Gao. A whole lot bigger."
