The streets of Azure Lake City bustled with activity. Nobles, cultivators, and commoners alike partook in the massive commerce that made the city prosperous over the last decade. At every corner merchants and customers haggled over wares while hungry patrons waited in long queues for their favorite food stalls. In fact, one could not find a street in the market district where the smell of fried rainbow fish and peppered lamb skewers didn’t arouse the senses.

“Wow, it smells so good!” Yuri commented, wide-eyed at everything around her. It was obvious from her childlike reaction that she had never seen city life. Young heiresses who showed no promise for cultivation were usually kept on a tight leash, destined to learn the virtues of womanhood and be married off for political gain.

“I take it you don’t come to the city often?” Jin asked, leading her by the hand through the throng of busybodies. He didn’t want her to get lost, especially when they were potentially wanted individuals. It depended on how badly the Qin Clan wanted to tie up loose ends.

Before entering the city, Jin had cut his hair and dyed both their hairs brown. Yuri was given a new alias - Fenghuang. Wearing matching white robes, they assumed the guise of cousins who were moving to the city to work at their aunt's new restaurant.

“Nope.”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. Didn’t your clan test your innate talent when you were younger?”

Yuri met Jin’s curiosity with understanding and shook her head, replying, “They did, but the results from the Yin Yang Golden Scale showed I had no talent.”

It was Jin’s turn to shake his head in disbelief. Although he understood why the Yin Yang Golden Scale failed to capture her talent, he pitied the Okada Clan for having missed a once in a lifetime opportunity. Had they known how to help her cultivate, they wouldn’t have succumbed to such a tragic fate. Indeed, her talent alone could have guaranteed them generations of dominance.

Luckily for Yuri, she had stumbled across Jin, one of a handful of individuals who could help her unlock her true potential. With his guidance, he knew she would one day stand at the very apex. But there was still one more thing that Jin had to confirm regarding her physique, which was partially the reason why he risked coming to the city.

“Jin, over there! Aren’t we looking for an alchemist?” Yuri pointed out, pulling him towards a large crowd huddled near the edge of a pond.

In the middle of the pond was a small stone platform where a self-proclaimed alchemist wearing flamboyant clothing stood by a table stocked with raw materials. The man had a large vertical banner placed at the front, displaying ‘Pills on Steep Discount’ in sloppily-written ink.

Jin observed the scene with equal parts suspicion and equal parts amusement. First off, none of the ingredients on the table could be combined to make real alchemy pills. Secondly, the prices listed were outrageously low, so there was no way the man could turn a profit. No alchemist worth his salt would do something so stupid.

“Pshh, what a swindler,” Jin muttered, about to lead Yuri away.

It appeared most of the crowd were also suspicious of the man’s intentions, demanding that he prove his authenticity. After all, alchemists were highly sought after by cultivators and nobles. A single pill, given the right properties, could increase the efficiency of a cultivator’s training by many folds or save a man’s life from the brink of death.

“Alright, calm down!” the man declared in response to the mob’s jeers. “I can see it’ll take some effort to persuade you of my good intentions. How about a demonstration then? I’ll need an assistant. Anyone?”

The man randomly pointed a finger at the crowd.

Yuri tugged on Jin’s robes.

“What is it?” he whispered, suddenly distracted by the approach of hidden experts.

“Uhh, I think he chose me to help him do the demonstration,” Yuri whispered back.

Sure enough, Jin traced the crowd’s focus of attention to the girl.

‘Well, how about that?’ he thought, smirking mischievously. Something interesting was about to happen.