Chapter 40: The Tattered Little Cauldron

The news that Du Long had been admitted to the Martial Arts Department of the Imperial Royal Academy stunned the entire Du family. The old patriarch and Du Zhentian were beside themselves with joy—it was as if the boy had finally fulfilled their greatest hope by entering the Royal Academy at the age of sixteen!

That night, the eastern wing of the Du residence was filled with celebration. As the guest of honor, Du Long could hardly avoid reveling, drinking merrily until the banquet finally dispersed around midnight.

Sitting alone on his bed, eyes closed in meditation, he felt the vortex in his dantian space slowly grow. He couldn’t help but feel vexed: “To advance from the first to the second stage of this vortex, it would take at least three to five months in the secluded valleys of Lingyun Mountain. Elsewhere, who knows how long it might take!” Shaking off these distracting thoughts, Du Long buried himself in cultivation, diligently absorbing and refining the vast energy—a process that demanded persistence, for only by accumulating bit by bit could he hope for progress.

The night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, as the family gathered for breakfast, the lively Princess Fire Phoenix and Du Cai Ni arrived at the dining hall. After a round of pleasantries, Princess Fire Phoenix impatiently took Du Long’s arm. “Now that you’ve eaten your fill, come with me for a stroll in the city. If I don’t come early, you might sneak off to Lingyun Mountain again!”

She was quite right; Du Long had been considering the Academy’s enrollment process, which would take another half month. With nothing to do for the next ten days, he had thought of returning to Lingyun Mountain to continue his rigorous training. But before breakfast was even finished, Princess Fire Phoenix had come looking for him.

“Qing Lian, you should join us! With the princess here, the people at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion won’t dare bother you,” Du Cai Ni said, inviting Xia Qing Lian along.

“Godfather, godmother, I’ll go out with them for a while!” Xia Qing Lian naturally accepted. Over the past year, she and Du Long had been inseparable, so she was glad to join the outing.

“Go ahead! Keep an eye on Du Long and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble again,” Zhou Ruo Xue said with a gentle smile.

Thus, the four young people left the Du residence, taking the princess’s carriage toward the bustling South Avenue of the capital.

The Empire’s South Avenue was renowned as a thriving commercial street, a melting pot of all trades and backgrounds. Goods from every corner of the realm converged here—there was nothing one could imagine that couldn’t be found.

At the entrance to South Avenue, they sent the carriage away and began to wander. Though Du Long had grown up in the capital, he had rarely strolled this district; in his previous life, he had spent more time with wayward friends in other areas, indulging in revelry. Men, after all, seldom enjoyed shopping in such commercial streets.

As they walked, Princess Fire Phoenix and Du Cai Ni were drawn to shops selling jewelry and fine clothing, while Du Long grew increasingly impatient. He could hardly disturb the princess’s pleasure, so he forced himself to follow behind.

Everyone has their limit, and just as boredom was about to overwhelm him, a particularly grand and elegant shop caught his eye. Looking up, he saw the sign: “Treasure Pavilion.”

His eyes lit up, and he turned to Princess Fire Phoenix. “Fire Phoenix, I’m going to browse the Treasure Pavilion. You all can continue shopping—if you get tired, come find me there.”

“Treasure Pavilion?” Princess Fire Phoenix glanced at the shop, her eyes brightening. She giggled, taking Du Long’s arm. “I want to go too! But the things in there are very expensive—even I can’t afford many of them.”

“Fine, as long as you’re not dragging me into another clothing store,” Du Long thought to himself, forcing a smile as he led the three girls toward the Treasure Pavilion.

Seeing the four elegantly dressed, distinguished guests enter, a sharp-witted female attendant immediately came forward. “Esteemed guests, is there anything you wish to purchase?”

The three ladies turned to Du Long—it was he who had led them here, so naturally they awaited his decision. The attendant, sensing he was the leader, greeted him with a respectful smile.

“Well, I don’t have anything particular in mind. I’ve heard that Treasure Pavilion stocks all kinds of rare items. Could you give us a detailed introduction to what you offer?” Du Long scratched his head, answering honestly.

“Please follow me, and I’ll introduce the various treasures we carry at Treasure Pavilion,” the attendant replied professionally, gesturing for them to follow.

“Treasure Pavilion has over a dozen branches in the capital; this one is the main store, with three floors. The first floor sells items valued under one thousand gold coins—those are the more ordinary goods. The second floor specializes in items ranging from one thousand to ten thousand gold coins, considered mid-tier rarities. The third floor is reserved for treasures worth over ten thousand gold coins.”

“In our shop, all precious items are offered for sale: tamed spirit beasts, spiritual herbs, elixirs, gemstones—you name it, we have it.”

“Oh? You sell elixirs as well? Do you carry Essence Restoration Pills? How much do they cost?” Du Long’s eyes brightened as he interrupted her.

“Essence Restoration Pills require an extremely rare spiritual herb, and the pill is difficult to refine, so its price exceeds ten thousand gold coins. We don’t usually sell it at a fixed price; it’s only auctioned at our monthly sale.”

“Over ten thousand gold coins?” Du Long couldn’t help but exclaim, thinking, “So the pill grandfather gave me cost more than ten thousand gold coins?!”

“Few people would waste such rare ingredients to refine an Essence Restoration Pill. Because of this, the pill is not always available—sometimes it fetches thirty or fifty thousand gold coins at auction,” the attendant added, her words shocking them further.

Du Long nearly bit his tongue in disbelief. “No wonder father looked so pained when grandfather gave me that pill—tens of thousands of gold coins, almost all of grandfather’s private wealth!”

“In truth, if you just want to raise your cultivation by a stage or two, you don’t need an Essence Restoration Pill. You can use spiritual liquid instead—it’s easier to refine and has a set price. But its drawback is you can’t rely on it to endlessly boost your strength, or you’ll risk undermining your foundation and limiting your future potential,” Princess Fire Phoenix interjected, evidently knowledgeable in such matters.

“That’s right! The lovely lady speaks true—spiritual liquid can only be used to increase one or two stages at most. Too much, and the side effects grow worse, so it must be used with caution!” The attendant, not missing the chance to flatter Princess Fire Phoenix, added with a smile.

The group continued to wander through Treasure Pavilion. The transparent counters displayed a wealth of treasures, though the first floor’s items, all priced under a thousand gold coins, were most plentiful and varied.

Du Long had little interest in jewelry, focusing instead on spiritual herbs, elixirs, and weapons or equipment useful for cultivation. Even so, the cheapest items here would cost him all his New Year’s money and still wouldn’t buy more than two or three, so he hadn’t made any purchases yet, nor had he seen anything he truly desired.

Suddenly, as they finished touring the first floor and prepared to head upstairs, a surprised cry rang out from the spirit within his ring, causing Du Long to pause at a particular counter.

“Ling’er, what’s wrong?” he asked inwardly. After so much time together, he greatly valued the spirit’s opinions.

“See that palm-sized little cauldron? Buy it! If I’m not mistaken, you’ve found a real treasure!” she replied, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Du Long discreetly examined the counter, which seemed to display oddities—damaged weapons, broken armor parts, and among them, a battered, moss-covered small cauldron, as if it had languished in the wild for ages.

“These things are all so worn, yet each is priced at a minimum of five hundred gold coins?” Du Long said aloud, feigning curiosity.

“The origins of these items are unknown, so their value can’t be determined. Treasure Pavilion displays them for sale; if buyers can discover their true nature, their worth might multiply many times over. Many people are willing to take the risk,” the attendant replied with a smile.

“Oh! In that case, I’ll try my luck. I’ll buy this little cauldron,” Du Long said, pointing to the palm-sized item. It was clearly priced: six hundred gold coins.

“Certainly! Please pay six hundred gold coins, and I’ll wrap it for you right away,” the attendant said excitedly. Every sale earned her a one percent commission—six gold coins for this item. Treasure Pavilion’s goods, though fine, weren’t easy to sell; few in the capital could truly afford them.

After paying and completing the purchase, Du Long and his companions did not leave but continued upstairs to the second floor, curious to see what other rare treasures the Pavilion had to offer.