Chương 986: Chapter 984: Window Shopping in the Capital

The morning sun rose over the Aurelian Spear Kingdom and the grand marriage tournament was officially over. The capital city took a collective breath of relief as the heavy martial pressure that had blanketed the streets was gone. Merchants returned to their normal routines and citizens went back to their daily work. It was a fun break from their daily lives but now everyone got back to what they had been doing before.

The Zhan Clan elders decided to delay their departure because the disciples wanted more time here. They announced that the delegation would stay one extra day in the capital. The disciples had spent the entire week either fighting in the arena or analyzing the matches from the stands. While they did have time after the matches were over to see a few things, it wasn't the same with the competition still looming over them. They needed time to unwind and explore the city, see some sights and buy a few things.

The group could have stayed longer but since they had taken five elders with them, they didn't want to delay those five elders for too long. This arrangement was perfect for Li Yu as he wanted to check out the aquatic life in the capital. Li Yu hoped to find some new edible species and he could add them later to his lakes back in the Zhan Clan territory. He also wanted to keep an eye out for higher level aquatic beasts for this battery strategy as well. Since he was so poor, he wouldn't be able to buy anything now.

However, he could locate a seller today and come back for it later when he had the funds. Before the group could leave their area Princess Jinling walked through the arched gateway, surprising them with her presence. This was the woman that five of them had come here to compete in order to get noticed by her. She wore a simple crimson dress today instead of her battle armor. The five Zhan Clan juniors were excited for this second chance and immediately approached her.

They tried to talk to her to make an impression and to just get the chance to casually chat as well. She was well trained in making small talk so the conversation flowed easily. She chatted with them for a while with a polite smile and she also engaged in conversation with Zhan Chen who stood nearby. Before leaving his guest quarters Li Yu conducted a thorough inventory. He sat cross legged on his bed and he scanned through all of his storage rings and Koi Sanctuary.

Sadly for him, he did not find a single extra spirit stone. Feeling that it shouldn't be the case, checked every corner of his storage rings again. Li Yu hoped he had misplaced a pouch of currency somewhere. Sadly once again he did not. He had plenty of spirit stones to eat and drink for a while but for much else. He still of course had his large collection of spices, herbs, meats and drinks from his travels. They weren't worth enough to sell and he always wanted to have food on hand.

Today, however, would really be a window shopping trip. Li Yu walked out of his room and entered the main courtyard of the guest compound. The courtyard was paved with polished white stone and some younger disciples stood in small clusters on the inside. He bypassed them and looked around but did not see Zhan Chen. He was going to tell him his plans for today and break off from the group since not many would want to head towards the aquatic markets with him.

Li Yu tried heading out and saw Zhan Chen and then realized that the princess was also here. She was chatting with the other five suitors and seeing that, gave them room to chat. He did not want to interrupt their efforts but he had to at least greet them and tell Zhan Chen his plans.

"Princess Jinling." Li Yu offered a respectful bow.

"I want to thank you again for hosting me during the tournament. The accommodations were excellent."

"It was our pleasure to have the Zhan Clan come here for the tournament and we were happy to have you with us.." Jinling replied with a smile. Li Yu turned towards Zhan Chen.

"I am going to find the fish markets now. I will head off on my own since I don't think there would be others that want to take a look there." Li Yu said to excuse himself. Zhan Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going there to find more aquatic beasts for your lakes?"

"Yes." Li Yu nodded with a smile and small chuckle.

"I want to see what the local waters have to offer." This exchange made the princess curious though.

"Lakes?" She asked. Li Yu explained his background some more so she could understand why he created the lakes in the first place.

"At the start of my cultivation journey I was tasked with taking care of fish for my sect. I managed a seafood market and raised aquatic beasts for my fellow disciples. Over time, I grew quite fond of the work. I guess being fond of the work isn't quite right, more like I grew fond of the peace the area gave me. I recently started my own aquatic lakes within the Zhan Clan territory to continue the practice. It's quite calming and there's a bit of resources to be made from it as well."

Jinling was surprised by such a story because she had already known he was raised outside the clan. However, during their time together, he never spoke about all the details and skipped over that fact completely. She had interacted with countless young masters and noble heirs. None of them boasted about raising fish. Jinling found it quite interesting and refreshing that someone was so honest.

"I want to check out your fish lakes." Jinling said. Li Yu chuckled a bit.

"Should a princess be around such a place? It is mostly mud and fish food. I find it peaceful and nice but others might not." Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"I am quite practical, you know." Jinling crossed her arms.

"Just because I am a princess does not mean I do not do anything. I know how to get my hands dirty."

"I apologize." Li Yu said with a smile.

"I spoke out of turn. I am off now to look at the markets." Jinling took a step forward before he could get away from the group.

"I will follow you. I have some free time today." The other five suitors deflated instantly as their grand stories were forgotten. To their massive disappointment, the princess decided to leave with the person who was not trying to court her. Li Yu accepted her somewhat forced companionship as he and Jinling turned while walking away. One of the suitors decided he was going to join them. He wanted to use the opportunity so he could get to know her better and didn't mind being a third wheel.

He took a step forward but Zhan Chen reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"You should learn how to read the room better." Zhan Chen said with a smile on his face. Zhan Chen patted him on the back.

"Give it up now. It is clear where her interests are currently." The suitor sighed in defeat, he knew Zhan Chen was right. The other four suitors nodded in silent agreement. They watched Li Yu and the princess disappear and couldn't help but throw the idea away.

"It looks like the Spinning Calamity of Madness is not just crazy in battle." One of the suitors muttered.

"He is pretty good with girls too." Zhan Chen laughed out loud as he turned to face the group. By now the full group was here and numbered twenty five juniors. Counting himself there were twenty six of them standing in the courtyard looking for an activity.

"Our group is going to go looking for different meats and other things in the city." Zhan Chen announced.

"I promise to buy drinks for the five fallen heroes today. You fought hard in the arena but fate has other plans for you." The five suitors groaned at the teasing.

"You are still single yourself Chen and you are much older than us!" A suitor joked back.

"We will buy you some drinks instead." The entire group laughed out loud while Chen could only shake his head at them. He couldn't deny it either so he could only go with it. Li Yu and Jinling navigated the busy streets of the capital. The city was massive and sprawling, one of the largest capitals Li Yu had ever been in. Jinling quickly realized she had a problem as well.

She had lived in the royal palace her entire life and had explored the capital quite a bit too but she had never been to the aquatic markets in the capital before. She did not know the way even though she just boasted that she would lead the way. They had to stop and ask a patrol of kingdom guards. The patrol consisted of five armored men carrying long spears and the captain of the guard stopped his patrol the moment he saw Jinling. Many of the guards were shocked to see her walking about like this.

She lacked a visible royal entourage or a gilded carriage. Everyone knew there were hidden protectors somewhere nearby in the shadows but protocol still demanded an escort.

"Your Highness." The guard captain bowed deeply.

"We can guide you there personally. It is our duty."

"No, that is okay. That is not needed at all." Jinling stated firmly.

"Just point us in the right direction." The guards insisted.

"Please, Your Highness. The markets are crowded and who knows what can happen. Also, you need to have some guards with you." Li Yu turned his head to scan the street signs while waiting for the directions. While he was looking away Jinling glared at the guards. Her eyes promised severe punishment if they spoke another word back to her. She hated being treated like fragile glass, she was powerful in her own right.

The guards swallowed hard and immediately backed down upon seeing that glare, it would seem they have seen it before. They pointed down a wide street and provided the exact directions. Jinling smiled sweetly at them when Li Yu turned back around. They walked for another twenty minutes until they reached the aquatic markets and had been chatting the entire way. The district occupied a relatively large area near the eastern wall of the capital.

Merchants set up wooden stalls along the edges while glass tanks held a variety of spiritual beasts. The air carried the heavy scent of salt and raw fish. It wasn't an unpleasant smell but it wasn't a great smell either. Customers haggled loudly over prices and merchants did their best to make sales. It possessed a raw and vibrant energy that contrasted heavily with the elegance of the royal palace. As they got there, Li Yu looked around with a critical eye.

He inspected the wares in the various tanks and noted that many of the beasts that were meant for eating he already had back home. Either this place was already supplied by that same merchant group or some of these vendors were supplied or have brought breeding stock from them before, as he had done. Li Yu kept walking until a specific tank caught his attention. It was a breed of octopus he did not have. It featured thick purple tentacles and a tough looking mantle.

It radiated a faint water Qi and it looked like it could be good for culinary purposes. He approached the vendor and reached into his robes. He had enough spirit stones to make such a minor purchase. He bought one octopus to cook later to see how it tasted. He placed the beast into a specialized holding bag.

"You only got one? Doesn't a breeding lake need a few hundred at least to start the process?" Princess Jinling asked him.

"If it tastes good, I will come back another time and buy a breeding stock." Li Yu noted to the princess as they walked away from the stall. Jinling looked at him in confusion.

"Why not just buy the breeding stock later today, after you see if it tastes good or not? You are already here." Li Yu scratched the back of his neck and he embarrassingly had to admit the truth to her.

"I do not have the funds right now. I just spent it all on weapons recently. I will need some time to gather up the funds for such a large purchase." Jinling paused and looked at him. She remembered her father speaking about his lineage and how it would be a heavy political move. While she did not know them personally, she was well aware of the level of the Li and Zhan Clans. Not to mention he was the grandson of the WorldKeeper that just came back.

Taken by surprise at his admission, she laughed at him in a playful way.

"With your background you should not be short on spirit stones right?" Jinling decided to tease him while still playfully laughing. Li Yu sighed dramatically and in a half joking, half real statement.

"It was only since coming back to the Li and Zhan Clan that I ever became so poor. I rarely ever lacked spirit stones before."