But since Die You had already spoken up, he couldn't very well refuse. With a reluctant expression, he handed over the box and the remaining half of the incense stick, and Old Fang departed in high spirits.
Die You glanced at Yang Kai and chuckled softly. "Alright, don't look so sullen. I don't know what kind of deal you struck with Old Fang, but a deal is a deal. The reason you feel shortchanged is simply because you don't understand how things work around here yet. Treat it as a lesson learned — just be more careful next time."
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. In truth, he wasn't all that angry. Old Fang might have withheld certain things, but he really had taught him quite a lot over the past month.
"I should also thank Miss Die You for stepping in to help," Yang Kai said with a cupped-fist salute.
If Die You hadn't delivered those three Azure Fire Silkworms today, there was no telling what the golden rooster might have done to him.
Die You gazed at him with a smile. "Not calling me 'big sister' anymore?"
Yang Kai looked puzzled. "When did I ever call you that?"
Die You pressed her lips together. "Earlier you were all 'big sister this' and 'big sister that'..."
Yang Kai rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "You knew I wouldn't be able to catch five Azure Fire Silkworms on my own, so you came specifically to help, didn't you?"
Die You nodded. "You're a newcomer — you don't even have any tools for catching insects, so how could you possibly catch five Azure Fire Silkworms? Besides, I was there that day too. Once I found out, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. I was actually worried the number wouldn't be enough, but luckily you'd already managed to catch two yourself. It was a close call, but you barely made it."
"Regardless, I, Yang Kai, will remember today's kindness. I will repay you in the future."
"You can worry about repaying me after you get past the immediate trouble," Die You said, frowning slightly.
"What trouble?"
"Your plot of land has a problem," Die You said, looking at him. "Didn't Old Fang tell you?"
"He did. He said three trees have died in the last ten years, and three workers have been reassigned. I'm the fourth!" Yang Kai rubbed his chin. "But I've examined the plot carefully myself. There's nothing wrong with it, and I can't see any issues with the fruit trees either."
"Just because you can't see it doesn't mean there's no problem. The person before you examined it too, but from the time they discovered the issue to when the fruit tree died was barely a month. If you really do find anything, you must be extremely cautious."
"I'll keep that in mind," Yang Kai said solemnly, nodding.
"Anyway, it's rare for us to get time off. Want to go check out the market?" Die You asked with a bright smile.
"Yes!" Yang Kai perked up immediately. "I need to buy a set of insect-catching tools anyway."
"Then follow me," Die You said, waving him along as she took the lead.
Yang Kai locked the door and hurried to keep up.
The two of them raced skyward, shooting straight out beyond the heavens.
Yang Kai was surprised. "The market isn't in the Fire Spirit Ground?"
Die You shook her head and laughed softly. "The Seven Mysteries Ground's market serves all the spirit grounds, so you'll find people from the Fire Spirit Ground as well as the other spirit grounds there."
Yang Kai frowned. "Will it be a problem for us to just waltz out of here like this? Will anyone try to stop us?"
"We're allowed to leave the Fire Spirit Ground, but the entire Seven Mysteries Ground is covered by a grand formation. Without a command token and the exit method, there's no way to leave. So don't overthink it." She suddenly lowered her voice. "Whatever you do, don't overthink it, or you'll regret it if they drag you back."
Yang Kai regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Understood."
Just as Die You had said, leaving the Fire Spirit Ground met with no obstruction whatsoever — it was effortless. Once outside, the two of them headed straight for a region shrouded in mist, guided by Die You. In less than half an hour, they arrived before the wall of fog.
Die You sent a voice transmission: "Stay close to me, or you'll get lost!"
She plunged into the mist first, with Yang Kai close on her heels.
Inside the mist, everything around them was sealed off. The only thing visible was the graceful figure racing ahead of him. After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, the surrounding mist dissipated, and what appeared before Yang Kai's eyes was a world that was simultaneously dead silent and bustling with noise.
It was dead silent because there wasn't a trace of spiritual energy between heaven and earth, nor any sign of life. Not a speck of green could be seen anywhere in the entire world.
It was bustling because the streets below teemed with people — a sea of them, from the vantage point of the sky. Buildings of wildly varying architectural styles littered the ground in haphazard arrangements, with not an ounce of aesthetic consideration.
The entire market was not particularly large, spanning only about a hundred li from end to end — one could see the boundaries in a single glance. The edges were wrapped in churning mist, the sea of fog rolling and roiling as if it were alive.
Die You explained from beside him: "They say this market is actually a remnant fragment of a World of Heaven and Earth. The Heavenly Lord brought it back while roaming the cosmos and placed it here as a place for us laborers to trade and communicate."
Yang Kai nodded. "No wonder it looks so desolate." Since it was a fragment of some World of Heaven and Earth, this appearance was hardly surprising. If the Star Boundary hadn't been able to stop the Great Demon God's plan back in the day, it probably would have fallen apart just the same — devoured by A Da, without even a fragment left behind.