As the hour grew late and Yang Kai was about to leave, he suddenly heard someone calling his name.
He turned to look and saw a figure waving vigorously at him from inside a small tea stall nearby. Yang Kai smiled and walked over. "A Sun, you came too?"
A Sun replied cheerfully, "That's right! I heard there was a market fair here, so I came along to check it out. I was actually going to come get you, but you weren't in your room."
When Yang Kai had come over earlier, it hadn't occurred to him to call for A Sun, yet A Sun had thought of it. Comparing himself in this regard, Yang Kai couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
A Sun wasn't the only one inside the tea stall. The several newcomers who had previously come along with the Protector Venerable were basically all there, apparently having arranged to meet up beforehand.
What confused Yang Kai was — where had these people gotten the money to drink tea here? Though the tea stall was modest, it had been set up by a menial servant, so there was no way the tea was free. In other words, sitting here to drink tea also required paying Open Heaven Pills.
He glanced to the side, where there was a price list for various spirit teas. The cheapest pot of tea cost a single Open Heaven Pill, and the most expensive ran as high as ten.
They were all newcomers who had arrived with nothing to their names. Yang Kai himself had only gotten one pill as a reward from General Sichen, but before he could even warm his hands on it, Old Fang had snatched it away. Where had these people gotten Open Heaven Pills?
Moreover, judging by their seating arrangements, it was clearly the burly man from the Black River Realm who sat in the seat of honor — in other words, he was treating today.
"Everyone's here," Yang Kai greeted them with a smile. The group had spent some time together inside the Protector Venerable's Small Universe before, so while they weren't exactly close, they weren't complete strangers either. They had already exchanged names and such.
The dignified woman Su Nianyi, the demon-kin man Shi Haocang, and the childlike boy Qianyu Tongzi all rose to return the courtesy. Only the burly man Fang Tai, sitting in the seat of honor, remained seated with legs spread wide, merely giving a slight nod without moving.
Yang Kai was mildly curious. Fang Tai hadn't seemed like such an arrogant person before — had just one month changed him that much? Then again, Yang Kai didn't have deep relationships with any of them. The one he'd interacted with the most was A Sun. As the saying goes, you may know a person's face but not their heart — without spending considerable time together, there was no way to truly discover someone's character.
He didn't dwell on it and simply asked, "How do you all have time to come here for tea? Is the spirit tea free?"
Su Nianyi covered her mouth with a smile. "How could it possibly be free? A single pot costs one Open Heaven Pill." She glanced at Fang Tai. "But Brother Fang insisted on treating, so it would be rude of us to refuse. Brother Yang, why not sit down and try some? The spirit tea is a bit pricey, but it is good stuff."
Fang Tai spoke up as well. "Since Brother Yang is here, why don't you join us? As it happens, we have some matters to discuss."
"In that case, thank you," Yang Kai cupped his fists and sat down.
A Sun raised the teapot and poured Yang Kai a cup. He accepted it, took a sip, and savored it carefully — it really was quite good. He drained the cup in a few gulps, and an aftertaste lingered pleasantly.
However, a single pot held only so much tea, and the others had already drunk some earlier. After pouring this last cup, the pot was essentially empty.
"So what exactly are we discussing?" Yang Kai asked.
Fang Tai said, "We've been here for a month now. We all have at least some understanding of the situation around here. Since Brother Yang managed to find this market fair on his own, you must have poked around and gathered some intelligence. You should know just how difficult it is for newcomers like us to gain a foothold here."
Yang Kai nodded and sighed. "I feel that deeply."
Fang Tai smiled. "In that case, I believe we should form an alliance and watch each other's backs. The others have all agreed. What do you think, Brother Yang?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai said, "Sure. We're all newcomers who came here together. If we don't help each other, we can't expect anyone else to help us."
Fang Tai said solemnly, "That's exactly my thinking. One person's strength is small, but together we have more. We were all people of authority in our respective乾坤 worlds. Out here beyond the乾坤, we may be short on numbers, but with the five of us working together, we can surely make something of ourselves in time."
Yang Kai looked around at the others and saw that they truly had no objections, so he said, "I have no problem with this. But how would it work in practice? Forming an alliance can't just be empty words, can it? For example, if Miss A Sun were bullied by someone..."
A Sun pouted. "Why would I be the one getting bullied? Do I look like someone who's easy to push around?"
"Just as a hypothetical," Yang Kai chuckled.
Fang Tai said, "Then naturally, we would seek justice for Miss A Sun without violating the rules of the Seven Mysteries Ground!"
There was nothing wrong with that statement, so Yang Kai naturally didn't object.
Fang Tai continued, "Another example — the Fire Spirit Fruit Trees we tend sometimes produce Green Fire Silkworms. If we catch them and bring them to General Sichen, we might receive Open Heaven Pills as a reward. On this matter as well, I can help everyone. Whenever any of you need it, just call me over to help. If I catch a silkworm and present it to General Sichen and we do get a reward, I'll only take half."