The next day, Wei Yang arrived at Nan Qiu Yuan as promised and took the Fang-Bai duo on a tour of Merchant City.
"Merchant City, in terms of sheer area alone, is unquestionably the largest in the Southern Border. The Merchant family has been developing this place for thousands of years — the entirety of Shang Liang Mountain has been reshaped. There are over ten thousand shops here, and a population of several hundred thousand."
"You two haven't eaten yet, have you? Let me take you to a famous breakfast place first. This way, please."
The three of them followed Wei Yang down the cylindrical stone staircase, descending level by level.
After roughly three flights, they arrived at a shop called Early Spring.
Layered agate cakes, crab roe buns, golden oil pancakes, snow porridge…
"Merchant City is divided from the innermost layer outward into the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Inner Cities, as well as the Outer City. If you arrange them vertically, there are even more subdivisions — a food district, a stone gambling district, a boarding district, a pleasure district, and so on," Wei Yang explained.
…
"The food district. Restaurants line the streets here, most of them run by Gu Masters as chefs. The delicacies are beyond counting."
…
"The boarding district. Many Gu Masters carry more Gu Insects than they can handle, so they can bring them here to be boarded. Fees depend on the specifics. In general, boarding a common First Transformation Gu costs eighty Yuan Stones per month."
…
"Now we've arrived at the Gu fighting district. This area is purely for Gu battles — the Gu Masters themselves cannot take action, only control their Gu Insects. If you have a handy Gu Insect on you, you're welcome to step into the ring and give it a try."
…
"This level is the pleasure district, home to the highest concentration of brothels in Merchant City. Many Gu Masters come here to unwind. You two are traveling merchants, so you surely know the immense pressure of the trade route. You can find women here, men, even Gu Masters themselves. What — not interested?"
…
With Wei Yang, a local insider, leading the way, Bai Ningbing had her eyes thoroughly opened.
Merchant City was a dazzling spectacle of prosperity. It was the kind of place that made you never want to leave.
A single day was far too little, and Merchant City far too vast. Even at a brisk pace, the three of them hadn't covered one percent of the city.
On the third day, Wei Yang came again to entertain his two guests.
"This is the refinement district. Since you're both Gu Masters, you understand how difficult it is to refine a Gu Insect. The worst thing for us is encountering a wild Gu Insect with an especially stubborn will during refinement, or one left behind by a famous powerhouse. The higher the Gu's Transformation rank, the harder it is to refine. Back in the day, Concubine Wuji spent a full eleven years just to refine a single Fifth Transformation Dragon Power Gu. That's why delegated refinement services are so necessary — and there's always been a market for them."
…
"This is the auction district. Small auctions are held here every day. Medium-scale auctions take place every week or two, and at the end of each month, there is at least one large auction. What appears at these auctions is almost always quality merchandise."
…
"This is the martial arts arena district. There are over eighty arenas of various sizes. Ha — this is always the liveliest place! There are solo arenas, for Gu Masters to test and practice their Gu Insects. Dual arenas, for Gu Masters to spar against each other. And multi-person arenas, for free-for-all brawls."
Just as Wei Yang had said, the martial arts arena district was indeed the most bustling place in all of Merchant City.
The noise was deafening, and people streamed in and out endlessly. Third Transformation Gu Masters could be seen everywhere.
"Brother Wei! What are you doing here?" A young man in the crowd spotted Wei Yang and immediately called out in delight, hurrying over.
The young man looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His features were unremarkable, but he radiated an aura of sharp vitality.
"Little Xiao. I heard you've fought your way up to the Third Inner City. Well done!" Wei Yang patted the young man's shoulder encouragingly.
"Yes — I recently advanced to the Third Transformation Middle Stage, and my combat power rose with it. If anything, I should be thanking you, Brother Wei Yang, for your guidance. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today," the young man said earnestly.
"You've got solid talent. You'd have made it with or without me. You're not even thirty yet and already at Third Transformation Middle Stage — far better than I was at your age. Haha," Wei Yang said with a laugh.
The young man gazed at Wei Yang with admiration. "Brother Wei Yang, how could I ever compare to you? You were only at Third Transformation Middle Stage when you already dominated the Third Inner City. At just twenty-five, you caught the Patriarch's eye and were recruited. Now you've risen to the rank of Elder — how many non-clan Elders does the Merchant family have?"
"Keep working hard, and you'll get there too," Wei Yang encouraged him.
Then he turned back to the Fang-Bai duo and explained: "The martial arts arena district is one of the ways the Merchant family selects outside talent. Back in the day, I fought my way up from the Fifth Inner City's arena all the way to the Third Inner City, defended the ring for eighteen consecutive bouts, and was finally recruited by the Patriarch."
At that time, Shang Yanfei had not yet become the Merchant family's patriarch.
Wei Yang had been taken in as a trusted confidant by Shang Yanfei, and once Shang Yanfei assumed leadership, Wei Yang was naturally elevated to the rank of non-clan Elder.
Bai Ningbing suddenly understood.
No wonder the arena was so popular.
The Merchant clan was a massive enterprise with needs everywhere. Clan members alone couldn't cover all the ground. Generation after generation, the Merchant family's young heirs would recruit a number of Demonic Path Gu Masters.
If the Demonic Path Gu Master who pledged loyalty to a young heir went on to become that heir's patriarch, they could potentially be granted the title of non-clan Elder, enjoying Elder-level treatment and resources.
Gu Master cultivation required enormous resources. The vast majority of Demonic Path Gu Masters, lacking the stable support of a clan, lived in destitution. Only by aligning with a clan could they survive and thrive.
Wei Yang was the living proof, standing right before them.
In Merchant City's arena district, countless Demonic Path Gu Masters fought and clawed their way upward, desperate to align themselves with the Merchant family, shed their Demonic Path label, and become someone like Wei Yang.
"The arena district — it's full of my memories. Would you two care to step into the ring and spar with me?" Wei Yang suddenly proposed.
"Brother Wei — you're going to fight?!" Little Xiao's eyes lit up with excitement and surprise.
Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing exchanged a glance.
"Sure, why not — let's give it a try." Fang Yuan had anticipated that the Merchant family would make some kind of move like this sooner or later. He might as well go along with it.