The first item on Xu Hao's shopping list was salt.
The second was paper.
He considered adding shoes next, then looked down at the split seam along his left foot.
Shoes moved to the top.
He underlined the word twice.
"You're forgetting meat," Da Bao said.
Xu Hao looked up.
His eldest brother was standing behind him, peering over his shoulder at the strip of bark he'd been using as a notebook.
"We have plenty of meat, Brother Da Bao."
"For now. But once we reach town, we'll be eating proper food again. You'll want to buy something worth cooking."
"I thought you were looking forward to eating someone else's cooking for a change."
"I am. That doesn't mean we should come home empty-handed."
Xu Hao smiled and added a small note beneath the list.
Da Bao looked satisfied.
They were sitting outside the shelter, enjoying the morning sunlight. Sia rested beside Xu Hao's feet, while Little One occupied herself with an old length of rope. Grey lay in the shade near Er Bao's usual seat, watching the forest.
Xu Hao examined the bark again.
Salt. Shoes. Paper. Ink. Books, if there were any worth buying.
The list had grown rather ambitious considering he didn't know how much money he'd have to spend.
Er Bao arrived carrying several supply sacks.
"Making preparations already?"
"I thought we should start early. There's quite a lot we'll need when we reach Hibiscus Town."
Er Bao set the sacks down.
"That's sensible, but remember our agreement. We aren't going until you've reached the third layer of the Dust Realm."
"I remember, Brother Er Bao. You've reminded me almost every day."
"And have you reached it?"
"Not yet. Though I was hoping the promise of proper paper might help persuade my cultivation to improve."
Er Bao smiled but showed no sign of reconsidering.
Xu Hao knew better than to argue.
The brothers had good reasons for insisting that he become stronger before travelling. Even on a road used by merchants, danger could appear without warning.
And after everything he'd witnessed in the forest, he was in no hurry to discover how helpless he might be against someone who genuinely wished him harm.
Still, the prospect of seeing Hibiscus Town had become increasingly difficult to ignore.
He'd been living among trees and rocks for weeks.
He wanted to see houses. Shops. Markets.
And, perhaps most desperately of all, a book.
---
Da Bao approached packing with the confidence of a man who believed that anything useful ought to be taken along.
By midmorning, he'd assembled a sizeable collection in front of the shelter.
There were bundles of dried hides, cured meat, several pieces of animal bone, a coil of rope, a cooking pot, and a smooth stone he'd apparently discovered beside the stream.
Er Bao picked up the stone.
"What's this for?"
"I thought we might sell it."
Er Bao turned it over.
"It's a rock, Brother."
"A particularly smooth one. Someone might want it."
Xu Hao examined the stone.
It was indeed smooth, although he'd seen several dozen like it along the stream.
"What makes this one valuable?"
Da Bao looked mildly offended.
"Look at the colour. And the shape. You don't find stones like that every day."
"I believe I saw three this morning while collecting water."
"Then perhaps you should bring those too."
Er Bao laughed and placed the stone beside the fire.
"If we have room after packing everything else, you can take it. But I'm not carrying a sack of rocks all the way to Hibiscus Town."
Da Bao grumbled good-naturedly, although he made no further attempt to defend the stone.
They spent the next hour sorting everything into three groups.
Items to trade.
Supplies they would need on the road.
Things better left behind.
Xu Hao found the process unexpectedly interesting.
In his former life, he had studied the possessions that ancient travellers carried with them. Sometimes entire theories about trade routes and migration patterns had been constructed from a few objects recovered beside an old road.
Now he was learning how those decisions might actually have been made.
Every item had a purpose.
And every item added weight.
Da Bao could carry more than either of them, but Er Bao insisted that the loads be divided sensibly.
"We aren't moving house," he explained. "If something happens along the road, we'll need to move quickly. Carrying everything we own won't do us much good if we have to abandon it at the first sign of trouble."
Da Bao glanced at the largest bundle of hides.
"I could carry all of these without much difficulty."
"I know you could. But suppose we encounter a beast and Xu Hao needs help. Would you rather have your hands free, or spend half the fight looking for somewhere to put the bundles?"
Da Bao considered the question.
"Fair enough. We'll leave the heavier ones for another trip."
Xu Hao quietly removed a bundle of bones he'd been reluctant to carry.
He was beginning to suspect that sensible packing was less about deciding what could be taken and more about deciding what could safely be left behind.
The tiger hide required a separate discussion.
It was valuable. Even Xu Hao could recognise the quality of the material, despite the damage left by the fight.
Da Bao thought they should offer it to the first merchant willing to pay a reasonable price.
Er Bao was less enthusiastic.
"A hide like this will attract attention. Someone may ask where we killed the beast, or whether there are others in the same territory."
"What's wrong with telling them we found it in the forest?" Da Bao asked.
"Nothing, provided that's all we tell them. But hunters pay good money for information about valuable beasts. We can't afford to lead people towards our camp, particularly when we still don't know what left those enormous tracks beside the stream."
Xu Hao remembered the footprint.
He would have preferred to forget it.
"Perhaps we should wait until we're in town and find out what the hide is worth," he suggested. "We don't have to decide whether to sell it before we know who's buying."
"That's what I was thinking. We'll wrap it with the other hides and make the decision when we have more information."
Da Bao accepted the compromise.
The tiger hide went into a separate bundle.
The smooth stone remained beside the fire.
---
Xu Hao's own belongings were considerably easier to organise.
Everything fitted into a small cloth bundle.
His spare foot wrappings, a cup, his bow, a few pieces of charcoal, and the growing collection of bark strips covered in notes.
He sat looking at them for a moment.
On Earth, he'd owned an office full of books.
There had been shelves of research papers, handwritten observations from archaeological expeditions, photographs, reference materials, and an unreasonable number of notebooks.
He hadn't appreciated how much he depended on those things until he'd been forced to record everything on pieces of tree bark.
Er Bao noticed his expression.
"What's troubling you?"
"Nothing serious. I was just remembering my old office. I used to complain that I didn't have enough space for all my books. Now I could carry everything I own in one hand."
Er Bao sat beside him.
"That will change once we reach town. There are shops selling books and writing materials. You should be able to find most of what you need."
Xu Hao turned towards him.
"Books?"
"Of course. Did you think nobody here reads?"
"I knew people must read. I just hadn't realised I might be able to buy proper books so easily."
Er Bao smiled.
"There are scholars here too, Xu Hao. You may find that some of them have interests similar to yours."
That caught Xu Hao's attention.
He'd been so occupied with surviving that he hadn't given much thought to how people studied the world around them.
A society with cultivation techniques, ancient families and strange spiritual abilities must have developed its own systems of knowledge.
What sort of histories did they preserve?
Were there schools?
Libraries?
Records of earlier dynasties?
And what did they know about the origins of Card Drawing?
Xu Hao realised he was smiling.
"Brother Er Bao, I think you've just made me considerably more eager to visit Hibiscus Town."
"I thought mentioning paper might have that effect."
"Paper and books. Those are two entirely different temptations."
Da Bao, who had been listening while repairing a strap, shook his head.
"Most people go to town for good food and comfortable beds. Our little brother wants to spend his money on things he can read."
Xu Hao looked at him.
"I'd also be quite happy with a comfortable bed."
Da Bao laughed.
"Then we'll find you one. After we've bought your books."
Xu Hao returned to his list.
He wrote paper at the top, then reconsidered and glanced down at his damaged shoe.
Perhaps shoes should remain first.
He spent another minute deciding.
In the end, he underlined both.
---
That afternoon, Er Bao decided Xu Hao needed some practice handling money.
He spread several copper coins across a clean piece of cloth.
"You understand our currency well enough by now," he began, "but knowing the names of the coins isn't the same as knowing what things are worth. If you walk into a market and accept the first price you're offered, you'll run out of money very quickly."
Xu Hao nodded.
"I've dealt with merchants before. Although admittedly, the last time I purchased something from a market, nobody tried to sell me a cultivation pill."
"Then we should begin with ordinary goods."
Er Bao picked up a small piece of treated hide.
"Suppose a merchant offers this for eight copper. What would you do?"
"Ask whether it's worth eight copper."
"Good. And how would you find out?"
"Compare it with similar hides, examine the quality, and perhaps ask another merchant what he'd charge."
Er Bao nodded approvingly.
"Exactly. The price someone asks isn't always the price you ought to pay. And if you don't know the value of something, there's no shame in admitting it to yourself."
Xu Hao smiled.
That sounded remarkably similar to advice he'd given students examining unfamiliar artifacts.
The greatest mistakes often began when someone pretended to understand what they hadn't yet studied.
Er Bao continued the lesson with several examples.
They discussed ordinary food prices, the cost of repairing clothing, and the difference between purchasing supplies from a roadside trader and a large shop.
Then Er Bao handed him a few coins and asked him to count the change from an imaginary purchase.
Xu Hao counted them.
Er Bao exchanged two coins while his attention was elsewhere.
Xu Hao noticed the movement.
"Brother Er Bao, I believe you've just cheated me."
"Good. You were watching."
"In my former profession, we would have called that evidence of dishonest conduct."
"Here, we'll call it practice. When you reach town, some merchants will be perfectly honest. Others will see a young man who looks unfamiliar with the market and decide to test his arithmetic."
Xu Hao returned the coins to the cloth.
"I'll remember that."
Er Bao then brought up a more serious matter.
"We should also discuss what you tell people about yourself. We've already agreed on the story of how we found you, but you need to be careful about your cultivation."
Xu Hao nodded.
He had no intention of revealing that he was a Card Drawer.
The brothers had explained far too clearly what could happen if the wrong people discovered his ability.
"If anyone asks, I'll tell them I've only recently begun cultivating. That's true enough. I don't need to mention the cards."
"And the dogs?"
"We'll keep them hidden when we approach town. Yesterday's experiments proved that you and Brother Da Bao can return Grey and Little One to their cards safely. Sia can remain concealed as well."
Er Bao looked towards the three enormous huskies resting near the shelter.
"Good. The fewer people who see them together, the better. A single unusual beast may attract curiosity, but three nearly identical ones could lead to questions we can't answer."
Da Bao had been listening.
He rested a hand on Little One's enormous head.
"And if somebody offers to buy her?"
"Tell them she isn't for sale," Er Bao replied.
"What if they offer a thousand gold?"
"Still not for sale."
Da Bao considered that.
"That would be a great deal of money."
Xu Hao understood where his brother was going.
"Brother Da Bao, if you ask someone for a thousand gold before telling him she's not for sale, he'll immediately wonder what makes her worth so much."
Da Bao looked down at Little One.
The husky was watching his hand, apparently hoping the discussion would lead to food.
He scratched behind her ears.
"All right, girl. Nobody's buying you. No matter how much money they bring."
Xu Hao smiled.
For all Da Bao's enthusiasm about trading, he doubted his brother would part with Little One for any price.
---
Near sunset, a hollow bell sounded somewhere along the lower trail.
Sia raised her head.
Grey stood a moment later.
Little One abandoned the rope she'd been chewing and looked towards the trees.
The bell rang again, accompanied by the faint creak of wooden panniers.
Er Bao paused while tightening a strap.
"Someone's coming up from the south. Probably a merchant with a pack animal."
Da Bao listened.
"Sounds like a mule."
Xu Hao looked towards the three huskies.
They had been discussing the importance of keeping the cards secret only a few hours earlier.
Meeting a traveller with all three beasts plainly visible would hardly be a good beginning.
"Perhaps we should go down and speak to whoever it is before they come any closer," he suggested. "We can put the dogs away here, then meet the traveller near the spring."
Er Bao agreed.
Da Bao called Little One to his side and placed a hand against her shoulder.
A pale light ran through her coat, and she disappeared into her card.
Grey followed a moment later.
Xu Hao knelt beside Sia.
"Rest for a little while, girl. I'll call you back when we're finished."
Sia gave him a look that suggested she would rather investigate the approaching bell.
Nevertheless, she obeyed.
A few moments later, the three brothers were making their way down the stony path.
They reached the spring just as a young woman appeared between the pines.
She wore a broad straw hat and carried a walking stick. Dark hair was pinned neatly beneath the hat, and her travelling clothes, though dusty at the hem, were well kept.
She looked no older than twenty.
Her face was striking enough that Xu Hao noticed it immediately, but it was the confident way she walked that held his attention.
She moved like someone accustomed to travelling alone and dealing with whatever difficulties the road presented.
Behind her plodded a mule.
The animal was grey around the muzzle, with two wooden panniers strapped across its back and a little bell hanging beneath its throat.
It stopped as soon as it noticed the three men.
The woman followed its gaze.
"Good evening. I hope I'm not disturbing you. Someone told me there was a spring below this ridge, but I've been walking for an hour and was beginning to think I'd taken the wrong path."
Er Bao gestured towards the water.
"You're in the right place. The spring's just ahead. The bank is stony, but the water is clear."
"Wonderful. This fellow has been complaining since noon."
She glanced at the mule.
The animal shook its head, making the bell ring.
Xu Hao smiled.
"He seems to disagree with your assessment."
"He disagrees with most things. We've been arguing since we left the last village."
Da Bao stepped forward.
"I can help you lead him down if you'd like. The path's narrow, and those panniers look heavy."
"That's kind of you, but I wouldn't recommend pulling on his reins. He has a rather unfortunate habit of deciding that anyone who does so must be his enemy."
Da Bao looked at the mule.
The mule looked back.
"Surely he can't be that stubborn."
The woman laughed.
"You'd be surprised."
She stepped beside the animal, murmured something near its ear, and gave the reins a gentle tug.
After a moment's hesitation, the mule followed her down to the water.
Da Bao watched in astonishment.
Er Bao smiled.
"Perhaps there's a lesson there about persuading animals rather than dragging them around."
Da Bao pretended not to hear.
Xu Hao suspected his brother would have been less offended if the mule had simply kicked him.
---
While the mule drank, the woman rested her walking stick against a rock.
She explained that she traded medicinal herbs and occasionally travelled through the smaller villages to purchase plants and supplies that were difficult to find in larger markets.
She was returning towards Hibiscus Town.
"Are you three heading south as well?" she asked, noticing the cloth wrapped around Xu Hao's damaged shoe.
"Eventually," Er Bao replied. "We still have some things to finish here."
"Then take care when you do. The northern bridge is damaged. A plank gave way beneath a mule yesterday, and the crossing isn't safe for heavily loaded animals."
Xu Hao immediately paid attention.
"Is there another route?"
"There is. A little farther south, you'll find a fork beside a flat stone with three cuts on its surface. Take the wider road. It curves around the low ground and rejoins the main route beyond the bridge."
Xu Hao crouched and drew a rough map in the dirt.
The woman leaned over his shoulder.
"No, the stream runs this way. You'll want to cross above the bend, not below it."
She pointed with her stick.
Xu Hao corrected the drawing.
"Like this?"
"Exactly. Have you travelled that road before?"
"Not yet. I'd rather understand where I'm going before setting off."
The woman smiled.
"A sensible little scholar. That's surprisingly rare."
Xu Hao looked up.
Little scholar?
He had spent much of his previous life teaching students older than the young woman standing beside him.
Unfortunately, in his current body, he could hardly object to the description.
"I do my best."
She examined the map again and nodded approvingly.
Then her attention returned to his foot.
"Speaking of preparation, you'll want to do something about that shoe before travelling much farther. You've worn the skin above your heel raw."
Xu Hao glanced down.
He'd wrapped the damaged area carefully that morning, but the cloth had slipped.
"It's been like that for a few days. I'm planning to buy new shoes when we reach town."
"That may take longer than you expect if you keep walking on it."
She opened one of the mule's panniers and retrieved a small wooden case.
Inside were several neatly arranged packets and ceramic jars.
She selected one.
"This is a healing salve. It isn't anything particularly rare, but it'll help the skin recover and stop the cloth from rubbing it raw. Three copper."
Xu Hao examined the jar.
Then he checked the small number of coins Er Bao had given him for practice.
Two copper.
How unfortunate.
"I appreciate the offer, but I only have two copper with me."
The woman looked at the coins in his palm.
"Only two?"
"I'm afraid so. Otherwise, I would gladly pay the full price."
She smiled.
"Most young masters I've met would offer ten times the asking price rather than admit they were short of money."
"Then I suspect you've been dealing with rather wealthy young masters."
"Occasionally."
She examined him for a moment, then held out the jar.
"Two copper, then. You can owe me a favour for the difference."
Xu Hao hesitated.
"What sort of favour?"
"I haven't decided."
That was hardly reassuring.
He looked at the salve.
His heel was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, and he'd been concerned about how much longer his damaged shoes would last.
Still, agreeing to an unspecified obligation with someone he'd only just met seemed unwise.
"One reasonable favour," he said. "Something within my ability, and nothing unlawful."
For a moment, the young woman simply stared at him.
Then she burst into laughter.
"You're negotiating terms over one copper?"
"One copper is a very small price. An unlimited favour could prove considerably more expensive."
Her eyes brightened with amusement.
"Very well, little brother. One reasonable favour, within your ability, and nothing unlawful. Are you satisfied?"
Xu Hao considered the terms.
"I suppose that will do."
He handed over the two coins.
She accepted them and gave him the jar.
"Use only a thin layer, and make sure the skin is clean first. More isn't always better with medicinal salves."
Xu Hao nodded.
"Thank you. I appreciate your kindness."
"Don't thank me too quickly. I intend to remember that favour."
She was smiling when she said it, but Xu Hao suspected she meant every word.
He carefully tucked the jar into his bag.
Da Bao had been watching the exchange with an expression of great interest.
Xu Hao avoided looking at him.
He knew that expression far too well.
Er Bao filled the woman's water skin while she secured the wooden case inside her pannier.
Once the mule had finished drinking, she checked the straps and collected her walking stick.
"Well, I'd better continue before this fellow decides the spring belongs to him."
She took the reins.
The mule remained where it was.
The woman sighed.
"See what I mean?"
After a brief discussion conducted mostly in a low voice, the mule finally agreed to move.
Before leaving, the young woman turned towards Xu Hao.
"Remember the wider road at the fork, little scholar. And when you reach town, don't be too eager to trust every smiling merchant you meet."
Xu Hao glanced at the little jar in his bag.
"I believe I've already learned something about that."
She laughed.
"Then perhaps my work here is done."
With a final wave, she led the mule along the southern trail.
The little bell rang softly as they disappeared between the trees.
For a while, the brothers watched the path.
Then Da Bao shook his head.
"That mule would have followed me if she'd given me another chance."
Er Bao looked at him.
"Possibly. Although I think the mule had already made up its mind."
Xu Hao smiled.
He wasn't entirely certain who had been more stubborn, Da Bao or the mule.
---
Back at camp, Xu Hao took out his shopping list.
The northern road he'd planned to follow was no longer the safest choice.
He sketched the alternative route beside the notes he'd made earlier, adding the flat stone with three cuts and the bend in the stream.
Er Bao examined the drawing.
"We'll check it against what we know before setting off. Roads change, especially after heavy rain. Still, that was useful information."
Xu Hao nodded.
The young herb trader had seemed familiar with the area, and her directions were detailed enough to be worth remembering.
But he intended to verify the route if possible.
Da Bao settled beside the fire and began preparing supper.
Xu Hao took out the little jar of salve, examined its contents, and applied a thin layer to the sore skin above his heel.
The coolness was immediately pleasant.
He wrapped his foot again, this time taking care not to let the cloth press directly against the damaged area.
The relief made him rather glad he'd agreed to the purchase.
He was less certain about the favour.
He'd negotiated the conditions carefully enough, but he'd still promised something to a stranger without knowing when she might ask for it.
He wondered whether he'd been clever or foolish.
Perhaps both.
Er Bao sat nearby, examining the supplies they'd prepared.
"You seem pleased with yourself."
Xu Hao looked up.
"I've acquired a useful salve for two copper."
"And promised someone a favour."
"A reasonable favour. We agreed on the conditions."
Er Bao smiled.
"Then make certain you remember them. She certainly seemed as though she would."
Xu Hao had the uncomfortable feeling his brother was right.
He put the jar away and returned to his notes.
Salt.
Shoes.
Paper.
Ink.
Books.
He added the directions to Hibiscus Town and a reminder about the damaged bridge.
Then he looked at the word shoes again.
He'd begun the day thinking about what he wanted to buy when they reached town.
By evening, he'd learned about bargaining, preparing for a journey, recognising the risks of carrying valuable goods, and the importance of asking questions before agreeing to anything.
He'd also met a rather unusual young merchant and her exceptionally stubborn mule.
All of that without leaving the mountain.
Xu Hao folded the bark and placed it with his belongings.
He still hadn't reached the third layer of the Dust Realm.
Until he did, Hibiscus Town would have to remain a destination rather than an immediate plan.
But for the first time, he had spoken to someone who knew the road there.
And somehow, he'd managed to owe her a favour before even arriving.