The sky had grown dark, and Xu Mu and the other headed towards the City of Never-Fall. As they walked, they noticed that the street vendors, who had been hawking their wares, were beginning to pack up their stalls. No matter how much the residents pleaded, the vendors refused to stay a moment longer.
"My child is studying at the private school. He had an exam today and got ninth place. He's been clamoring for your roasted sweet potatoes, can you make us one more?" A middle-aged woman with an ordinary face and a headscarf blocked a roasted sweet potato vendor who was about to pack up his cart.
"Sister, I really can't. I've run out of sweet potatoes," the vendor, a bald man in tattered clothes, said with some helplessness.
"Who says there are none? Aren't there a pile right there!" the woman pointed to the sweet potatoes visible in a basket beneath the cart, her tone aggressive.
"Well... you know the rules. I can't," the man said, looking troubled. One sweet potato cost five copper coins, and he certainly didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to make money. However, in the entire City of Never-Fall, only the Gold and Silver Merchants were allowed to conduct business after dark. Anyone else who dared to try would be thrown into prison.
"Tell me, how do you make them so sweet?" the woman continued.
"That's my livelihood! Do you think I'll tell you!" the man shouted, feeling that she was deliberately causing trouble. He made to push his cart away.
But at that moment, he discovered that the cart wouldn't move.
"Roast three sweet potatoes. Make them sweet," Xu Mu said calmly, his slender fingers pinning the cart in place.
"This... it's already dark," the man realized that no matter how hard he pushed, the cart wouldn't budge. Looking at Xu Mu's icy gaze, he thought they were here to cause trouble. His face turned pale, and he stammered, "Are you with them?!"
"Why can't we sell when it's dark? Is there such a rule for business?" Daoist Jiuxian asked with some confusion. He often descended the mountain to slay demons and had worldly experience, but he had never encountered such a peculiar vendor.
"My lords, it's not that I don't want to sell, it's that I truly dare not," the vendor, seeing that the two seemed to have no ill intentions, calmed down and quickly explained.
"Ever since that big shot from the Gold and Silver Merchants arrived in the City of Never-Fall, we haven't been able to do business at night. Except for the shops opened by their merchant house, no one else can open for business, or they'll be sent to prison!" the bald man grumbled indignantly.
"How could the imperial court approve such an unreasonable rule? Doesn't the Demon Slaying Division care?" the Daoist continued to ask.
"Care?" The man laughed and shook his head. "I suspect they're already in cahoots. The reason the imperial court gives is that they're afraid our goods might be unsafe at night. How novel! These sweet potatoes have been roasted for generations, and no one has ever gotten sick from eating them. Besides, they're allowed to be sold during the day, but they become unsafe at night? Isn't that just fooling people!
So, it's not that I don't want to sell you sweet potatoes, it's that I truly dare not. Please, my lords, let me go!" the man sighed, then tried to push his cart away.
But to his surprise, the cart still wouldn't move.
"Three sweet potatoes, roast them sweet. If anyone gives you trouble, I'll handle it," Xu Mu said again.
"This..." The bald man, though unaware of Xu Mu's identity, could sense that this was someone he couldn't afford to offend. If he refused to roast the sweet potatoes now, he might pay a price before the authorities even arrested him.
"On your account, three it is," the bald man said. He took some sweet potatoes from the basket and placed them into the still-smoldering charcoal stove. He even lit a fire beneath it, instantly illuminating the small space.
"Stop right there!" Suddenly, a roar came from the end of the street, and several patrolling guards in official uniforms rushed over. They wore mocking expressions, their spears pointed at the bald man.
"My lords, what are you doing?" the bald man's heart sank, and he stammered.
"Asking the obvious! We've been waiting for you for half a day!" the young guard at the front said mockingly, pointing at Xu Mu and his companions. "You'll roast them just because they told you to? What do you take the court's rules for? Believe it or not, I'll arrest you and throw you in jail!"
"I'm sorry, my lords, I'm sorry. I'll leave now, I won't roast them!" The bald man trembled and immediately tried to extinguish the fire, but his hand was stopped in mid-air.
"I'm hungry, hurry up," Xu Mu urged calmly, seemingly unaware of the soldiers.
"Oh, there's another troublemaker. Do you want to go to jail too!" the soldier roared, pointing his spear tip at Xu Mu's chest.
"I just want to eat a roasted sweet potato, and you point a spear at me? What kind of logic is that?" Xu Mu met the spear tip, appearing somewhat bewildered.
"Kid, you have to follow the rules. Now is not the time for you to eat sweet potatoes. Go buy them from the Gold and Silver Merchants!" the soldier said menacingly, pushing the spear tip directly to the young man's forehead.
"There are no circles without rules, but why should I follow unreasonable rules?" Xu Mu retorted.
"My rules are the rules!"
"Since you're so keen to know why, come to the prison with me and we'll discuss it!" the soldier said, reaching out to grab Xu Mu's arm, intending to escort him to jail. However, he then discovered that no matter how hard he tried, Xu Mu's body wouldn't budge. It was as if he were trying to shake a tree with a silkworm, utterly ridiculous.
As they stared at each other, the young soldier became uneasy under Xu Mu's ferocious gaze, his imposing demeanor involuntarily weakening. Yet, he refused to back down verbally.
"Kid, if you keep looking at me like that, you're courting death!"
"Hmm," Xu Mu extended his hand and casually touched the arm of the leading young soldier.
"You are not to use this arm again from now on."
The soldier's face turned ashen. He realized that no matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't lift his right arm; it felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead. Only an ability user could achieve this in an instant!
"M-my lord, I didn't know..." the soldier stammered, his face pale, wanting to beg for mercy. But he saw Xu Mu wave his hand.
"There are many people to kill tonight. You are not one of them."
"Before I change my mind, leave quickly."
"But my arm..." The soldier tried to haggle, but then he saw the cold glint of the hunting knife at Xu Mu's waist. His soul nearly leaped out of his body, and he was pulled away by his companions, fleeing the scene.
"The sweet potatoes are ready. As you said, they're roasted sweet," the bald man, forcing himself to remain calm, wrapped the sweet potatoes in paper and handed them to Xu Mu.
"Take them back while they're hot and eat them. Tell him to study hard." Xu Mu handed a sweet potato to the woman and then another to Daoist Jiuxian.
"Thank you, my lord," the woman accepted cautiously, then froze in place.
"Where is the headquarters of the Gold and Silver Merchants located now?" Xu Mu asked while eating the sweet potato, which was soft and sweet.
"Go east for about four thousand paces, then make another turn, and you'll see the headquarters," the bald man replied. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Could it be... you're also going to the merchant house for the night gathering?"
"What is a night gathering?" Xu Mu asked.
"It's a summons issued by the head of the Gold and Silver Merchants this morning. He said he's looking for ability users to attend a meeting, the more the better. They'll be asked to do some tasks for him. Anyone who attends the night gathering, regardless of whether they end up acting with him, will receive a substantial sum of silver," the bald man explained.
"A night gathering, eh." Xu Mu finished the sweet potato in his hand, turned, and walked towards the eastern road. Daoist Jiuxian followed closely, his killing intent palpable.
They understood that this so-called night gathering was actually the Gold and Silver Merchants recruiting assassins, and it was not hard to guess who their target was.
"My lord, the money for the sweet potatoes..." the man called out softly to the receding figure of Xu Mu, hesitating. But Xu Mu paid him no mind.
"Forget it. Being able to teach that guard a lesson is satisfying enough," the man rubbed his bald head. He turned to push his cart away, only to see a thick stack of copper coins inexplicably placed on the cart.
The man looked back in astonishment, trying to catch another glimpse of Xu Mu, but the young figure in the cloth clothes had already vanished at the street corner.
And so, only the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes remained in the air.
And the fifteen gleaming copper coins.