More than an hour later, Mei Lin emerged from her cultivation state and slowly opened her eyes. Yu Lan, now dressed in new clothes, was waiting for her. A middle-aged woman sat beside Yu Lan, bandaging her hand.
Mei Lin was startled and immediately drew her crystal knife, ready to attack the woman if she made any threatening move.
The woman smiled gently and released the bandage. "My name is Bei Shue. I was ordered to come here to heal you. One of the disciples found you here and informed me to assist you. You don't need to be afraid of me." Bei Shue was at the fifth stage of Body Tempering and wore a blue cultivation robe, similar to those worn by sect cultivators. Her face was smooth as jade, and she exuded a faint herbal scent.
Mei Lin didn't like her at all, but she couldn't offer any resistance. She had been unable to heal Yu Lan herself, and finding someone who could help had proven more difficult than she'd expected.
Bei Shue couldn't see Mei Lin's face clearly, but noticing that Mei Lin was still clutching her knife, she felt uneasy. "You should leave as soon as possible. This place will be put up for auction in two days at an auction hall in the eastern part of the Green Zone. You can buy whatever you want there if you have green identification tokens."
"Tell me more about the auction. Where exactly is it, and how can we get in?" Mei Lin asked quickly.
Bei Shue shared everything she knew about the auction. She had noticed that, despite Mei Lin's young age and worn appearance, her beautiful cultivation robe was far superior to her own or those of the sect disciples. Recognizing Mei Lin's apparent wealth, Bei Shue hoped to establish a good relationship with her and Yu Lan. If Mei Lin desired, she could likely hire Bei Shue as a private healer, a common practice in the Green Zone, especially considering Yu Lan's poor condition.
Many families with cultivation potential sent their children to the sect, and with this status, they could request the Peng Sect to cure illnesses or assist with other problems. However, those not directly connected to the Blue Zone could also seek their help, though they would be charged exorbitant amounts of spirit stones in return.
Despite her cultivation stage, which wasn't too low to compete within the sect, Bei Shue was still one of the weakest at the fifth stage of Body Tempering. Due to her low status, she couldn't afford to purchase higher cultivation techniques and was left with a basic wood-path healing technique, which had been given to her when she joined the sect.
"I will take my leave now," Bei Shue said, pulling out a wooden token inscribed with the character 北. "If you need my help again, you can contact me through this token, and I'll come to assist with any medical problems you might have." Bei Shue smiled, but after waiting a few seconds, she left the room with a less cheerful expression than before.
Mei Lin didn't fully believe that Bei Shue had truly left them alone, so she used her spirit sense to search for her. Finding no traces of Bei Shue or anyone else, she finally relaxed and rushed to Yu Lan's side.
Yu Lan was still trembling slightly, but before Mei Lin could say anything, Yu Lan slowly tried to stand. Her legs shook as she supported herself with a hand propped against the wall.
"Miss Bei Shue told me that we could stay in special rooms at the border between the Green and Blue Zones. We can remain there until the auction is held, but we'll need to leave afterward," Yu Lan said. She pulled a green crystal from the sleeve of her robe and extended her bandaged hand toward Mei Lin.
Mei Lin wanted to ask about Yu Lan's condition, but seeing her struggle to move and knowing she couldn't help her anyway, she decided against it. Mei Lin took the green crystal and used her spirit sense to examine its contents.
Inside the crystal was a simple map leading them to a wall, which served as a provisional place to stay. Mei Lin stopped scanning and shifted her gaze to Yu Lan.
"We can head to this wall. It will be much safer to stay there than here," she said. Yu Lan smiled at Mei Lin and gripped her hand tightly. "Now we can go." Mei Lin squeezed her hand in return, and together they left the pavilion, heading toward the wall.
Mei Lin and Yu Lan stood at the foot of the wall, looking up at the massive structure that encircled the center of the city where the sect was located. As they stood there, an old cultivator approached them. He wore a green cultivation robe with a blue identification token hanging at his waist.
"What kind of cultivation cave would you like to rent?" the old man asked, smiling at Yu Lan despite her lack of cultivation. "If you don't have enough spirit stones, I can lend you some at a low rate." His sinister expression deepened as a few spirit stones appeared in his hand. Yu Lan began trembling under his gaze, feeling an urge to flee.
"How much for the cave?" Mei Lin asked, completely ignoring his lecherous stare. The old man was taken aback and shifted his attention to Mei Lin.
"It depends, little girl. One low-grade spirit stone for a cave without spirit energy, five low-grade…" Before he could finish, Mei Lin interrupted him.
"We want a cave with rich spirit energy," she declared, cutting off the old man's attempt to exploit them.
The old man was surprised by Mei Lin's sudden demand. Caves with rich spirit energy were rare and expensive, and most cultivators avoided renting them, preferring to save their spirit stones for more pressing needs.
"Caves with rich natural energy are rare and extremely costly. Do you think you can afford one?" the old man asked.
"They cost ten low-grade spirit stones per night. Since there are two of you, you'll need to pay twenty for a night," the old cultivator replied instantly, his gaze returning to Yu Lan. He was clearly pleased at seeing her, a low-ranking sect member like him indulging in inappropriate thoughts, until Mei Lin snapped him out of it.