Chapter 26: The Price of the First Step

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Price of the First Step

The hidden market was busier than Ethan remembered. When he first entered, most of his attention had been spent confirming that the place existed at all. Now that the shock had passed, he could finally observe it properly.

The market occupied a narrow valley hidden between rocky slopes. Stalls lined both sides of the winding path. Some were simple wooden tables. Others were little more than blankets spread across the ground.

People moved through the crowd quietly. Most wore ordinary clothes. Some looked like merchants. Some looked like travelers.

A few carried themselves differently. Their steps were calm, their eyes were sharp. Even without understanding cultivation, Ethan could tell they were not ordinary people.

He walked slowly, keeping his travel journal tucked beneath his arm. No one paid him much attention. That suited him perfectly. The first few stalls sold herbs. Bundles of dried roots. Strange leaves. Powders sealed in paper packets.

Ethan glanced at them but did not stop. His goal today was clear. Cultivation manuals.

Nothing else. A few minutes later, he found the first stall selling them. Several bamboo slips and thin books were arranged neatly on a wooden table. Behind it sat an elderly man with a long beard.

Ethan picked up one of the manuals. The cover read: Basic Breath Guidance Method

He opened it. The contents were filled with unfamiliar terms. Meridians, spirit points, Qi circulation. The words themselves were understandable. The meaning was not.

"Two silver."

The old man spoke without looking up.

Ethan nearly put the manual down immediately. Two silver. That was already far more expensive than he had expected. He calmly returned it to the table. The old man finally glanced at him.

"You don’t look surprised."

Ethan smiled faintly.

"I’ve learned expensive things are rarely sold cheaply."

The old man snorted.

"At least you’re smarter than most."

Ethan moved on. The next stall sold manuals too. This time he spent longer reading. Unfortunately, the prices only became worse. Three silver. Five silver. Seven silver.

One particularly old manual cost twelve silver. By the time he reached the fifth stall, Ethan finally understood something. Cultivation was expensive. Far more expensive than he had imagined.

He found a quiet corner near a wall and sat down. Then he mentally reviewed his finances. Three months at Pine Rest Inn.

Careful saving. Minimal spending. The occasional tip from travelers. After everything was counted together, he possessed a little over six silver and some copper coins.

For an ordinary person, that was respectable.

For cultivation? It suddenly felt very small. Ethan exhaled slowly. At least now he understood the situation. The money was enough to survive for some time. But not enough to buy whatever he wanted.

Every purchase would matter. Every mistake would cost him. A short while later, he returned to the stalls. This time he paid less attention to prices and more attention to the people selling them. That was when he noticed something strange.

Several manuals appeared almost identical.

Yet their prices differed greatly. One cost three silver. Another cost eight. A third cost ten. The names were different. The covers were different. But the descriptions sounded remarkably similar.

Ethan frowned. Either the sellers were dishonest. Or there was something he did not understand. Likely both. He was considering whether to ask questions when a familiar voice spoke nearby.

"Still carrying that journal?"

Ethan turned. For a moment he simply stared. The middle-aged traveler. The man who had forgotten the bamboo case at Pine Rest Inn. The same traveler Ethan had returned it to months ago.

The man smiled.

"You remember me."

"I do."

Ethan nodded.

"I wasn’t expecting to see you here."

"Neither was I."

The traveler glanced at the surrounding stalls.

"Though I suppose this place attracts all kinds."

Ethan studied him carefully. The man looked much the same as before. Ordinary clothes.

Ordinary appearance. Yet standing here, inside a hidden market filled with cultivators, that ordinary appearance suddenly seemed much less convincing.

The traveler noticed where Ethan’s attention had been focused.

"Cultivation manuals?"

"Yes."

The man chuckled.

"A dangerous thing to buy blindly."

Ethan immediately became interested.

"Why?"

The traveler pointed toward one of the nearby stalls.

"The cheapest manuals are often incomplete."

Then he pointed toward another.

"The expensive ones aren’t always worth the price either."

Ethan listened quietly. The traveler continued.

"Some manuals are copied incorrectly."

"Some have missing sections."

"Some were written by people who barely understood what they were teaching."

Ethan felt a slight chill. If he had purchased one carelessly, he would never have known.

The traveler folded his arms.

"Most beginners lose money before they gain experience."

"Think of it as tuition."

Ethan laughed softly.

"Expensive tuition."

"It usually is."

For a while they walked together through the market. The traveler occasionally pointed out different stalls. He never directly told Ethan what to buy. Instead, he explained what to avoid. That was somehow more useful.

Eventually they stopped before a small stall tucked between two larger ones. Unlike the others, this stall displayed only three manuals. Nothing more. The old woman running it sat quietly behind the table. The traveler nodded toward the books.

"If I were starting from nothing, I’d begin there."

Ethan looked at the manuals.

None of them appeared impressive.

In fact, they looked almost plain.

"Why these?"

"Because they are honest."

The traveler’s answer came immediately.

"No hidden tricks."

"No missing pages."

"No promises of becoming a master overnight."

"Just a foundation."

Ethan stared at the manuals. A foundation.

That was exactly what he needed. Not power. Not miracles. A beginning. The traveler turned to leave.

"Wait."

The man stopped. Ethan hesitated briefly.

"Back at Pine Rest Inn."

"The bamboo case."

The traveler smiled.

"I remember."

"You helped me."

Ethan looked at the manuals.

"You didn’t have to help me now."

The traveler’s smile deepened slightly.

"Perhaps."

Then he glanced toward the market.

"Or perhaps debts should be repaid."

Before Ethan could respond, the man waved and disappeared into the crowd. Ethan stood there for several moments. Then he turned back toward the stall. The old woman remained silent. Waiting. The manuals rested quietly on the table.

Ethan looked down at the three manuals once more. The old woman remained silent, giving him time to think. He didn’t reach for his money immediately. Instead, he picked up the first manual and opened it carefully.

If cultivation was going to cost him months of savings, then he intended to know exactly what he was paying for.

The old woman watched him for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Good," she said.

"Most people ask for the price first."

Ethan turned the first page. The next step of his journey would be decided here.