49: A ruler cannot measure the price of cloth

As the sun rose, the stall was re-erected. Zhang Xuanyi, wrapped in a black robe, had a pale face but clear eyes.

The first ray of dawn pierced through the mountain mist, landing precisely on the weathered “Dao Market Relic” stele, making the four large characters “Cloth Master Returns” glow as if branded with a hot iron.

Cheng Xinzi still knelt in the mud ten zhang away, his black-cloth-covered face turned towards Zhang Xuanyi, his body trembling slightly with excitement and remorse.

The bronze ruler in his hand was broken into two pieces, its spirituality completely lost, just like his shattered faith at this moment.

Behind him, Trust Scale and Righteous Rod had long since abandoned their Magical Artifacts, also prostrating on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.

The eerie sight of a hundred ghosts holding scales had vanished, but the bone-chilling resentment and coldness seemed to have permeated every inch of the mountain path’s soil.

“Cloth Master…” Cheng Xinzi’s hoarse voice broke the silence, “The Market Heart Association… respectfully welcomes the Cloth Master back to his position!”

He slammed his head against the ground, the sound dull like a drum.

“We were blind, mistaking a bright lamp for a demonic fire. Please, Cloth Master, inflict punishment!”

Zhang Xuanyi did not respond immediately.

The sharp pain in his chest came in waves, and the qi sea in his body felt like a salt lake about to dry up. Every circulation of True Qi was accompanied by tearing pain.

The System’s warning of “survival rate < 5%” was not a joke.

He merely gazed coldly at the three kneeling figures with eyes that were almost unnaturally clear.

“Inflict punishment?” Zhang Xuanyi finally spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying a suppressive power from the depths of his Soul, the authority of the “Cloth Master” that had just Awakened. “Is your ‘impartiality’ to take lives without reason? Is your ‘dao price’ to besiege people with a hundred ghosts and force them into blood sacrifice?”

Every word was like an invisible heavy hammer, striking Cheng Xinzi’s heart.

He suddenly looked up, eagerly explaining: “Cloth Master, please understand! For three hundred years, the Tianshi Mansion has blockaded the Dao Market, cutting off the path of cultivation for all people, solely for its own supremacy! We, the Market Heart Association, are descendants of the Dao Market merchants from back then. Our ancestors were harmed by the Tianshi Mansion, and we have carried a blood feud for generations! We sought a spiritual anchor only to reopen the Dao Market and restore ‘fairness’ to the world! When we saw you occupying this land for a hundred days, yet only selling those… those ‘Pseudo-Three Caverns True Qi Liquid’ that are no different from Daoist tyrants’ products, we thought you were a spy sent by the Tianshi Mansion to defile the glory of the Dao Market, which is why…”

“So, your fairness is another massacre?” Zhang Xuanyi interrupted him, his voice suddenly turning cold. “Using hatred as a scale and blood as weights, what difference is there between you and the Tianshi Mansion of three hundred years ago?”

Cheng Xinzi stiffened, speechless.

Zhang Xuanyi took a deep breath, enduring the burning pain in his lungs, his gaze sweeping over the seemingly ordinary stall beneath his feet.

Just now, the moment the stall unfolded, he not only saw the illusion of the ancient Dao Market, but also a vast and boundless flood of information poured into his Divine Soul.

He understood the true meaning of “Cloth Master,” the origin of this stall, and also… the origin of those ghosts.

He slowly raised his hand, gently pointing his fingertip at the Void Realm.

“Dao Market Projection.”

Buzz—

With a faint hum, the golden patterns in the center of the stall lit up again, but this time, there was no golden light soaring to the sky, only a soft light curtain projected.

Within the light curtain, it was no longer the grand scene of thousands of stalls, but rather fragmented images.

In the images, simple-faced merchants joyfully exchanged a Spirit Medicine called “Three Caverns True Qi Liquid” from a person wearing a magnificent Daoist robe.

They thought this was a shortcut to cultivation, a hope to change their destiny.

However, the next image showed them, after consuming the Spirit Medicine, their bodies twisting, blood flowing from their seven orifices, their Divine Souls locked by a strange rune, eventually turning into vengeful spirits in endless torment.

That rune was precisely the Reverse Three Caverns Talisman on the chests of the hundred ghosts summoned by Cheng Xinzi!

And the person in the magnificent Daoist robe distributing the “experimental liquid” had a majestic emblem embroidered on his sleeve—the Tianshi Mansion!

“They are not creditors, they are victims.” Zhang Xuanyi’s voice deepened. “They have been trapped here for three hundred years, not to demand repayment from me, but to await someone who can bring them justice.”

Cheng Xinzi watched the scene in the light curtain, clenching his fists tightly, his fingernails digging into his palms, bleeding profusely.

This was the blood feud passed down through generations of the Market Heart Association, now revealed by Zhang Xuanyi in such a way, making it even more shocking.

“Cloth Master…”

“I am not your Cloth Master.” Zhang Xuanyi shook his head, his gaze profound. “I am merely a successor.”

With a thought, the light curtain suddenly transformed into countless soft points of light, scattering like fireflies, slowly descending towards the ground around the mountain path.

Wherever the light points reached, sighs of relief came from deep underground, and the resentment that had lingered for three hundred years dissolved at a visible rate.

The Old Earth Vein Turtle poked its head out from under the stele, its murky eyes showing a hint of clarity. “Reincarnation for nine cycles, this is the beginning, and also the end.”

After doing all this, Zhang Xuanyi’s face turned even paler, and he stumbled, almost unable to stand steadily.

The old yellow dog guarding the stall immediately stepped forward, bracing him with its body.

Seeing this, Cheng Xinzi finally recovered from his shock. He scrambled to Zhang Xuanyi’s front, holding the broken ruler high above his head, his voice filled with determination: “The third-generation Cheng Xinzi of the Market Heart Association, Yu Chengzhi, is willing to lead his followers in allegiance! From now on, all members of the Market Heart Association shall be the cornerstone of the Dao Market, and humble servants under the Cloth Master! We will obey any command, even if it means ten thousand deaths!”

“Please accept us, Cloth Master!” Trust Scale and Righteous Rod also crawled over, kowtowing heavily.

Zhang Xuanyi looked at them, his eyes complex.

He was extremely weak now and desperately needed help.

Although these three were reckless, their original intentions were not of great evil, and more importantly, their hatred for the Tianshi Mansion and their obsession with rebuilding the Dao Market were genuine.

“The Dao Market does not need humble servants.” Zhang Xuanyi said slowly, each word seemingly using all his strength. “But it lacks three scale-keepers.”

He extended his fingers, pointing them respectively at the broken ruler, the small scale, and the iron rod.

“This ruler is broken; impartiality must be established by people. From now on, you shall be the Dao Market’s ‘Inspector,’ inspecting all things entering the market. Can you be impartial?”

Cheng Xinzi, no, Yu Chengzhi, trembled violently, holding the broken ruler with shaking hands as if it were the most precious treasure in the world, and responded heavily: “Chenzhi, I accept the command!”

Zhang Xuanyi then looked at Trust Scale: “A small scale can measure people’s hearts. You shall be the ‘Measurer,’ measuring both parties of a transaction. Can you be trustworthy?”

Trust Scale’s face flushed with excitement: “I accept the command!”

Finally, to Righteous Rod: “An iron rod must be upright. You shall be the ‘Law Enforcer,’ enforcing the rules of the market. Can you be righteous?”

Righteous Rod kowtowed, making thudding sounds: “I accept the command!”

At this moment, an invisible wave of Luck surged from the stele beneath the stall, injecting into the three individuals.

Their injuries instantly healed, and their aura became even more stable and refined than before.

This was the blessing of the Dao Market’s authority, proof of their new identities!

Feeling the changes within their bodies, their reverence for Zhang Xuanyi had deeply permeated their very bones.

Zhang Xuanyi finally sighed in relief after arranging everything, but then, an even stronger sense of weakness swept over him.

He knew that forcefully activating the Dao Market Projection and bestowing divine positions had severely overdrawn his crumbling qi sea.

He had to immediately meditate and recover, otherwise, even immortals couldn’t save him within an hour.

However, things did not go as planned.

Just as the mountain path returned to peace and the morning light illuminated the earth, a sharp piercing sound suddenly echoed from the direction of Qingyuan City, a hundred li away!

The sound was mournful like a ghost’s wail, filled with ominousness and murderous Qi.

Yu Chengzhi and the others’ faces changed drastically, and they abruptly looked up.

They saw a black stream of light, cutting through the sky at an imperceptible speed, trailing a long tail of flames, heading directly towards their mountain with a clear target!

That was not a Flying Sword, nor a Magic Treasure.

It was a communication paper crane, entirely black, made from some strange bone powder mixed with talisman paper!

Before the paper crane arrived, a bone-chilling pressure had already enveloped the entire mountain. That pressure was overbearing, filled with a sense of lofty disdain and the power to decide life and death.

The Old Earth Vein Turtle instantly retracted its head under the stele, not daring to leak even a trace of its aura.

“It’s the Tianshi Mansion’s… ‘Patrol Order’!” Yu Chengzhi’s voice trembled; it was a fear that originated from the depths of his Bloodline.

Zhang Xuanyi tightened his black robe, his expression more solemn than ever before.

He gazed at the rapidly approaching black stream of light, his eyes still clear, but beneath that clarity, a hint of mad Battle Intent was quietly igniting.

Trouble, after all, had arrived. And much faster than he had imagined.