This street was quieter than the bustling market avenues. On both sides stood apothecaries, weaving shops, and pawn houses. At the end of the street rose a gray-brick, gold-tiled building whose outer walls were carved with flame motifs. Above its door hung a sign that read "Taiyao Silver Exchange." Mozi stopped there.
"This is it. Come with me."
Inside, the light was soft. Several clerks were counting coins. Behind the counter, an elderly exchange master looked up.
"Here to trade currency?"
Mozi nodded. "He has gold beans to exchange for Yao money."
Lin Yaochen carefully placed the gold beans on the counter.
The master examined them, then placed them on a Yao balance scale. Yao sigils lit up at once.
"Good purity. At today's rate, one gold bean exchanges for one hundred and fifty Yao copper."
"Then I'll exchange this amount," Yaochen said excitedly.
The master quickly filled a small cloth pouch with coins and handed it to him.
"Keep it safe," Mozi warned. "Too much money attracts trouble."
Yaochen tucked it away with a grin. "Now that we're rich, we can finally eat something good!"
Stone-Grill Hall was a well-known mid-sized restaurant in Fengyan City. Bone-carved lanterns hung at its entrance, and steaming dish illustrations decorated the walls.
"This place smells amazing!" Yaochen's eyes shone.
"It looks decent. Probably not a scam," Mozi replied.
They sat down, and a waiter brought menus.
Yaochen stared at the strange dish names:
Double-Roasted Fire-Beast Shoulder
Red-Pepper Stuffed Rock Eggs
Smoked Yao-Vein Fish
Golden-Thread Sweet Taro with Dawn Frost Brew
"Uhh… do these have pictures? I don't want to accidentally order lizard tails with snake soup."
The waiter chuckled and explained.
"Fire Beasts have rich meat. Rock eggs are from mineral birds—no stones inside. The sweet taro with Dawn Frost Brew is our specialty."
"Then I'll take everything!" Yaochen slapped the menu shut. "And a jug of the best fruit brew."
"Can you even finish all that?" Mozi asked.
Yaochen was already pouring a cup. One sip made his eyes light up.
"Wow… this is incredible."
He poured some into a dish and slid it to Mozi. "Try it!"
The food came quickly. The aromas were intoxicating.
Yaochen bit into the roast. "This is amazing! Way better than the cafeteria chicken legs back home!"
"Your comparison is ruining my appetite," Mozi muttered, still eating calmly.
Yaochen pointed at two miners drinking nearby. "Their snacks look great too. Should I—"
"Don't," Mozi said flatly. "They're eating Five-Yao spicy dried fish. It's meant for Fire-element cultivators. You'd get a nosebleed from one bite."
"Okay… sweet taro it is."
"Total: twenty-five Yao copper," the waiter said.
"WHAT?!" Yaochen yelped. "I only exchanged a hundred and fifty! One meal cost a fifth of it?"
"Now you know money isn't easy to earn," Mozi said as he stood.
"Still… totally worth it…"
After eating, Yaochen patted his stomach happily, then suddenly turned serious.
"Let's go back and exchange all my gold beans."
"We need a carriage, clothes, blankets, dry rations, water bags, cookware… I am not surviving on hard bread and raw water again."
"Buying everything now means we can live out of the carriage instead of sleeping on rocks!"
Mozi paused, then nodded.
"Looks like you've learned to plan ahead."
They soon bought a sturdy long-distance carriage with an iron-hoofed beast to pull it.
"Eighteen Yao silver, including harness and registration," the shopkeeper said.
"I'll take it," Yaochen declared.
Soon, the beast was hitched and the papers completed.
Yaochen climbed into the driver's seat, grinning.
"Feels like a real adventure now, doesn't it?"
"We'll see if you can actually drive it."
They stocked up on blankets, cloaks, cookware, flint, ropes, rations, salt, lamps, and medicine, loading everything into the carriage.
"Now we have everything," Yaochen said proudly, "except…"
He tugged his old tunic. "I look kind of shabby."
At a traveler's clothing shop, he picked out a practical yet stylish outfit—short-hemmed travel robes, a light cloak, new boots.
When he stepped out, he looked completely different: clean, sharp, and ready for the road.
"Much better," Mozi admitted.
"That was a compliment, right? I knew it!"
"Let me try driving!" Yaochen grabbed the reins.
"You sure you won't drive us into a ditch?"
"Relax! How hard can it be? Giddy-up!"
The carriage lurched wildly.
"Steady, you idiot!" Mozi leapt up. "You're steering, not wrestling!"
Yaochen swallowed nervously. "I—I'm just learning!"
He tried again, this time carefully.
The carriage rolled forward smoothly.
Wind swept past, sunlight filtered through the trees, and the wheels turned true.
Yaochen grinned wide.
"See? I told you—I learn fast…"
(To be continued.)