Chapter 5865

After leaving the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, Jared and Vermilion did not hurry back to their inn. They wandered Sandrock City instead-letting its heat, grit, and golden dust seep into their clothes-ducking into cramped stalls and back-alley shops, whispering the same question at every counter: Jadeheart Marrow, have you seen it? Every merchant’s answer was a shrug painted in different words. They had heard of the miracle Jadeheart Marrow, never tasted it, could not point to so much as a rumor on a map.

“So the legends were right,” Vermilion sighed, pushing a curtain of rusty hair from his brow. “Even cultivators in level eleven treat Jadeheart Marrow as a bedtime story.”

Jared nodded once. “A treasure formed drop by drop over ten millennia isn’t likely to sit in a corner shop. The real clues live with ancient monsters-or the sort of sects that eat kingdoms for breakfast.” His smile was thin. “And we’re strangers here. Digging out those clues will be anything but easy.”

Their shared frustration was still hanging in the air when a mild, well-polished voice rose behind them. The tone carried no edge, yet it cut straight through the crowd. “Gentlemen, might you be searching for Jadeheart Marrow?”

Both men pivoted, muscles coiled. Vermilion’s cloak flared; Jared’s hand brushed the hilt at his waist.

A scholar in sea-green robes stood a polite ten paces away. His face was ordinary, almost forgettable, but his eyes glittered with the bright calculation of a seasoned broker. His aura, Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Five, rested against the city’s din like calm water. Hands clasped, he offered an amiable smile that never quite reached those quicksilver eyes.

“And you are?” Jared asked, voice cool yet courteous.