The Xiao Family had risen to prominence in recent years, and Cloud Crowned Peak was no longer a place for paying tribute. As a result, the foot traffic had decreased significantly. Fortunately, with the destruction of the Yu Family's market and the northern Xu State still in a state of disrepair, the majority of visitors from Moongaze Lake and half of Xu State flocked to the Cloud Crowned Peak market, preventing it from becoming too desolate.
Deep within the market, Li Qiuyang squatted in front of a store, holding a few pelts and arguing with a rogue cultivator. The man's face turned red as he exclaimed, "This is the hide of a first heavenly layer Qi Cultivation Realm beast, completely intact! How can it not be worth seven Spirit Stones?"
Li Qiuyang had become a unrefined Qi cultivator, so his Dao cultivation had essentially reached the ceiling. Obtaining nearly a century of extended life was already fortunate. Cultivators of various unrefined qi had poor combat abilities, merely possessing the name of Qi Cultivator and the ability to ride the wind. The Li Family's market stores needed staff, and Li Xuanxuan thought it better for family members to earn Spirit Stones rather than outsiders, so he had called Li Qiuyang to the market to find work.
Seeing the rogue cultivator causing a scene, Li Qiuyang simply smiled wryly and replied, "Fellow Daoist, although this hide is from a Qi Cultivation Realm beast, it lacks luster and is quite shabby. It is clearly from a young demon beast who had just attained the Qi Cultivation Realm. While the pelt is complete, it is just a small animal, no bigger than a child..."
"Stop spouting nonsense and slandering me, Third Li!"
The man saw Li Qiuyang demeaning the hide and immediately started scolding him, his face contorted in anger. Li Qiuyang was nicknamed Third Li because he worked under Li Xuanxuan and Li Xuanling in the store.
Li Qiuyang remained unbothered and cupped his fist. "Fellow Daoist, no other shop will give you seven Spirit Stones for this!"
The man glared at him, then threw the gray pelt onto the table and huffed, "Fine, six Spirit Stones it is."
Li Qiuyang nodded, took six Spirit Stones and handed them over. The man snorted as he snatched the stones and left in a huff. As he exited the courtyard, an ordinary-looking young boy with slightly arched eyebrows peeked out from a corner.
"That guy has quite a temper!" he commented.
Li Qiuyang shook his head, accustomed to the attitudes of rogue cultivators. Though he was an unrefined Qi cultivator, the mortals called him an Immortal Master. However, in the market, he ranked lower than an outstanding Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators.
He shook his head and replied, "Mufeng, the family intends to bring you back to the lake. Perform well, get close to the clan members, and strive to obtain that Grade Three legacy!"
Chen Mufeng nodded vigorously, his voice tinged with yearning as he said, "The clan's Grade Three technique is usually reserved for the main family. External cultivators from lesser branches only receive them for great merits. I have heard that Uncle Donghe was rewarded only after risking his life following Lord Xiangping to the west. Getting this technique will not be easy for me..."
Li Qiuyang remained silent, thinking to himself, I wonder how Xuanfeng is doing in Yi Mountain City... I've heard the southern border is full of demons and monsters. Fortunately, the sword immortal is also in the south; this should provide him with some protection.
"Shopkeeper!"
Li Qiuyang was deep in thought when Chen Mufeng called out to him, snapping him back to reality. He saw someone descending the stairs, all dressed in gray. The man had meticulously combed gray hair and beard, with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Clan Head!" Li Qiuyang greeted, and Li Xuanxuan nodded. He was nearly fifty years old now and preferred not to move around much, choosing to oversee the store instead.
The market was fiercely competitive. Although the Li Family had Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators to back them and marital ties with the Xiao Family, most of the market belonged to the Xiao Family, who were considered insiders. Li Xuanxuan had to balance maintaining relationships and earning sufficient profits, which was mentally taxing.
He stroked his gray beard, calculated the days, and said anxiously, "Xuanling has been gone for months, has he not? Why has he not returned yet...?"
Li Xuanxuan's talent was limited, and was still stuck at the second heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. However, Li Xuanling—Li Tongya's son—was doing much better, and was already at the third heavenly layer. He also cultivated in the market, frequently traveling north to Xu State and the Great Jiang to gain knowledge. It was common for him to be away for more than half a month, but it had now been over two months, making Li Xuanxuan very anxious.
"Seventy-one days—That's more than two months..." Li Qiuyang mumbled.
Li Xuanxuan gritted his teeth and commanded, "Fetch the ink and brush. I will write a letter home and send Donghe to check on him!"
Whilst that was his intention, the Xu State and the Great Jiang were vast, and Li Xuanling's whereabouts were unknown. Searching for him would be very difficult and a waste of manpower. Li Xuanxuan wrote a few words on the small letter and then sighed dejectedly, putting down the brush.
"Fortunately, the jade talisman is intact..."
Li Xuanxuan took a small jade pendant from his chest, and upon seeing its crystal-clear and warm appearance, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
The Li Family was now considered a prestigious clan, though not on par with the three sects and seven gates. They had some means, with layers of protections on their storage pouches and mana imprints. As long as the jade talisman was not crushed, the others could communicate and share their location to each other.
"I better consult the ancestor..."
Li Xuanxuan pondered for a moment before picking up the brush and ink, writing on the small letter again.
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Zhao State, Duanchen Village.
Duanchen Village was located at the southernmost part of Zhao State, on the border of Xu State and Zhao State. It was said to be the resting place for northern prestigious clans who crossed the river during their southern migration. However, for hundreds of years, it had been occupied by Buddhist cultivators.
Duanchen Village had a small temple called Duanchen Temple. According to northern customs, all the land in Duanchen Village belonged to the temple. Beneath the monks were tenant farmers, though they were euphemistically called "monastic households." There were also a few foreign nobles who lived and practiced Buddhist cultivation in the temple.
Li Xuanling had stayed in this godforsaken place for a whole month and had deeply experienced the troublesome nature of Buddhism. When he first arrived, dressed in his Daoist robes, the emaciated tenant farmers looked at him as if he were a calamity. Some children even showed obvious and unbridled hatred, secretly spitting at him. If he had not been a Qi Cultivator, they might have tied him up and sent him up the mountain!
"The Central Plain, after hundreds of years under Buddhism cultivation, has completely lost their roots..." Li Xuanling muttered as he gazed at the densely packed temples on the mountain, feeling a surge of emotion stirring within him.
According to the immortal cultivators, after the Immortal-Devil War, the immortal Dao weakened and lost the north. The remaining clans and sects had migrated south. Now, upon returning to the north, there was no trace of immortal cultivation any longer. Although he had little regard for Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao, he could not help but sigh at the sight.
Looking at the busy, emaciated tenant farmers below, Li Xuanling felt deeply moved. In the north, there were no songs, dances, operas, theater houses, or merchants. There was only an endless expanse of yellow land and tenant farmers with shaved heads and small braids—a depressing scene of lifelessness.
"In this appearance, I am not suited to travel in the north."
He performed a quick spell, changing his appearance. Wearing brown robes and now sporting a shiny bald head, he used an illusion technique to transform his sword into a long staff before descending to ask for directions.
As soon as he landed in the field, a tenant farmer shouted, and all the tenant farmers prostrated themselves uniformly, their small braids pointing upward like black-stemmed pumpkins spread out on the ground.
"Greetings, Master Monk!"
The one at the front seemed to be their leader, his face withered but his expression fanatical. His voice was high-pitched and crazed. Li Xuanling looked up and saw a few frail women and children in the distance fainting from excitement, collapsing onto the ground with no one turning to check on them.
"You all..." Li Xuanling began as he opened his mouth, an inexplicable sadness rising in his heart, rendering him momentarily speechless.