Chapter 106: Cyan Spirit Marketplace
Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Cyan Spirit Marketplace
He was traveling with old acquaintances again.
Xu Xulin led the caravan toward the Cyan Spirit District. Lin Changheng, his features disguised, sat inside one of the horse-drawn carriages wearing a bamboo hat.
The draft horses were gentle and their gait was incredibly steady. Despite the long journey, it wasn’t an exhausting ride.
Although the Xu Family had been promoted to a Foundation Establishment Clan, their foundations were still shallow. They needed time to grow, and their infrastructure hadn’t caught up yet. They still hadn’t purchased any small or medium-sized Flying Ships.
Caravans of horse-drawn carriages remained their primary means of transport.
Next to Lin Changheng were two other passengers: a pair of young Female Cultivators who hadn’t bothered to conceal their faces.
They chattered away excitedly, never seeming to stop. It was clearly their first time traveling away from the clan.
When they first saw Lin Changheng’s attire, they were quite curious. They stole a few glances and looked like they wanted to say something, but they restrained themselves.
They didn’t dare to discuss him openly, afraid they might disturb him.
But after seeing that Lin Changheng remained as still as a wooden statue, they stopped minding him.
...
Lin Changheng’s departure to take up his new post was a quiet affair, drawing no attention.
Xu Fugui and Bai Fengxian had already sent their congratulatory gifts. The presents were quite valuable, representing the very Limit of what they could afford.
But compared to Lin Changheng’s personal wealth, it was very much a case of "it’s the thought that counts."
Bai Fengxian, in particular, was under considerable pressure. He had two young sons with Spirit Roots and needed to gather Cultivation resources for them. Lin Changheng was aware of this and hadn’t wanted to accept the gift, but after some thought, he took it anyway.
After all, it was a symbol of their standing as equals.
And that was a relationship Lin Changheng wished to maintain.
As for Xu Fugui, he had already secured a position for his seventh son at Lin Changheng’s side.
The plan was to train the boy to become a Pill Master. If that failed, he could at least broaden his horizons by following his "uncle."
Xu Fugui’s fifth son and eighth daughter both possessed Middle Grade Spirit Roots and were being specially nurtured by the Xu Clan. He didn’t have to worry about them, which left him with more leisure time.
His other children who were of age had already been sent out on assignments arranged by the Xu Family.
His seventh son, however, was just thirteen. He had a Lower Grade Spirit Root and a simple, honest disposition. Xu Fugui often praised him as a chip off the old block and had asked Lin Changheng to take him under his wing, hoping the boy might have a great future.
Lin Changheng didn’t refuse, readily agreeing. For him, looking after a young boy was a simple enough matter.
However, he hadn’t brought the boy along on this trip for one simple reason: safety.
Fugui would bring the boy himself the next time he visited the Cyan Spirit District.
...
Some ten days later, they were finally nearing their destination.
The journey had been peaceful and without incident.
But the former Wilderness was now completely transformed. After seven or eight years of large-scale development by Cultivators, the sense of desolation was gone.
In its place, a hint of civilization had begun to emerge.
At night, Xu Xulin would often seek out Lin Changheng to chat and pass the time.
Inevitably, their conversation turned to Chen Guqing, that lingering remnant of the Chen Family.
Xu Xulin sounded puzzled. "After that last battle, that wretch Chen Guqing just seemed to vanish into thin air. I wonder where he’s hiding."
"Is that so?" Lin Changheng replied. "I thought the lack of news meant Elder Zhan had caught and quietly killed that bastard."
He put on a look of surprise at just the right moment.
Xu Xulin shook his head, dismissing the idea.
"As they say, you reap what you sow. That scoundrel committed countless evil deeds. Who’s to say the Young Miss didn’t strike a vital point with one of her Upper Grade Talismans? Maybe he just didn’t pull through afterward?"
Lin Changheng pretended to ponder this, then smiled nonchalantly. "Or maybe he was injured and got taken out by his own partners in a classic case of thieves falling out. Whatever the case, it’s a good thing if that bastard has disappeared for good!"
"Hahaha, well said! That’s exactly right."
Xu Xulin burst into laughter.
Lin Changheng laughed along with him. ’This is probably one of Xu Xulin’s tests,’ he thought. ’I just won’t call him out on it.’
...
"Are we there?"
The Xu Family’s caravan of horse-drawn carriages ambled forward.
The distant mountains were as green as ever, but their foothills were no longer a wilderness of overgrown weeds. Instead, the land had been cultivated into neat Spirit Fields, where Spirit Rice swayed in the wind, emitting a faint, green glow.
Occasionally, a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator would slowly glide over the fields on a Magical Artifact, seemingly inspecting the growth of the Spirit Plants. In the distance, several exquisite pavilions were built into the mountainside, their upturned eaves shimmering with a faint Spiritual Light, a clear sign that they were protected by Restrictions.
"So this must be Juechen Valley?!"
One of the Female Cultivators traveling with them opened the carriage window and asked in amazement as she took in the view.
A clansman on horseback outside the carriage happened to overhear and replied with a proud smile, "Not Juechen Valley itself, but affiliated with it. This place was originally barren, but we used the Spirit-Guiding Technique to draw out Juechen Valley’s Spirit Vein and nourish the land. Then we had an Array Master perform an Array Formation to transform it. We saw results in three years, and after seven, it looks like this."
The Female Cultivator nodded blankly; it was unclear if she had understood any of that.
"Then the Cyan Spirit District must be close by, right?" the other Female Cultivator asked with a smile, poking her head out.
"Haha, it’s just behind the mountain. Hiyah!"
With a hearty laugh, the clansman spurred his horse onward.
Lin Changheng, meanwhile, leaned against the open window on the other side. A strange light flashed in his eyes from beneath his bamboo hat—the telltale sign of him using the Spirit Detecting Skill.
It didn’t take long for him to understand.
The Liu and Xu Families had made little effort to conceal what they were doing.
’This is remarkably similar to the desert greening projects from my past life.’
’This land has been shrouded and corroded by Poisonous Miasma for ages. Transforming it won’t happen overnight.’
’Using the Spirit-Guiding Technique to draw out Juechen Valley’s Spirit Vein to nourish the land is only the first step.’
’Using Spirit Plants to anchor the spiritual energy is the second. The meager harvest of Spirit Grain isn’t the primary goal.’
’The ultimate goal is to transform this place into an area suitable for Cultivation. That is the fundamental objective. Only then can they establish a long-lasting Marketplace and create a cash cow for both clans that will last for a century.’
The Marketplace was built outside Juechen Valley on flat terrain. Its farthest end, the core area, connected directly to the Juechen Valley Spiritual Land.
In this core area stood two mansions of identical size, one belonging to the Liu Family and the other to the Xu. The one in front oversaw the district, while the one in the back guarded the valley.
This effectively created a bottleneck, controlling the entrance like the neck of a gourd.
The Cyan Spirit District and the Juechen Valley Spiritual Land were each protected by a Grand Array.
The Cyan Spirit District was protected by a Tier One Upper Grade formation, while the Juechen Valley Spiritual Land was guarded by a Tier Two Middle Grade Array, both holding firm.
He parted ways with the caravan and entered the Marketplace.
The streets had a fair number of Cultivators walking about. It wasn’t deserted, but its liveliness couldn’t compare to an established major hub like the Ruins District.
In a deserted corner, Lin Changheng dropped his disguise and revealed his true face. He quickly found his way to a four-story pavilion.
"Xu Family’s Alchemy Shop."
Compared to the sign back in the Purple River District, the four large words on this one were gilded with Gold.
It was much more conspicuous.
The shop itself was quite large. The footprint of a single floor was three to four times that of the old shop in the Purple River District.
The first floor housed the main counter and a large hall for receiving guests.
Behind the main building was a courtyard where four Alchemy Rooms had been constructed.
On either side of the courtyard were small cabins for apprentices and assistants to rest.
The second floor served as the warehouse.
The third floor contained the Shopkeeper’s quarters and living spaces for three ordinary Pill Masters.
The Shopkeeper’s quarters were slightly larger than those of the Pill Masters, a clear delineation of status.
All of these rooms were already occupied.
The fourth floor belonged exclusively to the Chief Alchemist, featuring a residential suite and a spacious reception room.
It currently stood empty, awaiting its master.
And at that very moment, its master was just stepping through the Pill Shop’s main doors.
"Whoa, Chief! You’re finally here! We’ve been waiting forever!"
The next moment, a familiar, aged voice called out, filled with pleasant surprise.