Chapter 150

Five days later, as Chen Mobai gazed at the familiar archway of Nánxī Market Town, he felt as if a lifetime had passed.

"Senior, long time no see. I didn't expect you to still be alive." Qi Er, a guide working at the entrance, looked excited to see Chen Mobai.

"Heh," Chen Mobai chuckled softly in response.

"There haven't been any major events in the market town recently, have there?"

Although Chen Mobai didn't ask Qi Er to lead the way, Qi Er, seeing an acquaintance, greeted his companions at the entrance and followed Chen Mobai into the market town.

"Our Yun Kingdom is within the sphere of influence of the two major sects, the Five Elements Sect and the Divine Wood Sect. As long as these two don't start fighting, even if an enemy kingdom invades, our Nánxī Market Town will remain as stable as a mountain." Qi Er spoke with a proud expression, seemingly genuinely considering himself a part of the market town.

Just then, He Qun suddenly ran over and called out to Chen Mobai. "Fellow Daoist Chen, wait a moment."

"Oh, Fellow Daoist He, is something wrong?" Chen Mobai turned his head, feeling a little surprised.

"It's like this: as you know, I had bad luck on this trip to Cloud Dream Lake. Not only did I lose an arm, but all the spirit stones I had saved were also used up. Now I'm short on funds and urgently need some spirit stones. You previously asked me about buying Blackwater, didn't you? I still have two bottles with me; I wonder if you still need them? I can give you the lowest price: 15 spirit stones per bottle." He Qun said with a sincere expression, but Chen Mobai shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Fellow Daoist He, although I'd like to, I'm also short on funds and can't afford even one bottle." The actual reason was that Chen Mobai believed the Blackwater He Qun had commissioned was likely not as high quality as that from the Divine Wood Sect. Moreover, the bottle of Blackwater he already possessed was still usable, so there was no need to invest his precious spirit stones in it.

"Oh, I see. Then I've bothered you." He Qun left with a disappointed expression.

After leaving Chen Mobai's sight, he walked into an alley. Two lean rogue cultivators with ordinary, unremarkable faces were already waiting there. Seeing him enter, their expressions subtly shifted, and one of them asked, "How was it? Is it confirmed?"

"Yes, I observed him carefully just now when I pretended to sell Blackwater. The brass ring he's wearing on his hand is the 'Sword Forging Ring' from Golden Light Cliff. If you cultivate the Golden Light Art with it, you can easily break through to the completion of Qi Refinement Layer 9."

"The Sword Forging Ring is a symbol of a true disciple of Golden Light Cliff; it rarely circulates outside. How did he get it?"

"We'll know when we ask him," the older of the two rogue cultivators said coldly.

"I've given you the information; where's my reward?" He Qun asked.

"This time is different from before. We'll give it to you after we succeed."

"No way. I urgently need spirit stones now; I need them immediately." Hearing He Qun's words, the older rogue cultivator raised his head, and the air in the entire alley suddenly turned cold.

"Old He," the older one said, "Your sworn brothers all died in Cloud Dream Lake, and even you are left with only one arm. You need to re-evaluate your attitude towards us, your martial brothers."

"You..." Hearing these words, He Qun's expression flashed with anger, but seeing the two men opposite him narrow their eyes, and considering his current predicament—his two sworn brothers who had left early had not yet returned to the market town—he could only forcibly swallow his anger, say nothing, and turn to leave.

"Senior Brother, isn't this a bit wrong?" the younger rogue cultivator asked, frowning after He Qun had left. "After all, our ability to settle down in Nánxī Market Town depended on the 'fat sheep' information he provided."

"He had use value, that's why we were polite to him," the older rogue cultivator replied. "Once we've snatched the Sword Forging Ring, we'll immediately leave the Yun Kingdom and go to the Kun Kingdom. As long as our Golden Light Art cultivates to Qi Refinement Layer 9 and we pass through the Sword Mound, we can join Golden Light Cliff. Why should we stay cooped up in this small market town all day, acting as He Qun's thugs?"

After the older rogue cultivator finished speaking, the other one's expression showed sudden understanding. Indeed, since this was their last deal, why bother giving He Qun any more face?

"You go keep an eye on the market town entrance. Once that kid leaves, we'll immediately ambush him on the way. I'll keep an eye on Old He." After their division of labor was complete, the two disappeared into the alley.

Chen Mobai was completely unaware of this. He handed the two catties of snake meat he was carrying to Qi Er, asking him to help sell it to Tiancan Tower. Afterward, he took the sixteen bottles of elixirs he had collected from Qingguang Island and went to the stall area. He was now familiar with the routine. He found the vendor who had previously purchased his elixirs and, after some bargaining, sold all of them in one go, receiving 28 spirit stones. This could be considered a culmination of his half-year's hard work.

After a while, Qi Er returned, having sold the snake meat, and brought back two spirit stones as his earnings. He also brought back 68 used spirit stones he had collected during this period as Chen Mobai had instructed. These would be incredibly valuable spirit essences in the Immortal Sect. Chen Mobai directly gave him a banknote worth one thousand taels of gold as compensation, and Qi Er expressed his profuse gratitude.

"By the way, do you know if Lu Shu, who used to set up a stall with me, is still in the market town?" Chen Mobai asked.

"I haven't seen him for a while," Qi Er replied. "However, Miss Zhuo Ming returned from Cloud Dream Lake last month. She has a good relationship with Lu Shu, so you could ask her. But she hasn't set up a stall recently; she's been staying in her rented cave dwelling and hasn't come out."

Hearing Qi Er's words, Chen Mobai recalled the yellow-robed woman who had bought two Azure Arrow Talismans from him. If he remembered correctly, she should only be at Qi Refinement Layer 5. To have survived the beast tide attack on the islands in Cloud Dream Lake, she must have been quite lucky. However, he had only interacted with Zhuo Ming once, and going to her dwelling uninvited, he wasn't sure if she would be willing to see him.

After much consideration, Chen Mobai decided to go anyway. After all, this matter had been on his mind for a long time, and if he didn't resolve it, it would continue to bother him. When he arrived outside Zhuo Ming's cave dwelling, he found the door closed. Chen Mobai didn't dare to call out, nor did he dare to send a sound transmission talisman inside, as that would be very presumptuous. He considered leaving a note at the entrance, but he didn't dare to write what he wanted to ask on it. In the end, he could only shake his head and leave.

At the market town's entrance, Chen Mobai found Qi Er and instructed him that if he encountered Zhuo Ming, he should convey that Chen Mobai wished to speak with her.

After all his affairs were handled, he made another trip to the Divine Wood Sect's pharmacy in the market town, which sold elixirs and spiritual herbs, and asked when they would begin recruiting rogue cultivators this year. The shopkeeper had some impression of him, and noticing Chen Mobai's late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, his attitude became even more genial.

"The sect lost many disciples in Cloud Dream Lake and needs to replenish its ranks early this year," the shopkeeper explained. "Therefore, this year's Spirit Dispatchers have already set off ahead of schedule. However, to reach the Yun Kingdom, it would take at least half a month." After all, the Eastern Wilderness is not a small territory, and the Yun Kingdom is considered relatively close. Typically, the mission for sect Spirit Dispatchers to recruit disciples lasts for a year.

"Is that so?" Chen Mobai murmured to himself. "It seems it's best to stay here for the time being."