Chapter 1178: Li Qinghuan

After leaving the Hundred Spirit Palace, Wang Qingshan and the other two began to stroll leisurely through the streets. Wang Tianwen introduced the situation of Jinyan Market to Wang Qingshan and Wang Qiuming. Jinyan Market had many large shops, selling magical treasures, Tier-3 and Tier-4 materials, Tier-3 spirit talismans, and Tier-3 spirit beasts.

Wang Qingshan saw many strange and exotic items, which greatly broadened his horizons.

“Excuse me, are you Fellow Daoist Wang Qingshan?”

A male voice suddenly came from behind them. Wang Qingshan turned his head to see a resolute-faced middle-aged man and a cold-faced young woman in a golden dress standing behind them.

“I am Wang Qingshan. And you two are?”

Wang Qingshan was slightly taken aback. He was certain he had never met these two before.

“I am Liu Changhe, and this is my wife, Jin Yiyi. We are disciples of the Seven Absolutes Sect. Junior Martial Brother Zhou Yunxiao is our fellow disciple.”

Wang Qingshan had drawn with Zhou Yunxiao during their Foundation Establishment stage, which only gave him a minor reputation. What truly boosted his fame were the Carefree Sword Sovereign and the Green Lotus Immortal Couple. With three Nascent Soul cultivators as his backing, Wang Qingshan’s strengths were infinitely magnified. This proverb — “A person’s shadow, a tree’s bark” — illustrates this very point.

“So it is Fellow Daoist Liu and Mrs. Liu. Please forgive my oversight. These two are my juniors.”

Besides trade, Wang Qingshan also intended to seek out Zhou Yunxiao for a spar during his trip to the Central Plains Immortal Cultivation Realm.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, I’ve long heard of you. How about we find a place to spar?” Liu Changhe said with some excitement, his eyes filled with fervor.

Wang Qingshan chuckled lightly and shook his head, declining: “No, I have other matters to attend to. Let’s skip the spar for now.” He wondered, “Are all disciples of the Seven Absolutes Sect martial arts fanatics? Why do they enjoy sparring so much?”

Liu Changhe was somewhat disappointed but did not insist. He said, “Very well then! If you have time, you can find us at the Seven Absolutes Sect.”

Wang Qingshan nodded and asked, “Fellow Daoist Liu, do you know Fellow Daoist Zhou’s whereabouts?”

“I don’t know. Junior Martial Brother Zhou is the Sect Master’s registered disciple, but he rarely visits the Seven Absolutes Sect. None of us know his whereabouts. Perhaps the imperial family members might know.”

“Thank you. If I have the chance, I will certainly pay a visit.” Wang Qingshan expressed his gratitude. He primarily wanted to find Zhou Yunxiao; as for other disciples of the Seven Absolutes Sect, he was not interested.

“Seventh Uncle, it seems you’re recognized everywhere we go,” Wang Qiuming said with a light chuckle. They had met many cultivators along the way; many recognized Wang Qingshan, but no one recognized Wang Qiuming. Wang Qiuming’s strength was not weak, but there was still some distance between him and Wang Qingshan.

Wang Qingshan had gained fame early. Wang Qiuming had only recently managed to form his Core, and with Wang Qingling and Wang Mengbin also prominent, and his own cultivation not being very high, he hadn’t had the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.

“Mere fleeting fame. Don’t pay too much attention to it. There are many extraordinary people and strange happenings in the cultivation world, but few become widely known. Great fame is not necessarily a good thing. You shouldn’t dwell on such empty reputations, nor do you need to deliberately prove yourself. Focusing on superficial fame is not beneficial,” Wang Qingshan advised earnestly. He had never married, treating the younger generations of his clan as his own descendants. This was especially true for Wang Qiuming, who had followed Wang Qingshan to hunt demonic beasts since his Qi Refining stage. Now, all the others were gone, and only Wang Qiuming and Wang Qingjun remained in the world.

“Understood, Seventh Uncle.” Wang Qiuming nodded. Wang Qingzhi was taciturn; Wang Qiuming would barely exchange a few words with Wang Qingzhi even if they spent a whole day together. In contrast, Wang Qiuming would speak more when in front of Wang Qingshan.

“In this regard, you should learn from Wang Tianwen. He handles such matters quite well.”

Wang Tianwen had ventured alone to the Central Plains Immortal Cultivation Realm to make his fortune, enduring countless hardships. Regardless of whom he met, he was always approachable and paid no mind to fleeting fame.

Wang Qiuming repeatedly agreed. It wasn’t that he cared for empty fame; rather, Wang Qiuming had taken Wang Qingshan as his goal and found it incredibly difficult to catch up to him.

“You should also attend the Grand Beast Assembly! Leave the business to Jiyun. There’s not much left to do anyway, just handing over the goods.” Wang Qingshan had originally intended for Wang Qiuming to stay in the market to handle business, but he changed his mind, deciding to let Wang Qiuming accompany them to the Grand Beast Assembly to temper him. Wang Tianwen was familiar with the Great Yan Dynasty’s situation and had to accompany them. There wasn’t much major business, and Wang Jiyun could handle it, which would be a form of tempering for her.

“Yes, Seventh Uncle.” Wang Qiuming’s face lit up with joy. It was a rare trip to the Central Plains Immortal Cultivation Realm, and encountering the Grand Beast Assembly right now meant he was naturally unwilling to miss it.

An hour later, they returned to their lodging and released the purchased Lion-Peng Beasts and Golden-Backed Rats, keeping them in iron cages. The Lion-Peng Beasts had the head of a lion and the body of a peng bird, with golden-yellow feathers. The Golden-Backed Rats were entirely golden, with plump bodies, small heads, and tiny eyes that were hard to spot without careful observation. Their bodies were covered in golden fuzz, appearing fleshy, and they huddled into balls, hiding in the corners of their cages.

Among the two hundred Lion-Peng Beasts, one hundred and fifty were Tier-1, and fifty were Tier-2, all of them castrated males. The Lion-Peng Beasts were exclusive spirit beasts of the Murong royal family. The Murong royal family had spent vast amounts of cultivation resources and hundreds of years, failing countless times, to successfully breed the Lion-Peng Beasts. Naturally, they would not sell uncastrated Lion-Peng Beasts, ensuring their monopoly on this business.

Tier-1 Lion-Peng Beasts cost two thousand spirit stones each, while Tier-2 ones cost fifty thousand. Golden-Backed Rats, however, were cheaper and not castrated, as other forces also sold this type of spirit beast, making it unnecessary for the Murong royal family to castrate them. They also provided a good amount of food for feeding the Golden-Backed Rats. These Lion-Peng Beasts had all been tamed; their temperaments were docile, and they could easily recognize a master.

“Jiyun, make sure you take good care of these spirit beasts. We’ll be taking them back to the South Sea eventually. We’re going to attend the Grand Beast Assembly, so you all stay in the market and don’t wander off,” Wang Qingshan instructed with a serious expression. Jinyan Market was a mixed bag of people, but staying within the market itself was relatively safe.

“Understood, Fifth Patriarch.” Wang Jiyun nodded seriously and assented.

In the Youshi hour, the sky darkened.

Jinyan Market was brightly lit. The cultivators on the streets had not decreased; instead, their numbers had grown.

Wang Qingshan, accompanied by Wang Qiuming and Wang Tianwen, arrived punctually at the Golden Swallow Tower for the banquet.

Murong Yuyao had already arrived. Besides her, there were three men and one woman. Li Qinghuan, the Crown Prince of the Barbarian Suppression King, was also present, and the features of the green-clad girl next to him somewhat resembled Li Qinghuan’s.

Murong Yuyao stood up and briefly introduced the names of both parties.

“So you are Wang Qingshan! My cousin Zijie has mentioned you. I heard Fellow Daoist Wang is skilled in the sword dao, and many half-demons in the Eastern Barrens died by your hand.” The green-clad girl blinked, sizing up Wang Qingshan with curiosity.

She was Li Qingxian, Li Qinghuan’s younger sister, and also a Core Formation cultivator.

When the Eastern Barrens demonic cultivators invaded, the Great Zhou Dynasty sent people to participate in the war. The Great Zhou Dynasty and the Great Yan Dynasty had been on good terms for many years, with extensive intermarriage between their royal families. Li Qingxian’s cousin had participated in the war, and upon his return, he extensively boasted about his accomplishments, mentioning Wang Qingshan in passing.