Chapter 102: Returning to the Market

After attending the funeral, Li Tongya changed into a white robe. Calculating the days, it was also time for the Full Moon Lake market to open. He packed away the monster furs and various materials he had hunted recently and set off northward.

Riding the wind, he circled the reed marshes a few times. He had intended to wait for the right moment to perform a ritual and gather a wisp of clear energy from the river, but everything was withered and yellow, and the riverbed was cracked. He had no choice but to emerge empty-handed and disheartened.

"It's been dry for months, the river network is parched, and all the reeds are withered and yellow," he thought. "How could any clear river energy be gathered?"

Leaving the reed marshes, Li Tongya rode the wind towards Full Moon Lake. The lake's waterline had receded by hundreds of miles, and fish carcasses covered the ground, crawling with maggots. Many small islets had also emerged on the lake's surface.

Li Tongya swept his sleeve with a strike, instantly activating the hidden array in the air, which emitted bursts of silver light.

Unlike before, he simply swept his spiritual sense and located the large boat on the lake, taking a few steps through the air to land on it.

"Sir! Are you heading to the Full Moon Lake market?"

A young man, only at the third level of Embryonic Breathing (Zhouxing Wheel stage), quickly emerged from the cabin below and asked eagerly.

"Indeed," Li Tongya replied and found a seat. The young man then offered him tea. Noticing the absence of the white-haired old man from before, he inquired:

"I remember a white-haired old man piloting this boat a decade or so ago," he said. "Why has it changed hands now?"

The young man looked as if he had just realized something, gently set down the teacup he was holding, and quickly replied:

"Senior, you might not know this. That old man couldn't break through to the Qi Cultivation stage and died of old age ten years ago. His family also had no children with spiritual apertures, so his eldest son exchanged the spiritual artifacts for land and returned to his hometown to live as a rich landlord."

Li Tongya paused for a moment. He gently picked up the teacup, but out of caution, he didn't drink the tea, simply putting it back down. He then spoke with some regret:

"What a pity."

"Ah," the young man lowered his eyes, cupped his hands, and quickly replied:

"Senior, you might not know this, but the old man lived a full one hundred and eight years, living until his natural lifespan ended. Those of us who travel by boat all envy his good fortune!"

"Oh?" The young man saw that Li Tongya, who looked no older than thirty, had already reached the Qi Cultivation stage. With a storage bag and a spirit-gathering bottle tied to his waist, he knew this person was most likely from a prominent family. So, he gave a wry smile and said:

"Senior, you might not know, but our rogue cultivator traditions are rudimentary. Most of us use first-grade Embryonic Breathing cultivation methods. It takes over a decade of cultivation just to barely touch the edge of the Condensation Wheel stage. It's perfectly normal to be stuck in the Embryonic Breathing stage for an entire lifetime."

"I see."

The young man had worked on the lake for over a decade, and most Qi Cultivation cultivators he encountered were aloof and disdained speaking. Li Tongya, however, was focused and nodded frequently, which instantly opened up the young man's floodgates of conversation. He quickly continued:

"Senior, your talent is exceptional; you've reached Qi Cultivation at such a young age. Unlike us rogue cultivators, we often spend our entire lives with just one Embryonic Breathing cultivation method. Wanting to draw talismans or refine pills but lacking any inheritance is truly unbearable!"

Hearing this, Li Tongya suddenly remembered his family's "Taiyin Breathing and Wheel Nurturing Scripture" and mused to himself:

"This cultivation method is probably worth more than all the families around Full Moon Lake combined! Considering its cultivation speed, it's at least ten times faster than ordinary methods, not to mention the spiritual energy cultivated is pure and solid, far surpassing that of others."

Feigning nonchalance, Li Tongya smiled and sighed: "I wonder what grade of Embryonic Breathing method those disciples of great sects practice!"

The young man nodded emphatically and chuckled: "I've been piloting boats on this lake for over a decade. I've seen twenty-year-old Qi Cultivation disciples from great sects, but I've also seen ninety-year-old elders still at the first level of Embryonic Breathing. I've only heard that the Green Pool Sect's Embryonic Breathing method is unrivaled among all sects—it's a fifth-grade method, four times faster than ordinary ones!"

"Truly remarkable!" Li Tongya was greatly astonished. He subtly changed the subject, meandering in conversation, and started discussing the Shanyue with the young man.

"I hear the Shanyue to the west are quite fierce!"

"Indeed they are!" The young man nodded repeatedly and, showing off his knowledge, said: "I heard that the Shanyue King's cultivation has reached the peak of Qi Cultivation! He decimated the various families of the Bingtang Gold Sect on the west bank, making them abandon their armor and flee. Three Qi Cultivation family heads perished, and their losses were countless."

As Li Tongya listened, he saw a few more people board the boat. The young man regretfully excused himself and departed, while Li Tongya mused to himself:

"Ganixi is still formidable. It would be better if he died soon, to spare us from restless nights."

Li Tongya listened to the others chat for a while, then felt the large boat jolt. The Full Moon Lake market was already before them.

He disembarked and walked a few steps. Li Tongya mortgaged a spirit stone to rent a stall, where he arranged his various materials and casually tossed a few talismans he had acquired from killings onto the display. He then took out a wooden slip and simply began studying cultivation methods at his stall.

He had also studied the path of talismans for over a decade. The talismans he drew barely met the standard of one success out of ten attempts, just enough to cover the cost of the talisman paper. With the talisman ink included, he was still at a loss. He could only continue practicing, hoping to one day profit from talisman crafting.

After thinking it over carefully, he looked down at the storage bag and two spirit-gathering bottles on his waist. Li Tongya mostly guessed how the boatman knew he was from a prominent family. He then took a small piece of spirit cloth, wrapped it around the spirit-gathering bottles, and tucked them into his robe. Now, he looked more like a rogue cultivator.

This time, Li Tongya arrived early, and the foot traffic was quite high. He had almost sold everything within an hour. He was too lazy to wait for the remaining one or two items to sell, so he packed up his stall, retrieved his spirit stones, and paid the ten catties of spirit rice for the rent.

"Eleven spirit stones sold, that's not bad."

He spent five spirit stones to buy a Jade Sprout Pill. Combined with the one he obtained from the cave dwelling, Li Tongya mused that in a few more months, he could try to break through to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation.

"Although this Jade Sprout Pill is good, its medicinal toxins should not be underestimated," he thought. "I still need to wait a few more months until the toxins in my body are naturally expelled before taking it again."

Li Tongya had only walked a few steps when he saw a middle-aged female cultivator approaching. She was at the fifth level of Embryonic Breathing (Jade Capital Wheel stage) and appeared to be about the same age as Li Tongya, yet she respectfully cupped her hands.

"Senior! Do you still remember me?"

Li Tongya found the person vaguely familiar but couldn't recall her name. He awkwardly cupped his hands and said: "May I ask, who are you...?"

"Guanyun Peak market, Azure Crow Bow." The middle-aged female cultivator said with a smile, and Li Tongya immediately realized. He had once bought an Azure Crow Bow for Li Xiangping at the market at the foot of Guanyun Peak, where they paid tribute, and it was from this very person. At that time, she was still a young girl; now she was middle-aged.

"We haven't met in over a decade. How have you been, fellow Daoist?" Li Tongya wondered why this person had stopped him, but he maintained a cordial demeanor.

The middle-aged female cultivator's expression was somewhat complex as she said softly: "In just over a decade, Senior has already reached Qi Cultivation..."

"Just luck," Li Tongya chuckled dismissively. Then he saw the woman's expression turn serious as she said:

"My name is Lin Jingyi," she introduced herself. "My husband is the Qi Cultivation cultivator Xu Yangping."

"Li Tongya," Li Tongya nodded in acknowledgment, and Lin Jingyi then said in a low voice: "We have a cave dwelling ruin. Are you interested, Senior?"

"A cave dwelling?" Li Tongya narrowed his eyes slightly and mused to himself: "How could there be such a good thing? We've only met by chance, with no prior connection. How can this be trusted? Is this person trying to trick and kill me...?"

"Oh? Such a good thing?" Li Tongya chuckled. Lin Jingyi knew he was skeptical, so she quickly said in a low voice:

"We've already investigated it. It's a cave dwelling of a Foundation Establishment cultivator from at least two hundred years ago. We have the means to enter that cave dwelling, but we are lacking one Qi Cultivation cultivator..."

Li Tongya laughed loudly and retorted: "Don't tell me a group of Embryonic Breathing cultivators can't break through the cave dwelling's array, and you want me to lead the way?" After speaking, he quietly watched her, already preparing to sweep his sleeve and leave.

"That's not it," Lin Jingyi lowered her head and gave an awkward smile, replying: "We already have two Qi Cultivation cultivators, it's just that we're still a bit short of what's needed to enter this cave dwelling."

At this, Li Tongya believed her somewhat and was willing to sit down and talk with Lin Jingyi. They found a bamboo building, ordered a cup of clear tea, and Lin Jingyi began to speak:

"My husband and I originally operated in the Mushroom Forest Plain area. A few years ago, the Bingtang Gold Sect invaded, and that area became deserted, with the markets closing. Fortunately, my husband reached Qi Cultivation, so we traveled west to Full Moon Lake to see what was there."

"Who knew that as soon as we arrived in the west, we encountered the great drought at Full Moon Lake? The water receded hundreds of miles, revealing a cave dwelling in the lake. That cave dwelling had been operating for hundreds of years and had some flaws, which is how we discovered it. We cast concealment spells there and then came to look for help."

"Hmm." Li Tongya nodded noncommittally and said softly: "Why did you seek me out?"

"Because your cultivation is shallow..." Lin Jingyi smiled awkwardly and explained: "My husband is only at the second level of Qi Cultivation, and the person we found a few days ago was only at the third level. We've grown wary of various dangers and all hope to find someone with similar cultivation..."

"I see." Li Tongya took a sip of tea and smiled: "Is your husband outside the door?"

Li Tongya had already noticed someone waiting outside. When he pointed it out directly, Lin Jingyi also nodded, looked up, and called out. The person outside immediately entered and cupped his fists, saying:

"I am Xu Yangping. Greetings, Brother Tongya!"

Li Tongya saw that the man's appearance was quite proper, looking to be over fifty. He also cupped his hands and said: "No need to be so polite."

Xu Yangping nodded repeatedly and smiled: "I've already been waiting here for dozens of days. If Brother Tongya hadn't appeared, we would have had to grit our teeth and seek out surrounding families."

Lin Jingyi took over the conversation and explained: "The mountain gate arrays of those families are very tightly sealed. Who knows how many Qi Cultivation cultivators are inside? Unless absolutely necessary, we would never go there."

Li Tongya stopped wasting words with the two and said gravely: "The Profound Scenery Spirit Oath."

Xu Yangping nodded, performed a hand seal, and repeated Lin Jingyi's previous words. Then, forming another seal, he said softly: "All stated is true, by Profound Scenery I swear!"

Li Tongya listened carefully from the side. There were indeed no omissions, and seeing that Xu Yangping's majestic aura had not diminished, he then believed him seventy percent and replied: "When do we depart?"

"Now!" The couple was already extremely excited. Lin Jingyi, with great effort, restrained herself and spoke to Li Tongya: "We also ask Fellow Daoist to swear an oath not to attack us. Although the Profound Scenery Spirit Oath is mostly used for verifying secrecy, its binding power in this regard is not strong, but with this oath, we will feel a bit more at ease."

"Agreed." Li Tongya swore the oath and ascended into the air with Xu Yangping. Seeing that the man's true essence was slightly mottled, he knew that Xu Yangping cultivated Qi by ingesting impure energies, which made him feel even more at ease.

However, when the couple saw Li Tongya's true essence was pure, profound, and long-lasting, and his protective true essence was clear and bright, they immediately exchanged glances and smiled bitterly.

***

Lijing Town.

Chen Erniu was seventy years old, his hair white. He had lived in the mountains for what seemed like two lifetimes for an ordinary farmer, his old eyes cloudy. In Lijing Town, everyone called him "Grandpa."

Sitting on his chair, Chen Erniu was restless. The dry weather caused him nightmares every night, and he kept thinking of the huge bird that had fallen from the sky.

"Sigh."

When Pear River Mouth was reclaimed, Chen Erniu went to look for Chen Sanshui. He found nothing except a tooth and a puddle of blood. The people of Pear River Mouth all said Chen Sanshui had been captured by the Shanyue and taken to the west.

Chen Erniu gave a cold, dismissive laugh. Following the horse hoof prints, he searched anxiously through the roadside grass piles. Finally, he found a patch of blood. The old man pushed aside the grass, looked down, and let out a wail.

His eldest son, Chen Sanshui, had died a miserable death. The old man kept vigil for him, but Chen Sanshui's children were all busy dealing with the dry weather and visited less often than he did.

"I wonder if Donghe will be able to return..."

Chen Erniu frowned, his sparse white hair a stark contrast to the worried lines on his face. He heard a commotion outside the courtyard, a large crowd shouting, their cries and shouts making him tremble with fear.

He hobbled with his cane to the village entrance, where many people were already waiting. A group of disheveled men, their faces covered in mud, were kneeling on the ground, surrounded by low sobs.

"They're back."

Chen Erniu straightened his back with effort, finally seeing Li Xuanxuan and Chen Donghe at the front. Li Xuanxuan had already grown a sparse beard and was staring at the Shanyue man in front of him with an incredulous expression.

"You... say that again?!"

"It was a curse-killing... not even the body was brought back..."

Li Xuanxuan froze for two breaths, tears streaming from his eyes like a broken dam, flowing down his face and onto his neck.

Li Xuanxuan covered his face and was silent for a long while, squeezing out a sentence from his throat: "Donghe... come with me up the mountain. The rest of you, go home first." Chen Donghe, in front of him, had a face full of tears, and the crowd silently parted, watching them walk away.

"Patriarch..."

Chen Donghe softly called out to Li Xuanxuan, waking him from his heavy grief. Li Xuanxuan looked at the Azure Crow Bow in his hand, and couldn't stop his tears.

"Call me Young Patriarch..." Li Xuanxuan wiped his tears, answering choked up. He walked on the flagstone path, tightly clutching the bow.

The two walked silently with their heads down for a while, when they met Li Xuanfeng, who had just emerged from seclusion and was hurrying down the mountain. Li Xuanfeng merely glanced at the Azure Crow Bow in Li Xuanxuan's hand and froze.

"How is this possible!" Li Xuanfeng's eyes widened, quickly welling up with tears. He fiercely snatched the bow and arrows and demanded: "Who was it!"

Chen Donghe felt even more choked up seeing the Li family brothers and choked out: "It was the Shanyue's curse-killing."

Li Xuanfeng opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. He looked at the tear-stained face of Li Xuanxuan and sat blankly on a nearby bluestone.

"Such a despicable method." Li Xuanfeng gritted his teeth, tears streaming down his face.