Translator: AnubisTL
After entering the Drunken Flower Tower, Li Qing had no intention of seeking a night of pleasure with an immortal female cultivator. His purpose was clear.
It took him little time to find Pill Master Yan, who was sitting with a beautiful female cultivator on each arm.
Seeing this, Li Qing's lips twitched involuntarily. He thought to himself that these Pill Refiners must possess pill formulas for regulating their bodies; otherwise, even a foundation establishment cultivator's physique couldn't withstand such indulgence.
Sitting alone in a corner, Li Qing casually poured himself a cup of spirit wine. Then, using his powerful divine sense, he sent a secret voice transmission to the engrossed Pill Master Yan.
"Pill Master Yan, I have something here that I believe you'll find very interesting."
With that, Li Qing sat back, smiling silently as he savored the fragrant spirit wine, letting its aroma linger on his palate.
As the divine sense transmission reached Pill Master Yan's Sea of Consciousness, the Pill Master's corpulent frame jolted violently. He glanced around the room, his eyes darting nervously.
"Senior Yan, what's wrong?"
One of the female cultivators nestled in Pill Master Yan's arms cooed sweetly, her orchid-like fingers fluttering lightly across his ample belly.
Almost immediately, Pill Master Yan's gaze locked onto Li Qing.
In an instant, a flicker of shock appeared in his eyes.
Is that the cripple Old Man Mo brought back?!
No, this person can transmit secret messages through divine sense—a feat only possible with the spiritual awareness of a foundation establishment realm cultivator!
Hiss!
Pill Master Yan gasped, realizing that the cripple he had previously dismissed was actually a foundation establishment cultivator himself!
His hand trembled slightly as he gripped his wine cup, his eyes instantly hardening with suspicion.
Li Qing merely smiled faintly and raised his cup in a silent toast.
Seeing this, Pill Master Yan hesitated, considering whether to approach Li Qing directly and inquire about what he possessed that might pique his interest.
Yet his apprehension kept him rooted in place, unwilling to make any rash moves.
This is the Drunken Flower Tower. He wouldn't dare cause trouble here. Perhaps I should go see what he wants.
"Besides, I have no grudge against this man. I merely remarked that he was a cripple that day."
"Wait, Old Man Mo brought him back. Could he be the reinforcements we summoned?"
Sensing Pill Master Yan's inner turmoil, Li Qing decided to avoid further interaction. To avoid suspicion, he retrieved a jade slip from his robes and placed it on the table.
With that, Li Qing rose and left the Drunken Flower Tower without a backward glance.
He just left like that?
Pill Master Yan was stunned again, utterly unable to discern Li Qing's true motives. After a moment's hesitation, he gestured to a beautiful maid in his arms to retrieve the jade slip Li Qing had left on the table.
"Go, fetch that jade slip for me to examine," Pill Master Yan said, gently patting the maid's jade-like thigh.
The beautiful female cultivator swayed her hips as she retrieved the jade slip, then cooed, "Senior Yan, this might belong to another guest. We shouldn't touch it without permission."
"Hehe, Great Master Yan, what could be recorded in this jade slip? Could it be a peerless cultivation manual?"
"If it's some peerless treasure, Senior Yan, don't forget about us! Whoever finds it gets a share, right?"
Ignoring the two beautiful women's flirtatious advances, Pill Master Yan probed the jade slip with his divine sense, transferring all the recorded information into his mind.
In the next instant, his brow furrowed deeply, his expression darkening into a terrifying scowl.
Crack!
With a slight flex of his fingers, a burst of internal strength shattered the jade slip into powder.
The two beauties in his arms, still unaware of what had transpired, were instantly terrified, their faces paling with fright.
"Good, good, good! That ungrateful, heartless beast!" Pill Master Yan muttered inwardly, his killing intent surging. "If it weren't for me, the Water Moon Merchant Guild would have collapsed long ago. Seeing you struggling to raise your granddaughter alone, I pitied you and allowed you to stay. And now you dare hire someone to target me? What a viperous heart!"
After seething internally for a moment, Pill Master Yan retrieved several spirit stones from his robes, paid for his wine, and abruptly rose to leave.
"Eh, Senior Yan, where are you going?"
"It's so late. Why not stay? It's cold outside. Let this humble servant attend to you properly."
Before she could finish speaking, Pill Master Yan stormed out of the Drunken Flower Tower, his eyes overflowing with murderous intent, a clear indication of the depth of his fury.
"That ungrateful Old Man Mo! He actually sent an elder from the Ghost Sword Sect to deal with me! What a vicious heart!"
"Tonight, I'll risk losing this merchant guild just to eliminate you and your grandson!"
"..."
Meanwhile, Li Qing, having delivered his message, briefly considered staying to watch the spectacle. But after a moment's thought, he decided against it and headed straight out of the city.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I should avoid places like this in the future. The spirit wine tastes mediocre, yet they charge more spirit stones than even the finest restaurants!"
Li Qing sighed, slightly pained by the cost. Now that he was a rogue cultivator again, he'd need to be more frugal with his spirit stones.
Fortunately, his savings from previous years remained intact, and he hadn't incurred any major expenses recently. His storage pouch currently held several thousand spirit stones, all freely available for use.
"Still, we need to cut costs and increase revenue. While we have a decent number of spirit stones now, if we don't find ways to earn more, they'll be gone before long."
"Sigh, looks like I'll have to keep selling my skills for money!"
By "selling his skills," he naturally didn't mean performing feats like smashing boulders with his chest. He meant using his artifact refinement techniques.
With his refinement skills growing increasingly refined, Li Qing now felt confident in undertaking the refinement of top-grade magical artifacts!
All he needed to do was establish his reputation, and earning spirit stones in the future shouldn't be too difficult.
As he pondered this, Li Qing approached Sunward City's south gate. Just as he was about to pass through the city-protecting formation and exit, a sudden, violent commotion erupted from the west.
Boom!
The sound of buildings collapsing echoed through the air, suggesting a battle was underway.
Sensing the disturbance, Li Qing narrowed his eyes and glanced back. Then, shaking his head, he lightly departed Sunward City without giving it further thought.
The next morning, news that the Water Moon Merchant Guild had been completely reduced to rubble spread like wildfire throughout Sunward City.
In an instant, every tavern and teahouse buzzed with speculation about the incident.
"This is outrageous! The entire western district, which belonged to the Water Moon Merchant Guild, has been reduced to rubble!"
"They must have angered a powerful foundation establishment cultivator. What exactly happened?"
"Last night, I heard the thunderous collapse of buildings but didn't dare peek outside, fearing I'd be caught in the crossfire."
"What kind of person could the Water Moon Merchant Guild have provoked to bring such catastrophic ruin upon themselves?"
"Speaking of Pill Master Yan, why hasn't he intervened now that the guild is destroyed?"
"Heh heh, Pill Master Yan was probably lost in the Drunken Flower Tower again last night."
Amidst the buzzing rumors in Sunward City, a shocking conclusion soon emerged:
"Rumor has it that Pill Master Yan himself destroyed the Water Moon Merchant Guild!"
"Impossible! Pill Master Yan earns countless spirit stones from the guild every year. Why would he bite the hand that feeds him?"
"They say someone saw Pill Master Yan standing amidst the ruins in the western district at dawn, with several Water Moon Merchant Guild guards dead at his feet."
"But... why would Pill Master Yan do this? Has he gone mad?"
Soon, those with some knowledge of rumors began to speak up:
"I heard Old Man Mo has called in reinforcements to deal with Pill Master Yan, hoping to regain control of the merchant guild."
"Hiss! That old man is ruthless."
"Now it makes sense. If I were him, I'd go for a scorched-earth strategy too."
"..."
Outside Sunward City, several mountain peaks stood in a defensive formation, guarding the region. The area was rich in spiritual energy, with lush greenery and fragrant flowers at the mountain's base, making it an ideal place for cultivation.
Arriving at the summit at dawn revealed why the nearby city was named Sunward City: as the morning sun rose, the entire city seemed to be gilded with gold.
Li Qing, having reunited with Shen Ningbing, immediately rushed to this Spirit Vein Land.
"The spiritual energy here is abundant, not bad. But this territory belongs to the Ghost Sword Sect. I wonder how many spirit stones it costs to rent a cave abode here for a year."
As Li Qing spoke, he led Shen Ningbing toward the base of the spirit peaks.
Before long, several Ghost Sword Sect disciples stationed nearby approached them.
Li Qing and Shen Ningbing made no attempt to conceal their auras, openly displaying their status as foundation establishment cultivators.
The Ghost Sword Sect disciples immediately sensed the overwhelming pressure emanating from the approaching pair. Even these demonic path cultivators couldn't help but adopt an attitude of utmost respect.
In the cultivation world, the law of the jungle reigned supreme, and this was especially true for those who followed the demonic path. Might made right, and hierarchy was rigidly enforced.
Demonic cultivators, known for their directness and recklessness, acted without restraint. If they were stronger, that was all the justification they needed—a truth more absolute than the heavens themselves.
Thus, when facing cultivators of higher cultivation levels, they displayed even greater deference.
"Senior cultivators," the Ghost Sword Sect disciples, their bodies radiating chilling yin energy, greeted with clasped fists. "This spirit peak belongs to our sect. Are you here to visit friends, browse the market, or rent a cave abode?"
Having faced even true ancient demons, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing naturally paid little attention to these qi refining realm demonic cultivators.
"We're here to rent a cave abode," Li Qing replied calmly. "Are any available?"
"Of course! Please follow me, senior cultivators!"
(End of the Chapter)
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