The cultivator flew from the dilapidated temple on the peak, a flying sword beneath his feet. His speed was incredible; in just a few breaths, he was in front of Fang Qingyuan.
The speed left Fang Qingyuan stunned. Coupled with the oppressive aura emanating from the cultivator, his heart sank uncontrollably.
'A Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and he doesn't come in peace.'
Fang Qingyuan cursed his luck. 'How could I run into such a real shark just as it was getting dark?'
The newcomer was an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He wore a purple robe and a high crown and appeared to be middle-aged. He stood in mid-air, holding his flying sword, his expression solemn.
"The three of you. Where are you from? State your origins and affiliations at once."
Only after being spoken to did Fang Qingyuan and the others dare to take a deep breath. He could feel the manta ray trembling beneath his feet, but he was in no mood to comfort it now.
"Fang Qingyuan, Outer Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect's Tianshan Villa. This is my Camel Beast, and the two beside me are guests I picked up from Black River Square, headed for Celestial Gate Mountain."
Fang Qingyuan stated his background quickly and clearly. After he finished, the two guests also announced their own origins.
"Do you have proof?"
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator's voice was rough as he stared coldly at the other two. His attitude toward Fang Qingyuan, however, was much milder.
"Yes, yes, this is my Mountain Gate Token. Please take a look."
The three of them took out their respective Mountain Gate Tokens and handed them to the cultivator. After examining them, the cultivator fell into deep thought.
As time ticked by, Fang Qingyuan's heart gradually calmed. Since the cultivator hadn't struck them down immediately, the chance of him doing so now was even smaller.
'I just don't understand,' Fang Qingyuan thought. 'Why would a Foundation Establishment Cultivator suddenly appear here, interrogating passersby? Has something major happened that I don't know about?'
A moment later, the purple-robed cultivator casually tossed the three Tokens, which flew back to their owners. Then, he said slowly,
"Don't wander around for the time being. It's already late. Hurry on your way."
With that, a flash of Escape Light appeared at his feet, and he returned to the summit of Black River Peak, leaving Fang Qingyuan and the other two to stare at each other in dismay.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, do you have any idea what's going on?"
"No idea, but I have one thought."
"What thought?"
"To get out of here, fast."
...
「About half an hour later.」
The Flying Manta Ray was panting heavily, flying with all its might. Only when Black River Peak was far behind them did Fang Qingyuan feel up to making small talk.
"You two, from the looks of it, something big has happened. Have you heard anything?"
Both cultivators shook their heads without a word. They were also completely in the dark. The Foundation Establishment Cultivator just now was clearly screening passing cultivators. They couldn't imagine what could be so important as to warrant the involvement of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Fang to be an esteemed disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. The cultivator just now probably felt he had to show you some deference."
The taller, thinner of the two cultivators began to compliment Fang Qingyuan. The purple-robed cultivator's attitude toward the three of them had been clearly different, which left him feeling a little slighted.
Hearing the compliment, Fang Qingyuan's old face flushed, and he chuckled.
"I'm an embarrassment to my sect, running a ferrying business just to earn some spending money."
He was clearly doing it to make a living, but in his words, it was just for "spending money." It was hard to say if the two believed him.
After this incident, the three exchanged a few more words before falling silent. Fang Qingyuan stared down at the black sea of clouds below, and worry began to set in.
'I was just about to make a fortune with the Immortal Mansion, and now this happens. Looks like my ferrying business will have to stop for a few days so I can lay low.'
But the situation was even more serious than Fang Qingyuan had anticipated. When the Camel Beast reached the Celestial Gate Mountain Pier, Fang Qingyuan discovered another Foundation Establishment Cultivator conducting inspections there as well.
This cultivator was not alone, however. Behind him were patrol officers from the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace.
It was another round of verification. Fortunately, Fang Qingyuan was a familiar face with a clean background, so he avoided being detained.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lao He, the Spirit Fruit seller, squatting to one side, watched by several cultivators.
About a dozen others were receiving the same treatment as Lao He. All of them were Loose Cultivators with no backing. As for disciples from established sects, the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace patrol team didn't give them any trouble as long as they presented their tokens.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, help me! I just gave you those Red Lotus Fruits this morning!"
Lao He cried out for help the moment he saw Fang Qingyuan, but Fang Qingyuan could barely look out for himself, let alone anyone else.
Besides, Fang Qingyuan's words carried little weight. The only reason they weren't detaining him was out of consideration for his status as a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.
But seeing Lao He's miserable cries, and considering their slight acquaintance, Fang Qingyuan brazenly approached a patrol officer and asked:
"Fellow Daoist, have these Loose Cultivators committed some crime?"
The patrol officer forced a smile at Fang Qingyuan and said:
"I don't know either. The higher-ups said to detain all these Loose Cultivators for individual questioning. If you have no other business, you should leave quickly."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan knew that Lao He's life wasn't in danger, but he wouldn't be able to avoid some suffering and financial loss.
'These patrol officers probably know they won't get any information from these Loose Cultivators,' he thought. 'They just want to use this opportunity to fleece them.'
This was the tragedy of being a Loose Cultivator. With no background and no backer, you were at the mercy of others.
Fang Qingyuan gave Lao He a slight nod. Then he took out the only three Spirit Stones he had on him, secretly handed them to the patrol officer, and whispered while pointing at Lao He:
"I have a slight acquaintance with this man. Please look out for him a little. Thank you."
The patrol officer accepted the Spirit Stones without changing his expression, gave a slight nod, and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan could only lead his Flying Manta Ray toward Tianshan Villa. As for Lao He, he had done all he could.
The three Spirit Stones consisted of the one left over from buying Spirit Wood, plus the two he had just earned as a transport fee. Now he had given them all to the patrol officer.
The reason Fang Qingyuan helped Lao He, aside from their acquaintance, was that he saw it as an investment.
A situation like this was a perfect example of providing timely help. He had only paid three Spirit Stones and a few words, but in the future, he might get a return of thirty Spirit Stones or even more.
Of course, all of this was predicated on Lao He making it through this ordeal.
Leaving Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace, Fang Qingyuan hurried back to Tianshan Villa. But when he entered the courtyard, he discovered that the mood there was also extremely grim.
'Has the sky fallen?'
Fang Qingyuan was completely baffled. What on earth was going on? Everything had been fine this morning. How could a single trip to Black River Square make it feel like the world had been turned upside down?
Just then, Zhang Yuan, whom he had met at the Grand Precepts Hall that morning, rushed past him. Seeing him, Fang Qingyuan quickly called out and asked:
"Zhang Yuan, what's happened? Why is everyone inside and outside the villa acting like this?"
Zhang Yuan stopped when Fang Qingyuan called his name. Hearing the question, he quickly pulled Fang Qingyuan aside and said in a low voice:
"Elder Wang is dead. And his Spirit Beast, the one that was about to reach the Golden Core stage, died with him."
"What?!"
Hearing this news, Fang Qingyuan was too shocked to speak. At the same time, he felt a pang of guilt. He had just cursed Elder Wang this morning. 'It couldn't have been that effective, could it?'
Fortunately, Zhang Yuan's next words proved that Elder Wang's death wasn't Fang Qingyuan's doing, because others had died as well.
"A Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Celestial Gate Mountain also died. And the West River Zhao Family, the Hedong Fei Family, the Heavenly River Li Family... they all lost people this time."