Chapter 205: The Young Master of Xin Mountain, Old Friends Missed
Xiao He stood between Song Yan and Wu Dou, listening to her tearful lament. She let out a long sigh, feigning gravity as she patted his shoulder.
“You truly have my sympathies.”
Song Yan pondered which junior sister could be searching for him so desperately.
He felt somewhat vexed in his heart. If he met her, he would need to have a serious word with this junior sister — how had she managed to cause such chaos throughout the city?
After hearing Wu Dou’s account, he fell silent for a moment before asking, “Did that female cultivator mention where she was going? Or did any place name slip from her lips?”
If she had mentioned a place name, it could only be a sect, a market town, or a gathering place for cultivators.
A sect would help determine whether this junior sister was truly a disciple of their own. If it was the Sun-Shooting Sect, there was even a chance it was Sheng Yun.
A market town would be even better — Song Yan had been looking for one to sell off some miscellaneous spirit materials from his pouch.
It would also let him prepare for matters concerning Foundation Establishment.
He had simply been unfamiliar with Linzhou and Feng’an City. After all, this region fell under the jurisdiction of the Hanging Sword Mountain and the Sun-Shooting Sect.
Wu Dou wiped the snot and tears from his face, pondered for a while, then said, “That celestial maiden seemed to mention something before she left… something called the Carefree Market Town.”
Song Yan’s eyes lit up.
He was a stranger here, unable to even find a gathering place for cultivators. Now he finally had a lead.
“Do you know of any place nearby called ‘Carefree’?”
Wu Dou blinked, but answered honestly, “This humble one has never been there, but I’ve heard passing merchants say there’s a Carefree Marsh a hundred li to the east — the largest lake within a thousand li radius.”
Song Yan nodded. It had to be that place.
He glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, then at Wu Dou’s tattered clothes, and felt a twinge of guilt.
This matter had ultimately been caused by him. If he didn’t settle things properly, this honest man would likely suffer further misfortune.
“What are your plans from here on?” Song Yan asked.
Wu Dou heaved a long sigh. “Alas. This humble one can no longer stay in Feng’an City. I had thought to return home and till the fields, but… the Sea Dragon Society and the Barren Mountain Society won’t let me go.”
Song Yan produced a small bundle from his Cosmos Bag and handed it to Wu Dou.
He then drew out a protective talisman. With a pulse of spiritual energy, it dissolved into a beam of green light that sank into Wu Dou’s lapel and vanished without a trace.
“This matter was caused by me. Take this money. Keep this talisman on your person at all times — it will keep you safe.”
Wu Dou tremblingly opened the bundle to find it filled with gold and silver.
These were all mundane coins and ingots that Song Yan had collected from other people’s Cosmos Bags, sorted and set aside.
“This…”
Wu Dou wanted to decline out of courtesy, but Song Yan pressed the bundle into his hands. “Take it. I’ll escort you out of the city shortly, so you won’t run into more trouble.”
When they left the teahouse, dusk had already fallen.
At the eastern side gate, the martial artists of the jianghu stepped forward to question them. Song Yan flicked his fingertip, and a wisp of spiritual energy brushed past them. Their eyes immediately glazed over, and they looked straight through the pair as if they were not there.
Three li outside the city, at a pavilion.
Wu Dou knelt and kowtowed to the ground. “This humble one will never forget the Immortal Master’s great kindness!”
The joy of surviving a calamity brought tears to his eyes.
Mere mortals — should they become entangled in even the slightest matter related to immortals — could be annihilated in an instant.
Yet tremendous danger also brought tremendous opportunity. The gold and silver given by this immortal young master would not guarantee a lifetime of luxury, but at the very least, he would never want for food or clothing.
“This was caused by me. There is no need for such formality.”
Song Yan made a motion as if to help him rise. “Go now. Speak no more of today’s events.”
“Yes, yes.”
Watching Wu Dou’s retreating figure, Xiao Ju said softly, “Senior Song, shall we depart immediately?”
“Mm.”
Since it was a market town, it would surely be a gathering place for cultivators. It was the perfect opportunity to exchange his miscellaneous items for spirit stones, and if the chance arose, to acquire more spirit materials for his future Foundation Establishment.
…
By the shores of the Carefree Marsh, a hundred li of misty waters stretched before them.
On the river, a ferryman — an old man poling a boat — spotted two figures on the distant shore and adjusted his course toward them.
“Looking to cross? What a coincidence…”
The kindly old ferryman steered the boat in their direction.
A sudden thick fog rolled across the water, but the old man’s years of experience kept the boat steady and true.
The boat reached the shore.
“Hm?”
How strange.
The old man looked around but found no trace of anyone. In the time it took to land, those two figures had vanished without a sign.
Had his aged eyes deceived him once more?
The lake’s surface shimmered with mist. Before him stood a row of green stone archways rising from the water’s edge, inscribed with the characters “Carefree Market Town,” their spiritual light faintly glimmering.
Formation arrays pulsed around the perimeter. Mortals who came here would see nothing but an endless expanse of white mist.
Beneath one archway sat a young cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, idly toying with a small mechanical puzzle in his hands.
He appeared to be the market town’s guard.
Xiao He poked her head out from Song Yan’s lapel, eyes fixed on the toy in the young man’s hands, longing evident in her gaze.
“Oh?”
Spotting the newcomers, the young rogue cultivator stood up from the ground and greeted them with a grin.
“May the Dao be prosperous to you, fellow Daoists. Entry to the Carefree Market Town costs one spirit stone per person. The little serpent doesn’t count.”
His eyes flickered, and he added, “However, if spirit beasts enter and cause any trouble, you will bear full responsibility for any incidents and losses.”
“Mm. Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist.”
“No trouble at all.”
The young man produced a spirit talisman. Ripples of energy spread through the air in the middle of the path beside the archway.
“Please, go ahead.”
The young man sat back down on the ground and resumed playing with his toy.
Song Yan led Xiao Ju forward and stepped into the ripples.
In an instant, the scenery before them transformed.
Green stone pathways crisscrossed in every direction. On either side rose buildings with upturned eaves and intricate brackets. Banners outside each establishment glowed with luminous characters: “Pills,” “Artifacts,” “Talismans,” “Formations.”
This market town was vastly larger than any Song Yan had ever visited.
Cultivators bustled along the streets — some in flowing Daoist robes and grand cloaks, others in coarse hemp garments. There were even those who walked among the crowd with fierce-looking spirit beasts.
Song Yan first found a shop bearing a sign that read “Hundred Treasures Pavilion” and intended to sell off some of his miscellaneous belongings.
The shop was small, buying and selling alike. The proprietor was a middle-aged cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining — likely the seventh level, judging by his aura.
Seeing Song Yan’s restrained aura and steady gait, the proprietor smiled and approached. “What does the fellow Daoist require?”
Song Yan got straight to the point. With a shake of his Cosmos Bag from his sleeve, the table was suddenly covered with miscellaneous items — several low-grade spirit artifacts, spirit beast materials, and a small stack of spirit talismans.
Seeing Song Yan’s no-nonsense approach, the proprietor wasted no time either, appraising each item in turn.
They sold for over eighty spirit stones. Song Yan didn’t haggle over the difference of a few stones, pocketing the payment casually before asking, “Shopkeeper, do you carry these?”
He slid a slip of paper across the table.
Three names of spirit herbs were written upon it: True Fall Vine, Spirit Origin Fruit, and Water Margin Flower.
Song Yan had not obtained the current era’s Foundation Establishment Pill recipe from anywhere. He had always thought it was too early to worry about such things.
But he should not have forgotten — the Thousand Pill Compendium contained an illustration of the lowest-grade pill used for teaching purposes, and it was the Foundation Establishment Pill.
This was a recipe refined specifically for Sword Dao alchemy, modified by Chen Yi, Si Xiangqing, and even the great alchemy master behind Chen Yi himself.
Without question, it was the most suitable recipe for him.
These three spirit herbs were precisely the three primary ingredients described in that recipe.
The proprietor stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping across the slip of paper. After a moment’s thought, he said, “We do have Spirit Origin Fruit in stock. It’s widely used — essential for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, Jade Ming Pills, and many others. The price is fair: one hundred and twenty spirit stones per fruit.”
Song Yan knew of the Spirit Origin Fruit. Many pills refined at the Foundation Establishment stage required it.
Though he did not possess the commonly used Foundation Establishment Pill recipe, he had heard that the Spirit Origin Fruit served as an auxiliary ingredient. One hundred and twenty spirit stones per fruit — that was steep indeed.
“As for the Water Margin Flower…” The proprietor’s expression grew troubled. “It’s a primary ingredient for the Ageless Appearance Pill. Female cultivators scramble to buy it. Our last shipment was half a year ago, and a single stalk sold for over three hundred spirit stones.”
“…”
Seeing the furrow in Song Yan’s brow, the proprietor quickly added, “If the fellow Daoist is in a hurry, perhaps try the nearby herbal shops.”
“There’s one nearby that specializes in medicinal herbs — they have extensive connections. Otherwise, in half a month, the market town will hold an auction. I hear the grand finale will be a batch of rare spirit herbs. There might be some there.”
The proprietor finally shook his head. “As for True Fall Vine, I have no word on that. To be honest, I’ve only ever heard of this herb. In all my years, I’ve never even seen one.”
Song Yan nodded in thanks and set aside the idea of purchasing the Spirit Origin Fruit here for the time being. He turned to leave with Xiao Ju.
To refine the optimized Foundation Establishment Pill recorded in the Thousand Pill Compendium, the most crucial ingredient was the True Fall Vine. He had never heard of it either — only seen its appearance depicted in the compendium.
The other materials would be easy enough to find and were not so urgent.
The real issue was that he did not have many spirit stones at the moment.
After wandering through the market town for a while, Song Yan suddenly headed toward a secluded bamboo grove at the town’s edge.
He stopped before a desolate path, then turned abruptly to face what lay behind him.
“You two have been following me for quite some time. Why not reveal yourselves and have a proper conversation?”
Xiao Ju’s heart lurched with alarm. She spun around, her expression guarded.
Behind them, a plainly dressed female cultivator and a tall, slender male cultivator materialized from thin air.
The woman had not concealed her face. She looked utterly ordinary — not like a cultivator at all, but more like a farmer’s wife.
The man was even stranger. A mask hid his face, and the hand visible beneath his wide sleeve was an unhealthy, deathly white, utterly devoid of color.
Song Yan did not believe they would dare make a move within the market town. Such gathering places of cultivators were invariably guarded by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Of the two, the woman was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, while the man was at the peak of Qi Refining. Even if they truly intended a fight to the death, he was confident in his chances.
What struck Song Yan was that he sensed no hostility from these two whatsoever.
Not only that — he could not even detect the vitality of a living person from the male cultivator.
Was this man a corpse puppet?
“A Corpse Controlling Technique?”
A peak Qi Refining corpse puppet — what an extravagant display…
The woman seemed worried about a misunderstanding. She hurried forward and bowed politely. “This humble one is Chen Jiping. Might you be Immortal Master Song Yan of the Eastern Abyss Sect?”
The name sounded somewhat familiar, but Song Yan gave it no thought.
Xiao He poked her head out from her lapel, staring at the corpse puppet with a puzzled expression. “This scent… I feel as though I’ve smelled it somewhere before.”
It seemed they had come prepared.
Song Yan nodded. “I am.”
“However, you would do well to explain clearly how you came to know of me.”
Chen Jiping hurried to explain. “Please do not be angry, Young Master Song. Our young master is your close friend. We came here on his orders.”
“He bestowed upon us a tracking technique, which allowed us to sense your location through your voice transmission talisman.”
As she spoke, she produced a voice transmission talisman — it was indeed Sheng Nian’s.
Though this talisman appeared to have been altered with a secret technique.
Two points of spiritual light glowed upon it. One of them indicated Song Yan’s position.
“A few days ago, when we passed through Feng’an City, your name was widely known. But for some reason, the technique had stopped working.”
“We waited here at the Carefree Market Town. Fortunately, the talisman eventually reactivated, and we saw you moving in this direction.”
“We surmised you were heading to the Carefree Market Town, so we decided to wait for you here.”
That was strange. Could it be that the female cultivator who had found Wu Dou in Feng’an City was not this Chen Jiping?
As for the technique failing — it was likely because he had entered the Sword Sect ruins.
“Young master? Close friend?”
After a moment’s deliberation, Song Yan had already formed some suspicions but still sought confirmation. “If we are such close friends, there is no need for concealment. State his name plainly.”
“Young Master Sheng Nian of Xin Mountain is our master.”
So it was him.
That bastard Sheng — every dirty trick of his was being used on his own brother.
“…” Song Yan exhaled an exasperated sigh. “Very well. What does he want with me?”
“He says there is a great business venture he wishes to discuss with you.”
Chen Jiping replied, “The specifics are not clear to this humble one. The young master said it must be discussed in person at the Yi River.”
“How theatrical.” Song Yan mocked him under his breath. “Why didn’t he come himself?”
“Er… the young master has just finished handling a matter and has not yet fully extricated himself. He simply sent us to find you.”
Song Yan listened, then fell into thought.
The Cold Flower Valley was not pressing, and this detour coincided with his travels. He could visit an old friend and learn what this “great business venture” was all about.
Besides, the Yi River was in the north as well, not far from Longquan Prefecture.
But…
If this continued, wouldn’t Xiao Ju learn that he had such a friend among the demonic cultivators?
Song Yan’s gaze discreetly shifted to Ju Luyi as he pondered.
At this moment, Xiao Ju — who had been highly vigilant — relaxed upon hearing that their master was Song Yan’s close friend.
She studied the two with curious eyes.
Meanwhile, a small thought turned over in her mind.
She addressed Song Yan as Senior Song primarily because his cultivation was far superior to her own, and because he had refused to take her as a disciple.
Moreover, she was not a disciple of the Eastern Abyss Sect, so she could not call him Senior Brother.
But “Senior” this and “Senior” that — it made him sound old.
Senior Song was clearly young and talented.
Their way of addressing him, on the other hand, sounded quite fitting.
“Young master…”
It sounded both young and powerful.
Song Yan, of course, had no idea what the young woman was thinking.
“Forget it,” he decided inwardly. If they were going together, so be it. Xiao Ju was not a sect disciple anyway.
Strictly speaking, she was a rogue cultivator — and one with absolutely no experience in the jianghu, a blank slate.
“Leave now?”
That junior sister searching for him had likely departed already. Sheng Nian had extended an invitation, and it was worth investigating.
“Very well.” Chen Jiping dared not delay. She turned to the male cultivator beside her. “A-Yuan, let’s go.”
“Mm.”
Under Song Yan’s astonished gaze, the male cultivator nodded stiffly and took the lead.
“This corpse puppet… it seems to possess intelligence?”
That bastard Sheng — years without seeing him, and he was living the high life, with handmaidens and enforcers at his command.
“Xin Mountain…” He murmured the name, contemplating.
What exactly was this fellow up to?
…
The four of them had barely left the market town when a young woman dressed in white pure as snow returned from outside.
Her expression was calm, yet a trace of disappointment lingered between her brows.
She had searched for Senior Brother Song in this place for over ten days, with no result.
She could not help but sigh softly, a weight settling in her chest.
“Fate is governed by circumstance, and the Dao demands timing. To force such things is to invite emptiness…”
Xie Chan understood in her heart.
This time, it seemed destiny had other plans.
(End of Chapter)