Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 3 Qinglifang

It was noon when Xu Xuan arrived at Qinglifang. There were crowds of people. There was a building every five steps and a pavilion every ten steps. The peach and plum trees on the roadside were in full bloom, and there was an endless stream of tourists and ladies.

Qinglifang is located in the center of Dajingyuan. It was jointly opened by various families in Dajingyuan. Fighting is strictly prohibited in the square and there are rules in place.

If there is any trouble, there are cultivators in the late stage of Qi training in the town. Who dares to act recklessly?
Xu Xuan was still wearing the ancient black robe on this trip, with a mid-grade Qi training robe underneath, named [Sleeping Locust Tree Shade]. It was a magical tool of the Wood Virtue sect, which could overcome disasters and karma, was not stained by blood, could always purify the body, and repair injuries. However, its ability to resist swords and fire was a little weak.

As for the foundation-building magic sword [Heng Guang], it was too valuable, so it was naturally left in the temple. This time he brought with him a mid-grade magic sword for Qi training [Dan Ting], which was a thing from the temple and was given to him by his master when he was training Qi.

Although Dachiguan once had Chongyangzi, a sword immortal who had established his foundation, in charge and had some reputation in Chiyun, it had been nearly nine years since the ancestor passed away, and the sect had declined greatly. It was also facing the Lotus Temple. Although some people recognized Xu Xuan, few came up to greet him.

Walking along the road, one can see golden platforms and jade towers, and the sounds of hawking are endless. Many mortals are also doing business here, but they are not afraid of these cultivators. Most of them are descendants of aristocratic families or slaves.

In the teahouse and restaurant, the green curtains are tall and the furnace is full of charcoal fire.

Xu Xuan walked to a small shop with ease. On the plaque were written four big characters "Duobao Shop". It looked quite old. The gold paint on it had fallen off, revealing a dark base.

There were no other customers in the store. It was not a big place, but it was filled with odds and ends, most of which were low-quality items that Qigong cultivators would not look upon.

"Wang Ya, Wang Ya, there are guests coming, why don't you come out?"

Xu Xuan entered the shop and saw that no one was inside. He shouted a few times, and then a short old man came out from under the pile of odds and ends. He was wearing an extremely funny black robe, with white hair and beard. He glanced at Xu Xuan with his eyes and came forward with a smile.

"So you are the head of the Dachi Temple. What brings you to my little shop? I have only junk here, I'm afraid it won't be of your taste."

Wang Ya was very humble. Although the Dachi Temple had been in decline in recent years, it was once a Taoist sect that had established a foundation. Xu Xuan was very powerful in fighting, and his sword energy was captivating. He had fought with the old monk Ci Hai from the Lotus Temple and won by a large margin, so he had some reputation.

For someone like Wang Ya, who had been in the business world for many years and had long lost his dignity, he was naturally fawning on her and only hoped that Xu Xuan would have some spirit stones and treasures.

"Do you have any spiritual objects at the foundation-building level? Preferably one from the Wu Earth element, with good quality and presentable."

The Chen family practices the Tao of Earth, and most of the family's skills are based on practicing with the help of the roots of mountains and veins of the earth. It is naturally very appropriate to give them treasures of the Tao of Earth.

Dachiguan and the Chen family have been interacting with each other, and the gifts they give each other are either foundation-building resources or top-notch spiritual objects for Qi training. Now Xu Xuan wants to use the birthday celebration to renew the friendship, so that the Lotus Temple will be a little wary and buy some time for him to build his foundation.

"Friend Xu, you're joking. My shop is full of junk. I don't even have enough supplies for Qi training, so where can I find spiritual objects for foundation building?"

Wang Ya still kept a low profile, and there was a hint of rejection in his words.

Seeing this, Xu Xuan said nothing, but just gently released his Qi, revealing his fifth-level Qi training skills, and chuckled:
"You may not have it, but you must have some information. Most of the shady business in the Qinglifang underground has passed through your hands. How could you not even find the spiritual objects for foundation building?"

Wang Ya's figure paused slightly, and his whole aura suddenly changed. He was a bird in a cage, chirping and flattering before, but now he was a crow in the woods, gloomy and deep. He was no longer the cowardly old man before, and his aura also rose. He turned out to be a Qigong cultivator, and had reached the third level.

"Fellow Daoist, you are well-informed. Come over here."

Wang Ya didn't want to say much. He led Xu Xuan to a small courtyard, opened the formation, and revealed a deep tunnel.

"Please in, fellow Taoist." Wang Ya took a step ahead and let Xu Xuan follow.

Xu Xuan silently clenched the talisman in his hand, and the [Dan Thunder] in his Qi Sea leaped, ready to take action at any time, and then he followed in.

After walking along the tunnel for an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up and became brightly lit. In front of us was a cave as big as the entire Qinglifang. Inside, there were cultivators walking around everywhere. Each of them was either injured or covered in blood, and it was obvious that they were not to be trifled with.

Xu Xuan only took a glance and saw many notorious independent cultivators, most of whom lived on the edge of a knife. He didn't dare to look at them for fear of a conflict.

"Does Fellow Daoist Xu know what I do?"

Wang Ya seemed like a different person at this moment, like a long-time demon, and his tone was deep.

"There's a ghost market downstairs. These casual cultivators, or those who have robbed or dug up graves, all trade here. The two parties don't meet in person, only my people act as intermediaries."

Wang Ya led Xu Xuan into a cave with blue bricks and white walls. Lamps burning with mermaid oil were glowing. Wang Ya opened the formation and asked Xu Xuan to wait. After a while, he took out a wooden box.

"Fellow Daoist, please take a look. This is a spiritual object from the Wu Earth sect. Its origin can be considered innocent."

The wooden box was carved from green wood and engraved with a floating talisman array. It was obvious that the object inside was extremely heavy, making it difficult for Wang Ya to hold it up.

Xu Xuan held it steadily, which made Wang Ya look at him with more respect.

When the wooden box was opened, the earth's air gushed out, turning the box into a yellow haze. Inside was a bead that looked like neither wood nor stone. It was extremely strange.

"The Earth Mother's Merciful Pearl of the Wu Earth Sect was brought from Tianshui County in the north. A family lineage there was destroyed, and someone fled with the treasure, but was killed and ended up here."

[Mother Earth's Kind Pearl], Xu Xuan had also heard of this spiritual object. It could warm and nourish the body of the Dharma. When combined with the exercises and properly refined, it could make the body as strong as Mount Tai, unshakable. It was highly valued by the cultivators of Earth Virtue.

"It's a good thing, but how much is it?"

Xu Xuan felt a little unsure. He only had twenty mid-grade spirit stones on him. Ordinary foundation-building spiritual objects or foundation-building pills would require thirty, and better quality ones would require fifty or more mid-grade spirit stones.

"The seller only wants Mu Deyi's foundation-building spiritual artifact, nothing else."

Xu Xuan was worried. To prevent any accidents, he brought with him a secret spiritual item for foundation building from the sect, the [Red-veined Flint Stone] of Binghuo, which was worth about thirty medium-grade spiritual stones, but not of Mude.

"The other party doesn't want spirit stones, but only wants to exchange for things?"

Xu Xuan asked the last question, with some hope.

"If it were anyone else, they would naturally not agree. However, since it's Fellow Daoist Xu, if I reveal my name, I can help mediate the situation. However—"

Wang Ya smiled, a look of greed on his face. Xu Xuan took out a high-grade fetal breathing instrument from the mustard seed bag, handed it to Wang Ya, and whispered:

"I hope you can do your best."

Wang Ya nodded and accepted it, his face wrinkled and he smiled:

"Don't worry, fellow Daoist. I'm familiar with the seller. Let me go ask him again."

Wang Ya went out, and Xu Xuan waited for half an hour before he came back with a smile.

"But have you found it?" Xu Xuan asked hurriedly.

"That's right, but I heard that the person is the abbot of Dachi Monastery, and he wants to meet with you. If the deal is successful, you can take the [Earth Mother's Mercy Pearl] without spending a penny, and there are many other benefits."

Wang Ya came closer with a mysterious look on his face.

However, Xu Xuan did not believe his words. Nothing in the world is always beneficial. They needed to meet in person to discuss it in detail.

Wang Ya led Xu Xuan down the tunnel and came to a deeper cave.

The cultivators here were all practicing Qi cultivation. Xu Xuan was led by Wang Ya into a side room. Then the old man chuckled and left first.

Entering the room, there was a young man in blue clothes, who was very handsome. Beside him stood a pretty maid, who was making tea and serving him.

"Fellow Taoist, please sit down."

When he saw Xu Xuan coming in, the other person's eyes lit up and he stood up to greet him.

"My name is Liu Qiuci, a disciple of the Liu family."

The Liu family, presumably the one from Dajingyuan, has a good relationship with Huichun Valley, and there are signs of an alliance between the two families.

However, the Liu family's foundation-building master also died in the demon disaster six years ago, which is the same situation as Xu Xuan's Dachi Temple.

"Da Chi Guan, Xu Xuan."

Xu Xuan returned the gift and sat at the table. The maid next to him served him spiritual tea. He took a few sips silently and felt a slight bitterness on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't taste the flavor, but he felt a little clearer.

"This is the [Green Jade Leaf] that my family produces exclusively. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Xu?"

The other party raised his eyebrows and looked at Xu Xuan.

"It's good tea, but I'm a rough man and can't say much about it." Xu Xuan told the truth.

"Do you want my [Mother Earth's Merciful Pearl]?"

Liu Qiuci spoke in a serious tone, and when he talked about business, he was no longer the elegant young man he used to be.

"That's right, but I don't have any spiritual objects of the Wood Virtue. If it's the Fire Virtue, I can still find it."

"Don't worry, Daoist friend. I have a bigger deal waiting for you. If it works out, you can just take the Earth Mother's Merciful Pearl."

Liu Qiuci spoke sincerely, as if he had considered everything for Xu Xuan.

Xu Xuan did not respond immediately, but asked carefully:

"But what is it, fellow Daoist, please tell me clearly. If it is some murder or robbery, I am afraid I cannot accompany you."

Liu Qiuci shook his head, took out a feather fan and waved it lightly. It turned out to be a top-grade magical tool for practicing Qi. It seems that the Liu family is still more wealthy than the Dachi Temple.

"No, no, you've misunderstood, fellow Daoist. Master Xu, do you understand the current situation from the Seven Qingwei Mountains to the Great Jingyuan?"

"Is this a situation? Could you please enlighten me, fellow Daoist?"

Liu Qiuci looked a little depressed, as if he had been troubled for a long time. He took out a feng shui map and carefully instructed Xu Xuan:
"When the demonic disaster struck, Qingwei and Dajing both suffered. Almost all the foundation-building and late-stage Qi training cultivators from various sects died out. The only ones left were our generation."

"Fellow Daoist, don't look at my youth. It's just that my family has a method to maintain their youthful appearance. I am already in my forties."

At this point, Liu Qiuci's momentum rose, and he actually reached the fifth level of Qi training.

"Even if our generation has any hope of breaking through to the foundation-building stage, it will probably take forty years at the earliest."

Xu Xuan nodded, although he estimated that he would be able to break through if he practiced hard for another thirty years.

Liu Qiuci picked up the spiritual tea and drank it all in one gulp, as if the cup was full of strong liquor.

"Now, from the Seven Mountains of Qingwei to Dajingyuan, the two families that have established their foundation are the Chen and Zhu families. The old man of the Chen family has suffered a hidden injury and his life span is not long, so he is not interested in expansion. However, the head of the Zhu family is in his prime and is very ambitious."

Liu Qiuci took out a red brush and outlined five houses one by one, including Xu Xuan's Dachi Temple.

"If you want to break through to the foundation building stage, the sixth level of Qi training is the threshold. You have to break through before the age of fifty to have a chance. Fellow Daoist Xu from Dachi Temple, I from the Liu family, and the younger generations of the Kongjian Sect, the Wu family, and the Duan family all have hope of achieving it, but—"

The room was dim, the mermaid oil lamp emitting a faint blue light. Liu Qiuci's handsome face was distorted, like an evil ghost, and he said in a dark voice:
"The young master of the Wu family was beheaded by bandits yesterday. His body was covered in hundreds of knife wounds. When will it be your turn or mine?"

(End of this chapter)