Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 362 The Situation in the Prefectural City. (Second Update!)

When Zheng Que opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.

After getting up and dressing, he immediately opened the Soul Nourishing Bag and put the withered orchid inside.

After looking around to make sure nothing was missed, he stepped out of the cave.

Having arrived in a hurry yesterday, he hadn't had a chance to properly explore the surroundings of this cave. Now, looking around, he saw the floating island suspended high in the sky. The thick fog he had seen from outside was nowhere to be seen from his current position. The vast sky stretched out before him, with blue skies and white clouds. Below, Qingrao Prefecture looked like a matchbox. Occasionally, black dots could be seen moving in the suburbs outside the city, which were convoys that only cultivators could discern as they moved hesitantly.

However, the other floating islands, which are also high in the sky, are still shrouded in clouds and mist, making them difficult to distinguish.

Zheng Que withdrew his gaze, took out the jade pendant shaped like a carriage, and came to the edge of the floating island.

"Sorry..."

Just like when they arrived, the jade pendant transformed into a carriage, with a semi-transparent steed appearing in front, carrying Zheng Que. Its four hooves trod through space as it headed towards the prefectural city below.

The wind howled outside the window, and in the blink of an eye, the carriage had passed through the thick clouds. Cool, moist air seeped in from the window, like a summer morning mist.

Soon, the carriage landed on the square behind the archway. After another neighing of the horse, the carriage and horse disappeared together, collapsing into a jade pendant that spontaneously fell into Zheng Que's palm.

Zheng Que put away the jade pendant, looked around, walked out of the archway, and headed towards the main street.

Instead of heading straight to Dingjia Lane in the west of the city, he first took a tour of the entire prefectural city to familiarize himself with its terrain and layout.

Qingrao Prefecture is nestled between mountains and water, with a pleasant climate and abundant resources. Perhaps due to the large number of cultivators in the area, which provides adequate protection, there are also some cultivated fields outside the city.

The city center is centered around the city lord's mansion, which is the office and residence of the prefect. This mansion covers a vast area and includes almost all of the city's office space.

Previously, when Lu Maohong took Zheng Que to visit the Tongpan, the courtyard they entered was a corner of the city lord's mansion, but it was not the main gate; it was the entrance to the "Tongpan's Mansion".

Surrounding the city lord's mansion are high walls and ancient trees that gracefully conceal the deep courtyards. Through the dense foliage, one can see upturned eaves and neatly arranged houses, all residences of officials related to the city lord's mansion. There are hardly any shops in sight, only the chirping of birds. Even in broad daylight, there are few pedestrians, making it quite tranquil.

This entire area is within a market town called "Anding Ward".

This is the most prestigious market town in the prefectural city.

Besides that, the most noteworthy place in the entire city is the southern part of the city where the Xuanyuan Pavilion's Suspended Immortal Island Cave Branch is located. The seemingly empty square is actually surrounded by a large number of shops.

The most prominent among them is the auction house under the Xuanyuan Pavilion, as well as numerous pill shops, talisman shops, weapon forging shops, and spiritual food shops opened by cultivators... forming a market town primarily focused on commerce, named after the Xuanyuan Pavilion, called "Xuanyuan Market".

The vast majority of cultivators in the city are concentrated in Xuanyuanfang, and there are quite a few cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage among the passersby.

Andingfang and Xuanyuanfang are known as the noble and the wealthy, respectively. Apart from these two wealthy markets, there are no other places in the prefectural city that need much attention. They are mostly inhabited by low-level rogue cultivators with their families, or ordinary people who have survived to this day by sheer luck and do not even have any cultivators in their families.

These people didn't all live in poverty; some even had elegant pavilions and towers. But compared to the wealthy Erfang, they lacked luster and had a gloomy feel to them.

Lu Maohong lived in Dingjia Lane in the west of the city, which was a relatively remote area. Most of the residents there were independent cultivators in the Qi Refining stage...

After getting a general feel for the city, Zheng Que entered Xuanyuanfang, picked out a shop selling tools and materials, and went inside.

A moment later, Zheng Que purchased some casting materials and turned to leave.

With the support of Chen Zhentao's storage bag, he was now quite well-off. He immediately bought some talismans that could be used to save his life, several blank jade slips, and books related to rare and precious materials...

After finishing his shopping, Zheng Que strolled around the market area.

In the market, the most traded items are still elixirs.

However, Chen Zhentao's storage bag contained a considerable number of pills, and their quality was superior to those on the market, so he didn't need to worry about pills for the time being.

In addition, there are many cultivation techniques and spells available for trading in Xuanyuanfang.

However, the cultivation methods and techniques that are able to circulate normally are of very low quality, and many have obvious flaws.

Now that Zheng Que has the imperial court as his backer, these low-level martial arts and techniques are no longer of any interest to him...

After gaining a general understanding of the various market conditions in the prefecture, Zheng Que returned to Linghai Cave and headed straight for the casting room.

The casting chamber was very spacious. In the center stood a furnace covered with runes, its style ancient and simple. Beneath it was a very weak cluster of earth fire, its flames a pale blue, sealed by a talisman. Although the fire was waning and almost extinguished, it still emitted an intense aura. Beside the furnace was a shelf, with various smelting tools hanging or displayed. Against the wall was a pool of water; even before approaching the water, a chill emanated from it, suggesting some kind of cold spring.

Several steps were built at the inner part of the room, and a large chair was placed on top, seemingly for observing the entire casting room.

Looking at the complete setup in front of him, Zheng Que nodded slightly. He could now call Shu Yunying out to forge the weapon!
Thinking of this, he first opened his storage bag and took out all the materials he had just bought in the market, piling them on the ground.

Then he took out a blank jade slip, placed it between his eyebrows, and quickly recorded the [Heavenly Craftsmanship Technique] that he had previously read in Gao Yinxia's jade slip.

Next, he recorded the blueprints for the [Stunning Smoke Skirt] and the [Sound Transmission Technique] into two blank jade slips.

After doing all this, Zheng Que opened the Soul Nourishing Bag and summoned Shu Yunying.

As soon as Shu Yunying appeared in the casting room, she glanced around and immediately walked towards the only chair at the very back.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Que immediately asked, "Shu Yunying, can you use the jade slip now?"

As he spoke, he took out the jade slip containing the [Sound Transmission Technique] that he had just recorded and handed it over.

As Shu Yunying took the jade slip, she said reproachfully, "Shu Que, your question is very strange."

"Why can't I use jade slips?"

Before she finished speaking, she had already placed the jade slip between her eyebrows and begun to examine its contents.

Not long after, Shu Yunying snorted coldly, her lips moved slightly, and her voice rang directly in Zheng Que's ear: "[Sound Transmission Technique], such a simple technique, this young lady can learn it after seeing it once!"

Seeing this, Zheng Que was immediately relieved. He then took out two jade slips, the "Heavenly Crafting Technique" and the "Amazing Smoke Skirt" blueprint, and handed them to Shu Yunying, saying, "I went out just now to buy you some robes."

"However, this prefectural city is a remote and desolate place with scarce resources, and there isn't even a decent robe."

"After spending half a day, I only managed to buy some materials for forging robes, as well as the casting technique and robe blueprints..."

Upon hearing that Shu Que wanted to buy her a Buddhist robe, Shu Yunying was immediately in a good mood.

Although this Shu Que is not very respectful to me usually, he is loyal at heart, so it's not in vain that I bestowed this surname upon him...

Thinking of this, Shu Yunying nodded reservedly: "It's alright, this young lady is not an unreasonable person."

"Since we have the materials, the blueprints, and the casting technique, that's enough."

"Alright, I'll go rest now. Once you've finished forging the robe, present it to me."

???

Zheng Que was taken aback. He had bought the materials to ask Shu Yunying to help him forge the weapon, so why was she now asking him to forge the weapon instead?
In a flash, he shook his head and said, "No way!"

"I can't learn that casting technique."

"You can only forge the robes yourself."

"Otherwise, the materials will have been bought for nothing, and you won't even have any robes to wear!"

what?
Such a trivial matter as casting artifacts actually requires me, the young lady, to do it personally?
Shu Yunying was immediately very dissatisfied and asked, "Is the robe in this drawing a talisman or a magic weapon?"

Zheng Li immediately replied, "A ritual implement."

Upon hearing that it was a magical artifact, Shu Yunying's expression immediately softened, and a smile returned to her eyes and brows.

In the entire Shujiabao, the only magical artifact is the Soul-Summoning Banner!
As her servant, Shu Que's cultivation level was only at the Qi Refining stage, so it was understandable that he lacked the ability to forge magical artifacts...

Therefore, Shu Yunying said very seriously, "Since it is a magic artifact, then this young lady will try it out herself."

"Alright, you can leave now. Don't bother me for the rest of the time!"

(End of this chapter)