Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 199 Demonic Calamity
Since entering Yunxi County, I have heard many strange and unusual rumors along the way.

This rumor about crows is one of them.

Previously, I would just listen to it as a story and move on, but I never expected it to be related to Qinggu.

Now that I think about it, the demonic calamity that Liu Xincheng mentioned that the Xuan Yuan Sect disciple was investigating must be this matter.

The rumors about this crow have been circulating in the vicinity of Qinggu for so many years, why are they still investigating here?

Song Yan's interest in Qinggu was growing, but he still had important business to attend to.

He sold a batch of Yellow Sprout Pills directly at Baodan Hall, totaling 330 spirit stones.

Afterwards, he found a shop in the market that sold spiritual herbs and medicines, and bought some materials to refine Yellow Sprout Pills and Qi Condensation Pills, spending all of the 330 spirit stones he had just received.

"To make money by refining pills, you need to be highly skilled."

"To reach a high level, one must refine more pills."

"If you want to refine more pills, you need to spend a lot of spirit stones."

This is really terrible! This is because he can learn alchemy quickly through swordsmanship. He can't imagine how many resources an average cultivator with ordinary alchemy talent would need to achieve alchemy mastery.

Alchemy isn't a business where you can make money just by producing pills. Taking Huangya Pill as an example, you need at least a 55% success rate to make a profit.

He muttered to himself as he walked out of the herbal medicine shop. Across the street was a general store that sold all sorts of odds and ends.

They have a little bit of everything: elixirs, talismans, array plates, and magical artifacts.

Song Yan had no interest in the shop and was about to leave when he saw a familiar figure inside.

"what?"

Looking into the distance, he saw that familiar, thin figure carefully selecting something in the general store.

He wanted to pick up a formation plate, but hesitated when he saw the price listed on it.

"Xiaoju?"

Song Yan greeted them.

Just as Ju Luyi was caught in a dilemma, she heard someone call her name. She turned around abruptly and saw a face that left a deep impression on her.

"Senior Song!?"

Before turning around, she thought it was her imagination or that someone else was greeting her, and coincidentally, someone was calling out to Xiao Ju.

Since her mother passed away, it seems that no one has ever called out her name outside the sect.

I never expected to run into Senior Song here.

Song Yan was also surprised. In such a large country as Chu, there were so many disciples who went down the mountain to travel, but he didn't know many of them.

I've met one so quickly.

It felt like a delightful surprise, like meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

"Why are you here?"

"I... I'm from a place near Yunxi City. I came back to visit a few days ago."

Ju Luyi is not considered a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect, so she is not subject to the many rules governing her travels down the mountain and can theoretically leave at any time.

But perhaps because "perfect" will only be able to rest for a while after the wave of business opportunities and hype surrounding the Sword-Stabbing Event has passed.

Therefore, Xiao Ju waited until this period of time before leaving the sect.

"Hometown? Your hometown is Yunxi City?"

“No, no, no, it’s not Yunxi City…” She was a little embarrassed when talking about her hometown: “It’s a small place, you probably haven’t even heard of it, it’s called Qinggu.”

Qinggu?

Why is it this place again?

Seeing Song Yan suddenly fall silent, Ju Luyi assumed that he had never heard of him before.

"It's normal that people in the mountains and remote areas haven't heard of it."

“You’re mistaken. I’ve heard of the name Qinggu ever since I entered the territory of Yunxi County.”

Song Yan asked, "Are you choosing magical artifacts here?"

At this point, Ju Luyi's eyes dimmed, and she shook her head: "Not really."

“Something happened at home, and I would like to ask Liu Xincheng to help me out.”

"Come on...buy him something."

Xiao Ju naturally knew that if Senior Song were to handle this matter, it would be much simpler.

But there's nothing in this world that someone is obligated to help you with, and she didn't want to trouble others.

Song Yan found this somewhat strange at first. Although Xiao Ju wasn't exactly a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect, she was still a Qi Refining cultivator, and she didn't need to be subservient to Liu Xincheng when asking for favors.

However, upon further reflection, Liu Xincheng, as a retainer, does indeed wield some power, especially in an important prefecture like Yunxi City, giving him far more influence than many independent cultivators.

Something happened at home...?

Keigo?
Song Yan was just about to go there, and Liu Xincheng was stammering and didn't say anything good. Ju Luyi should be familiar with him.

“I happen to be inspecting sect affairs in Yunxi City. Don’t buy anything. Tell me what happened in Qinggu.”

Ju Luyi's eyes lit up.

Since it's a sect matter, it's not troubling Senior Song; on the contrary, it's helping him complete his mission!
The two walked and talked, and Ju Luyi naturally answered all their questions.

“Since my mother passed away, I have had no relatives left. It was only Hu Gongfeng from Qinggu who led me to Dongyuan Sect.”

Speaking of this, Xiao Ju looked somewhat dejected.

"Although I didn't get the chance to join the sect in the end, it was because I was not good enough. I still remember Hu Gongfeng's kindness."

"I came back this time to visit him."

"But when I returned to the valley, I didn't see Hu Gongfeng. That's when I realized that he had been missing for a long time."

"Yesterday, I met Su, the temple priest, who was investigating the matter, in the valley. He said... Hu, the temple priest, has been killed by the demon crow!"

"What……"

Song Yan was somewhat puzzled. The Su Gongfeng she mentioned should be the same Su Li of the Xuan Yuan Sect that Liu Xincheng had mentioned.

Something weird.

Liu Xincheng didn't tell the truth yesterday, but why did he try to cover it up?

The two walked out of Yunlin Market, but unexpectedly, they saw Liu Xincheng waiting for them not far away.

He looked tense, but it was as if he had made up his mind.

"Senior Song!"

Upon seeing Song Yan, he stepped forward.

Song Yan was somewhat puzzled: "Liu Gongfeng, I was just about to go find you."

Liu Xincheng quickly explained his purpose.

"Senior Song, Qinggu, something seems amiss."

Why didn't you say so yesterday?

"This……"

Liu Xincheng had previously harbored a glimmer of hope, but now he knows that the truth will eventually come out, and that the fire will eventually burn him.

Song Yan did not waste time pursuing the matter of Liu Gongfeng. He spoke calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Lead the way."

"Talking as we walk."

……

Head northwest, it's not far.

Qinggu is a hilly area, famous for its high-quality timber and herbs.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Qinggu Valley, Song Yan's expression changed, he stopped and looked up.

Xiao Ju and Liu Xincheng also looked in the direction he was looking, their faces showing surprise.

Then a black crow appeared, flying slowly from who-knows-where.

"So this is the demon raven you spoke of..."

The arrival of crows, considered an ominous sign, meant that disaster was imminent.

Liu Xincheng looked wary, but Ju Luyi was not nervous at all, her eyes gleaming as she gazed at the sky.

Crows were present when she was born...

The crows cawed noisily and flew into Qing Valley.

Suddenly, a golden light appeared in Song Yan's eyes. He activated his Observation Sword Eyes and watched the trajectory of the shadow in the air.

"Sword Qi?"

Song Yan muttered to himself.

(End of this chapter)