Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 107 Qingling Market
It was still the same old friends I was with.

Xu Xulin led the caravan toward Qinglingfang, where Lin Changheng had changed his appearance and was sitting in the packhorse carriage wearing a bamboo hat.

The packhorse-drawn carts are gentle and move very steadily, so even though the journey is long, you don't feel tired.

Although the Xu family has been promoted to a Foundation Establishment family, its foundation is still lacking and needs to be improved gradually. Its facilities have not kept up, and it has not yet purchased small or medium-sized flying boats.

Pack horse caravans remain the primary mode of transportation.

Beside Lin Changheng were two female cultivators, their faces undisguised, and they appeared quite young.

It chattered away excitedly, clearly talking non-stop for the first time outside its own territory.

When they first saw Lin Changheng dressed like this, they were quite curious. They secretly glanced at him a few times, and wanted to say something, but they held back.

I dared not discuss it in person, for fear of disturbing him.

When he saw that Lin Changheng was as still as a wooden statue, he didn't care anymore.

……

Lin Changheng's departure from the district to take up his post was remarkably quiet.

Xu Fugui and Bai Fengxian had already sent congratulatory gifts, which were quite valuable and represented the limit of what they could afford.

However, for Lin Changheng's wealth, it can only be described as "a small gift with great sentiment".

Bai Fengxian was under a lot of pressure, as he had two young sons with spiritual roots who needed cultivation resources. Lin Changheng knew this and initially didn't want the money, but after thinking about it, he accepted it anyway.

After all, it is a symbol of their "equality".

Lin Changheng also wanted to maintain it.

As for Xu Fugui, he had already secured a job for his seventh son with Lin Changheng.

I plan to train him to become an alchemist; if that doesn't work out, he can at least learn from his uncle.

Xu Fugui's fifth son and eighth daughter both have mid-grade spiritual roots and are being nurtured by the Xu family. Xu Fugui doesn't need to worry about them and is happy to have some peace and quiet.

The other children who were old enough were all sent out to work, as arranged by the Xu family.

The seventh son is only thirteen years old, with a low-grade spiritual root. He is quite honest and kind. Xu Fugui often praises him for having the same qualities as his father and asks Lin Changheng to train him, saying that he might have a great future.

Lin Changheng did not refuse and naturally agreed. For him, taking care of a child was just a matter of course.

However, I didn't bring it on this trip, for no other reason than safety.

Next time, Fugui will bring it himself when he comes to Qinglingfang.

……

More than ten days later, the distance was finally close.

The journey was quite peaceful and uneventful.

But the once desolate land is now completely different. It has been developed by cultivators for seven or eight years and no longer has that desolate feeling.

And it has gained a little popularity.

At night, Xu Xulin would often chat with Lin Changheng to pass the time.

The two inevitably talked about the remnants of the Chen family, Chen Guqing.

Xu Xulin asked with some doubt, "After the last battle, that bastard Chen Guqing seemed to have vanished into thin air, and we don't know where he's hiding."

"Really? I thought that guy had disappeared without a trace and was caught and secretly killed by Senior Zhan."

Lin Changheng also showed a hint of surprise at the right moment.

Xu Xulin shook his head, denying this claim.

"As the saying goes, those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. That guy has done so many bad things that he might have been hit in a vital spot by the young lady's top-grade talisman and might not have survived the later stages?"

Lin Changheng pondered for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly, "Or perhaps that guy is injured and gets double-crossed by his peers or accomplices. Whatever the case, it would be best if that guy disappeared forever!"

"Haha, that's right, that's exactly the point."

Xu Xulin immediately burst into laughter.

Lin Changheng laughed along with him, but he knew in his heart that this might be a test from Xu Xulin.

They just won't say it out loud.

……

"arrive?"

The Xu family's packhorse caravan moved slowly forward. The distant mountains were still verdant, but the foothills were no longer overgrown with weeds; instead, neat spiritual fields had been cultivated, with the spiritual rice swaying in the wind, gleaming with a faint green hue.

Occasionally, a Qi Refining cultivator would ride a magical artifact slowly across the fields, seemingly inspecting the growth of the spiritual plants. Further away, several exquisite pavilions were built against the mountain, their eaves soaring upwards, with a faint spiritual light flowing around them, clearly protected by restrictions.

"This must be the Valley of Absolute Dust?!"

The female cultivator traveling with her opened the carriage window, looked at the scene before her, and asked in great surprise.

Just then, a horseman outside the carriage overheard this and said with a hint of pride, "It's not Juechen Valley, but it belongs to Juechen Valley. It was originally a barren place, but the spiritual veins of Juechen Valley were specially drawn out to nourish it using the [Spirit Guiding Method]. Then, an array master was asked to set up an array to transform it. It took three years to see results, and seven years later it became like this."

The female cultivator nodded somewhat blankly, unsure whether she had understood.

"Is Qinglingfang nearby?" another female cultivator peeked out and asked with a smile.

"Haha, it's right behind the mountain. Giddy up!"

After a loud laugh, the horsemen spurred their horses forward.

Lin Changheng leaned against the open car window on the other side, a strange light flashing in his eyes under his straw hat, a sign that he was using the [Spirit Observation Technique].

It didn't take long before I realized.

The Liu and Xu families made no attempt to cover it up.

This is similar to the desertification control efforts in the Gobi Desert in the past.

This land has long been shrouded in and ravaged by poisonous miasma, and its transformation will not be accomplished overnight.

The method of "spiritual guidance" is one aspect of deliberately drawing out the spiritual veins of the Absolute Dust Valley for nourishment.

The second purpose was to use spiritual plants to strengthen the spirit. The harvest of a small amount of spiritual grain was not the main objective.

The goal is to transform this place into a suitable place for cultivation. This is fundamental, and only in this way can it become a long-lasting market and a cash cow for both races for hundreds of years.

The market town is located outside the Dustless Valley, on flat terrain, with the core area at its end, which is connected to the Dustless Valley spiritual land.

In the core area, there are two identical mansions, owned by Liu and Xu, one in front of the Shefang (prefecture) and the other in the Zhengu (town valley).

It's like controlling the entrance to a gourd.

Both Qinglingfang and Juechengu are protected by a large array.

The Qinglingfang formation is a first-tier high-grade formation, while the Juechengu spiritual land is a second-tier mid-grade formation, both providing strong protection.

They parted ways with the caravan and entered the market town.

There were quite a few cultivators walking around the streets, so it wasn't deserted, but it couldn't compare to the popularity of a long-established market town like Huangxufang.

In a secluded corner, Lin Changheng revealed his true form and quickly found himself in front of a four-story pavilion.

"Xu Family Alchemy Shop".

Compared to the signboard at Zichuanfang, the five large characters were additionally gilded.

It is more conspicuous.

The shop is quite large, with a single floor area three or four times larger than the one in Zichuanfang.

The first floor has a counter and a large hall for receiving guests.

Behind it was another courtyard, with four alchemy rooms built there.

On either side were small huts where apprentices and workers rested.

The second floor was used as a warehouse.

The third floor houses the shopkeeper's quarters and the residences of three ordinary alchemists.

The innkeeper's quarters were slightly larger than those of the alchemist's, clearly defined by their status.

All of them are now occupied.

The fourth floor is exclusively owned by the chief alchemist, and includes a suite for living as well as a sizable living room.

It's still empty, waiting for its owner.

At this moment, his master had just stepped into the gate of Danpu.

"Wow, Chief! You've finally arrived! We've been waiting for so long!"

The next instant, a familiar, aged voice rang out with surprise.

(End of this chapter)