I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

"Seventy spirit stones..." Chen Qing pondered for a moment, "That's not expensive."

"That's the price at Danxia Peak, I didn't raise it." Qian Youfu waved his hand with a smile, "Junior brother, use it without worry. Let me know when you're done, and I'll bring you more."

Chen Qing nodded and put the five bottles of Gathering Profound Pills into his storage bag.

The two chatted for a few more minutes. Qian Youfu glanced at the sky, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "It's getting late. I have to rush back to the sect. I'll bring the next batch of feed over in three months."

"I'll give it to Senior Brother Qian."

Chen Qing stood up and escorted Qian Youfu out of the formation.

Outside the formation, the two disciples at the sixth level of Qi Refining were chatting under the shade of a tree. When they saw them come out, they stopped talking and led their horses over.

"Thank you for your hard work, senior brothers," Chen Qing said politely, cupping his hands in greeting.

The two returned the greeting politely.

Qian Youfu mounted his horse and cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Qing: "Junior Brother Chen, please wait. We'll meet again in three months."

"Bon Voyage."

Chen Qing stood at the entrance of the formation, watching the figures of the three dragon-scaled horses gradually disappear into the distance, his gaze slightly somber.

In fact, he had always had a question in his mind: where did Yang Ming get the information that allowed him to target him?

Was it because one of the disciples in the dining hall couldn't keep his mouth shut, or did he really flaunt his wealth at the Yunzhou market?

Chen Qing originally wanted Qian Youfu to help find out which part of the dining hall had gone wrong.

But after much thought, I finally gave up on the idea.

Firstly, so much time has passed, there's no guarantee that the information will be found; secondly, if something is indeed found, it would be pointless, and if someone were to follow the clues and connect it to Yang Ming's affairs, that would be asking for trouble.

Yang Ming is dead, the matter is settled, it would be unwise to create further complications.

Chen Qing shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore.

He turned and walked back to the lakeside, clapping his hands: "Qingtian! Danyu! Come here!"

Qingtian was chasing a butterfly by the lake when he heard this and came running over excitedly; Danyu lightly jumped down from the willow branch and landed beside him.

"I'll be going to Yunzhou Market next month to report to Master Zhang," Chen Qing said, taking out his spirit beast pouch. "I need to go out and collect the spirit tax, and also check on the situation in Linyuan County."

"Going out again?" Qingtian scoffed, his thoughts echoing, "Last time I went out, I almost got beaten to death..."

"Shut up," Dan Yu coldly transmitted his thoughts.

Qingtian shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.

Chen Qing chuckled and patted the spirit beast pouch: "Come in, I'll buy you some delicious food when we get to Lin Yuan City."

……

"Let's go to Qingxi Valley first."

Chen Qing sat upright on his horse, secretly making plans in his mind.

Qingxi Valley is eighty li to the south, and Chiyan Mountain is one hundred li to the northeast.

However, the ambush by Yang Ming during his last trip to Chiyan Mountain left a deep shadow on him. Although more than two months have passed, he still feels a chill down his spine every time he thinks of Yang Ming's perverted smile.

He was inevitably a little apprehensive about going to the northeast again, so he decided to go to Qingxi Valley in the south first as a warm-up.

The dragon-scale horse was incredibly fast, and in less than half an hour, the outline of Qingxi Valley came into view.

Chen Qing reined in his horse and stopped, looking around.

Nestled between two verdant mountains, a stream flows gently from the valley, its water crystal clear. Lush green bamboo grows along the banks, while at the valley entrance lies a vast expanse of spiritual rice paddies, where the rice is thriving and the air is filled with its fragrance.

Chen Qing glanced at the spirit fields and secretly made some calculations in his mind.

The spiritual fields in Qingxi Valley are at least fifty or sixty acres, and with the output of Qingxi Stone, the Lin family's wealth is indeed much greater than that of the Yang family. No wonder they are a cultivation family with a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"It's a good place." Chen Qing nodded slightly.

He dismounted and led the dragon-scaled horse along the stream into the valley. After walking no more than a hundred feet, he saw two figures in the spirit rice field, bending over and tending to the spirit rice.

Both of them were at the early stage of Qi Refining, dressed in simple Taoist robes with their trousers rolled up above their knees. They were barefoot in the mud and their hands were covered in mud, looking no different from farmers in the mortal world.

One of the older men straightened up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and sighed, "Life has been getting harder and harder lately."

“Who says otherwise?” Another young man straightened up and replied with a worried look. “Robberers appear every few days. Last month, my third uncle went out to buy some supplies and was almost intercepted. He was so scared that he didn’t dare to go out for half a month after he came back.”

"I heard..." the older man lowered his voice, "that cultivators from the Qian Kingdom have reappeared, and they seem to be from the Blood Soul Sect. The clothes they're wearing and the tokens they're carrying all bear the Blood Soul Sect's mark. If this is true, how are we supposed to live?"

The young man's face paled: "Blood Soul Sect? Isn't that one of the six major demonic sects? How dare they come to our Lingyun Sect's territory?"

"Who knows?" The older man shook his head. "Anyway, it's always better to be careful..."

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar, and they quickly looked up.

A young cultivator led a dragon-scaled horse from the valley entrance. He wore a blue Daoist robe, had an ordinary face, and a calm demeanor. A Lingyun Sect disciple's token hung at his waist.

The two were taken aback at first, then their expressions changed. They hurriedly ran out of the rice paddy, not caring about their muddy feet, and respectfully bowed with their hands clasped in greeting.

"Greetings, Garrison Commander Chen!"

"Lin family members Lin Jingyuan and Lin Qingxuan pay their respects to Garrison Commander Chen!"

Chen Qing nodded slightly. Although he was not a big shot in the Lingyun Sect and his strength was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he was already someone that the strongest members of the Lin family, who were only at the late stage of Qi Refining, could not afford to offend.

"No need for formalities." Chen Qing waved his hand casually. "I've come here to inspect the situation in Linyuan County and, by the way, to see how your harvest is this year."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jingyuan and Lin Qingxuan exchanged a glance, a knowing look flashing in their eyes.

This is tax collection.

Lin Jingyuan quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "Commander Chen, you must be tired from your long journey. I'll take you into the valley right away. The clan leader will be very happy to know you've come."

Chen Qing nodded without saying anything more, leading his horse and following Lin Jingyuan into the valley. Lin Qingxuan trotted ahead, obviously to report.

After walking along the stream for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, we arrived at a three-courtyard house with blue bricks and gray tiles, simple and elegant. Several osmanthus trees were planted in the courtyard, and the flowers were in full bloom, filling the courtyard with fragrance.

As soon as Chen Qing stood in the courtyard, a middle-aged man in his fifties came out of the hall to greet him. He was wearing a blue robe, had a thin face, and three long wisps of beard under his chin. He had a refined and scholarly air about him. He was Lin Jingyuan, the head of the Lin family, and had the cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining.

"I am deeply sorry for not being able to greet you properly, Commander Chen," Lin Jingyuan said with a smile, stepping forward quickly.

"Chief Lin, you're too kind." Chen Qing returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "I apologize for the intrusion and for disturbing you."

"Not at all, it's an honor for the Lin family that the garrison commander has come to Qingxi Valley for inspection." Lin Jingyuan smiled and led Chen Qing into the hall. "Please come in, please come in."

[New book recommendation period, please vote, fellow readers!]