Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Chapter 74 The Agreement

"After breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining, this person gathered a group of snake hunters in the southern district, specializing in buying up the corpses of monsters and then selling them to merchants from other markets who came to do business."

"He is quite honest in his business dealings and offers generous discounts to lone snake hunters, so he is well-liked in the market."

The stall owner paused, recalling some information in his mind, and continued, "Before breaking through to the late stage, his magic weapon was a long spear. He was skilled in beast taming and had a mid-grade first-tier raptor spirit pet. However, he hasn't made a move since then, so that's all I know."

"In recent months, this person seems to have had another stroke of luck, obtaining a map of Yunyang Market. He is currently recruiting cultivators to form a team to go there. Those in the early stage of Qi Refining need to pay 20 spirit stones, those in the middle stage need 10 spirit stones, and those in the late stage of Qi Refining do not need to pay spirit stones."

"If you wish to find this person, simply go to the southern edge of the district after leaving the black market. When you see two streets selling demonic beasts, the one on the right is controlled by Zhang Yanliang."

"That's all the information we have. Are you satisfied, fellow Daoist?"

Qu Ye's expression remained unchanged, but he began to make plans in his mind.

In fact, it was easy to find out about Zhang Yanliang's team recruitment in the market. He mainly wanted to learn more about the other party.

This person had only been at the late stage of Qi Refining for a few years, and his strength should not be comparable to those veteran cultivators who had been at this level for many years. Even if he harbored ill intentions, he still had some confidence in escaping with his Four Directions Wandering Cloud Boots.

Given the other party's good reputation, they can likely gather a large number of cultivators. If they encounter unknown dangers, all they need to do is run faster than the other cultivators.

Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me.

After thinking it over, Qu Ye nodded, acknowledging the value of the intelligence.

The stall owner seemed relieved and smiled, "The transaction is complete, no refunds. If you have any other needs, please feel free to come and find me."

Qu Ye stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and made up his mind.

As long as Zhang Yanliang isn't some kind of idiot, and there aren't any extremely dangerous places along the route, he plans to join them and head to Yunyang Market.

The next day, at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Qu Ye stopped in front of a stall selling low-grade demon snake skins and said calmly, "Excuse me, do you know where Fellow Daoist Zhang Yanliang is?"

The stall owner was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl at the second level of Qi Refining. She was picking up a water ladle and sprinkling water on the snakeskin to make it look better.

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Upon hearing Qu Ye's question, she looked up and, realizing she couldn't see through Qu Ye's cultivation level, quickly put down the water ladle and pointed into the street: "Senior, Uncle Zhang is in this street. He should be over there checking the newly arrived demon snake corpse right now."

Thank you.

Qu Ye thanked him and walked into the street. After passing more than a dozen stalls, he saw several huge python carcasses piled on top of cloth on the other side of the street, emitting a foul stench.

Beside the python's corpse, several cultivators stood with their hands behind their backs, discussing something.

One monk stood out from the crowd. He had a calm expression, appeared to be over forty years old, and was dressed in a black robe.

When others looked at him, they would nod slightly, clearly indicating that he held a dominant position among them.

Qu Ye understood that this person was most likely Zhang Yanliang.

However, he did not approach immediately. Instead, he waited for a while until the group put away the python's corpse and prepared to leave before he went forward.

"Greetings, senior. My name is Zhang Mingyue. I've heard that you're planning to form a team to go to Yunyang Market soon, and I'd like to join you. May I ask if I can join you?"

Qu Ye cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhang Yanliang.

Zhang Yanliang stopped in his tracks, smiled, and looked at the cultivator bowing before him. He returned the bow slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Mingyue, you are welcome to join our team."

"However, fellow Daoist, please be aware that if you wish to join the team, you will need to pay ten spirit stones as a fee if you have reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining cultivation."

Qu Ye nodded: "That's exactly right."

Upon hearing Qu Ye's reply, Zhang Yanliang nodded, then waved his hand, signaling the other cultivators to leave first, before turning to look at Qu Ye.

"Since Fellow Daoist Mingyue has no objections, let's meet here in two months, and then we can hand over the spirit stones."

"However, before that, there are some things I would like to tell Fellow Daoist Mingyue."

Qu Ye's expression remained unchanged: "Please speak, senior."

Zhang Yanliang said with a serious expression: "In the team, you must not cause trouble or leave the team without permission. After all, I am responsible for the safety of all fellow cultivators."

"If you disregard my advice and act on your own, I will expel you from the team and you will not return the spirit stones you have paid."

"Does fellow Daoist understand?"

Qu Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry, senior. Mingyue is not a reckless person and will follow orders."

"Fellow Daoist, you are straightforward."

Upon hearing Qu Ye's reply, Zhang Yanliang's expression softened, and he offered a word of praise.

At this moment, Qu Ye hesitated for a moment, then asked, "However, senior, I still have some doubts. Is there any danger along the route to Yunyang Market?"

Zhang Yanliang laughed heartily: "Fellow Daoist Mingyue, don't worry. Although there is danger, besides me, there are two other late-stage Qi Refining cultivators and more than ten mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the team. I believe we can easily handle any ordinary crisis."

"Even if we can't solve it, we can take a detour; it will only take a little longer."

Qu Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. I have no other questions."

If this person says there is no danger along the way, or doesn't mention any team rules in their words, he should become suspicious and worry that this person may have ulterior motives.

Based on this, it seems we can initially trust them to some extent.

The two chatted for a bit more until someone else came looking for Zhang Yanliang.

Qu Ye then said, "Senior, I have other important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now. We will meet again here in two months."

""

"Fellow Daoist, please take care."

Qu Ye waved his hand, said no more, and turned to merge into the crowd.

Leaving the South District, Qu Ye walked down the street, his mind filled with thoughts.

Now that the trip to Yunyang Market has been arranged, we can't afford to waste the two months of waiting.

This is a good opportunity to try out the body-refining technique I found in Hou Ming's storage bag.

After thinking it over, he returned to Qingfeng Residence, checked out of the room, and then went straight to the North District of the market.

A few days ago, while strolling around the market, Qu Ye noticed that the spiritual veins converged in the northern part of the market, and the houses were much neater than those in the eastern part.

Every so often along both sides of the road hangs a plaque advertising various spirit rooms for rent.

Qingfeng Residence is just a temporary inn with scarce spiritual energy. If he wants to practice the Blood Fusion Body Tempering Technique, he will have to rent a spiritual room with a mid-grade first-level spiritual energy concentration.

Upon arriving in the North District, he walked along the road for a while and entered three shops with "For Rent" signs, asking about the prices at each one.

Finally, I chose the one with the best cost performance and rented a mid-grade first-level spirit room for two months for four spirit stones, plus an extra spirit stone deposit.

Led by the shop assistant, Qu Ye walked through the winding alleys.

A courtyard house came into view.

Upon entering the courtyard, the waiter headed straight for the room on the right.

"Fellow Daoist, this is the place. It's not large, but it's enough for one person to meditate in peace."

Qu Ye looked around the room and was surprised; it was actually much larger than he had imagined.

The room was furnished with cushions, a low table, and a few small items adorning the corners of the walls. It was simple yet refreshing.

"It's alright, isn't it?"

"good."

Seeing that Qu Ye was satisfied, the waiter took out a magic tablet from his pocket.

"This room has a simple soundproofing array, which can be controlled using this item."

"However, I must remind you, fellow Daoist, that you have only rented it for two months. The formation will automatically shut down after two months. I will come to collect the magic tablet at that time."

"Of course, if you want to terminate the lease early, just come find me inside the shop."