Cultivation begins with harvest.

The person who was assigned to the building had just left when Cao Fang arrived. Chen Guang tidied up a bit, prepared some things, and the two of them rode the spirit crane together to Xingfeng Market.

The painter in the Sutra Repository was very capable. After Chen Guang verified it, it was handed over to the master in the Sutra Repository who verified the authenticity of the technique. There was not a single mistake or omission, and only then was the transaction completed.

Chen Guang also paid 253 yuan for this transaction.

Normally, it wouldn't be needed, but the "Blood Scripture" only exists in Chen Guang's memory. Chen Guang needs to recall and record it himself. The images of the movements can only be drawn by someone else. Secondly, Cao Fang doubts Chen Guang's memory. This is a cultivation method. If Chen Guang remembers something wrong, she will be the one who suffers!

So I'd rather pay this extra amount.

Having learned from this experience, Chen Guang also revised the complete first volume of the "Pan Xue Jing" into a book and made a copy. The copy of the technique had an extra golden mark, indicating that it had been certified by the Scripture Pavilion, which would make future transactions easier.

Each rubbing costs only thirty catties of spirit rice, and can be picked up an hour later.

Cao Fang happily tucked the book into her bosom, but Chen Guang quickly called out to her, "Senior Sister, I've heard of some kind of noodle market before, have you heard of it?"

"Yanmian Market?" Cao Fang looked Chen Guang up and down, then suddenly realized, "Yes, you should go to Yanmian Market. There, no one can tell each other's true identities unless you expose yourself. It's a good place to trade valuable or mysterious treasures. You've come to the right person to ask about Yanmian Market. I've been there once myself."

Cao Fang tugged at Chen Guang's sleeve and pulled him to a corner, whispering, "This is a small market specially set up by the sect. It only opens after curfew. Everyone who enters will receive a mask that can change their voice, conceal their smell and some other features, as well as a large robe that makes it impossible to discern their body shape. Unless you're out of your mind, it will be able to hide your identity."

"To enter the Hidden Face Market, you need to purchase a 'pass token' from one of those shops. Then, at the designated inn, someone will naturally take you to the Hidden Face Market at night. This is a necessary step. The Hidden Face Market is also guarded by disciples of the Punishment Hall, and disciples of the Sage Hall act as guarantors. Don't have any other thoughts. Just trade your own items. Don't worry about being recognized. Those who are interested will pay attention to the comings and goings of people at the designated inn, but they can't be sure what their target is trading in the Hidden Face Market. There might just be people trying to curry favor with powerful people or get some benefits from wealthy people. Just be vigilant. There are no other risks."

"The pass to the Mianfang Market has to be bought from the shops of those cultivation families? I don't think that's very reliable." Chen Guang frowned.

Cao Fang, however, showed an expression of "I understand": "I thought so when I first heard about it, but I heard that this was intentionally done by the higher-ups of the Qingheng Sect. If the sect handles everything, the market will become stagnant and the managers will be more prone to corruption. So they divided it into nine halls and handed over some more purely profit-driven activities to those shops. As beneficiaries, they will, in order to protect their interests, play a role in supervising the managers."

"In short, opinions vary. Some believe it's to stimulate the market; others believe it's to prevent corruption; some believe the higher-ups have been bribed by the cultivation families; still others believe it's a measure similar to 'a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen,' preventing unhealthy practices..."

Chen Guang pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Perhaps it's due to a combination of these factors working together?"

"This is also a mainstream view, Fellow Daoist Chen. It seems you've had your share of difficult times." Cao Fang seemed touched. "Only those of us who have struggled our way into the Qingheng Sect can understand that some things have very complex causes. On the other hand, those fellow disciples who were chosen and trained as cultivators from a young age tend to prefer a simpler perspective."

"Alright, how about we go check out Fanglin Hall? I need to confirm the arrangements for going to Fanglin. You can also ask about the pass for Yanmian Market while you're at it, what do you say?"

"Let's go together, let's go together." Chen Guang could already feel that the image of himself, a disciple of a small family, was gradually taking shape in Cao Fang's mind. "By the way, Senior Sister, is it dangerous to go to Fanglin? You've been organizing people to form a team and confirming the itinerary."

Cao Fang's expression turned serious: "Of course, there are disciples from the Punishment Hall patrolling within a thousand miles of Ziling Peak. Disciples from the Qi Hall, Road Hall, and Guanglin Hall often appear. If you're lucky, you might even run into a Foundation Establishment peak disciple. But beyond a thousand miles, there are none. The Punishment Hall can only patrol up to 1,500 miles. Fang Lin is 2,600 miles away, so this journey is naturally somewhat dangerous."

"Demon beasts are one thing, but junior brother, you may not have seen any rogue cultivators yet. Most rogue cultivators live a hard life, without a stable way to obtain resources. They may not even have spirit rice every day. More than half of the rogue cultivators are normal people in the rogue cultivator market. Outside the market, they do some kind of work, either stealing or banditry, to support their cultivation."

"On the contrary, small cultivation families, sects, and cliques can occupy some small resource points and are generally much more law-abiding. Those rogue cultivators don't dare to openly rob people on the road, but if they encounter a lone sect disciple, they really become ruthless. Do you know that outside, a rogue cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refining only has a few hundred to a thousand catties of spirit rice as his possessions? If he gets lucky and obtains a cultivation technique, it might even be incomplete, and he embarks on the path of cultivation in a daze. Sect disciples like us are the darlings in their eyes. Actually, we are not too afraid of rogue cultivators. Their level is too low. I, a spirit farmer, can suppress them. But do you know who the most dangerous rogue cultivator is when we don't band together?"

Chen Guang was about to say he didn't know when something suddenly occurred to him: "Those former fellow disciples who were expelled from the sect?"

"Former fellow disciples?" Cao Fang chewed on the word, a smile appearing on her face. "That's a good word. It's them. They also stayed in the sect, but before reaching the late stage of Qi Refining, the consequence of failing the three-year mini-exam was at most two failures. If they refused to stay in the office, they would be expelled from the Qingheng Sect. They know how to distinguish which Qi Hall disciples are not to be trifled with, and which are wealthy but weak Earth Hall and Flame Hall disciples. They also have the strength to threaten us."

"Those rogue cultivators have the guts to steal and beat someone when they're down, and most of them are our former fellow disciples! At least the ringleaders are. Although the Qi Hall, Xing Hall, and Guanglin Hall organize several manhunts every year, they can never catch them all. In a way, this is a scourge that our Qingheng Sect has released. For us current disciples, it's a price to pay for becoming disciples of the sect."

Chen Guang knew that Cao Fang was exaggerating. Not all disciples who were expelled from Qingheng Sect would do this. Through his interactions with other spiritual farmers, Chen Guang also knew that some small cultivation families would recruit these former Qingheng Sect disciples to expand their families by taking in sons-in-law and wives, such as the Fang Lincang family. They could even provide salaries to hire people to work.

Among those who made the move, were there no rogue cultivators who were bold, meticulous, ruthless, or unscrupulous?

There would be no mob that knowingly does something impossible but still takes the risk.

One thing is certain: the ones who know best how to deal with Qingheng Sect disciples are none other than the Qingheng Sect disciples themselves. These guys who were expelled from the sect have caused great harm to their own people.

Continuing to talk with Cao Fang, I understood why it was necessary to confirm the details before going to Fang Lin.

Fanglintang sells the qualification to purchase goods at Fanglin at an 80% discount, but this qualification does not include escort.

An extra fee will be charged for escorting them, and there is a limit to the number of people allowed. They must also follow the other party's schedule, which may conflict with the arrangements made by Cao Fangling.

Secondly, Cao Fang and his team can hire disciples from the Qi Hall, Xing Hall, Guanglin Hall, and Lu Hall who have extensive combat experience. However, this year the Qi Hall has a concentrated event, which, although not all of them, has indirectly led to higher hiring prices.

The final option was for Cao Fang and the others to form a team and travel freely to Fanglin. Although it saved money, Cao Fang was worried about their safety.

During their conversation, the two arrived at Fanglin Hall.