Chapter 37: Qinghe Market

Qinghe Market is located at the confluence of several rivers in the western part of Qinghe County, situated atop a mid-grade second-rank spiritual vein. It is the only market in Qinghe County, established a thousand years ago by a Golden Core cultivator from the Xiaoyao Sect in collaboration with several major Foundation Establishment families of Qinghe County.

There are over a hundred shops of various sizes within the market. Most are leased to local cultivation families of various sizes in Qinghe County, while some are rented by rogue cultivators who frequent the county for business.

The majority of these shops deal in first-rank raw materials and supplies such as demon beasts, spiritual herbs, talismans, magical tools, and pills. A small number of bookstores sell various low-to-mid-tier cultivation techniques, alongside general stores, as well as restaurants and inns to accommodate the visitors to the market.

The Xiaoyao Sect holds a forty percent share of the market, while the remaining sixty percent is jointly owned by the other Foundation Establishment families of Qinghe County.

To this end, the Xiaoyao Sect dispatches a Foundation Establishment cultivator to station at the market year-round. Similarly, the four major Foundation Establishment families of Qinghe County that hold the remaining shares must also dispatch cultivators to assist in its defense and management.

According to the rules established by the Xiaoyao Sect at the market's inception, any cultivation family in Qinghe County that possesses a Foundation Establishment cultivator is automatically promoted to a Foundation Establishment Clan, allowing them to share in the shares of Qinghe Market. However, they must also take turns dispatching Foundation Establishment cultivators to help guard the market.

If a Foundation Establishment Clan loses all its Foundation Establishment cultivators, it is downgraded to a Qi Refinement Clan. Consequently, if they are unable to dispatch Foundation Establishment combat power to guard the market, they will automatically lose their share of Qinghe Market.

Among the current four major Foundation Establishment families of Qinghe County, the Huang family is the strongest and holds the largest share of the market. The Qian family, having only recently become a Foundation Establishment family, naturally receives the smallest share.

To maintain order within Qinghe Market and prevent disturbances, the Xiaoyao Sect has specifically utilized this mid-grade second-rank spiritual vein to set up a second-rank defensive array within the market. Combined with the permanent presence of two Foundation Establishment cultivators, even if three to five Foundation Establishment experts were to attack simultaneously, it would be impossible to break through the defenses of Qinghe Market in a short period.

Should a large number of external enemies come to attack the market, the Huang family and other nearby cultivation families would also rush to the rescue. After all, most cultivation families in Qinghe County lease shops here, meaning the prosperity or decline of the market is directly linked to the interests of the various families.

After advancing to the fifth level of Qi Refinement, this was Song Qingming's first time visiting Qinghe Market. He had come this time to purchase some mid-tier talisman-making materials and pills to increase his cultivation speed.

Although he had obtained a source for talisman materials from Daoist Pinglu at Grass Hut Mountain, the number of rogue cultivators coming to Grass Hut Mountain was limited. Aside from the first few times when Daoist Pinglu collected a significant amount, the materials sent to Song Qingming had become increasingly scarce, and they were no longer sufficient for his needs.

For this reason, Song Qingming had no choice but to make a trip to Qinghe Market. Fortunately, now that his cultivation had improved, his Ninth Uncle felt much more at ease with him traveling a distance. Lingyuan Mountain was several hundred miles away from Qinghe Market; Song Qingming set out in the early morning and did not arrive until the following afternoon.

Although he had been here a few times in the past, most of those trips were following clan elders to transport or purchase necessary supplies. He had never lingered in the market for long and was not actually that familiar with it.

Walking to the main gate of Qinghe Market, he saw several Qi Refinement cultivators guarding the entrance. The leader was a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator; judging by his attire, Song Qingming knew he was a Qi Refinement disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Disciples of great sects possessed a natural arrogance when facing low-level cultivators or rogue cultivators from small families, a sentiment Song Qingming had also experienced at Guiyun Market a few months ago.

After carefully registering his identity at the gate and receiving a token to prove his status, Song Qingming successfully entered Qinghe Market.

The entire market was similar to Mu Jiao Town, with a single street running through the center, flanked by dozens of pavilions and shops of varying heights. To the north of the street, there were many residential houses for mortals. Aside from cultivators, the market was also home to many ordinary mortals who lived there year-round.

The mortals living here were under the jurisdiction of the Xiaoyao Sect within Qinghe Market. Whenever a cultivation family in Qinghe County could no longer protect the mortals under its care, or if they needed to migrate and could not take a large number of mortals with them, those mortals would generally be transferred to Qinghe Market to be managed directly by the Xiaoyao Sect's stationed cultivators. Once a mortal here developed spiritual roots, those with exceptional talent would be sent directly to the Xiaoyao Sect for training, while most would become rogue cultivators. Many of the numerous rogue cultivators in Qinghe County originated from here.

To the south of the street was a large, flat open space specifically reserved for rogue cultivators who wished to set up temporary stalls. As long as they paid a low-grade spirit stone to the managing cultivators, they could set up a stall in the open area for the entire day and would be protected by the market during that time, free from the fear of disturbances or vendettas. As dusk approached, many rogue cultivators remained in the open area, unwilling to leave.

Qinghe Market had always been relatively peaceful and was quite friendly toward rogue cultivators, maintaining a good reputation in the northeastern region of the country. Although most items in the market were first-rank spiritual goods, second-rank spiritual goods would occasionally appear, attracting cultivators from nearby counties and prefectures.

The Song family also leased a shop in Qinghe Market, which was currently managed by his Fourth Uncle, Song Changqiu. Song Changqiu was the fourth in the Song family's generation and spent his years helping the family manage their shop in the market.

The Song family only had one shop in Qinghe Market, which typically sold items such as spiritual talismans, spiritual herbs, and magical tools, while also purchasing first-rank materials like demon beasts and spiritual herbs from various rogue cultivators. Through this shop, the Song family could earn a profit of about one hundred spirit stones annually, making it one of the family's important sources of income.

Song Qingming went directly to the Song family shop on the south side of the street. Upon entering, he saw several mortal workers from the Song family busy attending to a rogue cultivator who was shopping. Just as Song Qingming was about to ask a question, he happened to see Song Changqiu walking out from the back hall and quickly greeted him with a smile.

"Qingming, greetings, Fourth Uncle."

"Oh, Qingming is here! Last time I returned to Funiu Mountain, I heard your cultivation had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refinement, and I didn't even believe it. I didn't expect you to catch up to me so quickly at such a young age. Between you and Qingze, the younger generation of our family is truly formidable."

Song Changqiu was somewhat surprised to see Song Qingming enter, and seeing that Song Qingming's cultivation had already caught up to his, he was genuinely happy for him.

Fourth Uncle Song Changqiu was merely a five-element spiritual root cultivator with little interest in the path of cultivation. He had given up on his own cultivation early on to manage the family's external assets. Now in his seventies, his cultivation was only at the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

However, since taking over the family's shop in Qinghe Market, Song Changqiu had gained considerable expertise in business. He was very tactful and socially adept in the market, and under his management, the family shop's business had improved significantly compared to before.

Over a decade ago, Song Changqiu had met a rogue cultivator woman in the market, and the two had become Dao companions. They now had several children and lived happily as a family within the market.

"Fourth Uncle, please do not tease me. How could my talent compare to Third Brother's? My breakthrough was merely a matter of luck and encountering some fortuitous opportunities," Song Qingming said with a shake of his head, speaking modestly.

Song Changqiu smiled and continued, "Aren't you still stationed at Lingyuan Mountain? Did something happen at home that sent you to the market this time?"

"Nothing happened at home; I came on my own. I have been learning talisman making recently and wanted to come to the market to purchase some materials. I was wondering which shop in the market sells talisman-making materials. I wish to purchase a large amount at once, so I would appreciate your guidance, Fourth Uncle."

After hearing this, Song Changqiu frowned slightly and said, "Qingming, you are still young. You should focus more on your cultivation. You must not let talisman making cause you to neglect your own progress."

Song Qingming lowered his head and said with a bitter smile, "You know as well as I do, Fourth Uncle, that cultivation requires spirit stone resources. My learning of talisman making is also to ensure I have more flexibility in my future cultivation."

(End of Chapter)