Chapter 38: Song Changqiu

"Well, since you know what you're doing, your Fourth Uncle won't say much more. My spiritual roots are too poor, and I am no longer so obsessed with the path of cultivation in this life. I can only come out to do what I can for the clan. Do not follow my example; you must cultivate hard and strive to make more contributions to the family." Looking at his young nephew, Song Changqiu remarked with a hint of envious emotion; had he still been as young as the boy, he certainly would not have given up on the path of cultivation so early.

Song Qingming nodded silently. Looking at his Fourth Uncle, his heart was filled with complex emotions. He understood well that the path of cultivation relied heavily on talent and opportunity. Had it not been for the opportunities of the past few years, he would be just like many low-level cultivators like Song Changqiu in the cultivation world—a person with no hope for his Dao.

Seeing that Song Qingming remained silent, Song Changqiu smiled and changed the subject.

"You came mainly for talisman-making materials, right? Our shop usually accepts them, but your timing is unfortunate. The Second Elder came to the market a few days ago and took most of them back to Funiu Mountain. You can check the eastern side of the market; the shops there are larger and have a more complete selection of talisman materials, medicinal pills, and magical tools. Since it is late, stay here for tonight, and you can head over there tomorrow."

"Then your nephew shall trouble you, Fourth Uncle," Song Qingming said with a smile, cupping his hands toward Song Changqiu.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, nightfall soon arrived. Since it was a rare visit for Song Qingming to Qinghe Market, Song Changqiu arranged for the shop to close early and had his Dao companion prepare a sumptuous dinner.

Song Changqiu's Dao companion was named Wang Changhua, a rogue cultivator in Qinghe Market. Her ancestors were once a cultivation clan in Qinghe County, but over a hundred years ago, the Wang family had offended another more powerful clan, which then joined forces with several high-level rogue cultivators to exterminate their sect.

Fortunately, the opposing side respected the ethics of the cultivation world and did not dare to target the mortals. Ultimately, some of these mortals without cultivator protection drifted to other nearby cultivation clans, while the rest were relocated to Qinghe Market by cultivators from the Xiaoyao Sect; Wang Changhua's ancestors were among them.

Wang Changhua was also a five-element spiritual root cultivator. Because her spiritual roots were too poor, she was not accepted by the Xiaoyao Sect and became a rogue cultivator, spending her years in Qinghe Market, which is how she met Song Changqiu.

Life for a rogue cultivator was difficult, as everything required spirit stones. Wang Changhua also had to look after some mortal relatives in the market. To make life easier in the market, she became Song Changqiu's Dao companion. The two had lived together for over a decade and had a son and a daughter.

Since Song Changqiu had no hope for his own Dao, he placed all his hopes on the next generation. Not only had he taken Wang Changhua as a Dao companion, but he had also taken several concubines in the market and already had four or five children, leading a relatively fulfilling life.

He now hoped that among these children, one or two geniuses with spiritual roots would emerge to inherit his legacy.

The dinner Wang Changhua prepared was excellent. Not only did she cook several signature dishes, but she also brewed a pot of spirit fish soup. Spirit fish not only contain vast amounts of spiritual energy and are beneficial for cultivation, but when prepared by a spirit chef, they become rare delicacies. Song Qingming ate with great relish.

In her early years in the market, Wang Changhua had learned the skill of spirit cooking to earn spirit stones. Seeing Song Qingming won over by her culinary skills, she felt quite delighted. Since she had been with Song Changqiu, she had lived in Qinghe Market and was not very familiar with the Song clan members back at Funiu Mountain. Having the chance to meet a young Song clan cultivator from Funiu Mountain, she naturally wanted to perform well to win the favor of the younger generation, thereby securing a better status among the Song clan cultivators in the future.

The current Song Qingming, of course, did not suspect Wang Changhua's little schemes. To him, being able to eat such delicious spirit food was a rare treat, and he intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

Early the next morning, after greeting Song Changqiu, Song Qingming headed to the eastern side of Qinghe Market. Hearing the rhythmic shouts of vendors, he unhurriedly observed the shops along the streets and soon found a large shop selling talisman materials.

Although Qinghe Market could not compare to Guiyun Market, the low-level materials and pills Song Qingming needed were not difficult to find. He first visited several material shops, spending over a hundred spirit stones to purchase enough mid-grade talisman materials to last him several months. To avoid drawing attention, he chose shops run by rogue cultivators.

However, purchasing medicinal pills proved somewhat difficult. There were not many alchemists among the rogue cultivators, and most were employed by the various great families in Qinghe County. To buy pills, one had to go to shops run by local cultivation clans. After some thought, Song Qingming found a shop belonging to a clan that was relatively distant from the Song clan and spent thirty spirit stones to purchase a bottle of Qi-Nurturing Pills.

The reason Song Qingming needed to buy pills was that it had been nearly half a year since he went to the Fuyun Mountains. Gao Yuyao, who had been providing him with pills for the past two years, seemed to have vanished; she had not returned to the thatched cottage for a long time, and Song Qingming did not know why.

He did not have many pills left in his possession, so he took the opportunity to purchase some while in Qinghe Market. If Gao Yuyao truly never returned to the thatched cottage, he wouldn't have to worry about the pills needed for his cultivation in the short term.

After spending more than an hour, Song Qingming easily acquired everything he wanted in Qinghe Market. Patting the storage bag at his waist, which was nearly full, he walked out of the last shop with satisfaction.

As he happily stepped out of the shop and prepared to leave, his gaze was unexpectedly caught by a shop across the way.

Although this shop was not large, its location was much better than the Song family's shop. However, even though the sun was high in the sky and surrounding shops were open for business, this shop was abnormally closed, with a sign hanging up indicating it was out of business.

"Liu Clan's Spirit Treasure Pavilion... could this be the Liu family's shop?"

Looking at the large golden characters on the shop sign, Song Qingming couldn't help but feel nervous. On the surface, however, he feigned composure and quickly left the area. Fortunately, the shop was closed, so no Liu clan cultivators should have noticed him. Along the way, Song Qingming's heart raced with trepidation, and he nearly took the wrong direction.

During his trip to the Fuyun Mountains a few months ago, he had accidentally obtained the storage bag of the Liu clan patriarch, Liu Tianlong. Seeing the Liu family's shop now, he naturally felt guilty, fearing that Liu clan cultivators might recognize his background.

Upon returning to the Song family shop, Song Changqiu happened to be there. Seeing Song Qingming return, Song Changqiu asked with concern about his purchases. He quickly received his answer from the smile on Song Qingming's face. The uncle and nephew went to a room in the back hall to chat, and shortly after, Wang Changhua personally brought in two cups of spirit tea.

"By the way, Fourth Uncle, I heard the Second Elder mention last time that the patriarch of the Liu family from Mount Jingyuan has died. Is that true? I saw the Liu family's shop closed during the day in the market today."

After chatting for a while, Song Qingming feigned casual interest and asked about the Liu family's situation. If Liu Tianlong really had died as the Second Elder said, it would be excellent for him, as it would ease some of his worries.

"I heard people in the market saying earlier that their patriarch hasn't been well since returning from the Fuyun Mountains. Whether he is dead or not is uncertain. The Liu family suffered heavy losses in the Fuyun Mountains last time; it's said they lost seven or eight cultivators. I fear they won't be able to recover for over a decade. Liu Tianlong was a talent of his generation; it's truly a pity," Song Changqiu said, stroking his beard and sighing.

Song Changqiu had always had good connections in Qinghe Market and was quite well-informed. Much of the news from Funiu Mountain had been gathered by him through inquiries in the market. However, much of the information he received was not entirely true; after all, all sorts of people frequented the market, and it was perfectly normal to have a few who liked to exaggerate. The truth of much of the news required the listener to judge for themselves.

(End of Chapter)