Chapter 49: Old Ghost Feng

After finishing the formation patterns on the dharma robes, Song Qingming did not rush to deliver them to Shi Mofeng. He waited specifically for a few days before bringing the robes to the outside of Shi's tent. After sending a voice transmission, Shi Mofeng soon emerged from within.

Seeing Song Qingming's arrival, Shi Mofeng said with a smile, "Little friend Song has come to see me. Have the formations been completed?"

"This junior has not failed Senior Shi's trust. I have successfully drawn two sets of formations. I request the Senior to inspect them," Song Qingming said, placing the shimmering golden dharma robes into his hands.

Looking at the two extra talismanic imprints on the robes he had refined, Shi Mofeng was extremely satisfied with the exquisite formations Song Qingming had drawn and happily put the robes away.

Having completed this task, Song Qingming went to the outside of Old Ghost Feng's tent. Seeing shadows moving inside, Song Qingming felt a surge of joy; the old ghost had finally finished his secluded cultivation.

A few days ago, after inquiring from Shi Mofeng about news regarding the White Dragon Mountain black market, Song Qingming had come to find Old Ghost Feng the following day after completing his daily tasks. However, it was unfortunate that Old Ghost Feng had been in seclusion.

It is a taboo for others to disturb a cultivator during secluded cultivation. Since Song Qingming had a request to make, he naturally did not dare to send a direct voice invitation. He had visited several times over the past few days, only to return empty-handed upon seeing the tightly closed tent. Fortunately, his luck had finally turned today.

After Song Qingming sent a voice transmission, there was a commotion inside the tent, and an ugly man with a scar on his face walked out. It was none other than Old Ghost Feng.

Old Ghost Feng was not only ugly but also prone to being petty, so he was never particularly popular in the camp. Aside from going out on missions, he spent most of his time cultivating in the camp and rarely socialized with other cultivators.

Seeing the look of joy on his face and noticing that his magic power seemed significantly higher than during their last meeting, Song Qingming assumed that his recent seclusion had allowed his cultivation technique to advance, hence his happiness.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Feng. I haven't seen you for half a month, yet your cultivation has progressed considerably," Song Qingming said, cupping his hands in congratulation.

"Not at all, Fellow Daoist Song, you are too kind."

Old Ghost Feng smiled at Song Qingming, returned the salute, and invited him into the tent.

The inside of Old Ghost Feng's tent was quite clean; aside from a few prayer mats and some tables and chairs, there was nothing else.

Once seated, Song Qingming got straight to the point regarding his purpose for coming. Upon hearing that Song Qingming wanted to go to White Dragon Mountain, Old Ghost Feng's expression changed slightly, and he said

"I am afraid I must disappoint you, Fellow Daoist Song. White Dragon Mountain is not an easy place to enter, and things have been unstable there lately. I haven't been there in several years. I don't know which big mouth has been telling people I've been to White Dragon Mountain, but is that a place an ordinary person can just visit?"

Song Qingming immediately detected the greed in his words. This Old Ghost Feng was truly a man of opportunism; it would certainly be difficult to gain anything from him without paying a price.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Feng, I will not let you make a trip for nothing. As long as you agree to take me there once, these few spirit talismans can serve as your hard work fee," Song Qingming said, taking out several spirit talismans and placing them before Old Ghost Feng.

These were all mid-grade spirit talismans, worth more than a dozen spirit stones on the market. In the Floating Cloud Mountain Range, for members of the Flying Cloud Guard who lacked supplies, the value of these mid-grade talismans was even higher than in the marketplaces.

To be honest, even for Song Qingming, who did not lack talismans, parting with so many mid-grade ones felt a bit painful. If it weren't for inquiring about news regarding the Foundation Establishment Pill, he would not have been so generous.

"Fellow Daoist Song, what are you doing? You are being too polite. We are already quite well-acquainted. If you truly want to go, I am naturally willing to take you on a trip. However, we are currently stationed here on a mission. Once we return to Guiyun Market in a month, come to my cave dwelling at Guiyun Mountain."

Looking at the shimmering golden talismans, Old Ghost Feng's mouth twitched, and his attitude underwent a sudden reversal as he reached out to take the talismans from Song Qingming's hands.

Unexpectedly, a flash of green light erupted from Song Qingming's hand, and he swept most of the talismans into his storage bag, leaving only one in Old Ghost Feng's hand.

"Consider this talisman a deposit for now. Please take it. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Feng, once we reach White Dragon Mountain, I will present the remaining talismans with both hands. I hope you won't take offense."

Old Ghost Feng took the talisman and shook his head, saying, "Fellow Daoist Song, I happen to have a matter I would like to ask for your help with. If you are willing to lend a hand, you won't need to give me the remaining talismans. What do you think?"

"Please speak plainly, Fellow Daoist. I do not know if I have the capability to assist you," Song Qingming said, feeling a sudden interest, though he did not dare to agree directly without knowing what Old Ghost Feng required.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Song. Although this matter is somewhat perilous, it is not an impossible task. Originally, I planned to go with another fellow daoist. If you can help, the chances of success will certainly increase significantly."

Hearing that it was perilous, Song Qingming immediately felt like backing out and was contemplating how to refuse.

Seeing Song Qingming's hesitation, Old Ghost Feng's eyes darted around as he continued

"I won't hide it from you. A month ago, I spotted a high-grade White Jade Flower in a mountain, but unexpectedly, there was also a high-level Flame Rat there. I tried to pluck it secretly several times, but I was discovered by that demon rat each time and even chased quite embarrassingly. This time, I plan to bring a helper to kill the demon beast first and then harvest the spiritual medicine. I wonder if you are interested in helping? Don't worry, after the beast is slain, you two can split the materials from its body; I only want that spiritual medicine."

Hearing "White Jade Flower," Song Qingming's heart stirred. Old Ghost Feng's luck was indeed quite good; high-grade White Jade Flowers were rare in the Floating Cloud Mountain Range. This type of spiritual medicine was difficult to cultivate, and even in Guiyun Market, it was hard to find one with an age of over a hundred years; a single plant would cost at least seventy or eighty spirit stones.

Song Qingming asked, "May I know who the other fellow daoist is and what their cultivation level is?"

"Fellow Daoist Jia. You should have heard of him. His cultivation is at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, just like mine, and his divine abilities are not inferior to mine. Additionally, I have a mid-grade puppet with me. With the four of us at the middle stage of Qi Refinement acting together, I estimate we have a seventy to eighty percent chance of success," Old Ghost Feng explained hurriedly.

"Brother Feng, why not ask some of the experts at the late stage of Qi Refinement in the camp to help? Wouldn't that be more secure?"

"Hehe, firstly, asking those late-stage cultivators to act would likely require paying much more in spirit stones; it's not worth it for such a small matter. Secondly, they aren't that close to me. If Captain Lu were to find out about this, it would be difficult for me to settle the matter," Old Ghost Feng said with a somewhat evasive, bitter smile.

Just as Song Qingming suspected, the other person's cultivation was indeed similar to theirs. There were many late-stage Qi Refinement experts in the camp, but the reason Old Ghost Feng dared not seek their help was the fear that, after the demon beast was slain, the other party might turn hostile and attempt to seize the spiritual treasure, leaving him powerless to stop them.

Ultimately, the gap in strength between late-stage Qi Refinement experts and middle-stage cultivators like themselves was too vast. Without an equivalent level of strength to act as a deterrent, acting together provided them with no sense of security regarding their cultivation levels.

Under normal circumstances, a seventh-level Qi Refinement cultivator could at least defeat three or four sixth-level cultivators. Although the difference was only one level, once a cultivator broke through to the late stage of Qi Refinement, they could project their divine sense, making their perception significantly stronger than those in the middle stage. They could also sense danger earlier during combat, and their combat effectiveness would be greatly enhanced compared to the middle stage.