There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 19 A business of robbing people must be done!

At the bend in the mountain path, Chen Qing suddenly stopped.

The bushes behind him shook violently, and Han Sha stumbled after him, his right arm still hanging down, his clothes stained with blood and dirt, and his face as pale as if he had crawled out of a grave.

"Uncle Master..."

Chen Qing shook his head and interrupted, "I am no longer your senior uncle."

Han Sha was struck dumb, her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground.

Chen Qing looked at his former senior disciple and took out a brocade pouch from his bosom, tossing it to Han Sha: "Inside is half a piece of spiritual marrow and a disguise talisman. There is a town called Qingping Town three hundred miles to the north, and a restaurant called Zuixianlou in the east of the town. If you can get there alive, go to the restaurant and find the manager. Tell him that I sent you to find a job to make a living."

Over those seventeen years, he naturally built up a network of connections.

Han Sha hurriedly caught the brocade pouch, tears mingling with blood dripping onto the soil. She was about to speak—

“Everyone has their own destiny, but you must bear the consequences of your choices.” Chen Qing’s voice was exceptionally cold. “From this day forward, you will have no further connection with the Hidden Star Sect. If I hear that you are using the sect’s name or leaking the sect’s affairs, I will have no choice but to expel you from the sect.”

Before she could finish speaking, Han Sha was already lying on the ground.

Boom boom boom!
The ground trembled from the three slams of the head.

When he looked up again, blood was streaming down his forehead, and his lips trembled: "Disciple... Han Sha will remember."

Chen Qing said no more and turned to leave.

Behind them, suppressed sobs were carried away by the mountain wind.

Despite the unexpected incident, Chen Qing did not return to the mountain gate.

On the way, he activated all five senses, and could grasp every movement within a mile radius. An hour later, several sinister auras appeared three miles away, lingering but not approaching.

Chen Qing's heart stirred, and suddenly his figure moved like lightning. The several auras panicked and retreated reluctantly after chasing for half a mile.

He then focused on his journey, and after crossing three mountain peaks, the view suddenly opened up before him.

A town with blue bricks and gray tiles lies nestled in a mountain valley, with wisps of smoke rising from its chimneys.

Chen Qing's gaze swept over the peddlers carrying loads and the vendors hawking their wares, his steps never faltering.

This town appears ordinary on the surface, but it harbors hidden secrets.

Wandering through the alleys, he finally stopped in front of an old wall covered with moss, then made a hand seal and pointed out with one finger.

"open!"

The wall surface ripples like water, revealing a deep alleyway.

Chen Qing stepped inside, and the scene before him changed abruptly—

Three white jade arch bridges soar through the air, with clouds and mist swirling beneath them.

A green stele stands at the bridgehead, inscribed with the three characters "Xiaoyingzhou".

Pedestrians come and go on the bridge, and pavilions are scattered along its sides. A bluestone path extends outwards, with stalls lined up on both sides.

An old man was selling talismans, a burly man was hawking materials for demon beasts, and a veiled woman had several spiritual herbs in front of her, their fragrance filling the air. Passersby were either wearing cloaks or masks, and their auras varied in strength.

"As expected of Nanbin's number one black market..."

Chen Qing had come here several times with his master and knew that there were not only sect disciples, but also independent cultivators from all over the world, and even demonic cultivators and monster cultivators in disguise.

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar."

In the teahouse by the bridge, an old man in gray gently stroked the teapot, and the tea in the pot boiled without fire. He squinted as he looked at Chen Qing who was approaching.

"Chen Qing of the Hidden Star Sect." Chen Qing bowed, his voice neither humble nor arrogant, "I've come to purchase some items."

The old man paused in his teacup, squinted to examine it closely, and then suddenly laughed, "I recognize you, Fellow Daoist Zhou's esteemed disciple. I remember you came twice, when you were quite young. How is your master? He hasn't come for a while."

"My master has passed away." Chen Qing said calmly, without hiding anything, as the news could not be concealed anyway.

The old man paused in his teacup, sighed, and said, "What a pity." He then took out a jade slip from his sleeve. "This is a list of shops. The newly opened Five Qi Pavilion has some good goods. As for the stalls along the way," he gestured over a few stalls, "try not to go there. The quality varies greatly, and most of them are wolves in sheep's clothing."

The jade slip felt cool to the touch. Chen Qing exhaled a burst of Taihe Qi from his fingertips, and golden light shone brightly on it. Information about various shops moved as if they were alive, and several old brands were marked with the small words "Old Acquaintance of the Zhou Family".

"Thank you for your guidance, senior."

"Go."

After Chen Qing had walked away, the old man took out a yellowed booklet from under the table, picked up a brush and wrote the two characters "Chen Qing," then added: "A disciple of Zhou Yuanjing, not yet thirty years old, has already broken through the second realm..."

He frowned slightly as he took back the booklet.

"When did this young man reach the second realm? At such a young age, with such bearing, could it be that with Old Zhou's death, the Hidden Star Sect is about to turn its fortunes around?"

the other side.

On the cloud bridge, Chen Qing walked with ease.

The shops floating on either side were dazzling with light, but he wasn't in a hurry to approach. Instead, he paid close attention to the snippets of conversation among the passing cultivators.

"Have you heard? Haiyuan Temple has once again found a way to swallow up the inheritances of two smaller sects..."

"A fleet of merchant ships from the south brought many good things."

"Xuanji Chess Academy has recently been recruiting talents, and five people have been selected. One of them is said to have the Xuan Guang Dao Body and is exceptionally talented!"

After going around once, Chen Qing had already made up his mind and turned his attention to purchasing and exchanging goods.

"The spiritual essence needed to maintain the formation, the marrow-cleansing herbs and lightning-struck peach wood hearts needed to consolidate and enhance the realm, and the talismans needed to replenish vigilance and defense..."

After calculating his needs, his gaze fell upon the old shop with the "Qing Nang Xuan" plaque hanging above it.

The shop was deserted, and an old Taoist priest was sitting behind the counter, dozing off.

Seeing Chen Qing enter, the old Taoist priest raised his eyelids slightly: "Look for yourself, the price tags are all below."

Chen Qing remained calm and composed. He first looked around at the medicinal herbs, and finally stopped in front of a jade box in the corner. Inside the box lay a few inconspicuous gray grass plants, but the price tag was extremely high.

Chen Qing asked, "Why is the Marrow Cleansing Grass so expensive?"

“Those are newly arrived top-grade marrow-cleansing herbs,” the old Taoist priest said, sizing up Chen Qing. “You are Zhou Yuanjing’s disciple? It’s only been a short time since I last saw you, and you’ve already reached the second realm? Interesting. To cultivate for the second realm, you do indeed need marrow-cleansing herbs.”

As he spoke, he shifted his body and pulled a gray cloth bag from under the counter.

"After Fellow Daoist Zhou left, I thought the Hidden Star Sect was doomed, but now it seems there is still a chance. Take this as a congratulatory gift for your old friend's disciple's breakthrough."

The bag was slightly ajar, revealing ten Marrow Cleansing Grasses. Although they were in poor condition, they emanated pure spiritual energy fluctuations and were worth at least three spirit marrows!
Chen Qing was startled, and then said, "Senior, such a gift is truly precious!"

"Enough with the nonsense!" the old Taoist priest said loudly. "Zhou Yuanjing saved my life. What are these few weeds? These ten have been sitting for three months. When you get back, put them in a jade box to preserve their medicinal effects for a longer period. They'll be enough for you for more than half a year."

"Thank you, senior!" Chen Qing no longer declined.

Cultivating the Marrow Cleansing Grass is not easy; it requires special spiritual fields and veins, which the Hidden Star Sect does not possess.

"Alas," the old Taoist sighed, "the familiar faces are becoming fewer and fewer. Go back and cultivate diligently."

"It turns out that the connections Master often talked about were not just bragging."

After bidding farewell to the old Taoist priest of Qingnangxuan, Chen Qing wandered around a few more times before finally entering the newly opened "Five Qi Pavilion".

The moment he stepped into the pavilion, his gaze swept over the five-colored jade cabinets arranged in the five elements, and he saw that each item was sealed in a transparent barrier that shimmered with light and was filled with spiritual energy.

Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, smiling at him: "This fellow Daoist has an extraordinary bearing. What would you like?"

"Take a look at the spiritual essence and the earth essence," Chen Qing said calmly. "They must be of the highest quality."

The man in the brocade robe clapped his hands and laughed, "What a coincidence, a new batch of spiritual marrow and earth fire marrow from the Southern Flame Continent has arrived." He led Chen Qing to the red jade cabinet, took out two fist-sized jade stones, one crystal clear and the other with flames flowing inside.

Chen Qing took it and examined it closely. He saw that the spiritual marrow was indeed pure, but the price tag made him frown slightly. It had increased by 30% compared to the last time he came.

Spiritual essence originates from spiritual mines, also known as spiritual stones. It is similar to currency in the cultivation world and is often used to indicate the value of items, much like silver in the mortal world. However, small sects like the Hidden Star Sect do not have mineral deposits and no stable channels to obtain spiritual essence. They have to come to the cultivator market to buy it, and they usually use spiritual plants cultivated by themselves.

Such spiritual plants are not only few in number, but also take a long time to cultivate, so they must be carefully managed.

After a while, Chen Qing put down the two pieces of jade and asked, "Anything else? They're too expensive."

The man in the brocade robe maintained his smile: "To be honest, the trade routes to the south have been disrupted recently, and prices have indeed risen." Observing the man's expression, he suddenly lowered his voice: "If you become a regular customer in the future, you can use the secret bidding method."

Chen Qing's heart skipped a beat.

This "sealed bidding" is a unique trading method in the cultivator market. Both the buyer and seller write their prices on jade talismans and reveal them at the same time to avoid the embarrassment of negotiating prices in public. Chen Qing had only heard of it when he came with his master before, but had never experienced it firsthand.

"can."

Half an hour later, Chen Qing had two more pieces of spirit marrow in his sleeve. Although the price was higher than expected, the quality was indeed excellent. However, the Hidden Star Sect's resources were thinned out again.

But as soon as he stepped out the door, he bumped into a scholar in a blue robe walking hurriedly.

"Shopkeeper!" The scholar waved the book in his hand, "This is my newly acquired 'Tales of the Southern Sea'! I guarantee the young master has never heard of it! Only five pieces of spirit marrow!"

The shopkeeper in brocade robes gave a wry smile: "Young Master Yu, the young master went to listen to storytelling early this morning, and besides, this price..."

"Three pieces will do!" The scholar in the blue robe slammed his hand on the counter. "I want the best quality ones!"

Chen Qing glanced at the unremarkable booklet. It contained neither spiritual energy nor any unusual phenomena. Why would it dare to ask for five pieces of spiritual marrow?
He stopped in his tracks, curious.

The scholar seemed to sense something and turned to smile, "This gentleman also enjoys strange tales and anecdotes?"

"I have some knowledge of it," Chen Qing replied dismissively.

After seeing the scholar exchange the booklet for three pieces of high-quality spirit marrow and leave happily, Chen Qing felt that the spirit marrow he had just bought in his sleeve was no longer appealing.

"Shopkeeper, this..." he couldn't help but say.

The shopkeeper in the brocade robe shook his head with a wry smile: "Please excuse my rudeness, sir. My young master loves collecting ancient tales and wonders. Whenever he comes across something new, he buys it to hear about it. Last month, Young Master Yu sold five pieces of spiritual marrow for his copy of 'The Book of the Nine Netherworlds.' He's gotten a taste for it and has been coming here often ever since."

Chen Qing was deeply shocked upon hearing this.

A novel in exchange for five pieces of spiritual marrow?
This isn't a business transaction, it's outright robbery!
Suddenly, as if possessed, he asked, "Has anyone ever told the secrets of the Primordial Immortal Dynasty?"

The innkeeper was taken aback, then said, "Are you joking, sir? The Celestial Dynasty is at least tens of thousands of years old now, who would remember so much..."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud crash came from upstairs, as if a teacup had been overturned.

"Please, fellow Daoist, come up here!"

Hearing this, Chen Qing breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Looks like I might have a chance to do this money-grabbing business too."

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(End of this chapter)