Chapter 13: Settling in the Market Town

“What? Brother… you… you still haven’t given up?” Chen Zhaohu was quite surprised at Li Ji’an’s decision to leave.

Over the past year, whether witnessing the reality of the gathering district or observing the part-time cultivators in their squad, he felt it should have been enough for Li Ji’an to recognize the truth.

Yet he still wanted to pursue immortality!

Li Ji’an sighed. “Body cultivation cannot grant eternal life.”

“Eternal life… you still want that?” Hearing Chen Zhaohu’s words, the teammates who were packing up their belongings ready to set out all gathered around.

Chen Qingling burst out laughing.

He too once harbored such naïve ambitions, but after truly stepping onto the path of cultivation, he no longer dared entertain such fantasies. If he could reach the later stages of Qi Refining in this lifetime, he would consider it worthy of his elder brother’s efforts.

“Old Li, you’re fooling yourself. Not to mention anything else, just look at this Wild Dragon Ridge wasteland—countless people have embarked on the path of cultivation, but those who break through the middle stage of Qi Refining are already rare as cranes among chickens. Anyone reaching the later stage becomes a mainstay and solid combat force for their clan, but even then, their lifespan is only about a hundred and fifty years. Eternal life… tsk tsk.” A third-level Qi Refining cultivator could only shake his head, half amused, half exasperated.

“To tell you the truth, I regret it. Had I known cultivation was this tough, I would never have given up my father’s shop for this damned pursuit of immortality!”

“If you stick to body cultivation, you could become a notable figure in the gathering district, living a peaceful and leisurely life.”

…

Everyone began offering advice.

Some spoke from personal experience, others were reluctant to see Chen Zhaohu’s ‘lucky mascot’ leave; Li Ji’an could tell the difference.

He acknowledged that everyone made valid points.

Yet his resolve remained firm.

Since he insisted on leaving, Chen Zhaohu could not stop him.

“Alright, alright, since you haven’t given up, go then. But remember, my door is always open to you. You’re welcome back anytime,” Chen Zhaohu said.

“Thank you, Brother Chen!” Li Ji’an cupped his hands in gratitude.

“Qingling, go with your Brother Li. Look after him well once you reach the market,” Chen Zhaohu instructed.

“Brother Li, you’re steady and thoughtful—please keep an eye on this young rascal for me, make sure he doesn’t pick up any bad habits at the market.” Chen Zhaohu gave instructions to both Chen Qingling and Li Ji’an.

Chen Qingling frowned, clearly unwilling, but did not dare disobey his elder brother. He nodded reluctantly.

Li Ji’an smiled and agreed. With a guide at the market, he felt more at ease traveling with the Chen brothers after a year of acquaintance than with strangers.

“Old Li, if you need to buy pills in the future, you can come to me. I have a connection—much cheaper than the shops…”

“Brother Li, once you’re in the market, what you need most isn’t cultivation, but earning spirit stones. Everything there requires spirit stones, so you’d better start thinking about it.”

…

With things settled, others began offering their own suggestions.

Not long after, Chen Zhaohu personally escorted Li Ji’an and Chen Qingling to the station.

“Old Zhou, I’m counting on you,” Chen Zhaohu said, paying twenty taels of spirit sand to the spirit beast coachman, then quietly handing Li Ji’an a small pouch. “Brother, you’ll need spirit stones everywhere in the market. Life isn’t easy. I don’t have much, but take these.”

The touch of the pouch brought a hint of joy to Li Ji’an’s heart—it seemed to contain ten spirit stones.

“Thank you!” Li Ji’an looked at him seriously, making a mental note of this kindness.

Having been through five lifetimes, he knew how to maintain good relationships unless there was a conflict of interest or he simply did not wish to befriend someone. Otherwise, lacking character and emotional intelligence would truly be a problem.

To cultivate good connections was not just empty words.

Old Zhou’s spirit beast was purchased from the northern Liu family, who specialized in beast taming. It was a first-tier creature with low-grade wild blood, mainly used for long-distance travel, capable of covering a thousand miles a day.

Back then, Old Zhou had borrowed spirit stones from Chen Zhaohu to start this business.

Within an hour, Li Ji’an was standing at the gates of the United Market.

The United Market was not very old, established eighty years ago by two pioneering families.

Later, to compete for the low-grade spiritual vein here, the two Qi Refining families with shallow foundations fought fiercely.

Their methods were endless.

In the end, it was a case of the sandpiper and the clam fighting while the fisherman reaped the reward.

To claim this spiritual land, each Qi Refining family did everything they could to win over the clans that had successfully settled the wasteland early on.

In the end, both Qi Refining families were ruined, and the other clans stepped in.

Afterward, the two Qi Refining families faded into the dust of history, and the United Market emerged, managed jointly by eight families.

Passing through the market gate, Li Ji’an paid five taels of spirit sand for entry, while Chen Qingling took out his jade token for residents.

“Hey, let’s get something straight. My business is none of yours. If my brother asks, just tell him everything’s fine. In return, you can ask me anything you don’t understand—of course, you’ll have to pay with fried chicken wings!” As soon as they entered the city, Chen Qingling spoke up.

Li Ji’an nodded; that suited him perfectly.

The market was smaller than the gathering district, as its spiritual vein was only low-grade and couldn’t cover a large area.

Even at its current size, it was somewhat overstretched—the spiritual energy at the outer edges was nearly as thin as outside.

Still, it sufficed for beginners in Qi Refining.

“South Street is the commercial area, mostly businesses owned by the eight local families, and a few branches of major outside forces. Pills, tools, talismans, and formations are all available, but you won’t need those yet, so don’t bother going there.

North Street is the stall area, mostly scattered cultivators selling goods. The quality can’t compare to the shops, but the prices are much cheaper.

Don’t go to the West District unless necessary. That’s where the nobles live—family residences and the retreats of powerful cultivators. The spiritual energy there is the richest.

We’ll just stay in the East District…” As they walked the streets, Li Ji’an sensed the spiritual energy of the vein while listening to Chen Qingling’s introduction.

He had to admit, the difference between a spiritual vein and a barren land was significant. The energy here, though not dense, was remarkably pure.

“Remember, unless you’re in your own rented retreat, you’re not allowed to absorb spiritual energy and cultivate inside the market. If you’re caught, you’ll be fined spirit stones.” Chen Qingling, while introducing the market, noticed Li Ji’an sensing the energy and hurried to warn him.

He realized after speaking that Li Ji’an hadn’t started cultivating yet, nor did he have any Qi Refining techniques—he couldn’t absorb spiritual energy anyway. The warning was unnecessary.

“Hey, what a coincidence, Little Ling!” Just then, three young men spotted Chen Qingling from afar and walked over.

Chen Qingling’s face stiffened, his usual sense of superiority over Li Ji’an vanishing. He instinctively moved behind Li Ji’an, shrinking back. “Brother Quan.”

Only then did the trio look at Li Ji’an, their playful expressions subdued a bit. “Oh, your brother’s visiting?”

Chen Qingling nodded stiffly.

“Then we won’t disturb you. See you around.” The three turned and left.

Li Ji’an watched calmly, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

“Hmph, it’s all your fault. If I hadn’t brought you here, I wouldn’t have bumped into them!” Watching them leave, Chen Qingling didn’t even look at Li Ji’an, but acted as if Li Ji’an must be watching him, quickly trying to deflect any questions.

In reality, Li Ji’an hadn’t been watching him, nor did he intend to ask.

“I warn you, absolutely do not tell my brother about this,” Chen Qingling insisted, still uneasy.

This time, Li Ji’an did not agree.

He could stay out of it, and it wasn’t his place to interfere, but informing Chen Zhaohu was necessary.

Chen Qingling, a fourteen-year-old child, didn’t know how to handle such matters—this was normal. But with Chen Zhaohu’s experience and strength, he would be able to deal with it properly.

“Did you hear me? Don’t tell my brother, or… or he’ll suffer for it! Do you know who that guy is? He’s from the Yan family!”