Chapter 14: The List
In truth, Song Yan knew nothing of Granny Qin’s true origins—not even a hint—but that did not hinder his trust in her.
About nine months prior, Song Yan had carried his two bottles of barely-formed Qi-nourishing pills throughout the entire marketplace, but no one was willing to purchase such meager quantities. To say nothing of the fact that the quality of these pills was exceptionally poor.
Only when he clung to his last hope and entered a newly-opened, remote little shop did he meet Granny Qin…
“You rascal!”
Qin Xijun suddenly gave him a hard smack on the head, pulling Song Yan out of his reverie.
“Do you think my shop is some kind of black market? Huh? Bringing all sorts of shady goods here to sell…”
“Tell me honestly—where did you get these?”
Song Yan grinned sheepishly and hurried to recount his recent trip down the mountain to Granny Qin.
“Demonic cultivators…”
Qin Xijun mused for a moment, “So they’ve appeared again…”
“Granny, well… I don’t need these things anyway. If you won’t take them, perhaps it’s best to destroy them all…”
Song Yan felt a slight regret, but not much disappointment.
“Tsk, why are you so honest?” Qin Xijun shot him a glare. “There’s no inherent good or evil in things—it all depends on how one uses them…”
“Uh…”
Song Yan eyed the bottle of Blood Transformation Pills, wondering silently: Is there truly no distinction between good and bad here?
“Granny can’t sell these, that’s for certain… but—”
Qin Xijun glanced at Song Yan, seeing only the clear, almost overflowing stupidity in his eyes, and lost all interest in playing coy.
“Do you know about the Lingyuan Marsh Night Market?”
“A night market… it’s just the marketplace at night, right?”
Song Yan was thoroughly confused.
“…”
Qin Xijun was exasperated, muttering to herself, “This child knows nothing…”
“Nineteenth of next month, the Lingyuan Marsh Night Market opens. I’ll take you along to get rid of these goods…”
“Understand? If so, get out!”
Thud!
When Song Yan came to, he was already standing at the entrance of the shop, the wooden door slammed shut behind him.
“Yan… Yan Yan… Who was that?”
The little snake finally dared to emerge from his robe, still shaken. “She’s rather scary.”
Song Yan forced a smile; Granny Qin was wonderful in every way—except for her explosive temper.
“Granny Qin is a good person… just a bit hot-tempered…”
“Come to think of it, I don’t even know how old she is…”
He knew that the appearance of a cultivator could never be used as a measure of age.
---
In the world of cultivators, methods for preserving youthful appearance are countless. For instance, there is a pill called the Beauty Preserving Pill.
A single pill ensures eternal youth; one’s appearance at the time of taking the pill remains unchanged until the end of their lifespan.
Such pills are extremely popular among both male and female cultivators, especially the latter.
However, the pill is complex and beyond Song Yan’s current capabilities.
He wasn’t sure if Granny Qin was from the inner or outer sect. But since she called herself Granny Qin, she must be of considerable age. He guessed she was probably fifty or sixty, and given her profound and inscrutable spiritual abilities…
She must be at least at the late stage of Qi Refinement…
Shaking his head, Song Yan discarded these messy thoughts and returned to his cave dwelling.
Senior Brother Lin Qing had once told him that, based on his entry date into the sect, he would have to undertake a formal mission outside the sect in two years—a task far more difficult than menial chores.
Right now, his most urgent need was to increase his combat strength.
Break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refinement within half a year? He hadn’t dared to even consider it.
With his aptitude and cultivation resources, it was nothing short of a fool’s dream.
He took out the flying sword from his storage pouch. The blood stains seemed to have faded slightly, though the stench remained.
Song Yan tried to use his spiritual power to cleanse the blood. Perhaps because the owner of the blood was dead, this simple method worked surprisingly well.
Soon, the sword was as clean as new, and he wielded it with ease.
When facing Lu Xiaowei and the others, his supposed killing weapon—the flying sword—had failed him, leaving Song Yan dissatisfied.
Could it be that he lacked talent for sword control?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible…
He simply lacked combat experience.
Song Yan consoled himself and, having recovered some spiritual power, ignored the playful Xu Youhe wandering about the cave. He entered into the cultivation state of the nameless mnemonic.
The most obvious advantage in his recent battle was his extraordinary divine sense.
Song Yan decided to hone his strengths, first cultivating his divine sense, and while at it, try to unlock the seventeen light points in the Twofold Realm.
Lingyuan Marsh Marketplace, Solace General Store.
Not long after Song Yan left, someone knocked on the wooden door.
“Who is it? The door’s not locked.”
Creak—
The door was pushed open, revealing a spirited face to Qin Xijun.
“Oh, Xiao Ye. A distinguished guest. What wind brought you here today?”
Qin Xijun casually brushed dust off a chair and said, “Sit.”
Lu Ziye was nervous, knowing her words were laced with sarcasm, and dared not sit. “Heh, Master, I came to ask when you’ll return…”
“I’m not going back!”
“It’s peaceful here—none of you little scoundrels to vex me.”
Lu Ziye smiled sheepishly. “Master, Senior Sister Qin was just concerned for the family. Please don’t hold it against her.”
“Besides, the Qin family is your birthplace. Why let this sour relations…”
Qin Xijun’s expression instantly chilled. “I’ve told you many times—the Qin family is rotten to the core…”
---
“I am not of the Qin family. If you have nothing else, please leave. My little shop is closing…”
“Master…”
Thud!
When Lu Ziye came to, he was already at the entrance, the wooden door slammed behind him.
“So this is the fate of anyone who comes…”
Lu Ziye muttered as he left the marketplace.
---
Time passed swiftly.
April eleventh, outside the outer sect’s chores hall.
A group of outer sect disciples gathered around a notice board, deep in discussion.
On the board, words written with spiritual power hovered clearly above.
“This is rare—a joint sect mission.”
Someone among them chatted with a companion. “Since I entered the sect, I’ve only seen this twice. Last time, I remember we went to North A Mountain…”
The notice board displayed many posted missions for disciples to take, clearly listing which outer sect disciples would be sent out.
One prominent task was written at the top.
Joint sect mission.
Location: Silent Valley.
Issued by Xuanyuan Sect, a collaboration between Xuanyuan Sect, Spirit Talisman Sect, and Deep Cavern Sect.
Half a year ago, unusual spiritual fluctuations began appearing around Silent Valley, now affecting the spiritual plants and beasts within. Hence, this mission.
Scheduled for the ninth day of the fifth lunar month.
Leading elder: Xu Ziqing.
Inner sect disciple: Lu Ziye. Ninth layer of Qi Refinement…
Outer sect disciples selected:
Shao Sicha, sixth layer of Qi Refinement…
Gu Qingqing, Tang Lin, Song Yan, fifth layer of Qi Refinement…
“Huh? All the others have been in the sect for two full years, but this junior brother Song Yan has only been here for a year and seven months…”
“That’s right…”
“Perhaps the sect thinks this junior brother has reached mid-stage Qi Refinement and can handle the task?”
“…”
Soon, their attention shifted to other matters. The topic of Song Yan surfaced only briefly before being drowned out.
In the crowd, a boy of plain appearance stared at the notice board.
He listened to the others’ conversations, gazing at the name Song Yan, lost in thought.