Sea Commandery.
One of Qing Province's eight commanderies, it stood along the coast and governed eleven counties.
Sea Commandery resembled the other commanderies of Qing Province. Most cultivators gathered in the commandery seat, while the county towns held only a handful of rogue cultivators in the qi refining realm. Foundation establishment cultivators were rarely seen.
Qingping Mountain stretched across Dongjun, Sea Commandery, and Long Commandery. Within Dongjun lay Qingshan County, while within Sea Commandery lay Boundary County.
Boundary County originally had three cultivating lineages, which earned their living mainly by gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains and hunting.
They called themselves cultivating lineages, but even their strongest members were only at the sixth level of qi refining.
Now, however, two of those three cultivating lineages had been wiped out. Only the Wu Family remained, barely holding on.
Qingping Mountain abounded in living creatures and medicinal herbs.
Although there were plenty of demonic beasts, the powerful ones each had their own territory.
As long as people stayed away from their territories, they would not harm anyone.
Here in Boundary County, for instance, two foundation establishment demonic beasts lived in the mountains.
Both were gentle by nature. Compared with Qingshan County in Dongjun, Boundary County was undoubtedly fortunate.
After all, according to what Wu Fang knew, Qingshan County had once had several cultivating lineages too.
But later, a tiger demon appeared in the mountains. At the request of Qingshan County's magistrate at the time, those lineages went into the mountains to slay it. Not one of them came back down.
Apparently, Qingshan County subsequently invited cultivators over several more times, but they all went and never returned. In the end, that entire stretch of mountains became the tiger demon's domain.
Only about two years ago had a Daoist priest with astonishing cultivation finally slain that tiger demon.
Compared with Qingshan County's beast, Boundary County's foundation establishment demonic beasts were incredibly easy to get along with.
Sometimes, people who encountered them in the mountains could even trade books and similar things for medicinal herbs.
Unfortunately, that wonderful state of peaceful coexistence between humans and demonic beasts had vanished for good a few months ago.
Those two gentle foundation establishment creatures disappeared, and a Black Fire Snake at the foundation establishment late stage appeared at their cave abode!
Wu Fang learned this from the other two lineages.
They had encountered the Black Fire Snake while entering the mountains and had been almost entirely wiped out. Even those who escaped returned raving and delirious, clearly frightened out of their wits.
Now, of Boundary County's three cultivating lineages, only their Wu Family remained.
The Wu Family's patriarch was merely at the fifth level of qi refining. They might call themselves a cultivating lineage, but they were hardly different from rogue cultivators.
With no path forward in sight and no cultivation resources, all they could do was find somewhere to carry on their bloodline.
Whenever he thought of that Black Fire Snake at the foundation establishment late stage, Wu Fang, patriarch of the Wu Family, could neither eat nor sleep in peace.
He might be someone of standing in Boundary County, whose words the local gentry and wealthy merchants had to heed, but he was still only an ordinary fifth-level qi refining cultivator.
These days, Wu Fang constantly agonized over what he stood to gain or lose. He did not want to abandon everything he had built, but that terrifying beast in the mountains was vicious and violent, utterly unlike the previous two.
He had married and had children, and now he even had grandchildren. His lineage was finally about to flourish, but it could not withstand the ravages of a foundation establishment demonic beast.
A Black Fire Snake nearly thirty zhang long was practically a flood dragon. If such a terrifying creature descended from the mountains, lives would surely be laid to waste!
"Ah..."
Wu Fang sighed. While he was still wavering, someone ran in from outside.
"Master, the county magistrate is here."
Hearing that the county magistrate had arrived, Wu Fang rose to welcome him.
After all, rogue cultivators like them were not disciples of aristocratic clans or sects. They depended entirely on the local county administration's assistance to settle in a place.
Besides, the imperial court of Great Qi still commanded respect. As natives of the Qi Kingdom, they retained a basic reverence for the court.
"Brother Wu, I've come to trouble you again." Lin Zhiyong, magistrate of Boundary County, entered with worry written all over his face.
"Brother Lin, what has happened?" Wu Fang looked at the troubled Lin Zhiyong in confusion.
Lin Zhiyong glanced at Wu Fang. "Brother Wu, that creature in the mountains is far too vicious. Not one of the cultivators I invited returned alive."
Wu Fang's face changed in alarm. "Brother Lin, you sent cultivators to slay it?"
Lin Zhiyong nodded and explained everything to Wu Fang in detail.
Magistrate Lin was a decisive man. With such a vicious demonic beast in the mountains, the county town was bound to be threatened.
So Lin Zhiyong and Boundary County's gentry pooled their money to hire a group of cultivators.
Those cultivators supposedly took frequent commissions from the various counties of Sea Commandery to help eliminate demonic beasts.
Lin Zhiyong had thought they would bring back some good news, but once they entered the mountains, they vanished without a trace.
Five full days had passed by now, and not a single person had come down alive.
Completely at his wits' end, Lin Zhiyong could only ask Wu Fang to think of a solution.
"Brother Wu, you don't want to abandon everything you've built in Boundary County so easily either, do you?"
"Your lineage has only just begun to prosper. If you leave Boundary County now, where could you go and be welcomed?"
Listening to Lin Zhiyong, Wu Fang felt his thoughts tangle like a skein of hemp. Those were precisely his worries.
After turning it over in his mind, Wu Fang gritted his teeth and said, "That is a demonic beast at the foundation establishment late stage. Hiring ordinary rogue cultivators is useless!"
"We must invite a foundation establishment cultivator to deal with it!"
Lin Zhiyong paled. "A foundation establishment cultivator's fee isn't something gold and silver can cover!"
Wu Fang continued, "Brother Lin, why not personally invite Senior Chen Ping from neighboring Elm County?"
Chen Ping of Elm County was a foundation establishment rogue cultivator with considerable renown in Sea Commandery.
His cultivation was at the foundation establishment middle stage, and his strength was formidable!
Chen Ping had now settled in Elm County and been engaged as its Attendant. He possessed vast stretches of fertile fields and elm groves, and his lineage was far more prosperous than Wu Fang's fledgling qi refining lineage.
After some thought, Lin Zhiyong nodded. "Inviting Senior Chen is a workable plan."
Wu Fang continued, "Brother Lin, write another letter. I'll take it to the commandery seat and deliver it to the commandery governor."
"The governor might be able to enlist the Zhao Clan of Purple Mansion."
"Then Boundary County can be saved."
Lin Zhiyong nodded.
What could his little Boundary County possibly do against a foundation establishment demonic beast?
Better to leave that headache to the governor in the commandery seat.
Lin Zhiyong soon finished the letter and handed it to Wu Fang. The two then went their separate ways to act.
The Chen Family of Elm County was undoubtedly a towering presence there.
Having a foundation establishment cultivator settle there was a blessing for the entire county.
Elm County's gentry and wealthy merchants competed to send their children to the Chen Family to study. Wherever the Chen Family's members went in Elm County, they walked with heads held high and chests out.
That day, a visitor arrived at the Chen Family.
He was Lin Zhiyong, magistrate of Boundary County.
Since a county magistrate had come in person, Chen Ping, a veteran foundation establishment cultivator, showed him every courtesy.
After years of living in Elm County, Chen Ping had grown accustomed to social dealings. He smilingly invited Lin Zhiyong into his residence, looking more like an ordinary wealthy gentleman than a foundation establishment cultivator.
"What brings you here so suddenly, Magistrate Lin?" Chen Ping asked with a smile.
Lin Zhiyong hurriedly explained his purpose. As Chen Ping listened, the smile gradually disappeared from his face.
A Black Fire Snake at the foundation establishment late stage!
Heavens, how had such a terrifying demonic beast suddenly appeared in Boundary County?
Chen Ping had not fought for some years. The number of times he had acted in recent years could be counted on one hand.
The fiery courage that had once driven him to risk his life and seek opportunities amid packs of demonic beasts was long gone.
The Chen Ping of today was merely a kindly, wealthy old man.
If a vicious creature like that late-stage foundation establishment Black Fire Snake descended from the mountains, even all of Boundary County would not be enough for it to ravage. Elm County would inevitably be caught up in the disaster.
Like Wu Fang, once Chen Ping had settled down, he no longer wanted to leave.
Everything he had built was here, along with the foundation for his Chen Family's future growth.
After pondering for a while, Chen Ping said, "This matter affects more than Boundary County. Naturally, I cannot stand by unmoved."
"Please return for now, Magistrate Lin. Once I have gathered a few friends, I will go to Boundary County to slay the beast!"
With Chen Ping's promise secured, Lin Zhiyong departed full of gratitude.
Once Lin Zhiyong left, the Chen Family's members began urging Chen Ping against it.
They knew how long it had been since Chen Ping had fought another cultivator. His skills were probably rusty by now. Would fighting a demonic beast at the foundation establishment late stage not be courting death?
Moreover, if anything happened to Chen Ping, the Chen Family's standing in Elm County would plummet, and it would be difficult to preserve their holdings.
Looking at these family members immersed in wealth and luxury, Chen Ping felt for the first time that the Chen Family's development had taken a wrong turn.
Furious that iron would not become steel, he gave them all a thorough scolding, then snapped, "What do you know?"
"If that late-stage foundation establishment beast truly begins running rampant, Boundary County won't withstand it. Do you think Elm County will?"
"Why am I going to Boundary County, if not to preserve the Chen Family's foundations?"
"Besides, a demonic beast at the foundation establishment late stage appearing so suddenly must mean some heavenly treasure has emerged. If we obtain such a treasure, that will be our Chen Family's chance to rise!"
Chen Ping was thinking clearly. He knew that a late-stage foundation establishment demonic beast would be difficult to deal with, but he also knew such a beast would not appear without reason.
A heavenly treasure!
Unable to break through to the foundation establishment late stage, Chen Ping had been forced to settle in Elm County, like a fallen leaf returning to its roots. Now, he suddenly felt the hot blood that had lain still for decades begin to boil again.
While Chen Ping gathered his friends, Wu Fang delivered the letter to the Sea Commandery governor's desk in the commandery seat.
Learning that an unrestrained late-stage foundation establishment demonic beast had appeared within his jurisdiction gave the governor a terrible headache too. He went straight to the Zhao Family.
As Sea Commandery's purple mansion aristocratic clan, the Zhao Family enjoyed the commandery's offerings and naturally had to contribute to its welfare.
The Zhao Family's patriarch, Zhao He, was currently in seclusion. Its grand elder, Zhao Hong, met with the governor and assured him that the Zhao Family would not sit idly by.
With the Zhao Family's answer, the governor naturally felt reassured.
Zhao Hong soon summoned two of the Zhao Family's elites, Zhao Rui and Zhao Jun. Both were capable cultivators at the foundation establishment middle stage and members of the family's direct line.
"The governor just said that a Black Fire Snake at the foundation establishment late stage suddenly appeared in Boundary County. I suspect some treasure must have emerged there."
"Come with me to Boundary County and eliminate that Black Fire Snake. If we find some heavenly treasure, it will also strengthen our Zhao Family's reserves."
After hearing Zhao Hong's words, Zhao Rui and Zhao Jun nodded.
Naturally, they would not refuse something that benefited the Zhao Family.
Besides, a Black Fire Snake at the foundation establishment late stage was a treasure from head to tail.
Its flesh could nourish cultivators' bodies, replenish their qi, and strengthen their physiques; its blood, gallbladder, and heart could be used to refine medicines; its fangs, scales, and skin could be used to forge artifacts.
Soon, Zhao Run and Zhao Jun finished their preparations and followed Zhao Hong to Boundary County.
Chen Ping also found several helpers. After agreeing to split the spoils evenly, they headed for Boundary County.
Before anyone knew it, Boundary County's name began appearing frequently in Sea Commandery's cultivation circles.
Everyone was saying that Boundary County held treasure!
I originally planned to post this chapter in the afternoon, but I hadn't read anything in ages, so Lin Yuan took a look at his bookshelf.
Immortality in the Immortal Abode—updates stopped.
Superior Golden Core—updates stopped.
Immortal Undertakings—updates stopped.
True Immortal of White Jade has special circumstances, so I won't discuss it.
Searching the Mountains to Subdue Demons, which previously received a major recommendation, has stopped updating too.
Sigh. Sometimes I wonder why I don't have prose that good, ideas for plots that good, or the ability to portray stories that good.
The first book I read was Proudly Sovereign of the Nine Heavens, followed by I Alone Reign Supreme, then Battle Through the Heavens, The Unparalleled in This Life, Contending for the Great Dao, and Taihao.
As I read one book after another, Immortality in the Immortal Abode, Superior Golden Core, Immortal Undertakings, and True Immortal of White Jade were all good books I was following. Yet all of them stopped updating for one reason or another.
People say newcomers writing fantasy and immortal cultivation can't make a name for themselves, and hardly anyone reads new books because everyone is waiting for chapters to build up.
But don't I have plenty of people following along now too?
Even though my writing is this bad, this padded, and my plot this clichéd, aren't there still people supporting me?
Enough about anything else. Let me make a promise to the brothers still reading.
As long as someone is still reading, as long as someone still supports me, as long as I can still see even a little hope.
During the new-book period, I won't miss my two daily updates totaling six thousand characters. Once the book goes premium, I'll guarantee at least eight to nine thousand characters a day. (I don't have much of a chapter backlog. I have an outline, but no backlog.)
That's it. I won't say any more. Just watch what I actually do.
PS: Today I boiled potatoes and lotus root, dipped them in chili sauce, and ate them with mixed noodles. Emmmm, I'm craving meat.
PS: The next chapter will be posted during the day.
(End of chapter)