Wen Xianren's Jealousy (Please Bookmark, Please Vote)

"Fifteenth Great Grandfather, thank you for your trouble!" Ling Pengyun thanked him, then waved his hand and stored the thirty-two jade boxes of spirit fruit floating before him, along with that leaf shimmering with spiritual charm, into his Storage Bag.

"No matter. Just as last year, stay for a day before leaving!" Ling Rushui asked, his eyes carrying a trace of expectation.

"Alright!" Ling Pengyun naturally understood Ling Rushui's little thoughts and agreed with a smile.

That night, Ling Rushui and Ling Pengyun, grandfather and grandson, stayed up through the night chatting as they always had.

Ling Pengyun told the lonely old man Ling Rushui all about the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake, the Blue-Scaled Demon Serpent, and the Mystic Water Iron Mine he had encountered recently.

As a listener, Ling Rushui had been frightened out of his wits when he heard about the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake and Blue-Scaled Demon Serpent, breaking into a cold sweat for Ling Pengyun. Yet when he heard the detailed account of how the Mystic Water Iron Mine had been discovered, he rejoiced for him and silently marveled at little Pengyun's remarkable fortune.

Time always passed swiftly in conversation.

At dawn, while Ling Rushui prepared breakfast, Ling Pengyun took the opportunity to absorb First Sun Power for a while. After breakfast, he also made a trip to the Azure Bamboo Talisman Pavilion to replenish the spirit talismans he had used up some time ago.

In total, he bought five Fire Arrow Talismans and five Shield Talismans, spending forty spirit stones.

This caused the spirit stones in Ling Pengyun's once-bulging Storage Bag to diminish by another large sum, leaving it on the verge of running dry. It made his heart ache for quite some time.

After returning to the rice hall and bidding Ling Rushui farewell, Ling Pengyun took advantage of the early hour, when there were few people in the market, to quietly leave Cloud Mist Market, where only a handful of independent cultivators were about.

Meanwhile, Ling Rushui stood alone at the entrance to Lingxiao Rice Hall, blankly gazing toward the market's exit.

Only after a long while did he come back to himself. His expression desolate, he muttered softly to himself.

"Let little Pengyun keep me company for another three years. Once his five-year assignment guarding Azure Stone Mountain ends, this old man should return to the clan mountain and enjoy a little peace and comfort!"

Only after saying this did he return to the shop.

Shen Hu had been born a mortal. Because he possessed a Spirit Root, he had fortuitously been discovered by an independent cultivator in the Qi Training Middle Stage who was nearly a hundred years old.

Advanced in years, the old independent cultivator had decided to take Shen Hu as his disciple. He gave Shen Hu a Qi training technique, the "Golden Spirit Art."

For some time afterward, he carefully taught Shen Hu how to cultivate.

When Shen Hu was twenty years old and at the Qi Training Second Layer, his master's lifespan came to an end.

Shen Hu thus became alone in the world. Possessing extraordinary power, he was naturally unwilling to return to an ordinary life. Carrying his master's dying wish, Shen Hu began wandering the Cultivation World by himself.

As an independent cultivator with such low cultivation, he naturally drew the attention of many other independent cultivators, even demonic cultivators.

Fortunately, before his death, his master had left Shen Hu quite a few powerful magical artifacts and spirit talismans.

With the aid of these spiritual items, Shen Hu escaped danger safely time and again, even killing in return those who had sought to ambush him.

After enjoying the wealth gained from killing cultivators once, Shen Hu came to understand the meaning of "murder and arson bring golden belts."

Gradually, he too began frequently engaging in the business of interception and killing.

Over these years of wandering the Cultivation World alone, no fewer than twenty or thirty independent cultivators had died by his hand.

The wealth gained from killing those cultivators had raised his cultivation all the way to the Qi Training Sixth Layer, where he was stuck before the most difficult bottleneck of the Qi Training realm—the Qi Training Seventh Layer.

To break through this bottleneck as quickly as possible, Shen Hu had come to Huai River County several years ago from another county city. This was territory newly opened up by the Hundred Spirits Sect, where many demon beasts still remained. He relied on hunting demon beasts or intercepting cultivators to earn wealth and gather enough spirit stones to buy a Barrier Breaking Pill.

Yet the price of a Barrier Breaking Pill was simply far too high.

Furthermore, since he made his living hunting demon beasts, he was often injured and inevitably needed to buy Healing Pills.

As a result, he had not saved many spirit stones over the years—barely enough to support his ordinary cultivation.

That day, Shen Hu arrived early at Cloud Mist Market. He had intended to sell the flesh of a Qi Training Middle Stage demon beast he had killed not long ago and earn some spirit stones, but a windfall fell straight into his lap.

A Message Talisman flew in from outside the market and arrived beside Shen Hu, who had just set up his stall along the sides of Cloud Mist Market's main street.

Seeing the Message Talisman appear so abruptly, Shen Hu was deeply puzzled. He had no friends in Cloud Mist Market—who would send him a message?

He waved his hand and caught the Message Talisman, carefully examining what was written upon it. His heart jolted.

The Message Talisman gave a detailed account of the various spiritual items Ling Pengyun, who had only recently left Cloud Mist Market, had purchased there, as well as Ling Pengyun's identity as a Ling Clan member.

The Message Talisman had appeared out of nowhere. Shen Hu had spent many years in the Cultivation World and knew how treacherous it was, so he naturally did not dare believe it lightly.

But with a person who seemed to be such a fat sheep appearing near him, he had no intention of letting this chance slip by.

To verify whether the contents of the Message Talisman were true, he put away the Qi Training Middle Stage demon beast flesh he had just laid out at his stall. He then visited each of the market's five shops, pretending to inquire about buying spirit fruit, and also went to Cloud Mist Weapon Refinement Hall to ask about buying Green Travel Leaves, only to learn that none were available.

Then, recalling that Ling Pengyun, who had just left the market, had indeed come from Lingxiao Rice Hall, Shen Hu became convinced that what the Message Talisman said was true.

"So Ling Pengyun really is a fat sheep. I have this Message Talisman to thank for that, though I wonder who sent it."

"But if I can kill Ling Pengyun this time and seize his wealth, I will surely save enough spirit stones to buy a Barrier Breaking Pill. Then I can rely on that pill to break through into the Qi Training Late Stage."

"When that time comes, whether I become a retainer for one of those damned clans or continue living as an independent cultivator, my life will be much better!"

Shen Hu rejoiced inwardly, then hurried out of Cloud Mist Market and pursued Ling Pengyun in the direction he had gone.

At the entrance of Cloud Mist Market.

Wen Xianren, a Qi Training Late Stage cultivator who had been stationed there year-round, saw Shen Hu leave the market and chase after Ling Pengyun of the Ling Clan. A faint cold smile appeared on his face.

"It was one thing for that Ling Clan brat to come to our Wen Clan's Cloud Mist Market to buy spiritual items the first time. But the second time, he bought so many! He wants to use our Wen Clan to buy spiritual items and advance his cultivation? Dream on!"

"That Ling Pengyun... it would be quite good if he died. The Ling Clan already has... quite a few talented clansmen."

A trace of jealousy surfaced on his face.

The Message Talisman in Shen Hu's hand had been sent by him.

And Shen Hu would become a weapon for accomplishing his goal.

The Cloud Mist Wen Clan, whose younger generation was lacking, stood beside the Lingxiao Ling Clan, which possessed Ling Pengxing and his Dual Spirit Root. The disparity between them was obvious.

Furthermore, the Ling Clan had recently discovered a small Mystic Water Iron Mine, greatly strengthening its foundations. It also had Ling Pengxing, a young clansman with a considerable chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment.

No matter how one looked at it, the Ling Clan would only travel farther and farther in the Cultivation World.

The Wen Clan, by contrast, was a miserable sight, without any outstanding cultivation genius.

An Yang County, where the Ling Clan was located, lay beside Peaceful An County of the Cloud Mist Wen Clan. Perhaps a hundred years from now, the Cloud Mist Wen Clan would decline without another Foundation Establishment cultivator appearing, while the Ling Clan, with another Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding it, would be the first to strike at its neighboring Wen Clan.

Given a chance to have a talented Ling Clan member die miserably, Wen Xianren naturally would not let it pass.