The Master Had Passed Away

Jiang Xueqi's eyes lit up. "Talisman Master Shen, no wonder my husband was willing to work for you. You're certainly generous!"

Since marrying Zhao Chunsheng, she had always been frugal to provide for their two children.

She had never met a fellow cultivator who would casually give away more than a dozen high-grade talismans.

Shen Xuan hurriedly waved his hands. "You're too kind, Fellow Daoist Jiang. My wife's and my lives are at stake here. We'll have to rely on you from now on."

"Don't worry! I won't take your talismans for nothing."

Jiang Xueqi had lived here for more than a decade and knew a little about Shen Xuan.

He was a cautious Ascetic Cultivator who had only happened to break through to Qi Refining Level 4 after turning sixty.

Although he was a Mid-grade Talisman Master, she had never heard of him fighting anyone.

Jiang Xueqi went home to gather her things, then moved into Shen Xuan's residence and shared a room with Ding Yuyao.

Shen Xuan, meanwhile, rested either in the cultivation room or the Talisman Crafting Room.

To be safe, Shen Xuan stayed inside the Market and stopped going to the Longze River Bottom to cultivate. He focused on making [Spring Return Talismans] to earn spirit stones.

After that, cultivators' bodies began appearing one after another in the shantytowns of Qinglong Bay Market.

The Ding Family's Law Enforcement Team inspected the sites and confirmed that the dead were Rogue Cultivators from the shantytown.

For a time, the Rogue Cultivators there were gripped by fear.

Some scraped together enough spirit stones and hid inside the Market.

Others moved out of the Market's shantytowns to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

Most Rogue Cultivators, however, remained unmoved.

They were already at the very bottom of the Cultivation World. If they had spirit stones, they would not be living in the shantytown.

In response, the Ding Family stepped up patrols and enforcement in the shantytown.

A little over ten days later, news arrived.

The Ding Family's high-ranking cultivators had captured a gang of Robbing Cultivators who had been murdering people for their wealth.

After a public trial, every last one of them was hanged at the Market gates.

"Excellent! Robbing Cultivators deserve to die!"

"As expected of the Ding Family of Qinglong Bay!"

"Justice has been served!"

Living in the shantytown and taking advantage of Qinglong Bay Market's spiritual energy still meant paying rent to the Ding Family.

It was much cheaper than living inside the Market, though. The rent was only two spirit stones a year.

The Ding Family's high-ranking cultivators had acted to reassure the Rogue Cultivators in the Market.

After all, these cultivators worked like beasts of burden, day in and day out, all year long, earning spirit stones for the Ding Family.

Shen Xuan stopped leaving the Market.

He cultivated and practiced Talisman Crafting.

His life was full, yet monotonous.

Watching his spirit stones steadily pile up filled Shen Xuan with motivation.

After the Ding Family announced that it had caught and hanged the gang of Robbing Cultivators, Qinglong Bay Market's security returned to normal. Calm settled over the place, and no more cultivators were robbed and murdered in the shantytown.

Beyond the Market, the Ding Family's reach was limited. They couldn't control what happened there, and had no intention of trying.

One day, Shen Xuan received a letter.

It had been sent from Dragon Gate Market Town on Qingyun Mountain.

That was where Master Yan had settled in his later years.

It was under Qingyun Sect's direct jurisdiction, and security was good.

"Master has passed away?"

After reading the letter, grief welled up in Shen Xuan's heart.

Master Yan had been his teacher, the one who had discovered him among the ordinary people of the mortal world.

He had taught Shen Xuan the Dao, shown him how to achieve Qi Induction, and taken him to the Qingyun Sect entrance examination.

Even after Shen Xuan was found to have an Inferior Spirit Root, Master Yan hadn't given up on him. He had gifted him the [Divine Treasure Canghai Technique], written to an old friend, and recommended Shen Xuan to him.

That old friend was a veteran Spirit Planter. Out of respect for Master Yan, he had taught Shen Xuan the [Cloud Rain Technique] for free.

Shen Xuan had found the life of a Spirit Planter too difficult. After a year of farming, he had saved a little money and decisively switched to Talisman Crafting.

Now, upon hearing that Master Yan had passed away, he suddenly realized that they had been apart for forty-nine years.

He wondered how his old classmates were doing.

Qingyun Sect was one of the leading sects in Song State, with several Golden Core True Persons stationed there.

The distance from Qinglong Bay to Qingyun Mountain was three thousand li.

Old Liu's carriage was pulled by Blood-sweating Horses, so it traveled quickly.

When he heard Shen Xuan was in a hurry, he pushed the horses hard, traveling day and night without rest.

In just three days, Shen Xuan reached Dragon Gate Market Town.

It was already close to Qingyun Mountain, serving as a forward outpost for Qingyun Sect.

Anyone traveling to Qingyun Sect from the west had to pass through Dragon Gate Market Town.

At the Market gates, Shen Xuan presented his Identity Jade Token from Qinglong Bay. After registering, he entered.

Old Liu drove the carriage to rest in the mortal world.

Shen Xuan left him a Messaging Talisman.

When he left the Market, he would send a message to Old Liu so they could return to Qinglong Bay together.

Following the address in the letter, Shen Xuan soon found Master Yan's Former Residence.

At the entrance, a plump man dressed in mourning clothes waved to him.

"Shen Xuan, come over here! This way!"

Shen Xuan's eyes brightened.

It was Wang Fugui, his old classmate.

Wang Fugui came over and deftly helped Shen Xuan change into sackcloth clothes and put on a white mourning sash.

"You're just in time. We'll keep vigil tonight, and the funeral's tomorrow."

Shen Xuan followed Wang Fugui inside. Seeing Master Yan's portrait in the Mourning Hall, he couldn't hold back his tears.

With a solemn expression, he bowed deeply in reverence.

Then he picked up three Incense Sticks, lit them from the candle, and blew out the flames. He knelt before Master Yan's Spirit Tablet once more, kowtowed, and paid his respects.

After standing, Shen Xuan carefully placed the Incense Sticks in his hands into the Incense Burner. His eyes shimmered with tears.

Fifty years—gone in the blink of an eye.

The youthful ardor of his student days, Master Yan's every expression and smile, all seemed as though they had happened only yesterday.

Master Yan had no children. The two Immortal Seedlings he had taught in his final years knelt beside him as family.

That night, Shen Xuan and Wang Fugui personally kept vigil for Master Yan.

"What about the other classmates?"

"I sent letters to them all."

Wang Fugui had a Low-grade Spiritual Root. After being eliminated in the sect examination, he had immediately married into the nearby Foundation Establishment Cultivation Family with the surname Liu.

Of the seven classmates, he had always been the most lively.

"Ling Zhenfeng died twenty-seven years ago. I heard he died in a war between Cultivation Families."

In Shen Xuan's mind, a sixteen-year-old boy in black appeared, his eyes resolute.

Ling Zhenfeng had come from a Jianghu Aristocratic Family and was a capable fighter.

Shen Xuan had never imagined that Ling Zhenfeng, who also had an Inferior Spirit Root, would die so young.

"Li Changan's doing well. Like me, he married into a Cultivation Family, the Yu Family. He has a house full of children and grandchildren."

Wang Fugui spoke of being a live-in son-in-law without a hint of embarrassment.

Becoming a live-in son-in-law in a Cultivation Family wasn't easy.

Spiritual Root, background, temperament, character—everything was scrutinized.

Li Changan also had an Inferior Spirit Root, but his Earth Spirit Root was a high nine points, making him well suited to farming.

"As for Zhao Sujin, she made a good marriage. Both her sons have Spiritual Roots."

Zhao Sujin had a Low-grade Spiritual Root and was a female cultivator.

After the sect examination, Master Yan had personally vetted potential matches for her and found her a good one.

"You know the Young Marquis and Princess Xinyue joined Qingyun Sect."

Wang Fugui suddenly seemed hesitant.

"I heard—just heard—that Princess Xinyue established her Dao Foundation, and it's an extraordinary one!"

"Really?"

Shen Xuan was startled to hear this.

In his mind, Princess Xinyue was still that aloof young woman, cold as a snow lotus atop the heavens.

"What about the Young Marquis?"

Wang Fugui shot Shen Xuan a look.

"Come on, it's Foundation Establishment! It's not that easy!"

"When the Young Marquis gets here, don't bring up Foundation Establishment."

"Understood."

It was midnight, the dead of night.

A carriage came racing up and stopped outside the Mourning Hall.

Soon, a female cultivator dressed as a married woman entered. It was Zhao Sujin, whom they hadn't seen in years.

She bowed, lit Incense Sticks, then knelt, kowtowed, and paid her respects.

After placing the Incense Sticks, Zhao Sujin also changed into sackcloth clothes and put on a white mourning sash.

"You're here."

Zhao Sujin said nothing. She nodded, then knelt silently to one side, sobbing softly as tears streamed down her face.

A little while later, a burly man came running up. He hurriedly lit incense and knelt in tribute.

It was Li Changan, who had married into a Cultivation Family. He smelled of earth.

"Shen Xuan, Wang Fugui, Zhao Sujin, I'm late!"

Li Changan mumbled as though he had done something wrong.

"You're not late. Go change your clothes, then keep vigil with us!"

Wang Fugui comforted him.

"Okay."

Just then, a burst of sword-song rang out beyond the Mourning Hall. The sharp, urgent clangor sounded like thunder.

Someone had actually dared to fly on a sword inside Dragon Gate Market Town!