Settling Down in the Market

"What? Brother... you... you still haven't given up?" Chen Zhao'hu was quite surprised when Li Ji'an announced his departure.

Over the past year, the conditions in the settlement and the Rogue Cultivators working part-time in the group had given him more than enough reason to face reality.

And yet he still wanted to cultivate immortality!

Li Ji'an sighed. "Body refinement can't grant you longevity."

"Longevity... you still want to live forever?" At the sound of Chen Zhao'hu's voice, the teammates who were packing their gear and getting ready to set out gathered around.

Chen Qingling burst out laughing.

He'd once had the same naive, fearless notion, but after truly setting foot on the path of cultivation, he'd never dared indulge in such a delusion again. If he could become a Qi Condensation Late Stage expert in this lifetime, he'd have done justice to all his elder brother had sacrificed for him.

"Old Li, you're not being very realistic. Just look at the Desolate Ridge Wasteland. Countless people have embarked on the path of cultivation, but anyone who breaks through to the Qi Refining Mid-stage already stands head and shoulders above the rest. Those who reach the Qi Condensation Late Stage are the sturdy, central fighting force of their Lineages. But even they only live for a hundred and fifty years or so. Living forever... tsk, tsk." A Rogue Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Third Layer chuckled helplessly.

"Let me tell you the truth: I regret it myself. If I'd known cultivation would be this difficult, I never would've abandoned my father's shop to cultivate this damn immortal path!"

"Stick to body refinement. You can still become somebody in this settlement and live a comfortable, carefree life."

Everyone chimed in to persuade him.

Some spoke from their own experience; others simply couldn't bear to see the lucky charm Chen Zhao'hu had mentioned leave. Li Ji'an understood them perfectly.

He agreed with everything they said.

But he was still determined to go.

Since he insisted on leaving, Chen Zhao'hu naturally couldn't stop him.

"Fine, fine. Since you still haven't given up, go ahead. But remember, the door to my place will always be open to you, Li Ji'an. You're welcome back anytime."

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" Li Ji'an clasped his hands.

"Qingling, go with Brother Li. Once you reach the market, make sure he's well looked after."

"Brother Li, you're levelheaded and thorough. Keep an eye on this brat for me, too. Don't let him fall in with the wrong crowd at the cultivation market." Chen Zhao'hu gave his instructions to Chen Qingling and Li Ji'an in turn.

Chen Qingling frowned, clearly reluctant, but he didn't dare go against his elder brother. He nodded helplessly.

Li Ji'an smiled and agreed. Once he reached the market, he'd need a guide, and after spending a year with Chen Zhao'hu and his brother, he trusted them more than strangers.

"Old Li, if you need to buy pills later, come to me. I know a way to get them quite a bit cheaper than in the shops..."

"Brother Li, once you're in the market, the thing you need to worry about most isn't cultivation—it's earning spirit stones. You need spirit stones for everything there, so start thinking about it soon."

With that settled, the others began offering advice as well.

Before long, Chen Zhao'hu personally escorted Li Ji'an and Chen Qingling to the post station.

"Lao Zhou, I'm counting on you."

Chen Zhao'hu paid the spirit-horse carriage driver twenty taels of Spirit Sand. Then he walked over to Li Ji'an and stealthily slipped him a small pouch. "Brother, you need spirit stones for everything in the market, and life there isn't easy. Your older brother here doesn't have much, but take this."

The feel of it in his hand filled Li Ji'an with quiet delight. There should be ten spirit stones inside.

"Thank you!" Li Ji'an looked him in the eye, committing this kindness to memory.

Having lived five lifetimes, unless there was a conflict of interest or he simply didn't want to, he could get along well with people. Otherwise, there would have to be something wrong with his character or social skills.

Making Good Destiny with others wasn't just something he said.

Lao Zhou had bought his spirit horse from the Liu Family of Beast Tamers to the north. It was a first-tier, low-grade beast with a low-grade barbarian bloodline, mainly used for long-distance travel. It could cover a thousand li in a day.

Back when Lao Zhou started this business, he'd even borrowed spirit stones from Chen Zhao'hu.

Less than an hour later, Li Ji'an was standing at the gate of the United Market.

The United Market had only been established eighty years ago, jointly developed by two pioneering Lineages.

Later, the two shallow-rooted Qi Condensation Families fought fiercely over this first-tier, low-grade Spirit Vein Land.

They employed every trick in the book.

But in the end, the snipe and the clam fought while the fisherman reaped the reward.

To seize this Spirit Vein Land, both Qi Condensation Families had done everything they could to win over the other Lineages that had successfully settled the wasteland in its early days.

By the time they were done, both Qi Condensation Families had been wiped out. Only then did those other Lineages step forward.

The two Qi Condensation Families eventually vanished into the dust of history, and the United Market emerged in their place, jointly managed and operated by eight Lineages.

At the market gate, Li Ji'an paid the five-tael Spirit Sand entrance fee, while Chen Qingling produced his resident jade token.

"Hey, let's get one thing straight. Don't meddle in my business. If my brother asks, tell him everything's fine. In exchange, you can ask me anything you don't understand. Of course, you'll have to pay me in fried chicken wings!" As soon as they entered the gate, Chen Qingling spoke up.

Li Ji'an nodded. That suited him perfectly.

Compared with the settlement, the market was relatively small, since its spirit vein was only first-tier and low-grade, unable to cover a larger area.

In fact, it was already a little too large as it was. The spiritual energy at the very outskirts had grown almost as thin as it was outside.

Still, it was enough for beginners in Qi Condensation.

"South Street is the shopping district. Most of the businesses belong to the eight major Lineages here, with a few branches of powerful groups from elsewhere. They sell pills, artifacts, talismans, and formations, but you don't need any of that yet, so there's no need to go there.

"North Street is the street-stall district, where most of the Rogue Cultivators sell their goods. The quality definitely isn't as reliable as the shops, but the prices are cheaper.

"Don't go to the western district unless you have a reason. It's mostly residences for Benefactors, including the estates of the major Lineages and the sanctums of powerful Rogue Cultivators. The spiritual energy there is the richest, too.

"We'll be staying in the eastern district..." As they walked through the market streets, Li Ji'an sensed the spiritual energy of the Spirit Vein Land while listening to Chen Qingling's introduction.

He had to admit, there was a world of difference between a Spirit Vein Land and the spirit-poor lands outside. The spiritual energy here wasn't particularly dense, but it was exceptionally pure.

"Remember, unless you're inside a cultivation abode you've rented, you're not allowed to absorb spiritual energy and cultivate in the market. If you're caught, you'll be fined spirit stones." Chen Qingling, who'd been explaining how the market worked, suddenly noticed Li Ji'an sensing the spiritual energy and hurried to warn him.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he remembered that Li Ji'an hadn't even begun cultivating and didn't have a Qi Condensation cultivation method. What spiritual energy could he possibly absorb? He'd spoken for nothing.

"Oh, what a coincidence, Little Ling!" Just then, three young men across the street spotted Chen Qingling and headed over from a distance.

Chen Qingling's face stiffened. His usual air of superiority around Li Ji'an vanished, and he instinctively shuffled behind him, shrinking his head. "Brother Quan."

Only then did the three turn to look at Li Ji'an, their playful expressions fading a little. "Oh, your brother's come to visit?"

Chen Qingling nodded stiffly.

"Then we won't bother you. See you around." The three turned and left.

Li Ji'an watched the scene calmly, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

"Hmph, it's all your fault. If I hadn't been showing you around, we wouldn't have run into them!" After watching the three walk away, Chen Qingling didn't even look at Li Ji'an. He assumed Li Ji'an was staring at him, so he immediately turned the tables, trying to stop him from asking questions.

In truth, Li Ji'an wasn't looking at him at all, nor did he intend to ask him anything.

"I'm warning you: you absolutely can't tell my brother about this." Chen Qingling still wasn't reassured, so he emphasized it again.

This time, though, Li Ji'an didn't agree.

He could leave it alone, and it wasn't his place to interfere, but he had to tell Chen Zhao'hu.

Chen Qingling was only fourteen and too immature to handle this kind of situation properly. That was understandable. But with Chen Zhao'hu's experience and body-refinement strength, he would surely know how to deal with it.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Did you hear me? You can't tell my brother, or... or my brother will be the one to suffer. Do you know who that man is? He's from the Yan Family!"