Jiaolu Market

"Who?"

Zhou Er tried to scare them, but no one responded.

At this moment, he suddenly saw the firelight of a nearby village.

"Help!"

A cry for help came from the village.

Zhou Er looked closely and found a mid-tier Rank 1 Demonic Beast wandering in the village.

This Demonic Beast was a Giant Python, enormous in size, appearing larger than a person from a distance.

"So you were afraid of that guy."

Zhou Er understood what Xiao Cang was afraid of. He gently soothed Xiao Cang in his sleeve, then conjured eight Fireball Talismans and activated the Godly Travel Technique to check the situation.

By the time Zhou Er arrived, the Giant Python had already coiled around an old man with white hair.

Beside the Giant Python, a middle-aged man in a gray Daoist robe knelt and said:

"Dragon King, please calm your anger. The villagers of Yuxi Village have not disobeyed your will. Please show mercy."

"Daoist Qingshui, quickly ask the Dragon King to let go! Old Liu is about to die."

Other villagers immediately knelt and pleaded.

The Giant Python Demonic Beast remained unmoved, tightening its coils around Old Liu while slowly flicking its tongue.

"Dragon King, what do you want to say?"

The middle-aged man, addressed as Daoist Qingshui, stepped forward and cupped his ear to the Giant Python's hiss, as if he truly understood what it was saying.

Then, he looked at the villagers and angrily said:

"The Dragon King says, you unruly peasants! You clearly agreed to offer one chicken at midnight on the first day of every ten-day period, one sheep at the first hour of the first day of every month, and additionally, a maiden between fourteen and sixteen years old to the Old Dragon Temple on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year. Why have you not sent one this year? You broke the agreement first."

"Dragon King, our village doesn't have that many fourteen-year-old girls. Last year, I sent my granddaughter to the Old Dragon Temple to dedicate herself to the Dragon King. This year, the village truly has no young maidens of fourteen, otherwise, how would we dare to defy the Dragon King."

An elder quickly said.

"Who cares about your reasons? You made the agreement, and you broke it first. Now that the Dragon King is enraged, no one in Yuxi Village will escape."

As Daoist Qingshui spoke, the Giant Python Demonic Beast swallowed the old man it had tightly bound, vividly performing a Snake Swallows Elephant.

"An old snake dares to call itself the Dragon King?"

At this moment, Zhou Er looked at Daoist Qingshui and spoke.

Immediately, eight Fireball Talismans were activated simultaneously. Eight fireballs flew towards the Giant Python like a curtain of fire. The Giant Python had nowhere to dodge and was hit by three fireballs. Several scales were blown off, revealing raw, undercooked flesh.

However, the Giant Python's hide was thick and tough. Three fireballs weren't enough to kill it. Knowing it was outmatched, it desperately moved its injured, bloated body, trying to escape.

Where would Zhou Er give it a chance? He quickly took out another eight Fireball Talismans. This time, all eight hit, finally rendering the Giant Python immobile.

As for the old man hostage, there was truly no saving him.

By the time he arrived, the old man was already dead.

"Who are you? How dare you kill the Dragon King!"

Daoist Qingshui said in a panic. He hadn't expected someone to interfere and ruin his plans.

But his only reliance, the Giant Python Demonic Beast, had already been defeated. He was completely powerless against Zhou Er.

Zhou Er, having dealt with the Giant Python, looked towards Daoist Qingshui and said:

"That Giant Python was raised by you, wasn't it!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is the Dragon King! You killed the Dragon King! The Dragon King will definitely return to seek revenge on you!"

Daoist Qingshui hadn't expected someone to show up and disrupt things. He glanced at the small river not far away and immediately prepared to jump in and escape.

Zhou Er was faster. Just as he was about to succeed in escaping, Zhou Er pressed him down with a slap.

Although Zhou Er hadn't truly undergone body refinement, he had several attributes that strengthened his physical fitness. He himself was at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

The Daoist Qingshui in front of him was only at the Qi Refining Early-stage and his physical fitness wasn't strong. He was pressed to the ground by Zhou Er with a single slap.

"Fellow Daoist! Spare my life! That Giant Python Demonic Beast is not mine. It's our Temple Master's Spirit Pet. Our Temple Master is a Foundation Establishment Expert. You killed his Spirit Pet, be careful he won't come to seek revenge on you."

Daoist Qingshui knelt on the ground and quickly said.

"Daoist Qingshui, aren't you the Temple Master of the Old Dragon Temple?"

The old man from the village said curiously.

Seeing his lie exposed, Daoist Qingshui glared fiercely at the old man, then said with a fawning smile:

"Fellow Daoist, we are both cultivators. Are you going to kill me over a few mortals?"

Daoist Qingshui turned back to look at Zhou Er, his face full of pitifulness.

"They are just a few mortals."

Zhou Er hadn't expected Daoist Qingshui to say that so righteously. But he could follow Daoist Qingshui's logic:

"Well said. You are also just an ant at the Qi Refining Early-stage! If I want to kill you, why do I need to explain myself to you!"

Zhou Er took out a Fireball Talisman and aimed it at Daoist Qingshui.

"Fellow Daoist! I know..."

Before Daoist Qingshui could finish speaking, his head was melted by the fireball.

The headless body finally fell powerlessly.

"You, come here and tell me what's going on with this Old Dragon Temple?"

Zhou Er looked at the old man who had spoken earlier.

Seeing that Zhou Er could casually unleash a fireball, the old man knew that Zhou Er was a legendary immortal. He immediately knelt down and said:

"Immortal Master, this Daoist Qingshui was originally a child from a nearby village. Twenty years ago, he was chosen by an immortal master from the Beast Taming Sect and entered the sect to cultivate."

"Ten years ago, he returned to the village and established the Old Dragon Temple. At first, he and that Giant Python would make rain for the surrounding villages."

"Later, he started charging three hundred catties of grain for every rainmaking. Then, he stopped helping with summoning clouds but still demanded grain annually. Eventually, he asked for more and more, becoming increasingly tyrannical. If a village refused, he would send the Giant Python to cause trouble and eat people."

After listening to the old man's words, Zhou Er roughly understood.

This Daoist Qingshui was a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. For some reason, he left the sect and began to act tyrannically in the nearby villages.

Zhou Er touched Daoist Qingshui's corpse. There were no cultivation resources, only a jade trinket. It had no special function and no attributes displayed.

"You all go and cook that Giant Python. You, take me to the Old Dragon Temple."

Zhou Er instructed the people of Yuxi Village.

The villagers of Yuxi Village, who had suffered calamity, had not yet reacted.

"Didn't you hear the Immortal Master? Hurry up and start a fire to cook the meat."

The old man clearly had considerable prestige in the village. As soon as he spoke, the other villagers immediately took action.

The old man himself then led Zhou Er to the Old Dragon Temple, which was more than ten li away.

The Old Dragon Temple was filled with female disciples. Upon seeing Zhou Er and the old man from Yuxi Village, they quickly said:

"Without the Dragon King's permission, you are not allowed to enter."

Zhou Er took out Daoist Qingshui's snake-shaped trinket and threw it to the female disciple who came to open the door.

"Your Temple Master is dead. You should go back to wherever you came from."

The female disciple looked at the snake-shaped trinket, momentarily at a loss.

They had long been abandoned by the village and sent to the Old Dragon Temple. They had been defiled by Daoist Qingshui. Even if they returned to the village, the villagers would not accept them.

"Immortal Master! We won't leave. If you kill Daoist Qingshui, you'll be the new Temple Master of Old Dragon Temple, and we can serve you."

The female disciple said quickly.

Zhou Er was a little taken aback. He had thought he would be liberating these unfortunate people sent to Old Dragon Temple, but he hadn't expected them to not want to leave.

"What's your name?"

Zhou Er asked.

"My name is Wang Chunhua. I can't leave Old Dragon Temple. If I leave, I don't know where I would go."

Wang Chunhua explained.

Once they entered Old Dragon Temple, they no longer had families.

Zhou Er had originally only intended to loot Daoist Qingshui's belongings and hadn't really considered what to do with the others in Old Dragon Temple.

Now, looking at these young women, he couldn't make up his mind for a moment.

"First, find Daoist Qingshui's belongings for me. As for what happens to Old Dragon Temple next, let me think about it."

Zhou Er said.

Daoist Qingshui didn't have many valuable items. There weren't even any Spirit Stones. Only a Beast Taming Sutra caught Zhou Er's eye.

[Beast Taming Sutra: Beginner Beast Taming cultivation method.]

[Equip to gain attribute: Beast Language Mastery]

[Beast Language Mastery: Can understand most Spirit Beasts.]

[Solidification Condition: Communicate with Spirit Beasts one thousand times.]

[Equip?]

Zhou Er took the Beast Taming Sutra and glanced at the people in Old Dragon Temple.

Inside Old Dragon Temple, there were a total of fourteen women, all between the ages of fourteen and twenty. There were also two children, very young, who appeared to be Daoist Qingshui's offspring.

The children's mother looked at Zhou Er with undisguised resentment in her eyes.

Zhou Er knew he couldn't save them and turned to look at the village elder who had brought him here.

The elder's granddaughter was also in Old Dragon Temple. He was heartbroken. Facing Zhou Er's gaze, he said:

"Immortal Master, I will persuade the other villages to take these people back."

"That's good, I'll leave this matter to you."

Zhou Er didn't want to get involved further. Seeing that the old man was willing to take over the mess, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had any better solutions.

After looting Daoist Qingshui's belongings, Zhou Er returned to Yuxi Village.

By this time, the person inside the Giant Python's belly had been dug out, and the python meat was being cooked in a pot, steaming hot.

Zhou Er knew that wild Demonic Beasts would eat people, and since the dead person had already been pulled out, he wasn't too disgusted.

Moreover, his Taotie Attribute still needed a lot of progress, so he couldn't waste this Demonic Beast meat.

The other villagers didn't feel uncomfortable either. Instead, they were eagerly waiting for Zhou Er to distribute the meat.

Zhou Er ate his fill, and then let the respected elders in the village distribute the rest.

The Giant Python meat was very tender and tasted good.

It was a pity that Zhou Er's Taotie Attribute was only white, and the space in his abdomen could only hold over twenty catties.

Otherwise, he would have wanted to eat all the Giant Python meat himself.

After eating the Giant Python meat, Zhou Er continued his journey.

Along the way, he would occasionally equip the Beast Taming Sutra and chat with Xiao Cang for a while.

Although Xiao Cang wasn't intelligent, it could respond to Zhou Er's words, which at least made Zhou Er feel less lonely.

More than ten days later, Zhou Er rushed back to Yunyang City in Qi Kingdom, his hometown.

The journey was relatively smooth, and apart from the incident at Old Dragon Temple, he didn't encounter any other trouble.

Seeing that the family's medicinal herb business was still doing well, Zhou Er thought for a moment and didn't disturb them. He took a peek from afar at his old father and younger siblings before disappearing into the crowd.

Seeing that his old father was safe, Zhou Er felt relieved. Now, he needed to consider his own matters.

After all, wandering around outside wasn't a solution, and he needed to find a place to settle down.

When he was at Xiayun Sect, Zhou Er had also learned about the surrounding spheres of influence.

In the Sunset Mountain Range area, there were three righteous sects: Xiayun Sect, Beast Taming Sect, and Bixi Sect.

Given Zhou Er's current situation, he obviously couldn't join any decent major sect. However, he could go and check out the small markets where Cultivators gathered.

Within Qi Kingdom, there was Jiaolu Market, located in the mountainous area of southwestern Qi Kingdom.

Although he didn't know the exact location, after figuring out the general direction, Zhou Er headed towards the southwestern mountains.

For several days, traveling a thousand miles a day, Zhou Er entered the uninhabited mountains in the southwest.

Not finding Jiaolu Market, Zhou Er hunted on the mountain himself, preying on demonic beasts.

Although he lacked hunting skills, he had many talismans saved up.

After living in the mountains for dozens of days, he finally encountered a Hunting Team out to Hunt Demonic Beasts.

It was a standard five-person team, one of whom was injured and being carried by two others. Seeing Zhou Er, dressed in animal skins, in the mountains, they became somewhat nervous.

"Fellow Daoist."

Zhou Er, discerning they were Cultivators, spoke first in a friendly manner.

"Fellow Daoist's accent doesn't sound like it's from around here," the leader said, still somewhat wary.

"I am from Yunyang City. I embarked on the Immortal Path by chance and am looking for the location of Jiaolu Market here," Zhou Er replied.

Afterward, Zhou Er noticed the person with the injured leg and asked, "What happened to him?"

"We were entangled by a pack of Bright Moon Wolves. He got a bit injured and lost our prey," the leader explained.

"I see," Zhou Er nodded. He then took out a Water Healing Talisman and tossed it to them, saying, "This is a Water Healing Talisman. It might help heal his injuries."

Upon hearing this, the man activated the talisman. A pool of clear water gushed out from it. After cleansing the injured person's wound, the person indeed felt much better.

However, a complete recovery was not possible for the moment, but the wound was cleaned of dirt and essentially stopped bleeding.

Seeing that Zhou Er's talisman was effective, the five people relaxed their guard towards him.

"We are hunters from Jiaolu Market. If you're looking for Jiaolu Market, just follow us!"

The Hunting Team felt that Zhou Er was also a Rogue Cultivator and let him follow.

These Cultivator markets are very welcoming to Rogue Cultivators joining.

These Rogue Cultivators can inject vitality into the markets.

Arriving at Jiaolu Market, Zhou Er saw guards patrolling on large horned deer.

"Newcomer, Jiaolu Market doesn't ask about your background or origin. Register, pay one Spirit Stone for rent, and you'll get a small wooden house in the outer area of the market. If you pay five Spirit Stones, you can live in the inner area."

The guard said.

The market was also located on a spirit vein, and the difference between the inner and outer cities was significant.

Zhou Er had no Spirit Stones on him, only Talismans.

Fortunately, Jiaolu Market also accepted Talismans and offered a good price: three First-grade Talismans were equivalent to one Spirit Stone.

Zhou Er took out fifteen Talismans and moved into the inner city.

When registering his name, Zhou Er thought for a moment. Naturally, he couldn't use his real name, so he wrote down Cang Er.

Taking one character each from Zhou Er and Xiao Cang.

The guard was a little strange, but after accepting the Talismans, he didn't say much and found someone to take Zhou Er to his residence.