Arriving in Qingping

At noon, the blazing sun scorched the earth, its fiery heat turning the grass and trees yellow and withered.

Lin Yiqing had set out from Qingyang Town and crossed the Tianyan Mountain Range. Now he had reached the second city outside Yan City: Qingping City.

With the vast Tianyan Mountain Range at its back, Qingping City's cultivators made their living hunting monsters and gathering spirit herbs. As a result, many gangs and merchant associations had sprung up there.

As he walked along the broad dirt road, galloping steeds and cargo-laden carriages kicked up clouds of dust, forcing passersby to scatter.

"Are you crazy? That's the Liu Family's caravan! Didn't you see their emblem?"

By the roadside, a middle-aged man grabbed a young man who was about to step forward and confront them. His face twisted with alarm as he hissed a scolding under his breath.

The moment he heard the Liu Family's name, the anger on the young man's face gave way to a sickly pallor.

He grumbled resentfully, "The Liu Family is outrageously arrogant."

Draped in a gray robe and wearing a hood to hide his face, Lin Yiqing moved through the crowd.

It was a little trick he had come up with. His overly refined features often attracted strange flies, and it annoyed him to no end, so he had taken to hiding beneath a hood.

After leaving the forest, he had followed the other travelers along the road. Naturally, he had been caught in the commotion just now.

He lightly brushed the dust from his clothes. With his powerful spiritual strength, he had heard every word of the two men's conversation.

Looking at the enormous city gates ahead, he couldn't help reflecting. He had heard plenty of people mention the Liu Family's reputation along the way.

The most shocking piece of news was that the Liu Family had a powerhouse of the Creation Three Realms. They were far beyond the reach of any third-rate faction.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, every major city had a clear hierarchy. The Liu Family was Qingping City's uncrowned king.

Unlike Yan City, Qingping City's City Lord's Mansion was related to the Liu Family by marriage. Together, the two families had monopolized the resources around the city.

The surrounding forces had to depend on them to survive, and naturally, they dared not complain.

After paying the entry fee, Lin Yiqing entered Qingping City without a hitch. He needed to replenish his supplies here.

After asking around, Lin Yiqing headed straight to a shop called the "Hundred Treasures Pavilion." According to the passersby, it had plenty of good things at bargain prices.

He paused at the entrance to take in the place. The shop's decor was surprisingly artful: gold and silver ornamentation without a hint of vulgarity, bird feathers and beast hides arranged with elegant flair.

The owner must have been quite an unusual person.

Once inside, Lin Yiqing found the main hall somewhat bare. A few items were scattered across shelves of varying heights.

He glanced back at the decor by the entrance and pondered for a moment. Then, with a thought, he activated Origin Qi Vision.

In an instant, precious light bloomed from the empty shelves. The unremarkable stones, bird feathers, and twigs were all brimming with Origin Qi.

Clearly, they were treasures that concealed their own brilliance.

"Tsk."

Lin Yiqing's sword-like brows lifted slightly, and he was rather taken aback. No wonder it was called the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. It really was something else.

"Can I help you, customer? My Hundred Treasures Pavilion has everything. I guarantee we can meet your needs."

A voice still tinged with childishness rang out. Lin Yiqing turned to look and saw a chubby young man climbing out from behind the counter.

The little fatty looked about seventeen or eighteen. He had a pair of phoenix eyes that should have been quite handsome, but the plump cheeks on either side squeezed them into narrow slits, giving him a rather comical look.

"You're the owner of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"

Lin Yiqing was slightly taken aback. The little fatty looked young, but his cultivation had already reached Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm.

His heart tightened. As expected, there were crouching tigers in deep mountains and hidden qilin in the fields. The world knew that Linlang Tian had reached the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm at twenty, but who would've guessed someone even more impressive was here?

"Indeed. Do you have something in mind, young brother?"

A glint flashed in the little fatty's eyes. He then began introducing the shop's wares to Lin Yiqing with a solemn air.

But before long, Lin Yiqing's expression began to turn strange.

"You little fatty, you're trying to fleece me!"

Lin Yiqing grumbled inwardly, then cut him off. "Boss, that person at the door who said your shop had good prices—was he a plant you hired?"

"Hey, hey, what's that supposed to mean? I'm an honest, upstanding businessman. When did I ever hire a plant?"

The little fatty immediately sprang to his feet and pointed at Lin Yiqing, indignantly demanding an explanation.

Then he couldn't resist adding, "I didn't hire one!"

"That item's worth twenty Yang Yuan Stones at most, and you want to charge me forty. Is this a scam shop?"

Lin Yiqing retorted casually. Then, not wanting to waste time arguing, he turned and headed for the door.

"Make me an offer! You've got to haggle!"

Lin Yiqing had just taken a step when he heard that. He couldn't help laughing helplessly. This kid had none of the dignity expected of someone at Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm.

Lin Yiqing shook his head. He couldn't be bothered to visit other places, so he listed the spirit herbs and Monster Crystals he needed.

This time, at last, the little fatty didn't give him an outrageous quote.

"Young brother, you look pretty young, but you're quite strong. Out on a training journey?"

As they completed the transaction, the little fatty casually tried to pry for information about Lin Yiqing. In truth, he was already stunned.

At first, Lin Yiqing had kept his aura suppressed, so the fatty hadn't noticed anything. But he'd unconsciously probed him with his innate ability, and what he found had left him dumbfounded.

Lin Yiqing seemed to be at the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm, but the depth within him was like an unfathomable abyss, enough to make anyone tremble.

"Fatty, you talk too much."

Lin Yiqing replied sourly, packed up his things, and left.

He could tell the little fatty was no ordinary person, but there were plenty of people in the world with their own opportunities. He had no desire to get entangled with him.

After leaving the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Lin Yiqing went to look for a nearby merchant association offering jobs. He planned to find a caravan heading the same way and hitch a ride to the next city.

Cultivation was lonely, and the path of a lone cultivator was lonelier still. One had to face unknown dangers at every turn and endure the silence of having no one to speak with.

But Lin Yiqing thought it was all worth it. Seeking the Dao was never easy.

He felt the eight sufferings and seven hardships spoken of in the Buddhism he remembered from his previous life were indeed incisive: through such trials, one attained bodhi.

Birth, aging, sickness, death, meeting those one loathed, parting from those one loved, failing to obtain what one desired, and the burning intensity of the five skandhas.

These eight sufferings ran through a person's entire life. This was cultivation, and it was also the cultivation of the heart.

So, all along the way, he had tempered his state of mind, witnessing all manner of people and letting all manner of people witness him.

Only then could this Dao heart, polished until it was crystal clear, sustain him on a path that stretched farther and longer.

On his journey from Qingyang Town, he had met all kinds of people. Back in the Lin Family, there had been the selfish and self-serving, like Lin Mang and his son.

There had also been the kind and righteous, like Lin Dong and his family, including Qing Tan.

There was Lin Yun, righteous when they first met but selfish when his own interests were at stake, and there was Master Yan, who had always helped him selflessly.

He wouldn't claim that every choice he had made was right, but he had always followed his heart.

He did as he pleased without crossing the line. The moral principles he had carried from his previous life had never changed.