Arriving at Qingping

At noon, the scorching sun baked the earth, its intense heat withering the grass and trees into a dull yellow.

Lin Yiqing had set out from Qingyang Town, traversed the Tianyan Mountain Range, and had now arrived at Qingping City, the second city outside of Yan City.

With the vast Tianyan Mountain Range at its back, most cultivators in Qingping City made their living by hunting demonic beasts and gathering spiritual herbs; consequently, many gangs and merchant guilds had emerged as a result.

As he walked along the wide dirt road, galloping horses and carriages laden with goods kicked up clouds of dust, forcing passersby to dodge repeatedly.

"Are you crazy? That's the Liu Family's caravan! Didn't you see the mark on it?"

By the roadside, a middle-aged man grabbed a young man who was about to step forward to argue, his face pale with terror as he hissed a reprimand.

Upon hearing the name of the Liu Family, the young man's face, previously filled with indignation, instantly turned a sickly shade of green and white.

He muttered in frustration, "This Liu Family is truly arrogant."

Lin Yiqing, wrapped in a grey robe with a hood pulled low to conceal his features, moved forward, blending into the crowd.

This was a little trick he had perfected; his overly refined appearance often attracted strange flies, which he found quite bothersome, so he simply used the hood to hide it.

After leaving the mountain forest, he had followed the flow of pedestrians, and naturally, he had been caught up in the innocent commotion just now.

Gently brushing the splashed dust from his clothes, he had heard the conversation between the two men clearly, thanks to his powerful spiritual energy.

Looking at the massive city gate ahead, he couldn't help but ponder; he had heard many people speak of the Liu Family's prestige along the way.

The most shocking piece of information was that the Liu Family was a clan with experts in the Creation Three Realms, far beyond what any third-rate power could hope to challenge.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, every major city had a clear hierarchy, and this Liu Family was the uncrowned king of Qingping City.

Unlike Yan City, the City Lord's Mansion and the Liu Family in Qingping City were related by marriage, and because of this, the two had joined forces to monopolize the resources in the vicinity of the city.

The surrounding powers all had to live under their shadow, naturally daring to be angry but not daring to speak out.

After paying the entry fee, Lin Yiqing successfully entered Qingping City; he needed to replenish his supplies here.

After making some inquiries, Lin Yiqing went straight to a shop called the "Hundred Treasures Pavilion," which, according to passersby, was supposed to have many good items at affordable prices.

Standing at the entrance to look it over, Lin Yiqing found that the shop's decor was actually quite sophisticated; the gold and silver embellishments did not appear vulgar, and the bird feathers and beast hides displayed an elegant charm.

It was evident that the owner of this shop must be an eccentric person.

Walking into the shop, Lin Yiqing immediately noticed that the entire hall felt somewhat empty, with only a few items placed sporadically on shelves of varying heights.

Glancing back at the decor at the entrance, Lin Yiqing pondered for a moment, then his mind stirred as he activated his Origin Qi Vision.

In an instant, the empty shelves burst with treasure light; those inconspicuous stones, bird feathers, wooden branches, and other items were actually imbued with extremely rich Origin Power.

Clearly, these were all treasures hiding their true nature.

"Tsk."

Lin Yiqing's sword-like brows arched, and he felt a surge of shock in his heart; no wonder they dared to call it the Hundred Treasures Pavilion—it was truly extraordinary.

"Does the guest need anything? My Hundred Treasures Pavilion has everything; I can definitely satisfy your needs."

At that moment, a voice that still carried a hint of youthfulness rang out. Lin Yiqing focused his gaze and saw a round, chubby little man climbing up from behind the counter.

The little fatty looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. His pair of phoenix eyes should have been quite attractive, but unfortunately, they were squeezed into slits by the flesh on his cheeks, giving him a rather comical appearance.

"You are the owner of this Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"

Lin Yiqing was slightly stunned. He suddenly realized that while the little fatty didn't look old, his cultivation had already reached the Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm.

His heart tightened; indeed, one must never underestimate the heroes of the world!

Deep mountains hide fierce tigers, and fields conceal unicorns. The world only knew that Linlang Tian had achieved the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm at twenty, yet they never imagined there would be someone even more formidable here.

"That's right. Does this little brother have anything he needs to buy?"

A sharp glint flashed in the little fatty's eyes as he began to introduce the shop's goods to Lin Yiqing with a straight face.

But Lin Yiqing had only listened for a short while before his expression began to turn strange.

Good for you, little fatty, you're actually trying to fleece me!

Lin Yiqing felt secretly annoyed and interrupted him, saying, "Boss, the person at the entrance who said your shop was affordable—you didn't hire him as a shill, did you?"

"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of talk is that? I am a clean and honest businessman; where would I find a shill?"

Upon hearing this, the little fatty immediately jumped up, pointing at Lin Yiqing and asking indignantly.

After he finished, he didn't forget to add, "I didn't hire one!"

"An item worth at most twenty Yang Yuan Stones, and you want to sell it to me for forty? Is this a black-hearted shop?"

Lin Yiqing replied casually, then, too lazy to tangle with him further, turned to walk toward the door.

"Make a counter-offer! Just make a counter-offer!"

As Lin Yiqing took a step out, hearing this, he couldn't help but feel both amused and frustrated; this kid had absolutely none of the dignity of a Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm expert.

Lin Yiqing couldn't help but shake his head. He was too lazy to run to other places, so he reported the spiritual herbs and beast crystals he needed to the other party.

And this time, the little fatty finally stopped quoting him random prices.

"Little brother, I see you aren't very old, but your strength is quite impressive. Are you out here for training?"

During the transaction, the little fatty began to probe for information about Lin Yiqing, though in reality, he was already astonished inside.

At first, he hadn't noticed because the other party was suppressing their aura. He never expected that a subconscious probe using his innate talent would leave him utterly shocked.

The person appeared to be in the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm, but the deep, ocean-like weight within their body was enough to make one tremble.

"Fatty, you talk too much."

Lin Yiqing spoke with annoyance, then packed up his things and walked out.

He understood that this little fatty was not simple, but there were many people in the world with their own opportunities, so he did not wish to entangle himself with him further.

After leaving the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Lin Yiqing went to look for a merchant guild in the vicinity that had posted a mission. He intended to find a caravan heading in the same direction to hitch a ride to the next city.

Cultivation is a lonely path, and the path of a lone cultivator is even lonelier; one must face unknown dangers at every moment while enduring the silence of having no one to speak to.

However, in Lin Yiqing's view, all of this was worth it. Seeking the Dao and pursuing the truth was never an easy task.

He felt that the Eight Sufferings and Seven Difficulties mentioned in Buddhism from his previous life were truly profound; only by enduring such tribulations could one attain Bodhi.

Birth, old age, sickness, death, the suffering of being separated from loved ones, the suffering of being with those one hates, the suffering of not obtaining what one desires, and the suffering of the five aggregates of attachment.

These eight sufferings run through the entirety of life; this is both cultivation and the tempering of the heart.

Therefore, he constantly honed his state of mind along the way, observing the faces of all living beings, and letting them observe his own.

Only in this way could his polished, crystal-clear Dao heart support him in walking further and longer.

From the moment he left Qingyang Town, he had seen many people. Back in the Lin Family, there were the selfish and self-interested, such as Lin Mang and his son.

There were also the loving and righteous, such as Lin Dong, Lin Qingtan, and their family.

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

He dared not say that his choices were always correct, but his choices were always made by following his heart.

To follow one's heart without overstepping the rules—the moral values of his past life remained in his heart, never having changed.