The News Spreads

Qingping City.

The streets teemed with people, and merchants came and went in an endless stream. Thanks to the abundance of resources in the Tianyan Mountain Range, all sorts of spirit herbs and Monster Crystals were widely traded on the market.

As the undisputed ruler of Qingping City, the Liu Family naturally held the authority to manage every market in the city.

By "management," they meant that the Liu Family maintained the markets, while merchants who traded there had to hand over a portion of their profits as tribute.

Under the joint development of the Liu Family and the City Lord's Mansion, the markets were divided into four districts, with Pingxi Market being one of them.

Built beside the Tianyan Mountain Range, it drew many cultivators who came straight here to trade after reaping rich rewards in the mountains. As a result, it was always bustling.

On the broad avenue paved with bluestone, a middle-aged man in a purple brocade robe swaggered from shop to shop with three or five underlings, collecting taxes.

"Bah! Bloodsuckers!"

An old man cursed, his face full of resentment. Yet when his turn came, he still smiled as he presented a Universe Bag.

"Heh heh, Old Li, business has been good lately. You've made quite a pile. How about treating our Third Master to a cup of tea?"

Seeing the lackey step forward to extort him, Old Li's face tightened with pain, but he could only smile and take out another Universe Bag to hand over.

"Of course, of course."

The man in purple said nothing. He only nodded with a faint smile, apparently quite pleased with Old Li's deferential attitude.

By the time they had made their way down the street, the lackeys were all carrying arms full of Universe Bags.

Not far away, Lin Yiqing watched it all thoughtfully. It seemed the Liu Family really was no good.

Once the group had gone, the merchants began grumbling. From their casual chatter, Lin Yiqing gained a basic understanding of the Liu Family and the City Lord's Mansion.

The cultivators' world was one of the strong preying on the weak, and the Liu Family had made its fortune by feasting on the people's blood. They routinely persecuted ordinary folk, and even cultivators couldn't escape their clutches.

For instance, one person revealed that a cultivator in the Origin Pellet Realm had once seen a Liu Family scion bullying men and women, and had angrily intervened. The Liu Family had captured him, locked him up, and forced him to refine Pure Yuan Pills for them.

A perfectly good Origin Pellet Realm cultivator had been worked to death. It was enough to make one's blood run cold.

"Hey, Scarface, why are you in such a hurry? Didn't you see Third Master? Get your ass over here and pay your respects!"

Just as Third Master Liu was about to leave the market, one of the lackeys happened to spot a ruffian hurrying past. He immediately shouted to stop him.

"I—I wasn't doing anything."

At the sudden words, Scarface panicked and hurriedly denied it.

But to the lackeys, something about him clearly seemed off. One rushed forward, grabbed Scarface by the throat, and searched him. To their surprise, they pulled out an Animal Skin Scroll.

"Y-you, give it back to me!"

Seeing this, the ruffian Scarface panicked and sprang up at once, his face twisted as he lunged to snatch it back.

"My Treasure Map! It's mine! The treasures in the Tianyan Mountain Range are mine!"

There was no way the ruffian could match the Liu Family's underlings. They knocked him to the ground in a few punches and kicks, then fawningly presented the Animal Skin Scroll to their master.

"Third Master, we found something good!"

At first, Third Master Liu barely paid any attention. But once the scroll was brought before him and he took a closer look, his eyes lit up. He snatched it up and examined it closely in his hands.

The Animal Skin Scroll looked quite old and felt thick in his hands. On the inside, a map was faintly drawn.

"Good, very good! I'll make sure you get credit for this!"

A moment later, Third Master Liu's face flushed with excitement. After lavishly praising the lackey, he hurried back.

"Whoa!"

The people around them erupted in an uproar. If Third Master Liu himself had confirmed it, what a vast treasure it must be!

The news spread through the market at lightning speed, then swept across all of Qingping City.

That afternoon, the ruffian vanished without a trace, while countless cultivators began entering the Tianyan Mountain Range to search for the possibly existing treasure.

"Damn it, that brat sold my Treasure Map!"

Little Fatty fled wildly through the Tianyan Mountain Range, having only just escaped the Storm Fierce Tiger by the skin of his teeth.

But when he had barely returned to Qingping City, he heard the news and immediately flew into a rage, cursing furiously.

In an instant, sorrow welled up in him. The sky itself seemed to darken, and he sank down outside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and burst into loud sobs.

"It's all gone, all gone! My treasure! You wretched bastard—"

He felt utterly wronged. Someone had stolen years of his savings and his spirit treasure, and now they had even sold his Treasure Map.

Worse still, even as he cried, he didn't dare mention that he had once possessed a spirit treasure or the Treasure Map.

Before long, the Liu Family seemed to have verified the Animal Skin Scroll's authenticity. A team of cultivators led by experts at the Great Perfection of Yuan Dan Realm set out for the Tianyan Mountain Range.

But in just half a day, the entire team was wiped out. Even the many rogue cultivators hoping to fish in troubled waters were killed or badly wounded.

Only some of the seriously injured cultivators managed to escape with news: a priceless treasure had appeared in the Tianyan Mountain Range, guarded by a Form-Shaping Realm demon beast!

Qingping City instantly erupted. Cultivators from every direction rushed there, and the city seemed to have lost all semblance of peace.

Little Fatty, however, was deeply troubled. Over the past few days, many of his old customers had begun sounding him out, openly and discreetly, to see if he was interested in joining a team.

After all, his Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm strength made him quite a catch among rogue cultivators.

"No, I'm not going! What a bother!"

Sitting behind the counter with his cheek propped in his hand, Little Fatty impatiently waved someone away. Then he continued staring gloomily at the bluestone tiles in front of him, beginning another day of sighing.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Yiqing was seated by the window at the inn across the street.

"The people watching this kid have been easing up on him. Have they shifted their attention to the Liu Family?"

Lin Yiqing gazed for a moment at a gray-clad man on the street corner, then looked over at Little Fatty and thought to himself.

To find the force lurking in the shadows, he only needed to observe the people around Little Fatty without exposing himself.

Since the other party had given him the Animal Skin Scroll, they would certainly keep an eye on him when he left the city. Only then could they use him as bait up front while they picked over the leftovers behind him.

So, while they were in the forest, Lin Yiqing had already concluded that someone was tailing the kid.

He hadn't shown himself because he was worried about exposing his whereabouts and putting them on guard.

After returning to Qingping City, he had further altered the Animal Skin Scroll, making it look even older and removing the traces of Yuan force left on it.

Numbers alone wouldn't be enough to deal with the Form-Shaping Realm Storm Fierce Tiger. Their only slim chance was to draw in stronger cultivators.

Swallowing a pill he had refined, Lin Yiqing began cultivating. Cultivation was like a spring sprout that grew unseen, its progress revealed only with time.

Only with unflagging perseverance could he break through the Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm sooner and better handle the situation.

For now, it still wasn't time to cast the net. The snipe and the clam up front hadn't fought hard enough yet!

All that remained was to wait for the Liu Family and the City Lord's Mansion to make their move.