The Message Ferments

Qingping City.

The crowd bustled with activity, and merchants came and went in an endless stream. Thanks to the abundant resources of the Tianyan Mountain Range, all manner of spirit herbs and monster crystals circulated freely through the market.

As the uncrowned kings of Qingping City, the Liu family naturally held the management rights to every market in the city.

This so-called management meant that the Liu family was responsible for maintaining these markets, while the merchants trading here were required 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 market was divided into four quarters, and Pingxi Market was one of them.

Because it was built adjacent to the Tianyan Mountain Range, many cultivators would come here directly to trade after reaping rich harvests from the mountains, making it exceptionally lively.

On the bluestone-paved main road, a middle-aged man dressed in purple brocade robes, accompanied by three or four servants, began to collect taxes from each stall with a swaggering gait.

"Bah! These bloodsuckers!"

An old man cursed in anger, his face showing extreme dissatisfaction, yet when his turn came, he still smiled and offered up a Universe Bag.

"Heh, business has been good lately, Old Li. Seeing how much you've earned, shouldn't you treat our Third Master to a cup of tea?"

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

"It's only right, it's only right."

The man in purple robes didn't speak, merely nodding slightly with a smile, seemingly very satisfied with Old Li's respectful attitude.

In this manner, as they walked along, the arms of the lackeys were soon filled with Universe Bags.

Not far away, Lin Yiqing watched all of this with a thoughtful expression; it seemed the Liu family really were no good.

After the group walked away, the merchants began to grumble, and through their idle chatter, Lin Yiqing gained a simple understanding of the Liu family and the City Lord's Mansion.

In the world of cultivators, the strong preyed upon the weak, and the Liu family had built their fortune on the blood of others. They frequently harmed commoners, and even cultivators could not escape their clutches.

For instance, one person revealed that a cultivator at the Origin Pellet Realm had once seen a Liu family descendant bullying others and intervened in anger, only to be captured by the Liu family and imprisoned to be forced to refine Pure Origin Pills for them.

A perfectly capable Origin Pellet Realm cultivator had been squeezed to death, a truly chilling fate.

"Hey, Scarface, why are you walking so fast? Didn't you see Third Master? Get over here and pay your respects!"

Just as Third Master Liu was preparing to leave the market, one of his lackeys caught a glimpse of a rogue walking by in a hurry and immediately shouted to stop him.

"N-nothing, I'm not doing anything."

Upon hearing this, the man known as Scarface looked flustered and hurriedly denied it.

Unexpectedly, in the eyes of the lackeys, he clearly looked suspicious. A lackey rushed forward, grabbed Scarface by the throat, and after a quick search, pulled out an Animal Skin Scroll.

"You—give that back to me!"

Seeing this, Scarface panicked and lashed out in a desperate attempt to snatch it back, his face twisted with ferocity.

"My Treasure Map! That's mine! The treasure in the Tianyan Mountain Range is mine!"

How could a mere rogue be a match for the Liu family's servants? He was beaten to the ground in a few blows, and the lackey fawningly presented the Animal Skin Scroll to his master.

"Third Master, we found something good!"

Third Master Liu hadn't cared at first, but when he took it and caught a glimpse, his eyes lit up. He snatched it and examined it closely in his palm.

The Animal Skin Scroll looked quite aged and felt thick in his hand, with a map faintly depicted on the inner side.

"Good, very good! I'll remember this contribution of yours!"

A moment later, Third Master Liu was flushed with excitement and unable to contain himself. After heaping praise upon his lackey, he hurried back.

"Whoa!"

The surrounding crowd erupted in an instant. To be personally verified by Third Master Liu—what kind of treasure must this be!

This news spread through the market with lightning speed and began to circulate throughout all of Qingping City.

That very afternoon, the rogue vanished without a trace, and countless cultivators began to head into the Tianyan Mountain Range to search for the potential treasure.

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

Little Fatty had been fleeing frantically through the Tianyan Mountain Range, barely escaping with his life after dodging a Storm Fierce Tiger.

He hadn't expected that upon returning to Qingping City, he would hear such news, and he immediately flew into a rage, cursing loudly.

For a moment, grief washed over him. Feeling as though the sky had turned gray, he slumped at the entrance of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and wailed.

"It's gone, it's all gone! My treasure, you heaven-forsaken wretch~"

He felt utterly aggrieved; he had been robbed of years of savings and spirit treasures, and now even his Treasure Map had been sold off by someone else.

Moreover, even while crying, he didn't dare to shout that he had once possessed those spirit treasures and the map.

Before long, the entire Liu family seemed to have verified the authenticity of the Animal Skin Scroll, and a team of cultivators led by experts at the Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm marched into the Tianyan Mountain Range.

Unexpectedly, within half a day, the entire team was wiped out, along with many rogue cultivators who had hoped to fish in troubled waters.

Only a few cultivators who escaped with heavy injuries brought back the news: a treasure of immense value had appeared in the Tianyan Mountain Range, guarded by a Form-Shaping Realm monster!

In an instant, all of Qingping City boiled over. Cultivators from all walks of life rushed over upon hearing the news, and the city no longer seemed peaceful.

Little Fatty, however, found this extremely annoying. For the past few days, many of his old clients had begun to probe him, either directly or indirectly, to see if he had any intention of forming a team.

After all, his strength at the Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm was still quite sought after among the rogue cultivators.

"Not going, not going! So annoying!"

Little Fatty sat behind the counter, propping his cheek up with his hand. He dismissed a person with great impatience, then continued to stare at the bluestone floor tiles before him, filled with worry, and began his daily routine of sighing.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yiqing was sitting at a window-side table in the inn across from him.

The surveillance on this kid from that group is gradually weakening. Have they shifted their focus to the Liu Family?

Lin Yiqing gazed at a man in gray at the street corner for a moment, then looked at Little Fatty's figure, pondering to himself.

To find the force lurking in the shadows, one only needed to observe the area around Little Fatty without exposing oneself.

Since the other party had given him the animal skin scroll, they would certainly keep an eye on his movements when he left the city. Only in this way could they use him as bait in the front while they scavenged for the spoils from behind.

Therefore, while in the dense forest, Lin Yiqing had concluded that this kid had a tail behind him.

He had not revealed himself precisely because he was worried about exposing his own tracks and alerting the other party.

After returning to Qingping City, he had processed the animal skin scroll once more, making it appear more aged than before and removing the residual traces of Origin Power left on it.

To deal with that Form-Shaping Realm Storm Fierce Tiger, having more people was useless; only by inciting stronger cultivators would there be a glimmer of possibility.

Swallowing a refined medicinal pill, Lin Yiqing began to cultivate. Cultivation was like the sprouts of spring—though their growth was not visible, they lengthened day by day.

Only through unremitting persistence could he break through the Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm sooner and better handle the situation.

As for the present, it was not yet time to close the net; the snipe and the clam in front had not fought enough!

For the rest, he only had to wait for the Liu Family and the City Lord's Mansion to exert their strength.