Keeping the Appointment; A Great Upheaval

The setting sun cast its even rays across the sky, bathing the entire market in a yellowish glow.

Apart from the main road, most of the paths in Taihang Marketplace are paved with stone slabs, so walking on them makes a thumping sound.

If you encounter a hollow area in the paving, it will feel much more dull.

As Ye Jingcheng saw the Spirit Beast shop in the distance coming closer, he suddenly felt the stone pavement thumping even faster.

At this moment, his thoughts about his Yu Family and the market had lessened considerably, and a beautiful figure appeared in his mind.

As agreed upon two years ago.

Ye Haicheng couldn't help but glance back at Ye Jingcheng, but he didn't say anything.

The group quickly arrived at the entrance of the Spirit Beast shop, where they saw Ye Xinghong still leading customers and looking at the Spirit Beast.

Today's customer is a young monk dressed in brocade robes, clearly a member of a small Lineage.

He had high standards for Spirit Beast, and many Spirit Beast failed to satisfy him.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, I want a Golden-Scaled Beast!"

"There are no Golden-Scaled Beast available for now; those kinds of beasts can only be found in the Earth Dragon Valley," Ye Xinghong explained.

This is true. Since the conflict at Red Glow Ridge, both Earth Dragon Valley Lion King Ridge, and Red Glow Ridge have shrunk considerably, and Spirit Beast such as Golden-Scaled Beast and Armored Beast have become extremely difficult to capture recently.

As for capturing it in Earth Dragon Valley, that's a joke. After all, it's the domain of a Demon King, and even ordinary Golden Core True Person wouldn't dare to go there alone to capture the Golden-Scaled Beast.

The latter looked disappointed and looked around the yard several more times, but ultimately couldn't make up his mind and left.

"Patriarch, Uncle!" Ye Xinghong quickly bowed when she saw Ye Jingcheng and Ye Haicheng approaching, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her face.

After all, they failed to persuade the customer to buy a Spirit Beast.

Each of the Ye Family's Spirit Beast costs over a hundred Spirit Stone, which is still a considerable price, especially considering that most of the cultivators in the Taihang Marketplace are Qi Refining cultivators.

Moreover, if they are sold, a lot of Spirit Cuisine for feeding them can be saved.

Although the Ye Family grows quite a lot of ordinary spirit rice, the small shop is ultimately for profit. If it sits there unsold, it not only consumes Spirit Cuisine but also fails to increase the selling price. After all, the smaller the Spirit Beast, the more valuable it is.

Young Spirit Beast have high potential for development.

Ye Xinghe, who had returned early, also came out and welcomed Ye Jingcheng and the others inside.

Ye Haicheng and the other cultivators entered the courtyard, but Ye Jingcheng stayed at the entrance and looked at Ye Xinghong.

"Thirteenth Aunt, can I ask you something?"

"Has a female Foundation Establishment cultivator come here?" Ye Jingcheng asked.

He made a promise with Xu Xiuqing back then, and now more than two years have passed. Xu Xiuqing is almost sixty years old, and if she doesn't take the Foundation Establishment to break through, the time limit will be over.

So logically speaking, the other party should have arrived.

The latter had promised him that he Qinghe his becoming the head of the family once.

However, Ye Xinghong shook her head. She had never seen any female Foundation Establishment cultivators. There were very few Foundation Establishment cultivators in Taihang Marketplace, and if there were, she would have remembered them.

But then he quickly thought of something and spoke again:

"Patriarch, the female cultivator who previously kept the Golden-Scaled Beast came by, but she only bought a Jade Ring Rat and then left."

The female cultivator who placed the Golden-Scaled Beast was Xu Xiuqing, which surprised Ye Jingcheng.

However, her expression quickly turned bitter.

He suddenly remembered that even with Foundation Establishment, not all cultivators could break through to the next level.

For Rogue Cultivator, the odds are even slimmer.

Xu Xiuqing's Spirit Root is an ordinary three- Spirit Root Spirit Root quality is not particularly good. She was able to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining because she received the inheritance of a Purple Mansion Master. The possibility of failing to break through is not small.

The reason why the Ye Family rarely fails is because they also have the Ye Family Beast-Link Mark, which is almost a double layer of insurance.

In addition, the Ye Family has various Foundation Establishment experience materials available for reference, as well as excellent Spirit Vein.

This is much better than Rogue Cultivator.

Even so, very few members of the Ye Family break through to the Foundation Establishment without using Foundation Establishment; Ye Jingcheng has rarely even heard of such a case.

"Did she say anything?" Ye Jingcheng continued to ask.

Ye Xinghong shook her head; perhaps the Jade Ring Rat was the best answer for Xu Xiuqing.

Furthermore, Ye Xinghong did not even know where Xu Xiuqing had gone.

The other party didn't break their promise; they simply failed to break the agreement.

It takes a lot of courage to accept failure to break through, let alone accept the possibility of having no chance at all when it comes to the sixty-year mark of Qi and Blood.

"Could you please ask around for me, Aunt Thirteen?" Ye Jingcheng added.

His eyes dimmed slightly; perhaps this was the norm in the Cultivation World: regret, separation, and missed opportunities.

The scenery of the Cultivation World is indeed beautiful, but all beauty will gradually fade away, sooner or later.

Ye Jingcheng sighed. He had originally thought that after Ye Haiyun, his heart would be as still as water, without a ripple.

After all, he was no longer in his twenties; in the Mortal Realm, he would already be considered half an old man.

But now, he realized that his heart was just as lost, inexplicably empty.

"Okay," Ye Xinghong replied.

The Ye Family still holds some influence in Taihang Marketplace, unlike in Taichang Commandery, where even if the Ye Family wanted to find someone, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

However, in Taihang Commandery, it was different; most Rogue Cultivator would give the Ye Family face.

Of course, those Bandit Cultivators are an exception.

Ye Jingcheng entered the courtyard, and Ye Xinghe and Ye Haicheng, who were secretly watching him, both sighed after glancing at him.

For cultivation Lineage, this certainly brings many benefits and perks.

But at the same time, much was also lost.

As a member of the Ye Family, one must worry about whether marriage with other Lineage will lead to the leakage of secrets.

However, if one marries an ordinary Rogue Cultivator, one must fear whether they are a spy for an opposing force.

Ye Jingcheng is a cautious person, so he can handle both his Lineage and cultivation very well, and he will not cause trouble for his Lineage.

But this caution inevitably created obstacles when he was about to get married.

In this world, it's not fashionable for women to pursue men.

"He'll handle this himself. You just need to help him find that female cultivator!" Ye Haicheng finally gave Ye Xinghe the instruction, trusting him completely.

Ye Xinghe nodded as well.

The Ye Family Lineage is naturally also paying attention to the matter between Ye Jingcheng and Xu Xiuqing.

The Lineage was willing to give Ye Jingcheng the Foundation Establishment, firstly because they trusted Ye Jingcheng, and secondly because if they could bring them together, it could become a beautiful story.

Since the breakthrough failed, the Lineage shouldn't have continued searching.

After all, whether they find it or not, it's not good news for the Ye Family.

Have they found the Ye Family to continue providing Foundation Establishment? Or are they simply going to continue watching Ye Jingcheng suffer?

For the rest of the time, Ye Jingcheng sat in his room, drinking spiritual tea.

At his feet, the rare creature was the Jade Ring Rat.

With so many years of support, the Jade Ring Rat's aura has finally reached the late stage of the first rank, which is equivalent to the eighth level of Qi Refining for a human cultivator.

This may only be a small step for other Spirit Beast.

For the Jade Ring Rat, however, it spanned most of its life.

It squeaked, sensing that Ye Jingcheng seemed inexplicably sad today. It couldn't understand this sadness, so it could only flap its ears and gently pat Ye Jingcheng's calf.

Ye Jingcheng sighed as he looked at the Jade Ring Rat's intelligence.

Next time, it might be the Jade Ring Rat that has to say goodbye.

Although Spirit Beast have a much longer lifespan than ordinary wild animals, it is a miracle that a first-tier spirit rat can live for a hundred years.

Unfortunately, Ye Jingcheng couldn't do anything about it, since the Jade Ring Rat didn't have any bloodline talent.

Even the powder from the Golden Scale Pill was difficult for him to handle.

The once refreshing and pleasant Spring Welcoming Tea now tastes dry and harsh on the throat.

The sandalwood in the room no longer had its usual divine fragrance; it even seemed to carry a slightly pungent odor.

The piercing sounds pulled Ye Jingcheng back to Ye Jingcheng.

Then the Crimson Flame Fox emerged from the side, chirping loudly, indicating that Ye Jingcheng hadn't consulted it for alchemy in a long time.

Seeing this, Ye Jingcheng nodded and began refining pills. However, he made many mistakes during the process, which puzzled even the Crimson Flame Fox.

It took half a day to refine a batch of Spirit Nurturing Pill.

There were only four or five of them.

As dawn broke again, the Taihang Marketplace was located in Taihang Commandery, which was definitely not considered an inland area.

If it weren't for the abundance of bamboo forests here, it would be an excellent spot for Mountain-Gazing.

Ye Jingcheng composed himself, stepped out of the courtyard, and felt the dazzling morning light. A new determination returned to his eyes.

Some even felt a sudden sense of enlightenment.

Ye Haicheng and Ye Xinghe walked together.

The three of them attended the meeting to reorganize the auction.

When the three arrived at the auction hall of Taihang Marketplace, there were already quite a few cultivators inside.

The group from the Chu Family consisted of Chu Xiyu, Chu Yanhao, and Chu Tianfen.

Xu Chunlin and Xu Wenjin came from the Xu Family.

Chen Haobin came to the Chen Family, but everyone knew that Chen Haobin was practically a puppet.

Inside the hall, Jiang Jinghe had arrived early and was currently holding a teapot, refilling tea for everyone.

Although adding tea would be a loss of face, he would absolutely not get involved in today's division of responsibilities.

After all, no matter how badly the Lineage below fought, no one dared to swallow up 40% of the sect's resources.

Therefore, he doesn't care about today's outcome at all; he just needs to make sure he doesn't cause any problems.

Moreover, he has already decided to stay in Taihang Marketplace for his entire term and will not go out, so even if some Lineage secretly plot against him, it won't work.

"Ward Master Jiang, Fellow Daoist Ye, Fellow Daoist Xu, Fellow Daoist Chu, it's great to finally meet you all today!" A voice suddenly came from the doorway, and soon Kong Yulong was seen leading a group of the Kong Family disciples inside.

Following behind him was Jin Zongliang of the Jin Family, also known as Purple Mansion of the Jin Family. The fact that the two families appeared together with such tacit understanding was not good news for the three Lineage present.

"Fellow Daoist Kong, if we hadn't shown up, I'm afraid Taihang Commandery wouldn't be called Taihang Commandery anymore, it would be called Kong County!" Ye Haicheng was the first to speak.

The Ye Family and the Kong Family have long been at odds, so there's no need for the Ye family to give the Kong Family any face.

These words caused Ward Master Jiang's expression to change drastically. If he could, he wouldn't want to hear a single word right now.

"What are you saying, Fellow Daoist Ye?" Kong Yulong's imposing manner was in no way weak.

"We are acting in accordance with the rules of our sect. For the sect, protecting the entire Taihang Marketplace and the territory of Taihang Commandery is the most important thing. Right now, in the territories of various Lineage, there are countless Bandit Cultivators and Devil Cultivator. If it weren't for the Jin Family and Kong Family, this situation might have worsened!"

"Does the Ye Family believe that they can quell the Bandit Cultivator and Devil Cultivator of Taihang Commandery without the help of our two families?"

"The Kong Family of Taichang Commandery naturally believes us, but Fellow Daoist Kong, don't forget, this is just a branch family now!" Ye Haicheng retorted without backing down.

"Fellow Daoist Ye is absolutely right. Although our families do not have any Golden True Person, we can still wipe out a few Purple Mansion Devil Cultivator. Otherwise, we wouldn't have enjoyed such a harmonious and peaceful era before the Jin Family and Kong Family arrived."

This made Xu Chunlin breathe a sigh of relief.

Since the Ye Family was there to back him up, he naturally didn't want to change the market share.

Now that all Lineage are Purple Mansion Lineage, dividing them into five parts is the best approach.

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Chu?" Jin Zongliang asked at this moment.

Jin Zongliang's current calm is terrifying.

This gave Ye Haicheng and Ye Jingcheng a bad feeling.

"In my opinion, we should prioritize the overall situation. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures!" Chu Tianfen's words caused confusion to appear on the faces of Ye Haicheng and Xu Chunlin, followed by a drastic change in their expressions.

Chu Tianfen was clearly being oppressed by the Jin Family.

"Then let's start discussing how to divide the shares!" Jiang Jinghe said from the side.

Seeing that the Jin Family and Kong Family were gaining the upper hand, he naturally followed Jin Family Kong Family.

Once this suggestion was made, no one else objected.

"Then let's continue as before, either the Purple Mansion Grand Competition or the Foundation Establishment Grand Competition!"

"The shares will be divided according to a 40/40/20 rule!"

"The two most powerful Lineage will be divided into four, and the remaining four Lineage will be divided into the remaining two!" Kong Yulong said again.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically, especially Xu Chunlin's.

In the past, only the Xu Family could divide the spoils like this. This time, it's clear that the Xu Family won't get a single cent.

Moreover, according to this logic, the Chen Family seems to be going to have to divide the spoils.

But it's clear to everyone that the Chen Family, which had already reached the Foundation Establishment, had long been swallowed up by the Jin Family and was now merely a name without substance.

"Of course, you can admit defeat, and the minimum you'll accept is half a percent!"

"The Chu Family concedes defeat, even half a victory is acceptable," Chu Tianfen said almost instantly.

At this moment, the old man appeared exceptionally helpless, and the bitterness in his eyes almost filled his entire face.

Ye Jingcheng knew that the Chu Family had definitely been threatened.

Furthermore, considering that the Chu Family was maliciously targeted by political Law Artifact shop, they did not come out to resist.

This is probably related to Chu Xiyu.

This point is actually quite clear upon careful consideration.

After all, the Chu Family was only a Foundation Establishment Lineage before, and Foundation Establishment Lineage with insufficient foundation. But in just over forty years, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators exceeded two hands, they could afford the Purple Mansion Purple Palace Jade Liquid, and they could undertake the research of third-order Law Treasure.

They also made a name for themselves at the auction.

There are only two possibilities for this outcome: either the Chu Family has discovered a remarkable Spirit Stone mine, or the Chu Family has been conducting undisclosed transactions.

Regardless of the reason, the Jin Family should already know.

"Let's compete in the Purple Mansion!" The Chu Family conceded defeat, but Xu Chunlin could not. In the past three years, he had been suppressed by the Kong Family, and three years ago in the secret realm, Xu Hanqing had wiped out all the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Xu Family. The Xu Family could not even spare a single Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator.

Compared to the cultivation level of the Purple Mansion, Xu Chunlin still has a chance.

At least neither Kong Yulong nor Jin Zongliang were established Purple Mansion cultivators, and their cultivation levels were not at the late Purple Mansion stage.