The Scapegoat; This Wine Is Quite Strong

In the pitch-black miasma, the swirling fog instantly dissipated.

Ripples of wind spread out, followed by the light shining down from a transparent spirit bowl.

Then a figure appeared.

"It seems Black Sand Ant not all Spirit Insects can advance three times!"

This person was Ye Jingcheng. He searched for quite some time in the miasma before finally finding a small group of Black Sand Ants that could advance three times.

This is vastly different from the many times I experienced moments of inspiration when I first entered.

However, this very fact indicates that there are quite a few Black Sand Ants in the Heavenly Poison Marsh, which naturally provides greater protection for the secret realm.

This Pill Wasteland Secret Realm is located within the Heavenly Poison Marsh, in the innermost layer, though not exactly in the very center.

There was significantly more miasma at the very innermost part.

Therefore, the chances of discovering that stone tablet are not that high.

Because a normal cultivator at the Purple Mansion would definitely continue to venture into the swamp.

The Spirit Insects spirit medicines in this location are only at the second tier.

It's attractive to Foundation Establishment cultivators, but not to third-tier Purple Mansion cultivators.

Ye Jingcheng took the Shadowless Bowl and observed the Black Sand Ants inside. This time, he only caught four.

It facilitates advancement and breeding.

However, these Black Sand Ants were really too small, even smaller than the Big-headed Ants of Ye Xingqun.

The Black Sand Ant has very sharp mouthparts, like a mosquito, and its body is also semi-conical, which makes it easy for it to invade a cultivator's body.

You can also see a row of tiny holes on the lower abdomen of the Black Sand Ant, and it is constantly releasing miasma.

However, the miasma inside the Shadowless Bowl is colorless.

Even though it's colorless, it can still conceal the form of the Black Sand Ant.

Therefore, it seems that the black miasma emitted from the swamp is simply an adaptation to the environment.

Ye Jingcheng was somewhat pleased to see this.

Therefore, these Black Sand Ants are worth cultivating. Otherwise, if they were also black miasma in the outside world, they would be too obvious a target and too easy to control.

It wouldn't be terrifying unless there were hundreds of thousands of them, forming a cloud of insects.

But that requires too much effort, and the effort involved is not worthwhile.

Ye Jingcheng put away the Shadowless Bowl, and his aura began to decrease abruptly, eventually transforming into the Foundation Establishment Late Stage before moving towards the outer perimeter.

Along the way, Ye Jingcheng also put away the Five Poison Bees he had placed earlier. While sensing the information, he also collected some first and second-tier poison-attribute spirit medicine.

Although these spirit medicine are poisonous, some are auxiliary ingredients in elixirs, and others can be used to refine special insect powders.

Therefore, Ye Jingcheng did not let it go.

He even thought that if he collected all the spirit medicine, fewer people would come to the Heavenly Poison Marsh Secret Realm.

Three hours later, Ye Jingcheng finally emerged from the Heavenly Poison Marsh after wandering around for a while. He arrived at the same spot as before and, as instructed by Ye Xuecang, put away the array flags he had placed earlier.

After confirming that no one had noticed him, he headed towards Mystic Azure Marketplace.

Of course, this doesn't mean he's going to the market to exchange things. Rather, he made it seem like he went to the State of the Chu Kingdom when he came, and now that he's going back, it would be best to pass through the Chu Kingdom.

At the same time, if possible, he also wanted to find a restaurant to inquire about the inside information.

However, this time, after much deliberation, he did not enter Mystic Azure Marketplace.

Moreover, they bypassed it and arrived directly at a Little Hill Mountain Marketplace.

This Little Hill Mountain Marketplace is much smaller than Mystic Azure Marketplace. It is said to be a market opened by three or four Foundation Establishment Lineage and a Rogue Cultivator from the Purple Mansion.

However, the prosperity of this market is not much different from that of Mystic Azure Marketplace.

After all, it borders the Chu Kingdom, and once you cross the Hill River, you'll reach the territory of the Chu Kingdom's Demon-Slaying Valley.

Besides the cultivators from the Yan Kingdom, there are also quite a few Evil Cultivators who conceal their identities and come here to exchange for spirit medicines and treasures.

Although the Cultivation World of the Chu Kingdom is controlled by the Heavenly Corpse Sect Cultivation World, there are actually many cultivators in the Chu Kingdom who do not practice corpse techniques. Some even practice Thunder Method and fire techniques, specifically to counter corpse-refining cultivators.

As a result, the cultivators of Demon-Slaying Valley were even more willing to come to the Little Hill Mountain Marketplace.

Inside a restaurant, Ye Jingcheng, dressed in Spirit-Isolating Robe, landed by the window.

He carried an ordinary standard heavy sword on his back, just like a Sword Cultivator practiced heavy swordsmanship.

The heavy sword slammed onto the mahogany table with a loud thud.

Ye Jingcheng's cold voice rang out. "Waiter, a serving of the finest spirit wine and a serving of spirit food!"

Immediately, a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, half-bent over with a fawning smile, trotted over.

"Senior, this wine includes second-tier Green Willow Wine and first-tier Azure Sky Wine..."

"Green Willow Wine, no shortage of Spirit Stones!" Ye Jingcheng interrupted the waiter's introduction.

The waiter was secretly delighted, because the better the restaurant's business, the more Spirit Stones he would receive at the end of the year.

At the same time, they didn't dare to delay and kept helping Ye Jingcheng serve the meal.

They even sped up the process, bringing out the spiritual food and wine earlier than the cultivators who arrived first.

When the latter was served, Ye Jingcheng asked:

"Has anything happened recently? I've been in seclusion for over ten years..." Ye Jingcheng inquired.

"Senior, there are many important matters..."

Rock!

Ye Jingcheng simply tossed over a bag containing ten Spirit Stones.

"Get straight to the point!" Ye Jingcheng didn't have much time to listen at the moment, and besides, he wasn't appearing as a cultivator with the surname Jin this time, so his style and behavior had to be different.

"Senior, there are two major events at present. First, the entire Immortal Sect has attacked Taichang Mountain. However, True Lord Ziming of Taichang Mountain has broken through to the True Lord Monarch realm and held Nascent Soul Ceremony, marrying Spirit Rainbow Fairy from the Medicine King Valley of the Zhao Kingdom!"

"The second thing is probably the Dark Azure Gang, which has been making waves recently. Because of a dispute in a small town, the Dark Azure Gang wiped out the Xun Family and is now recruiting soldiers on a large scale. If you join the gang, you can not only get Cultivation Resources, but you may even be able to marry into one of the three Xuanqing families. At that time, wouldn't that be a chance for us Rogue Cultivators to turn our lives around?" Xiao Er said that he had not yet sensed the first thing, after all, he could not go to Taichang Commandery and could not attack Taiyi Sect.

No matter how grand it may seem, it's still just hearsay.

But he was still deeply moved by the second matter, the Dark Azure Gang.

Little Hill Mountain Marketplace is not far from Mystic Azure Marketplace; a Qi Refining cultivator can fly there in four or five days.

If the Spirit Boat is fast and doesn't take detours, it has a good chance of arriving in three or four days.

"Oh, the Dark Azure Gang can kill the Xun Family? If I remember correctly, the Purple Goose Xun Family also has Purple Mansion cultivator!"

Upon hearing Ye Jingcheng's words, the waiter leaned in close to listen.

"Senior, you can't say too much about this, but it's said to be related to the Evil Cultivators of the Chu Kingdom!" The waiter spoke vaguely, and after he finished speaking, he seemed to have calmed down completely, apologized repeatedly, and left.

Seeing this, Ye Jingcheng, though he didn't inquire about the specifics, roughly guessed what was going on.

The Dark Azure Gang didn't investigate who was behind it, but they needed to find a reason.

Ye Jingcheng destroyed Setting Sun Mountain, and his deeds were even recorded on the Lingjian.

This incident actually explains a lot.

All the Dark Azure Gang needs to do next is to righteously and eloquently recount how the Xun Family has bullied and humiliated Dark Azure Gang.

As for the death of the Xun Family Purple Mansion, it was naturally due to the Evil Cultivator.

Ye Jingcheng roughly sorted out the cause and effect, and at the same time, he carefully considered whether there was anything he had overlooked in the Ye Family.

After confirming that there were no problems, Ye Jingcheng picked up the Green Willow wine and started drinking.

Because Returning Goose Commandery is located near the Green River, with its many green waves and willows, the wine here is also mellow and long-lasting. When you drink it, it is delicate and lingering, rich and mellow, giving you a feeling of exhilaration, like a spring breeze sweeping across the river, moving forward without hesitation.

Ye Jingcheng enjoyed the rare peace, watching the bustling crowd and hearing the cacophony of sounds around him.

The feeling of being in the bustling city but with one's heart in the deep mountains gave Ye Jingcheng an unprecedented sense of tranquility.

With the added influence of the wine, Ye Jingcheng began to sample the spiritual food.

This mountain-style spiritual cuisine is quite unique; it's a soup made with three-colored fish and spiritual mushrooms, and the taste is excellent.

This allowed Ye Jingcheng's already relaxed body to become even more relaxed.

After finishing the spiritual meal, Ye Jingcheng went to the central hall to inquire about the Green River Sect's efforts to apprehend Evil Cultivators, and found that they had indeed increased to a new level.

Reassured, they left the market and headed towards Demon-Slaying Valley.

In the summer, the dense bamboo forest in Taihang Marketplace casts even more dappled shadows.

The bluestone path, covered with a light layer of moss, has now turned yellow in some places and green in others.

Ye Jingcheng walked on the stone slabs and soon arrived at the Ye Family's Spirit Beast shop.

Inside the shop, the number of the Ye Family Spirit Beasts was noticeably reduced, clearly because the Ye Family's Ye Family had significantly boosted their prestige and reputation in the Taihang Marketplace.

As a result, businesses across various supply chains have also become much more active.

The members of the Ye Family all looked somewhat weary at this moment.

However, Ye Jingcheng was wearing Spirit-Isolating Robe this time, changing his appearance, so they naturally couldn't recognize him.

Ye Jingcheng transmitted his voice into the room.

Pretending to be a cultivator commissioned to refine pills, he quickly entered the room and switched identities with Chu Yanqing.

Upon seeing Ye Jingcheng enter, Chu Yanqing immediately changed back to her original appearance.

And the Array was set up.

"Didn't we agree that it would only take a month?" Although Chu Yanqing didn't say anything else, Ye Jingcheng could still hear the concern in her words.

A warmth couldn't help but well up in my heart.

"It took a little while, but it went relatively smoothly!" Ye Jingcheng nodded, then took out two Star Pear Fruits.

"This is a gift I brought for you!" Ye Jingcheng said with a smile.

These Star Pear Fruit are beautiful, like stars adorning the sky, and being fruits of Wood Demon, they are even more fragrant and sweet.

It would also be an excellent gift.

Moreover, the Star Pear Fruit is a spiritual fruit that enhances the cultivation of cultivators of the Water and Wood elements, and it is not much inferior to some spiritual pills.

"The gift is nice, but we still need to be careful. The Jin Family seems to be somewhat dissatisfied with this auction!" Chu Yanqing said.

He also explained the whole story.

The Jin Family's main power is now in Taichang Commandery, but there is still a Purple Mansion family in Taihang Commandery.

Of course, Ye Jingcheng didn't know whether there were any Purple Mansion cultivators overseeing this Purple Mansion branch.

However, the disturbance at the auction involving the Ye Family suggests that the Jin Family's patriarch may have recovered from his injuries.

Currently, there are two affiliated Lineage of the Taiyi Sect that possess the Golden Core cultivation technique: the Zhang Family and the Jin Family. The Kong Family has not acquired the Gold Condensation Pill, so naturally they cannot break through to the next level.

But now that the Taiyi Sect has produced Nascent Soul, the Jin Family certainly wouldn't dare to continue construction in Taichang Market.

In this way, the Jin Family's development of Taihang Commandery became a natural progression.

"No need to rush, I've brought some good stuff with me this time!" Ye Jingcheng said with a smile.

Then they took out a black-spotted spirit fish, which was indeed Black Ganoderma Fish.

"There are even Black Ganoderma Fish in that secret realm!" Chu Yanqing was also somewhat surprised.

Black Ganoderma Fish is not found in the Yan Kingdom today, and given its deliciousness, it is an absolute killer in the realm of divine cuisine.

"For now, we just need to maintain a good relationship with Xuandao True Person. In a couple of years, after we send Ye Qingshuang to her sect, we'll have two True Person are on good terms with the Ye Family!" Ye Jingcheng said, and began cooking a spiritual meal for Chu Yanqing.

Ye Jingcheng was quite pleased that Chu Yanqing was worried about the future of the Ye Family.

This shows that Chu Yanqing has now completely adapted to her new identity.

As the Black Ganoderma Fish was cooked over the Spirit Flame, it immediately became incredibly fragrant.

If it weren't for the spirit-blocking array, this fragrance would probably have wafted across half the market.

"Jingcheng, let's take some of these fish to Uncle!" Chu Yanqing was naturally happy at this moment.

"My uncle's health is getting worse and worse!"

"Which room is Uncle in?" Upon hearing this, Ye Jingcheng's heart skipped a beat.

Yes, he is already eighty years old.

"It's in the room behind. He's not letting anyone see him right now. He says he wants to try to break through his limits!" Chu Yanqing added.

Ye Jingcheng nodded in agreement.

He took half of the fish dish and gave the rest to Chu Yanqing.

He then walked towards the back courtyard.

Chu Yanqing put on her Spirit-Isolating Robe and half a warm fish dish, and headed outside. Although they had just met, Chu Yanqing had to return to Soaring Cloud Peak to solidify her alibi.

The Ye Family is currently enjoying great influence, but this influence can also conceal hidden dangers.

One wrong step could plunge you into the abyss.

Chu Yanqing had already been through an abyss in the Chu Family, but this time she had emerged from it. She was determined not to allow the Ye Family and Ye Jingcheng to fall into the same trap.

Walking in the back courtyard, Ye Jingcheng bumped into Ye Jingyong and Ye Jingfu, who were still waiting at the gate, but their faces were full of worry.

Upon seeing Ye Jingcheng arrive, the two immediately stepped forward:

"Patriarch, you've come at the right time. My eldest uncle's temper is getting worse as time goes on, and now he's going into seclusion..."

"I'll go take a look!" Ye Jingcheng also stepped forward. The room inside was set up with Array, but Ye Jingcheng did not sense any spiritual light within the Array.

He then used his Divine Sense to break through the Array and saw that there was only a fat cultivator in the courtyard.

He lay on the wicker chair.

His body had grown even larger, perhaps due to the prosperity of the Ye Family. Unlike others who became thin and frail in their later years, Ye Xinghe became increasingly obese.

If you look at it from the front, you can't see the rattan chair at all.

He was holding a jade book in his hand, seemingly still referring to the Ye Family's financial statements.

"Uncle, I brought you some fish soup!" Ye Jingcheng's voice rang out.

Ye Xinghe only then realized that even if Ye Jingcheng had indeed broken the Array, he was still extremely hesitant.

His movements also began to slow down.

He looked up, his eyes filled with turbidity.

That former clarity of mind has vanished, and even the aura emanating from him has disappeared completely, without anyone noticing.

Ye Xinghe did not reply, but Ye Jingcheng pushed open the door and went in.

Bathed in the dappled sunlight of midsummer, Ye Jingcheng felt a surge of sorrow.

The memory of being brought into the market by Ye Xinghe for the first time also came to mind.

That chubby uncle always had a smile on his face.

At this moment, he found it difficult to reconcile the image in his mind with the image before him.

"Uncle, I found some wine, it's warm!"

"I also cooked fish, it's still warm!" Ye Jingcheng spoke very slowly as he helped Ye Xinghe up.

Seeing the body was heavy, Ye Jingcheng reached out to support it, only to find it unusually light.

After a long silence, Ye Xinghe finally spoke, and his eyes seemed to regain some clarity.

"Jingcheng, I want to do what my third uncle did Foundation Establishment to warn the clansmen..." Ye Xinghe's words were not clear enough, but the regret in his eyes said it all.

Ye Haiyi is Body Cultivator, and as he approaches his breakthrough, he can try to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

But Ye Xinghe was different. He had cultivated to the point where he was almost at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and he didn't even have the qualifications to break through.

"Patriarch, this jade book contains some of my ideas about the Lineage's accounts and business. It's not much, and it's not perfect, but it should be useful for reference!" With regret, Ye Xinghe also took out his jade book.

The jade book was inscribed with many things, all of which were marketing strategies of the Ye Family and the Ye Family's secret arrangements in the market.

And the advantages and disadvantages in terms of price and quality.

The markings are extremely comprehensive.

Clearly, Ye Xinghe was elated after the auction went smoothly, and he was thinking about breaking through to the Foundation Establishment, both to fulfill his lifelong wish and to add courage to his Lineage.

But he was destined to be disappointed; he didn't even experience the feeling of breaking through.

Despite his initial disappointment, Ye Xinghe still made the most of his remaining time, studying the jade book.

This was his final retreat in this life.

"Uncle, let's drink to celebrate the successful auction!" Ye Jingcheng poured two glasses of Green Willow wine, which was mild and had a lot of Spiritual Qi.

Ye Xinghe nodded and took a bite. Ye Jingcheng then fed Ye Xinghe a bite of the Black Ganoderma Fish Spirit Food.

"Is this a second-tier spiritual dish?" Ye Xinghe asked, a tear falling from the corner of his eye as he ate.

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingcheng trembled.

He suddenly realized that Ye Xinghe might never have reached the Foundation Establishment in his entire life, nor had he ever tasted a second-tier spirit fish dish.

"It's delicious! I'm a little luckier than your third and fourth grandfathers!" Ye Xinghe laughed heartily again.

The spiritual light emanating from the body eventually dissipated.

"Respectfully seeing off Uncle!" Ye Jingcheng called out repeatedly.

A bowl of spirit wine was poured down by Ye Jingcheng from a distance.

"Uncle, finish this bowl before you go!" Ye Jingcheng said sorrowfully.

Ye Jingyong and Ye Jingfu also walked in, both with red eyes.

"Respectfully seeing off Uncle!"