"Spirit items?"
Even though the Four Swords of Mount Shu were all wealthy among mortals, they were dumbfounded upon hearing this request.
"I wonder what sort of item would qualify as a spirit item?"
Guo Tianhong stepped forward and offered a graceful bow. "I hope, Immortal Elder, that you will take pity on us and enlighten us..."
"Spirit items are things imbued with spiritual oddity; they are not confined to any one form... Floating Boat Market will remain open for another three days. Whether you find one depends on your fortune. Go."
The man seemed somewhat impatient and lightly flicked his sleeve.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A clear breeze howled, and fallen leaves danced through the air.
When Li Rulong came back to his senses, he discovered that they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Zhu Zhenheng had suffered the pain of losing an arm and a friend, then gained an immortal opportunity... Only for it to slip through his fingers again amid his turbulent emotions. He nearly clutched his head and wept, dropping to his knees and repeatedly kowtowing. "I beg the immortals for mercy! Have mercy, immortals..."
"Alas..."
Li Rulong sighed and pulled Zhu Zhenheng to his feet. "There is no use dwelling on it now. We should go look for spirit items... Hundred-year ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms... We can try anything."
"And that Pu Family mother and daughter must have some in their hands," Guo Tianhong said darkly.
"Seventh Sister!"
Li Rulong hurriedly stopped her.
First, he did not wish to repay kindness with enmity. Second, those women had been able to produce a token of immortal opportunity, so their backing was surely no trifling matter. He could not let his Seventh Sister invite a great disaster.
Besides... discussing such matters in private was one thing, but there was still an outsider present!
Fang Qing rubbed his nose. "I need to look for spirit items as well. The mountains are high and the waters long; until we meet again."
"Until we meet again!"
Li Rulong clasped his fists in farewell.
Only after Fang Qing's figure had completely vanished did Liu Wansu say, "The fruit he swallowed must have been a spirit item. I wonder if he has any more?"
At those words, the eyes of the several martial heroes shifted about. Then they sighed again. "His martial arts are simply too formidable..."
"Hehe... As expected, in pursuit of immortality, people can kill their benefactors and sell anything they possess. I wonder whether brothers will turn against one another in the end?"
In the distance, Fang Qing heard them, but paid it no mind.
He had only shown Li Rulong a little more warmth because he valued the man's character.
As for the other three sworn siblings, he truly could not stand the sight of them.
"Three days, huh?"
Fang Qing employed his movement technique and raced onward.
Only after leaving human habitation far behind did he find a cave, circulate his mana, and form a hand seal.
A faintly gleaming light landed on the cave wall and swiftly disappeared.
This was a little trick that all cultivators knew. It was used when setting up seclusion; if anyone intruded, it would give a warning.
After finishing all this, he connected with the Dao-Born Pearl and returned to Jade Island.
Three-Flower Fishing Village.
At the docks, a great number of fishing boats bustled about, while many fishermen dried their nets and sorted their catches.
Just then, a Green Leaf Boat descended from the sky and hovered in midair. A blue-robed young man stood aboard it, handsome as a jade tree in the wind, like a Spirit Immortal descended among men.
"Greetings, Spirit Immortal!"
"An immortal lord has arrived!"
The fishermen hurriedly knelt and paid their respects.
"Enough... Has there been any Treasure Fish lately?"
Fang Qing got straight to the point.
"Reporting to you, immortal lord, no one in our village has caught any Treasure Fish recently. But I heard that someone in Three-Mountain Fishing Village hooked an Autumn-Killing Bladefish!"
After a moment, an old fisherman who looked like the village chief stepped forward and answered respectfully.
"Mm, not bad."
Fang Qing asked for directions, tossed down a silver shell, and flew away aboard the Green Leaf Boat.
His mission after leaving the sect was to purchase Treasure Fish, and he had received plenty of gold and silver for that purpose.
Of course, such Half-Demon fish were needed in large quantities, making the task exceedingly tedious. Nor did it offer much contribution-value reward, so few disciples were willing to run about like this and delay their cultivation.
But for Fang Qing, it was perfect for using public resources for private ends.
When he reached Three-Mountain Fishing Village, the lucky fisherman had not yet sold the fish or eaten it.
Fang Qing was overjoyed at the sight. He immediately threw down one hundred and twenty silver shells and bought the "Autumn-Killing Bladefish."
Floating Boat Market.
Beneath the archway, the man opened his eyes and saw Fang Qing again. "You?!"
"Greetings, Immortal. May I ask whether this fish can serve as Spirit Assets?"
Fang Qing displayed the Autumn-Killing Bladefish in his hand. Naturally, it was already dead, and even its fish brain had been cut away.
Only over half of its silvery, gleaming body remained, carrying a sharp aura like a bright silver longsaber.
"Oh? A [Chariot Water] spirit item? That is rather rare... You may enter the market."
Surprise appeared on the man's face as he nodded.
"What is a [Chariot Water] spirit item?"
Fang Qing was somewhat curious.
"[Chariot Water] lies in Chen and Si; water returns to the southeast. Its other name is [Ocean Water]."
The man answered briefly, then waved his hand, clearly too lazy to say more.
"[Chariot Water]? [Ocean Water]? So a [Chariot Water] spirit item just means seafood? Why make it sound so mysterious? For the sake of pretension?"
Fang Qing grumbled inwardly, but he still respectfully bowed and carried the Autumn-Killing Bladefish into Floating Boat Market.
This "Floating Boat Market" truly was not large. There were only a few scattered shops, and several people of differing appearances in strange attire had set up stalls.
After observing for a while, he found that most transactions were barter, and these cultivators did not seem to possess especially high cultivation.
Fang Qing had seen Great Cultivators at Foundation Establishment in Azure Sea Sect. Though these cultivators gave him a sense of danger, they still seemed a notch below Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Looks like... it is about the level of a Qi Refinement trading fair over at Azure Sea Sect. Not bad, not bad. It suits me perfectly.
With a thought, he began browsing the trades and occasionally stepped forward to haggle.
After half an hour, he had gained some understanding of the price of the Autumn-Killing Bladefish in his hand.
It is actually... worth quite a lot?!
In Azure Sea Sect, only Early Qi Refinement cultivators would care about this kind of Half-Demon fish...
Wait, the spiritual energy in this world seems somewhat thin, and spirit items are equally scarce? So there is a premium?
But their Dao arts are quite exquisite... When that gatekeeper flicked his sleeve earlier, it produced the phenomenon of clear wind and falling leaves. I could not understand it...
With these thoughts in mind, Fang Qing finally arrived before a stall.
The stall was extremely crude, resembling a fortune-teller's stand. A yellow banner hung above it, bearing the words: "Spirit Testing, Fortune-Telling."
An Old Blind Man sat behind the stall. Where his eyes should have been were two black, hollow voids, making him look especially terrifying. Before him sat a dark-yellow bone bowl.
"Greetings, old sir."
Fang Qing sat down and offered a bow.
"Hehe... It is rare to see a mortal come by. It seems this Old Blind Man is destined to open for business today."
The Old Blind Man smiled, exposing a mouthful of ugly yellow teeth. "Just call me Old Blind Man. Want to cultivate immortality? You must first test your spirit and read your fate..."
"May I ask... what is the fee? I only have this one [Chariot Water] spirit item."
Fang Qing placed the Autumn-Killing Bladefish on the stall.
Though it was nothing to him, he had to pretend to treasure it dearly.
The Old Blind Man reached out and felt it, then nodded. "This portion of Spirit Assets will buy you one reading of your fate and aptitude... You may also ask Old Blind Man any questions you have. To be frank, within Floating Boat Market, no one surpasses Old Blind Man in physiognomy and fortune-telling."
Fang Qing neither agreed nor disagreed. After all, every melon seller praised his own melons.
The Old Blind Man gave a cold laugh and pointed at his eyes. "You do not believe me? In my younger days, Old Blind Man once roamed the Western Extremity and entered the Secret Treasury Domain. I left this pair of eyes there, but also brought out this bone-bowl artifact. It tests spirits and judges fates without ever being wrong..."
"What is the Secret Treasury Domain?"
Fang Qing did not understand, so he asked directly.
The Old Blind Man froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "The Secret Treasury Domain lies west of Ancient Shu. You need only know that it is a place of great darkness and great terror..."
He paused, then continued, "Taking your entire spirit fish may be a little excessive, but you must understand that you are merely a mortal. Carrying a spirit item is like carrying gold through a bustling market. If you do not spend it all, Old Blind Man fears that the moment you leave this market, disaster will befall you!"
That warning was true enough. Fang Qing nodded. "Then that will be the price."
"Excellent. Hold your hands over the spirit bowl."
The Old Blind Man had Fang Qing extend both hands, then picked up the yellow bowl.
Gurgle, gurgle!
Looking at the bone bowl again, Fang Qing felt rather uncomfortable.
Yet as the thought arose, gurgling sounds came from within the bowl. Water actually surged forth, as though a tiny spring had appeared inside it, continuously spouting Fountain Water.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Beyond that, a clear breeze drifted over and circled the bone bowl.
"Mm, your fate is [Winnowing Basket Water], and your qi forms the pattern of a leopard... Tigers follow the wind, and leopards follow the wind as well!"
The Old Blind Man began to read his fate. "[Winnowing Basket Water] favors wind. It is the water of a veiled spring, and may also be Fountain Water, also called [Fountain Water]. Those with this fate possess the advantage of speech and are destined to be eloquent and persuasive..."
"When a gentleman transforms like a leopard, his markings flourish... If you wish to nurture your fate, you must read more books and study literature, using literary qi to nourish yourself..."
Fang Qing's heart shook greatly as he thought once more of Three-Water Hollow and the Fang Family...
He steadied himself. "So... I have the aptitude to cultivate immortality?"
"Of course you do. If you cultivate [Winnowing Basket Water], then supplement it with literary qi, using literary winds to nurture your fate, the two can complement one another... Besides that, [Chariot Water], [Three Stars Water], and [Wall Water] techniques are also suitable. Generally speaking, any Water Virtue technique will do... Of course, the prerequisite is that you first consume a mouthful of water-aspect True Qi to enter the Dao."
The Old Blind Man sighed. "True Qi is precious. One spirit item is far from enough... This old Daoist does have several Qi Gathering Methods that I can give you in compensation for the spirit fish, but the final step of gathering qi requires a cultivator's mana to 'merge the qi.' Whether you can manage that depends entirely on your fortune."
Fang Qing showed disappointment on his face, but his heart stirred.
I have mana. Perhaps I can complete the final step without needing another cultivator to act?
This Old Blind Man seems like an honest man. I can ask him more about the cultivation world.
After thinking it over, he asked, "Can I only cultivate Water Virtue techniques? And I wonder whether [Winnowing Basket Water] is powerful?"
"Haha, what matters most between cultivators is still cultivation. If your realm is high, you will naturally be invincible wherever you go... But there are indeed mutual restraints among the great orthodoxies. The Golden Fire Orthodoxy is the manifest Dao of this age, so just avoid it..."
The Old Blind Man laughed heartily.
"Fire restrains water?! That is not right, is it? Why is Golden Fire the manifest Dao?"
Fang Qing's eyes widened. This was clearly different from what he had learned in Azure Sea Sect, a complete overturning of heaven's principles.
"You do not follow the Immortal Calendar? [Ox Metal], [Tail Fire], [Neck Metal], [Wings Fire]... The twelve Year Guardians rotate in succession and rule heaven and earth. All belong to the Great Sun and the Golden Fire Orthodoxy, which has produced unimaginably mighty figures. That is why the Golden Fire Orthodoxy is the manifest Dao!" The Old Blind Man's voice carried a trace of tremor.
Before you continue