Qingyun Sect Market!

"Zhang Long is dead, Zhang Hu has vanished too. Does this really have nothing to do with Chen Huai'an?" Among the Zhang Family disciples, a servant disciple named Zhang Mu frowned.

It was Zhang Mu who suspected Zhang Hu's disappearance was connected to Chen Huai'an. Yet before Zhang Hu's case had been resolved, Zhang Long had unexpectedly died a violent death, killed in a single blow.

The murderer's strength was undoubtedly above Zhang Long's.

The Zhang Family had grown arrogant in Qingyun Sect over the years and made no few enemies. It was only natural for someone to seize this moment to stir up trouble.

Yet Zhang Mu still suspected Chen Huai'an.

Zhang Hu might have been a wastrel, but why had he gone looking for trouble with Chen Huai'an? Bullying a good-for-nothing might earn him a little cultivation resource, but not every resource would catch Zhang Hu's eye. It had to be something even better than a Low-grade Body Tempering Pill.

"Chen Huai'an, whether you're truly worthless or merely pretending to be, let me test you myself." A sharp glint flashed through Zhang Mu's eyes.

Zhang Long and Zhang Hu's deaths had absolutely nothing to do with him. Now that they were dead, he could obtain a great deal of cultivation resources from the Zhang Family and become one of their key protégés.

If Chen Huai'an truly had some secret on him, could Zhang Mu not claim it for himself?

Zhang Mu was now at the Body Tempering Realm, Late Stage, Seventh Layer. Dealing with a servant disciple who had entered the sect less than a month ago, like Chen Huai'an, would be as easy as taking something from his own pocket.

The Law Enforcement Hall disciples had come to investigate Chen Huai'an. For the next several days, everything remained peaceful.

Yet Chen Huai'an instead felt somewhat uneasy, as though something major was about to happen.

Especially these past few days, while working, he felt as though a pair of eyes were watching him from behind.

This made him afraid to stray from the main group when carrying water.

As for cultivation resources, Chen Huai'an had accumulated quite a few more. In particular, the cloth pouch he had taken from Zhang Long's corpse contained many good things.

From Zhang Long, Chen Huai'an had obtained twelve Low-Grade Spirit Stones and thirty Low-grade Body Tempering Pills. After these items spent one night in the Purple-Skinned Gourd space, he gained eleven High-Grade Spirit Stones and thirty High-Grade Body Tempering Pills.

Why eleven High-Grade Spirit Stones instead of twelve? Because Chen Huai'an had deliberately kept one Low-Grade Spirit Stone. He intended to leave Qingyun Sect in the next few days and turn some of the high-grade cultivation resources in his hands into cash.

Only by converting these resources could he maximize his gains.

This time, he had to go out. It concerned his development on Servant Peak for the coming half year or more.

The meager resources given each month for servant work were not even enough to support one day of his cultivation.

He had to find a way to get some spirit grain and spirit herbs, then plant them in the space.

If he remained on Servant Peak without going out, even after several years, he might not be able to get his hands on any.

But leaving Qingyun Sect was not something he could do on a whim. He needed to plan it carefully.

Thus, while eating in the dining hall these past few days, Chen Huai'an had been asking around about how to leave Qingyun Sect.

Outer sect disciples assigned to carry out missions could lead servant disciples out of Qingyun Sect. They had tokens and could bring servant disciples along to assist with their missions, and the servants merely needed to follow them.

Once these outer sect disciples received payment, they would take them out of Qingyun Sect, then bring them back after a set period of time.

Going out and coming back cost one Low-Grade Spirit Stone, equivalent to a servant disciple's hard-earned wages for a month. Unless a servant disciple was wealthy, ordinary disciples simply could not afford to leave.

After carrying water on Servant Peak for more than half a month, Chen Huai'an went to Steward Wu to request time off, claiming that he had twisted his ankle while carrying water yesterday.

Steward Wu wanted to reject him, but when he saw that Chen Huai'an truly limped as he walked, he had no choice but to approve it.

Once Chen Huai'an received his leave, he immediately found the servant disciple from that day and spent one Low-Grade Spirit Stone to have him make introductions and take him out of Qingyun Sect.

Calculating the time, Chen Huai'an had been at Qingyun Sect for nearly a month. Many things had happened to him during that time.

Chen Huai'an and the others gathered at the foot of the mountain. He was not wearing a servant disciple's uniform, but the old scholar's clothes he had worn before. His entire bearing had changed, making him appear even more detached from the mundane world.

There were ten servant disciples leaving Qingyun Sect this time. Their auras were all stronger than Chen Huai'an's. Chen Huai'an alone was at the Body Tempering Realm, Early Stage, Second Layer; everyone else was at the Body Tempering Realm, Middle Stage or later. They had all spent many years on Servant Peak and were long accustomed to this.

Though this was Chen Huai'an's first time leaving Qingyun Sect as well, he did not look around curiously or deliberately strike up conversations. Instead, he kept a cold, aloof air that warned strangers away.

It was not that Chen Huai'an was putting on an aloof act. He deeply understood one principle: the more one spoke, the more likely one was to slip. He only wanted to leave the sect quietly, then return quietly.

The others were dressed in all manner of clothes as well, none wearing servant uniforms. A few had come out often enough that they had become familiar with one another.

At the foot of the mountain, disciples guarding the gates stood watch. The outer sect disciple produced a token and collected their identity tokens as well for registration before they left the sect.

This counted as Chen Huai'an's first time passing through Qingyun Sect's mountain gate. Looking at the gate, his expression was complicated.

This outer sect disciple was quite powerful, at the Qi Refining Realm, Middle Stage. He summoned a flying boat artifact, which expanded to two zhang in size under the impetus of his spiritual power. Controlling the flying boat artifact, he beckoned to Chen Huai'an and the others. All ten of them immediately leaped aboard.

Under the outer sect disciple's control, the flying boat slowly rose into the air, then flew southeast.

The flying boat was not particularly fast, but neither was it slow. Before long, they had traveled far from Qingyun Sect's mountain gate and arrived above a stretch of towns.

About one li from the city gate, the flying boat descended. The outer sect disciple put away the artifact and said,

"This is Qingyun Sect Market. It is noon now, and you have two shichen. Watch the time. We will gather here and return to the sect together."

Chen Huai'an cupped his hands toward the outer sect disciple in salute, then entered Qingyun Sect Market with the others.

Though it was called Qingyun Sect Market, the forces residing here actually had deep ties to Qingyun Sect. They were all family factions standing behind certain Qingyun Sect disciples.

Of course, there were also shops opened here by other forces.

Chen Huai'an's purpose this trip was to find a large shop to trade with.

The ten of them scattered after entering Qingyun Sect Market. To avoid being watched by anyone with ulterior motives, Chen Huai'an made another circuit around the area. Only after seeing no one following him did he begin exploring the market.

Though it was called a market, it was much like a mortal city. Yet its grandeur was immense, more magnificent than any human city he had ever seen.

Not everyone living in Qingyun Market was an immortal master. There were mortals as well, people without spirit roots who could not cultivate. They worked there, providing services for the lofty immortal masters.

There were stalls along the streets too, though most sold mundane goods. The ordinary medicinal herbs Chen Huai'an needed, for example, could also be found here.

To Chen Huai'an, this place was a treasure ground. Everything he needed could be found here.

Watching the bustling crowd, Chen Huai'an muttered to himself, "I wonder whether any faction can swallow all these High-Grade Body Tempering Pills of mine."