After the Lineage's Elder Council meeting ended, the General Affairs Hall posted an escort mission for a trading caravan bound for Purple Forest Market. Since the journey was dangerous, the contribution points awarded for taking part were quite substantial.
Liu Changxu and his father, Liu Shihao, both signed up for the escort mission. Liu Shihao intended to enter foundation establishment at Purple Forest Market after obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill, while Liu Changxu joined to gain experience.
His mother had wanted to go as well, but with a large household to look after, she stayed behind!
The caravan was scheduled to depart in five days.
Before departure, Liu Changxu picked all seventy-two spirit peaches from the two spirit peach trees in his courtyard.
Watching Liu Changxu pick the spirit peaches, Xiao Qing drooled with longing beside him! The fox kept conveying a desire to eat one, then leaped onto Liu Changxu's shoulder and licked his face with a little tongue.
Xiao Qing, the green fox, had grown considerably by then, reaching half a foot in length. The fox possessed two bloodline demon arts: the Wind Blade Technique and the Eye of Samsara.
The Eye of Samsara was an immensely powerful bloodline demon art, and the green fox race's strongest means of attack. Once a fox activated it, anyone who looked into the fox's eyes, human or beast, would be bewitched and drawn into hallucinations, allowing the fox to win without a fight.
Since Xiao Qing was only a lower-grade first-tier spirit beast, neither the Wind Blade Technique nor the Eye of Samsara was particularly powerful yet. As Xiao Qing's cultivation grew, their power would surely grow as well.
Moreover, Xiao Qing was exceptionally clever and knew just how to win everyone's affection. Liu Changxu's younger siblings loved playing with the fox! Liu Changxue, in particular, often shared half of her favorite foods with Xiao Qing, so the green fox grew very quickly.
Liu Changxu was also very fond of Xiao Qing. The fox was well behaved and never ate anything Liu Changxu forbade.
After harvesting all the spirit peaches, Liu Changxu gave one to Xiao Qing, who quickly ate it.
Liu Changxu decided to take Xiao Qing along on this trip to Purple Forest Market. By now, the fox could already be of help to him.
Spirit foxes were born with keen spiritual perception, giving them a great advantage in finding spiritual treasures of heaven and earth. That perception would improve as they continued to advance in tier.
Spirit foxes were also formidable in magical combat. Many high-tier spirit foxes were especially skilled in illusion-based demon arts, and the renowned Heavenly Nine-Tailed Fox was an exceptionally powerful being even among true spirits.
Xiao Qing's bloodline demon art, the Eye of Samsara, was also well known among spirit foxes.
Liu Changxu also used spirit peaches to brew three jars of Peach Blossom Brew himself.
Peach Blossom Brew was made from lower-grade first-tier jade spirit peaches, brewed in Ice Jade Jars, and aged in a cellar for a year before it could be drunk.
Peach Blossom Brew aided cultivation without producing pill toxins. The cultivators of the Liu Lineage rarely took pills precisely because they had Peach Blossom Brew and spirit peaches.
The Lineage also had alchemists, such as his father, Liu Shihao. However, they mainly refined pills that restored magical power or treated injuries, such as Qi-Replenishing Pills and Lesser Restoration Pills. They made relatively few Qi-Gathering Pills, which aided cultivation.
The day to set out for Purple Forest Market soon arrived. That morning, all the Lineage members making the journey finished assembling!
This journey was of great importance and directly concerned the Lineage's future, so the Liu Lineage committed its strongest forces.
First Elder Liu Qiusheng personally led the expedition. Second Elder Liu Qiushui, Fourth Elder Liu Baichuan, and Liu Changxu's father, Liu Shihao, all took part, along with twelve mid-stage qi refinement cultivators from the Lineage. Half of the Lineage's mid- and high-level fighting strength had been brought out.
Once everyone had assembled, the Lineage cultivators from the General Affairs Hall distributed Storage Bags filled with goods to the elders.
The road to Purple Forest Market was rugged and uneven, and the Lineage had no flying boat for transporting goods. They could only pack the goods into Storage Bags for the cultivators to carry.
Since making a trip to Purple Forest Market was exceedingly difficult, they brought not only spirit peaches and spirit wine, but also spiritual herbs, spirit rice, spirit fish, and other spiritual products produced by the Lineage.
Once all preparations were complete, First Elder Liu Qiusheng led the Lineage caravan out of Peach Blossom Manor, beginning their journey to Purple Forest Market. Lineage Head Liu Baishan brought the cultivators staying behind to see them off.
As Lin Yulian watched her husband and son disappear into the distance, she prayed over and over in her heart that they would return safely.
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