Meeting an Acquaintance

Three days later, Shen Ge finally finished refining the three Law Artifacts. His overall strength was now among the best in the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. As long as he wasn't besieged by ten or so opponents at the same realm, protecting himself would be more than manageable.

He stood and stretched, and after a series of cracks as his bones shifted, sounding like beans frying in a pan, Shen Ge let out a long breath. A streak of golden spiritual power shot out like an arrow, punching a small hole in the table.

"I've finally finished refining them. My strength isn't too weak now. As long as I don't run into anyone at Foundation Establishment, I should be able to walk sideways among Qi Refining Stage cultivators if I'm a little careful."

"I've been in seclusion for a few days. Time to go out and see if there's any good stuff."

Leaving his cave abode, Shen Ge went to the market and looked over the goods on the stalls, but most of them failed to catch his eye.

As he walked, Shen Ge's eyes suddenly lit up. A lifelike phoenix pendant at a female cultivator's stall had caught his eye.

His eyes darted about, and he stepped forward and pulled out a Spirit Stone. "I'll take this ice phoenix."

Although the ice phoenix wasn't worth a Spirit Stone at all, the stallholder wasn't about to turn down one offered to her. She quickly put the Spirit Stone away and handed over the ice phoenix. "You have a good eye, fellow Daoist. I spent half a month carefully carving this ice phoenix. It's perfect as a gift."

After putting it away, Shen Ge didn't linger with the stallholder and continued browsing. He didn't find any good things, but he did run into an acquaintance. He went over to greet him. "Brother Lü, what a coincidence. Haven't you traded for what you wanted yet?"

Hearing someone call him, Lü Yang turned around and saw Shen Ge. He cupped his fists in greeting. "Brother Shen, aren't you still here too? Besides, this market only opens once every five years. Shouldn't I stay a little longer?"

Shen Ge glanced at Lü Yang's crotch instinctively. The next moment, he realized he had been somewhat rude and smiled awkwardly. "Well, it's rare for us to run into each other. How about we find somewhere to have a drink?"

Lü Yang had naturally seen Shen Ge's glance. His mouth twitched, and he was somewhat speechless, but to keep him from looking again next time, he explained, "Brother Shen, laugh if you like, but back then you decisively lopped off that white-haired man's head. It was clean and quick, and I was honestly a little scared. After all, we'd only just met, and I didn't know what kind of person you were. I couldn't help worrying that you might take it into your head to kill me too while you were at it, especially since I didn't have much strength left to resist."

"Then why did you put the Storage Bag in your pan... there?" Shen Ge asked.

Lü Yang's face darkened. He felt that Shen Ge knew perfectly well and was asking just to laugh at him, so he said with some displeasure, "Brother Shen, can we stop dwelling on this? You know about it, and I know about it. Let's not bring it up again. It's embarrassing."

"Hahaha, all right, no more. Come on, I'm in a good mood today. Let me buy you a drink." Shen Ge put an arm around Lü Yang's shoulders and pulled him toward the restaurant on the other side.

When they reached the building, Shen Ge looked around. Goodness, there really were few people here. If not for the word "restaurant" written at the entrance, he would have thought he'd come to the wrong place.

"Don't be surprised, Brother Shen. The people who run the market own all these places. Food and lodging both cost Spirit Stones, and they don't accept barter, so most Rogue Cultivators won't come here. They don't have many Spirit Stones to begin with, and they couldn't possibly waste them on things like this."

"Before, no one dared come to small markets like this. If the people who organized one weren't strong enough to keep order, peaceful trade could easily turn into a bloody fight for the goods."

"But not long ago, the Spirit Moon Sect wiped out the Devil Creek Sect. There are far fewer Devil Cultivators and evildoers in this region now, so these small markets finally have room to survive."

"I see." Shen Ge nodded in understanding, then led Lü Yang inside.

They found a table by the window, and Shen Ge politely asked the waiter, who was at the Qi Refining Stage, to bring a pot of spirit wine and a few small dishes. It didn't look like much, but the pot of spirit wine alone cost twenty Spirit Stones, not counting the dishes. It was outright robbery.

But they were already here. How embarrassing would it be to leave now, especially when he was the one treating?

Lü Yang looked at the things on the table, his face full of pain at the expense. "Brother Shen, I'm starting to doubt you're a Rogue Cultivator. What's on this table costs at least forty Spirit Stones. That's nearly half my entire fortune."

"It's fine. I still have a hundred or so Spirit Stones on me. It's just one meal; I can afford it." Though Shen Ge also felt the pinch, he still put on a generous air. After all, he couldn't lose face now.

The corners of Lü Yang's mouth rose slightly. He stood, picked up the pot, and poured Shen Ge a cup first. Then he filled his own cup and raised it in a toast. "You're generous, Brother Shen. I apologize for thinking ill of you before."

"It's nothing. When we're out in the world, there's no harm in being careful. After all, you can know a person's face but not their heart. No one knows what the person traveling with them is thinking." Shen Ge clinked cups with him, then tipped his head back and drained his cup.

The next moment, his eyes lit up. After savoring the aftertaste for a while with an expression of enjoyment, he praised it. "Good stuff! Rich in spiritual power, with gentle medicinal properties. No wonder they dare sell it for twenty Spirit Stones."

Lü Yang nodded in agreement. "It's good wine. That one mouthful just now even loosened the bottleneck in my realm, which had been stagnant for some time."

"But this stuff is only for enjoyment, after all. It's still a little inferior to pills of the same price."

After three rounds of drinks, Lü Yang suddenly asked, "Brother Shen, what are your plans for the future? Will you continue as a Rogue Cultivator or join a sect? If you want to join a sect, I do know of a way, but it isn't a sect in the Flowing Cloud Kingdom."

Shen Ge stared at Lü Yang with a slightly surprised expression. "Brother Lü, so you aren't from the Flowing Cloud Kingdom? No wonder you seemed a little different from ordinary Rogue Cultivators. Tell me, which sect do you have connections with?"

Lü Yang shook his head. "I'm a Rogue Cultivator, but my grandfather isn't. He was a disciple of Flowing Gold Valley, but his aptitude was somewhat poor. With no hope of reaching Golden Core, he left to start a family."

"But Grandfather still has some connections in Flowing Gold Valley. I hear a senior brother he was close to back then is already a Golden Core elder. If we go seek his help, it'll definitely be much easier for us than for other cultivators. Besides, what I cultivate is Flowing Gold Valley's basic Cultivation Method."

Shen Ge tipped his head back and drank the last cup of spirit wine. With a smile, he said, "Then you're a lucky one. If I remember correctly, Flowing Gold Valley should be in the Golden Phoenix Kingdom to the north, right? It's a cultivation sect no weaker than the Spirit Moon Sect."

"Brother Lü, if you have a way in, I'd advise you to join the sect as soon as possible. That way, both your safety and your cultivation resources will be assured."

"And with your grandfather's connection, that Golden Core elder might even open a back door for you. Your cultivation will progress even faster then."

Lü Yang smiled. "So, Brother Shen, do you want to come with me? I can look after you there."

Shen Ge chuckled. "Forget it, I won't go. I'm fated to join the Spirit Moon Sect instead. I plan to go there after this market ends. After all, someone there owes me a favor, so I don't imagine I'll fare too badly."

"I was going to ask you to come with me. Having another person on the road would have made things safer. But now that you have somewhere better to go, Brother Lü, I won't hold you up."