The Slums

As the snow melted and the temperature warmed, the pervasive stench of urine once again filled the air.

Cao Yunxi, his face covered in a thick beard, returned home and placed the unsold portions of beast meat in a corner of the room. He strode over to the table, picked up the water jug, and gulped down a large mouthful.

At that moment, Qi Xiaofeng, who was sitting at the table sewing, casually asked, “You’re back. How was business today?”

Cao Yunxi sat down beside her, wiped the water from his lips, and replied with a smile, “Not bad. After the patrol team showed up, the market became much quieter. There are still very few people setting up stalls—only a handful selling meat—so there’s not much competition today.”

“That’s good. If we don’t sell this beast meat soon, it might spoil.”

Qi Xiaofeng breathed a sigh of relief. Beast meat, containing spiritual energy, had a much longer shelf life than ordinary meat. But even so, it couldn’t last forever. If not sold promptly, it would still go bad.

“I’ll set up another stall tomorrow, and I should be able to sell it all then. By the way, where’s Da’er?” Cao Yunxi looked around but didn’t see Cao Mo anywhere.

“He’s sleeping in the room. Didn’t Daoist Qin teach him how to draw talismans recently? He’s been practicing nonstop lately. Just now, he ran out of spiritual energy, so I told him to rest.”

“Daoist Qin…” Cao Yunxi seemed to recall something, then chuckled softly. “By the way, I ran into him while setting up my stall today. Guess what he was selling?”

“What was he selling? Isn’t he usually selling talismans?” Qi Xiaofeng put down her needlework and asked curiously.

“He was selling medicinal liquids!” Cao Yunxi’s expression turned wistful as he marveled. “That guy really has a quick mind! Who would have thought he’d come up with the idea of buying liquids and reselling them? Do you know how much he’s selling each bottle for?”

“How much?”

“Twelve Spirit Stones! And even at that price, plenty of people are buying from him! I bet he’s going to make a killing this time!”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Qi Xiaofeng said enviously, then paused thoughtfully. “It seems like he’s completely changed ever since he quit gambling. He’s become so much sharper and more resourceful.”

“He really has changed. And his cultivation is improving rapidly. I think he’s already reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation.”

“The sixth level of Qi Condensation?!” Qi Xiaofeng exclaimed in disbelief. “Wasn’t he only at the third level just a few months ago? How could he reach the sixth level so quickly?!”

“I don’t know… But I’m pretty sure I’m not mistaken about his cultivation level. I wonder what kind of opportunity he encountered that allowed him to advance so fast.”

“Sigh… Why can’t we be the ones to get such opportunities?” Qi Xiaofeng pouted helplessly.

“Haha, forget about it. The weather’s warming up now, so let’s prepare to head over to East Head Ridge soon. Don’t forget—we still owe him thirty Spirit Stones!”

“Speaking of which, I think once we pay him back, we should consider moving into the market district. Last time I saw his courtyard, it looked really nice…”

“That works too. Then let’s go hunt the Giant Ape Beast. Its meat sells for a good price.”

“But we’ll need to prepare carefully. That beast is pretty ferocious…”

As the couple chatted, they began discussing their next plans.

The Market District

Wei Family Courtyard

In the spacious courtyard stood more than thirty cultivators dressed in uniform attire. Their faces were filled with excitement, their gazes fixed on the middle-aged man standing in the center.

The man wore a purple robe embroidered with green patterns, his figure imposing, his features handsome, and a faint smile playing on his lips. This was none other than Wei Feng, the head of the Wei family.

“Fellow cultivators!”

Wei Feng raised his hands and declared loudly, “Thanks to Senior Sun Jing suffering a great calamity, the market district fell into chaos. But thanks to all of you helping us, our Wei family managed to remain unscathed and safe!”

“Moreover, you also helped me deal with that ruthless old scoundrel, Yu Xiu! On behalf of the Wei family, I, Wei Feng, thank you all deeply!”

“You’re too kind, Senior Wei!”

“It’s our honor to contribute even a small amount of strength to Senior Wei!”

“That’s right! Senior Wei is truly wise and courageous!”

“Exactly! That Yu Xiu deserved to die long ago!”

Wei Feng’s words immediately triggered flattery from all the cultivators below, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.

Wei Feng smiled brightly, listening attentively to every word. He raised his right hand to signal everyone to quiet down, then softly chuckled again.

“Those of you who helped our Wei family will certainly not be shortchanged. In addition to the rewards we agreed upon earlier, today I’m giving each of you an extra fifty Spirit Stones!”

“Thank you, Senior Wei!”

“Senior Wei is so generous!”

“We’ll continue to contribute to the Wei family in the future!”

Once again, the cultivators showered him with praise.

Following Wei Feng’s instructions, several maids entered the courtyard and began guiding the thirty-plus cultivators to collect their rewards. Soon, only Wei Feng and one of his trusted aides remained in the courtyard.

This young aide, with a cold and composed expression, was none other than Qin Lu’s neighbor—Nie Feng.

“Nie Feng, you did a great job this time, bringing in so many late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators to help me achieve great things!”

Wei Feng sat in the pavilion, praising Nie Feng, who stood straight as a rod.

“Master, you’re too kind! I didn’t do much myself—just informed them of the reward, and they immediately agreed.” Nie Feng replied humbly, then paused and asked curiously, “I just don’t understand why Master is giving them an additional fifty Spirit Stones… This…”

After all, this recruitment brought in thirty-six cultivators, each receiving fifty Spirit Stones—totaling eighteen hundred Spirit Stones. This was no small sum.

“Hahaha!” Wei Feng laughed heartily, picked up the spiritual tea on the table, took a gentle sip, and then said happily, “Don’t worry about this money. They really put in a lot of effort to help us take over so many shops from the Yu family. We’ll earn this money back quickly! Besides, spending just over a thousand Spirit Stones to win their hearts is well worth it!”

“Master is truly far-sighted. I admire you.”

Wei Feng chuckled softly, then suddenly remembered something. “By the way, don’t forget to visit and offer condolences to the Loose Cultivator who died fighting for our Wei family. We can’t let our family lose face.”

“Yes, Master!” Nie Feng replied.

By the time Nie Feng finished all his condolences and returned home, it was already deep into the night.

When he saw the dimly lit courtyard next door, his expression subtly shifted, and his steps slowed.

This was the courtyard of the talisman seller.

“The Swallowing Sky Python…”

“He actually survived unscathed under the attack of six cultivators, and even counterattacked…”

“What kind of strength is that? If I faced him, I probably wouldn’t stand a chance…”

Nie Feng couldn’t help but think this.

He had already heard about how Qin Lu had wiped out the Feiyun Gang on the street a few days ago. It was said that six cultivators had attacked him that day, all mid-to-late stage cultivators. One of them had even reached the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

But who would have thought that this group would be killed by the fifth-level Qi Condensation Swallowing Sky Python within just a dozen breaths?

The powerful Fireball Technique, the strange and eerie wind strike technique, and that elusive sword technique… Such strength naturally sparked discussions among many neighbors.

Even Nie Feng, already at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, after hearing descriptions of that day’s battle, didn’t feel confident he could defeat Qin Lu.

“Could this person really be a genius?”

“Or has he been hiding his true strength all along?”

“Well, either way, it’s probably best not to provoke him…”

Nie Feng sighed softly, shook his head, and opened the door to enter his house.

Another night arrived, and the reappearance of the patrol team finally restored the former tranquility to the Wuji Market, which had been in chaos for some time.

Everyone was now waiting for the arrival of a new Foundation Establishment cultivator.