Chapter 70: Nanshan Fang Crisis (Supplement to Last Night's Update)

After two incense sticks burned, the sky had already darkened.

Xiao Zhangqing stepped out of the studio, holding two already drawn Demon-breaking Talisman and Spirit-Settling Talisman, and said, "Luck's good; both talisman scripts are of First-Grade Upper Quality, hope they can help Master Zhu Dan."

Zhu Youlong took the talisman scripts, glanced at them, and a pleased expression appeared on his face: "Thank you, thank you! This is payment; Symbol Master Xiao, take it. Whenever there's a place that can use it, just let me know! I'll head back now; Qingzhu is waiting. It's already dark; if I don't take the talismans back, little Liang won't be able to stay awake later, will fall asleep, be plagued by nightmares, a fate worse than death."

He handed Xiao Zhangqing a Spirit Stone pouch containing two medium-grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, and Master Zhu Dan hurried away.

It's generous; a First-Grade Demon-breaking Talisman isn't especially rare, and even though the Spirit-Settling Talisman is rarer, its quality at the later part of First-Grade still isn't worth a medium-grade Spirit Stone.

However, compared with the Spirit Stone reward, Xiao Zhangqing is now more concerned about what exactly has happened to Shopkeeper Ruan's son, what bizarre circumstances he faced, and whether the newly made Demon-breaking Talisman and Spirit-Settling Talisman can actually save his life.

Xiao Zhangqing actually intended to follow Master Zhu Dan to see the situation on site.

But in the end he didn't go with him.

Because he didn't know the details, he worried that if he rashly followed, he'd get entangled with the so-called unclean thing on Ruan Bufan's body, and that would be self-inflicted trouble.

Though the chance is small, it still must be guarded against.

He decided to wait until tomorrow to go find Master Zhu Dan and inquire about the details.

At this moment, Xiao Zhangqing also recalled another matter: the border cultivation market "Silver Leaf Peak" had been breached and occupied by Evil Cultivators, and some Foundation Establishment cultivators there had fallen.

This information is important and very dangerous.

Even though Silver Leaf Peak is a border city adjacent to the Southern Wilderness, it still belongs to the Da Yu Cultivation World, and under normal circumstances Demon Sect Evil Cultivators would never dare to launch a large-scale invasion and directly breach it.

Such a move is tantamount to declaring war on the Da Yu Cultivation World!

Will Demon Sect Evil Cultivators continue a massive invasion thereafter, making Nanshan Fang also in danger? Of course.

Nanshan Fang is far stronger than Silver Leaf Peak.

【8】 Regardless of cultivator numbers, market formations, or the count of Foundation Establishment cultivators, it has far more.

No matter whether it's the scale of cultivators, the formations of the market town, or the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, they are all much greater.

Silver Leaf Peak seems to have only about three thousand cultivators, not under any sect's jurisdiction, and is occupied by a scattered-cultivator family of Foundation Establishment.

The whole market has only two Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivators.

Compared with the former Nanshan Fang, it's much weaker, not on the same level.

Not to mention now Nanshan Fang also has Mu Renjie, a great cultivator whose strength rivals that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment! With Mu Renjie alone, and Nanshan Fang's mountain-protecting grand formation, Demon Sect Evil Cultivators would need to deploy Nascent Soul-level cultivators; otherwise Nanshan Fang is as solid as a gold soup.

Moreover, Nanshan Fang is not especially far from the main bases of Luoxia Sect and Baihua Valley.

If Nanshan Fang were truly breached by Evil Cultivators, these two major Nascent Soul sects would directly face the Demon Sect, a precarious situation, so they likely wouldn't stand by idly and would lend assistance.

So comparatively, Nanshan Fang remains relatively safe, not as easily seized and fallen as Silver Leaf Peak by Demon Cultivators.

After weighing things in his mind, Xiao Zhangqing decided not to worry prematurely, not to overthink; nothing has happened yet, and he would just scare himself.

"However, one who does not contemplate the whole picture cannot manage a single domain; there's no need to over-worry, yet one also cannot be completely unprepared—when the crisis truly arrives, panic will ensue. Preparations must be made in advance."

Xiao Zhangqing silently plotted in his mind.

In the past, because Zhou Changkong's strict inspections severely prohibited Symbol Masters of Lingfu Pavilion from earning side income or privately selling talisman scripts, Xiao Zhangqing had no overtime after leaving the cave and thus didn't stock up inventory.

But moving forward, Xiao Zhangqing must prepare more; after work each day, without affecting his own cultivation, he will use his spare time to draw talismans! "The top priority is to draw Spirit-Settling Talisman and Demon-breaking Talisman. The Demon-breaking Talisman's power tops out at First-Grade Upper Quality, but the Spirit-Settling Talisman has a Second-Grade production method, which I also know. Hence, all the Second-Grade talisman script materials I gather will be used to draw Second-Grade Spirit-Settling Talismans!"

"Second-Grade talisman scripts differ vastly in power from First-Grade ones; if a First-Grade Spirit-Settling Talisman has remarkable effects against bizarre evils, then a Second-Grade Spirit-Settling Talisman must be even more wondrous."

"Besides Second-Grade Spirit-Settling Talismans, also draw as many First-Grade Spirit-Settling Talismans, Demon-breaking Talismans, and other talisman scripts as possible! The more, the better!"

The materials for Second-Grade talisman scripts are too hard to gather in Nanshan Fang; it takes two to three months to collect a batch, so although Second-Grade scripts are difficult to draw, they won't delay Xiao Zhangqing much.

Most of the time still needs to be spent drawing First-Grade talisman scripts.

For Xiao Zhangqing now, First-Grade Upper Quality talisman scripts aren't especially useful.

But the Lin sisters can make use of them.

Moreover, if turmoil truly arrives, talisman scripts will instantly become hot commodities, prices soaring, especially self-made First-Grade Upper Quality scripts, which will be fiercely coveted by Nanshan Fang cultivators. After all, Nanshan Fang currently has only four Foundation Establishment cultivators; the rest are in the Qi Refining Realm, and for them a First-Grade Upper Quality talisman script is the strongest tool.

He finalized the strategy and made the plan.

Xiao Zhangqing immediately gathered the two Lin sisters together and informed them of the situation.

"No wonder more and more cultivators have been pouring into Nanshan Fang in recent years, driving cave residences and shop prices ever higher; the situation has truly become this chaotic? Even Silver Leaf Peak has been seized!"

"Although Nanshan Fang is insignificant compared to the great cities deep within the Da Yu Cultivation World, being a remote place, among the few cultivation markets on this southwestern border it is actually the largest in scale, and it's not far from Luoxia Sect and Baihua Valley."

"If Nanshan Fang were also occupied by Evil Cultivators, it would mean the entire southwestern region of the Da Yu Cultivation World is in peril. One could even say the whole Da Yu Cultivation World is entering a true war era, the age of chaos."

Lin Zixi had recovered from her awkward, shy mood, and now, with thoughts ticking through her mind, she said pensively.

Her first reaction was surprise; her second wasn't fear, but thinking about whether there was any profit in knowing this news early.

"The current housing prices in Nanshan Fang have probably peaked. If nothing unexpected occurs, a crash is likely next; over the past two years, seeing cave residence prices keep rising, cultivators who took loans to buy caves or shops are likely to suffer terribly..."

Even if Nanshan Fang remains safe, it won't be breached by Demon Sect Evil Cultivators.

Yet with news of Silver Leaf Peak, the number of Demon Sect Evil Cultivators outside has surged, placing Nanshan Fang in a relatively central part of the vortex, so cultivators will inevitably feel panic.

Perhaps many overly cautious cultivators will also don outer coats.

When war breaks out, the least valuable assets become cave residences.

Because these things cannot be liquidated, cannot be carried, and risk becoming worthless if breached!

"I was even considering buying property with Spirit Stones, but luckily my lord disagreed and stopped me," Lin Zixi said with some relief.

After making money at Guangju Building, she watched Nanshan Fang cave residence prices keep rising and considered buying the shop located in Guangju Building outright, so she wouldn't have to pay monthly rent thereafter.

But after reporting it to Xiao Zhangqing, it was rejected.

At that time Xiao Zhangqing didn't know there was a risk of war, nor whether Nanshan Fang's housing prices had already peaked, making purchase a high-position posting.

He only knew that he would definitely not stay forever in this remote Nanshan Fang.

Once he prepares for Foundation Establishment, or succeeds, he will inevitably leave, venturing into greater realms.

Thus acquiring property in Nanshan Fang becomes unnecessary.

Sister Lin Ziyu sighed, "If Nanshan Fang's housing prices plummet, those local wealthy, high-status cultivators who own several caves and shops and rely on property for profit won't have much trouble. But for outsiders like us scattered cultivators, who have struggled in Nanshan Fang for years, finally saved enough Spirit Stones, bought a cave in the past two years, hoping to put down roots... that would be terrible."

Lin Zixi shook her head and said, "So when we're weak, only knowing to save Spirit Stones to buy property, without using them to invest in ourselves and boost cultivation, is the most foolish act. For us cultivators, strength is the foundation of everything; we earn Spirit Stones to enhance our cultivation, not to buy property. Only when we have surplus Spirit Stones and wish to invest should we consider buying property."

Lin Ziyu gave her sister a withering glance and said, "You're basically accusing me, saying I was foolish at the start, right?"

Lin Zixi giggled, "Nothing, older sister, don't be so sensitive."

Lin Ziyu gave a cold snort: "I still don't know you......"

Watching the two sisters' banter, Xiao Zhangqing couldn't help but think back to years ago, when he and Lin Ziyu were both living in Peng Hu Qu.

At that time Lin Ziyu was indeed stingy to the extreme; although she was at Qi Refining Fourth Level, she was unwilling to spend money to move to a Bing-level Cave Dwelling, and instead lived in Peng Hu Qu that cost one Low-grade Spirit Stone per month.

In daily food and drink, she always chose the cheapest option; she had never even bought Spirit Rice, being even more frugal than Xiao Zhangqing and Zhou Yun'e at that time.

Originally, back then Lin Ziyu's goal was, on one hand, to hope to marry into wealth, and on the other hand, to rely on her own savings of Spirit Stones so that one day she could settle down and take root in Nanshan Fang, having her own cave dwelling.

Now she resides in Cave Dwelling Yi-10, with monthly income of nearly a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, and her visitors are all top-tier cultivators of Nanshan Fang.

Looking back at the past now, it truly feels like a world apart! "In that case, I must be even more careful and cautious; I must never return to those days of past hardship and struggle!"

ps: I'm embarrassed; I fell asleep while typing halfway through last night, so this chapter counts as last night's update. Today's update will be released together in the evening.

Going back on my word (end of chapter)