Chapter 347: Meeting an Old Friend Again

After leaving the main hall, Qin Ming stepped outside.

He discovered that the sheer scale of this Xiancheng made it the largest one he had ever visited.

Above the dome, a vast, golden-hued light screen enveloped the entire city, with countless profound runes drifting within it, emitting a terrifying fluctuation.

Even as Qin Ming raised his eyes to look, he could not help but feel a sudden throb of alarm in his heart.

"A fourth-grade protective great formation!"

"Litian Xiancheng truly deserves its reputation as the foremost immortal city in Great Jin; merely this display of grandeur is something ordinary powers could never achieve."

Walking along the bustling and prosperous streets, Qin Ming browsed the dazzling array of cultivation resources in the roadside shops, filled with emotion.

Things regarded as treasures by various powers in the Southern Wilds Immortal Realm were commonplace here.

Just as he prepared to leave the city, a crowd had gathered around a shop ahead, with onlookers packing the surrounding streets and completely blocking Qin Ming's path.

He had no choice but to walk over and see what was happening.

The shop was named 'Lingxiao Pill Pavilion,' where a middle-aged cultivator resembling a Shopkeeper held up a spirit pill, sparking competition among several lavishly dressed cultivators.

Below, a large crowd, flushed and agitated, refused to give up, continuously shouting out bids.

"Fellow Daoist, what pill is being sold inside?"

"Why has it attracted such fierce contention among so many cultivators?"

Qin Ming grabbed a cultivator who was watching the spectacle and asked aloud.

The cultivator, thoroughly engrossed in the show, initially wanted to snap angrily at being restrained, but upon turning to see a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he immediately lowered his demeanor and replied:

"Hehe! Is this Senior's first time in Zhongzhou?"

"This Lingxiao Pill Pavilion is an asset of the Su family; every half-year, they sell one third-grade pill."

"The one released today is the 'Moon Essence Pill,' personally refined by Grandmaster Su Yuqing. It is said that the Moon Essence Pill is a third-grade spirit pill of immense benefit for increasing the cultivation of Jin Dan cultivators, which is why it has drawn the contention of major powers."

"Currently, in all of Great Jin, the number of alchemists capable of refining such a spirit pill does not exceed the fingers of one hand."

"Indeed, indeed; it is only because Grandmaster Su is kind-hearted that he is willing to release some high-grade pills, unlike those great sects that tightly control high-grade pills within their own hands," a nearby cultivator chimed in upon hearing this.

Hearing this, Qin Ming also paused to watch for a moment, finding the atmosphere on-site so heated that it was in no way inferior to the auction at Five Elements Mountain.

In merely the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea,

due to the uniqueness of this Moon Essence Pill and the added prestige of Grandmaster Su, the price had been bid up to astronomical heights.

Only a few major powers remained bidding, causing scattered cultivators to shrink back in dismay.

Qin Ming shook his head, having no intention of continuing to watch; he took a detour and then departed from Litian Xiancheng.

After leaving the immortal city, he summoned his Silver-Winged Frost Bee and continued flying north toward Dragon Court Lake.

Watching the scenery below rapidly recede and fly past, Qin Ming gained an appreciation for the richness of Great Jin's Zhongzhou.

"I did not expect Su Yuqing's name to carry such immense fame within Great Jin."

"However, given that his attainment in the Dao of Alchemy has even surpassed predecessors and elders of the past, it is only reasonable."

Three days later.

A vast lake appeared in Qin Ming's line of sight, resembling a huge sapphire embedded within the earth.

Before even entering the area of Dragon Court Lake, one could feel the concentration of spiritual energy nearby beginning to rise continuously.

As one of the four great Jin Dan families of Great Jin that separated from the Li Li Huogong, the Su family naturally dominated a region, occupying an entire third-grade top-grade spiritual vein.

Proceeding further would mean entering the detection range of high-grade formations.

Thus, Qin Ming descended toward a nearby hilltop.

His current journey through Great Jin was known to almost no one; even in the Southern Wilds, he had only revealed it to Gu Qingzhao and Nalan Xi.

Qin Ming did not wish to attract the attention of Great Jin's powers, so he had even used the identity of Shopkeeper Lu from the Mirror Snow Pavilion.

However, he trusted Su Yuqing implicitly, so he naturally intended to meet him in his true appearance without any concealment.

Qin Ming immediately took out a message talisman from his robe and sent it forth, keeping the content extremely brief and concise.

"Brother Su, I have arrived outside Dragon Court Lake; please come out for a chat."

Within the Su family at Dragon Court Lake, inside a simply yet antiquely decorated courtyard, a Su family steward gently knocked on the study door and asked respectfully:

"Young Master Su, the clan leader asked me to inquire whether you will attend the Liao family's longevity banquet tonight?"

"Young Lady Liao has already extended a gracious invitation several times; it is said that Elder Qian from the Li Li Huogong and others will also be present, and they all hope you will attend."

Inside the study,

Su Yuqing, dressed in white robes, was burning incense and brewing tea while holding an ancient text to study; upon hearing the steward's words from outside, he replied indifferently without a moment's thought: "I will not go; just say that I am at a critical juncture in my alchemy and cannot extricate myself."

"Very well, yes!"

The old steward showed a look of difficulty but could only bow and assent.

Just after Su Yuqing had dismissed the old steward, his brow furrowed as he suddenly sensed a movement from the message talisman on his person.

He took it out and opened it to read the contents.

An expression of both shock and joy instantly appeared on his face, and he could not suppress a loud burst of laughter.

"Hahaha! This fellow actually came to Great Jin without making a sound."

"And he has even run all the way here."

In the next moment, the study door opened; the old steward turned to look, thinking that Su Yuqing had changed his mind.

But before he could speak, he saw Su Yuqing transform into a clear breeze and vanish instantly from the Su family residence.

"Didn't Young Master Su say he had no time? How has he gone outside again?"

"Alas! How am I to explain this to the clan leader?"

Qin Ming waited for half an incense stick's duration.

A streak of white light shot forth from the direction of the Su family estate, tearing across the sky before landing right in front of Qin Ming.

The light converged, revealing Su Yuqing clad in white robes, handsome and otherworldly, exuding an elegant demeanor.

"Brother Qin, I never expected you to come to Great Jin without so much as a prior word to me," Su Yuqing said with a smile, greeting Qin Ming.

"It has been decades since we last met."

"Brother Qin truly grows younger with each passing year."

The same could be said in return.

Seeing this person before him once again—who had been both mentor and friend back at Qingyang Market—Qin Ming could not help but sigh with emotion.

The scene of their parting back then at the spiritual fields surged anew into his mind.

Meeting again now felt like a lifetime apart.

Su Yuqing was genuinely startled upon seeing Qin Ming, for the other's aura of magic power had already reached the mid-stage of Jin Dan, matching his own.

Moreover, he seemed faintly unfathomable, as if shrouded in a layer of mist.

"Brother Su, I trust you have been well all this time! Haha!" Qin Ming replied with a laugh, returning the greeting.

Although they had rarely met in person, the two had maintained frequent correspondence over these past decades, so there was no sense of estrangement between them.

"This is no place for conversation; please follow me, Brother Qin."

With that, Su Yuqing led Qin Ming flying toward the rear mountains of the Su family estate.

Soon after, they passed unimpeded through layer upon layer of restrictive formations, arriving at a secluded valley.

Within lay an exceptionally fresh and elegant cave dwelling, situated amidst a third-grade top-tier spiritual vein.

Glancing around, Qin Ming easily deduced that this must be Su Yuqing's place of cultivation.

"Such a serene and superior cultivation environment truly makes me envious, Brother Su!" Qin Ming said with a faint smile.

Su Yuqing smiled gently. "Please come inside, Brother Qin."

Thereupon, the two entered the cave dwelling, brewed spiritual tea, and began to converse.

(End of Chapter)