Chapter 495: Meeting an Old Friend

After leaving the hall, Qin Ming stepped outside.

He found the entire immortal city to be vast beyond anything he had ever seen.

Above, a massive golden-hazy curtain of light enveloped the entire city, countless arcane runes gliding within it, radiating terrifying fluctuations.

Even as Qin Ming looked up, he could not help but feel a pang of unease.

"A fourth-rank protective array!"

"Li Tian Immortal City truly lives up to its reputation as the number one immortal city of Da Jin—this alone is beyond the reach of ordinary factions."

Walking along the bustling, vibrant streets, Qin Ming browsed the myriad cultivation resources displayed in the shops lining the road, filled with awe.

In the Southern Wastelands, items treasured by all factions here were commonplace.

Just as he was about to leave the city, a crowd had gathered around a shop ahead, with even the surrounding streets packed with onlookers, blocking his path.

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

The shop bore the sign "Lingxiao Elixir Pavilion," and inside, a middle-aged cultivator in the guise of a shopkeeper held an elixir, drawing fierce competition from several elaborately dressed cultivators.

A large crowd below shouted and bargained desperately, refusing to give up.

"Friend, what elixir is being sold inside?"

"Why are so many cultivators fighting over it?"

Qin Ming grabbed a bystander cultivator and asked.

The cultivator, engrossed in the spectacle, was about to snap angrily at being interrupted, but turned to see a Foundation Establishment cultivator and immediately lowered his tone:

"Heh! Sir, you're visiting Zhongzhou for the first time, aren't you?"

"Lingxiao Elixir Pavilion is owned by the Su family and sells one third-rank elixir every half-year."

"Today's offering is the 'Moonlight Elixir,' personally refined by Grandmaster Su Yuqing. It's said to be a third-rank spirit elixir with immense power to enhance a Jin Dan cultivator's cultivation base, hence the fierce competition from major factions."

"In all of Da Jin, no more than five fingers' worth of alchemists can produce such an elixir."

"Indeed, indeed—Grandmaster Su is benevolent enough to release even high-rank elixirs, unlike those major sects that hoard them tightly." Another cultivator nearby chimed in.

Qin Ming paused to watch for a moment, finding the atmosphere as heated as the Wuxing Mountain auction.

In barely half a cup of tea's time,

the Moonlight Elixir's rarity, combined with Grandmaster Su's prestige, had been bid to an astronomical price.

Only a few major factions remained bidding, causing the free cultivators to step back.

Qin Ming shook his head and had no intention of watching further; he circled around and left Li Tian Immortal City.

After exiting the city, he summoned Silverwing Frost Bee and continued flying north toward Long Ting Lake.

As the scenery below receded, Qin Ming finally grasped the wealth of Zhongzhou in Da Jin.

"I never expected Su Yuqing's name to be so renowned in Da Jin."

"Yet given his alchemical mastery, surpassing even past masters, it's only natural."

Three days later,

a vast lake appeared before Qin Ming's eyes, like a giant blue gem embedded in the earth.

Even before entering Long Ting Lake's territory, he sensed the spiritual energy density steadily rising.

As one of the four Jin Dan families that split from Li Huo Palace, the Su family naturally dominated the region, controlling a complete third-rank supreme spirit vein.

Further ahead lay the detection range of high-rank arrays.

So Qin Ming descended toward a nearby hilltop.

His journey through Da Jin was known to almost no one; even in the Southern Wastelands, he had only told Gu Qingzhao and Nalan Xi.

Qin Ming had no desire to draw attention from Da Jin factions and had used the identity of Lu, the shopkeeper of Jingxue Pavilion.

Yet he trusted Su Yuqing completely, so he would meet him in his true form, no need to conceal himself.

Qin Ming immediately withdrew a message talisman from his robe and sent it out, concise and direct:

"Brother Su, I've arrived outside Long Ting Lake. Please come out and meet me."

…

At Long Ting Lake's Su family, in a modestly decorated villa, a family steward gently knocked on the study door and asked respectfully:

"Young Master Su, the clan head asks if you'll attend the Liao family's birthday banquet tonight?"

"Miss Liao has invited you several times already. It's said Elder Gan of Li Huo Palace will be there too—they all hope you'll come."

Inside the study,

Su Yuqing, clad in white robes, burned incense and brewed tea, studying an ancient text. Upon hearing the steward's words, he replied without hesitation: "No. Tell them I'm in the midst of a crucial elixir refinement and cannot leave."

"Very well, sir!"

The old steward frowned but bowed and accepted.

Just as Su Yuqing dismissed the steward, his brow furrowed—he sensed movement in his message talisman.

He retrieved it and opened it to read.

His face instantly lit up with shock and joy, and he burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha! This fellow has quietly arrived in Da Jin!"

"And come right here!"

In the next instant, the study door opened. The steward turned, thinking Su Yuqing had changed his mind.

But before he could speak, Su Yuqing vanished in a flash of clear wind, gone from the Su family estate.

"Wasn't Young Master Su just saying he was busy?"

"Sigh—how am I supposed to explain this to the clan head?"

…

After waiting half a stick of incense,

a white light streaked across the sky from the direction of the Su family and landed before Qin Ming.

The light faded, revealing Su Yuqing in white robes, elegant and ethereal, graceful and refined.

"Brother Qin, I never expected you to come to Da Jin without warning me first," Su Yuqing smiled and greeted him.

"It's been decades."

"Brother Qin, you've truly grown younger."

Likewise,

Qin Ming, seeing once again the man who had once been both teacher and friend in Qingyang Market, could not help but sigh.

The scene of their parting at the spirit fields returned to his mind.

Meeting again felt like crossing lifetimes.

Su Yuqing was genuinely startled upon seeing Qin Ming—his magic power aura had reached Jin Dan mid-stage, on par with his own.

And it was subtly obscured, as if veiled in mist.

"Brother Su, good to see you again! Heh!" Qin Ming smiled in greeting.

Though they had rarely met, the two had maintained frequent correspondence over the decades, and no distance had formed between them.

"This isn't a place to talk. Brother Qin, follow me."

Su Yuqing spoke and led Qin Ming toward the back mountains of the Su family.

Soon, they passed through layers of restrictions without hindrance, arriving at a tranquil valley.

Inside stood an exceptionally serene and elegant cave dwelling, situated atop a third-rank supreme spirit vein.

Qin Ming glanced around and easily deduced this must be Su Yuqing's cultivation abode.

"Brother Su, such a tranquil and superior cultivation site truly makes me envious!" Qin Ming said with a faint smile.

Su Yuqing smiled slightly. "Brother Qin, please come inside."

The two entered the cave dwelling, brewed spirit tea, and began to converse.

(End of Chapter)