Chapter 53: A Favor Gained for Free (Please keep reading! Please collect!)

It didn't make Yunhe and the other wait too long.

After the cultivator's transmission feather flew into the mountain gate, an Azure Profound Boat soon emerged from amidst the intertwining clouds and mist.

At the bow was a woman wearing a light blue dress.

Her face was fair, with lightly drawn willow-leaf brows; her eyes were not large yet appeared especially bright, her small jade-like nose and mouth also looked especially proportionate, making her whole person seem quite petite.

Behind her stood another woman, whose attire was rather eye-catching.

She wore a fiery red shirt dress, hands on hips, sleeves rolled up to her arms; though her features weren't as delicate as the young woman's before, she was still pleasant to look at, especially her ample chest, which was particularly striking.

However, upon seeing this woman, Yunhe and the other merely glanced at her before instantly lowering their heads in shock and averting their gaze.

Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator!

This woman's cultivation base was astonishingly at the Foundation Establishment realm!

The Azure Profound Boat soon landed.

The disciple who had been guarding the mountain gate earlier, upon seeing the arrivals, was also startled and hastily bowed, saying:

"Disciple greets Martial Uncle Liu!"

Yunhe and the other also returned the salute.

"Greetings, senior!"

This was his first time ever coming into such close contact with a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

Hmm.

Liu Tianhong nodded slightly, leading the woman in blue down from the Azure Profound Boat.

And this woman in blue was naturally the granddaughter of Old Man Ran, an inner-disciple of the Qingzong Sect named Ran Lingyao.

However, upon seeing that the people at the mountain gate were Yunhe and Qian Dajiang, a flicker of disappointment crossed Ran Lingyao's eyes.

Nevertheless, she politely gave a slight bow and spoke softly:

"Two fellow cultivators, I don't know—"

Qian Dajiang's expression turned bitter.

At this moment he finally understood why Yunhe had asked him to deliver the item.

Originally he thought it would be fine, but upon seeing Ran Lingyao, especially after seeing the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator behind her, the usually sociable him actually didn't know how to speak for a moment.

Could it be that he should just say outright, "Your grandfather has passed away"?

That would indeed be rather impolite.

But by this point, Qian Dajiang had to speak regardless, for that Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator was staring at them.

He let out a light sigh, stepped forward, and handed over the exquisite brocade bag.

Just as he was about to speak, Ran Lingyao, upon seeing the brocade bag, seemed to already understand.

Instantly her eyes reddened, and tears fell like pearls from a broken string.

Qian Dajiang haltingly gave a rough account of the matter.

After he finished, Ran Lingyao broke down completely into tears, recalling the days she had depended on her grandfather, and threw herself into Liu Tianhong's embrace.

"Master!"

In fact, after she entered the Qingzong Sect, she had known that such a day would come.

She just hadn't expected it to come so suddenly.

Liu Tianhong's stern expression softened as she embraced Ran Lingyao and sighed lightly; every cultivator will at some point experience such things.

She gently patted Ran Lingyao's back and looked toward Yunhe and the other.

"Lingyao is my disciple from the Artifact Pavilion; she owes you a favor, so I, as her teacher, will repay it."

She paused, then continued:

"If you two have any requests, just let me know."

Yunhe and Qian Dajiang exchanged a glance.

To be honest, they had come to deliver the item for Old Man Ran both because it was on the way and because they shared a decent friendship with him; they had never expected to receive a favor for free.

However, given their personalities, they wouldn't refuse something offered to their door.

Of course, the premise is to keep things within proper bounds.

After all, this favor isn't a big deal.

Qian Dajiang spoke first, saying, "Senior, I—"

"Please wait a moment."

Who would have thought Liu Tianhong would reach out and stop him, leaving Qian Dajiang puzzled.

But after all, she is a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, and they are still at her sect's mountain gate, so Qian Dajiang gave an embarrassed laugh and stepped aside.

"This Master of Ran Lingyao truly has a peculiar temperament."

Yunhe secretly clicked his tongue.

Noticing the gaze directed at him, he immediately gave a respectful salute.

"Senior, I wish to find a field within Qingshan City with relatively abundant spiritual energy to raise spirit bees."

Before coming, Yunhe had already looked into this.

Within Qingshan City, so many cultivators have gathered that there is no unclaimed land left.

Many spirit fields and plots have been taken over by various big and small clans.

A loose cultivator like him, if he wants to earn spirit stones by raising bees or farming, can only, like in the River Stream Market, sign contracts with these clans and turn over a set proportion of the yearly harvest.

This proportion is often as high as fifty percent, or even more!

So he set his sights on the Qingzong Sect.

Even if he had to work for hire, he would try to work for a powerful faction.

At least the spiritual qi of the green mountains where the Qingzong Sect resides is richer, and the profit from spirit honey is certainly greater as well.

Originally, the idea was to get to know Ran Lingyao and then gradually exploit her connections; now that her master is so straightforward, Yunhe naturally brought it up.

Actually, Yunhe could also approach Ma Boyuan, believing that Ma Boyuan would not only not refuse, but might even reduce his taxes.

But toward the Ma Family, he has an innate sense of distance.

It's not for any other reason; it's simply because his storage bag contains Ma Shaoyuan's "talisman treasure".

Oh?

Liu Tianhong raised her eyebrows slightly.

Even a cultivator whose Cultivation Base has reached late Qi Refining still has to continue as a spirit bee farmer?

That's really rare.

"This matter is handled by the Disciplinary Office. Never mind, I'll go ask the Disciplinary Office's steward for you later."

"Thank you, senior." Yunhe said sincerely.

Liu Tianhong then glanced at Qian Dajiang beside her, seeing his restrained demeanor, and with his large build, it really was somewhat funny.

She couldn't help but chuckle and asked:

"Are you a Daoist from Yunqing Temple?"

Qian Dajiang startled, then hastily replied: "Yes, yes."

"Come up with me."

Speaking, she brought the sorrow‑immersed Ran Lingyao onto the Azure Mystic Boat.

Qian Dajiang scratched the back of his head, still hesitating, but when Liu Tianhong's gaze fell on him again, he frightenedly hurried after her.

Watching the three depart, Yunhe pressed his lips together.

"It seems Qian Dajiang wasn't talking nonsense; the Yunqing Temple and the Qingzong Sect must have some connection."

In the evening.

"Until we confirm the Ma Family's influence in Qingshan City and the Qingzong Sect, the Red‑backed Arrow‑winged Vulture should remain hidden."

Yunhe, sitting on the inn bed, woke from his cultivation.

He had considered asking Liu Tianhong to help him craft a Spiritual Artifact using the Red‑backed Arrow‑winged Vulture as the main material.

But this idea was nipped in the bud as soon as it arose.

The favor owed by Ran Lingyao is essentially a free gain; if he used this favor to make excessive demands, it would show he is somewhat out of touch with the times.

After moving his muscles a bit, Yunhe sat at the desk, preparing to draw talismans.

Over the years, he has never abandoned the Way of Talismans.

These days, on the path of talismans, he has also achieved modest success and can now draw mid‑grade first‑rank talismans.

This is mainly thanks to his Cultivator Body and Demon Beast Body working together.

However, the volume of the Introduction to Talisman Arts he originally obtained was only the upper part; although it also contains some mid‑grade talismans, most are auxiliary, such as the "Little Cloud‑Rain Talisman" and the "Spirit‑Bud Growth Technique" used by spirit farmers, etc.

Fortunately, there is a Diamond Talisman as a fallback; otherwise, Yunhe would still have to worry about finding a talisman manual.

"If Spirit Stones run low, we can temporarily sell some Diamond Talismans to tide us over."

The demand for Diamond Talismans in the market is still quite good.

After all, it is one of the few defensive talismans among mid‑grade talismans.

For the vast majority of cultivators, offensive means may be lacking, but defensive means cannot be lacking.

Preserving life is forever the cultivator's top priority.

"Done!"

As the sky gradually darkened, Yunhe set down his Talisman Pen, his face faintly pleased.

Although he can now draw mid‑grade talismans, the success rate has always been a bit lacking; today, however, his luck was good, and he succeeded on the very first attempt.

Thump‑thump! Thump‑thump!

Just as he put away the talisman, the room door began to ring.

"Yunhe! Yunhe!"

From outside the door came Qian Dajiang's somewhat excited voice.

Open the door.

Qian Dajiang's outfit, which he had been wearing for who knows how long, the worn‑out Daoist robe fell away, replaced by a light‑blue long robe; although he still looked bulky, it added a touch of cultivator aura.

"This is." Looking at Qian Dajiang's clothes, Yunhe blinked, then said nervously and unexpectedly: "Qingzong Sect disciple's attire?"

"Heh." Qian Dajiang chuckled somewhat proudly, "Come in and speak, come in and speak."

The two entered.

After Qian Dajiang's embellished explanation, Yunhe finally understood the original situation.

It turns out Qian Dajiang actually bowed into the Qingzong Sect, becoming a registered disciple of a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator!

That's not the real surprise; what truly startled Yunhe was that Qian Dajiang had actually entered the Pill Pavilion!

The Equipment Pavilion refines equipment; the Pill Pavilion refines pills.

"Can you refine pills?"

He wore a face of disbelief.

It's not that he doesn't believe Qian Dajiang; rather, in the three years in Hongye City, he had never seen Qian Dajiang refine pills.

Upon hearing this, Qian Dajiang's eyes widened.

"What nonsense?!"

"As a poor Daoist, have you ever seen a Daoist who can't refine pills?"

Yunhe also said nothing, just looking at him.

"Cough cough, not talking about that." Qian Dajiang, who felt a bit uneasy under his gaze, hurriedly avoided eye contact, "I'm here to tell you some good news."

"Good news?"

"The Servant Steward has permitted you to open up a plot on Green Mountain for beekeeping, and."

Upon hearing this, Yunhe's eyes lit up.

This is indeed good news.

Being able to keep bees and collect spirit honey, in this Qingshan City he can now consider himself to have a foothold.

"Furthermore, you are allowed to join the Qingzong Sect as a Servant Disciple, with a period of twenty years."

"Servant Disciple?"

Yunhe was slightly taken aback.

A great sect like the Qingzong Sect has relatively strict recruitment for disciples.

For loose cultivators who have taken up the path midway, most hold the principle of preferring not to accept rather than accept indiscriminately, because loose cultivators lack a sense of belonging to the sect.

However, as a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he should have some merit.

Moreover, a Servant Disciple is not like a Formal Disciple or an Inner Door Disciple.

Next, Yunhe also thought of the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a Servant Disciple.

The drawback is obvious: joining the sect means losing one's free status.

But the twenty-year limit, while perhaps long for other Qi Refining cultivators, is barely within his acceptable range given that he now possesses a four-hundred-year lifespan.

As for the benefits, they are equally clear.

First, joining the sect equals having protection; facing many forces, one gains some confidence, which is something most loose cultivators dream of.

However, compared to protection, what Yunhe values more is the sect's resources.

Let's not talk about basic resources like spirit stones.

Simply the sect's vast collection of techniques, spells, secret arts, and classics is enough to make him envious.

"The Gold Water Element Classic" — Yunhe had actually wanted to exchange for it earlier, but the technique is too expensive, and he lacks a connection, so it has been put on hold.

Besides that, he also has many shortcomings in spells.

Moreover, the various classics recording information on demon beasts, spiritual plants, cultivation world anecdotes, geography, etc., are also things he wishes to browse and understand.

Yunhe fell into deep thought.

(End of Chapter)