Chapter 33: A Chaotic World (Combined)

The night was deep and the surroundings were silent; all was still.

Within the shantytown of Qingyun Street.

Xu Feng was smug and satisfied, clutching his Spirit Stones, his mood exceptionally pleasant.

Ever since the Xu Family took control of this Longmen Market, the illicit gains he could scrape together were more than three or four times what they used to be.

In his view, these loose cultivators in the shantytown were nothing but a pack of mongrels.

Mongrels were meant to be exploited.

The only thing he found rather annoying was having to stand guard on this Qingyun Street from time to time to prevent unrest.

Especially with the Baigu Sect running rampant lately, which added a bit of danger.

Xu Feng planned to return to the family once he had saved up thirty Middle-grade Spirit Stones.

In a trance, a strange human figure appeared ahead.

"Who goes there?!"

Xu Feng raised an eyebrow and shouted sharply.

The figure swayed unsteadily, looking as if it might fall over at any moment.

The next instant, the strange figure suddenly appeared right in front of Xu Feng.

Xu Feng's eyes widened abruptly, filled with terror.

He saw that the figure's facial features were twisted, its eyes hollow and lifeless, its face covered in black blood, and between its teeth were bits of flesh still attached to fascia.

"Alienated?!"

Xu Feng was horrified, but his palm gathered Qi and struck out toward the person in front.

"Thump!"

With his full strength exerted.

This palm strike punched a hole directly through the chest of the person opposite him.

But the person did not fall; instead, it opened its blood-stained maw and swallowed Xu Feng's head whole.

"Ah---!"

Xu Feng struggled desperately, his hands flailing with Qi, eventually blasting the person into bloody pulp, but that giant mouth remained clamped tightly onto his skull.

This scene looked extremely bizarre and terrifying.

"Swish!"

Just then, another figure drifted over.

The person was thin, wearing a veil that obscured their features, their grey robes worn but very neat, and in their slender hands, they held an ancient-looking long sword.

If Lou Qinghe had been there, he would certainly have recognized this ancient sword.

It was unclear when the sword was swung, but it seemed as if invisible sword Qi surged out.

"Swish!"

Xu Feng's entire head was severed as if by an invisible blade.

Then his whole body began to shatter, turning into small, uniform chunks of flesh, and these chunks continued to disintegrate and break apart as they fell.

By the time they hit the ground, they had turned into a puddle of murky blood, with no trace of what he had been before.

"This way, you are no longer a danger..."

The person took two steps forward, picked up Xu Feng's Storage Bag, and with a leap, vanished from the spot.

On the other side of the street, a patrol of loose cultivators walked at a leisurely pace.

Ever since the alienation became increasingly severe, the Xu Family had organized personnel, requiring five cultivators per team to patrol every street of Qingyun Street each night.

Once anything unusual was discovered, they were to signal immediately.

And today was Lou Qinghe's turn to patrol.

Besides him, there were Qiao Li, Qiu Qingxin, Fang Zu, and Yu Tonghai, three other loose cultivators from Qingyun Street.

Among them, Qiu Qingxin and Fang Zu were both at Qi Refining Third Layer, bottom-tier loose cultivators of Qingyun Street who lived very meager lives.

Yu Tonghai, at Qi Refining Level 6, was responsible for the ten acres of Spirit Fields the Xu Family had on Qingyun Street; he was considered to be doing relatively well and had very extensive connections on Qingyun Street.

Yu Tonghai looked at the plump Qiao Li in front and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Qiao, you've been living on this Qingyun Street for a while now, how does it feel?"

Qiao Li curled her lips, "It's all the same; everywhere is just about scraping a living."

Yu Tonghai said, "That's different. The East side is much safer and more prosperous than our West side, and the hygiene fees are a few tiers higher too."

Qingyun Street and Baiyu Market both belonged to the west side of the city outskirts, far from the Outer City and also quite far from the Spirit Vein of Huangshi City, so one rarely saw any decent cultivators there.

As for the outskirts of the East City, they were closest to the Outer City, and occasionally, Foundation Establishment cultivators would patrol there.

Qiu Qingxin also chimed in, "The East side is much safer."

In this world, safety was more important than anything else.

Qiao Li said irritably, "When I was at East Gate Market, I was responsible for slaughtering pigs, and coming to Qingyun Market, I'm still slaughtering pigs. You tell me, what's the difference?"

"Slaughtering pigs every day, I'm already sick of it."

By the end, Qiao Li couldn't help but complain.

Yu Tonghai chuckled and said, "Why don't we team up and live together? Maybe life would be easier."

"I think that sounds pretty good." "Fellow Daoist Yu is only one step away from reaching the Late Stage of Qi Refining; he certainly wouldn't let Fellow Daoist Qiao suffer."

Fang Zu and Qiu Qingxin also teased from the side.

Qiao Li raised her willow-leaf eyebrows and said, "You only know how to take advantage of me. I've been slaughtering pigs for so many years, my heart is as cold as my knife. Do you believe I'll slaughter you like a pig?"

Yu Tonghai continued to tease, "How cold Fellow Daoist Qiao's heart really is, I'd like to see."

Qiao Li scolded with a laugh, "Go away! Patrol properly!"

Lou Qinghe walked at the back, calculating secretly in his heart.

Recently, there had been many cases of loose cultivators alienating on Shili Street, giving him a faint sense of danger.

He couldn't help but think of the tragic destruction of the Taiyi Sect; it had already been several years.

Now, the members of the Taiyi Sect were either dead or had fled, scattered across various safety zones. He wondered if there were any experts from the Taiyi Sect within this Huangshi Safety Zone.

Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the night sky.

The few of them were all jolted awake.

"Go take a look, quickly!"

Yu Tonghai shouted sharply.

Lou Qinghe felt a shock in his heart and followed behind the others.

The five of them rushed toward the source of the sound, and when they saw the scene before them, their expressions changed drastically.

On the ground lay two corpses, one already alienated, the other reduced to chunks of flesh.

"Signal! Signal now--!"

Yu Tonghai said in a choked voice.

"Whoosh!"

Fang Zu scrambled to send out the signal.

Following the signal, the experts stationed by the Xu Family soon arrived.

Everyone then discovered that the dead person was none other than the Xu Family deacon, Xu Feng.

"He was a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator."

"I never expected it to be him!"

"This is too dangerous."

Seeing this scene, everyone felt a chill creep into their hearts.

No one expected that this cultivator, who was only one step away from the Late Stage of Qi Refining, would die just like that.

This undoubtedly cast a shadow over the hearts of the loose cultivators on Qingyun Street.

Especially since no one knew when they might alienate next.

Immediately, the loose cultivators present became suspicious and wary of one another.

The Xu Family members also looked extremely grim.

Afterward, the crowd dispersed, each with an exceptionally heavy heart.

"It really is getting more and more dangerous."

Lou Qinghe returned home, filled with worry. Thinking of Xu Feng's tragic state, he thought, "I'd better swallow a few Quhua Pills first."

Saying this, he took out a few Quhua Pills and placed them in his mouth.

Once the warmth dissipated, Lou Qinghe set up the Spirit Gathering Array and then took out a Spirit Gathering Pill.

The current environment was becoming increasingly dangerous, and to survive, cultivation was the top priority.

If he could reach the Late Stage of Qi Refining, he wouldn't need to fear the alienation of loose cultivators.

Thinking of this, Lou Qinghe took a deep breath and prepared to go into seclusion to cultivate.

Excluding time for eating and sleeping, he could perform twenty cycles a day, and one cycle could increase his proficiency by six points, meaning he could reach Qi Refining Level 5 in less than two months.

Days passed, one by one.

Aside from routine patrols, Lou Qinghe cultivated at home, not wasting a single moment.

More than fifty days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Lou Qinghe finished his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes.

"Finally reached Qi Refining Level 5. I feel the Qi sea in my body has become much broader."

In about half a year, he had improved from Qi Refining Level 2 to Level 5; this speed was already considered extremely fast.

He looked at the panel, which had already changed.

【Name: Lou Qinghe】

【Lifespan: 28/67】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 4 (3/7200)】

【Spirit Root: Middle-Low Grade Fire Spirit Root】

【Mental Method: Shangqing Taixu Art (Second Layer 149/200)】

【Alchemy: Huiqi Pill LV4 (18/200); Healing Pill LV2 (7/50); Juqi Pill LV3 (64/100); Quhua Pill LV2 (26/50)】

【Spells: Fire Control Technique LV5 (61/10000); Basic Evasion Technique LV4 (122/400); Yijian Sect Sword Control Technique LV5 (21/1000); Ghost Control Technique LV2 (61/200); Back-light Flying Needle LV4 (3/400); Spirit Control Art LV1 (53/100)】

【Alienation Degree: 29%.】

【Hidden Value: 99%. (Obtain Proficiency 99%)】

During this recent period, the number of surrounding loose cultivators alienating had increased; what was once an alienation event every half month had progressed to one every three or four days.

Fortunately, most alienations were discovered very quickly and then eliminated.

But this still left the loose cultivators of Qingyun Street in a state of panic.

Besides this, the Baigu Sect had invaded on a large scale several times, and several markets on the outskirts of Huangshi City had been bloodied by the Baigu Sect.

Countless loose cultivators had died in these successive upheavals.

Afterward, in order to stabilize public sentiment, the Huangshi Sect directly dispatched several Foundation Establishment cultivators and two Golden Core ancestors to continuously search for the whereabouts of the Baigu Sect.

After searching for half a month, the two Golden Core ancestors used thunderous means to kill two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Baigu Sect, which finally made the situation slightly more stable.

But even ordinary loose cultivators knew that this was merely the Baigu Sect and the Huangshi Sect testing each other.

The real storm had yet to arrive.

"Squeak--!"

At this moment, a tiny sound reached Lou Qinghe's ears.

He saw a mouse with purple fur rubbing against his palm, carrying a hint of intimacy and fawning.

This was the mouse that had hatched from the beast egg back then.

Lou Qinghe had found this Spirit Beast in the Spirit Beast Atlas: a First-Grade Spirit Beast, the Fragrant Seeking Mouse.

Although it was a First-Grade Spirit Beast, it was extremely rare.

The Fragrant Seeking Mouse was extremely timid and often lived underground, so it was highly sensitive to Spirit Stones and medicinal herbs; previously, it had even been used by cultivators to find mineral veins.

Precisely because of this, a large number of cultivators hunted the Fragrant Seeking Mouse, causing its numbers to plummet and making it a scarce Spirit Beast.

Lou Qinghe took out a Low-grade Spirit Stone.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

The Fragrant Seeking Mouse's eyes lit up, and it held the Spirit Stone with its two paws, putting it into its mouth and gnawing on it in big bites.

Once it was full and satisfied, it collapsed to the side and fell into a deep sleep.

Lou Qinghe tidied up a bit and slowly pushed open the door.

There were very few loose cultivators on the road, making it seem somewhat empty.

The atmosphere on Qingyun Street had become extremely gloomy, as if a mountain were pressing down on everyone's hearts.

Lou Qinghe walked toward the Spirit Creek, the cold wind hitting his face like a knife.

At this moment, on the river surface, a thin figure was using a fish spear to catch fish, their movements very practiced.

Pei Siyu looked up and happened to see Lou Qinghe standing on the bank.

"You, why did you come?"

Lou Qinghe said, "It's late, let's go back."

Pei Siyu bit her lip, "I haven't caught any fish these past two days; I want to catch one before going back."

Lou Qinghe said sternly, "No, it's getting dark!"

"..... Oh."

Pei Siyu saw Lou Qinghe's expression, held her fish spear and net, and slowly walked up.

The biting cold made her body shiver involuntarily.

"Let's go, hurry back."

Lou Qinghe transferred his own Qi to Pei Siyu.

Pei Siyu lowered her head, feeling the warmth being transmitted into her body.

The two walked toward home.

"Fellow Daoist Pei, Fellow Daoist Shengkui, you two come quickly."

Before they even reached the door, they saw Qiao Li greeting them with a panicked expression.

Seeing this, Lou Qinghe couldn't help but ask, "Has something happened?"

"A huge matter."

Qiao Li took a deep breath and said, "The Xu Family has left Longmen Market, and their properties have all been sold off cheaply."

"What!?"

Hearing this, Lou Qinghe showed a look of astonishment.

Longmen Market was an industry the Xu Family had struggled to snatch from the Zhou Family; now they were just giving it up?

What on earth had happened?!

"The hygiene fees won't need to be paid anymore, but of course, no one is protecting us either."

Qiao Li gave a bitter laugh, "The hearts of the loose cultivators on Qingyun Street are in chaos; everyone is now at Fellow Daoist Yu's house discussing the way forward. I just came to notify you."

"Alright, let's go together."

Lou Qinghe nodded.

At Yu Tonghai's house.

At this moment, dozens of loose cultivators were gathered together; they were all loose cultivators from Qingyun Street, and even if they didn't know each other, they had all seen one another.

When Lou Qinghe and Pei Siyu walked in, they didn't attract much attention.

After all, the two of them were bottom-tier loose cultivators on Qingyun Street, people who lived very stable lives, and no bad rumors had ever been heard about them.

Lou Qinghe saw Yu Zhijing and nodded slightly to acknowledge him.

Yu Zhijing bowed reluctantly, seemingly unwilling to pay him much mind.

Lou Qinghe didn't care, his expression remaining as usual.

"I think everyone from Qingyun Street is here, so I won't waste words."

Yu Tonghai took a deep breath, scanned the crowd, and said, "The outskirts of the city are extremely dangerous now, not only with the harassment of the Baigu Sect but also the crisis of a large number of loose cultivators alienating. The Xu Family has sold off all their assets once and for all and recalled all their experts to the Outer City."

"However, we cannot leave; the Outer City is not a place for loose cultivators like us without backing to enter."

Hearing this, everyone sighed.

Fang Zu said gloomily, "Even if I refine talismans for a lifetime, I can't afford an Outer City immortal registration."

This was the inner thought of all loose cultivators.

It was simply too difficult for them to move into the Outer City.

Lou Qinghe also frowned secretly; the Outer City immortal registration was too expensive. Although he had twenty Middle-grade Spirit Stones, wanting to enter the Outer City was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

Yu Tonghai continued, "So, to prevent the chaos that follows, we loose cultivators must also be self-reliant."

Qiu Qingxin said bluntly, "Fellow Daoist Yu, if you have any ideas, just say them directly."

"Yes, Fellow Daoist Yu, you have the highest cultivation now, just speak your mind."

Others also chimed in.

Yu Tonghai nodded slightly and said, "I want to form a gang to protect Qingyun Street while also contending for Longmen Market."

Wow!

As Yu Tonghai's voice fell, whispers began to rise.

No one expected Yu Tonghai to want to take over Longmen Market.

In the current situation, it didn't look very peaceful.

Seeing many people hesitating, Yu Tonghai said, "There are four or five Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators on Shili Street who have already started preparing. If we don't act quickly, once the loose cultivators of Shili Street come over, we will be their prisoners and have to take orders from them."

"This matter is of great importance; this old man needs to consider it."

At this moment, an old cultivator from Qingyun Street, Feng Ziwu, spoke up.

Feng Ziwu's cultivation was also at Qi Refining Level 6, but he was nearing the end of his lifespan and could hardly advance any further; he just wanted to live out his last few years peacefully.

Following this, many loose cultivators were also wavering.

After all, everyone present knew clearly that Yu Tonghai had no small amount of ambition.

Yu Tonghai chuckled, "Alright, then I will wait for everyone to consider it clearly before speaking again."

Immediately, the crowd dispersed one after another.

On the way, a worried Qiao Li asked, "Fellow Daoist Pei, Fellow Daoist Shengkui, what do you two think?"

Lou Qinghe pondered for a moment and said, "I think it's better to get involved as little as possible."

The fact that the Xu Family gave up Longmen Market, which they had struggled to obtain, was enough to show the danger involved.

Pei Siyu didn't speak, seemingly in full agreement with Lou Qinghe's words.

Qiao Li sighed and said, "You're right, but it's good to have a big tree to lean on. If the forces on Qingyun Street were gathered together, they might be able to accomplish something, at the very least, protect a normal life..."

Previously, when the Xu Family controlled Qingyun Street, although they were quite exploitative, the loose cultivators at least felt they had something to rely on.

Now that the Xu Family had left, everyone felt like they had lost their backbone.

They were desperately trying to grab a straw in this chaotic world! ===== CHAPTER 34 =====