Chapter 38

The canyon entrance.

Fu Qing of the Black Tiger Gang wielded a tortoise-shell shield and a tiger-head blade, one defensive and one offensive, entangled with Wan Fenglin, who had summoned a dantian-shaped artifact.

Both were cultivators; Fu Qing was of higher realm, but Wan Fenglin, as a alchemist, was wealthy—he had already used the “Dantian Thunder,” yet now pulled out a stack of top-grade Rank One talismans. Countless talismans flared with light, transforming into wind blades, golden arrows, and giant boulders, firmly restraining Fu Qing—and he still looked relaxed.

“Third brother, today I shall purge the sect.”

Chen Yi glanced at the battlefield, his face dark as thunder, a green wind blade materializing in his hand.

“Big brother, we’ve been brothers our whole lives—do you really mean to kill us all?”

Chen Hongtian roared, frantically pouring his primordial qi into a defense talisman, and the two clashed fiercely.

Generally, a primordial expert matched only a beginner-level qi-refining cultivator; only the pinnacle primordial experts could barely rival mid-stage qi-refining cultivators.

Thus Chen Hongtian knew he was no match for his brother—his only goal now was to delay.

Hua Feiyue and Meng Yi, Shen Yuxin, lying on the ground, channeled primordial qi to expel poison while watching the battle, their faces filled with confusion.

How… how did things turn like this?

How had the situation developed so?

Third brother betrayed them, and big brother had kept them all in the dark…

Meng Yi felt his heart pierced by knives; Hua Feiyue frowned, pondering whether she could survive.

None noticed that above the canyon, where the mist had cleared, a falcon had appeared—unseen until now.

It circled twice, then dove like a black arrow.

Swoosh!

In the next instant, the falcon reached the lakeside, its talons snatching up a “Illusion Heart Orchid.”

“You damned beast!”

Master Wan Dan nearly burst into rage at the sight.

But Fu Qing stood right across—he couldn’t break away, and the falcon flew too fast, too far… all the cultivators could only watch helplessly as it vanished.

Boom!

The next moment, though still enemies, all the cultivators moved instinctively toward the canyon’s interior.

After all their effort to secure the spoils, if some random beast stole them, they’d spit blood.

…

Qinglin Market.

Fang Xing carried a bamboo basket on his back, dressed like a herb-gatherer venturing out.

As a market resident, monthly rent was a burden; many primordial experts couldn’t survive here and had to sign indenture contracts to become tenant farmers on nearby spirit fields.

Those who stayed either had a special skill or were willing to risk their lives.

They often had to venture out to gather herbs or hunt demonic beasts.

“Living within the market has many advantages—not only safety and order, but also higher qi concentration… nourished by spirit qi, internal martial cultivation advances rapidly, and lifespan extends…”

Fang Xing had enough spirit stones to pay rent, but doing so constantly made him conspicuous.

Besides, the Illusion Heart Orchid was nearly ripe.

So he decided to visit the temporary camp.

Many spirit herbs recently gathered by the drone were stored there—he could retrieve them all at once.

At the market entrance, he saw many martial artists.

Most, like him, were dressed for mountain entry, some even with the grim resolve of facing death.

After all, demonic beast waves were rampant—venturing deep into the Wilds was playing with fire.

“Sigh… Song the Fourth is gone too…”

Seeing several martial artists carry back a corpse, those around them all looked somber.

At that moment, a martial artist spotted Fang Xing and approached: “Young brother, you’re also a herb-gatherer? You know how much more dangerous the outside has become? Countless demonic beasts sensed the dense human presence here and have migrated toward Qinglin Mountain—they’ve turned this place into a hunting ground…”

“Sigh… what can we do?”

Fang Xing sighed: “The bigger the storm, the higher the fish price.”

“True! Wise words!” The martial artist’s eyes lit up: “How about we team up?”

“No need.”

Fang Xing waved him off, his expression cold and distant, then used his body technique to vanish swiftly into the dense forest.

With the drone’s aerial reconnaissance, his risk of danger was low—but not zero.

So he couldn’t afford to be careless.

Of course, Fang Xing didn’t need to go directly to the temporary camp.

He only needed to leave Qinglin Market, avoid prying eyes, then retrieve the drone’s bounty.

Strictly speaking, the danger was minimal.

He was gone for half an hour, then returned with a basket full of herbs.

To maintain his disguise, he’d layered the top with common roots; following the lesson from the pipe-smoking elder, he’d even masked the herbs’ scent.

As Fang Xing entered the market carrying the basket, he saw the martial artist who had spoken to him earlier—now a corpse, half his body missing.

“This… this is…”

“Sigh, their squad had bad luck—didn’t go far before encountering a ‘Fire-Element Jackal’…”

Listening to nearby martial artists’ murmurs and seeing the charred wounds on the corpse, Fang Xing shook his head.

“Huh? Didn’t you just leave?”

Another martial artist glanced at Fang Xing’s basket, saw the disguised plant roots, and sneered: “So you’re not gathering herbs—you’re digging up earth-potato roots to fill your belly?”

“Sigh, these times—spirit rice is gone, even regular rice is unaffordable.”

Fang Xing sighed and walked away under the crowd’s scornful stares.

…

Room Ding-57.

Fang Xing glanced over and saw the door next door still tightly shut.

Only when noise occurred did a single eye peer cautiously through the crack—like a pitiful little beast.

“Sigh… another poor kid…”

Fang Xing ignored Meng Zijin, closed his own door, and descended to the basement.

He tossed aside the top layer of earth-potato roots, revealing a full load of herbs inside.

Each single plant, if sold, would make primordial experts green with envy.

Especially that one “Illusion Heart Orchid!”

The orchid was breathtakingly beautiful, its stems, leaves, and petals glowing with a soft luminescence.

Just a light sniff made Fang Xing feel slightly dizzy, as if drunk.

“Definitely a fine item—if I take it to Qingdan Workshop for refining, obtaining a ‘Soul-Calming Pill’ won’t be a problem…”

“But this spirit herb was taken by force—Wan Dan and the Black Tiger Gang are still watching. Will Qingdan Workshop keep it secret for me?”

Though Qingdan Workshop had a good reputation, Fang Xing hesitated.

At that moment, he opened the surveillance log to check the aftermath involving Cangshan Five Righteous and Wan Dan, Fu Qing…

“Huh?”

On screen, Meng Yi was pierced through the chest by a tiger-head blade, yet shoved his wife Shen Yuxin hard.

In Shen Yuxin’s hand was a “Illusion Heart Orchid!”

“Hmm? This is a tangled mess.”

Fang Xing, after watching to the end, pieced together what happened.

Chen Yi had a backup plan—he hadn’t been poisoned. After Hua Feiyue and the others detoxified, they joined the battle.

Wan Fenglin was merely an alchemist, weak in combat; Chen Hongtian was only a primordial expert—they were overwhelmed and killed instantly by the remaining Four Righteous.

Seeing disaster looming, Wan Fenglin activated a survival talisman and escaped.

It seemed the victors were Fu Qing and the Cangshan Four Righteous—but during loot division, Chen Yi struck first, ambushing Fu Qing!

Hua Feiyue and the others had no choice but to join the fight; then Meng Yi was stabbed through the heart—dead beyond doubt.

Before dying, he created an opening for Shen Yuxin to flee with the spoils.

Fu Qing, already weakened by Wan Fenglin, then ambushed by Chen Yi, and surrounded by primordial experts, dared not linger—he grabbed the largest share of loot and fled.

A herb-gathering mission ended with two primordial experts dead.

The survivors were all wounded—what a horrific scene.

“Treasure hunting and exploration in the cultivation world is truly dangerous—I’ll avoid such pointless activities in the future…”

Fang Xing silently warned himself, then began steaming rice, cooking dishes, roasting meat…

With the market’s superior qi environment and supply of spirit rice and demonic beast meat, he trained daily.

And the constant rise in his attribute stats gave him the same thrill as leveling up in his past-life video games.

He couldn’t get enough.

…

Night.

Fang Xing was about to sleep when he heard a heart-wrenching cry from next door: “Dad… sob… I want Dad…”

“Meng Zijin? So they’re back? Slow as molasses…”

He turned over in bed: “Hmm, I’m being too demanding—they can’t fly back, and must avoid countless dangers along the way…”

Although he knew what had happened, showing up now would surely seem strange.

Thus, Fang Xing stretched lazily, waited three seconds, and summoned a silver glow to envelop himself.

He chose to return to Chu Ying Star to sleep!

It must be said that the Blue Star Federation’s law enforcement is quite good; apart from cultists of evil gods, daily life is very safe.

Living in such an environment, even sleeping here is more peaceful than in Qinglin Market.

If it weren’t for the abundant spiritual energy in the market, he would have stayed here indefinitely.

……

The next day.

Qinglin Market.

Fang Xing stepped out of his home and saw a long white banner erected outside the adjacent shed.

This is a local funeral custom: a white banner outside the door signifies that a family member has passed away.

He walked over and saw that the center of the shed had been turned into a makeshift altar, with a spirit tablet and funeral garments laid out.

Clearly, Meng Yi’s body had not been recovered.

After all, Shen Yuxin fled in such haste that one cannot expect more of her.

“Huh? What… what happened?”

Seeing this, Fang Xing was utterly shocked!

“My husband died while gathering spiritual herbs…,” Shen Yuxin replied calmly, her eyes slightly red as she wore mourning attire: “It’s just fate… I don’t wish to remain in this place of sorrow; I’ve already prepared to leave with Zijin.”

Shen Yuxin's eyes were slightly red; dressed in mourning attire, she answered calmly, "It's all fate... I don't wish to stay in this place of sorrow; I've already prepared to leave with Zijin."