Chapter 39: Soul-Returning Pill

"Leaving this place?"

Fang Xing was slightly taken aback: "Is your travel money enough, Madam?"

Qinglin Market was established by the Profound Heaven Sect for the purpose of reclaiming the Great Wilderness; its location is deep within the wilderness, surrounded by danger on all sides.

Aside from the Profound Heaven Sect's own flying boat merchant fleets that arrive periodically, there is simply no other way to leave.

It is relatively easy for rogue cultivators to come to Qinglin Market, but to leave, the boat fare alone is extremely expensive.

"By selling off the family assets, I can always scrape enough together."

Shen Yuxin replied indifferently, but her tone was very firm, clearly having planned this long ago.

Now that their Five Righteous Ones of Cangshan are not only destined to fall apart but have also deeply offended the Xun Xun Heihu Gang, they might not even dare to step outside the market in the future; staying here is merely walking into a death trap!

The only way out is to leave!

"Here is a spirit stone, consider it a funeral gift; please do not think it too little..."

Fang Xing thought for a moment and took out a low-grade spirit stone.

"This... how can I accept this?"

Shen Yuxin's eyes reddened further, her voice choked with sobs: "After so many years as sworn siblings, it turns out we aren't even as good as Brother Fang, a neighbor I've only known for a few days. Heh, loyalty..."

However, she was a woman of keen intelligence. After thanking him, she led Fang Xing to the back hall: "My husband's and my family assets are all here. If there is anything Brother Fang fancies, feel free to take it..."

Fang Xing giving such a heavy gift was, in fact, for this very purpose.

He glanced over and saw that the "family assets" of Meng Yi and his wife were actually not much: just a few weapons, five secret manuals, and some miscellaneous items like pills, talismans, and medicinal herbs.

"Eh? There is actually a 'Phantom Heart Orchid'?"

Fang Xing pointed at the orchid that had just been picked, his tone surprised.

"This item was obtained by my husband and me at the risk of our lives. If Brother Fang wants it, take it for ten spirit stones..." Shen Yuxin replied. If she had these ten spirit stones, plus their usual savings, buying two boat tickets would be enough.

Although she and her son did not fear the Xun Xun Heihu Gang within the market, how could there be a reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days?

Naturally, the sooner they left, the better.

"Ten spirit stones? That is not considered expensive... It just so happens I am practicing Wu Gong and am missing a 'Soul-Returning Pill'..."

Fang Xing sighed, took out ten spirit stones, and held the Phantom Heart Orchid in his hand.

A single low-grade spirit stone is only the size of a fingernail, and many can fit into a small money pouch.

But these ten spirit stones were quite rare among rogue cultivators.

Even Shen Yuxin couldn't help but look at Fang Xing twice more, but she didn't say anything else and readily completed the transaction.

"Got it!"

Leaving Shen Yuxin's house, a smile curled at the corners of Fang Xing's mouth.

It might seem redundant to buy another Phantom Heart Orchid when he already had one, but in reality, it was vastly different.

At the very least, the origin of the Phantom Heart Orchid in his hand was now "whitewashed."

It was not snatched from the jaws of the Xun Xun Heihu Gang but purchased; no matter how arrogant and domineering the Xun Xun Heihu Gang was, they couldn't easily find trouble with him over this.

As for the Phantom Heart Orchid, who knew how many stalks Shen Yuxin had sold him?

Once this mother and son left, it would become a matter of "dead men tell no tales."

Green Pill Workshop.

"This guest..."

A maid with a charming smile greeted him, but Fang Xing ignored her directly: "Is Miss Xiao Rui in?"

"Xiao Rui, I'll go call her right away..." The maid's smile stiffened slightly.

A moment later, Xiao Rui came before Fang Xing: "This guest, are you the one who wanted to purchase a Soul-Returning Pill last time?"

Her memory was quite good; she actually still recognized Fang Xing.

"Correct, I wonder if the shop has any in stock?"

Fang Xing inquired.

"I am truly sorry, the Soul-Returning Pill is still out of stock..." Xiao Rui offered an apologetic smile.

"Oh? But I recently acquired a stalk of 'Phantom Heart Orchid'; what if I commission a batch to be refined?" He spoke up again.

"The guest truly has good fortune to be able to purchase a Phantom Heart Orchid?" Xiao Rui was slightly surprised, then smiled: "If you commission the refining, that is naturally no problem... The guest provides the 'Phantom Heart Orchid,' and the shop prepares the auxiliary materials. If successful, you can obtain fifty percent of the pills... If it fails, no additional spirit stones need to be paid."

Fang Xing frowned slightly, feeling that this shop was a bit of a rip-off.

But there was no help for it; other private alchemists were even worse, and their craftsmanship wasn't great either.

"Please rest assured, guest. The success rate of our shop's alchemist in refining Soul-Returning Pills has already exceeded seventy percent..."

Seeming to notice Fang Xing's hesitation, Xiao Rui said immediately.

"Forget it, let's just do it like this..."

Fang Xing took out a Heart-Illusion Orchid, preparing to give it a try.

After all, he still had one more in his possession, so he wasn't very panicked.

Even if this shop was running a black-hearted scam, it would at least let him see the true reputation of these market shops clearly.

Anyway, when the time came later, there would always be a day of reckoning!

After strolling around the market, Fang Xing returned to his shack.

Just as he was about to open the door, he suddenly froze, because quite a few people had appeared at the entrance of Widow Shen's home.

These people were all fierce and menacing, with tiger heads embroidered on their chests; one look and they were clearly from the Xun Xun Heihu Gang.

"Where did the woman and child who lived here go?"

The leader spoke with a vicious tone and glared at Fang Xing.

"Widow Shen's husband died, and it's said she's taking her child to leave Qinglin Market..."

Fang Xing trembled all over, appearing very frightened, and sold Shen Yuxin out directly.

"Gone, that's smart. Let's go!"

This group of Xun Xun Heihu Gang members seemed to have already interrogated other neighbors, and having confirmed it thoroughly this time, they left immediately in a huff.

"Sure enough, when it comes to gang members, killing one for every one you meet is basically never wrong..."

Fang Xing closed the door and shook his head.

With his current strength lacking, he naturally needed to endure.

When the day came later that he could crush this place, he could do as he pleased; this was also his Martial Way!

Although Xia Long had also spoken of the Martial Way spirit—about the weak throwing punches at the stronger—Fang Xing didn't really care for it.

His Martial Way was simply to become stronger, to protect himself, and only then, with the ability to protect himself, to do what he could.

★￠o

"Practice punches, practice punches!"

Fang Xing stewed a full pot of spiritual rice for himself and began to practice the Great Dragon Stake again.

By midnight, a knock on the door suddenly came.

"Hmm? Who is it again?"

He was somewhat impatient, leaned over to the door crack to look, and couldn't help but freeze.

After thinking for a moment, he still pulled the door open.

He saw a woman with peach-blossom cheeks and apricot eyes, curved willow eyebrows, and a seductive, charming air walk in as a fragrant breeze passed.

She carried the aura of a mature woman, like a plump and sweet honey peach; she was none other than the second of the Five Righteous of Cangshan—Hua Feiyue.

"Miss Hua... no, Fellow Daoist Hua, we meet again."

Fang Xing had only met Hua Feiyue once, so he acted very coldly: "I wonder what brings you here?"

"Ji Ji Weiwei Brother Fang, this concubine just came to see the fifth sister. I didn't expect the fifth sister to have already left. She truly is a person who understands the situation..."

Hua Feiyue's breathing was slightly unstable; clearly, her injuries had not fully recovered.

"Miss Shen didn't go into detail, only saying that Brother Meng met with an accident while gathering herbs, and as a lone orphan and widow, she didn't know how the Five Righteous of Cangshan would arrange things..."

Fang Xing rambled on, saying some things about what Shen Yuxin had done today.

"Leaving? That's fine too... The Five Righteous of Cangshan—from now on, in Qinglin Market, this name no longer exists!"

Hua Feiyue revealed a bitter smile, then her bright eyes gazed at Fang Xing: "Ji Ji Weiwei Brother Fang is upright and brave; this sister admires you very much. If you have leisure in the future, you can come to Number 66, Yi-character, to sit for a while..."

She bowed gracefully and retreated slowly.

Fang Xing, however, had a somewhat strange expression: "It's impossible for this woman to have taken a fancy to me after meeting twice... Is she in private contact with Shen Yuxin and coming to test me again? Or... is she really preparing to wash her hands of the business and stop doing work that involves licking blood off a blade? But for a market warrior, if you don't do this, how can you survive?"

Originally, being a herb gatherer was extremely dangerous, and now with the beast tide rampant, the situation was ten times more difficult!

For warriors without savings, it was even more so.

'I've heard that many female warriors with decent looks, in addition to their daily work, also have to do the work of a "half-hidden door" to supplement their household expenses...'

Fang Xing touched his chin, lost in thought.

Three days later.

"This is the 'Soul-Returning Pill'?"

Fang Xing picked up a jade bottle and poured out a pill.

This pill was emerald green all over, yet carried a strange, spicy scent.

He had waited two days and went to the Green Pill Workshop. Fortunately, the other party did not break their promise, telling him the refining was successful, with a total of four bottles of pills produced.

According to the original agreement, they divided two bottles to him.

"Actually... who knows what that alchemist's true success rate is? But being able to provide the pills, this reputation is already considered not bad; one cannot ask for too much... Who let the bottom lines of people in this world be so flexible?"

Fang Xing shook his head, preparing to test the effect of this hard-won 'Soul-Returning Pill'.

He sat cross-legged, his heart lake as calm as an ancient well, and tried to enter a meditative state again.

Immediately, he silently visualized the realm of 'A blade in hand, neither ghost nor god remains'.

In an instant, his originally clear heart lake suddenly rippled with a large number of waves, the originally clear lake water turned entirely black, and countless thoughts transformed into faces of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness that emerged...

'Just meditating is already this troublesome... If it were a true inner demon, how terrifying would it be?'

Fang Xing sighed in his heart, his hands moving quickly as he swallowed a 'Soul-Returning Pill'.

As the spicy taste spread across his tongue, he suddenly felt his mind clear up.

The many distracting thoughts that had originally emerged were actually suppressed in an instant.

Even... he felt as if he could 'look inside' every part of his body, seeing his tendons, bones, internal organs... and even the most minute places!

'Could it be... that this is the "spiritual sense" of a cultivator?'

In this state of 'absolute control', Fang Xing successfully collected his mind, passed the first hurdle of mastering the 'Ghost-God Blade', and then began to hypnotize himself, making his own spirit gradually become 'like a ghost, like a god'!

This kind of hypnosis was not simple hypnosis, but truly causing his own spiritual traits to change.

It even triggered the enormous potential buried deep within his physical body!

"Blade in hand, slaughtering ghosts, killing gods, fighting ghosts and gods... all in a single thought!"

Fang Xing's mind stirred, a hundred-refined steel blade fell into his hand, and his whole body suddenly leaped up, slashing out a blade: "Slaughtering ghosts!"

Chi!

Like lightning appearing in an empty room!

A bright blade light suddenly appeared in the void!

"True Qi released, transforming into blade light!"

Fang Xing sheathed his blade and stood, his eyes slightly bright: "This is of course not me ascending to the Primordial Realm, but finally mastering the 'Ghost-God Blade', possessing Primordial-level combat power!"