Chapter 50: Elixir

"Are you the person from the Lijing Li family? The Li family by the side of Moon-Watching Lake?"

Ning Wan's red lips parted, and the expressions of those below changed, with secret discussions breaking out:

"How come I've never heard of this Lijing Li family? Are they worth the Envoy asking personally?"

"Who knows..."

Xiao Chuting also looked down, nodded at Li Tongya, and looked at Li Tongya with a light smile.

Li Tongya was startled at first. He raised his head slightly, catching a glimpse of Ning Wan's tender white skin beneath the veil and her clear, smooth jawline. He replied neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Reporting to the Envoy, I am Li Tongya of the Li family. My family's Lijing Mountain is right by Moon-Watching Lake."

"Then what is Li Chijing to you?"

Hearing this, Li Tongya's eyes lit up, and his heart settled. He knew that it was most likely Li Chijing who had put in a good word within the sect. He replied respectfully:

"He is my younger brother."

Ning Wan pursed her lips, raised her left hand, and a small brocade pouch flew out, landing slowly in Li Tongya's hand. She said softly:

"This is what your brother gave you."

"Many thanks, Fairy!"

Li Tongya hurriedly took it, and seeing the people around him looking at him with astonishment, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He was not a person who liked to show off, but he didn't want to become the focus of everyone's attention. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles and hurriedly expressed his thanks.

Ning Wan nodded at him and said something to Xiao Chuting beside her. The two laughed and chatted for a while, and everyone below had handed in their offerings.

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, all thirty-four families of Li Xia Prefecture are here!"

The handyman below counted everything and said loudly and respectfully to Ning Wan.

"Good."

Ning Wan nodded and said to Xiao Chuting:

"This junior still has official business to attend to. Since the offerings have been collected, I will not stay any longer."

"Safe journey, Envoy."

Xiao Chuting cupped his hands and watched with a smile as Ning Wan boarded the flying boat.

Watching the Rosy Cloud Boat slowly rise and disappear into the horizon to the east, Xiao Chuting turned his head to look at the crowd below and said indifferently:

"The old rules still apply. This Crown Cloud Market is the property of my Xiao family. Everyone, please give me some face. If anyone dares to fight, rob, or force sales in this market, it will be considered smashing my family's stall."

"Yes."

Everyone below responded and left the mountain one after another. A few people came up wanting to chat with Li Tongya. Wan Yuankai looked at him with envy and also wanted to speak, but he heard Xiao Chuting cough and smile:

"Little Friend Tongya, would you be willing to have a chat with this old man?"

The few people around stopped in their tracks, and Wan Yuankai hurriedly shut his mouth. Li Tongya hurriedly replied:

"Senior, you are too kind. It is this junior's good fortune to be able to talk to a great cultivator like you!"

Xiao Chuting laughed, brought Li Tongya into the main courtyard, and sat down by a bluestone table. Naturally, an attendant served clear tea. Xiao Chuting took a light sip and said softly:

"I don't come to this Crown Yunfeng often, so the hospitality is inevitably simple. Little friend, please don't mind."

Li Tongya took the teacup and took a light sip. He immediately felt a sweetness rise from the tip of his tongue, and his mind became clear. Resisting the urge to drink it all in one gulp, he hurriedly shook his head and repeatedly said he dared not.

"My grandson has been cultivating with your brother at Green Spike Peak for several years, and he has chatted with me a few times."

Xiao Chuting smiled and continued:

"Your brother is truly gifted in sword techniques. Peak Master Si Yuanbai calls him the best in Green Spike Peak in hundreds of years, and he treasures him dearly."

Li Tongya was born into a farming family, and in the village, they had always used tea bowls. Holding the tiny teacup, he felt a bit uncomfortable. Hearing this, he was stunned and replied with some pleasant surprise:

"Jie'er has never mentioned this to the family..."

"Your brother is a good child. Have you looked at that brocade pouch?"

Xiao Chuting looked at Li Tongya's appearance, a trace of nostalgia flashing in his eyes, as if he were missing something very distant. He smiled:

"It contains five spirit stones, which are the resources the child received over five years. He must have consumed the spiritual rice and spiritual elixirs himself, saving all these spirit stones."

Li Tongya was stunned, feeling a sourness in his heart, and muttered to himself:

"My Li family has wronged this child."

"Hey, don't think like that. It was originally a matter of prospering together and suffering together."

Xiao Chuting waved his hand, stroked the tabletop, and suddenly a small white jade bottle appeared. He continued:

"I see you are still at the Embryonic Breath Green Origin Wheel. Here is a Bright Spirit Powder for you to use to break through to Jade Capital."

Li Tongya was caught off guard by these words. He hurriedly stood up and waved his hands repeatedly:

"Senior! This cannot be done."

"Take the elixir and go. Don't be noisy. If your family doesn't even have a Jade Capital Wheel cultivator, it loses face for Green Spike Peak."

Xiao Chuting said indifferently, frowned, and walked toward the backyard, leaving only two words:

"See the guest out!"

————

At the foot of Crown Yunfeng, Li Tongya smiled bitterly, tightened his grip on the elixir in his arms, looked at the complex-looking Wan Yuankai, and said:

"Brother Yuankai, I wonder about this market..."

"Oh."

Wan Yuankai woke up from his trance, pointed to the small path ahead, and explained:

"Just follow this path with me. There is an illusion array around the market that blocks mortals, so don't run around."

The two walked for a while, and sure enough, the view suddenly opened up. On the originally desolate mountain path, a small gathering place suddenly appeared. It was extremely lively, with people coming and going, and the sound of discussion was constant.

"Brother Tongya, the clan has given me a task, so let's part ways here. We will meet at the foot of the mountain later and take a carriage back together."

Wan Yuankai cupped his hands, smiled at Li Tongya, and then quickly headed east.

Watching Wan Yuankai disappear into the distance, Li Tongya shook his head and looked at the small stall by the road. The stall owner was reading a book, looking quite troubled. On the stall were a few talismans, some unknown spiritual items, and a few small flags.

"Are these formation flags?"

Li Tongya looked at the grey-white small flags, cautiously not touching them with his hands, but asking instead.

"Yes, the flag body uses the fine skin of a Jade Capital Wheel monster, and the flag pole uses white jade wood. It only costs eight spirit stones."

Li Tongya couldn't help but think of the six flags Xiao Yuansi sold to his family and asked:

"I heard there is a kind of formation flag with a flag body made of White-Patterned Crucian Carp skin and a flag pole made of Red Birch wood... I wonder what the price is?"

The stall owner was stunned. Looking at Li Tongya, his eyes became a bit more enthusiastic, and his tone became a bit more respectful:

"This senior, Red Birch wood is fine, but this White-Patterned Crucian Carp skin is a Qi Refining stage material. Please go to the shops in the east to sell these magic tools. The small stalls here are all for the Embryonic Breath realm."

"So that's how it is."

Li Tongya suddenly realized, thinking to himself:

"It seems the price Xiao Yuansi sold to my family was cheap. These Embryonic Breath realm formation flags cost eight spirit stones, so those formation flags being worth twelve spirit stones isn't expensive." ===== CHAPTER 51 =====