Chapter 47: Inquiring about News

After bypassing several high mountains, Song Qingming hurried south for more than a hundred miles and arrived at a high mountain.

After arriving at the place, Song Qingming took out a black token from his body, then held it tightly with both hands and slowly injected the spirit power from his body into it. Before long, the token shot out a piece of white light, heading straight for an open space on the high mountain in front.

The originally open ground was illuminated by the white light emitted by the token, and suddenly a burst of colorful spirit light appeared. As the spirit light slowly dissipated, a large area of cyan tents appeared between the originally open mountain tops.

More than twenty tents were arranged in a continuous line on the mountain top. Looking down from the sky, it looked like a giant cyan python coiled on the mountain top. This place was exactly one of the temporary camping sites of the Flying Cloud Guards in the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

The Flying Cloud Guards were active in the depths of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range all year round. To facilitate their actions, whenever they investigated a place, they would choose a suitable place nearby to establish a temporary camp first, so that they could stay stationed for a long time.

This high mountain was also a second-tier spirit vein, originally occupied by a second-tier low-quality Flying Feather Tiger. More than a month ago, Song Qingming and others, under the leadership of a Foundation Establishment senior of the Flying Cloud Guards, killed this demonic beast and set up the camp here.

In addition to a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was not often there, there were more than thirty Qi Refining cultivators stationed in the camp. These Flying Cloud Guards went out during the day to investigate demonic beast information in their respective assigned locations and returned to the camp to rest before sunset.

Having joined the Flying Cloud Guards for two months, Song Qingming already had some preliminary understanding of this place.

The entire Flying Cloud Guards had more than a hundred people, among whom there were three Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the rest were Qi Refining cultivators, basically all having cultivation at the fifth layer of Qi Refining or above. These people were divided into twelve guards, each guard having more than ten people. After Song Qingming joined, he was arranged by Lu Yunfei in the eleventh guard.

About thirty percent of the Flying Cloud Guards were cultivators within the Xiaoyao Sect. Lu Yunfei, who recruited Song Qingming into the Flying Cloud Guards that day, was an inner sect disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect. It was only because the sect sent him to Guiyunfang to be stationed that he entered the Flying Cloud Guards and served as the leader of a guard.

Except for the cultivators of the Xiaoyao Sect, the remaining cultivators were itinerant cultivators from all walks of life hired in Guiyunfang. Every time the Flying Cloud Guards went out to perform tasks, there were strict task processes and time arrangements, and cultivators were forbidden to leave the camp at will without tasks.

Like the members who had just joined like him, the tasks assigned from above would not be too many. Today, he completed the task early and returned to the camp.

Just as he walked to his tent, Song Qingming saw a movement in the tent next to him, and an old man also wearing black clothes walked out from inside. This old man saw Song Qingming's figure and leaned over with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Song, you completed the task so early today. I thought I wouldn't be able to see you until later." The black-clothed old man walked to Song Qingming's side and said with a face full of smiles.

This black-clothed old man was named Shi Mofeng, more than ninety years old, and was an itinerant cultivator who had joined the Flying Cloud Guards for many years. Song Qingming and this person also belonged to the eleventh guard of the Flying Cloud Guards, and the camp they lived in was close together, so naturally, they had met. It was just that he was a newcomer, and except for Lu Yunfei who brought him in, he was not yet familiar with others.

Song Qingming saw that Shi Mofeng seemed to have been waiting for him here for a long time, and seeing that he seemed to have something to find him for, he cupped his hands, performed a salute, and said, "Senior, you came to find me today; is there anything?"

"I heard from Captain Lu last time that Fellow Daoist Song still has mid-grade Speed Talismans here. My luck was not very good when I came out this time, and I encountered several demonic beasts with bad tempers in succession, and the life-saving spirit talismans on my body were all used up. Little friend, can you sell a few to me? Consider it as me owing you a favor." Shi Mofeng saw that Song Qingming somewhat knew his intention, so he didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his intention.

"Senior Shi, you are too polite. We are all fellow Daoists, so we should naturally take care of each other. It's just that the remaining spirit talismans on me are not many either, so I can only move two for you. I hope Senior will not take offense." Song Qingming hesitated slightly, then readily agreed.

"Then, this old man will thank you, little friend."

Shi Mofeng reached out and took the two spirit talismans handed over by Song Qingming, happily put them into his storage bag, and then gave Song Qingming a few spirit stones.

Song Qingming did not decline either. After joining the Flying Cloud Guards, he discovered that because these people had to stay in the Fuyun Mountain Range for at least three months for each task, they were often short of various supplies and had no way to replenish them.

Like Shi Mofeng, who was unlucky enough to encounter several high-tier demonic beast sieges, once consumables like spirit talismans were used up, and there was no safety guarantee on his body, he didn't dare to go out to perform tasks.

Fortunately, the number of spirit talismans on Song Qingming's body was still sufficient, and selling a few to him would not affect his subsequent task performance.

Among the spirit talismans Song Qingming had refined at Lingyuan Mountain in the past few years, auxiliary spirit talismans such as Speed Talismans, Earth-Escaping Talismans, and Invisibility Talismans had never sold well at Caolu Mountain, and he had accumulated quite a few in the past few years. He didn't expect that after arriving here, these relatively unpopular spirit talismans would become popular supplies.

Being able to exchange the spirit talismans he had accumulated for spirit stones and also befriend some fellow practitioners, Song Qingming was naturally happy to see it happen. It was just a pity that in this Fuyun Mountain Range, there was no way to find all kinds of talisman-making materials; otherwise, he could also make a small profit from these dozen or so cultivators in this guard.

After completing the transaction with Song Qingming, Shi Mofeng stroked his already gray beard, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said another sentence.

"I heard that little friend is inquiring about news of the black market. This old man has been mixing in the Fuyun Mountain Range for many years and happens to know some. I wonder if Fellow Practitioner Song has time to chat?"

Song Qingming was just about to return to his tent, not expecting Shi Mofeng to suddenly say something that surprised him.

After arriving at Guiyunfang, Song Qingming didn't have many people he was familiar with. He had only inquired about the black market from Lu Yunfei, but it was a pity that Lu Yunfei had only been in Guiyunfang for more than two years and had only heard of the black market, not knowing the specific situation.

After listening to Shi Mofeng's words, Song Qingming hurriedly and enthusiastically invited him into his tent. Shi Mofeng, an old-school itinerant cultivator who had been mixing in the Fuyun Mountain Range for decades, must know some black market news. Song Qingming also wanted to inquire from him, but the two were not familiar with each other before. Today, this old guy took the initiative to come to his door, so Song Qingming naturally would not turn him away.

After the two walked into the tent, Song Qingming poured two cups of spirit tea and then began to inquire about the black market. Shi Mofeng was not a slippery person either and was very enthusiastic toward Song Qingming, telling him a lot of useful information.

After Shi Mofeng's guidance, Song Qingming learned that the so-called black market was a place where some cultivators sold items that could not see the light or rare items. There were several such places in the Fuyun Mountain Range, and it was also a place for cultivators near Guiyunfang to sell stolen goods.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 48 =====