Chapter 644

Since Song Yuanli returned from the front line of the Lu Kingdom last time, he only stayed at home to heal his injuries for a period of time before taking the initiative to go to "Yinfeng Ridge" to help the family guard the mineral vein there.

The "Yinfeng Ridge" mineral vein, because it is deep in the depths of Mount Yunwu and there is no one around, is often attacked by nearby demon beasts. Therefore, the Song family and the Xiaoyao Sect also attach great importance to the protection there.

Not only was a second-tier top-grade defensive formation deployed on "Yinfeng Ridge," but there were also two or three Foundation Establishment cultivators and a hundred or so Qi Refining cultivators guarding it all year round.

Even so, occasionally encountering a riot of demon beasts in Mount Yunwu, when the "Yinfeng Ridge" mineral vein was attacked by many demon beasts, they would send a letter to ask for help from the Song family nearby.

However, because the demon beasts near Qinghe County in Mount Yunwu are basically second-tier demon beasts, there has never been a third-tier or higher demon beast in these few hundred years. When they sent a request for help to the Song family, it was also arranged and handled by Song Yuanfang, and it rarely alarmed Song Qingming, this family ancestor.

Therefore, when Song Qingming just heard that it was an emergency letter sent to him by Song Yuanli, a trace of incomprehension appeared in his heart.

"Could it be that some formidable third-tier demon beast has appeared near the mineral vein?"

Thinking that it was some crisis that had appeared at the "Yinfeng Ridge" mineral vein, Song Qingming picked up the letter sent by Song Yuanli and opened it to take a look. The expression on his face suddenly changed several times, and he raised his head to ask Song Xuanfeng before his eyes:

"Have you confirmed that this letter was sent from Yinfeng Ridge?"

"Reporting to the Third Uncle-Grandfather, after the law enforcement team received the letter, they have already confirmed it. It was sent by the Eighteenth Uncle-Grandfather from Yinfeng Ridge."

Seeing that Song Qingming's face was a bit wrong, Song Qingyu hurriedly asked: "Seventh Brother! What's wrong? Did Yuanli and the others encounter any trouble again?"

Song Qingming waved his hand to let Song Xuanfeng go down first, then said calmly to the two people beside him: "Yuanli said in the letter that they found a piece of Red Essence Jade Stone in the mineral vein and asked me to go over there now."

"What? They found Red Essence Jade Stone in Yinfeng Ridge. Do the people of the Xiaoyao Sect know about this?"

Upon hearing that Song Yuanli said in the letter that they found the "Red Essence Jade Stone," a spiritual item that assists in core formation, a trace of surprise appeared on the faces of both Song Qingyu and Huang Siyuan.

Although it is indeed possible to find precious spiritual items like "Red Essence Jade Stone" in large mineral veins like "Yinfeng Ridge," this probability is extremely low. Sometimes it takes hundreds of years of mining to find one piece. It is no wonder that Song Qingyu and the other would be so surprised to hear this news.

Song Qingming shook his head slightly and said: "He only mentioned this sentence in the letter and did not say other detailed things. He was just urging me to go over there quickly."

"Seventh Brother! This matter is a bit wrong. Yuanli is not a person who is so careless. How could he only write this sentence and call you over in a hurry without explaining the matter clearly."

After Song Qingyu picked up the letter Song Qingming placed on the table and took a look, a trace of doubt also appeared on her face.

"Hmm! I also feel it is a bit strange. But since this letter was sent from Yinfeng Ridge, it should be Yuanli and the others who wrote it, there is no mistake. It is just that I don't know what happened over there."

Seeing that Song Qingming had also seen the clues in the letter, Song Qingyu felt a bit relieved in her heart and said:

"Then Seventh Brother, you should not go over there first. I will go take a look at the situation first. In case there is something wrong with Yinfeng Ridge, you can also deal with it at any time at home."

Song Qingming shook his head slightly and said: "Don't worry, before I figure out the situation, I will not go there rashly. Now you also cannot go out to take risks at will.

Qingyu, you go find Yuanfang and go to the family ancestral hall together to check if there is any abnormality in the life tablets left by Yuanli and those other family cultivators in Yinfeng Ridge."

This letter sent by Song Yuanli to Song Qingming clearly showed a trace of weirdness, and it did not look like something he would do under normal circumstances. Song Qingming was also a bit worried about their safety in his heart at this moment.

Song Qingyu received Song Qingming's instructions and hurriedly went to check with Song Yuanfang. They did not find any problems with the life tablets left by any of the Song family cultivators on the family genealogy, which was enough to prove that they should still be safe now.

Knowing the news that Song Yuanli and the others were temporarily safe, the three of Song Qingming felt slightly relieved.

"Seventh Uncle-Grandfather, since the situation is unclear, it is better for me to go to Yinfeng Ridge to take a look at the situation first. If I haven't returned after a day, then this matter must be notified to the Xiaoyao Sect." Song Yuanfang, who had just learned of this matter, thought about it and put forward his suggestion.

Song Qingming stood in place and thought for a moment, then shook his head and said slowly:

"There are so many things at home, and it cannot be separated from you for a moment. It is better to let Yuanhao go there first. This child is relatively clever, and if there is really anything, he can probably see a little bit of it.

If it is someone who wants to target us, before achieving their goal, they should not take action against a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him. Otherwise, Yuanli and the others would definitely not be safe and sound now."

After speaking, Song Qingming put away the letter on the table and sent a sound transmission down the mountain to Song Yuanhao, who was cultivating in the cave dwelling, summoning him to the mountain.

Song Yuanhao had established his foundation for nearly thirty years, and now his cultivation base had also broken through to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.

His personality had always been relatively restless. Since establishing his foundation, he had not been willing to stay on the mountain. If he was not performing family tasks outside, he liked to go to the Fuyun Mountain Range or Mount Yunwu with others to take risks and hunt demon beasts.

It was not until these few years, as his mother Chen Yanyun's body became worse and worse as her lifespan approached, that Song Yuanhao settled down a bit and stayed on the mountain honestly.

After receiving Song Qingming's summons, Song Yuanhao thought that the family had some important tasks to hand over to him, and his heart was secretly excited.

He did not expect that after arriving at the "Huixian Pavilion," Song Qingming directly handed him a reply letter he had just written, asking him to go to "Yinfeng Ridge" to hand it to Song Yuanli.

From the Song family's Mount Funiu to "Yinfeng Ridge" in the depths of Mount Yunwu, it was less than two thousand miles away. On weekdays, when the Song family contacted that side, they basically used second-tier thousand-mile sound transmission talismans and rarely sent cultivators to deliver letters.

Facing Song Yuanhao's incomprehension, Song Qingming did not explain too much to him, just told him to be careful on the road, and after arriving at "Yinfeng Ridge," if he discovered anything wrong, he should immediately return to the family.

Seeing that the eyes of the several family ancestors looking at him were full of caution, Song Yuanhao also vaguely felt that this matter seemed a bit not simple. After nodding seriously, he took the reply letter given by Song Qingming and headed to "Yinfeng Ridge."

Song Yuanhao was very careful on this letter delivery trip, but the road was calm and nothing happened, so he successfully arrived at "Yinfeng Ridge."

However, after he arrived there and wanted to complete the letter delivery task on him, he could not find Song Yuanli's figure. After some inquiry, he learned that Song Yuanli had gone out half a day ago to look for a cultivator who had suddenly gone missing not long ago, and he had not returned until now.

Hearing this news, Song Yuanhao instantly sensed something wrong and hurriedly rushed back to Mount Funiu to inform the three of Song Qingming of this news.

Knowing that Song Yuanli and the others seemed to have gone missing, Song Qingming was considering whether to notify the Xiaoyao Sect of this matter when he did not expect Song Yuanli himself to suddenly return to Mount Funiu alone.

Learning this news, Song Qingming hurriedly called Song Yuanli to the top of the mountain and inquired carefully before learning that the letter he sent to Song Qingming from "Yinfeng Ridge" not long ago was indeed forced by a mysterious person after he was held hostage.

Just half a day ago, a Song family cultivator near the "Yinfeng Ridge" mineral vein suddenly lost contact while patrolling nearby.

Thinking that the other party had encountered a demon beast attack outside, Song Yuanli hurriedly went out to check the situation. As a result, he had just left the protective formation when he was immediately controlled by a mysterious person wearing a mask.

The other party's cultivation base was extremely high, at least a Jin Dan mid-stage cultivator or above. Song Yuanli was like a mayfly shaking a tree in front of him and had no power to fight back at all. However, he fell into the other party's hands in just one round.

After this mysterious person caught Song Yuanli, he did not make things too difficult for him, just asked Song Yuanli to help him send a letter to Mount Funiu to help him invite Song Qingming to "Yinfeng Ridge."

Song Yuanli had fallen into the other party's hands, so he naturally did not have too many choices. However, he also knew that the other party was holding him hostage so mysteriously to lure Song Qingming out, and it was highly likely that he was not harboring good intentions.

Therefore, when Song Yuanli wrote the letter, he also deliberately left relatively obvious flaws in the letter, just to remind Song Qingming and the others not to be easily deceived.

When Song Yuanhao went to "Yinfeng Ridge" to deliver the letter, Song Yuanli actually saw him nearby, but he was coerced by others at the time and had no way to contact Song Yuanhao.

That mysterious person who held Song Yuanli hostage, seeing that it was not Song Qingming who came but a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Song family, did not know why he released Song Yuanli again and asked him to help him bring a painting to Song Qingming.

After hearing Song Yuanli tell the whole story from beginning to end, the three of Song Qingming were also full of doubts, not knowing when they had offended such a formidable Jin Dan cultivator in the family, and why the other party went through such a big circle just to send him a painting.

However, when Song Qingming opened the painting handed over by Song Yuanli and saw a crane painted on it, the puzzled expression on his face instantly disappeared, and a trace of helplessness appeared on his face.

"Husband, what does the crane painted by this person mean? Is it someone you are familiar with?"

Seeing the crane on the painting, Huang Siyuan and the others on the side did not see what the other party's purpose was, so they could only ask Song Qingming.

"Hmm! Quite familiar, but this person has a bit of a strange temper, so don't ask too much." Song Qingming put away the painting in his hand with a bitter smile.

——

A brief intermission!

East of Qinghe County, outside Qinghe Market.

Just as the sky was dawning, with a huge creaking sound, the several law enforcement team cultivators guarding the market slowly opened the gate of Qinghe Market facing the morning light.

Before these few people could stand well at their respective posts, more than a dozen cultivators anxious to enter the market immediately surrounded the city gate.

The late-stage Qi Refining cultivator leading the law enforcement team glanced at these people with some contempt, then reached out to stop them.

"You must verify your identity before entering the market. Line up for me, don't surround here and waste my time!"

These people who were anxious to enter the market early in the morning were basically loose cultivators making a living nearby. The reason they came so early was also because they were anxious to enter the market and wanted to find a good position to set up a stall inside.

After verifying seven or eight people in succession, another young man dressed in green robes and looking somewhat handsome walked over.

"Fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar, have you been here before?" The law enforcement team cultivator who verified the identity glanced at the other party and immediately asked.

This green-robed man, who looked like he only had a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation base, shook his head slightly and replied calmly: "No, I came from Liuyang County after being introduced by a friend, wanting to buy some elixirs and spiritual items in the market."

"What is your name? I will register you first before you go in!" The law enforcement team cultivator said while lowering his head to open a book recording the names of cultivators in front of him.

"Liu Feng!"

"Eh! This book clearly has your name, have you been here before and registered?"

Facing the somewhat suspicious gaze of the law enforcement team cultivator, the man named Liu Feng smiled and shook his head: "Fellow Daoist, you misunderstood. I am indeed here for the first time. Maybe it's the same name!"

The law enforcement team cultivator heard this and looked at the records on the book carefully again, nodding slightly: "Hmm! It seems to be the same name. The time this person was recorded here was a hundred years ago. I estimate he has long since passed away.

Strange! It's been so long, why has his name been on it and not crossed out? I really don't know what those people managing the treasury are busy with every day."

After the law enforcement team cultivator spat out a sentence to himself, he picked up a pen to make a mark where the name "Liu Feng" was originally recorded, and then recorded a new name and detailed information in the blank space on the side.

"Alright! You go in first."

Since the last expansion of Qinghe Market, the scale of the market has been twice as large as before. Although the market business has been affected to some extent because the Song family established the "Red Flame Market" in these years, it is still much more prosperous than a hundred years ago.

After the green-robed youth entered Qinghe Market, he stopped voluntarily after walking a distance on the market street, and began to scan the commercial firms, shops, taverns, and teahouses around, as if looking for something.

After a good while, the green-robed youth took back his gaze, but he did not have the idea of wanting to see these shops, and raised his legs to continue walking forward.

Just like that, walking and stopping, until he was already standing at the end of the market street, the green-robed youth saw a remote small grocery shop before him, and a shallow smile appeared on his face, which had originally been as calm as water.

"Haha! Customer, do you want to buy some cultivation techniques or talismans!"

Just as he entered the door, a mortal waiter in the shop saw the green-robed man and immediately stepped forward to greet this rare guest who came to buy things so early in the morning.

"I want to sell a low-tier puppet beast. I don't know if you collect it here!"

After the green-robed man finished speaking, his left hand raised quickly, and a palm-sized crane puppet beast appeared in his hand, which he placed before the waiter's eyes.

The grade of this puppet beast was not very high, only first-tier mid-grade, but the workmanship was very exquisite, and the patterns on it were lifelike. It looked like a work that the person who refined this object loved very much.

The mortal waiter saw the crane puppet beast in the green-robed youth's hand and was just about to ask how many spirit stones the other party wanted to sell it for when a voice suddenly appeared and interrupted his words.

"May I ask Fellow Daoist, was this object refined by yourself?" The one who spoke was an old man with white beard and hair, who was also the shopkeeper of this shop called "Liufeng Hall."

Seeing that his shopkeeper, who rarely came out to greet guests on weekdays, suddenly became very enthusiastic when facing this guest who came to sell spiritual items today, the mortal waiter hurriedly retreated to the side to give up his position.

"Not bad! This object was refined by myself." Facing the shopkeeper's inquiry, the green-robed man responded directly with a calm face.

The shopkeeper heard this and immediately nodded, his attitude was somewhat respectful as he reached out to invite: "Fellow Daoist, don't worry, the shop naturally collects this object. However, how to price it, please ask Fellow Daoist to go to the back hall to talk first, how about we discuss it slowly?"

"If so, then lead the way!" After the green-robed youth finished speaking, he directly put away the crane puppet beast in his hand.

After the shopkeeper heard the other party's words, he hurriedly took the green-robed person directly to the back hall of the shop. After the two passed through several corridors one after another, they quickly arrived before a tightly closed door.

"Senior! The person you want to see is inside. I will wait outside first, so as not to disturb you." The shopkeeper bowed respectfully to the green-robed person and hurriedly retreated quickly.

The green-robed person looked at the other party's departing figure, and after a trace of satisfaction appeared on his face, he raised his hand to push open the door before him and walked in with big strides.

In this small room that looked very ordinary, there were some messy semi-finished puppet beasts placed everywhere, and a green-robed man holding a scroll of notes was sitting at a wooden table in the middle.

"A hundred years, nothing has changed here. You are quite thoughtful!"

The green-robed person saw Song Qingming sitting at the wooden table, said softly, and walked quickly toward him. The door behind him also immediately closed automatically.

Song Qingming saw the visitor and immediately stood up to bow to him with a smile: "Regarding the matter promised to Senior, Qingming will naturally do his best. Since we parted at the Heaven-Reaching Tower, the junior has not seen Senior for thirty years. I wonder if Senior Feng He has been smooth in recent years!"

This green-robed man who came to "Liufeng Hall" was precisely Feng He, the owner of this shop a hundred years ago.

However, when Feng He left back then, he was only a small cultivator who had just established his foundation not long ago. Now, a hundred years later, he returned again, and his cultivation base had already leaped to the ninth layer of Jin Dan, only one step away from entering the Nascent Soul realm.

Although he knew that Feng He was a Nascent Soul cultivator who had been reborn through possession, seeing his cultivation speed with his own eyes still brought no small shock to Song Qingming's heart.

Hearing Song Qingming's kind greeting, Feng He, who had long been accustomed to the other party's politeness, first picked up a cup of spirit tea Song Qingming poured and took a sip before speaking slowly:

"Thank you for your concern. Although I haven't had any great fortune outside these years, overall it can be considered relatively smooth. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing before you safe and sound now."

"Senior is right. The junior also hasn't heard from Senior for many years, which is why I have always been concerned in my heart. Yesterday, when I received the token sent by your junior on the mountain, I was still afraid that I had made a mistake. Fortunately, Senior Feng He is all well."

Since the day he received the crane painting brought by Song Yuanli on the mountain, Song Qingming had already recognized on the spot that the mysterious cultivator who controlled him should be Feng He, whom he had not seen for many years.

Back then, after Song Qingming met Feng He on the front line of the Lu Kingdom, until he left after establishing his foundation through possession, the two had dealt with each other for decades. Song Qingming was naturally very familiar with the other party's style of conduct.

With Feng He's strange temper that is difficult for ordinary people to fathom, it is indeed very possible that he would make such a strange move of holding Song Yuanli hostage to test and lure him out.

It is just that Song Qingming still does not know whether Feng He did this just to test him, or if he had some other purpose and ideas in his heart.

Hearing Song Qingming mention the matter of him asking Song Yuanli to send him a letter two days ago, Feng He nodded calmly and admitted directly: "Not bad! That letter was sent to you by him."

"I wanted to try to see if you would come to see me because of him. I didn't expect that your courage is getting bigger and bigger, and now your heart is getting more and more ruthless, not caring about the life or death of your own junior!

However, that junior of yours has a good character. Under the situation of life and death, he dared to risk his life to play a little trick in the letter to remind you. His loyalty to you is still no problem."

"In that case, the junior must thank Senior for helping to test the family junior!" Hearing Feng He's explanation, a bitter smile also appeared in Song Qingming's heart.

Although Feng He said he was testing Song Yuanli, Song Qingming actually knew very well in his heart that the reason this old fellow went through such a big trouble to set up such a scene was actually mainly to test him on the mountain.

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a few words, Song Qingming poured a cup of spirit tea he had brewed for Feng He and asked: "I wonder if Senior came to look for the junior this time, just to reminisce or is there some other instruction!"

Seeing that Song Qingming could no longer hold back and directly brought the conversation to the main topic, Feng He immediately put down the teacup in his hand, slowly put away the smile on his face, and revealed a very rare serious look.

"Fellow Daoist Song, I have always heard that you wanted to go out to travel. I wonder if you are willing to go to the East Phoenix Kingdom with the old man after a period of time!"

"Senior wants to go to the East Phoenix Kingdom, could it be to impact the Nascent Soul realm?"

Hearing Feng He suddenly propose that he go to the East Phoenix Kingdom with him, Song Qingming, who had some guesses in his heart, could not help but ask him directly. (End of chapter)