Chapter 65: A Turn for the Better

The two sat opposite each other around the fire, and time flew by unknowingly. As Song Qingming and Xu Cheng Ziyan talked, a white light on the horizon gradually brightened.

Seeing that it was already slightly bright, Xu Cheng Ziyan greeted Song Qingming and got up to return to the camp. After walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped, as if thinking of something, turned around, and asked Song Qingming seriously.

"Fellow Daoist Song, there is one more thing I would like to trouble you with. I heard from Junior Brother Wei Tong two days ago that you and Fellow Daoist Feng, who died at the hands of the demonic cultivators, had a pretty good relationship. I don't know if you know his relatives or descendants in the marketplace."

"Fellow Daoist Feng? You mean Feng Laogui, right? Actually, I only got to know him when we performed missions together these past few months. I had originally agreed with him to ask him for a small favor after returning this time. Unexpectedly, things in the world are unpredictable, and there is no such opportunity anymore. I don't know why Captain Xu is asking this?"

Xu Cheng Ziyan said, "For cultivators who perform missions for the sect, if they unfortunately fall outside, the sect will look for the cultivator's relatives and descendants to distribute consolation spirit items. Because I have already taken over as Captain of the eleven guards, this matter is now fully responsible by me. The descendants of the other fellow daoists have already been found, only Fellow Daoist Feng's side remains. After issuing a notice in the marketplace, none of his descendants have come to collect the consolation. I thought you were familiar with him, so I asked if you knew where his descendants were."

After thinking for a while, Song Qingming continued, "Captain Xu, you can go and ask Fellow Daoist Jia Sixing. He knew Fellow Daoist Feng earlier and might know something about him."

"Very well, thank you for your guidance, Fellow Daoist Song. I don't know what favor you need help with. Why don't you tell me? Even if I can't help you, I can help you ask others in the future." Seeing that Song Qingming had something on his mind, Xu Cheng Ziyan kindly asked him.

Song Qingming hesitated slightly before saying with a smile, "Actually, it's nothing special. I admired the puppet beast that Fellow Daoist Feng had back then. Later, I learned that this puppet beast was purchased by him from the Mount Bai Long black market. Because it was my first time out for training, I didn't know how to go to Mount Bai Long, so I agreed with him to use some spirit items to ask him to help take me to Mount Bai Long to try my luck. Unexpectedly, after we agreed, before we could set off, Fellow Daoist Feng unfortunately met with disaster." After speaking, Song Qingming sighed somewhat disappointedly.

Unexpectedly, after Xu Cheng Ziyan learned about the trouble in Song Qingming's heart, she looked at him with a smile and said, "This is not a difficult matter for you. Mount Bai Long is not too far from Guiyunfang. I also went there once a year ago. If you want to go, Fellow Daoist Song, can't I just give you a map of Mount Bai Long?"

"Doesn't the Mount Bai Long black market need someone to introduce you to enter?" Song Qingming asked with a puzzled look.

"Black market? Mount Bai Long is just a marketplace smaller than Guiyunfang, and it can't be considered a black market. Who did you hear this from?"

"After returning this time, I also inquired about this matter in many shops in the marketplace. Unexpectedly, no one knew about Mount Bai Long. I thought that place was so mysterious, it must be a black market."

After Xu Cheng Ziyan finished listening, she chuckled and said, "It is normal that you can't find out news about Mount Bai Long. The Mount Bai Long marketplace was not established by our Xiaoyao Sect, and it is considered a competitive relationship with our Guiyunfang. The sect elders long ago issued an order in the marketplace not to allow everyone to discuss matters related to Mount Bai Long. My trip to Mount Bai Long was actually secretly going with Junior Sister Gao behind my Master's back. You must not talk about this everywhere, lest Junior Sister Gao look for trouble with you in the future."

After discussing with Xu Cheng Ziyan, Song Qingming finally understood the specific situation of Mount Bai Long. After hearing the end, he could not help but touch his forehead.

According to Xu Cheng Ziyan, Mount Bai Long was a small marketplace jointly built by several Foundation Establishment loose cultivators near Guiyunfang decades ago. Its scale was much smaller than Guiyunfang, and it was only slightly larger than Qinghefang.

Mount Bai Long was closer to the Fuyun Mountain Range and was considered to be close to the border between the Fuyun Mountain Range and the Wei Kingdom. There were also quite a few independent cultivators settled here.

Over the past few decades, in order to compete with Guiyunfang, the Mount Bai Long marketplace had released quite a few precious spirit items that were difficult to buy in Guiyunfang, attracting quite a few cultivators near the Fuyun Mountain Range to go there. Over the past few decades, it had developed better and better and had also attracted some cultivators who originally lived in Guiyunfang.

In order to minimize the impact brought by Mount Bai Long, Guiyunfang helplessly began to prohibit the discussion of the Mount Bai Long marketplace in the marketplace. In this way, cultivators like Song Qingming who had just arrived in Guiyunfang would naturally find it difficult to find out news about Mount Bai Long in Guiyunfang.

However, even if Guiyunfang used this method to prohibit cultivators from discussing the Mount Bai Long marketplace, it could only affect them for a while. Like Song Qingming, who would mix in the marketplace for at most half a year and get to know some acquaintances, he would naturally easily find out news about Mount Bai Long.

Back then, Old Man Shi and Feng Laogui deliberately described Mount Bai Long as a black market in front of Song Qingming, actually wanting to use the information gap to get some benefits from Song Qingming.

It was just that although these two people got some benefits, now one was dead, and the other was almost half-dead. Song Qingming could not help but feel somewhat dumbfounded about this.

After obtaining the map of Mount Bai Long from Xu Cheng Ziyan, Song Qingming was also grateful to her. After Feng Laogui died, Song Qingming had never been able to find out news about Mount Bai Long in Guiyunfang, and he had once felt somewhat disappointed. Unexpectedly, after meeting Xu Cheng Ziyan today, things suddenly took a turn for the better.

After dealing with Xu Cheng Ziyan for a few days, Song Qingming also found that this person gave him a different feeling.

Although Xu Cheng Ziyan was also an inner disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect, she was not like most Xiaoyao Sect cultivators who looked down on cultivators from small families like them. Even when facing Song Qingming, whose cultivation was much lower than hers, Xu Cheng Ziyan treated him with courtesy and never looked down on him in her eyes.

Unknowingly, Song Qingming also had a little good feeling toward her.

After giving the map of Mount Bai Long to Song Qingming, Xu Cheng Ziyan returned to the camp, directed everyone to pack their things, and continued on their way.

After walking for another three days, everyone finally arrived in the area allocated for this mission.

This time, because the eleven guards had just suffered heavy losses and these newly joined Xiaoyao Sect disciples lacked training, Liu Xingfeng, who arranged the mission, specifically allocated them a relatively safe area.

This mission lasted for more than two months, and everyone did not encounter any major crises again. Only a few times, those Xiaoyao Sect disciples who had just joined accidentally provoked a few difficult high-tier demonic beasts, and their situation was once somewhat embarrassing.

However, after they released a distress signal, Xu Cheng Ziyan quickly took action herself and easily resolved the situation. Until everyone returned to Guiyunfang to recuperate, no one was injured.

The original captain of the eleven guards, Lu Yunfei, allocated missions relatively casually, and except for necessary support, he never left the camp.

In contrast, Xu Cheng Ziyan, who took over, was much more meticulous in her actions. She would think carefully about the candidates when allocating missions and would often go near the area where they performed missions to protect and guide those cultivators with less seniority.

More than two months later, Song Qingming and the others, who had successfully completed the mission, returned to Qinghefang again. After this mission, they also received more than half a month of rest time again.

Song Qingming, who returned to Guiyunfang again, was not in a hurry to go to Mount Bai Long. Instead, contrary to his usual behavior, he began to sit in the Flying Cloud Guard station all day long.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 66 =====