Chapter 86: Old Daoist Chen

After Song Qingming arrived at Qinghe Market, he was busy for another half a year. During this period, Song Qingming patiently learned the business of managing the shop and was already very familiar with the business of this shop of the Song family.

In the few years of training in Guiyun Market, Song Qingming read quite a few classics of various kinds in the cultivation world in the Merit Pavilion of Guiyun Market, among which there were many books introducing various spirit items, which also helped him a lot in learning to manage the shop here.

Now, Song Qingming basically handed over the size of the affairs in the shop to Wang Cheng and several mortal shop assistants of the Song family. Only when encountering those difficult customers or spirit items they could not identify would they invite Song Qingming to come out and make a decision.

Wang Cheng was a loose cultivator hired by Fourth Uncle in Qinghe Market. He was about the same age as Song Qingming, but the two had a big difference in cultivation. Song Qingming was already a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, while his cultivation was only at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation.

However, just as Song Zhangqiu said, Wang Cheng's personality was relatively honest. Like Fourth Aunt, he was also a cultivator born in Qinghe Market. The reason Song Zhangqiu hired this person was mainly because he took a fancy to Wang Cheng's relatively clean background and the fact that many of his clansmen still lived in Qinghe Market.

If one rashly hired those loose cultivators from other places to manage the shop, it was inevitable to be afraid of some desperate people who saw wealth and had evil intentions. After all, people's hearts are separated by skin, and whether it is a cultivator or an ordinary mortal, it is very difficult for you to judge whether a person is good or bad in a short time.

Song Qingming now basically spent most of his time in the back hall of the shop every day. Apart from cultivation, she also had a lot of free time to make spirit talismans to earn spirit stones.

The shop managed by Song Qingming also usually acquired various low-tier spirit items and talisman-making materials. It was not difficult to collect these low-tier materials in the market. After arriving here, Song Qingming used his talisman-making skills, and in more than half a year, he had already drawn quite a few spirit talismans on his body.

These spirit talismans were directly put into the Song family shop for sale. Qinghe Market was full of loose cultivators with relatively low cultivation. The low and mid-grade spirit talismans made by Song Qingming were very popular here. In his spare time, he also used the materials received in the shop to make a few sets of formations and put them in the shop, which attracted quite a few loose cultivators.

On this day, Song Qingming was meditating in the back hall when a mortal shop assistant of the Song family hurriedly came to the door of his room.

This shop assistant raised his hand and was about to knock on the door, but he did not expect that the door was suddenly opened from the inside. Song Qingming did not pay attention to the surprised look of this shop assistant and asked softly: "What is the matter for coming to find me?"

"It is... a guest brought a special spirit item, and Immortal Master Wang did not recognize it either, so he asked me to invite you to come and take a look."

Song Qingming did not speak, just nodded lightly, and walked in front.

His cultivation had now broken through to the late stage of Qi Condensation. When meditating and cultivating, the spiritual sense in his body could be released ten zhang outside, and he could easily sense the movement in most places of the shop. Just now, when this shop assistant came to find him, he had already been sensed by his spiritual sense when he was still ten zhang away from his door, so he would appear at the door of his room in advance just now.

Song Qingming just walked to the front hall of the shop and saw several cultivators in the shop checking and buying spirit items. Following the guidance of the shop assistant, Song Qingming immediately saw an old man in yellow clothes with a long beard standing beside Wang Cheng not far away. The old man's cultivation was not low, and he had already reached the late stage of Qi Condensation.

Wang Cheng was holding a green spirit herb in his right hand and was discussing this spirit herb in his hand with the old man in yellow clothes.

Song Qingming, who was about to walk over, suddenly stopped his footsteps. After carefully looking at the old man in yellow clothes, his figure turned and he retreated back to the back hall.

That Song family shop assistant who had been following him saw Song Qingming suddenly return, and his heart was somewhat puzzled. He did not know what had happened and did not dare to open his mouth to inquire, so he could only chase after Song Qingming and return to the back hall together.

"You go and tell Wang Cheng to let him take that guest to the side room in the back hall first and entertain him well. I will come over in a while."

After retreating to the back hall, Song Qingming said softly to the shop assistant behind him, asking him to go and inform Wang Cheng. Afterward, a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he took out a set of formation flags from his storage bag.

Not long after, Wang Cheng brought that old man in yellow clothes to the back hall. After greeting the old man to sit down in the side room, he asked the shop assistant on the side to serve tea.

"Old Senior, our proprietor will be here soon. You can talk directly to him about the following matters. Junior will go out first, you talk slowly." After finishing, Wang Cheng smiled and retreated.

This old man in yellow clothes had just picked up the tea and sipped it carefully. Not long after, he saw a young man in green clothes push the door and enter, and he hurriedly put down the teacup in his hand and stood up.

"This Old Senior, I am Song Qingming, the person in charge of this shop." Song Qingming, who walked into the room, first introduced himself and then bowed to the old man in yellow clothes.

After the old man in yellow clothes saw Song Qingming, his face suddenly changed, and then he pretended to be calm and asked: "Fellow Daoist is too polite. The old Daoist's surname is Chen. I seem to find the little friend somewhat familiar. I don't know if I have ever met you anywhere?"

"Old Senior Chen can still remember me, that is truly not easy. Ten years ago in Qinghe County, that day you encountered Eagle Nest Ridge robbers outside, can the Senior still remember?" Song Qingming tapped the table lightly and said slowly.

The old man in yellow clothes sitting beside Song Qingming was exactly the old Daoist priest that Song Qingming encountered on the road when he returned to Lingyuan Mountain from Funiu Mountain ten years ago.

Back then, this Old Daoist Chen was chased and killed by robbers and happened to encounter Song Qingming, who had just gone down the mountain not long ago. Later, he even dragged Song Qingming into it, almost making him die in the Cloud Mist Mountain.

Song Qingming could not have such a poor memory as Old Daoist Chen. For this old Daoist priest who almost sent him to a dead end, Song Qingming had never forgotten this person in ten years.

Just now, when Song Qingming walked to the front hall of the shop, he immediately recognized Old Daoist Chen, which was why he specifically asked Wang Cheng to bring him to this side room in the back hall.

Old Daoist Chen heard Song Qingming talk about this matter ten years ago and immediately recognized Song Qingming. He looked at Song Qingming somewhat surprised and said:

"You... you are that Little Friend Song from that day. The old man thought you had already encountered a disaster. I truly didn't expect to be able to see you again. Little Friend not only escaped from the danger but also improved your cultivation so quickly. You are truly a person favored by Heaven."

"Fellow Daoist Chen was trapped in a predicament that day. Later, I borrowed my distraction to draw away part of his energy to escape. If I hadn't used a top-grade spirit talisman gifted by an elder, I am afraid I wouldn't have had the chance to see you again today." After Song Qingming finished speaking, he smiled and continued to fill a cup of tea for Old Daoist Chen.

"Back then, the old man was trapped in a predicament. In order to survive, I had to ask for help from the little friend. Later, I also escaped by luck. After the event, every time I think of that day, the old man also feels ashamed in my heart. Being able to see Little Friend Song again today, I can be considered to have fulfilled a wish."

Old Daoist Chen touched the beard at the corner of his mouth, smiled somewhat awkwardly, and then reached into his body and took out a top-grade spirit talisman. Somewhat reluctantly, he placed it on the table and continued to say to Song Qingming:

"Since the old Daoist wasted a top-grade spirit talisman of the little friend back then, today Heaven lets you and me meet again. I think it is for me to make up for this spirit talisman for the little friend. I hope the little friend will not dislike it."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 87 =====