Chapter 65: A Turn for the Better

The two sat opposite each other around the campfire, and time passed quickly without them noticing. As Song Qingming and Xu Ziyan talked, a streak of white light gradually brightened in the sky.

Seeing that the sky was already slightly bright, Xu Ziyan greeted Song Qingming and stood up, preparing to return to the camp. After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped, as if she had thought of something, and turned around to ask Song Qingming with a serious face.

"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 had a good relationship with Fellow Daoist Feng, who died at the hands of the demonic cultivators. I wonder if you know any of his relatives or descendants in the market."

"Fellow Daoist Feng? You mean Feng Laogui? Actually, I only got to know him in the last few months while performing missions together. I had originally agreed with him to ask him for a small favor after returning this time. I didn't expect that the world is unpredictable, and I no longer have that opportunity. I wonder why Captain Xu is asking about this?"

Xu Ziyan said: "For cultivators who perform missions for the sect, if they unfortunately fall outside, the sect will look for their relatives and descendants to distribute consolation spiritual items. Since I have taken over as captain of the eleven-man guard, this matter is now fully my responsibility. The descendants of the other fellow daoists have already been found, except for Fellow Daoist Feng. After posting a notice in the market, none of his descendants have come to claim 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 wonder what favor you needed from him? Why not tell me? Even if I can't help you, I can ask others for you in the future." Seeing that Song Qingming had something on his mind, Xu Ziyan kindly asked him.

After hesitating slightly, Song Qingming smiled and said: "Actually, it's nothing special. I admired the puppet beast that Fellow Daoist Feng had when I first met him. Later, I learned that he had purchased this puppet beast from the black market on Mount Bai Long. Because it was my first time out to train and I didn't know how to get to Mount Bai Long, I agreed with him to use some spiritual items to ask him to help take me to Mount Bai Long to try my luck. I just didn't expect that after we agreed, before we could set off, Fellow Daoist Feng unfortunately met with disaster." After speaking, Song Qingming sighed with some disappointment.

Unexpectedly, after Xu Ziyan learned about the trouble in Song Qingming's heart, she smiled at him and said: "That's not a difficult matter for you. Mount Bai Long is not too far from Guiyun Market. I 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 black market on Mount Bai Long require an introduction to enter?" Song Qingming asked with a puzzled face.

"Black market? Mount Bai Long is just a small market smaller than Guiyun Market, so it can't really be considered a black market. Who did you hear that from?"

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

After hearing this, Xu Ziyan chuckled and said: "It is normal that you couldn't find any news about Mount Bai Long. The Mount Bai Long market was not established by our Carefree Sect, and it is in a competitive relationship with our Guiyun Market. The sect elders issued an order in the market long ago, forbidding everyone from discussing Mount Bai Long in the market. When I went to Mount Bai Long that time, I actually went secretly with Junior Sister Gao, hiding it from my master. You must not talk about this everywhere, lest Junior Sister Gao comes to find trouble with you in the future."

After discussing with Xu Ziyan, Song Qingming finally understood the specific situation of Mount Bai Long. At the end, he couldn't help but touch his forehead.

According to Xu Ziyan, Mount Bai Long was a small market jointly built by several Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators near Guiyun Market decades ago. Its scale was much smaller than Guiyun Market, just slightly larger than Qinghe Market.

Mount Bai Long was closer to the Fuyun Mountain Range, considered to be right against the border between the Fuyun Mountain Range and the State of Wei. There were also many rogue cultivators living there.

Over the past few decades, in order to compete with Guiyun Market, the Mount Bai Long market had released many precious spiritual items that were hard to buy in Guiyun Market, attracting many cultivators near the Fuyun Mountain Range to go there. Over the past few decades, it had developed better and better, and even attracted some cultivators who used to live in Guiyun Market.

In order to minimize the impact of Mount Bai Long, Guiyun Market helplessly began to forbid discussing the Mount Bai Long market in the market. In this way, cultivators like Song Qingming who were new to Guiyun Market naturally found it very difficult to hear about Mount Bai Long in Guiyun Market.

However, even if Guiyun Market used this method to forbid cultivators from discussing the Mount Bai Long market, it could only affect them for a while. Like Song Qingming, who spent at most half a year in the market and got to know some acquaintances, he would naturally easily hear 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 just 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 had died, and the other was almost half-dead. Song Qingming couldn't help but feel a bit dumbfounded by this.

After getting the map of Mount Bai Long from Xu Ziyan, Song Qingming was also grateful to her. After Feng Laogui died, Song Qingming had been unable to hear any news about Mount Bai Long in Guiyun Market, and he had been somewhat disappointed. He didn't expect that after meeting Xu Ziyan today, things would suddenly take a turn for the better.

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

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

Unknowingly, Song Qingming also had some affection for her.

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

After walking for another three days, the group finally arrived at the area assigned for this mission.

This time, because the eleven-man guard had just suffered heavy losses and the newly joined Carefree Sect disciples lacked training, Liu Xingfeng, who arranged the mission, specifically divided them into a relatively safe area.

This mission lasted for more than two months, and no one encountered any major crises. Only a few times, the newly joined Carefree Sect disciples accidentally provoked a few difficult high-grade demonic beasts, and their situation was once somewhat embarrassing.

However, after they sent out a distress signal, Xu Ziyan quickly took action herself and easily resolved the situation. Until everyone returned to Guiyun Market to rest, no one was injured.

The original captain of the eleven-man guard, Lu Yunfei, assigned missions quite casually and never left the camp except for necessary support.

In contrast, the successor, Xu Ziyan, was much more meticulous in her actions. She would think carefully about the candidates when assigning missions and would often go near the areas where they performed missions to protect and guide those cultivators with less experience.

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

Song Qingming, who returned to Guiyun Market 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 =====