CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 70: BEIXI MARKET

Beixi Market, built on a Second-stage Upper Grade Spirit Vein, is much larger in scale than Dongwu Market.

The flow of people is several times greater.

Xu Ping transformed into a thin young man and walked among them without attracting anyone’s attention.

Only two young men at the first layer of Qi Cultivation approached him, exchanging glances before one retreated, leaving this business to the one wearing hemp clothing.

"Senior, do you need a guide? I know everything about this place, even the things being sold at today’s stalls."

Xu Ping looked at this teenage boy, and a thought crossed his mind.

He was unfamiliar with the place, so finding a guide to ask about things might be a good idea.

"How much do you charge?"

"One Spirit Stone per day." The hemp-clad boy smiled ingratiatingly.

"Okay." Xu Ping nodded, not finding it necessary to haggle over this price.

"Do you know when the next Spiritual Boat to Qiu Xuan Immortal City departs?" he asked.

The hemp-clad boy responded immediately: "Every two months, the next should be in a month."

"A month, huh." Xu Ping murmured, then asked, "Where can I rent a place around here?"

"Follow me, Senior."

The hemp-clad boy led the way, with Xu Ping lazily following behind.

On the way, Xu Ping also asked the boy about recent major events.

"If you’re talking about major events, it has to be the fuss about that peerless Sword Cultivator recently." The hemp-clad boy said.

"Peerless Sword Cultivator?" Xu Ping’s brows slightly furrowed.

"I’ve been in closed cultivation recently and know nothing about the outside world, tell me more about it." He asked calmly.

"Alright, speaking of that Sword Cultivator’s talent, it’s a truly earth-shattering existence. He’s a Loose Cultivator from a place under Longevity Sect called Dongwu Market who comprehended Sword Qi Thunder Sound at just late-stage Qi Cultivation."

"Back then, he single-handedly slew a Golden Core Demon Cultivator with just a sword..."

The hemp-clad boy was animated and looked excited, as if he were the one who had slain the Golden Core Demon Cultivator.

Listening to the boy’s story, Xu Ping’s heart trembled, though his face showed no change.

Longevity Sect, Dongwu Market, slaying a Golden Core Demon Cultivator, it was obviously him.

But he couldn’t understand, given Longevity Sect’s strength, they could easily keep the news sealed for a while!

Why, in such a short time, had the rumors spread even within Purple Mist Sect’s territory, causing such a stir?

"How did this news get out?" Xu Ping feigned curiosity as he asked.

"It was spread by the Longevity Sect." The hemp-clad boy answered.

"Longevity Sect?"

This answer indeed surprised Xu Ping. He couldn’t understand why Longevity Sect didn’t just suppress the news, but actively publicized it instead.

"I heard..." Seeing Xu Ping’s puzzled expression, the hemp-clad boy lowered his voice and said, "Longevity Sect feared Luoyun Sect’s reproach, so they took the initiative to spread the Sword Cultivator senior’s story."

"Luoyun Sect’s reproach?"

Xu Ping was briefly stunned, and the next moment he understood the cause and effect.

But Longevity Sect’s actions put him in a difficult position.

"Is Luoyun Sect making any moves?" Xu Ping asked again.

"Nothing particularly significant."

The hemp-clad boy shook his head, "Because the Sword Cultivator senior has disappeared, Luoyun Sect merely stated they would welcome the senior as a core disciple if he joins their sect and he could even become a nominal disciple of their Nascent Soul ancestor after establishing Foundation."

’Become a nominal disciple of the Nascent Soul ancestor!!’ Xu Ping couldn’t help but feel a wave in his heart.

A Nascent Soul ancestor!

The entire Yue Country has only one; being his disciple, albeit nominal, means you can walk anywhere in Yue Country without opposition.

And future resources wouldn’t be a problem at all.

However, it would mean putting his life in someone else’s hands, without any capacity to resist if anything arises.

Under any circumstances, he wouldn’t agree to it.

Besides, with his skill panel, he wouldn’t be short of resources.

"Do any other Golden Core Sects have special reactions?" Xu Ping asked indirectly.

"Special reactions?"

"No special reactions, even if they find the Sword Cultivator senior, they can’t protect him. So they just don’t bother looking."

Hearing this, Xu Ping felt slightly relieved.

Under these circumstances, his journey to Qiu Xuan Immortal City shouldn’t encounter too many obstacles.

"Your cultivation isn’t high, yet you know quite a lot." Xu Ping praised him.

"You’ve flattered me, senior." The hemp-clad boy grinned broadly.

After walking a bit further,

The hemp-clad boy stopped and pointed at a two-story building named ’Beixi Inn,’ saying, "We’re here, senior, right here."

"Mhm." Xu Ping nodded and directly tossed a Spirit Stone to him.

"Thank you, senior." The hemp-clad boy accepted the Spirit Stone and beamed with joy.

Xu Ping had just stepped into the entrance when a young attendant greeted him with a smiling face: "Dear guest, are you looking to rent a cave dwelling?"

"Mhm, can you show me some slightly better cave dwellings?" Xu Ping’s expression remained unchanged as he asked.

The attendant knew immediately that this was big business and cheerfully approached, opening an exquisite booklet: "Superior cave dwellings near the Second-stage Spirit Vein, rich in Spiritual Qi, you may choose from any unoccupied cave dwelling listed here..."

"How much Spirit Stone to rent for a month?"

"Forty Spirit Stones a month."

"That’s a bit expensive." Xu Ping muttered, but he still took out forty Spirit Stones to rent a superior cave dwelling.

The attendant promptly noted it down, collected the Spirit Stones, and returned to the counter. Soon after, he respectfully presented a token: "This is the array token; please keep it safe, dear guest!"

Xu Ping took the redwood token and found ’令’ written on the front, with small characters below: ’Number B-37.’

On the back was a simplified map of the market.

"This token can control the array near the cave dwelling, but it’s only valid for one month." The attendant further explained.

Xu Ping nodded, feeling impressed, "Truly, you get what you pay for; it even comes with an array token."

...

...

In the center of the market, the houses were noticeably more spacious than those on the previous roads.

Small courtyards stood amidst lush woods.

The passing cultivators were predominantly late-stage Qi Cultivation, clad in incredibly splendid robes.

Following the street, Xu Ping found the ’Number B-37’ cave dwelling.

"What are you doing?"

Before he got close, a group of cultivators dressed in Beixi law enforcement uniforms emerged from a distance, their leader asking loudly.

"Renting."

Xu Ping pointed to the ’Number B-37’ cave dwelling.

"May I see the token?" At these words, the leader’s attitude became much more courteous.

Xu Ping retrieved the small wooden token from his storage bag and handed it over.

The leading cultivator examined the token closely and returned it politely: "It’s our duty."

Being able to afford a superior cave dwelling meant one was either wealthy or prestigious, so it was wise to be courteous.

This was knowledge he had accumulated over the years as a captain of a law enforcement team.