Chapter 64: Fencing the Loot (Congratulating Alliance Lord Hanyu Jiangxiangluan! )
After leaving the Celestial Immortal Pavilion, Fang Xi, fully equipped and with his mindset adjusted, returned to Green Bamboo Mountain.
The mountainside was lush, the verdant bamboo still dripping with dew, yet everything had long since changed, and the people were gone.
Fang Xi arrived at the shantytown where the spirit farmers had once lived, only to find it a scene of shattered walls and crumbling ruins, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
“Indeed, it’s not safe outside the market town, and without Foundation Establishment cultivators to deter. . . where would any spirit farmers be willing to cultivate land? ”
He sighed with emotion, then found his small wooden hut.
Here too was a wasteland of ruins; it seemed widespread collapse had occurred due to a battle of spells.
Smack!
Fang Xi gripped a roof beam and abruptly heaved.
His strength was now astonishingly immense; with a burst of power, a flood of wooden planks and rubble were overturned, revealing shattered tables, chairs, and even some unknown bone fragments.
Fang Xi sighed regretfully, then located the spot where he had once dug his cellar.
The entrance to the passage was long since buried under a mass of earth, making it look no different from any other spot.
Fang Xi took out his ghost-head saber, used it like a hoe, and quickly dug down to his original cellar.
“I left in such a hurry back then, didn't take any of these belongings with me. . . ”
He went to a corner and, with practiced ease, dug out a small wine jar.
Upon opening it, a sour smell wafted out.
“What a waste. . . ”
Fang Xi glanced at the label; this was a control group he had set up when he'd first tried brewing wine.
Now, two years later, it was confirmed a failure.
He continued to dig out wine jars, finding that most of the spirit wine was the same—either the jars were broken or the taste had spoiled.
But when a certain jar of spirit wine was opened, Fang Xi's eyes lit up.
Pop!
The mud seal cracked, and a rich aroma of wine wafted out.
“This. . . it worked? ”
Fang Xi sighed with emotion, quickly checked the label, and noted down the original recipe.
He took a sip, then frowned slightly: “The taste is too poor. . . and the spiritual rice's effects are barely there anymore. ”
According to Fang Xi's original vision, his spiritual rice wine should at least taste decent, and also come with some of the effects of a Grain Abstinence Pill.
Facts proved he had thought brewing wine far too simple.
“Alas. . . how many things from ancient times are now but a laughing matter. . . ”
Fang Xi caressed the cellar wall, thinking back to the events of that year, his expression becoming lost in thought.
Then, he lifted the wine jar and poured it into his mouth with a gulping sound.
The wine tasted mediocre, even slightly bitter, but it perfectly matched his current state of mind.
Clang!
After finishing, Fang Xi flung the wine jar, letting it smash against the wall, exploding into countless fragments.
“This place. . . I won't need to come here again. ”
After leaving the cellar, Fang Xi cast one last glance, then turned and strode away.
...
Green Bamboo Mountain Market Town.
Fang Xi raised his head, looking at the newly erected archway, filled with deep emotion.
Now, he had long since changed his appearance to that of Fang Leng, wearing a bamboo hat and a green robe to conceal his figure.
“Fellow Daoist, please step forth. To enter our Green Bamboo Market Town, please pay one spirit crystal! ”
Beneath the archway stood two cultivators, collecting fees from those wishing to enter the market town.
These two cultivators weren't highly cultivated, merely at the mid-stage Qi Refinement, clad in green uniforms with a circle of bamboo marks on their chests, signifying they were members of the 'Green Bamboo Alliance'.
‘In the past, Green Bamboo Mountain Market Town never charged an entry fee. . . ’
Fang Xi grumbled inwardly, yet offered no objection, paying one spirit crystal as was customary, receiving a bamboo token as identification.
“This token only allows you to remain within the formation for twelve hours. Should you exceed the time limit, the formation will inevitably retaliate! ”
When handing over the token, the Green Bamboo Alliance cultivator added a reminder.
“I understand! ”
Fang Xi cupped his fist, hung the token at his waist, and stepped inside the formation beyond the archway.
“This formation. . . it should be a second-order one, but I don't recognize it. . . ”
Although Fang Xi had diligently studied the "Elementary Guide to Formations," unfortunately, he couldn't even be considered a low-grade first-order formation master now, let alone identify the origin of this market town's protective formation.
He could only confirm that it wasn't the previous ‘Sky Azure Water Formation’.
‘For this Green Bamboo Alliance to acquire a second-order mountain-protecting grand formation, they truly have some connections. . . ’
Not long after, Fang Xi arrived inside the market town.
As soon as he entered, a cacophony of bustling sounds assailed him.
He looked around and saw that the layout of Green Bamboo Mountain Market Town had undergone a major transformation; two more streets had been built alongside the main one, and the market square had doubled in size, appearing much grander.
“The leader of the Green Bamboo Alliance truly seems to be a person of strategy and vision. ”
Fang Xi secretly made his assessment.
In the past two years, one Foundation Establishment family after another had fallen, and many major powers had undergone turbulent reshuffling, resulting in a considerable outflow of good items.
It was even rumored that some rogue cultivators had seized this rare opportunity to successfully achieve Foundation Establishment!
The Green Bamboo Alliance occupied Green Bamboo Mountain, transforming the original market town into a black market, which indeed attracted a significant flow of people.
However, most of the cultivators trading here were masked and disguised, each exuding a malevolent aura, not appearing to be good people.
‘It seems. . . I'm not exactly a righteous gentleman myself. . . ’
Fang Xi touched his cheek, first taking a general tour of the market town to get a clear idea of the price fluctuations for artifacts, talismans, and pills.
Then, he began to carefully observe several suitable places for fencing his loot.
Indeed, when Green Bamboo Mountain Market Town was breached back then, he had also gained some spoils.
The storage bag of the youngest of the Kou Brothers contained quite a few good items.
For instance, ‘Golden Grain Pills,’ which he couldn't use himself, naturally had to be sold off at the opportune moment.
Furthermore, Fang Xi, the 'Elder of Three Bags,' still had two storage bags filled with various demon beast materials he had collected over the years.
“The Heavenly Talisman Hall is gone, and so is the Hundred Arts Tower. . . It's only natural that the Foundation Establishment forces behind these two suffered heavy losses in the battle at Black Water Pool. ”
Behind the Hundred Arts Tower was the Qi family, a Foundation Establishment clan, which lost a grand Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Shen family, behind the Heavenly Talisman Hall, fared even worse, having been annihilated.
The Mingqing Pavilion, however, was still there. Fang Xi remembered that Fairy Yun Meng's original surname seemed to be Xu, making her a member of the Green Leaf Xu family!
The Green Leaf Xu family was indeed the Foundation Establishment force behind the Mingqing Pavilion.
But at this moment, Fang Xi had no inclination whatsoever to go for tea.
Thinking of Fairy Yun Meng, he couldn't help but think of Shen Hao Ran. Oh, that one was likely finished.
And Chen Ping, Lu Zhi, Reverend Jiu Xuan, Di Qi. . .
These former companions, he wondered what their fates were now.
Fang Xi sighed, then steadied his mind and, drawing on his experience, walked into the largest and most luxurious shop in the area.
This shop was called ‘Myriad Seas Pavilion,’ he had already found out; it was backed by the Song family!
The Song family was truly renowned in the State of Yue, serving as the paramount leader among all cultivation families, with their influence second only to the Black Heaven Sect!
Other Foundation Establishment families still had to add a prefix to distinguish themselves from others with the same surname.
But the Song family? There was only one in the State of Yue!
It was said that within the Song family, there was a Grand Elder at the perfected Foundation Establishment stage! Moreover, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators exceeded five!
It was precisely with this confidence that they could even defy the Black Heaven Sect's commands and had reaped substantial rewards in the last campaign to eliminate Red Leaf Valley and the Situ family.
‘The larger the power, the more they value their reputation. . . As long as no immense profit is involved, they can still be considered moderately trustworthy. ’
‘The Song family's threshold, at least, should be a bit higher than the Hundred Arts Tower's, right? ’
With these thoughts, Fang Xi entered the Myriad Seas Pavilion.
“Esteemed guest, what may I help you with? Our Myriad Seas Pavilion has everything, from artifacts and pills to spirit talismans, formations, even spirit beasts and alchemical cauldrons! ”
A young attendant in a sky-blue long gown immediately came forward to greet him.
“I wish to sell some items. Send someone who can make decisions. ”
Fang Xi surveyed the environment within the Myriad Seas Pavilion, then frowned again: “And. . . it's too messy and noisy in here. ”
“Esteemed guest, please come upstairs to a private room. ”
The attendant immediately complied, leading Fang Xi upstairs into a designated private room.
The private room was spacious, and from an incense burner on the table, calming incense smoke gently rose.
Not long after, a maidservant entered and offered spiritual tea.
‘This Song family is indeed quite affluent. ’
Fang Xi inhaled, feeling his internal magic power slightly fluctuate, and couldn't help but sigh with admiration.
However, he still did not drink it.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the door reopened. A male cultivator, dressed in a sea-blue magical robe, wearing a jade crown, and with sharp, star-like brows, entered and bowed first: “This one is Song Qing. May I know Fellow Daoist's name? ”
“My name is Fang Leng! ”
Fang Xi replied coolly.
“Ah, so it is Fellow Daoist Fang. May I inquire why you have graced our Myriad Seas Pavilion with your presence? ” Song Qing's manner of dealing with guests was clearly professionally trained; his every movement exuded politeness.
Yet, between his brows, there was a faint hint of arrogance.
This was quite normal, after all, he was a member of the Song clan.
Moreover, cultivators often appreciated this approach.
“I've come to sell some things, and also to purchase a few. ”
After reaching the third stage of Body Cultivation, and according to Linghu Shan, the martial path of Da Liang had reached a dead end. Fang Xi, of course, had to change course promptly.
And with his dismal spiritual root, if he wanted to advance his ‘Evergreen Art’, he would likely still need to rely on pills.
“Oh, then I shall be enlightened today. ”
Song Qing sat down, took a sip of spiritual tea, and a hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
Then, he watched as Fang Xi pulled a medicinal bottle from his storage bag and placed it on the table.
Song Qing picked up the bottle, opened it, and sniffed: “Hmm. . . a first-order, superior-grade spiritual pill—Golden Grain Pill. It's suitable for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators with a metal spirit root to increase their magic power. Each pill is worth twenty low-grade spirit stones. There are five here, and their medicinal properties are intact. This establishment can acquire them for ninety spirit stones. What do you think, Fellow Daoist? ”
“Acceptable. ”
Fang Xi thought for a moment, then took out some more spiritual materials from his storage bag to dispose of.
That third brother of the Kou family, while probably killing and seizing treasures, also incidentally snatched many miscellaneous items. Fang Xi had no use for them, so he simply sold them all together.
After Song Qing's individual assessment, they amounted to about sixty-five spirit stones.
“In that case. . . the total owed to Fellow Daoist is one hundred and fifty-five low-grade spirit stones. ”
Song Qing finished counting, swept his sleeve, and collected the Golden Grain Pills and other items. On the table, only a pile of colorful low-grade spirit stones remained: “Fellow Daoist may count them to confirm the amount. ”
Fang Xi nodded, and indeed began counting with meticulous care.
Seeing this scene, the smile on Song Qing's face widened: “May I ask what items Fellow Daoist wishes to purchase from our establishment? Within our pavilion, we have all manner of rare treasures and exotic items; surely we can satisfy Fellow Daoist's needs. ”
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