Chapter 925: Vicissitudes (Dedicated to my Alliance Leader, Ten Steps, One Kill)
Chapter 925: Vicissitudes (Dedicated to my Alliance Leader, Ten Steps, One Kill)
Several years later.
Yong Yun's small shop, its main door was tightly shut.
Within the formation, a faint sound like a flute or pipe could be heard.
A moment later, the small shop's door reopened.
Yong Yun Mian, her fair hand painted with cinnabar-lacquered nails, cast a somewhat resentful glance at Fang Xi: "Elder Ge intends to take on nominal disciples—what a great opportunity this is, yet you're still unwilling? You know, it's rare for that venerable elder to open his golden mouth like this; if he achieves True Immortal status in the future, that would be an even greater fortune."
"Heh. . . I just prefer peace and quiet."
Fang Xi lounged lazily on the soft chair and replied indifferently.
Not thinking much of Elder Ge was one thing; after all, he had already secretly learned all of the man's most prized talisman-making skills.
He'd have to have a hole in his head to become an apprentice in that old-fashioned way.
"Alas. . . never mind, never mind. Since Elder Ge's offer was rejected by you, it's inevitable he'll be displeased. . . I originally wanted to introduce a few businesses to you, but now they've all fallen through."
Yong Yun Mian said apologetically.
"So. . . what just happened counts as compensation? " Fang Xi rubbed his fingers together, saying, "In that case, I'm quite satisfied. . ."
"Pah, what a character!"
Yong Yun Mian spat lightly and said earnestly, "Five reams of Myriad Star Talisman Paper, two reams of Void Jade Talisman Paper, and one hundred twenty Immortal Jade—that's your cost price."
"Agreed."
Fang Xi did the calculations, feeling that the female shopkeeper still made a profit, and couldn't help but nod.
He liked women who were formidable at crunching numbers, even if they had to lift their skirts to do it. At least, the goods and money were settled, with no debts between them, which was quite good. . .
Beast Fighting Pit.
Two Void Amalgamation-level ferocious beasts collided fiercely, and in an instant, a gale of vital energy erupted, only to be quickly dissipated by the formation.
"Go, Nine Wind Wolf!"
A gambler waved the betting slip in his hand, his eyes bloodshot.
"Molten Gold Lion, bite it to death!"
Another gambler cried out loudly. If it weren't for the formation's light barrier blocking him, he might have jumped down himself to take its place.
This Beast Fighting Pit was the only place in Blazing Sun Immortal City where duels were permitted, and it also managed the life-and-death arena.
If cultivators had sharp conflicts that couldn't be resolved, they could apply to ascend the life-and-death arena for a debate of Dao, and only with one's death could the matter be put to rest.
For cultivators, prolonged peace and cultivation could indeed lead to restlessness in their hearts.
Coming to the Beast Fighting Pit to vent at such times was also a method to prevent inner demons.
"Brother Fang!"
A swordsman scholar, seeing Fang Xi, his eyes immediately lit up.
"Ah, Brother Feng."
Fang Xi cupped his hands, asking, "Brother Feng, have you come again to. . . temper your sword intent?"
"Precisely."
The swordsman scholar surnamed Feng gave a reserved smile, then transmitted a message, asking, "Brother Fang, in your opinion, which of these two fighting beasts will win?"
"From my observation, that Nine Wind Wolf has more than enough speed, but lacks defense. . ."
Fang Xi commented slowly.
"Then should I bet on the Molten Gold Lion to win? " The swordsman scholar surnamed Feng's eyes lit up.
"Wait a moment. . . Although that's the case, this wolf has strange golden markings on its claws. Though extremely faint, it should possess a trace of wolf king bloodline. If it awakens some mutated divine ability, it will have a chance to win!"
Just as Fang Xi's voice fell, the Nine Wind Wolf let out a howl and suddenly transformed into nine gusts of wild wind, escaping from beneath the Molten Gold Lion's jaws. Then, the wild winds converged, revealing a green wolf's head, which bit back, its astonishing bite force instantly severing the Molten Gold Lion's spine.
"Haha, I won!"
"That damned broken lion, it's not even as good as my family's spirit beast dog!"
Many gamblers became hysterical, tearing their betting slips, as paper scraps fluttered down like snowflakes.
"It was actually a 'Wind Spirit Body'! Damn it. . . If I had known, I would have. . ."
The swordsman scholar surnamed Feng was filled with regret.
"Fellow Daoist Feng, it's time for your cultivation."
Fang Xi reminded him.
Strictly speaking, this Beast Fighting Pit was inseparable from Sword Grinding Mountain, and cultivators from Sword Grinding Mountain were very fond of coming to the Beast Fighting Pit—not for betting or maintaining order, but to use human emotions and desires to temper their sword edges!
This was a secret technique of the Sword Grinding Mountain lineage, which used human emotions and desires to temper flying swords, allowing one year of effort to be worth ten years of arduous cultivation for an ordinary sword cultivator!
And the emotions and desires of immortal cultivators, naturally, yielded even better results!
"Oh!"
The swordsman scholar surnamed Feng awoke as if from a dream, then took out a section of a sword sheath and muttered incantations.
In an instant, streaks of aura filled with emotions like anger, resentment, and disappointment were drawn in and flowed into the sword sheath.
Before long, at the bottom of the sword sheath, a layer of dark red sword liquid appeared.
Seeing this scene, Fang Xi immediately smiled without speaking.
For true Sword Grinding Mountain disciples who came to temper their swords, their sword sheaths were at least more than half full.
For this Fellow Daoist Feng to be like this, it was clear his true intention was not the wine.
This person loved beast fighting gambling the most, but unfortunately, he lost nine out of ten bets. Later, he chanced upon Fang Xi and was convinced by Fang Xi's discerning eye and insight, like a horse racing buddy, and their friendship gradually deepened.
Although Fang Xi had already made connections with the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce, which controlled the auctions, he hadn't given up on Azure Sky Academy and Sword Grinding Mountain either.
Anyway, it was just a bit more effort each day, but these were backup plans—perhaps seemingly useless normally, but at critical moments when the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce failed, they could turn the situation around.
...
After dealing with matters, Fang Xi went to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to enjoy himself.
Then, he returned to his own Vermilion Bird Alley cave abode.
"Senior Fang. . ."
An elderly woman in splendid robes and luxurious attire happened to be leaving and bowed.
"Little Friend Zhang. . ."
Fang Xi nodded with a faint smile and was about to return to his cave abode.
"Senior Fang, please wait. . ."
At this moment, the elderly woman of the Zhang family suddenly called out to Fang Xi.
"Oh? What is it, Little Friend?"
Fang Xi turned around and stared at the elderly woman of the Zhang family with interest.
This elderly woman was truly vicious and cruel; he had truly witnessed it. Not only had she ruthlessly dealt with Ma Jing and his companion.
That day, when Shi Yushu debated with her, her words almost shattered his Dao heart.
Perhaps this was due to Shi Yushu having already suffered a series of blows, such as the destruction of his sect and Ma Jing's tragic death, and already being on the verge of qi deviation, but it was still extremely rare.
One could say that with not a single drop of blood shed, she had eliminated a great enemy for her family.
Shi Yushu's Dao heart was unstable, leading to a backlash from his cultivation technique, his realm plummeting, and he almost couldn't even maintain his Nascent Soul.
Fortunately, he took a spiritual pill, barely maintaining his Nascent Soul realm, and didn't instantly die of old age.
Even so, he dared not challenge the Zhang family to a fight again and could only leave Blazing Sun Immortal City dejectedly.
And with the Zhang family's methods, Fang Xi estimated that when the other party left, they would probably receive a full 'robber cultivator's welcome package. '
He knew this, but had no intention of helping.
After all, they were just ordinary neighbors.
He hadn't stepped in to save Ma Jing and his companion, so of course he wouldn't treat Shi Yushu any differently.
Although, in the cultivation world, such people were becoming increasingly rare.
"It's like this, this old woman sees that Senior Fang lives alone in his cave abode, with no one to look after him, and it's inevitable that mundane matters will bother you. This old woman's family happens to have two granddaughters, both in their twenties, enchanting and beautiful. . . Why not send them to Senior's residence to be maidservants?"
The elderly woman of the Zhang family seemed to be smiling like a flower.
"No need."
Fang Xi waved his hand, entered his own cave abode, and a barrier of light immediately rose, blocking the elderly woman outside the cave abode.
He was well-versed in human nature, so he naturally knew this old woman had no ill intentions.
The Zhang family was originally just a family within the Zhengyang Gate, with their highest cultivator being only a Void Amalgamation cultivator.
To establish themselves in Blazing Sun Immortal City, they naturally needed some assistance and connections.
Clinging to high-level cultivators was merely a common tactic.
'Of course, if this were the mortal world, for a solitary old man like me, to be sent two maidservants like this, in the end, I might even lose my entire family fortune. . . '
Fang Xi had no interest in playing along with them at all, so he cut off the idea from the very beginning.
"Alas. . ."
The elderly woman of the Zhang family sighed and returned to her own cave abode.
"Old Ancestor. . ."
A member of the Zhang family stepped forward, hesitated to speak, then said, "Zhi Lan and Yu Xiu are both good girls. Marrying any of those outstanding talents would be enough, so why send them away? They might even be treated as cultivation cauldrons. . ."
"Pah! Even if they become cultivation cauldrons, it's better than living here for free and leeching off the cave abode's spiritual energy."
The old Zhang woman glanced out of the corner of her eye, seeing two graceful figures, and couldn't help but curse, "It's not easy for us to reside in an immortal city; every single bit must be saved. Only when we can nurture a Void Amalgamation or even Mahayana cultivator will our family be secure. . . Right now, every single member of the family has to go out and forage for themselves. The public accounts are audited annually; we don't support idlers! Zhi Lan and Yu Xiu are both useless. If they go to someone else's residence, even if they become cultivation cauldrons, if they can bring back a set of talismanic inheritance, it won't be a loss!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the graceful figures of the two girls trembled, and they couldn't help but secretly clench their fists, their nails digging deep into their flesh.
...
Time revolved, and several more years passed.
Inside the Vermilion Bird Alley cave abode.
Fang Xi sat cross-legged and silently opened a sound transmission talisman.
"Ever since I refused to be exploited by Elder Ge, his dissatisfaction with me has been increasing day by day. . ."
Actually, Elder Ge's reputation used to be good, but to pass his eighth Immortal Lightning Tribulation, he most likely exhausted his family's wealth and desperately needed to replenish it.
Besides that, his status had risen, and his mentality had also changed.
Fang Xi was well aware of this, but he wasn't going to indulge the other party.
A mere person who could die in a single move wasn't worth him expending much effort on.
In the past, he might have feigned obedience, then waited for the other party to die off, and inherited their legacy. . .
But now, he had already mastered the refining method for the 'Item-Storing Talisman,' so there was simply no need for such methods.
"Anyway, one couldn't duel in Blazing Sun Immortal City."
"It's just that the connection with Shopkeeper Yong will be cut off, which is quite a pity. . ."
In his mind, a shapely figure appeared, then he gave a wry smile and opened another sound transmission talisman.
This sound transmission talisman was sent by Huang Jing, inviting him to Hundred Flowers Pavilion for a meeting, stating that there was an important matter to discuss.
"It seems that matter has succeeded."
Fang Xi's heart stirred.
...
At Hundred Flowers Pavilion, after a round of toasts and drinks, Huang Jing laughed heartily, "Brother, this round of 'flower wine' is on you."
"Oh?"
Fang Xi's eyes lit up, and he waved his hand, dismissing the many dancing girls, asking, "Has there been any progress with the 'Six Immortals Transformation Flying Pill'?"
"Exactly."
Huang Jing transmitted a message, saying, "Our chamber of commerce will have a batch of goods arriving in several years, and according to custom, there will be at least a few 'Six Immortals Transformation Flying Pills' among them. It's just that this pill is valuable; I wonder if your Immortal Jade will be enough, my brother?"
"I was just about to ask my Dao brother for a loan. . ."
Hearing this, Fang Xi immediately showed a wry smile of embarrassment on his face.
Ruan Xing Ling should have an extra chapter.
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