Chapter 19
Golden Osmanthus Lane.
Located in the western section of the northern city, this area belonged to the common folk. It could not compare to the prosperity and wealth of the eastern city, yet it carried its own lively charm.
Gu Changqing felt very at ease.
Compared to the eastern city, where noble families gathered and masters were everywhere, he truly preferred the ordinary environment.
After checking out of the inn, the two went straight to their residence in the western district.
The two-courtyard house was clean and tidy.
The front yard even contained a spiritual plot of land.
Gu Changqing nodded with satisfaction. In the northern city, even a house in a remote area like this was worth a considerable sum.
They rested for the night.
The next day, Gu Changqing went to Misty Evening Mountain.
There was only a simple defensive formation on the mountain and a spirit-locking array.
At the foot of the mountain:
“Master.”
“Master.”
A group of scattered cultivators with low cultivation respectfully greeted him. Most were around the third level of Qi Refining.
Gu Changqing nodded. “Introduce yourselves.”
“My name is Li Dazhu; I’ve been farming here for eight years.”
“I’m Song Yue, farming here for three years.”
“I’m Cai Liang, here for two years, but my grandfather also worked as a spirit cultivator here.”
“...”
Gu Changqing frowned. “Is it just you people?”
Master Yu’s estate naturally was not a poor one. Misty Evening Mountain spanned a vast area, and the spiritual fields had been fully developed.
There were a hundred acres of top-grade spiritual fields, three hundred acres of middle-grade, and six hundred acres of low-grade.
Logically, there shouldn’t be so few spirit cultivators, and more importantly, their cultivation was too weak.
A cultivator at the early Qi Refining stage could at most oversee five acres of spiritual fields. These cultivators could hardly manage thousands of acres.
“Um...”
They glanced at each other.
Cai Liang bit his lip. “Reporting to Master, there were a few spirit cultivators at the late Qi Refining stage, but when they heard Misty Evening Mountain had a new master, they accepted the Wang family’s recruitment and defected along with other cultivators. Their spiritual fields have since fallen into neglect...”
“I’ve seen it.”
Gu Changqing had already noticed the large swathes of abandoned spiritual fields halfway up the mountain.
He wasn’t overly angry.
People naturally strive for better positions; water flows downward — such is human nature.
The title of Golden Core Master was a deterrent. Even though only a simple defensive formation was set up on the mountain, no one dared to provoke them.
Qi Refining cultivators were different: their cultivation was low, but their wealth was considerable. Even with the status of a direct disciple, one could not prevent some from harboring ill intentions.
If they encountered desperate fugitives, those would raid and flee. Misty Evening Mountain was outside the northern city’s protection, so spirit cultivators had to worry about their lives.
“Why don’t you leave?”
“We dare not.”
The cultivators lowered their heads tremblingly.
Gu Changqing smiled, understanding that it was not fear but lack of options; low-level cultivators held little value for recruitment.
“Alright, get back to your work.”
Gu Changqing said calmly. After surveying the surroundings, he lightly tapped his toe, stepping on floating clouds to reach the spirit vein cave halfway up the mountain.
The cave had guardian restrictions; the small Spring Peak token in his hand was the key to open it.
After all, this spirit vein was originally left by his master for his disciples — only the disciple had changed.
Entering the cave, Gu Changqing took a deep breath, feeling his pores seemingly expand.
Inside, spiritual energy nourished the air like rain. At the center was a pool of spiritual spring, in which grew a blue lotus—a second-grade high-quality spirit plant capable of focusing the mind and dispelling inner demons.
“As expected of a second-grade spirit vein,” Gu Changqing admired silently.
He then began arranging the mountain protection array.
His frugal master was thoughtful, gifting him a third-grade formation called the Dragon and Snake Mountain Array, combining offense and defense. Once linked to the spirit vein, it could operate autonomously; as long as the spirit vein lasted, the formation would not cease.
...
Several days passed in a flash.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Suddenly, a tremor echoed through the mountain.
“What’s he doing?”
The spirit cultivators at the foot watched from afar. A figure stood atop the mountain, flowing celestial robes fluttering, his brows stern and aloof.
He moved his hands in complex spells, sending formation flags flying in all directions, connecting with pre-set formation points across the mountain.
“Boom!”
Misty Evening Mountain shook.
A dragon and snake apparition appeared in the sky, lightning flashing and thunder roaring.
“The master is setting up a formation!” the cultivators exclaimed.
“The master is truly a high-level expert!”
They excitedly gazed at the sky, clearly sensing the immense power of the dragon and snake apparition.
“What kind of formation is this?”
“So imposing! Even foundation-establishment cultivators would flee!”
They did not know it was a third-grade array; even Golden Core masters would avoid it.
As the dragon and snake apparition faded, their hearts settled. The stronger the master, the happier they were. The humble wish of low-level scattered cultivators was simply a stable farming environment.
If lucky, they could advance to mid or late Qi Refining, rent more spiritual fields, and earn more income, allowing them to hope for a brighter future.
...
Halfway up the mountain.
Gu Changqing’s face was pale.
Feeling his strength nearly drained, he hurriedly swallowed a pill.
“This is still too much of a strain.”
Setting a third-grade formation with an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivation was a tall order. Though the Qingmu Longevity Technique endowed him with profound strength, it was still very demanding.
He swiftly returned to the spirit vein cave.
His parched body instinctively absorbed spiritual energy.
The Qingmu Longevity Technique activated.
Vitality surged through his limbs and bones, washing and filling his withered meridians and dantian repeatedly.
Perhaps it was true that destruction was necessary for creation, or perhaps the time had come—his dantian gradually became whole.
Suddenly,
“Crack!”
A surge of spiritual power burst forth. A barrier that had once blocked him cracked open, the fissure widening rapidly.
More and more spiritual power flooded in.
Time passed unknowingly.
Gu Changqing slowly opened his eyes. “I’ve advanced.”
Qi Refining, ninth level.
It was time to prepare for foundation establishment.
Ten years.
He set this as his deadline.
Leaving the cave, his cultivation reverted to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
“You...”
Outside the cave, Ji Yan looked at him strangely. “You didn’t advance?”
With such a commotion just now, it was clearly a sign of advancement.
Gu Changqing was slightly surprised. “Why are you here?”
Ji Yan glanced at him. “Am I not allowed to come?”
“No!” Gu Changqing shook his head. “Since you were given the token, you’re naturally welcome.”
The cheap master had given him a formation plate with two control tokens; Gu Changqing had already handed one to Ji Yan.
“You haven’t told me if you’re hiding your cultivation level,” Ji Yan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him from all angles.
Through their partner contract, Ji Yan sensed that Gu Changqing’s vitality seemed to have strengthened.
Gu Changqing: “...”
This was the downside of being too close: no secrets could be kept.
Ji Yan complained, “This isn’t the sect. Sixth-level Qi Refining won’t protect you here.”
The sect hierarchy was strict. The status of a direct disciple was a protective umbrella.
But in Northern Spirit City, noble families, scattered cultivators, sects, and various factions thrived, including the mysterious Linglong Pavilion—an unknown entity. Mid-level Qi Refining cultivation was truly insufficient.
Gu Changqing thought for a moment and agreed. He adjusted his cultivation to seventh level Qi Refining.
“Still not enough,” Ji Yan shook his head.
Gu Changqing rolled his eyes. Jumping two levels at once would be the problem.
“What exactly is your cultivation level?” Ji Yan was curious.
“Heh,” Gu Changqing smiled. “Eighth level Qi Refining.”
“Really?”
Ji Yan was skeptical, not quite believing him.
“Mm!” Gu Changqing nodded firmly and quickly changed the subject. “By the way, you run a shop, right? How’s that going?”
“Not bad.”
Ji Yan smiled. “Thanks to the Gu family’s people helping me open it. Otherwise...” He glared at Gu Changqing. “Do you think I could’ve done it on my own?”
He had agreed to help open the shop together, but after arriving at Misty Evening Mountain, Gu Changqing vanished.
“Unexpected delays,” Gu Changqing chuckled dryly. He hadn’t anticipated that formation setup and advancement would take so long.
“I know.”
Ji Yan snorted. If it weren’t for the delays, he wouldn’t have been so forgiving. He came to the northern city and disappeared for nine days, then vanished again for a month. This man was truly unreliable.
Luckily, Gu Changqing didn’t know his thoughts.
“You said Gu family’s people?”
Ji Yan nodded. “They came to congratulate us on our wedding. But due to the long journey, they were delayed. When they heard we were in the northern city, they rushed over. Since you were in seclusion, they didn’t want to disturb you and helped me manage the shop.”
Ji Yan sighed, “They’re really good at business.”
Gu Changqing smiled. “The family is competitive. Once you turn eighteen, you must take on family tasks—managing shops or learning a skill. You need a way to make a living.”
Ji Yan nodded deeply. “That’s the way to sustain oneself.”
He had once studied artifact forging but, unfortunately, after losing his cultivation, he couldn’t freely wield spiritual power.
Coming to the northern city, he felt utterly useless.
Unable even to run a business well.
Seeing his dejection, Gu Changqing smiled. “You look better lately. Is your health improving?”
Ji Yan was slightly stunned. “Seems so.”
He felt a burning energy inside. Though cultivation remained difficult, under its influence, he could retain at least a tenth of his spiritual power each time he practiced.
Gu Changqing was tempted to test if Ji Yan’s special constitution had awakened.
But thinking of the demon corpses in his storage bag, he refrained.
Well, there was still time.
He would finish examining the demon corpses first.
After some casual conversation, Ji Yan urged him to return to the northern city; the Gu family was still waiting.
Gu Changqing said, “Wait a moment.”
Then, with his sword, he dug several large pits on the mountainside nearest the spirit vein.
“Splash!”
Several spirit roots flew from his storage bag: clear tea trees, precious fragrant pears, red rock fruits, hundred-flower fruits, and scarlet sun spirit peaches.
These were spirit plants he had planted before.
Among them, the clear tea tree was nearly advancing to third grade; the scarlet sun spirit peach was a third-grade mutated spirit root. The others were at least second-grade low quality.
This was no small fortune, but also a foundation.
After burying them in the soil, he used the Little Cloud Rain Technique and Minor Rejuvenation Technique to nurture each spirit plant.
Secretly, he infused a trace of Qingmu energy.
The spirit plants quickly took root, adapted to their new environment, their branches and leaves stretching out energetically.
...