Reaching for the Mountains

Fifty-five bottles of Fasting Powder, thirty bottles of Myriad Wonders Pills. This was the harvest of Luo Chen’s past month. He had concocted only fifty bottles of Fasting Powder himself; the extra five bottles were a legacy left behind by that short-lived ghost. As for the thirty bottles of Myriad Wonders Pills, those were a pleasant surprise. This time, he had actually succeeded on three whole cauldrons, all of low-grade quality. Setting out the medicinal vials onto the bluestone slab, Luo Chen rested his hands on his hips, brimming with anticipation for today’s grand market. Old Daoist Chen arrived a bit later than him, as usual. Upon spotting Luo Chen, resentment filled the old man's eyes. Fifty spirit stones! No sooner had he retrieved them last time than the kid borrowed them right back. He had already made up his mind: today, no matter what silver-tongued excuses Luo Chen came up with, he would collect that loan without fail! Without fail! “Little Luo, your alchemy skills have deepened yet again!” The corner he usually spared for Luo Chen had never been full before. Today, however, jade vials were packed shoulder to shoulder across it—at least fifty or sixty of them, taking up nearly all the space. Evidently, Luo Chen's concoction craft must have improved once more. Luo Chen chuckled sheepishly. “It’s all thanks to your generous help, Daoist Chen. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the capital to brew so many pills.” “Hmph, as long as you know it.” Old Daoist Chen gave a soft snort, then said with solemn righteousness, “I lent it to you out of the goodness of my heart, but today you must return those spirit stones to me no matter what.” “Of course, of course!” Luo Chen put on the dutiful air of an honest borrower. Only then did Old Daoist Chen’s expression soften. With debts hanging out there, he truly couldn't enjoy his tea or relish his meals! Suddenly, he let out a startled gasp. “Huh!” “Little Luo, you’ve reached the fourth layer of Qi Refinement?” Luo Chen asked out of curiosity, “How could you tell?” “This old man has practiced the Spiritual Eye Art. Observing qi and discerning spirit is child's play to me.” After boasting for a moment, Old Daoist Chen frowned in confusion. “Don't you have a five-element spirit root aptitude? How could you break through to the mid Qi Refinement stage at your age?” The Spiritual Eye Art was a low-tier spell that drew upon spiritual energy to sharpen eyesight and grant the ability to observe qi and detect spiritual auras. Among low-tier spells, it, Fireball Art, Wind Riding Technique, Attraction Art, and Healing Art were collectively known as the five essential spells of the Qi Refinement stage. Unfortunately, aside from Fireball Art, Luo Chen did not know a single one of the other four. Entangling Art and Fireball Art had both been fortuitous finds of his body's original owner. As for Cleansing Art, it was merely one of the most worthless spells; Luo Chen had traded a bottle of Fasting Powder for it at the market back in the day. Old Daoist Chen looked at Luo Chen with a rather peculiar expression. He probably hadn't expected that one day, Luo Chen would become a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator just like him. Though no earth-shattering gulf separated the early and mid stages, one's maximum capacity of internal spiritual energy doubled straight away! All kinds of combat techniques could be executed with composure as well. Early-stage cultivators in Dahe Market were nothing more than the lowest rung. Without a specialized craft, they could only do odd jobs and run errands at the beck and call of others. Mid-stage cultivators were entirely different; they could freely join various factions and take on well-paying missions. One could say that only mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators truly had the capital to survive in Dahe Market. Facing the old man’s confusion, Luo Chen merely smiled and called it good luck. In truth, it was only natural. A bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills had provided him with a massive amount of spiritual energy, pushing his progress bar directly to 96/100. The remaining spiritual energy needed had come from bitter, round-the-clock cultivation over the past twenty-odd days, combining his perfected Eternal Spring Art with Spirit Calming Incense. Breaking through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement was a matter of course. Helping Old Daoist Chen lay out the talisman skins, Luo Chen pointed with slight curiosity toward the spot where Wang Yuan usually set up his stall. “Brother Wang hasn't been coming around lately?” “Don’t you know about the big commotion in the outer district?” Old Daoist Chen looked at him strangely. Luo Chen had a blank look on his face. “Makes sense. You live so out of the way, you might really not know if you weren't paying attention.” Old Daoist Chen reasoned to himself before saying with intriguing relish, “The Great River Gang and the Lianyun Merchant Alliance recently formed an alliance.” “Isn't that normal?” The Lianyun Merchant Alliance was a renowned rogue cultivator power in the Jade Cauldron Domain, with businesses spanning markets of all sizes across the entire domain. Their primary business was transporting and selling heavenly treasures and earthly materials from various places, profiting from the price difference. This inevitably involved the transportation sector. As mentioned before, storage bags were not something ordinary rogue cultivators could own, and for such bulk trade, a mere handful of storage bags was of little help anyway. Consequently, the Lianyun Merchant Alliance had always maintained good cooperative relations with the local Great River Gang. The Great River Gang made its living off the Lancang River in the vicinity of Dahe Market. Since antiquity, waterborne transport had always been one of the most lucrative businesses, tied to countless supply chains. It was only natural for the Lianyun Merchant Alliance to align with the Great River Gang for deeper cooperation. Old Daoist Chen shrugged. “Except it's not normal that the Great River Gang wants to stick its hand into the mountain trade.” “The mountain trade?” Luo Chen asked in surprise. “Isn’t that the Mountain Breaker Gang’s territory?” “Pah!” Old Daoist Chen scoffed. “What Mountain Breaker Gang? The Million Mountains of the Eastern Wilderness belong to demon beasts! Even the Six Great Sects of the Far East wouldn't dare claim it's their business.” “Uh...” “Put it this way: the Great River Gang has its eyes on the safe paths the Mountain Breaker Gang scouted out over the past century.” Old Daoist Chen loved gossiping and loved prying for rumors; after all, talk cost nothing. Sometimes, when encountering visiting high-stage cultivators, such intelligence could even fetch a few spirit stones. He had investigated thoroughly: the Great River Gang was dead serious. At first, they sent their own men to scout safe paths into the mountains, suffering heavy losses. Afterward, they set their sights on the paths blazed by the Mountain Breaker Gang. The Mountain Breaker Gang naturally refused to yield, which sparked all sorts of conflicts. A month ago, the magical artifacts Wang Yuan had been selling were spoils seized by Mountain Breaker Gang cultivators after killing Great River Gang members in the mountains. Now the conflict was escalating rapidly, and fighting between the two sides was no longer confined to the wilderness. Skirmishes between the two gangs broke out in the outer district at night from time to time. Listening to the gossip, Luo Chen turned the matter over in his mind. “You made a point to mention the alliance between the Lianyun Merchant Alliance and the Great River Gang just now. Could the Great River Gang's move be at their instigation?” Having voiced the thought, Luo Chen’s mind spun even faster. “Right! The various treasures and demon beast flesh the Mountain Breaker Gang hunts down are sold to major factions at steep prices. The Lianyun Merchant Alliance isn't a sect; naturally, they wouldn't be satisfied paying those rates.” “Allying with the Great River Gang now is an attempt to foster a rival that can compete with the Mountain Breaker Gang for scraps.” “If they pull it off, the cost of procuring resources will be significantly lower for them in the future.” Old Daoist Chen grunted in assent. “You’re not stupid, kid. That’s what I figured, too. Otherwise, why would the Great River Gang decide to reach for the great mountains right around the time of the alliance, rather than earlier or later?” Following his agreement came a deep sigh. With both gangs clashing like this, the already unsafe outer district had grown even more chaotic. Worse still, rogue cultivators were mingling in to fish in troubled waters, leaving honest, law-abiding cultivators to suffer. “Wang Yuan has made quite a name for himself recently. He guarded the mountain trail, killed five or six mid-stage cultivators, and even cut down an eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator from the Great River Gang.” “It’s only natural he didn't show up today.” Old Daoist Chen shook his head. “If the chaos keeps up, I plan to move into the inner city.” “What about you, Little Luo?” Luo Chen fell silent. He lived in the most remote southwestern corner, bordering the Howling Moon Mountain Range, which was quite far from the Guyuan Mountain Range and the Great Snow Mountain where the Mountain Breaker Gang mainly operated. If clashes broke out, it shouldn't affect his area. Yet one could never be too sure! “I’ll wait and see. The rent and deposit for living in the inner city aren't small sums.” Living in the market was no easy feat. Living in the inner city was far beyond what ordinary rogue cultivators could bear. Sighing, Luo Chen composed himself and forced a smile to welcome the day’s customers. “Morning, Daoist Zeng! Care for some?” “I'll take some!”