Rumors

"Hiss..." Waves of pain pulsed through his meridians. Qin Sang furrowed his brow slightly, but his expression soon returned to normal as he entered deep meditation. Restoring true essence alone was never so troublesome. But when he crossed the storm belt, he had repeatedly taken spirit pills and directly absorbed spiritual energy from spirit stones. The residual medicinal properties and impurities had accumulated within his body, defying refinement and causing damage to his meridians and qi sea. This disrupted his balance and threw his true essence into disarray, which, combined with his other injuries, led to so many complications. More than a month later. Qin Sang exhaled a long breath of turbid air. He inspected himself internally. His injuries were fully healed, and his true essence was abundant once more. He finally had the confidence to travel the outside world. Next, Qin Sang summoned his Nascent Soul talisman puppet. The puppet’s physical form was a wonder of heaven and earth, not easily destroyed, but the puppet seals within it had shattered across large areas during the fierce battle, requiring Qin Sang to repair them personally. *** Outside the cave abode. The members of the Myriad Swords Sect were crowded together inside the main hall. The hall's doors stood wide open to bright spring sunshine, birdsong, and the scent of flowers outside. No one blocked the doorway, yet not a single person dared take half a step beyond it. None of them knew that in a quiet corner of the hall, a beautiful swallowtail butterfly was perched in silence. Qin Sang had only borrowed their cave abode and had no desire to slaughter them, so he ordered the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to keep watch outside. If anyone disobeyed, attempted to flee, or tried to send an external message, it would strike. The hall was deathly still. After their initial panic, the disciples had calmed down slightly. Even so, no one could cultivate in peace. Their eyes were vacant as they glanced toward the cave abode from time to time, silently awaiting their final fate. "Senior Sister, did that senior mention when he would leave?" a late Foundation Establishment cultivator asked cautiously through a voice transmission. The female cultivator who had answered Qin Sang earlier was the sect master's personal disciple as well as the eldest disciple of the Myriad Swords Sect. Hearing her junior brother's transmission, she merely shook her head gently. The man said with a bitter tone, "You don't need to worry, Senior Sister. Senior's cultivation is peerless, so he surely wouldn't deceive us with empty words." Yet his tone lacked conviction. The female cultivator fell silent for a moment, thinking forlornly, *Fortunately, Master and our other junior brother are away. I only hope they do not return so quickly. No matter what happens, at least our Myriad Swords Sect's incense and lineage won't be extinguished...* In this region, the Myriad Swords Sect could be considered a local hegemon. As the sect master's disciple and a cultivator at the False Core stage herself, nearby cultivators treated her with the utmost deference. Only now did she realize how utterly powerless she was before a true powerhouse. The other party needed only a single finger to wipe the Myriad Swords Sect from the face of the world. Even if the Yinyue Sect received word, they would most likely let the matter drop, as they would never offend a Nascent Soul cultivator for their sake. They were fish on a chopping block, left with nothing to do but pray the stranger was not a bloodthirsty devil. *Rumble...* A muffled sound echoed from the direction of the cave abode. Immediately after, a streak of light shot out from the hall and vanished into the horizon before anyone could make out what it was. The hall erupted into an uproar. The female cultivator stood up abruptly, her expression shifting through multiple emotions. The others did not dare act rashly and looked to her for guidance. After a moment of hesitation, she walked with trembling steps toward the cave abode. She found the entrance open and the interior deserted, save for a pouch of spirit stones left behind. A wave of profound relief washed over her, and her legs nearly gave out beneath her. *** "So that is Mount Fengyang..." Qin Sang stood atop a desolate peak, gazing into the distance at the magnificent mountain. Mount Fengyang pierced the clouds, grand and imposing. The scenic splendor of myriad surrounding peaks seemed to converge upon it, making it truly worthy of the name of an immortal mountain! Qin Sang had rushed here without stopping after leaving the Myriad Swords Sect. At the foot of Mount Fengyang lay the largest market in the vicinity, an ideal place to gather intelligence. Qin Sang channeled his Heavenly Eye to peer at Mount Fengyang from afar, discovering that the spirit formation on the mountain was fully activated. Surrounded by immortal clouds and heavily guarded, something major was evidently taking place. However, the market below showed no signs of abnormality; people streamed through the city gates in an endless flow, and everything proceeded as usual. It seemed the tight security was confined to the important grounds on the mountain itself. After a moment's hesitation, Qin Sang disguised his appearance, donned a Daoist robe, suppressed his cultivation to the Core Formation stage, and flew leisurely toward Mount Fengyang. The market was an entire city built against the mountainside. Before long, Qin Sang arrived at the city gates. Sensing the aura he displayed, the crowd immediately parted to make way. A guard bowed first and said courteously, "Senior, please show your fish tally." Qin Sang had already noticed that cultivators entering and leaving the market held fish-bone-shaped talismans, which were presumably identity tokens. Nascent Soul cultivators could enter at will, but even Core Formation cultivators were not exempt. He shook his head. "This poor Daoist has traveled from afar. Having long admired Master Feng's renown, I came to Mount Fengyang for the first time and have not yet obtained a fish tally." The guard did not dare make things difficult. He took out a golden fish tally and asked, "May I ask Senior's Daoist name?" "This poor Daoist is Mingyue!" *** Shortly afterward, Qin Sang entered the city with a golden fish tally in hand. He inspected it briefly before putting it into his Qianjun Ring. "Senior, please wait!" An urgent call came from behind as a blue-robed man hurried over to catch up. When Qin Sang was speaking with the guards earlier, this person had been peeking around the city gates. Seeing Qin Sang stop, the blue-robed man was overjoyed. With a fawning smile, he said, "As Senior is newly arrived, you must surely need a guide. This humble one may lack talent, but my family has lived here for generations, and I know every corner of the city like the back of my hand..." He had only reached the halfway mark when he was cut off by two spirit stones tossed over by Qin Sang. The blue-robed man caught them, bewildered. "What are the largest merchant guilds in the market called, and where are they located?" Qin Sang asked. The blue-robed man paused, then pointed toward the mountain peak. "To answer Senior, there are three major merchant guilds, all established in the upper district..." The upper district was the most important trading area in the city. The blue-robed man had not been boasting; he knew not only the locations of every major guild, but also the various rumors by heart. "The third is the Fengyang Merchant Guild, which is also the strongest among the three. From its name, you can tell it is affiliated with Master Feng. None of the guilds in the city are simple; each has its own specialties and backing, along with various taboos that are hard to explain in a few words. If Senior has particular needs, why not hire this humble one for a few more days? It only costs..." The blue-robed man spoke in a torrent, but when he caught the indifferent glance Qin Sang swept his way, he froze as though struck by lightning, falling dead silent. Only after Qin Sang's figure had vanished did he snap out of his daze, shuddering violently. Clutching his spirit stones, he hurried away. Qin Sang was in no rush to head to the upper district. He strolled through the city for quite some time, observing local customs and gathering information. Two hours later. Qin Sang made his way toward the upper district, an amused glint in his eyes. *How interesting. Master Feng is actually looking for me, inviting me to visit Mount Fengyang as a guest. It seems one of the two people who scared off the Bifang that day was very likely him!* Qin Sang had not even needed to probe deliberately. The matter had spread so far and wide that it was the talk of the entire city. Entering just a few shops at random, he had overheard quite a few cultivators discussing it.