Qin Sang's goal was to win Yu Kong's trust. The first thing he had to do was prove his worth and display a certain degree of strength, ideally prompting Yu Kong to take the initiative to seek him out.
His other objective was to let Yu Kong and the others know he was not someone to be trifled with, preventing them from pushing him out as cannon fodder should danger arise.
This was a plan Qin Sang had prepared well in advance; otherwise, given his true nature, he would never have acted so conspicuously to draw everyone's attention.
Displaying strength, however, could not go too far.
The ebony sword, paired with what he had shown, was enough to intimidate them.
None of his other trump cards—the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners, the jade ruyi talisman treasure, or the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman—could be exposed.
The ebony sword forced Yan Wu back, whistling as it flew in reverse, and with a flash, was drawn back into Qin Sang's body.
At that moment, the circular sword formation was still wheeling in midair. Only an instant later did those streams of sword qi finally dissipate, yet the sharp sword intent lingered in everyone's minds, refusing to disperse for a long time.
A variety of expressions crossed their faces.
The instant the ebony sword had appeared, Shangguan Lifeng's eyes had lit up, his gaze locked onto the sword until Qin Sang recalled it into his body. His eyes then shifted back to Qin Sang, a fervent battle intent welling up within them before being swiftly suppressed.
"Fine sword!"
The Xiu sisters exchanged a glance. Out of respect for the strong, Xiu Zhiying's coldness and Xiu Zhirui's coquettishness both diminished slightly as they cupped their fists in greeting to Qin Sang.
"Daoist Qingfeng's swordsmanship is divine. This humble girl is deeply impressed."
Only Yan Wu had lost face to Qin Sang, and his expression was ashen.
Had they squared off in direct combat, Yan Wu might not have looked so wretched.
He wanted to reclaim his dignity, but he knew in his heart that since this Daoist dared to expose his life spirit sword, he very likely possessed means far exceeding it.
Charging forward rashly would be nothing short of courting humiliation.
Yan Wu cast a dark glance at Qin Sang, gave a cold snort without uttering a word, turned, walked into his room, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Soon after, the Xiu sisters and Shangguan Lifeng also returned to their own rooms. After all, they were strangers and barely acquainted, with no idle chatter to share.
Faced with Yan Wu's hostility, Qin Sang's expression remained calm. Yu Kong acted as if he hadn't even noticed Yan Wu's behavior, cupping his fists in praise. "What a fine sword, Daoist! What exceptional swordsmanship! With the assistance of the Daoist and the other fellow daoists, why worry that our great endeavor won't succeed?"
"Daoist, please settle into a room first. You only need to activate the room's restrictions, and you won't have to worry about being disturbed; you can cultivate in peace." Yu Kong led Qin Sang into an empty room and instructed him on how to manipulate the room's restrictions.
Qin Sang glanced around and found the room cramped and exceptionally sparse. It was truly far too small—only a quarter the size of an ordinary room, containing nothing more than a single prayer mat.
Yu Kong explained, "Cave dwellings in Xihuang Town are exceedingly expensive. What modest savings I have were only enough to rent this small courtyard. The largest room was given to the Xiu sisters, while the others are indeed rather cramped. I hope you won't mind, Daoist."
"As cultivators, having a place to stay is more than enough."
Qin Sang shook his head to indicate he didn't mind, then asked with some curiosity, "Fellow Daoist Yu, I heard from the old shopkeeper that you are proficient in a formation that offers more than a ninety percent certainty of safely passing through the protective grand formation to enter Qiuhong Market. May I ask what the name of this formation is? When will we begin practicing it?"
Yu Kong lightly tapped his forehead and chuckled, shaking his head. "If you hadn't mentioned it, Daoist, I almost would have forgotten! Seeing how powerful you are, I was so thrilled to gain such formidable assistance that I clean forgot the most important matter..."
Though Qin Sang knew Yu Kong was merely putting on an act, under such seemingly earnest flattery, ordinary people would definitely feel a surge of secret delight even if they kept their composure.
This man was indeed adept at winning people over.
Qin Sang remained vigilant, hurriedly demurring. "My meager skills are far inferior to yours, Fellow Daoist Yu. As long as you do not mind my low strength, I will certainly do my utmost to maintain the formation and follow your lead in all things..."
Yu Kong nodded slightly.
"To tell the truth, Daoist, the old shopkeeper exaggerated somewhat. This formation of mine is called the Guiyuan Formation. Its power is not quite as great as he claimed, but because I once entered Qiuhong Market and have some understanding of the protective grand formation, the likelihood of success is indeed quite high. In addition, this formation requires at least nine people to unleash its full power. Counting you, we currently have six. Rest easy, Daoist; as soon as we recruit three more, we will begin practicing the formation."
Just like the Nine Luminaries Star River Formation, the Guiyuan Formation required nine people to take form.
However, "nine" was an extreme number, so this was completely normal. Qin Sang nodded and did not ask further.
Yu Kong seemed very interested in Qin Sang. Instead of leaving in a hurry, he probed indirectly into Qin Sang's background.
"I had always been active outside Xuanlu Pass. Later, I heard that an ancient medicinal garden had been discovered here with spirit herbs appearing, so I rushed over. Little did I expect Qiuhong Market to have so many intricacies. Had I known earlier, I would have invited a few friends along, and I wouldn't be in such an awkward position..."
Qin Sang spoke with a look of chagrin.
Yu Kong shook his head and sighed. "To think the rumor has already spread all the way to Xuanlu Pass."
"Fellow Daoist Yu also says it's a rumor?"
Qin Sang feigned astonishment and pressed with urgent eagerness, "Is there really no spirit herb in Qiuhong Market?"
Yu Kong's eyes flickered. He cast a composed glance at Qin Sang and said with utter certainty, "It is indeed a rumor. Moreover, whenever a secret realm similar to Qiuhong Market appears, such rumors always crop up. It's just that this time it spread exceptionally wide, causing many fellow daoists like yourself to be duped into coming. If people said a few spirit herbs were hidden in some pagoda or ancient pavilion of Qiuhong Market, that would be plausible. Yet the rumor claimed there was an undiscovered medicinal garden! Anyone who has actually entered Qiuhong Market would never believe it. One can only wonder what malicious motives the scoundrels spreading this rumor harbor."
Nothing out of the ordinary could be gleaned from Yu Kong's words. After entering Xihuang Town, Qin Sang had made inquiries multiple times, and the information he gathered was almost identical to what Yu Kong said.
With this thought flashing through his mind, Qin Sang did not forget to keep playing along, his brow furrowing deeply in silence.
Yu Kong consoled him, "Daoist, there is no need to worry. Even if the medicinal garden is a rumor, many places in Qiuhong Market still conceal great treasures, including no shortage of spirit herbs and immortal pills. Coincidentally, I happen to know of one or two. If you are interested, Daoist, once we enter Qiuhong Market, we might as well continue our cooperation. We can each take what we need and divide the treasures fairly. What do you think?"
"This..."
Qin Sang hadn't expected the ebony sword to have such an effective impact, prompting Yu Kong to extend an invitation on their very first day.
Qin Sang was inclined to agree, but doing so would not fit the cautious persona he had presented to the old shopkeeper. He could only pass up this immediate chance, allowing a look of hesitation to appear on his face.
"There is no need to rush your reply, Daoist."
Yu Kong started walking outside, speaking as he went. "We will be spending a long time together. When the time comes, you will know what kind of character I have."
Qin Sang let out a huge breath of relief and gave a firm nod.
Chapter 279