The Dharma robe issued by the Yuanzhao Sect had been blown to bits along with everything else in the underground cavern. Qin Sang had had no peace of mind to groom himself either, and after several months on the run, he looked no different from a wild savage.
As the weather grew warmer, human settlements grew denser, and the towns along the way became increasingly prosperous. Feeling that he had put enough distance behind him, Qin Sang changed into a clean set of clothes and slipped into a small town to find out where he was.
"The State of Zheng..."
Qin Sang wolfed down large meat buns at a bun shop. When he inquired earlier, he learned this place lay within the borders of the State of Zheng. It had sounded vaguely familiar, and he suddenly recalled that Zheng was marked on the map Immortal Master Han had given him.
Leaving the bun shop, Qin Sang found a secluded spot and pulled the map from his mustard seed bag, secretly marveling at his good fortune.
Sure enough, the State of Zheng was on it, right at the westernmost edge. Had he traveled any further west, he would have walked off the map entirely.
The State of Zheng lay southwest of the Youshan Mountain Range, separated by a considerable distance.
In the southern part of Zheng was a place called Mount Jiuding. From the little shown on the map, while it could not compare to Mount Youshan, it was still considered a renowned mountain in the vicinity.
Qin Sang pondered for a moment and decided to head for Mount Jiuding. He would find a secluded spot rich with spiritual energy to carve out a cave dwelling, nurse his old injuries back to health first, see if he could locate other immortal cultivators to gather news, and then continue south into the heartland of the righteous factions.
Though Qin Sang did not know the outcome of that night, recalling that terrifying giant sun and the unexpected appearance of the Golden Core Master at the end, he felt that the Kuiyin Sect might not have come out on top.
After all this time, no one from the Kuiyin Sect had pursued him, which gradually put his restless, uneasy heart at ease.
***
Mount Jiuding, Phoenix Peak.
Phoenix Peak had once been the most beautiful of Mount Jiuding's nine summits, steeped in countless touching legends.
Viewed from afar, Phoenix Peak truly resembled a divine phoenix spreading its wings to take flight. Sadly, an inexplicable earthquake struck Phoenix Peak later on, collapsing and destroying the Divine Phoenix Stone.
Though Mount Jiuding was still called Mount Jiuding, Phoenix Peak was gradually forgotten, fading into an utterly ordinary mountain.
Then, one day, Phoenix Peak was suddenly enshrouded by a thick fog that never dispersed throughout the year. Mortals who strayed into it would lose their way, wandering for half a day before stumbling out, and legends once again began to proliferate.
Little did anyone know that Phoenix Peak had now become a gathering place for the immortal cultivators around Mount Jiuding. The lingering fog was merely a simple restriction meant to keep mortals away.
At the end of every ten-day cycle, rogue cultivators and members of small cultivation clans from around Mount Jiuding would gather on the mountain. There were never many people—nothing like a proper cultivation market—and they were all low-ranking cultivators, yet it allowed them to trade goods, share cultivation insights, and exchange rumors.
Today happened to be the end of a ten-day cycle. Early in the morning, several streaks of escape light arrived in pairs and groups, followed by more people trickling into the fog.
By full daylight, a woman in her thirties landed before Phoenix Peak and said to the young man beside her with pleasant surprise, "Fellow Daoist Qin, this Cloud Escape Technique of yours is truly marvelous! It's much more discreet than my Water Escape Technique, and far faster as well. Thank you for being so willing to teach me everything."
Qin Sang nodded with a smile.
The woman traveling with him was named Li Youniang. In her thirties, she had originally been an ordinary mortal from a small mountain village outside Mount Jiuding, having married in her teens.
Later, her husband saved an injured immortal cultivator while gathering firewood in the mountains. Gravely wounded and on the verge of death, the cultivator decided to pass on immortal methods to repay their life-saving grace. Unfortunately, only Li Youniang possessed a spiritual root—a four-attribute spiritual root at that—and after many years of cultivation, she had only reached the third layer of the Qi Refinement stage.
Yet after receiving the cultivator's legacy, Li Youniang had not left her village to seek the Dao or visit immortal lands, nor did she look down on her mortal husband. Instead, she stayed immersed in mundane life, living as an ordinary person.
Now they had three children, living together in warmth and harmony.
Half a month ago, her husband suddenly fell gravely ill. Anxious, Li Youniang rushed to Phoenix Peak to seek medicine and happened to pass Qin Sang's cave dwelling, where Qin Sang stopped her.
At that time, Qin Sang had found a secluded ravine in Mount Jiuding to establish his cave dwelling, remaining in secluded cultivation to heal his wounds.
He had already intended to make contact with local rogue cultivators to glean information. When Li Youniang presented herself at his doorstep, he naturally welcomed the acquaintance. Upon hearing her plight, he immediately gifted her an elixir pill, and sure enough, the cure took effect the moment the medicine was taken.
Li Youniang regarded Qin Sang as her family's savior. When she heard Qin Sang's request, she readily agreed to bring him along to Phoenix Peak's gathering. Furthermore, she advised him that if he wished to gather news, it would be best to wait until the end of the month.
Her late master had an old friend named Yu Lian, a disciple of the Yu Clan, a local cultivation family near Mount Jiuding. Well-informed and fond of making friends, Yu Lian held court at Phoenix Peak at the end of every month, conversing at length.
Most of what the local rogue cultivators knew about the cultivation world came from his mouth.
Qin Sang stayed at Li Youniang's home until setting off on this day at the end of the month. Seeing Li Youniang and her husband living in loving harmony and mutual devotion, he could not entirely share her outlook, yet he admired her dedication.
Li Youniang checked her smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, follow me. I'll introduce you to Martial Uncle Yu right away."
The illusory restriction on Phoenix Peak was useless against cultivators. One only needed to cast the Qi-Watching Technique to see a broad path leading straight to the summit. Following behind Li Youniang, Qin Sang was pleasantly surprised to discover that Phoenix Peak possessed a scenery all its own.
Atop the ruined Divine Phoenix Stone sat a hollowed-out white rhinoceros horn—a low-grade magic tool that functioned only to condense water vapor. Its opening faced a stream below, sending a steady, murmuring flow out from the horn. The babbling brook meandered down the mountain, flanked by pavilions, waterside terraces, and winding channels for floating wine cups, presenting an air of exquisite elegance.
Quite a few immortal cultivators were already scattered throughout pavilions large and small, gathered in groups of two and three. Li Youniang exchanged greetings all the way up, clearly well-acquainted with them; they were all rogue cultivators from around Mount Jiuding.
Seeing Qin Sang's unfamiliar face, the crowd was curious, though none pressed with questions.
Li Youniang led Qin Sang all the way to the summit of Phoenix Peak, stopping before a bamboo pavilion. Inside, seven people sat clustered around a goat-bearded elder in his seventies, drinking wine and chatting.
"Speaking of the cultivation world lately, several major events have indeed occurred..."
The goat-bearded elder took a sip of wine. Slightly tipsy and thoroughly enlivened, he deliberately raised his voice. Mid-sentence, he spotted Li Youniang and Qin Sang and waved warmly. "Youniang is here! Come, come sit inside, and warm two pots of wine for your martial uncle. Huh? And who might this fellow daoist be?"
"Martial Uncle Yu, this is Fellow Daoist Qin, Silang's savior," Li Youniang introduced Qin Sang, explaining the whole story.
Qin Sang stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Qin Sang pays respects to Senior Yu."
The tipsiness on Yu Lian's face vanished. His small eyes looked Qin Sang up and down before he said, "Youniang and Silang truly are fortunate to have met a kind-hearted friend like Fellow Daoist Qin. Come in, please, come in!"
Chapter 98