Chapter 63: The Situation

Following Curator Zhang’s instructions, Li Zhen drove his magnetic levitation car into the courtyard of the Han Clan Trading Company.

This was where the Han family purchased various materials from traveling cultivators. Li Zhen sold all of his spirit mouse hides and more than half of his spirit meat here.

The reason he sold so much spirit meat was that he had acquired an excess of it. Although freezing could extend its shelf life, prolonged storage would cause the spiritual essence within the meat to gradually dissipate.

In any case, with his current strength, obtaining spirit meat was as simple as going out hunting beyond the city walls.

When he emerged from the Han Clan Trading Company, his identity ring had gained an additional 50,000 credit points.

He couldn’t help but marvel at the speed at which cultivators could earn credit points. While ordinary people might only earn a thousand or so credit points per month, a hunting squad led by a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator with five other early-stage Qi Refining cultivators could earn 50,000 credit points in a single multi-day outing.

What Li Zhen didn’t realize was that while 50,000 credit points seemed like a lot, this sum had to cover everything from the energy costs of the magnetic levitation cars to the combat resources each of the six cultivators prepared for the trip.

Nor did it account for potential injuries. In the event of an accident during the hunt, the credit points earned might not even be enough to cover the cost of treatment.

Li Zhen parked his magnetic car in the Going Beyond Swordplay’s garage, not wishing for his parents to learn about his trip outside the city—nor did he want them to know of the assassination attempt against him.

“Mom, I’m home!” Li Zhen announced as he entered the living room.

“What have you got there?” Mother Li asked, noticing the bag in his hand.

“Some spirit meat,” Li Zhen replied, having prepared his story beforehand. “The director of Going Beyond Swordplay praised me for my performance and rewarded me with this!”

He knew well that while his parents had attended cultivation classes, they hadn’t received any support from influential factions. This made it perfect for him to bring back spirit meat under the pretense of the Han family.

“Spirit meat is perfect for replenishing your strength. You’ve been working too hard on your cultivation lately!” Mother Li, unconvinced, smiled as she took the bag from him.

“There’s quite a bit here. Spirit meat loses quality over time, so let’s all enjoy it tonight—including Dad!” Li Zhen suggested, eager to share the treat.

“Sounds good!” Mother Li peeked into the bag, nodding at the quantity.

Indeed, there was plenty of spirit meat. Though not affluent, his family could certainly afford a weekly meal of spirit meat.

Thanks to Li Zhen’s windfall, they would be able to enjoy spirit meat daily for the next few days.

“Mom, I feel a bit unsettled today. I’ll be going into seclusion for a while. No need to wait for me for dinner tonight!” Li Zhen added.

“Focus on your cultivation!” Mother Li nodded repeatedly.

Li Zhen returned to his bedroom and gave instructions to Mei Yun, the intelligent housekeeper. Then he activated his space divine ability, and his body vanished from the room.

He hadn’t visited this part of the market for four days. Based on his judgment, if there was going to be a major conflict between the Lin family and the Iron Sword Gang, four days would have been enough time for it to unfold. By now, there should be some result.

This time, he was extremely careful when crossing over. Combined with his modest success in body refinement, he recovered from the dizziness relatively quickly. He held a mid-grade talisman in one hand and a mid-grade long sword in the other, ready for battle.

Whew!

After seeing the state of the log cabin, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. The room was exactly as he had left it, with no differences at all.

The Small Inverted Five Elements Array was still active, and the log cabin’s built-in warning formation showed no abnormalities. This indicated that, at least, his log cabin hadn’t been affected by the conflict between the two factions.

He approached the log door and opened it slightly, peering out to observe the situation outside.

On the street, many cultivators were bustling about, moving various objects with considerable activity. However, expressions of tension could be seen on their faces.

Just then, he spotted someone familiar - it was his neighbor, an old cultivator with white hair and beard, passing by his door.

“Old Man Qian, what’s happened in the market?” Li Zhen opened the door, asking the cultivationist.

“Xiao Li, you’re still alive!” Old Man Qian exclaimed, somewhat surprised.

Quickly realizing the implication of his words, he added, “I’ve been in seclusion these past few days, dealing with some issues in my cultivation. I’ve been out of touch with what’s been going on outside!”

“It seems you’re a fortunate one,” Li Zhen responded. “Four days ago, the Lin Family and the Iron Sword Gang engaged in a great battle that lasted for two days. Even many of us cultivators hired by the market were drawn into it, and quite a few died in the conflict.

“In the end, it was the Zhao Clan who stepped in to mediate, convincing the Lin Family and the Iron Sword Gang to cease their fighting.

“But that wasn’t the end of it. Precisely because the Lin Family and the Iron Sword Gang lost so many of their best fighters, the Gold Blade Gang saw an opportunity. They’ve joined forces with over a dozen smaller factions, aiming to seize control of the market.

“Yesterday was the most dangerous yet. The Gold Blade Gang sent infiltrators into the market to stir up trouble, and dozens of cultivators died on the spot!” Old Man Qian, eager to vent, had spilled the events of the past few days without pause.

Li Zhen hadn’t anticipated that so much would have transpired in just four days since his departure.

“So what’s the situation now?” Li Zhen asked, gesturing towards the chest Old Man Qian was carrying.

“We rogue cultivators have been conscripted to transport supplies and patrol the area. Why don’t you join our squad for some mutual support?” Old Cultivator Qian suggested.

He pointed to several resting cultivators nearby. Li Zhen recognized them as his neighbors, though he had only greeted Old Cultivator Qian since arriving in this place.

“That sounds good!” Li Zhen agreed without hesitation. “I’ll pack my things and join you!”

Returning to his room, he stored the Small Inverted Five Elements Array in his Dragon Heart Space. The market situation remained unpredictable, and he didn’t want to part with such a valuable item.

With that done, he joined Old Cultivator Qian’s group.

The team’s task was simple: deliver a batch of materials to a specific location in the market.

The materials were stored in a chest, enchanted with restrictive spells that would alert anyone if opened forcibly.

Li Zhen accepted the chest from Old Cultivator Qian. It was quite heavy, but for cultivators, such a weight was manageable.

Old Cultivator Qian, delighted to have someone else carry the load, led the way.

“How are you so slow? We’ve been waiting for your materials!” the overseer at their destination grumbled upon their arrival.

“Overseer Liu, I’m getting on in years, and my limbs aren’t as spry as they used to be. Please bear with me!” Old Cultivator Qian responded with a subservient bow and a ingratiating smile.

“Old Qian, once this ordeal is over, you should return to the secular world!” Liu Guancheng advised with a shake of his head.

“I’m not willing to give up just yet,” Old Qian the cultivator sighed heavily. “Even if I die, let it be here in the market!”

The cultivators present fell silent, with even Liu Guancheng feeling a sense of sorrow and sympathy, akin to the grief of a fox mourning its fallen companion. He wasn’t some prodigious genius either; he’d merely aligned himself with the Zhao Clan, thus gaining a bit of authority in the market.

However, his chances of ascending to the Foundation Establishment realm were virtually nil. Old Qian’s fate was a grim foreshadowing of his own.

Of course, Old Qian wasn’t the only one of his age still around. Many cultivators, after years of arduous practice, would retire to the secular world as they grew old.

“You need to step up your game and speed up delivery next time!” Liu Guancheng said, snapping back to reality and addressing the cultivators. “We can’t afford any further delays!”

The team was about to depart when the defensive formation covering the market suddenly trembled.

“The Golden Blade Gang is attacking again!” Liu Guancheng’s face tensed. He immediately turned to his subordinates and barked, “Infuse the formation base with spiritual energy, now!”

The elite cultivators responsible for the defense were drawn from three major factions, each at least in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

As for scattered cultivators like Li Zhen, they were all in the initial stages of Qi Refining. Since they had only a mercenary relationship with the market and no loyalty to speak of, the market never allowed scattered cultivators to participate in core defense operations.

In fact, if it weren’t for the clear mission issued by the market requiring scattered cultivators to participate, they would all have hidden in their log cabins.

After all, whoever occupied the market, the scattered cultivators would live the same way, with no changes.

“Qian-laoshi, what should we do?” Li Zhen saw that Manager Liu had no interest in managing their squad, so he asked Qian-laoshi.

“Do as Manager Liu instructed us to do. We’ll go back to transport materials!” Qian-laoshi said solemnly.

However, on the way back, Qian-laoshi, who was leading the way, walked very slowly, showing no sign of rushing.

The rest of the squad members’ minds were all on the defense formation. Everyone knew that once the defense formation was broken, the market would change owners.

Moreover, the most important thing was that if the market’s defense formation was truly broken, there would inevitably be chaos for a period of time, until the formation was restored. After all, no one could predict when the Golden Blade Gang would strike next.