Passing by Li Dageng's house, and walking for another half incense stick's worth of time, he left this muddy shantytown and arrived at Yunxi District.
This was what could be called the Cultivation Realm!
The city walls towered over ten zhang high, with dark golden array patterns floating on the gray-green bricks, and the occasional spiritual light slithering like a snake.
At the entrance to the market stood two stone lions, each holding a huge pearl in its mouth, casting a cold light over the stone-paved road.
Even the air seemed a little sweeter.
This was not just Chen Ye's misconception; the market was established on a spirit vein, with abundant Spiritual Qi, so naturally, the air quality was good.
Although it was only a mere first-tier spirit vein, it was enough to make many cultivators flock to it.
The overnight rainwater seeped through the cracks in the stone slabs, making Chen Ye's grass shoes slip as he stepped on them.
He tightened his grip on the white-furred ball tucked under his arm and shuffled along with the crowd entering the market.
The entrance to the market was filled with the mist of breakfast; the sizzling sound of fried dough mingled with the sweet aroma of spirit grain porridge, making Qing Jun swallow involuntarily.
"Fellow Daoist, are you entering the market?"
The blue-robed cultivator guarding the gate pinched his nose and took half a step back.
No wonder, Chen Ye was covered in mud, and beneath his arm was a filthy little girl, resembling a refugee fleeing from disaster.
The memories from his past life emerged at this time; Yunxi District was under the jurisdiction of the Lingyin Sect, and entering the market required a payment of five spiritual sands as a dust tax.
The price didn't sound high, but it was heartless in reality!
Five spiritual sands per entry would amount to one and a half spirit stones per month!
His previous self, though lazy and indulgent, was nonetheless a Spirit Plant Master at the Middle Period of Qi Cultivation and could only earn about five spirit stones a month, which was already considered middle class in the shantytown.
Of course, cultivators could also choose to rent a room in the market to exempt from the dust tax, but renting a room required at least three spirit stones a month, with a minimum payment of six months.
Chen Ye felt his heart bleed as he grabbed a handful of spiritual sand from his pouch, counted out ten, and handed them to the blue-robed cultivator.
Stepping onto the main street of the market, it was bustling with people.
The eaves and cornices of the pavilions on both sides were majestic, and the signboards in the shape of pill furnaces swayed gently in the wind. The scent of medicine mingled with the clang of metal greeted his face, and there was even a Body Cultivator carrying a beast carcass over a zhang long, swaggering through the market.
Chen Ye inexplicably felt a bit out of place. He looked down at his grass shoes with exposed toes, feeling a sense of incongruity.
But once he merged into the street crowd, Chen Ye found that many were not as well-off as he was; most of them were still at the early stage of Qi Cultivation.
Upon seeing this, Chen Ye held his head high, clutching the white-furred ball, and strode through the market, focusing on the free trade area.
Most of the loose cultivators bartered here; as for the glossy and shiny shops, Chen Ye didn't venture there due to his meager financial state.
...
"Freshly slaughtered Red-eyed Pheasant! Plucked feathers and fresh blood!"
"Spirit Rice supplied within the Lingyin Sect, limited quantity!"
"Grain Avoidance Pill, top-grade Grain Avoidance Pill! One can sustain a Body Cultivator for a day! Just ten spiritual sands per pill! One bottle for one spirit stone, eleven pills total!"
Chen Ye found it fascinating and leaned in to see this legendary Grain Avoidance Pill.
The vendor was a young loose cultivator, and his eyes lit up when he saw Chen Ye: "Fellow Daoist, would you like one?"
"I'm just looking, just looking..."
Chen Ye laughed awkwardly, waving his hand. He was genuinely curious but found these pills not worth the cost.
He would rather cook for himself; ten spiritual sands could feed him for several days.
The young loose cultivator's smile remained warm. Having seen from Chen Ye's appearance that he was quite frugal, he was mentally prepared and spoke in a gentle tone:
"Alright, seeing that it's not easy to bring along a kid, if you want to buy, I can offer a discount."
Qing Jun, tucked under Chen Ye's arm, had her little nose reddened by the cold wind.
Could it be that Master was also going to shout and sell her here?
Selling the little girl, selling the little girl~
Qing Jun shivered and fiercely stuffed the remaining taro into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster.
But soon, the little girl regretted it: if she had known not to eat so quickly, she wouldn't be so hungry...
"Here."
Chen Ye spent two spiritual sands to buy a packet of osmanthus cakes, which he stuffed into the little girl's arms.
This sweet treat was not in the same league as yesterday's taro.
Qing Jun had never eaten food this good-looking.
This... is this something I can eat?
The little thing was completely frozen.
First, like a baby animal protecting its food, she held the oiled paper packet tightly against her chest. With her nose close to the paper cracks, she shrank back as if electrocuted. Then, after rubbing her dirty little hands on her clothes repeatedly, she picked up half a piece of crumb with her fingertips and put it into her mouth.
As the sweet taste exploded on her tongue, the little girl couldn't help but close her eyes in enjoyment.
Qing Jun was sure that this was definitely the best food in the world!
The tips of her ears turned scarlet, and she shyly glanced at her tall master.
Seeing that her master wasn't paying attention to her, the little girl breathed a sigh of relief.
Tightly holding the oiled paper packet to her chest, her saliva ran down, but she couldn't bear to eat more.
Chen Ye suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth; in fact, all of Qing Jun's reactions were in his view.
Not bad, these spiritual sands were well spent.
That loneliness in his heart dissipated a bit more.
The little girl, rather than being a burden, was more of a comfort...
Chen Ye observed the stalls everywhere, studying the market prices.
He considered buying a few spirit grasses to practice his skills, but he had to stop due to their exorbitant prices.
For example, Dark Old Man's Cyan Luo Grass was actually priced at a hefty fourteen spirit stones!
However, many spirit grasses that were ill or damaged were discounted, but most still cost around ten spirit stones.
If Chen Ye bought them, his already limited savings would be completely gone, which made him hesitate.
While he was hesitating, Chen Ye noticed a bustling spirit grass stall not far away.
A crowd had gathered around it, and the stall owner was arguing heatedly with other loose cultivators.
"Qing Jun, hold on tight!"
Chen Ye tucked the little girl securely; Qing Jun was as light as a dead leaf and wasn't a burden to carry at all.
Hurrying his steps, he squeezed to the edge of the crowd, peeking in.
A blood-stained beast hide was spread on the ground, and the wilted Silver Leaf Flower, smeared with mud, glimmered with a dim silver radiance; its roots shone with an ominous dark green.
"Ha, the cultivators in Yunxi District are unreasonable! Although the Silver Scale Flower is tainted with Demonic Qi, it is still a dignified first-tier spirit flower, the main ingredient for Qi Recovery Pills, and you want it for seven spirit stones?"
The stall owner, wearing vigorous attire and looking rushed, was clearly displeased and turned out to be a cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.
Standing against the stall owner was an old man.
The old man's hair and beard were all white, his beard nearly reaching his chest, and many leaf fragments were stuck between his hair, giving off a strong herbal scent.
The goatee old man chuckled while twirling his beard: "What the young friend says is true, but this Silver Scale Flower is infested with Demonic Qi, its roots damaged, and in this old man's discerning eyes, it hasn't touched soil for three or four days and is clearly on its last legs."
The robust man was momentarily speechless, just as the goatee old man had said.
This spirit flower was picked from the Three Thousand Great Mountains. To evade a demon beast, he stumbled and rushed, taking four days to escape.
But how could he be willing, for a Silver Scale Flower originally worth eighteen spirit stones to sell for just seven!
He had gone through great difficulties, risking his life to pick it!
"Not selling!" The robust man glared.
The goatee old man sighed longingly: "Once this chance is gone, it won't come again! In two days, your Silver Scale Flower will wither, and by then, this old man would only be willing to offer three spirit stones for it."
Having said that, the goatee old man left without any regrets, not turning his head back.
"I..."
The robust man clenched his fist, seeming to want to stop him, but after a long while, he sat down dejectedly.
Among the onlookers, there was a sound of ridicule, and a fat man in brocade robe rubbed his jade ring and interjected:
"Fellow Daoist, while your Silver Scale Flower is good, buying it and not knowing how many times you'd need a Spirit Plant Master to tend to it. Even then, it may not survive!"
Seeing the commotion end, the surrounding cultivators, gloating, left one after another.
Only Chen Ye remained, appearing thoughtful.