Chapter 90: Master Song of White Snake Marketplace!
Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Master Song of White Snake Marketplace!
At the foot of Purple Cloud Peak, a blanket of white snow covered the ground.
Yet, within the mountain, it was lush and green. Jagged rocks stood tall, flowers and grass exuded sweet fragrances, and the sounds of beasts and insects filled the air—a vibrant scene teeming with life.
The thousands of disciples in the sect were engaged in their own pursuits—some meditating, some practicing Cultivation, others reading history, and some tending to flowers. It was a tranquil, idyllic time.
Unlike the bitter struggles at the foot of the mountain, anyone who joined the Immortal Sect, even the lowest-ranking Outer Disciples, enjoyed much better treatment! Not only did they receive Spiritual Sand and Spirit Stones for Cultivation every month, but at the beginning of their Cultivation journey, they were granted an Elixir for Washing Marrow. Every half a year, they could also receive Qi Refining Pills to advance their Cultivation!
These disciples never worried about food or clothing. Their only concerns were the annual grand tournaments of each peak and the quinquennial grand tournament of the Cyan Yang Sect. Their Cultivation was an end in itself!
But where did their food, clothing, and daily provisions come from? Wasn’t it from the Spirit Plant Cultivators at the foot of the mountain, who toiled all day just to barely feed and clothe themselves?
There were ten halls on Purple Cloud Peak, among which the Transmission Hall held the highest status.
The Elder of the Transmission Hall was named Zhu Qi. At merely fifty-five years old, he had already reached the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer. Naturally, with his Realm, he had no shortage of Dao Companions, and most of his descendants were disciples of Purple Cloud Peak.
At this moment, Song Yunxi knelt on a futon. He kept his head down, not daring to meet his uncle Zhu Qi’s gaze, while his restless hands continuously rubbed against each other, unsure of where to rest.
"Yunxi."
"Unc— This disciple is here!"
Zhu Qi paced back and forth in the Transmission Hall, his hands clasped behind his back. "You have a restless nature and hardly spend a few days a year on Purple Cloud Peak. I am quite pleased that you were willing to enter secluded cultivation for two whole years this time!"
Song Yunxi felt a surge of joy in his heart. It seemed this day had finally come!
"It is all thanks to Master’s excellent teachings!"
"Enough, enough. Being a Pavilion Master on Purple Cloud Peak isn’t a bad path either," Zhu Qi said, walking over to Song Yunxi. "I told you back then that the position of Pavilion Master for the White Snake Marketplace could only be held for you for two years. If you couldn’t meet the minimum requirement of the Qi Refining Eighth Layer by then, you would lose all ties to the White Snake Marketplace! After that, you would have to obediently stay on Purple Cloud Peak to focus on Cultivation, and you could forget about your ridiculous business ventures!"
Song Yunxi didn’t dare interrupt. At a time like this, whatever his uncle said was law. As long as he could become a Pavilion Master, he wouldn’t mind kneeling for another three days and three nights!
"I truly never expected that you would actually succeed in just two years!" Zhu Qi stroked his beard with a smile. "Although your mother has no Spirit Root, you turned out to be quite a capable seed for Cultivation!
"What a pity... what a pity... If only you could settle down and focus. Though you might not compare to Mo Junqing, you probably wouldn’t be far behind Li Shangxian..."
Song Yunxi had heard these words so many times that his ears were growing calluses.
Bitter cultivation? Only an idiot would subject themselves to bitter cultivation! Wasn’t it much better to eat, drink, and play every day, visit the Fragrance Pavilion, and sleep with Female Cultivators? Since he would never reach the Golden Core Realm anyway and wouldn’t live that much longer, why not enjoy life while he could? Earning more Spirit Stones and drinking a few more jugs of Spirit Wine—how delightful that was!
"Once you head down there, remember to work diligently. Collect more resources for Purple Cloud Peak, and don’t fall short on the annual grain tax by even a single fraction. Do you understand? The White Snake Marketplace isn’t small; it will be more than enough for you to play around with!"
"This disciple will remember!" Song Yunxi cupped his fists, his head still lowered.
"Go on!"
Song Yunxi slowly stood up and took step after step backward, retreating out of the Transmission Hall. However, the moment he stepped outside, he instantly summoned his Long Sword, tapped his toes against it, and shot down the mountain at top speed!
Outside the hall, Zhu Qi watched his nephew flee as if running for his life. Despite his years of Cultivation and his steady Dao Heart, he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
***
The winter wind was biting cold, and it felt even more piercing and bone-chilling against his face during Sword Flight. However, no matter how cold the weather was, it couldn’t cool Song Yunxi’s burning excitement!
"Marketplace, here I come!"
"Fragrance Pavilion! Here I come!"
At the thought of finally becoming the Pavilion Master of the White Snake Marketplace, he grinned so widely that he could hardly close his mouth.
Normally, the position of Pavilion Master in a Marketplace wouldn’t change hands easily unless the incumbent died of old age. There were thirty-four Marketplaces at the foot of Purple Cloud Peak, and the longest-serving Pavilion Master had held the position for a full sixty years!
Sixty years? How many Purple Cloud Peak disciples had he outlived? Yet he remained firmly in power!
Song Yunxi had originally thought he would never have the chance to become a Pavilion Master in his lifetime. After all, even if someone stepped down, it wouldn’t be his turn. There were still many from the Peak Master’s Direct Lineage waiting in line.
But unexpectedly, a Secret Realm two years ago had done him a massive favor!
Evil spirits that appeared out of nowhere had killed nine spectating Pavilion Masters, instantly freeing up a large number of positions. At the time, Song Yunxi was only at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and hadn’t yet met the Realm requirement to serve as a Pavilion Master. But his uncle had put in a massive amount of effort, throwing aside his pride to buy him a two-year grace period!
For the past two years, Song Yunxi acted as if he were a completely different person. He threw aside all distractions and engaged in bitter Cultivation day after day.
Finally, before the agreed-upon time, he successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. And as a result, he naturally became the Pavilion Master of the White Snake Marketplace!
Right now, a banquet had already been set up in the White Snake Marketplace, waiting for him to officially take up his post! However, Song Yunxi’s first stop wasn’t there, but the Ancient Dust Marketplace.
His Flying Sword descended, and Song Yunxi stopped in front of the Fragrance Pavilion.
Sitting by the door, Hong Yan heard the commotion and quickly ran out to welcome the guest. But just as she clearly saw who it was, the man stepped onto his Flying Sword again and departed...
"Song Yunxi? He’s back?" Hong Yan was puzzled. "Why did he leave again?"
She hadn’t seen this character in two years, and she couldn’t believe that he had come all this way without even stepping inside!
Did Song Yunxi not want to go in? During his bitter Cultivation, he had often missed the Female Cultivators of the Fragrance Pavilion. Now that he had come down the mountain, he naturally wanted to let loose properly.
However, good fortune was meant to be shared. He definitely had to share this good news with his brother first!
The Flying Sword descended once again, and Song Yunxi pushed open the door to the Yi Er San Grain Station. Mei Hua, who had been sleepy-eyed, wept tears of joy the moment he saw him.
"Sh-Shopkeeper, you... you’re finally back!"
"Haha! I’m back, but I’ll have to leave again in a couple of days."
"Leave? Wh-Where are you going now?" His mood, which had just bloomed like a sunflower, instantly sank to the bottom of the valley.
"Don’t worry, wherever I go this time, I’m taking you with me! I guarantee you’ll be eating the finest foods and drinking the best liquors from now on! I’ll make you realize what a wise choice it was to follow me back then." Song Yunxi was in such a fantastic mood that he was babbling excitedly, practically bursting with joy.
"Really?"
"Of course! By the way, where is my Brother Chen right now? I’m going to look for him."
"Him? He should still be in the fields. Over the past two years, whenever Fellow Daoist Chen visited the Marketplace, he would always come by to ask for news about you."
Song Yunxi smiled and nodded. "Great! Let’s go. Lead the way, and we’ll go pick up Brother Chen!"
"Yes, sir!"
Mei Hua shakily stepped onto the Flying Sword. The two soared into the air, piercing through the sky.
***
"Are you certain you saw Song Yunxi?"
"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, the person using Sword Control just now was indeed him!" Cui Ji said respectfully.
Niu Youliang shot up from his seat. "Let’s go! Come with me to see him!"
"But..."
"But what?"
"He hadn’t been here for long before he left again, taking the shop assistant from his store with him."