Bloodline Tree

“Should be some kind of marketplace, it looks like,” Shu Yang said, watching from a tree in the distance.

“Foundation cultivator,” Xiaorong said.

“Yeah, I feel it too,” Shu Yang said. It was hard to miss. The Foundation cultivator in the marketplace should be displaying his aura intentionally. Probably to discourage anyone from causing trouble.

It had been three days since Shu Yang was attacked by the two cultivators, and they had now finally stumbled upon some signs of civilization.

He was, of course, eager to go there and find out some information, but the Foundation cultivator made him slightly wary.

“How strong do you think he is?” Shu Yang asked.

“Weak,” Xiaorong answered confidently.

“Well, let’s not get overconfident,” Shu Yang said.

‘Do I go there? It’s not like I can avoid Foundation cultivators forever.’

‘Yeah. Let’s go take a look. Even if my strength is discovered, I shouldn’t be attacked for no reason, right?’

After watching the place for a while, Shu Yang was pretty certain that it was some kind of marketplace for cultivators, and no one seemed to be questioned or anything as they entered. It looked rather peaceful.

‘If they want to have cultivators visit, they would need to be able to ensure everyone’s safety. I doubt there will be any trouble if I keep a low profile.’

“Do you think you can hide from that Foundation cultivator?” Shu Yang asked.

“Yes,” Xiaorong answered confidently.

“Are you sure? Don’t you think they have some kind of detection for beasts? And what if he has some trait like me?” Shu Yang asked.

“Unlikely,” Xiaorong answered.

“Fine,” Shu Yang said, and jumped down from the tree.

Xiaorong suddenly left his shoulders, and Shu Yang turned around looking for her.

“Xiaorong?” Shu Yang asked, not able to spot her.

“Hiding,” Xiaorong answered from somewhere unseen.

“Right,” Shu Yang nodded. He couldn’t easily spot Xiaorong if she really tried to hide. Not unless he activated his Bloodline Ability.

Shu Yang walked up to the gates leading into the marketplace. The whole area was about the size of a small town and was walled off by a 20-foot-high wall.

There were two guards at the gate, and Shu Yang approached them at a leisurely pace.

When he got close, one of the guards spoke. “First time visiting our Li Market?”

“Why do you say that?” Shu Yang asked.

“You’re a 1st stage Qi Refiner,” The guard said with a shrug, “And your appearance basically screams ‘I’m from the mortal world’.”

“Well, it is indeed my first time here,” Shu Yang said with a nod.

“Did you just come here from the mortal world? The Huang Empire?” The guard asked.

Shu Yang paused for a moment before nodding, “That’s right.”

“Well, if you have no place to go, our Li family is always ready to help loose cultivators get on their feet,” The guard said. “If you want, you can come with us when our family comes for a shift change. We’ll find a suitable job for you and give you a suitable cultivation technique.”

“Really?” Shu Yang asked, “Well, that sounds interesting. Can I think it over?”

“Of course,” The guard answered, “But do you have a place to stay in the meantime? It’s dangerous outside. You’re actually lucky to have made it this far without being robbed.”

“Is that so? Well, can’t I enter the marketplace?” Shu Yang asked.

“You can only be here during the day. If you want to stay the night, you have to rent a room. That will cost you at least three spirit stones a month, and I’m guessing you don’t have any if you just came from the mortal world,” The guard said.

“That makes sense,” Shu Yang said, nodding, “Well, thank you for the advice; I appreciate it. I’ll take a look around, and if I can’t think of a better option, I’ll come back, and we can talk more.”

“Alright,” The guard said, gesturing for him to enter with a friendly smile, “If you don’t find me, you can go to the office in the central square, and they will help you. Just remember to mention my name, Li Linyan.”

“I will. Thank you,” Shu Yang said, smiling and waving goodbye.

‘Seems like I can’t stay here for long.’

Shu Yang had spirit stones, of course, but that wasn’t the issue.

Since he was mistaken for someone just arriving from the mortal world, he didn’t want to attract too much attention with his wealth. Who knows, word might already have reached this place about the theft from the Emperor, and people might be on the lookout for him.

‘I didn’t think about it before, but they can’t track the ring, right? Maybe it’s best to get rid of it.’

Shu Yang drew some curious glances from the cultivators he passed on the street, making him aware that he really did look out of place.

‘But it might be my 1st stage Qi Refining that gives that impression.’

‘If I were stronger, no one would still think of me as a newcomer, no matter what I look like.’

He wasn’t too surprised that the guards hadn’t seen through his true strength. Body cultivation seemed rare in this place, so they probably didn’t even think of the possibility that he was one.

As for them being able to tell he was a 1st-stage Qi Refiner, there was nothing he could do about it. Shu Yang had no idea how he was supposed to hide that. He really wasn’t very experienced when it came to spiritual qi.

Shu Yang glanced at a few shops as he walked, curious about what they sold. But he didn’t want to enter one without a plan.

He would love to ask for some information, but he didn’t want to attract too much attention.

Shu Yang hadn’t wanted to ask the guard anything, as he was afraid he would reveal something that made the guard decide to just kidnap him back to his family. The guard himself wasn’t a threat, of course, but the Elders of his family might be.

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‘It would be far too tragic if I came to get Tianyi only to be kidnapped myself as soon as I arrived.’

The market wasn’t very big, and Shu Yang soon reached the central part of it, where it was quite busy.

It felt strange seeing so many cultivators walking around after not seeing any for so long. He was really curious if there were any larger cities around, and what they looked like.

‘The spiritual qi is a lot denser here than back home, too. I almost feel like cultivating.’

Shu Yang suddenly thought of something and turned to look for Xiaorong, but couldn’t spot her.

“Xiaorong,” Shu Yang said in a low voice, “If you can hear me, remember not to use the spiritual qi here to cultivate. That will definitely alert the Foundation cultivator.”

A moment after speaking, he felt a soft touch on his cheek and relaxed.

Shu Yang could cultivate here without issue, as his trash-grade spiritual roots and 1st-grade Qi Refining really wouldn’t make much difference. But Xiaorong was at the Foundation stage, so her absorption rate would definitely attract some attention.

He didn’t know exactly how Xiaorong cultivated. As a beast, her body was strong, like that of a body cultivator, but she also used spiritual qi and could fly, just like spirit cultivators at the Foundation stage.

‘I wonder if all beasts cultivate both body and spirit, or if Xiaorong is special? Or does she not cultivate the body? It’s just that beasts are naturally strong in that regard.’

Shu Yang sighed. There was so much he didn’t know.

‘Let’s see if we can find out some information about the powers around here. Finding the Qing family is what matters most.’

Shu Yang gave it some thought and decided on a course of action.

He didn’t want to bother people on the street and draw attention to himself, so he thought it best to go into a shop and ask the person there his questions.

In his experience, people selling you things were much more likely to answer your questions.

At least if you showed a serious intent to buy something, and Shu Yang was quite interested in buying a few resources.

‘I might attract some attention, though. A 1st-stage Qi Refiner shouldn’t have many spirit stones on him.’

‘I guess I’ll just buy from one shop and then move on. There should be more of these markets around, or perhaps even cities, where I can be a little more carefree.’

Shu Yang decided to buy some pills. He already had quite a few, but he didn’t know their effect. Buying the same type of pills he had in his storage pouches would be very helpful to know what he actually had.

He entered a store called ‘Li Alchemy Shop’ and was greeted by a young woman behind the counter right away.

“Good afternoon, sir. Are you looking to buy some pills?” The woman asked.

“Yes,” Shu Yang answered with a smile. “I was sent out by my family to buy some, but I forgot what they were called.”

“You…forgot?” The woman asked, confused.

“But I have some from home left,” Shu Yang said, taking up some bottles of various pills to show the woman. “I would like one bottle of each of these.”

“Okay,” The woman said, nodding hesitantly. She opened the bottles one by one and sniffed them. “Are you sure you want a bottle of breakthrough pills?” She asked, pointing to the last bottle he had taken out.

‘Is that strange?’

“Oh, not that one,” Shu Yang said, taking the bottle back. “Sorry. Just these ones will do.”

“Alright,” The woman nodded and took out a few bottles of pills of her own, “One bottle of Qi Condensation Pills, one bottle of Qi Bursting Pills, one bottle of 1st-grade Healing Pills, one bottle of Clarity Pills, one bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills. Does that sound right?”

“Perfect,” Shu Yang said with a nod.

“That will be 9 spirit stones, please,” The woman said, stretching out her hand with a smile.

Shu Yang gave her the spirit stones and swept the pills away.

‘I have their names now, but would it be strange to ask about their effect?’

“Do you have any books on alchemy, by the way?” Shu Yang asked.

“Only a basic one,” The woman answered, “Nothing about techniques or specialized knowledge.”

“That’s fine,” Shu Yang said, “How much?”

“Just one grain of spirit sand,” The woman answered.

‘Spirit sand? Did I have any of that?’

“I…think I only have spirit stones,” Shu Yang said with an awkward smile.

The woman paused for a moment before smiling gently, “It’s fine, just take it. Free of charge.”

“Really? Thank you,” Shu Yang said, accepting the book. “By the way, do you know the closest market or town around here?”

“I guess our Li family’s land is pretty close, but it’s not really a place for outsiders. Unless you are looking for some work? I could recommend you,” The woman said, appearing a bit eager.

‘I should have stayed away from the shops run by the Li family.’

“Thank you, but not right now anyway. Is there any large cultivation city nearby?” Shu Yang asked.

“Not nearby, no,” The woman said, giving Shu Yang a strange look. “Did you just come here from the mortal world?”

Shu Yang didn’t really know how to answer. If he wasn’t from the mortal world, why didn’t he know anything? But if he just arrived, how did he get those spirit stones?

“How far to the closest city? Is there a place I can buy a map, perchance?” Shu Yang asked.

“The Three Immortal Cities are the only ones that can really be called cities in Yuanchi Immortal Land,” The woman answered, “The closest to us is Chenqi City. It’s about a month’s journey north from here. Slightly northeast. As for maps, I don’t think any place here sells them that I can think of. But you can try looking around the free market.”

“Alright, thank you,” Shu Yang said, giving the woman a grateful nod. While he had a lot more questions, he felt he was about to overstay his welcome. Besides, the woman had been looking at him oddly at the end, so Shu Yang didn’t want to stick around.

‘Now. Do I stay and look around and see if I can get my hands on a map and some more useful information, or do I hurry to get out of here before someone from the Li family comes for me?’

Shu Yang walked out of the store and called for Xiaorong in a low voice.

A paw graced his cheek.

“We’ll be leaving soon,” Shu Yang said, “Let’s go through the free market first to take a look.”

Shu Yang decided that he would just take a quick glance at the stalls set up to see if there was anything interesting before leaving.

And as luck would have it, he actually found a place that sold a few books.

The stall also sold a few cultivation techniques, but Shu Yang didn’t want to attract more attention by showing off his wealth. Besides, they might not be real, as the man selling them looked a bit shifty.

But he did buy a few ordinary books, planning on reading through them once he left to see if there was any useful information inside.

“Leaving already?” The same guard who had talked to him when he entered asked as Shu Yang left. “Have you thought about my offer?”

“I’m still thinking about my options,” Shu Yang said, smiling politely, “I’ll be back in the next few days. I’ll definitely give you an answer then.”

“Well, alright. Be careful out there,” The guard said, not stopping him from leaving.

‘Finally out of that place.’

Shu Yang felt that he should stay away from those small family-run markets in the future. It felt too restraining to move around and ask questions.

“Xiaorong?” Shu Yang called out, and the little black fox appeared on his shoulder.

“Not buy meat?” Xiaorong asked.

“Next time we stop,” Shu Yang promised.

Just as he was about to speed up and continue north, he sensed someone approach him from behind.

Shu Yang hesitated for a moment. If he had to guess, it was probably someone coming to rob him. A 1st-stage Qi Refiner with so many spirit stones was bound to become a target in this place.

‘Should I take them down and question them?’

After a few seconds' hesitation, Shu Yang decided against it. He was still close to the marketplace, and there was a Foundation cultivator there. If it were someone from the Li family coming for him, people might investigate their disappearance, and Shu Yang would be remembered.

Better to leave and avoid any complications.

Shu Yang took off at the speed of a Foundation cultivator, leaving his pursuer and the Li Market far behind.

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