Chapter 33

“I am the eldest in my family… so I still wish to ask—are my other three younger siblings currently in the Guiyuan Sword Sect?”

Chun Chou hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he asked the question that had troubled him for so long.

This senior talisman master at the late Foundation Establishment stage had, from beginning to end, only mentioned Xie Fusheng’s name, never bringing up the other three at all. Combined with the sudden pain and premonition Chun Chou had felt earlier, along with the two dreams he had experienced, he had already mentally prepared himself for bad news.

He knew that if they were well—and all of them were single spiritual root geniuses, and siblings at that, such a rare situation—there was no reason for the shopkeeper in front of him not to mention them.

Yet he never did. Chun Chou… could no longer hold back and asked personally.

—Whether good or bad, there had to be an answer.

The shopkeeper looked deeply at the young man before him. He wanted to phrase it more tactfully, but when the words reached his lips, there was no way to soften them. He could only say briefly:

“On that day, the flying vessel returning from the mortal realm to the cultivation world was attacked. Several disciples of our Guiyuan Sword Sect were killed. At the same time, several children who had come from the mortal realm were abducted. Your younger brother and younger sister… were among them.”

Seeing the boy’s expressionless face—clearly stunned—he added:

“There is also your other younger sister, Xie Yaoyao. When she and Fusheng were taking a master, she was noticed by the sect leader of the Alchemy Sect. The sect leader offered a considerable amount of cultivation resources and took her into the Alchemy Sect.”

Chun Chou clenched his fists tightly. “Yaoyao has a single water spiritual root, not a fire root. Why would the Alchemy Sect leader take an interest in her?”

The shopkeeper continued fanning himself. “That is not something a mere late Foundation Establishment cultivator like me would know.”

—And even less something a Qi Refining rogue cultivator like Chun Chou could understand.

The space talismans and space jade talismans that Ling Wuji took out were accepted by the shopkeeper, who instructed a clerk to collect them. The price offered was quite fair.

Chun Chou didn’t really have anything suitable to offer as thanks to this late-stage Foundation Establishment senior, so he could only take out the spiritual herb he had nurtured for the longest time—a Profound-grade Marrow-Cleansing Grass.

“Junior has nothing of great value, so I can only offer the most precious spiritual herb I’ve cultivated as a gift to Senior.”

The shopkeeper, named Gu Wuliang, originally didn’t think much of items from Qi Refining rogue cultivators. However, he was clearly discerning—at a glance, he recognized it as a Profound-grade Marrow-Cleansing Grass.

Gu Wuliang was somewhat surprised. These two Qi Refining rogue cultivators actually had some capability. This Profound-grade Marrow-Cleansing Grass was indeed a good item; even to him, it counted as a decent gift.

Moreover, Gu Wuliang had never intended to gain anything from the two. He simply found the sect’s actions despicable—forcing a ten-year-old child to establish their foundation. Even if that child grew up later, they would still be stuck in a child’s body, subject to ridicule. Worse, many sword techniques and cultivation methods couldn’t be practiced in a child’s physique.

The sect claimed to value the child, yet acted in such a way. Naturally, Gu Wuliang couldn’t stand it. He figured the child didn’t have to rely solely on the sect.

The young man before him, though inferior in cultivation and influence compared to the sect, had traveled thousands of miles to find his sibling. That kind of brotherly affection alone could weaken Xie Fusheng’s attachment to the sect.

Wasn’t that a good thing?

Gu Wuliang accepted the gift and, with some leisure, asked where the two were currently staying. Then he waved his hand, dismissing them.

—Though he himself belonged to the Guiyuan Sword Sect, he knew the prices in its shops weren’t friendly to Qi Refining rogue cultivators. Whether buying or selling, they were better off going to other shops or stalls.

After Chun Chou and Ling Wuji left the shop, the young attendant followed them, filled with both admiration and awe.

So these two were actually relatives of the sect master’s only disciple of the Guiyuan Sword Sect! That was incredible! If his own family had such a connection, they’d boast about it endlessly!

But then again, even though he had heard such important information, he didn’t dare spread it. These rogue cultivators were one thing, but the others involved were all from a major sect. Not to be provoked—better to forget everything he had just heard.

Having learned so much today, Chun Chou and Ling Wuji felt complicated emotions. Though they had already suspected it, knowing it as fact was different.

Ling Wuji was relatively calm. He and Chun Chou were childhood sweethearts, having grown up together. He had watched Chun Chou’s younger siblings grow up as well.

But Ling Wuji was somewhat selfish. He felt that the existence of those siblings had forced Chun Chou to “grow up” too quickly. While that wasn’t necessarily bad, he couldn’t help comparing them to Lingyou from Canglan City, who was the same age as Chun Chou but still retained a kind of innocence, even acting spoiled with outsiders. Because of this, Ling Wuji didn’t particularly like Xie Fusheng and the others.

He knew Chun Chou had a strong sense of responsibility and a persistent desire for the truth. Chun Chou would surely want to find his siblings and uncover the origin of those “markings.”

More than anything, Chun Chou wanted to know whether his adoptive parents had always intended to use him.

Ling Wuji worried for Chun Chou, but Chun Chou himself quickly came to terms with it—his siblings were important, but so were he and Ling Wuji.

They had to live their own lives well, improve their cultivation, and gain the ability to protect themselves before they could care for others.

After thinking it through, Chun Chou smiled slightly. Walking beside Ling Wuji’s wheelchair, he looked at the short attendant and said, “You know one of us is a talisman master and the other a spiritual planter. I’ll also be participating in the upcoming spiritual planter competition. Where do you think we should go next?”

The attendant immediately flushed red, waving his hands nervously. “S-Senior is too polite. Let me first explain the different streets of Guiyuan Market, then I’ll take you to places commonly visited by talisman masters and spiritual planters. Finally, I can bring you to the tavern where participants gather to discuss planting techniques.”

Chun Chou and Ling Wuji were both surprised at the last part.

As expected, a large city at the foot of a major sect was truly different.

Indeed, Guiyuan Market was laid out in a well-organized manner. There were streets with all kinds of shops and stalls, as well as specialized streets for alchemy, artifacts, talismans, formations, spirit beasts, demon beasts, food, clothing, and accessories.

There were also streets for buyers who didn’t wish to reveal their identities, streets for sellers who preferred anonymity, and even streets where both sides remained anonymous. There were auction houses of various sizes, temporary auctions, and even streets dedicated to “lottery-style” shops—similar to modern-day raffles.

The attendant spoke enthusiastically, “…There’s also a street where shops and stall owners from other districts draw lots daily. Those selected must sell there for the day, with all goods either half-price or double price—no exceptions. Customers also need to draw lots to enter. If they draw half-price, everything they buy is discounted; if they draw double, they must pay double.”

Chun Chou asked curiously, “What if they don’t buy anything?”

The attendant smiled, “Then they must compensate the vendors—one hundred low-grade spirit stones before leaving.”

Chun Chou: “…” As expected, sellers were always more cunning than buyers. Capitalist tricks were the same across all eras—from technological societies to cultivation worlds.

However, they had no intention of going there today. Instead, they followed the attendant to familiarize themselves with the market, then headed to the street frequented by talisman masters.

Here, all shops and stalls dealt exclusively in items related to talisman crafting.

Ling Wuji had accumulated many talismans. After selling some in Canglan City earlier, he now sold the rest.

While he was known for spatial talismans, his true strength lay in ice-based talismans, thanks to his supreme ice spiritual root.

Ice talismans were highly offensive, and since water overcame fire—and ice was even more aggressive than water—his talismans sold for an excellent price in Guiyuan Market.

The attendant whispered, “If Senior has time, setting up your own stall would fetch even better prices.”

That was true.

But Ling Wuji knew Chun Chou would soon compete, and he wanted to prepare equipment for him so he could participate without worry.

“Next time,” Ling Wuji said lightly, moving on.

They then went to the street for spiritual planters.

The moment they entered, it was a sea of green.

Chun Chou: “…” As expected, everyone had so many spiritual plants. He suddenly wished for a portable farming space—if he had one, he’d farm every day happily!

The attendant led them to familiar vendors with reasonable prices.

Chun Chou wanted to check for seeds needed for Foundation Establishment Pills and Marrow-Cleansing Pills.

Most of his cultivated herbs had been sold in Canglan City. Only the most valuable ones—eight pots of Profound-grade Marrow-Cleansing Grass and four other varieties—were brought along.

After gifting one, eleven pots remained.

They planned to modify their donkey cart to carry up to twenty pots—an inconvenience, but necessary for a spiritual planter.

Chun Chou carefully selected what to keep—either high-value herbs or those needed for key pills.

Though they had consumed spiritual food before, the senior cultivator had pointed out their impure spiritual energy. Clearly, Marrow-Cleansing Pills were still necessary.

If they could obtain Profound-grade ones, that would be ideal.

Meanwhile, Ling Wuji silently calculated—he already knew the competition rewards.

How could he help Chun Chou discreetly obtain fourth place?

Because the fourth-place reward, though seemingly ordinary, contained a rare spatial stone.

If Chun Chou absorbed its spatial energy, his space spiritual root could improve.

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