Raise a sword!

Qian Laosi frankly expressed his thoughts.

"Having known Brother Jiang for many years, I, the fourth brother, have long seen that Brother Jiang is no ordinary person. This small Cangshan Mountain cannot hide Brother Jiang's true dragon. The Cangshan Sect is only powerful in the northern foothills. Looking at the southern mountain region, it can only be considered a medium-sized power at best."

Qian Laosi downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, put down the cup, and sighed, "My family's tracking technique has been passed down for generations, but to this day it has never left Cangshan Market... Now, the Qian family has passed down to me, Qian Laosi, and I am the only one left."

"I'm not afraid to tell you, Brother Jiang, but I've long realized that I'm not cut out for cultivation. My family's tracking technique doesn't have the power to change fate that you might imagine."

"Over the years, I've encountered quite a few opportunities, but there have always been twists and turns along the way, and the benefits I ultimately gained are laughable. Take this cave I discovered, for example... If it weren't for Brother Jiang's honest and straightforward nature, wouldn't I have wasted all my time?"

"Ha, it wasn't a wasted effort; that malevolent energy almost killed me."

Jiang Peng shook her head, both amused and exasperated.

"I've finally figured it out. It's all fate." Qian Laosi sighed. "Even fortune tellers have five flaws and three shortcomings. My family's secret technique is supposed to help people collect corpses, but in reality, it's about making money off the dead. We've dug up quite a few graves... It's a huge breach of morality."

Jiang Peng remained silent.

The saying "Heaven is watching what people do" is never just empty talk in the world of cultivation.

"After much thought, I think my life is over. I'm almost forty and my cultivation is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. I'm not even considered a big shot among rogue cultivators."

"Instead of wasting more time on cultivation, I might as well give it my all for future generations."

Qian Laosi chuckled self-deprecatingly and then looked at Jiang Peng.

"I'm not afraid of Brother Jiang laughing at me, but I, Qian Laosi, look down on the way Cangshan Sect behaves."

"It seems that Brother Qian's ancestors were quite worldly."

"What's the use of having seen it? It only makes people arrogant and incompetent, and it's of no use at all!" Qian Laosi shook his head and said, "So I'm looking for an opportunity for my unborn child, a way to let him leave Cangshan Market."

Having said all that, Qian Laosi could be considered completely honest with himself.

However, Jiang Peng did not agree, but instead pushed the storage bag containing spirit stones in front of Qian Laosi once again.

Seeing this, Qian Laosi looked dejected.

"It seems I was overthinking things. Indeed, taking on disciples is no small matter, and it's only right that Brother Jiang is cautious."

Jiang Peng shook her head and said, "Tsk, what's the rush?"

Qian Laosi was taken aback and quickly looked up at Jiang Peng.

Jiang Peng pondered for a moment, then said slowly and deliberately, "I don't consider myself a very enthusiastic person. I've been in this market for several years now, and I only have a few people I can truly call friends. You, Old Qian, are one of them."

"I handle things one thing at a time. Given our friendship, if your child really has good potential in the future, and I happen to have some ability to take on a disciple, then what's wrong with taking him under my wing and teaching him?"

"Thank you very much, Brother Jiang." Old Qian was overjoyed.

Jiang Peng continued, "As for these spirit stones, they are my token of gratitude. They have nothing to do with our friendship, let alone any sense of personal favor... If we calculate who owes whom too clearly, it will only weaken our friendship and turn it into a business transaction."

"Brother Jiang is right." Old Qian smiled broadly, his gaze then falling on the storage bag. "So, I'll accept these spirit stones?"

"Take it," Jiang Peng nodded with a smile, then added, "As for taking me as a disciple, I've agreed. But if Brother Qian has another opportunity in the future and no longer thinks highly of me, please don't let today's agreement ruin the child's future."

Qian Laosi laughed twice.

Perhaps realizing that Jiang Peng was no longer the kind of friend he needed to be careful and calculating with, Qian Laosi became much more relaxed.

"Haha, Brother Jiang is joking."

......

After the banquet, I said goodbye to Qian Laosi.

Jiang Peng bought some seasonings and ingredients at the market before returning to Biwu Peak.

The days that followed were uneventful.

Jiang Peng resumed her past cultivation life, practicing alchemy, absorbing qi, and refining her body.

Now, sword raising has been added to the list.

Life is neither particularly busy nor particularly leisurely, but it can certainly be described as stable.

Two months later, after learning that Jiang Peng had emerged from seclusion, Lan Yingying came to visit.

The passionate encounter was too indescribable to describe.

Lan Yingying brought ten mid-grade spirit stones, saying that the business was on the right track and that, thanks to Jiang Peng's connections, they had invited five disciples from the Pill Hall to serve as guest elders and refine pills for the business.

The business has been established, and the pill-making route is already profitable. These ten mid-grade spirit stones are this month's dividend.

This amount of spirit stones is already quite substantial for a Qi Refining cultivator, and for Jiang Peng, it's an unexpected benefit.

Throughout the entire operation, he only used his position to help win over a few alchemists.

Besides Lan Yingying, Liu Quan would also visit Jiang Peng every now and then.

It was called a visit, but in reality, it was just a free meal to satisfy my cravings.

"Senior Brother Liu Qinghe is currently in seclusion, and I estimate he will be out soon... Senior Brother is very confident in achieving Foundation Establishment, so perhaps I should address him as Uncle-Master next time we meet."

Liu Quan brought news of Liu Qinghe.

The founder of this mutual aid association won a spot in this Foundation Establishment Pill competition and is currently in seclusion.

Based on past practice, the probability of a true disciple of the Cangshan Sect breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage is roughly 50/50.

However, Liu Qinghe has a solid foundation and has never run out of rare pills like the Purple Jade Nourishing Yuan Pill. Therefore, Jiang Peng estimates that the probability of him establishing his foundation is probably at least 80%.

"Recently, the Jade Pavilion Sword Pavilion has become more restrained, seemingly plotting something. Although there are still occasional clashes with our Cangshan Sect, there are very few casualties anymore... The situation has temporarily stabilized."

"This is a good thing," Jiang Peng said.

The Cangshan Sect and the Jade Pavilion Sword Pavilion have been at odds for hundreds of years, and it's impossible to say who is right and who is wrong.

Jiang Peng had no hostility towards the Jade Pavilion Sword Pavilion.

However, being within the Cangshan Sect, if the two sects continue to clash, sooner or later Jiang Peng will be dragged into it.

This is something Jiang Peng is unwilling to do.

Therefore, Jiang Peng was very pleased that the two groups were able to coexist peacefully.

This peaceful life continued until winter.

On a snowy morning, Jiang Peng, who was tending the fire in the kitchen, suddenly had a sudden inspiration.

At this point, his cultivation had stagnated for more than half a month.

Now that the opportunity has arrived, Jiang Peng instinctively entered a state of cultivation.

Half an hour later, accompanied by a jolt and a series of crackling sounds from her body, Jiang Peng let out a long sigh of relief.

"In the later stages of Qi cultivation, success will come naturally."

Jiang Peng walked out of the kitchen and bowed to the old man outside.

"Thank you for protecting me, Master."

Qin Yuan patted Jiang Peng on the shoulder with a smile.

"Not bad, your breakthrough speed is faster than I expected. It's time to give you some more responsibility."