Vampire Cultivation Notes

Taiping Market does not charge an entrance fee, but there is a layer of illusion mirror outside to keep ordinary people away.

When Li Jieqing was searching for immortality, he was tormented by this environment.

However, this formation was useless against the woman who had returned from overseas. She landed lightly, passed through the illusion formation, and entered the neighborhood from under the archway.

The woman seemed to know the area well; she first strolled around the shantytown, identifying the houses along the way.

When she found nothing, the woman's expression grew even colder. She stood there for a moment, then turned and headed towards the busiest street, North Street, where the most independent cultivators lived.

Fangshi crossroads.

Two cultivators, an old man and a young boy, seemed to be master and disciple. The old man was beaming with joy as he headed towards the north street.

"With this superior-grade Heart-Nourishing Pill, I can replenish my energy and blood for another two or three years and hunt a few more demonic beasts. When I've saved enough for the expenses of going to sea, I'll send you out. That's better than waiting to die in this desolate land."

"But Master..."

The old man took a half step behind him, and the boy asked in confusion, "The pills in Wanbao Pavilion cost forty-two spirit stones each, and they're not in stock yet, so we have to wait. We can get them from Fengxin Residence here for thirty-five spirit stones each."

"Could there be something wrong with this pill?"

"What do you know!"

The old man quickly pulled his apprentice aside and scolded, "Do you know why people call that little courtyard Fengxin Residence? All the elixirs for Wanbaoge come from there!"

High-grade alchemists hold a prestigious position in Taipingfang, especially the one in Fengxinju. His ability to remain free and not be recruited by any alchemy workshop speaks volumes about his skill and earns him considerable prestige among independent cultivators.

The old man was worried that his apprentice, being new to the world, would cause trouble, so he told him to shut up.

"Fengxin Residence?"

From the direction of North Street, a clear, cold female voice came asking.

The old man looked up and saw a gray robe in front of him. Underneath the loose robe, the ochre-yellow fabric looked somewhat familiar.

"I haven't been back to the neighborhood for a long time, so I don't know what Fengxinju is. It can compete with Wanbaoge for business, yet it's not under the jurisdiction of Danfang."

"If I remember correctly, the Pill Workshop is the foundation of Master Baozhou."

As the woman spoke, she made a hand seal and bowed towards the location of Master Baozhou's cave in the market.

The old man was also at the late stage of Qi Refining, but seeing the imposing presence before him, he quickly and cautiously replied:

"No wonder the fairy didn't know. The owner of Fengxinju has been living in the market for over ten years. He is very skilled in alchemy and has a powerful background. He probably has some kind of relationship with the higher-ups in the market. Wanbaoge and other alchemists have signed a contract with him. He gets all the shares of Fengxin Pills in the market, and he will no longer sell other pills to interfere with the business."

Fengxin Dan is one of the most common types of pills in Taipingfang Market. It is monopolized by one person, and one can imagine how huge the profits are.

Unfortunately, firstly, the alchemist surnamed Zhao never left the market, and secondly, the managers in the market didn't seem to care about his monopoly on Fengxin Pills.

Out of awe, the wandering cultivators, within a few years, began to call that nameless courtyard on South Street "Fengxin Residence," and the person living there was called "Fengxin Ancestor."

"Ancestor?"

The woman released her hand seal and immediately asked, "Is he an old man around sixty or seventy years old, with a dignified appearance and a refined air, who often likes to spout literary nonsense?"

"No, that person looks very young..."

At this point, the old man finally recognized the origin of the dark yellow dress beneath the woman's gray robe.

Isn't this the robe of a high-ranking sect?!

"What is the name of the Ancestor Fengxin?" the woman asked again.

"I only know his surname is Zhao. There are a few people setting up stalls on North Street, so I should know his full name." The old man became increasingly cautious and asked, "I didn't know anyone from your sect was here. May I ask their name?"

"Jiang Ping, daughter of Jiang Wei, a local hermit."

Jiang Ping glanced towards South Street, hesitated slightly, but ultimately headed towards North Street first, leaving behind only one sentence.

"I remember you, the one called the One-Horned Taoist. Just follow me. I've come back from the Upper Sect, firstly to visit Master Baozhou, and secondly to mourn my father and mother."

……

South Street Courtyard.

The renowned Fengxin Patriarch is receiving guests who have come in disguise, full of complaints.

This refers to Chengming Daoist, who has returned from Wangyue Valley once again.

Over the past ten years, Chengming Daoist has aged considerably. Every time he went to explore the signs of the Wangyue Valley cave, he returned empty-handed, only to return with map after map while being chased by the demon tiger.

Fortunately, he was a fully cultivated Qi cultivator and held a high position of power in the market, so he had many protective items.

Otherwise, if it were an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, they would have died a hundred times over in the past ten years.

It was also a matter of timing.

When Chengming Daoren plotted against Li Jieqing, he used Yu Mingli of the Yu family as a pawn from a superior position, which can be described as having everything under his control.

As a result, Li Jieqing used the White Tiger as an excuse and stayed there for ten years without leaving the house, which made Chengming Daoren so angry that he almost vomited blood. The situation of the two sides was reversed.

"Don't worry, Steward. You should know that you were the one who needed my help in the first place," Li Jieqing said with a smile.

Ten years have passed, and time has left almost no trace on him.

However, Chengming Daoren could not maintain his appearance. Now half of his hair has turned white, and wrinkles have crept up to the corners of his eyes.

Upon hearing this, he immediately flew into a rage.

"Ten years! You've been looking at maps for ten years! How many decades does a cultivator have?!"

Cheng Ming Daoist had lost all his former arrogance, his roar echoing through the courtyard: "Don't forget! How many benefits I've given you these past ten years! All you can do is refine a Fengxin Pill and you dare call yourself a sect patriarch, the Fengxin Ancestor—I spit on you!"

"Stop arguing! If I didn't refine pills for you, your vital energy would have already deteriorated. You still want to break through? You're dreaming!"

Things are different now, and Li Jieqing was no longer going to tolerate it. He snorted coldly and confronted her directly.

"You surnamed Zhao! Don't forget that you killed Yu Mingli, and the Yu family is still looking for the killer!"

"Old fool, don't forget how you secretly plotted with Master Baozhou to find that cave ruins for the Ruyi Sect. Who will forgive you then!"

"Fine! A mere mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, a piece of trash who can't even break through in ten years, with some mixed spiritual root of unknown type, dares to threaten this old man?!"

Cheng Ming Dao Ren tore off his disguise, his flying shuttle in hand, his face flushed with anger, and he was about to make a move in the next instant.

Li Jieqing, however, was not afraid and waved his hand, scattering ten high-grade Vajra Talismans in front of him.

Ten years have passed, and he had long since seen through Cheng Mingdao's greed and blindness.

If Cheng Mingdao dares to make a move, he will run away; the cooperation will inevitably be exposed to the public.

This would be a lose-lose situation, and if there were even a glimmer of hope, Chengming Daoist would not have done such a thing.

really.

After a standoff, Master Chengming gave up first and withdrew the flying shuttle.

"I won't argue with you. Have you figured out the map this time?" he said coldly. He had devoted ten years of effort to exploring every suspicious spot in Wangyue Valley.

"It'll be here soon."

Li Jieqing let the Vajra Talisman float in front of him and answered casually.

The cave has been unsuccessful for over ten years, which suggests that the initial direction of our efforts was incorrect.

He already had a guess as to where the real cave dwelling was.