Chapter 62: Chapter 47: Medicinal Materials, Insect Gu

As he passed through the outskirts of the Marketplace, the scene before Jiang Yi changed dramatically.

Inside, towering buildings rose from the ground, their flying eaves like wings and their bracket sets stacked in intricate layers.

Cultivators in Daoist Robes of every color moved like a weaver’s shuttle. Each one was vibrant and glowing with health as they navigated the bustling streets to buy and sell, creating a truly lively scene.

“Marshal Yang, Brother Yi, you two go on ahead.”

He the Venerable was tactful enough not to follow.

“I’ll find an affordable place to settle in first, then come find you later.

If you have any errands for me, just say the word. I know my way around this place.”

Jiang Yi nodded. He the Venerable had told him earlier that while the outskirts of Sanhe Market were simple, its food and lodging were cheap.

The inner district, however, was mostly storefronts run by Qi Cultivation Clans, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Even an ordinary pot of Spirit Tea would cost a fair bit of talisman money.

He the Venerable knew perfectly well that Marshal Yang was bringing Brother Yi down the mountain to see the world. Hitching a ride on the Land Ship was already a great favor.

If he were any more obtuse and tagged along to freeload on food and drink, he wouldn’t just be losing his own face—Brother Yi would lose face as well.

“Alright. Brother He, we’ll meet up later.”

Jiang Yi waved and parted ways with He the Venerable.

After he was gone, Yang Xun nodded slightly.

“I used to think that He the Venerable was a shiftless, good-for-nothing character. But seeing him now, that’s not entirely true. He knows his place.”

Jiang Yi remained silent.

It was common for Servants to look down on Mortal Servants and for clans to look down on commoners. There was nothing he could say about it.

“Ah Yi, go to the Guanlan Ship up ahead. Tell them who you are, show them the token from Red Flame Peak, and have them make arrangements.”

Yang Xun instructed slowly,

“Since we belong to a Dharma Lineage, we don’t need to sleep out in the open. We have our own place to stay.

After you’re done, you can wander around. Clans from seven or eight hundred li around all come here to do business, so the goods are quite abundant.”

Jiang Yi followed his instructions, cupped his hands in farewell, and left.

Before long, he found the Guanlan Ship.

The old Shopkeeper was a retired Inspector from the Outer Sect Four Peaks, now working in Sanhe Market.

He took the token Jiang Yi offered, inspected it, and listened to his explanation before saying with a cheerful laugh,

“Ah, so it’s a Servant from Red Flame Peak, down the mountain on a procurement trip.”

He immediately called over two attendants and ordered,

“Take this young man to Dai Pavilion. Prepare two superior rooms, complete with morning and evening Spiritual Food.”

“Make sure you get it right. No mistakes!”

Then, the old Shopkeeper turned back to Jiang Yi and said,

“It’s the end of the year, and I have to clear out our stock, so I can’t get away. If we have been neglectful in any way, Inspector, I hope you’ll forgive us.”

Jiang Yi smiled kindly.

“You’re too kind. I’m the one who’s bothering you.”

With that, he followed the two attendants straight to Dai Pavilion.

“Inspector, this is Dai Pavilion. It’s one of the best places to stay in Sanhe District.”

The attendants were very sharp. One led the way while the other had already gone ahead to prepare the superior rooms.

The main hall was spacious, paved with green bricks as smooth and lustrous as jade.

Looking up, one could see a six-story pavilion built against the mountain, its hundred guest rooms surrounding a central courtyard.

A bamboo curtain hung before each door, inscribed with elegant names like “Pine Listener” and “Cloud Watcher.”

“This is the superior room prepared for you, Inspector. If you require a meal, the kitchen has Purple Ginseng Rice and Jade Porridge, both made from Spiritual Objects found in the mountains.”

Jiang Yi accepted the Wooden Token with the three words “Enjoy the Wind” written on it and thought to himself,

’It’s no wonder that even Major Clans that have been around for a dozen generations still yearn for a Dharma Lineage. This status certainly makes things convenient.’

After the attendants left, he pushed open the carved wooden door. The room’s furnishings were simple and elegant, with landscape ink paintings on the walls and the Four Treasures of the Study laid out on a desk.

“This feels a bit like being on an official business trip.”

Jiang Yi chuckled, sat cross-legged on the floor, and began his Breathing and Cultivation.

A moment later, he knew his guess had been correct. The Dense Qi outside Sanhe District was thick, like a pool of stagnant water.

Only here in the inner district did the thin Spiritual Energy flow in wisps, like a fine mist.

Although it couldn’t compare to Guanlan Peak in the Qianji Sect, it was far better than other places.

’It seems that a Cultivator’s life—from what they eat to where they live—revolves around the concept of “spirit.”

Where there is spirit, there is prosperity; where there is none, there is decay. That’s probably the long and short of it.’

Jiang Yi calmed his mind and meditated for a while, not wanting to waste the five hundred talisman coins this superior room in Dai Pavilion cost per day.

As dusk settled, lights began to appear throughout the pavilion, illuminating both the interior and exterior.

Seeing that Yang Xun still hadn’t returned, Jiang Yi wasn’t worried.

His Grandpa’s Cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, and he had already opened his Primordial Inner Mansion. While that didn’t mean he could run roughshod over Sanhe District, there truly weren’t many people who could harm him.

He pulled a thin cord in the room, and a servant boy appeared at the door a moment later.

“Sir, would you be having dinner? Today we are serving several Spiritual Food dishes, including ’Snow Dove Stewed with Purple Ginseng’ and ’Stir-fried Jade Bamboo Shoots’…”

Jiang Yi thought for a moment before choosing the most common “Yellow Spirit Rice Porridge” and two simple side dishes.

Before long, the food was delivered.

All these comfortable amenities made him sigh with emotion. You really got what you paid for.

After a delicious and filling Spiritual Food dinner, Jiang Yi had the urge to go out.

He headed for the place he had arranged to meet He the Venerable: Shuangfeng Street, which lay between the inner and outer areas of Sanhe Market.

“Whoa, it’s so lively!”

The moment Jiang Yi stepped onto the street, he was hit by a wave of bustling human energy.

The place was packed with vendors and customers. A wonton seller with a shoulder pole had just passed by when an old man selling griddle cakes squeezed through.

The cloth banners of the shops on either side nearly touched. The clinking of coarse ceramic bowls from the tea sheds and the aroma of fermented soybeans from the sauce shop drifted right into his nose.

It was a chaotic, yet vibrant, atmosphere of everyday life!

He the Venerable, squatting by a noodle stall, had sharp eyes and was the first to spot Jiang Yi. He hollered at the top of his lungs,

“Brother Yi!”

Jiang Yi approached. Before he could even sit down, He the Venerable, who liked to eat while squatting, hastily hopped off the long bench and wiped it down vigorously.

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