Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Observations at Qingshui Sect

Back to Little Liang Mountain.

Li Mu performed a Clear Wind Rain Summoning Skill, watering the Spirit Rain over the eleven acres of Spirit Field.

Afterward, Li Mu flew towards Qingshui Town on his sword.

On the way, Li Mu was careful and slowed down, his Divine Sense constantly monitoring the surroundings.

This time after meeting with Wang Feng, Li Mu sensed that the guy hadn’t given up, and the matter was far from over.

Li Mu couldn’t help but want to take action and completely solve this trouble, however, thinking about the last Deacon Disciple—Xu Lijin had just died not too long ago, and if something happened to Wang Feng now, the Sect would definitely send someone down to investigate.

Li Mu then held back for the time being, staying vigilant, prepared to tackle any situation that might arise.

…

About an hour passed.

Li Mu controlled his sword and from a high vantage point, saw a mighty river ten zhang wide, surging and flowing westward.

Along the banks in a relatively flat area was a small town, with nearly ten thousand stone houses of various sizes, staggered neatly, divided by a main street into two halves, and a several zhang tall city wall clearly separating the wooden shantytown outside.

Outside Qingshui Town, wooden huts were connected one after another to form a whole, and the further from the shantytown, the sparser the density of wooden huts, with Spirit Fields of varying sizes distributed around.

This town was Qingshui Town, looking larger than Qing’an Town, with many Spirit Fields cultivated. Yet, for some reason, many wastelands suitable for Spirit Field cultivation were left undeveloped.

Li Mu was moved and decided not to go directly to the Sect’s stationed area in the town, but first to understand the situation of Qingshui Town.

Li Mu landed in a secluded area outside the town near a Spirit Field, removed his Outer Disciple magic robe of Qing Xuan Sect, and changed into a black magic robe commonly worn by Loose Cultivators, then headed into the town, entering from the west gate.

Like the other Qingshui Town cultivators, Li Mu paid the entrance fee and entered Qingshui Town.

Walking into the town, the streets were lined with various shops selling all kinds of goods — Demon Beast Meat, Spiritual Artifacts, Leather Armor, … — dazzling to the eyes. There were also stalls selling food, spirit wines, pancakes, … bargaining, introducing products, greeting customers,… all kinds of noises combined, creating a bustling atmosphere.

“Boss, half a catty of braised deer meat, half a steamed spirit goose, and a bottle of Red Ginseng Spirit Wine.” Li Mu walked into a bustling tavern, found an empty seat, and called out to the owner while glancing at the menu on the wall.

“Alright! Customer, please wait a moment!” the shopkeeper responded, and started bustling around.

Soon, a waiter brought a tray with the meat and spirit wine, placing them one by one in front of Li Mu.

“Shopkeeper Chen, as usual, serve the dishes.”

“Shopkeeper Chen, for three people, you arrange it.”

“Shopkeeper Chen, it’s time to settle the bill! The Spirit Stone dish is on the table.”

…

The tavern owner was an old man in his sixties, who had probably been doing this for a long time. Business was very good, with many old customers. When the owner was too busy, the regulars would skillfully order, pay, and find seats on their own.

Li Mu ate meat alone, drank wine, and paid attention to the conversations of several Loose Cultivators at the next table, indirectly learning about the situation in Qingshui Town.

“Youyan Valley can’t go now! Two people died there yesterday.”

“How did they die? Killed by the Youyan Group?”

“No, it was the Tier Two Profound Feathered Eagle!”

“How could that be? Where did the Profound Feathered Eagle come from?”

“It followed the Youyan Group! Every year during the Cyan Spirit Fish breeding season, the Red-headed Youyan Group comes to Youyan Valley to lay eggs and nurture young, and this is also the breeding season for Profound Feathered Eagles.”

“How many Profound Feathered Eagles are there? I was thinking of taking advantage of this time to catch more Youyan and earn some Spirit Stones.”

“That’s what everyone thinks, but that’s a Tier Two Profound Feathered Eagle; if you encounter it, your life is definitely in danger!”

“Isn’t Qing Xuan Sect handling it? What if the Profound Feathered Eagles attack the city?”

“How to handle it? It takes at least two Foundation Establishment Cultivators to take down one Profound Feathered Eagle, and for a pair, four Foundation Establishment Cultivators have to be dispatched. We don’t even know how many Profound Feathered Eagles there are, and where are the so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Qingshui Town?”

“Sigh! Just chased away the Demon Wolf Pack, and now there’re Profound Feathered Eagles. Life is too hard!”

“Who says it’s not! If it weren’t for the Tai Mo River in between, Qingshui Town would have long been overrun by Demon Beast groups.”

…

“Did you hear! The Chen Family discovered an ore vein, but the exploration team was attacked by a Demon Beast group on their way back to report to the family, and more than half of them were wiped out.”

“I heard about it early on. The Chen Family’s exploration team discovered a Cold Iron Ore vein in Little Ling Mountain, but this information was leaked back by an insider from the Ling Family. Later on, the Wang Family got the news from the Ling Family, and the three families are now in a dispute!”

“Wow! Is that how it happened! What’s the situation with the three families now? Will they fight?”

“They won’t fight, Qing Xuan Sect’s on top of them! The ore vein will definitely be developed according to the old rules, with Qing Xuan Sect taking seventy percent of the revenue, and the remaining divided among other Foundation Establishment families. Isn’t it always like this, with the three Foundation Establishment families preparing to set up a Magic Battle Platform to compete for the ore vein shares!”

“I wonder if this Cold Iron Ore vein is large. If it’s a major vein, maybe Qing Xuan Sect will send a few more Foundation Establishment disciples down, so we wouldn’t have to worry all day long!”

“Yeah! A while back, Qing Xuan Sect sent a batch of Inner Sect Disciples into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, and they haven’t come out yet.”

“Across Lingtian Mountain, who knows how many monsters are in the mountain, it’s likely they all perished inside.”

…

“We almost didn’t make it this time, Brother Lu, hunting Cultivators is too dangerous, I want to quit!”

“Alright! After finishing this drink, let’s disband!”

“Brother Lu? Do you have other paths?”

“No good paths, I have a brother who’s been doing alright with Spirit Fish catching, I want to give it a try!”

…

Li Mu drank Spirit Wine, ate delicious Demon Beast meat, and listened closely to the quiet conversations at the neighboring tables, picking up all the hot topics about Qingshui Town.

The situation was as Li Mu had expected; the environment of Qingshui Town was much more dangerous than Qing’an Town. Nearby Spirit Mountains, Deep Valleys, forests, and even beneath the river were filled with various Demon Beasts. However, because of its abundant cultivation resources, it attracted many Loose Cultivators to make a living here.

This was also the reason why the wooden shantytown outside Qingshui Town expanded continuously, appearing much larger than Qing’an Town.

Li Mu ate meat in big bites, sipped wine in small sips, and stayed in the tavern for over an hour, indirectly gathering a lot of intelligence about Qingshui Town.

He confirmed that the three Foundation Establishment families in Qingshui Town were currently in a conflict over the distribution of ore vein shares. Meanwhile, Nangong Hong, the Steward Disciple of Qing Xuan Sect in Qingshui Town, used the opportunity to mediate among the families.

Now, with failed mediation, Nangong Hong had become the fair host of the main Magic Battle meeting of the three Foundation Establishment families, raising his status in Qingshui Town significantly.

Li Mu learned a lot of news and confirmed one thing. This Senior Brother Nangong was very clever and skillful, unlike that idiot Wang Feng who was blinded by profit without considering danger, daring to strike without understanding the enemy’s true strength.

And even knowing it was futile, he was still acting as if he wanted to pursue it to the end. What a fool.

“Waiter, the bill please!” Li Mu called the waiter, casually placed ten Lower Spirit Stones on the table, and turned to leave the tavern.

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