Chapter 31
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Chapter 31: The End of the Celebration
Yunzhong City Market
“It’s the last day of the celebration, and there are noticeably fewer people.”
“Don’t leave the city today. I heard there’s chaos outside, with bloodshed everywhere.”
“I heard the same. Zhonghang Sect and Cloud Sword Sect are furious. They both gathered five hundred disciples to patrol outside the city, led by a Nascent Soul Ancestor. But it’s not effective at all. They patrol within a twenty-mile radius, while the bandits who kill and loot are operating twenty miles farther out.”
Today, everyone’s goods were selling quickly. Many gathered together to chat. The beautiful young woman and Zhang Ruifeng were both social butterflies, with a wide network of information. They knew a lot.
Since the first day of the celebration, there had been constant incidents of killing and looting outside the city. Today was definitely the worst. Yunzhong City had high prices, and accommodation was expensive. Cultivators from outside had to hurry back, leading to a surge in bandits.
These bandits were robbing pedestrians like crazy, not even sparing lone disciples from Zhonghang Sect and Cloud Sword Sect. They had no fear and had angered the two sects. The sects gathered their elite disciples and expanded the patrol range to twenty miles outside the city.
But it was still useless. The prospect of huge profits had attracted countless reckless individuals. Driven by greed, they simply adjusted their tactics—if the patrols were at twenty miles, they would ambush people at thirty or forty miles instead. Their goal was clear: robbery.
“Several familiar Taoist friends have disappeared from the big market.”
The beautiful young woman spoke up. She used to have many “licking dogs” (followers who flattered her), but several of them had vanished. This worried her. Without them, her income had dropped sharply.
“Brother Jiang, how much money did you make this time?”
“Not many spirit stones.”
“That’s a lie! You made the most! In the past half-month, you sold at least a few hundred spiritual talismans.”
Zhang Ruifeng shook his head, clearly not believing Lin Jiang. He knew that Lin Jiang always arrived late and left early, with his spiritual talismans selling out every time. Selling one talisman earned seven or eight spirit stones, meaning Lin Jiang must have made at least thousands of spirit stones.
“Not as many as you guys.”
Lin Jiang shook his head as well. Zhang Ruifeng’s words made him realize something—these two also knew about his income.
In the past half-month, Lin Jiang had indeed sold a lot of talismans. He had been preparing them since the beginning of the month, drawing around two hundred talismans. His profit was about 1,500 spirit stones.
To Lin Jiang, 1,500 wasn’t much, but to Zhang Ruifeng and the beautiful young woman, it was a fortune. They considered earning three to five hundred in half a month already a great success.
The same was true for most others. The poverty of lower-level independent cultivators was no exaggeration. Many were barely getting by. This meant Lin Jiang was unintentionally revealing his wealth. While these people might not be a threat to him, they could have stronger friends.
“When the lease term for this booth is up, I have to move to another place.”
Lin Jiang made up his mind. Yunzhong City had three major markets, and this was just one of them. He had chosen this location because it was closest to his residence. In the future, he could move farther away or even rent a shop. If he had a shop, no one would see how much he was making.
When Zhang Ruifeng mentioned income, the beautiful young woman also became excited. Her spiritual grass and talismans weren’t very valuable. For safety reasons, she didn’t go home or have her family deliver goods. Following Lin Jiang’s suggestion, she had switched to selling food and drinks, which had been surprisingly profitable.
“Taoist Friend Jiang, thank you for your guidance. Without you, I wouldn’t have earned so many spirit stones. How about I treat you to a drink tonight?”
“I’m not really fond of drinking. Thanks anyway.”
“Nonsense! I’ve seen you drink plenty of times, Taoist Friend Jiang. Are you looking down on me?”
“Um…”
Lin Jiang started sweating. He wasn’t rejecting the offer because he disliked drinking, but because he wanted to avoid trouble. He preferred handling things with money rather than emotions. Getting involved in relationships could be complicated.
“Brother Jiang, please agree. I want to treat you to a meal. I’ve earned a lot of money thanks to your advice.”
“Actually, I was just speaking casually.”
“No, we truly appreciate your kindness. My parents also want to meet you. You’re the first friend I made at the market. Sister, say something too.”
“Brother…”
Zhang Ruifang blushed. Social anxiety made this request difficult for her.
Lin Jiang had no choice but to accept the invitation. He was hesitant about drinking alone with the beautiful young woman, but with Zhang Ruifeng and others joining, he felt safer. This way, she wouldn’t have a chance to take advantage of him, and he wouldn’t have to worry about ruining his reputation.
Two days later, at a restaurant in Yunzhong City, Zhang Ruifeng’s father raised a glass to Lin Jiang.
“Taoist Friend Jiang, I’ve heard about you from Ruifeng for years. We never had the chance to meet, but I’ve admired you for a long time.”
Zhang Ruifeng often talked about the market at home, so the Zhang family had always known about Lin Jiang. Their biggest impression of him was that he was good at drawing talismans and had a calm attitude.
“Taoist Friend Jiang, see? I told you—you’re quite popular at our big market.”
A beautiful young woman beside them approached with a drink. Lin Jiang sensed something was off. Were they trying to get him drunk?
“You’re too kind. I’m just a modest cultivator who has practiced for many years with only a little achievement.”
“If you’re a modest cultivator, what does that make us?”
“Haha, no need for formalities. Let’s eat, so we don’t waste any food.”
Lin Jiang laughed awkwardly. He realized he wasn’t good at socializing in these situations. Living alone for so long had affected his personality.
The beautiful young woman thrived in this atmosphere, making it more relaxed. Lin Jiang took the chance to observe his surroundings. After the celebrations, the restaurants and inns of Yunzhong City were noticeably quieter. It seemed people had spent too much in the past half-month.
After two hours, Lin Jiang said his goodbyes and walked home, taking many detours. Ever since the robbery at his house, he had been extremely cautious. He didn’t want anyone learning where he lived and targeting him again.
When he arrived at his doorstep, he ran into his neighbor, Jiang Feng, who was seeing off a friend.
“Taoist Friend Jiang, are you just getting back?”
“Yes. Is Taoist Friend Jiang Feng also seeing off a friend?”
“Yes, these are a few new friends I just met. We’re going to have a drink tonight and discuss cultivation. Taoist Friend Jiang, you must be busy—we barely see each other all year.”
“Taoist Friend Jiang Feng, you’re also quite busy. I haven’t seen you often, but your cultivation has improved rapidly. You’re already in the late stage of Qi Refining.”
“Just luck. I’ve been practicing diligently for years.”
“Everyone is the same.”
“Yes.”
“Then I won’t disturb you.”
“Okay. If we get the chance, let’s have a drink together. I have many friends, and we’ve formed our own little group. Sometimes we chat and exchange items. If you’re interested, you can join us.”
“Okay.”
Lin Jiang nodded, opened his protective formation, and stepped inside.
Sitting on his bed, he recalled Jiang Feng’s words.
“Could it be him?”
Suspicion arose again. The real mastermind behind the robbery hadn’t been found, and that made him uneasy.
“There’s a saying—thieves last a thousand days, but guards must be vigilant every day. Since I can’t find them, I’ll lure them out, like baiting a snake from its hole.”
After much hesitation, Lin Jiang decided to take a risk. He would play the baiting game and see who was truly targeting him.
