Chapter 50
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Chapter 50: The Return of an Old Friend
The tragedy of Xu Wei’s family ethics officially unfolded six months later, after Xu Wei’s death. He died of melancholy. He was already old and didn’t have much time left. Because of the chaotic things happening in his family, he often drowned his sorrows in alcohol. Coupled with his melancholy, he passed away in his eighties.
After Xu Wei’s death, the battle for inheritance immediately began. It wasn’t just Xu Jiaojiao who came forward, but also Xu Wei’s relatives. They all descended from the same ancestor and had worked hard to save money to buy a house. They all claimed a share of that house, causing a lot of gossip in West City. Even if Lin Jiang didn’t actively pay attention, he often heard stories about the Xu family.
“It’s chaos, everything is chaotic! People from Zhonghang Sect have come forward. Xu Dongyang’s father’s former fellow disciples showed up with a bunch of IOUs, claiming that Xu Dongyang’s father owed them spirit stones. The total amount owed is around seventy-eight thousand spirit stones. They want the Xu family to repay the debt.”
“The person has been dead for over ten years, and now they suddenly show up?”
“He said he was traveling and on a mission. He just came back.”
“Really, all kinds of monsters and demons have come out.”
Lin Jiang was shocked to hear that even disciples from the outer sect of Zhonghang Sect were getting involved. How could someone who had been dead for over ten years write IOUs? Were the outer sect disciples of Zhonghang Sect really so rich that they could casually lend out seventy-eight thousand spirit stones?
Even if Lin Jiang used his common sense, he knew that this was a set-up. They were plotting to take the Xu family’s house.
As things unfolded, the Xu family initially refused to accept those IOUs. However, the people from Zhonghang Sect applied for authentication. There were specialized appraisers who examined the authenticity, and the results proved that they were genuine. Not only was the handwriting authentic, but also the soul imprint on the IOUs.
Everything was real, and the Xu family had no choice but to repay the debt. However, the Xu family only had limited funds, and most of their assets were tied up in the house. They had no option but to sell the house.
Moreover, knowing about the situation of the Xu family, the buyers also tried to lower the price, selling it for nearly 20% less than the usual market price. After paying off debts, there was not much left, and it only amounted to around ten to twenty thousand spirit stones for Xu Dongyang.
“Xu Dongyang is in danger. How can someone at the second level of Qi Refining carry tens of thousands of spirit stones? Isn’t he just asking for trouble?”
Many people asserted that Xu Dongyang was definitely doomed. It’s extremely dangerous to bring gold to the market like a child.
After selling the house, Lin Jiang saw Xu Dongyang a few more times, but there was no news of him after that. Nobody knew if he had left the city to make a living or if he had died.
“Sir, would you like to buy some charms?”
On that day, a female cultivator at the Building Foundation Period stood in front of Lin Jiang’s stall, staring at him for a long time. Lin Jiang spoke up and asked.
“I feel like I’ve seen you before. You look very familiar.”
“Is it someone who resembles a person from your past?”
“Yes, a former neighbor, just like you, also sells magical charms.”
“That’s lucky then, senior. How about you become my acquaintance and take care of my business?”
Lin Jiang smiled and said. He also felt that the person in front of him seemed familiar, but he couldn’t remember immediately.
“What is your name?”
“Lin Yang.”
“Oh. How old are you?”
“Um…”
“Just tell me, I’ll buy all your special charms.”
“Alright, I am thirty-three years old this year.”
Lin Jiang immediately answered. This was his third year coming to the West City Market. When he first came, he claimed to be thirty years old. This time, he didn’t tell others about his Spiritual Root. They thought he was a talented independent cultivator. It’s rare for someone at the ninth level of Qi Refining to be thirty years old, but it’s not unheard of, so it’s not that surprising.
“Thirty-three, can’t fit it.”
“Maybe I am like an old friend of yours. I have a common face; someone even said that I look like his relative a few days ago.”
“Hmm.”
“Senior, please buy a talisman.”
The person nodded and was about to leave when Lin Jiang shouted, “Scammer! You promised to buy all my spiritual talismans.”
“Keep this talisman to play with yourself.”
The person casually threw a spirit stone and left with a stylish remark.
“Who is this person? Can’t keep their word, still at the Building Foundation Period.”
Lin Jiang murmured to himself, “Forget it, they’re powerful. I can’t beat them, I don’t dare to make trouble.”
“Taoist Friend Lin, it would be enough with just one spirit stone. They’re in the Building Foundation Period, they’re just teasing you, there’s nothing you can do.”
“Yeah, didn’t you just get a spirit stone for free?”
The surrounding vendors all advised, “We can’t provoke someone in the Building Foundation Period. It would be good enough if they gave a spirit stone.”
Naturally, Lin Jiang wouldn’t really do anything. He just pretended to be someone else. This person looked very familiar. Lin Jiang suspected he had met an old acquaintance and was afraid of being recognized. That’s why he acted this way. Besides, his spiritual talismans were easy to sell, so he didn’t really need to chase after someone to buy them.
Seeing that it was almost time, Lin Jiang closed his stall and went back home. Coincidentally, at his doorstep, he encountered the person from earlier. They locked eyes, and something seemed off about the other person.
“Are you following me?”
“Senior, you’re joking. I live right here, wouldn’t you like to see?”
Worried that the other person might misunderstand, Lin Jiang quickly cast a spell and opened the formation of his residence. Lin Jiang clearly saw the other person relax their guard.
“Have you stayed in South City before?”
“I’ve only been there a few times, never for a long stay.”
“Why don’t you go to South City? The big market in South City is the largest in Yunzhong City.”
“It’s too far and inconvenient to go back and forth. It’s also expensive to live there.”
Lin Jiang immediately replied, “I’ve said this many times before. Someone asked me before, and it’s true that the big market in South City is the biggest, with the most independent cultivator vendors. But the rent is also the most expensive. West City is relatively cheaper.”
The other person fell silent all of a sudden and didn’t say anything. Lin Jiang thought this person’s personality was strange and didn’t plan to interact with her. She immediately went into the house.
Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao rushed over again. This had become their ritual to welcome Lin Jiang. Of course, their purpose was to beg for food.
“Please don’t bump into me anymore. You’re second-level demonic beasts. If my body were a little weaker, you could bump me to death, and then you would starve. Do you understand?”
Lin Jiang took out some fish jerky and fed it to them. They swallowed chunks of fish jerky weighing two to three pounds in one bite, without even chewing. After eating, they still wanted more.
“I gave it all to you. Finish eating, and we’ll go fishing outside the city tomorrow.”
Lin Jiang took out all the dried fish from his storage bag to feed them. They had a big appetite, requiring about 200 pounds of meat each day. Every month or two, Lin Jiang had to go outside the city to get more fish. He had to come back with a full load; otherwise, he would have to spend money to buy it.
“Every year, our expenses are higher than our income. We only have a little over 40,000 spirit stones left in storage.”
Lin Jiang looked inside his storage bag. Over the past few years, he had spent more than he earned, losing thousands of spirit stones. His savings kept decreasing.
“I need to find an opportunity to go to the black market outside the city and sell the spoils in the storage bag.”
Lin Jiang examined the items in his storage bag, considering selling them. Ever since Mo Lin, Lin Jiang had killed many cultivators. He hadn’t touched anything on them except for the unmarked spirit stones, afraid of revealing his secret. But now, with little money left, he had no choice but to find an opportunity to sell them.
The next day, after selling a few spiritual talismans, Lin Jiang went straight to the outskirts of the city. His cultivation had reached a higher level, so he had been going outside the city more often, feeling a certain level of safety.
All the previous fishing spots were taken, but Lin Jiang wasn’t bothered. He found other fishing spots. There weren’t many people fishing, mainly those relying on it to make a living. The fishermen were all using nets.
The area where Lin Jiang was located now belonged to the Giant Wave Fish Gang. After absorbing the Trident Fish Gang, they became the most powerful fishing gang near Yunzhong City. However, they didn’t continue expanding, and it was unknown whether the sect behind them forbade it.
The fishing resources in Yuntuo River were very abundant. Over hundreds or even thousands of years, countless monster fish had been caught, yet the river remained teeming with them.
“It’s a big fish!”
In the afternoon, Lin Jiang saw a fishing boat passing in front of him. The boat was towing a massive fish behind it, even larger than the boat itself, weighing at least five to six thousand pounds.
“This is a second-level Fangtooth Fish, the fiercest monster fish in Yuntuo River. It seems to be of superior second-level quality. I heard that the Giant Wave Fish Gang had been eyeing it for half a month, and they finally managed to kill it.”
A fisherman nearby explained, and many people began discussing the fish. This particular monster fish had been lurking in Yuntuo River for years, capsizing several boats. It had been on Yunzhong City’s wanted list, and now, at last, it was dead.
This was how it worked in Yuntuo River—monster fish were allowed to exist, but not powerful ones. Once a fish became too strong, it would be surrounded and attacked by the cultivation world. If it couldn’t be handled by those in the Qi Refining Period, it would face cultivators from the Foundation Building Period. If they failed, experts from Yunzhong City, including Golden Core and even Nascent Soul cultivators, would step in.
As it grew dark, Lin Jiang hadn’t caught much. He decided to buy fish from other anglers instead. After securing enough, he left the river and made his way to a village called Sanjiang Estuary.
Outside Yunzhong City, many cultivation villages were controlled by different forces. These villages engaged in various trades, including black market dealings.
There were many black markets outside the city, but the one in Sanjiang Estuary was the largest and most reputable. For safety reasons, Lin Jiang naturally chose the Sanjiang Estuary black market.
By the time Lin Jiang arrived, Sanjiang Estuary had already closed its gates. Most villages outside the city had curfews. Once night fell, the gates were shut, and protective formations were activated.
The black market in Sanjiang Estuary was an open secret. Even though Lin Jiang was only staying at an inn, he easily obtained the necessary information and proceeded to the black market.
In reality, Sanjiang Estuary’s black market wasn’t much different from the fake black market within the city. Lin Jiang spent ten spirit stones on a cloak and entered.
Outside the city, there was a marketplace where people engaged in all sorts of forbidden activities. In Yunzhong City, many things were prohibited, but here, anything was possible.
Lin Jiang saw several strange and unsettling items. He decided not to get involved with them, focusing only on selling his own goods and leaving as soon as possible.
Two hours later, Lin Jiang had finished selling everything and was ready to leave. Just as he reached the entrance, he suddenly heard a loud sound.
A dead body fell right in front of him.
At that moment, Lin Jiang was completely dumbfounded.
