Chapter 17: Shen Lie and Junior Sister Arrive
Three months later.
Lin Chang’an sat cross-legged, exhaling deeply, and glanced at his data panel.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
[Realm: Qi Refining, Fourth Level (11/100)]
“Sure enough, with a steady supply of spirit stones, my cultivation speed has increased considerably.”
In just three months, his progress had risen from 2 to 11; at this rate, he would break through before three years had passed.
“But spirit stones still depend on earning them in the first place.”
He lowered his head and gazed at the spirit stone in his palm, now pale after its aura had been fully absorbed.
A smile crossed Lin Chang’an’s lips.
With a flex of his palm, the spirit stone instantly crumbled into powder.
A whole low-grade spirit stone was incredibly hard, but this one was now useless debris.
He rose, straightened out his robe, and cleaned the fine spirit stone dust inside his home to avoid detection.
After all, cultivating daily with spirit stones was a luxury even common cultivators in powerful clans seldom enjoyed.
“If I exert myself fully, and can secure three spirit stones per day for cultivation, my speed could double again.”
Yet Lin Chang’an shook his head.
That would demand earning hundreds of spirit stones per month—not because he was incapable.
But it carried risk. Only thanks to the growing chaos in the marketplace had he found such a golden opportunity to cultivate so wastefully.
“Brother Lin.”
Stepping outside, he saw Li Erniu standing ready; Lin Chang’an greeted him.
“Unexpectedly, Young Marquis Shen Lie and Junior Sister have founded a merchants’ guild.”
Li Erniu was full of emotion as they walked: “In such a short time, my friend from before is coming to Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace.”
Lin Chang’an smiled and nodded; inwardly, he felt a twinge of envy.
First Erniu, and now Shen Lie.
All three of them were rejected due to low-grade spiritual roots, yet Erniu had married into a family, and now Shen Lie looked set to attain a match with Junior Sister.
Among the trio who had been discarded during the assessment, some had looks, others equal roots—yet time and again this happened, making Lin Chang’an wonder if appearances meant nothing in the cultivation world.
He reassured himself that, having awakened his talent, his future would still be bright.
“Shen Lie and Junior Sister’s guild is small, but it’s organized under the leadership of the Little County Princess.”
Not long ago, Shen Lie sent a letter informing them that they were establishing a guild and coming to Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace.
Now that Lin Chang’an had joined the Zhou Family, the letter naturally reached him there, unlike before when it had to be relayed through Erniu.
“That’s right—the Little County Princess really is a genius.”
Even Li Erniu expressed admiration; Lin Chang’an nodded in agreement. The Little County Princess truly had great resolve.
Clearly, the guild organized by Shen Lie and Junior Sister was backed by the Little County Princess Yun Yao, aimed at amassing resources needed for foundation establishment.
If Princess Yun Yao succeeded, she would become a foundation-establishing powerhouse in the region, and their statuses would rise accordingly, multiplying their investments over the years.
It would be a win–win.
After sharing their thoughts, the two of them walked to the marketplace gate to welcome them.
……
Time passed until noon, when at last they saw the familiar caravan in the distance.
“It’s the Young Marquis and his group.”
Li Erniu, who had waited a long time, broke into a smile at the sight of figures.
But Lin Chang’an frowned, noticing the long caravan looked rather disheveled, as if they’d encountered misfortune along the way.
“Brother Lin, Brother Li.”
From afar, Shen Lie approached with a smile, dismounted, and gave a big hug.
This time the Young Marquis remembered Erniu’s surname, instead of calling him “Brother Erniu.”
“Young Marquis… Brother Shen, why do you look so dusty and bedraggled?”
Li Erniu instinctively began to address him as “Young Marquis,” then corrected himself—and couldn’t hide his curiosity at their dusty appearance.
“Don’t mention it, it was a miserable journey.”
“Don’t even bring it up,” Shen Lie huffed, flinging his sleeve in irritation.
“We hired a squad of outer sect disciples from Lihuo Palace as escorts. Everything was going smoothly until three days before our arrival, when we started encountering wave after wave of demon beasts—even a Golden Light Leopard appeared.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Chang’an’s heart skipped a beat, and he stared at Shen Lie in astonishment.
“A Golden Light Leopard? Isn’t that a demon beast that resides deep within the Yunwu Mountain Range? How could it appear at the outskirts?”
Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Lu Qingqing stepped down.
She looked at them and said with a familiar smile, “Along the way, we also discovered traces of other deep-mountain demon beasts. It seems that the approaching pioneering of the marketplace has brought too many cultivators, disrupting the beasts’ territory.”
“Junior Sister.”
“Sister Lu.”
Lin Chang’an and Li Erniu both cupped their hands and smiled.
Though they had once been classmates, their Junior Sister treated them just as warmly.
“Indeed, such incidents have occurred before the pioneering of the marketplace.”
Li Erniu nodded in agreement.
Typically, demon beasts had fixed territories, but the sudden influx of cultivators disrupted that balance.
“Alright, let’s head into the marketplace quickly. Erniu and I have already prepared a welcome feast for you all.”
Lin Chang’an suppressed the unease in his heart and extended his hand with a beaming smile to welcome Shen Lie’s group.
Though Shen Lie looked a bit disheveled, his face lit up as he saw the lively marketplace.
They had brought quite a lot of cargo this time, aiming precisely at the Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace.
The more drifting cultivators arrived, the more spirit stones they could earn.
As for the demon beast disturbances—for a merchant guild, wasn’t that the perfect opportunity to profit from selling goods?
……
At Juxian Tower.
Lin Chang’an, Li Erniu, Shen Lie, and Lu Qingqing sat together in a private room.
As for the caravan’s escorts, they had been paid their spirit stones upon entering the marketplace.
Young Marquis Shen Lie had also generously hosted a banquet for them in the common hall of Juxian Tower.
The five mid-stage Qi Refining disciples and one late-stage leader from Lihuo Palace smiled warmly toward Shen Lie and Lin Chang’an’s group.
After all, everyone liked a generous employer.
And they all clearly knew who the real boss was.
“Come, let’s drink! Who would’ve thought we’d reunite again so soon after our last meeting?”
As the spirit wine and demon-beast meat were served, Shen Lie beamed with cheer.
This was a man who made connections easily—no wonder Yun Yao favored him to head the merchant guild.
At the banquet, Shen Lie brought up the contents of the letter he had sent earlier.
After all, Lin Chang’an and Li Erniu were local insiders, far more familiar with the marketplace than he was.
Lin Chang’an set down his cup and nodded lightly.
“Erniu and I have scouted quite a few candidates over the past few days. All of them have clean records—their parents are cultivators from the marketplace, or their children reside here.”
Since they were establishing a merchant guild, they naturally needed to recruit staff.
Hiring cultivators local to the marketplace allowed quicker integration and understanding.
Lin Chang’an knew very well that those ordinary cultivators with families and children tended to be more disciplined.
“In that case, my thanks to Senior Brother Lin and Senior Brother Li.”
At the banquet table, Junior Sister Lu Qingqing raised her cup in a graceful and poised toast.
Seeing this, both Lin Chang’an and Li Erniu mused silently to themselves—this Junior Sister had a way of treating people like a warm spring breeze.
She and Shen Lie were truly the same type of person.
Over the course of the banquet, the four of them became even more familiar with each other.