During this period, the Moon-Watching Sect embarked on a spree of construction, setting up an array of cave dwellings and office facilities.
Whether it was Bu Shixian or Hua Miaochai, including those below them, such as Ji Qiaoer and others, everyone was allocated different cave rooms situated atop various spirit veins. Coupled with the array plates that ng Yu had brought back from the Immortal Sect, these cave rooms were equipped with the Spirit Gathering Array, the Spiritual Pool, the Spiritual Spring, and so on, prompting everyone to wonder what kind of life we had been living before.
ng Yu had copied so of the cave dwelling designs from the Immortal Sect.
And the new office cave dwelling established by ng Yu was undoubtedly the finest one.
Six Second Order Formations were ingeniously integrated with one another, complete with spirit veins and spiritual springs. At a single command, the entire Moon-Watching Sect could be mobilized, and those who worked there felt an imnse sense of enjoynt.
As for the protective asures, they were extrely stringent. After ng Yu achieved Foundation Establishnt, he no longer allowed Bu Shixian and Hua Miaochai to be his personal bodyguards. However, he always had four Foundation Establishnt cultivators by his side, with over a dozen Qi Refinent Practitioners stationed at the array eyes to ensure safety.
This was not wasteful; there really were people who wanted to assassinate ng Yu. Just last month, soone tried to infiltrate and was discovered, which resulted in them self-destructing on the spot.
"Increase the supply of Spirit Rice to Xiazhai Township by thirty percent, but keep the price of the array plates the sa."
"Keep the price of weapons the sa."
"The Pawnshop of Wonders has had excellent earnings this month, reward them accordingly."
After finally dealing with the last docunt, ng Yu was promptly served hot tea and Spirit Fruit.
"By the way, how have Sister Bu and Sister Hua been these past few days? They seem rather listless," ng Yu asked with a sip of his hot tea and a look of puzzlent.
Ji Qiaoer and another guard exchanged glances and then, with a lowered head, Ji Qiaoer began to narrate to ng Yu what had happened.
A problem that even Bu Shixian could think of was naturally also considered by others. When news of Bai Qianqian's pregnancy arrived, many wondered if ng Yu would leave. It was common for soone with family business overseas or in the Central Plains to take their wife and leave the impoverished backwaters. The Western Wastes didn't have much to offer, and ng Yu evidently had a bright future—sooner or later, he would return ho.
Consequently, there was widespread anxiety.
Such rumors had been reported to ng Yu by Ji Qiaoer, and ng Yu's response was not to worry, that he wouldn't do such a thing, and they shouldn't be overly concerned about it.
But how could everyone not worry? However, at this ti, it was impossible to confront ng Yu or demand a written promise, which left the two Golden Core cultivators in a difficult position.
When people had beco accustod to happiness, the prospect of its sudden end would certainly be excruciating.
Others might be fine, resigning themselves to fate, but if ng Yu were to tell them—to those two—that they would all go there together, would they go? Who would be brought along, and who would be left behind?
With the inside information, Ji Qiaoer looked up at ng Yu with anticipation, desperate to hear so form of reassurance from him.
"They... are thinking too much. Am I that kind of person? Don't worry, you are all good kids, and neither Bai Qianqian nor I could bear to leave you," ng Yu said, stretching out his hand to pat Ji Qiaoer's head. The Rainbow Pheasant, albeit a haughty girl, was still shorter than him, and her colorful hair felt quite pleasant to the touch.
Just as ng Yu was about to say more, soone ca in to report that a group of Loose Cultivators had robbed a marketplace at the foot of the mountain!
...
Half a day later.
Two figures appeared silently in the marketplace at the base of the mountain.
It was ng Yu and Hua Miaochai, disguised and inconspicuous to the crowd.
Generally, ng Yu would not leave the Moon-Watching Sect's gates, but this ti, he slipped out quietly.
He had wanted to co down to the mountain for a long ti.
Having arrived in the Upper Realm, he had never left the Moon-Watching Sect, like an emperor who had never left the Forbidden City. He had never personally witnessed the various local customs of the Upper Realm but relied on others' accounts to understand everything.
This situation was not ideal.
Previously, as a Qi Refinent Practitioner, safety was paramount. But now, having achieved the second layer of Foundation Establishnt, even if he faced soone at the Foundation Building Pinnacle, he could hold his own in a fight.
The improvent in strength greatly enhanced his security. Now, even a Golden Core Expert could not swiftly eliminate him, and he was not defenseless—he had three Third Grade treasures on him, a piece of Protective Armor, a talisman for teleportation, and a Third Grade longsword.
He could actually be equipped with even more, but that would not be advisable. For example, if a Foundation Establishnt cultivator had too many Third Grade Magical Instrunts, ng Yu could easily defeat him.
Second Order using Third Grade weapons would rapidly exhaust their Spiritual Energy. A clever adversary might even trigger the opponent's Spiritual Energy, causing the greedy one to be drained instantly by their equipnt.
These pieces of equipnt were sufficient, and he also had Divine Thunders in his Storage Bag, with Hua Miaochai following behind him.
By the ti they descended the mountain, news had already reached them that the turmoil in the marketplace had been quelled.
This disturbance was, in fact, related to ng Yu.
The marketplace itself had a formidable defensive force.
The patrol team had many experts, but the person in charge of it was swayed by rumors. He believed that since ng Yu was going to withdraw, the Moon-Watching Sect was dood to collapse sooner or later.
The conscientious ng Yu would bring Bu Shixian, Hua Miaochai, and others ho to enjoy the good life while the Moon-Watching Sect vanished like smoke and clouds.
The unscrupulous ng Yu would make a huge profit before leaving, causing the Moon-Watching Sect to fall apart, and since he couldn't benefit from it, he figured he might as well make a fortune in one fell swoop.
So, he made an arrangent with a group of loose cultivators, acting as an insider to let them co in and rob.
His plan was clever. Once the protective formation in the marketplace of the Western Wastes failed and internal chaos ensued, a crisis would quickly spread. Many custors would start grabbing items for free, allowing him to take advantage of the confusion and make a fortune.
But... this ti he miscalculated.
He betrayed his companions, shut down the formation, and even shouted loudly that the great formation had broken, but instead of scattering or joining the looting like before, the marketplace folk stayed calm. They either watched quietly or worked together to capture those loose cultivators.
Not only did qi refinent practitioners enthusiastically participate, but even about a dozen Foundation Establishnt cultivators took action!
As for why, because ng Yu was fair and just, and he also distributed free Spirit Rice.
For countless cultivators, working hard for others often ended in being short-changed or outright swindled when it ca ti for paynt, which was a common occurrence.
But with the Moon-Watching Sect, you took on a job and were promptly paid. If there was dissatisfaction—say there was lightning in the job—there was even a channel for complaints, and that channel truly worked and could result in extra pay!
Just the fairness alone illuminated hope for many, and ng Yu also freely offered everyone high-quality Spirit Rice!
Although it wasn't enough to be filling, just having sothing to eat was great. Even Foundation Establishnt cultivators shalessly stayed to continue eating the free Spirit Rice.
The people of the Western Wastes were very poor.
"Everyone has tough tis. Don't be embarrassed; I'm glad you think highly of —thank you," ng Yu said kindly. I'm new here, and you not causing trouble is a face-giving, thank you.
Although people thought ng Yu was a fool, ng Yu didn't care at all.
In the Western Wastes, Spirit Rice was very valuable, but in the Immortal Sect, Spirit Rice wasn't worth much. Since Spirit Rice had a storage limit, it was better to use it to stimulate the economy.
In the Immortal Sect, even slightly larger businesses had to spend a huge sum of money on advertising, while here, with just a little bit of Spirit Rice, he beca the best advertisent, attracting so many people.
Despite consuming his free Spirit Rice, they also brought in traffic. With these people bustling around the Moon-Watching Sect's Pawnshop of Wonders, grain stores, and pharmacies all day long, ng Yu made a killing!
In the marketplace, ng Yu observed the vibrant market.
The market was decent, with a thriving central street full of shops, surrounded by houses large and small, where many loose cultivators and demons lived.
The order on the scene was good. Although so shops were temporarily closed, everyone else seed unconcerned and just continued their business.
ng Yu noticed Hua Miaochai hesitated for a mont as she passed by a shop.
Several one-foot-tall little girls were crying as they tidied up the shop. The surrounding stores were intact, but theirs was a ss.
"What happened? Where's Xu Zhen?" Hua Miaochai asked.
"Aunt Xu is dead; we are trying to piece her back together..." One of the weeping girls, with greenery on her head twirling nonstop, replied.
These were Little Flower Spirits, naturally supple and obedient, with very nice temperants. In the Immortal Sect, many liked employing such a fairy as a family mber to help with tasks such as weeding, caring for pets, and tutoring children. They were highly sought-after and protected by the laws of the Immortal Sect, with only their high price as a downside.
But here, they had to struggle to survive.
"Didn't Xu Zhen have a protective formation here? How could anything have happened?"
"Aunt Xu thought it was too costly to keep the protective formation on daily, so she turned it off... and when trouble started, those robbers headed straight here, and Aunt Xu was killed..."
The one-foot-tall Little Flower Spirit lanted. In the Immortal Sect, they were cherished companions, but in this world, they were often the first to suffer when troubles arose—just like wild animals that preyed on another's younglings, easy to pick off without resistance. The robbers, of course, targeted this family first.
"Ah, what about the flowers we ordered? Are they still here?" a custor asked, arriving at the scene.
The Little Flower Spirits quickly wiped their tears and continued with business.
They were lucky to have arrived at the Moon-Watching Sect and found a stable place to settle. Elsewhere, they would be the first to die or be devoured in any mishap, or, they might be enslaved until death.
In four hundred years, only Hua Miaochai had risen from a Little Flower Spirit to a Golden Core Master, and that was because she had t Bai Qianqian's mother, who had always protected her.
The two continued on, with Hua Miaochai half a step behind ng Yu, following his footsteps and hidden within his shadow.
She wanted to ask ng Yu, "Will you protect forever?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)