And so, Ling Changqing officially took up residence in Tang Qiu Yao's abode, beginning a simple life of secluded cultivation.
Outside, the Wu Family's overt hostilities had mostly ceased, but certain clandestine actions were impossible to stop.
The same was true for the Ling Family. This was a commonplace matter in the Cultivation Realm; conflicts between different powers often only ended with the complete downfall of one side.
Ling Qiyue was determined to have the Wu Family's foundation. The reverse was also true; the Wu Family coveted the Ling Family's foundation just as much.
However, after their last head-on confrontation, the Wu Family had discovered their own shortcoming: their clan lacked a cultivator who had a chance of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm. That was why they had suffered a loss at Ling Qiyue's hands.
If Ling Qiyue truly managed to take that step first in the near future and successfully break through to the Golden Core Realm, the entire Wu Family would have no choice but to surrender and submit.
After all, not a single Golden Core Great Cultivator had ever appeared among the surrounding families; otherwise, their spheres of influence would have been much larger than they currently were.
For this reason, the Wu Family Patriarch was already considering forming a secret alliance with several neighboring families to target the Ling Family together.
But such an alliance couldn't be negotiated in just a few words. Each family had its own agenda, and uniting them completely to advance and retreat as one was not as easy as it seemed.
Of course, for the time being, none of this had much to do with Ling Changqing. All he needed to do was focus on his cultivation and increase his strength.
As Patriarch Ling Qiyue's trusted confidant, Tang Qiu Yao didn't have much free time. Aside from her cultivation, it was commonplace for her to be busy with outside affairs, so her opportunities to meet and talk with Ling Changqing were naturally limited. Not that he minded.
「A month passed quietly.」
Seeing that his supply of Profound Yin Blood Essence Pills in his Storage Pouch was about to run out, Ling Changqing temporarily ended his cultivation. He first went to the Clan Treasury to collect his resource quota for the month, then headed out to the market.
He planned to purchase more elixirs and, while he was at it, deal with the loot he had acquired from the dead man last time.
Aside from the Spirit Stones that he could spend directly, he could also keep any of the valuables he could use himself. Only the items Ling Changqing had no use for would be sold.
The process wasn't complicated. Since most of the businesses in the Marketplace were under the Ling Family's name, Ling Changqing's status as a disciple of the Direct Lineage might not have granted him many conveniences, but at least it ensured he wouldn't be ripped off.
After making his rounds, Ling Changqing had over three thousand more Low-grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch—a fortune that an ordinary, low-level Loose Cultivator might never see in their entire life.
'Alright, time to go buy some elixirs. I wonder if this source Senior Sister mentioned is any good?'
Ling Changqing muttered to himself as he followed the route Tang Qiu Yao had given him, heading toward the eastern district of the Marketplace.
The Profound Yin Blood Essence Pill, along with several accompanying Early Stage elixirs, were indispensable resources for cultivating the Profound Truth Black Water Scripture.
These resources were all sold in the Ling Family's public elixir shops at a reasonably fair price. However, the Independent Alchemist Ling Changqing was now looking for also refined and sold Profound Yin Blood Essence Pills.
The price of the elixirs here was twenty to thirty percent more expensive than at the Ling Family's shops, and there were no discounts.
The only benefit was that the elixirs refined by this Pill Master, named Meng Ye, were of a higher quality and contained fewer Dan Poison impurities.
Therefore, some of the wealthier Ling Family Elders and disciples of the Direct Lineage were willing to come here to buy elixirs. Ling Changqing was only just now learning about this.
A short while later, inside an inconspicuous-looking shop, Ling Changqing finally found his man.
He was an unremarkable-looking man whose displayed cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation 7th Layer. The black Magical Robe he wore was a Top-Grade Magical Artifact, and there were more than ten obscure fluctuations of Spiritual Power all over his body.
Even his chair and desk seemed to be some kind of special Defensive Magical Artifacts. If they were all activated, perhaps not even a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator could do anything to him.
"...Fellow Daoist Meng, you're just running a business. Is there a need to look like you're facing a great enemy? I'm here to buy things, not to rob you."
Ling Changqing walked over, slowly sat down across from him, and took out the token Tang Qiu Yao had given him.
Meng Ye kept his hands tucked in his sleeves and said expressionlessly, "The types of elixirs this shop provides, along with their prices, are hanging on the wall. Choose what you need."
Ling Changqing turned his head to look at the silk scroll hanging on the nearby wall. It listed the names and prices of over twenty types of elixirs.
The Profound Yin Blood Essence Pill was listed prominently near the top, priced at twenty-eight Spirit Stones each. It was certainly not cheap.
"A pity. No Foundation Establishment Pills!"
Ling Changqing said with a hint of regret.
Meng Ye shot him a sideways glance and sneered, "What big talk. Wait until you have Steward Tang's cultivation level before you start making such boasts!"
A mere Qi Cultivation 4th Layer brat dared to dream of a Foundation Establishment Pill? Wasn't he afraid of biting his tongue?
Ling Changqing chuckled. "I was just saying. I may not need it now, but I'm sure I'll need it someday, right?"
"Alright, I need one hundred Profound Yin Blood Essence Pills. In addition, I'll take some Qi Nourishing and Essence Storing Pills, Spirit Revitalizing Pills, and Healing Pills. As for the price..."
"No discounts,"
Meng Ye cut in. "Even if the Ling Family Patriarch came, it would be the same price. Not one Spiritual Sand less!"
Ling Changqing stared at him. "Senior Sister Tang said you were greedy and stingy, but I never expected you to be *this* greedy and stingy."
Meng Ye snorted. "Young man, if you think it's too expensive, you don't have to buy."
"Fine, so be it!"
Ling Changqing couldn't be bothered to waste any more time and took out the Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch.
Two attendants came out of a hidden door in the back room. They nimbly counted the Spirit Stones and put them away in a Storage Pouch.
Then, a maid in a green dress came out carrying a Jade Box, which she placed gently in front of Ling Changqing.
He opened the Jade Box. Seven White Jade Pill Bottles were neatly arranged on a bright yellow silk lining.
Ling Changqing tipped out one Profound Yin Blood Essence Pill and smelled it. He found that its medicinal fragrance was indeed purer, a clear notch above the elixirs sold in the Ling Family's shops.
"Fellow Daoist Meng, you certainly have some unique skills. No wonder the Ling Family hired you as an Honored Guest Elder."
Ling Changqing said softly after a moment of silence.
He had heard Tang Qiu Yao mention that this Meng Ye was originally just a Loose Cultivator. Later, he had somehow made a connection with the Ling Family's upper echelon and put down roots in this Marketplace, where he had been for over a decade.
Meng Ye said coldly, "I am not taking on apprentices, nor am I interested in any sort of messy collaborations. If you have some ulterior motive, go talk to the Patriarch!"
"Where is your mind wandering, Fellow Daoist Meng? I barely have enough time to raise my cultivation, how could I have the energy to learn alchemy?"
Ling Changqing chuckled, put the Jade Box into his Storage Pouch, and got up to leave.
Just as he was about to leave, Meng Ye suddenly called out, "Wait."
"Is there something else, Fellow Daoist Meng?"
Ling Changqing turned around, his expression unchanged. He was certain that this Meng Ye was not showing his true face, and his cultivation realm also seemed questionable.
Meng Ye's gaze was profound as he scrutinized the young man before him for several breaths. "You seem to go to sea often, don't you? Could it be you're a Pearl Gatherer?" he asked.
"You could tell, Fellow Daoist?"
Ling Changqing was a little surprised.
"After spending a long time in seawater, one's aura is always a little different from that of other cultivators,"
Meng Ye took a Jade Scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Ling Changqing, saying, "Certain special resources from the seabed are useful to me. If you happen to come across any when you go to sea in the future, you might as well help me bring some back. The reward will not disappoint you."
"That's not a problem."
Ling Changqing agreed. Since it was an exchange of equal value, there was nothing to object to.
Having finished his business, he returned to Tang Qiu Yao's abode to continue his seclusion.
A month later, Ling Zifeng sent a message, stating that a new team of Pearl Gatherers had been recruited and asking when Ling Changqing would be back to go out to sea.
Ling Changqing immediately gave an affirmative reply. After packing briefly, he went to bid farewell to Tang Qiu Yao.
As luck would have it, Tang Qiu Yao was not in her abode at the moment. So, Ling Changqing simply informed her maid, Longyun, and left the estate, boarding a Flying Ship bound for the sea.
On the boundless sea, more than ten Large Sea Boats were linked together, supplemented by a large-scale Protective Array, forming a temporary fortress-like camp.
As Ling Changqing disembarked from the Flying Ship, he saw thousands of Loose Cultivators gathered together. They wore various styles of clothing, and their cultivation ranged from the Qi Cultivation 1st Layer to the 4th Layer.
These cultivators were mostly recruited from the outside. There weren't many Pearl Gatherers affiliated with the clan headquarters left, as the losses from the last attack had been significant.
According to the rules, the externally-hired Loose Cultivators had to prepare their own Talismanic Magical Artifacts needed for going into the sea. In return, the Ling Family would offer a higher purchase price for any resources they brought back.
For example, if a team of Pearl Gatherers from the clan headquarters brought back a Jade Crystal Winter Beauty Pearl, they would receive a reward of thirty Spiritual Sand at most. But if an external Loose Cultivator found one, they would receive at least one Spirit Stone.
However, the Talismanic Magical Artifacts required by the clan's Pearl Gatherers were provided by the family. If a Pearl Gatherer was unfortunately injured or even died, the family could not skimp on healing expenses and death compensation.
Now that Ling Changqing was a disciple of the clan's Direct Lineage, any harvests he brought back from the seabed would no longer be subject to malicious deductions or price suppression.
"...You're finally here!"
Seeing Ling Changqing, Ling Zifeng, who was in the middle of directing his men, couldn't help but smile.
"Is the clan's assignment schedule very tight?"
Ling Changqing asked.
Ling Zifeng sighed. "Tight doesn't even begin to cover it. In another year or so, this whole sea region might have a new master! So for now, we just have to take it one day at a time."
"..."
Ling Changqing's expression changed slightly. 'Has the clan's external situation become this dire? But Tang Qiu Yao didn't reveal anything of the sort. What exactly went wrong?'
"Let's not talk about that for now. Are you going to rest for a while, or get to work in the sea?"
Ling Zifeng seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further.
Ling Changqing said, "I'll go into the sea, then. I've nearly spent all my Spirit Stones, so I need to work hard and earn them back."
And so, a short while later, a fully prepared Ling Changqing left the small boat and returned to the familiar underwater environment.
As he gradually mastered the basics of the Profound Truth Black Water Scripture, Ling Changqing's adaptability to the marine environment grew by the day. Not only could he move with fluid ease in the water, but his vision also grew sharper, allowing him to easily see dozens of zhang away.
In particular, he could now sense certain dangerous creatures in advance, as if he himself were a member of the ocean's ecosystem.