Beast Taming Clan: I Have a Jade Book

Chapter 135: Chapter 136: Underlying Currents

An ancient and fragrant tavern, with blue-green sandalwood slowly burning.

Inside the room, smoke fills the air as two cultivators wearing the attire of the Li Family slowly enter from outside.

Inside, a middle-aged cultivator looks at the two with a serious expression.

“Xiangyu, Xiangfei, have you asked them all?”

“Returning to Seventh Master, we have inquired all the loose cultivators engaged in the guiding business in the market; none fit the profile of the Ye Family. Moreover, I have checked even the suspicious fake loose cultivators!” The taller Li Xiangyu reports with humility.

“Continue investigating. The Ye Family will definitely show up!” Li Yufu commands.

“Seventh Master, isn’t the Ye Family lacking manpower? Their setup in Taihang Market seems somewhat inadequate!” Li Xiangfei asks in confusion.

“Lacking manpower? Hmph! The Ye Family reports the highest number of fallen clan cultivators to the sect every year!”

“The Ye Family controls spirit beasts, yet their life in the Taihang Mountain Range is worse than ours. Do you think that’s possible?” Li Yufu responds irritably.

“Last time, your eldest brother went to Lingyun Peak, and Ye Haicheng’s breakthrough seems likely. This time, the major families are not worried about the Ye Family purchasing Foundation Establishment Pills, but rather the purchase of Purple Mansion Jade Liquid!”

“Ye Haicheng is a Body Cultivator!” Li Yufu expresses his concern.

“If he breaks through, even Taihang Market’s small world will change!”

Li Xiangyu and Li Xiangfei are startled and suddenly become alert, feeling a sense of dread.

“Additionally, keep a close watch on the Chu Family. Their old patriarch, Chu Tianfen, has a good daughter who managed to marry Ming Yuan Ascendant of the Taiyi Sect!”

“The third Purple Mansion Clan in Taihang Market must be our Li Family, do you understand?”

“Understood, Seventh Master!” Both Li Xiangyu and Li Xiangfei nod in agreement.

“You both are close to Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. If you do well, the Foundation Establishment Pills the family buys this time will be yours!”

Li Yufu’s words bring great joy to the two.

In recent years, the Li Family has lost two Foundation Establishment cultivators consecutively, making their Foundation Establishment combat power rather insufficient.

This is the reason why the Li Family is present here.

They must ensure that two Foundation Establishment Pills from Taiyi Sect fall into the Li Family’s hands.

To restore the Li Family’s former glory.

…

As the auction approaches at Taihang Market, the number of loose cultivators and other cultivators has increased.

The market representatives from the Xu Family and the Mo Family have begun gathering the patriarchs of the four major families, all appearing at Mo’s Tavern.

In the lavish hall, in front of every Foundation Establishment cultivator are spirit fruits and spirit tea.

The spirit fruits are Tier One High-Grade, and the spirit tea is Tier One High-Grade Red Fragrant Tea.

Before each table, there are also various spiritual cuisines.

As the Market Master, Jiang Jinghe sits at the highest place, followed by the patriarchs of the six major families.

“Everyone, the sect has already distributed six Foundation Establishment Pills. For this auction, other treasures still need to be gathered by various families. This auction must be grand!” Market Master Jiang declares emphatically.

With these words, the faces of the six patriarchs, including Ye Xingliu, change.

It’s known that according to previous information, there were originally eight Foundation Establishment Pills planned for this occasion.

Now suddenly turned to six pills, it means that the six major families can only have one on average, but with two being Purple Mansion Clans and four being Foundation Establishment Clans, how could it be distributed evenly?

Although everyone is dissatisfied, they are helpless. Jiang Jinghe was appointed Market Master by the Taiyi Sect.

He is also a Taiyi Sect cultivator; there have been cases of withholding in the past, but taking away two pills at once is the first time.

“Market Master Jiang, is there anything unusual about this auction?” Li Muhe, patriarch of the Li Family, couldn’t help but ask.

This matter greatly affects the Li Family.

After all, the Li Family urgently needs new Foundation Establishment cultivators.

“No abnormalities. Does Li Daoist have any unusual reports?” Jiang Jinghe asks.

“Additionally, to ensure the safety of the Foundation Establishment Pills, this time, I request each family to dispatch two Foundation Establishment cultivators to guard the market!”

“The Ye Family can use Tier Two Spirit Beasts instead!” Apparently noticing Ye Xingliu’s displeasure, Jiang Jinghe adds.

“The Ye Family has no objection. Additionally, here are the treasures the Ye Family needs to auction,” Ye Xingliu first agrees with Jiang Jinghe’s words, then shifts his tone, “Previously, the Ye Family auctioned a flawed Blood Heart Pill. This time, I hope everyone allows us to auction more, to earn more Spirit Stones; otherwise, thorough investigation would be unfavorable for anyone!”

Market income is thirty percent to the sect and seventy percent to the six major families!

If the Ye Family auctions more, it naturally encroaches on other families’ shares.

This time, none of the other three Foundation Establishment families object!

Including the Xu Family and the Mo Family, they simply submitted their jade talismans, their expressions thoughtful but rarely spoke.

“Then it’s decided. The safety of the market in the coming days lies in everyone’s hands!” Jiang Jinghe concludes.

…

In a deserted valley, groups of Black Wood Ants are marching forward.

On the backs of the Black Wood Ants are pieces of wild beast meat.

When the Black Wood Ants enter a cave, a momentous underground hall emerges.

The hall is currently occupied by numerous cultivators, with Ye Xingyu positioned in the center, while Ye Jingyong and Ye Jingli stand beside him.

“Seventh Brother, how’s it going?” Ye Xingyu asks Ye Xingqun.

“No problems, the Chu Family’s defenses have loosened quite a bit, probably due to the auction!”

“Additionally, I discovered that the Chu Family is raising Fire Pattern Rabbits in Jade Valley. These rabbits are so beautiful, and the meat is incredibly tender!”

“The Chu Family certainly has a grand gesture!” Ye Xingqun remarked with a hint of a smile!

“Seventh Brother, we’ll need you to investigate again. Although Taihang Market is tied to two Foundation Establishment cultivators, it’s estimated that Taichang Market might also have Foundation Establishment departures. But the Chu Family has not been developing weakly these years; we must investigate thoroughly!” Ye Xingyu said.

Ye Xingqun nodded and once more had several Black Wood Ants crawl out.

Several cultivators went to meditate and recover in different stone chambers.

At this moment, Ye Xingyu looked respectfully at a cultivator behind him who was wearing a Spirit-Blocking Robe.

The other nodded, and Ye Xingyu immediately felt more at ease.

…

At Taichang Market, Ye Jingcheng visited the stalls almost daily, and by the third day, he set up his own stall.

The stall was supported by a piece of Spirit Cloth, with several Jade Bottles inside.

These were the elixirs refined by Ye Jingcheng. He mainly sold Cyan Spirit Pills, Qi Recovery Pills, and Ice Purity Pills this time.

The supplementary items were varied, including Tier One Lower Grade Qi Nourishing Pills for advancing cultivation, Tier One Middle Grade Qi Blood Pills for recovering injuries, and the most common Fasting Pills.

The enormous crowd at the market, coupled with Ye Jingcheng’s reasonable prices, made for excellent sales.

“How much for these Cyan Spirit Pills?” a clear female voice rang out.

Ye Jingcheng looked up to see Xu Xiuqing, dressed in a blue dress, crouched down.

Against the backdrop of red twilight in the sky, Xu Xiuqing’s eyes were unprecedentedly bright.

But that brightness turned to confusion in an instant.

“Ten Spirit Stones each, buy five for a discount of two Spirit Stones!” Ye Jingcheng replied.

“Give me ten!” Xu Xiuqing said, handing over a bag containing exactly ninety-six Spirit Stones.

Ye Jingcheng handed over two pill bottles, but Xu Xiuqing’s fingers brushed over Ye Jingcheng’s palm.

Ye Jingcheng’s eyes turned cold.

In Xu Xiuqing’s puzzled eyes, a hint of disappointment appeared.

Ye Jingcheng took out some powder from his Storage Bag and rubbed it on his hand, as if wary of Xu Xiuqing poisoning him.

Xu Xiuqing seemed even more disappointed.

“Sorry, Tang Daoist, I was presumptuous. I remembered an old friend, and here I apologize to you,” she said.

“Your old friend also lacks Spirit Roots?” Ye Jingcheng asked, puzzled.

Xu Xiuqing shook her head, then glanced at a sign beside Ye Jingcheng.

“I have some Poison Flower Seeds here, if you want, I can sell them to you!” Xu Xiuqing said, opening her palm.

In her hand appeared a small Jade Box, now completely blackened.

Through the black jade, one could vaguely see inside, over thirty black seeds.

“Tang Daoist, these seeds are called Black Cloud Flowers. Once matured, they will condense Black Cloud Miasma, quite hazardous, making them an excellent first line of defense for the Great Mountain and River Array!”

“I’m giving them to you as thanks for saving my and your son’s life last time!”

“There’s no need for thanks!” Ye Jingcheng accepted the black Jade Box and tossed the bag back to Xu Xiuqing.

This Black Cloud Flower is indeed a level higher than the Purple Illusion Flower, ranked as a Tier One High-Grade Poison Flower. Although the miasma produced is plentiful, it only blooms once every three years.

If not, its value would be higher.

Actually, sixty Spirit Stones would have been enough.

But at this moment Xu Xiuqing intended to leave, so he tossed all ninety-six over.

Xu Xiuqing didn’t want to accept them, but seeing Ye Jingcheng prepare to offer his Jade Box, she put away the bag she had just taken out, disappearing at the market’s edge.

Ye Jingcheng shook his head, feeling somewhat helpless. A woman’s intuition is indeed accurate.

When she touched his hand, he had a sense that she already realized.

Because her touch was reminiscent of how he used to stroke the head of the Golden Scale Beast.

More so, mentioning an old friend was quite clearly testing him.

Now, he could only hope Xu Xiuqing understood that they didn’t want to reunite.

Then Ye Jingcheng ran the stall for another hour, packed up as usual, and strolled around the market. The plaza was even more crowded now.

The results were quite good.

Allowing him to locate all the Advancing Spirit Medicine needed for the Five Poison Bee!

Had he not been in Taichang Market, Ye Jingcheng would have been eager to get back and start refining immediately.

His mood improved somewhat.

When he returned to his small lodging, he found Xu Xiuqing was not there, and Ye Haiyi glanced over as he entered.

“Haobo, in three days, there’s an Alchemy Masters’ exchange meeting. You should participate then, and for the next two days, rest well and take care!” Ye Haiyi advised.

This made Ye Jingcheng’s heart tense again. He initially thought it was about Xu Xiuqing, but in the next moment, he saw Ye Haiyi activating the Array again, more thoroughly this time!

His eyes turned more serious.

“Activate the Pattern!” Ye Haiyi turned his hand, and the Beast Communication Pattern flashed briefly. Ye Jingcheng nodded and released the Beast Communication Pattern for a moment.

Ye Haiyi was also relieved, handing Ye Jingcheng a Storage Bag and a Spirit Beast Bag!