Chapter 30 It's none of his business

The cool breeze of early morning atop the mountain.

The green pines on the mountain peak sway gently with the wind, making a rustling sound.

Before long, Feng Qi arrived alongside Ye Yuntian.

Ye Yuntian, seeing Chen Qing, patted him on the shoulder. "Has Xiao Zhong sought any trouble with you recently?"

Chen Qing replied, "There has been little interaction between us for quite some time."

Ye Yuntian continued, "Good. If he dares to cause trouble, we must teach him a lesson."

"By the way, Sister Qingshuang has been under house arrest by the Spirit Plant Elder, not allowed to leave. When you have time, take her out for a walk to clear her mind."

Chen Qing felt somewhat embarrassed, "Alright."

The crowd, seeing Chen Qing's embarrassment, burst into laughter.

After teasing Chen Qing, the twelve Hall Masters gathered in small groups, discussing some matters.

Gongsun Xiu, also curious, asked, "Chen, do you know how much Spirit Ginseng the Spirit Plant Garden will produce this year?"

Chen Qing answered, "This is my first time planting, so I'm not sure. We will have to wait and see when they grow."

Gongsun Xiu said, "Looking from the mountain, they seem to be thriving. With this field of Spiritual Ginseng, we can cultivate more manpower."

Of course, the one now most closely connected to you is me. Without Spirit Ginseng, what kind of alcohol could you brew? What would you do with so many cultivators needing Alcohol Bugs?

The crowd engaged in endless discussions until the Great Elder dressed in a grey Daoist robe arrived, and they followed the Great Elder into the council hall.

Worried that Chen Qing was attending the council for the first time and unsure where to sit, Gongsun Xiu pulled Chen Qing to sit beside him.

Wu Yi, Deputy Hall Master of the Qi Refinement Hall, showed no displeasure and took a seat on the other side of Chen Qing.

Li He, behaving like the other disciples from different halls, stood behind Chen Qing.

The Great Elder, with a stern expression, lifted his cup of tea for a sip and sat in the central seat, "Carry on with your discussions, no need to mind me. I've just been drafted here by the Mountain Master to have a look around."

Chen Qing had thought that Ye Yuntian would be the first to speak, but to his surprise, it was Feng Qi who first said, "According to reliable information, several wild Bugs appeared near Lotus Cave, by Xiao Yue Lake."

Gongsun Xiu and Wu Yi made it clear they weren't too interested in this matter, and Chen Qing, considering himself part of the production faction, also didn't plan to speak.

Shen Ao said, "Lotus Cave has provoked Wuyou Mountain many times. We must not allow them to get those wild Bugs so easily!"

Feng Qi, with a solemn expression, said, "At present, many elders and seniors who went out to travel for breakthroughs have not returned. It is not suitable to provoke a large-scale war!"

Shen Ao retorted, "It's just seizing a few Bugs. Can't we just send a few disciples from War Affairs Hall in disguise?"

Feng Qi and Shen Ao argued ardently, while Gongsun Xiu and Wu Yi remained calmly seated, unmoved.

Gongsun Xiu even lifted his cup of tea and made a slight bow to Chen Qing, who also lifted his cup, nodded slightly, dampened his lips but did not drink.

He was not accustomed to eating or drinking in unfamiliar places.

In the end, the situation calmed down due to Feng Qi's intervention, though Shen Ao was visibly displeased and left with a flick of his sleeve.

It seemed the council had been a futile discussion; nothing had been agreed upon...

The members of Spirit Plant Hall, Chen Qing, and those from the Qi Refinement Hall were too occupied with watching the spectacle and drinking tea...

Everyone dispersed unhappily, and Chen Qing went on with his duties as usual.

At night, while Chen Qing was cultivating, he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he found Feng Qi and Ye Yuntian.

Ye Yuntian smiled, "Junior Brother, we've come. Won't you invite us in to sit?"

Chen Qing hurriedly ushered them in and served tea.

Feng Qi held a pottery jar in his hand that seemed quite significant.

Ye Yuntian took a sip of tea, "Brother Feng, please share your plan."

Feng Qi explained, "The plan is this: we intend to deploy five Qi Refinement Seventh Transformation cultivators from War Affairs Hall, led by Deputy Hall Master Feng Qiao of Shadow Hall."

"Once the disciples from Lotus Cave have captured all the wild Bugs, we will ambush and eliminate them on their way back!"

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"Then I'll lead the Shadow Hall disciples to provide support."

Chen Qing was startled; he suddenly realized that this seemed to be the first time he was truly in contact with the real cultivation world.

These two guys are truly ruthless!

It was Feng Qi who led the opposition during the day, but by night, he had already planned everything out!

Ye Yuntian handed Chen Qing a piece of paper, "Chen, if you agree to this matter, then draw a circle on this paper, if not, draw a cross."

Then, he pointed his hand towards the pottery jar Feng Qi was holding.

No wonder Gongsun Xiu and Wu Yi seemed as if nothing was amiss; it turns out the real meeting was actually held at night.

Holding the piece of paper, Chen Qing asked, "What are the cultivation levels of those disciples from Lotus Cave?"

Feng Qi revealed a look of approval, "Four at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, and one at the sixth level."

Chen Qing asked, "Wouldn't it be a bit unsafe?"

Feng Qi said, "Feng Qiao is already at the eighth level of Qi Refinement. With her leading the team, it should be relatively safe."

Chen Qing pondered for a moment, went to the study, ground some ink, and finally drew a circle.

After all, he's not the one who's going, and those bastards from Lotus Cave really needed to be put in their place.

He folded the paper nicely and cast it into the pottery jar.

As Ye Yuntian was leaving, he said to Chen Qing, "Chen, next time, it will be your turn to hold the pottery jar. I will call for you then."

So, taking turns holding this pottery jar, how interesting.

"Take care, elders."

After the two departed into the night, Chen Qing secretly thought that Shen Ao might have been bait thrown out by Feng Qi and Ye Yuntian, showing strong animosity towards Lotus Cave to attract their assassination.

The daytime deliberation might have just been a ploy to bait a spy.

This is the cruel world of cultivation; never letting your enemies know what you are thinking is of utmost importance.

"Quite interesting!"

Although, it's none of his business.

Putting aside his thoughts, Chen Qing unsheathed his sword and began practicing his signature move again.

On the ninth day of the sixth month, Chen Qing had just arrived at the Spirit Plant Hall when he received a secret letter from Ye Yuntian, which he read alone in the hall.

It instructed him to prepare medicinal supplies.

It seems the plan had been approved.

Tonight, he had to spend all his money to avoid problems when descending the mountain in case Lotus Cave found out and sought revenge.

After glancing at the words 'destroy after reading,' Chen Qing stood up, stepped out the door, and threw the secret letter into the fireplace used for boiling water in Spirit Plant Hall, not leaving until it was completely burned.

At night, Chen Qing descended the mountain on his own. At Bright Moon Tower next to Wanbao Pavilion, he ordered a private room close to a dark alley and had all the servers leave, drinking alone.

After having two cups of the lighter liquor, Chen Qing saw that the alley was deserted and immediately turned into a fog and flew out the window, landing already garbed in a black robe.

Fog Bug is truly a treasure!

After circling around, he arrived at Wanbao Pavilion and, after having many bugs upgraded in quality, Chen Qing now had a rough idea of the quantities of material needed for their enhancement.

Chen Qing spoke up, "Give me twenty Demon Wolf Teeth and thirty drops of Spiritual Dew!"

Having spent four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, Chen Qing came back around to the dark alley, listening to the sounds inside Bright Moon Tower; his private room was extremely quiet.

Glancing around, seeing that there was no one else, he leapt up, turned into mist, and slipped through the window, and by the time he sat back in his seat, he was already dressed in the Daoist robe of the Hall Master of the Spirit Plant Hall.

After a quick meal, Chen Qing returned to the mountain.

With these materials, the Fog Bug could be upgraded to Fourth Transformation, and the Sword Bug to Seventh Transformation.

The only regret was that his Spirit Stones were gone.

But it was just as well, cutting off a concern and saving him from the temptation to descend the mountain to spend money.

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