Chapter 4: The Qinghe Song Family

Chapter 4: The Qinghe Song Family

Night. The moonlight was as cool as water.

Inside the cave dwelling, Chen Ji was meditating to recover his depleted spiritual energy after drawing the "Gathering Qi Talisman."

"Buzz~"

An overwhelmingly powerful "divine sense" suddenly swept over Chen Ji, forcibly pulling him out of his meditative state.

"What!"

Startled by the sudden external force, Chen Ji opened his eyes in shock, his mind reeling.

The intensity of that "divine sense" was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It felt as if it was approaching the legendary level of "spiritual consciousness."

Chen Ji had been meditating to recover his spiritual energy after exhausting it while drawing the "Gathering Qi Talisman." However, this sudden and domineering divine sense had interrupted him.

"Song Family law enforcement. All fellow Daoists, please remain where you are."

Suddenly, a deep, authoritative voice, filled with undeniable power, echoed in Chen Ji's ears, penetrating the restrictions of his cave dwelling.

"The Song Family... Why have they suddenly come to the outer city? Is it related to the sounds of battle I heard earlier?"

The thought flashed through Chen Ji's mind. Although filled with resentment, he still put away the "Supreme-Grade Vajra Talisman" he had been holding, ready to activate at any moment. After all, he had only managed to save up two of these over the years, and they were his lifeline.

Since it was the Song Family enforcing the law, at least his safety was guaranteed.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Ji cast a spell, and the cave dwelling returned to its usual state, as if nothing had happened.

"As expected, the restrictions of the cave dwelling are ultimately controlled by the Song Family."

Chen Ji had tried to open the cave dwelling's door earlier, but his spiritual energy dissipated like smoke into the sea, with no response.

Shaking his head, Chen Ji continued meditating. Since he couldn't change the situation, there was no point in dwelling on it. It was better to focus on recovering his spiritual energy as quickly as possible.

After a while,

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you there? This is Song Family law enforcement. Could you open the door of your cave dwelling for inspection?"

"Hmph."

Chen Ji let out a cold snort, then cast a spell. This time, he was able to manipulate the cave dwelling's restrictions and open the door.

"Rumble~"

The door to Chen Ji's cave dwelling suddenly opened, and several people entered one after another. They were dressed in uniform light blue Daoist robes, representing the highest authority in Qinghe Market.

The Qinghe Song Family—the true rulers of the market.

"Song Family law enforcement, here on official business. My name is Song Qingyun, temporarily serving as a Song Family law enforcer. Apologies for the disturbance."

The speaker stood at the front of the group. He had a delicate appearance, looking to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. His Daoist robe had three additional cloud patterns on the chest, signifying a special status.

"Fellow Daoist, please proceed."

Although Chen Ji was inwardly furious at the Song Family's high-handedness, he wasn't foolish enough to try to argue with them on their own turf.

Just the faint spiritual energy emanating from this seemingly young leader gave Chen Ji a sense of profound depth.

He was at least a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"Buzz~"

Song Qingyun raised his hand, and a greenish treasure mirror, faintly glowing with flowing light, suddenly appeared, hovering in mid-air.

Waves of green light, like ripples, spread out from the mirror, seemingly probing the surroundings.

After a few breaths,

"Apologies for disturbing your cultivation. Please accept these spirit stones as a token of our regret."

Song Qingyun put away the obviously high-grade magical tool and used his spiritual energy to send the spirit stones to Chen Ji. He then turned to the other Song Family members and said coldly:

"Next one."

...

The Song Family might be domineering, but they were indeed generous.

The pile of spirit stones in front of Chen Ji totaled thirty. For Chen Ji, this was a considerable sum.

It also solved an urgent problem.

If he relied solely on meditation to recover his spiritual energy, it would take at least five full days. But now, with the extra spirit stones, he could use them to recover his energy, greatly improving efficiency.

He could fully recover in just one night.

Otherwise, with the meager amount of spirit stones he had left, Chen Ji wouldn't have dared to use them for recovery. They were meant for emergencies.

But why did the Song Family suddenly appear here?

Even if they were domineering and compensated generously, locking down the entire outer city was still an extreme move.

While no one would say it out loud, there would surely be plenty of complaints behind closed doors.

"It seems like they're searching for something—or someone? Or maybe some kind of object?"

"Forget it, it's none of my business. I'll just treat it as a windfall of thirty spirit stones. I know nothing about the rest."

Chen Ji only wanted to finish drawing the "Gathering Qi Talisman" as soon as possible. On the path of cultivation, a journey of ten thousand miles begins with a single step. The "Gathering Qi Talisman" was the first step Chen Ji had planned for himself.

Only by taking this first step could he go further in the future.

As for the Song Family, what did it have to do with him? At worst, he could move to another market.

Clutching the "unexpected windfall" in his hands, Chen Ji focused his mind and returned to meditation.

...

The night passed without incident.

"Phew~"

After a night of meditation, Chen Ji's body and spiritual energy had recovered well, but mentally, he felt even more exhausted.

It hurt too much!

The two spirit stones he had been holding were now half-depleted.

In other words, in just one night, Chen Ji had consumed an entire spirit stone to recover his spiritual energy.

"Such extravagance!"

If it weren't for the "heaven-sent fortune" he had just received and the urgency of the "Gathering Qi Talisman," Chen Ji would never have used spirit stones for recovery.

One spirit stone per night—that was the profit from selling ten "low-grade Vajra Talismans."

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Chen Ji casually cast a "Cleansing Technique," a basic spell that replaced bathing.

Focusing his mind and calming his spirit, Chen Ji returned to the table.

He arranged all the necessary items, spread out the spirit paper, and prepared to draw talismans again.

Although his previous failures hadn't allowed him to successfully draw the "Gathering Qi Talisman," Chen Ji could feel his understanding deepening.

Picking up the talisman brush, dipping it in cinnabar, and concentrating his mind, Chen Ji channeled a thin strand of spiritual energy, connecting it to the brush like a conduit.

"Ah~"

As Chen Ji attempted to draw the talisman again, a sudden, intense headache swept through his mind, causing him to cry out in pain.

"It hurts so much."

Why was it so painful? It felt as if someone was hammering his head repeatedly, the pain reverberating inside his skull, making him dizzy and unbearable.

It took a while for the pain to slightly subside.

Why was it so painful?

Was it because of the "spiritual consciousness" of the Song Family elder from yesterday?

Or...

Was there something wrong with his body?