A Bountiful Harvest

By the time Zhou Minghu returned to the Baixi Residence, the six thousand sheets of talisman paper he had brought were entirely spent. In their place, he had acquired several techniques and various cultivation materials. Yet, there were still many things he desired, forcing him to return for more talisman papers while checking on the state of the clan's shop.

Though the storefront was spacious, only a small area was set up to display spiritual rice and spiritual fruits, alongside a modest section dedicated to talisman papers.

Noticing the absence of the mountain goat they had brought, he asked in confusion, "Where is the goat?"

Wang Dashi strolled over, his face beaming with pride. "Brother Minghu, that goat was bought by Qingfeng Tower, along with some spiritual wine. Altogether, they fetched two bottles of Qi-Enriching Pills."

Zhou Minghu was taken aback; he had not expected the creature to fetch such a price.

Qi-Enriching Pills were first-grade medicinal pills, each bottle valued at six Spirit Stones. They offered significant assistance to those in the Spirit Awakening Realm and were highly sought-after cultivation resources. In the cultivation world, it was an established convention that a single bottle held exactly ten pills-no more, no less.

"How did the other goods sell?"

"We sold about two hundred jin of spiritual rice, mostly to rogue cultivators who traded spiritual plants for it," Wang Dashi said, counting on his fingers. "As for the talisman papers, the Zhao family from Fuyang County bought two thousand sheets."

"Look, these are the spiritual plants we received. The Zhao family traded five Wind-Walking Talismans and two Thunder-Fire Talismans for them."

With that, Wang Dashi fished the items out from his robes and pressed them into Zhou Minghu's hands. He was, after all, only a youth of about ten years. Even within the safety of the market town, carrying so many valuables made him deeply anxious.

"You did well, Dashi." Zhou Minghu smiled as he accepted the items. He then drew one Wind-Walking Talisman and one Thunder-Fire Talisman from the lot, tucking them back into Wang Dashi's hands. "I must regularly travel between two places and cannot always look after you. Keep these to protect yourself."

Talismans were distinct from other items; they were inscribed by talisman masters upon specialized paper, containing fully formed nodes of Spiritual Qi. They required a mere three or four strands of spiritual energy to activate, making them usable even for someone like Wang Dashi.

Though these first-grade talismans could not match the might of a Qi Condensation cultivator, their power far exceeded that of an ordinary Spirit Awakening cultivator.

Of course, if one encountered those monstrous prodigies who possessed dozens of strands of spiritual energy while still in the Spirit Awakening Realm, one could only pray for good fortune.

"Hehe." Wang Dashi smiled and tucked the talismans securely into his bosom. "Rest assured, Brother Minghu. I am timid by nature; I will stay nestled within the market and won't take a step outside."

Zhou Minghu then poured four pills from one of the bottles into a smaller vial.

"Do not neglect your cultivation while staying in the market. Be diligent."

"Thank you, Brother Minghu!" Wang Dashi accepted the vial happily and ran off to direct the servants in tidying the shop.

With an inherent aptitude as poor as his, he would have been looked down upon in any other immortal clan. Yet the Zhou family had not only provided for his parents, but his kinsmen also held vital positions under the clan's rule. Now, he enjoyed a peaceful life in the market town with servants to handle the labor. He would never do anything to jeopardize this.

Watching Wang Dashi's retreating figure, Zhou Minghu thought of his concubine, Lady Wang, his son Zhou Chengyuan, his daughter Zhou Qianmiao, and the elder and younger generations of the Wang family. A sense of inner conflict washed over him, and he sighed deeply.

"Mother, your son truly does not know what to do..."

He had been raised by Chen Nianqiu and, under her constant influence, inevitably harbored a thread of hostility and resentment toward the Wang and Sun families. The impressions of one's youth often endured for a lifetime. Even Chen Nianqiu herself had been shaped by Li Huiling during her childhood, engraving those grudges into her heart.

Yet, above all else, Zhou Minghu was a man of the Zhou family first, and a son of the Chen family second. Despite the knots of resentment in his heart, he refused to let them harm the clan. To prevent the ancient hatred from bleeding into the younger generation of the two branches, he had taken a daughter of the Wang family as his concubine, hoping the enmity would end with his generation.

But after six years of shared life, looking at his son and daughter who carried the blood of the Wang family, seeing Wang Dashi's earnest diligence, and witnessing the absolute devotion of the Wang family, how could he remain blind to it all?

Humans are not unfeeling grass or stone; who could possess a heart entirely of iron? It was impossible for him not to suffer this internal torment.

In truth, even Old Man Chen no longer held a deep obsession with vengeance. Especially since Chen Fusheng had become an immortal master, the old man's thoughts were consumed more by the future of the living Chen family than by the long-deceased Li family.

"Alas."

Zhou Minghu let out a long sigh. Right and wrong were ultimately difficult to untangle.

Taking another stack of talisman papers, he prepared to wander the market once more. Yet, before he could even take half a step out the door, he heard the shop assistant at the entrance of Qingfeng Tower calling out to the street.

"Our establishment is featuring a new delicacy today! Passersby, do not miss out!"

Zhou Minghu listened closely and realized the new dish was made from the very mountain goat they had sold.

That goat weighed a hundred jin, enough to serve dozens of patrons. The Huang family had purchased it for twelve Spirit Stones, and in the blink of an eye, they were set to double their investment. Spiritual cuisine was truly a lucrative trade.

Marveling at the thought, he continued toward another storefront.

This shop belonged to the Fang family of Chizhao County. Although the Fang family had only risen to become an immortal clan a decade ago, the Qi Condensation cultivator within their ranks was a formation master. Though he could only craft formations at the Spirit Awakening level, it still brought the clan a steady stream of wealth.

While a Spirit Awakening formation could not gather massive amounts of Spiritual Qi, nor could it withstand the assault of a true cultivator, it was more than enough to confound and trap ordinary mortals.

Now that the Earth Yin Cold Spring was exposed, Zhou Minghu could not feel entirely at ease even with guards stationed there. It would be far better to purchase a defensive formation to secure it.

Though the immortal clans of the four surrounding counties were weak, any family that could stand secure for decades or centuries naturally possessed its own unique strengths.

Because of their expertise in formations, even the shop assistants of the Fang family carried themselves with immense pride, holding their heads high before rogue cultivators. Only when the assistant recognized Zhou Minghu did his posture soften into humility.

"Senior, which formation has caught your eye? This lowly one will fetch it for you," the assistant said, gesturing toward four formations hanging above.

Zhou Minghu had already selected his target before entering. Pointing to one of them, he said, "Bring that one down."

The assistant's face instantly lit up with a smile. Carefully taking it down, he flattered, "Senior has exceptional vision. This is the Ghost Shadow Missing Array. Once properly deployed, it gathers dense clouds and mist to obscure the area. If a mortal wanders in, they will never find their way out for the rest of their days."

"For a mere fourteen Spirit Stones, Senior may claim it," the assistant added, fawningly presenting a formation plate.

Formations of the Spirit Awakening level were simple and crude compared to those of the Qi Condensation level, typically consisting of only a single formation plate and one or two formation flags. Their installation was straightforward; even a cultivator completely ignorant of the Dao of Formations could set them up by following the basic instructions.

Seeing the formation plate reminded Zhou Minghu of the mysterious artifact sitting in his own clan's vaults.

In total, their family had obtained six treasures from the fox demon: a small sword, a shield, a spear, a gourd, a formation plate, and a jade seal. The jade seal was a flawless, undamaged dharma treasure, which naturally remained in Zhou Ping's possession.

The small sword and the shield had become Zhou Minghu's personal tools, though they only had two or three activations left. He intended to sell them for Spirit Stones once they were down to their final use.

The spear was held by Zhou Xuanya. It was a dedicated weapon of war, and with it in hand, Zhou Xuanya's combat prowess vastly outstripped opponents of the same realm.

As for the gourd, it had become a vital asset for the Zhou family's wine brewing. Though its capacity was limited, the spiritual wine it aged was of superlative quality.

Only that specific formation plate remained a mystery; to this day, the Zhou family had no inkling of its purpose. Lacking acquaintances among accomplished formation masters, they had simply left it to gather dust in the storehouse.

After a round of fierce bargaining, Zhou Minghu finally secured the Ghost Shadow Missing Array at the cost of four thousand sheets of talisman paper.

A full day of procurement had resulted in a massive expenditure of several dozen Spirit Stones. Yet, for the current Zhou family, every item purchased was entirely necessary.

He intended to organize his acquisitions tonight and return them to the clan in separate trips.

As night fell, the market town became brightly lit. The Huang family used the remaining meat and blood of the mountain goat to prepare a grand feast of spiritual cuisine, alongside several other spiritual dishes, inviting every cultivator in the market town to partake. The gesture sparked waves of cheers and excitement throughout the streets.

For a time, the prestige of the Huang family soared, and everyone spoke highly of their grand generosity.

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