42: Chapter 42 Canghu Market

When Jiang Yuhe walked out of the forest wearing a veil, the sun was already past its zenith.

The trees were tall and dense, their branches and leaves pressing down in layers, with little sunlight reaching the ground year-round. Along the way, Jiang Yuhe sensed the presence of many Cultivators.

Her veil obscured her features, and she had changed into inconspicuous grey-green clothing. Walking through the forest, she looked like a shadow flickering through the mist.

After another stretch of mountain road, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

At the edge of the forest, a market appeared.

On both sides were wooden buildings, stone houses, and temporary stalls. Cultivators in various attires sat behind the stalls; some wore Daoist robes, others wore short jackets, and a few Yao Beast Cultivators crouched half-hidden under the shelters.

Further inside stood a three-story building.

The building was constructed by the water, with bronze bells hanging from its eaves. Behind it, one could faintly glimpse the lake. Most of the water was obscured by the forest, revealing only a sliver of blue-green.

On the building's plaque were three characters: Canghu Pavilion.

Behind the building was a circular wooden platform, half-hidden in the mist, which was likely the location for auctions.

At the entrance of the market sat a long table.

Behind the table lay a Qi Refining Cultivator of about forty years old, draped in a green robe, legs crossed, reading a miscellaneous book. When Jiang Yuhe walked up to him, he suddenly looked up.

"Oh."

The Cultivator sat up straight, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

"Young lady, your movement technique and breath concealment are truly impressive. I didn't hear a single footstep."

Jiang Yuhe did not acknowledge his flattery, only saying, "The Mountains and Rivers Covenant."

The Cultivator reacted immediately, raising a hand to point at a sheet of white paper on the table.

"Recite the covenant text and press your palm on it. After entering the market, you must not harm others, rob goods, or damage the buildings and stalls within the market. Once you leave the market boundaries, Canghu Market will not care about anything."

The paper was white and very clean, without a single character on it.

Jiang Yuhe recited the covenant in a low voice, then pressed her right palm onto the paper.

A pale green palm print immediately appeared on the paper, the lines clearly visible. It glowed for a moment, then slowly faded.

The covenant guard nodded.

"You may enter. If you wish to buy miscellaneous goods, you can look at the outside stalls. If you want higher-grade items, head to Canghu Pavilion."

Jiang Yuhe thanked him and entered the market.

As she passed the stalls, her fingers lightly pressed the Hidden Cloud Concealment Talisman in her sleeve.

She had used this Talisman once before, and most of its power was gone, but the foundation from keeping it close to her body for nourishment remained.

Talisman Master Lu Yansheng had once said that even though a Talisman is thin, it counts as a type of Spiritual Artifact. By nourishing it with Spiritual Qi day and night, the Talisman's energy would slowly align with its owner.

She had been carrying it close to her body all these days, and the cloud intent within the Talisman had become much softer than before, and its concealment effect had strengthened.

The guard at the door was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, yet he hadn't detected her approach, which meant this Talisman could now deceive some Middle Stage Cultivators.

However, after using it last time, half of the accumulated cloud intent had been depleted. Coming to Canghu Market now, one of her tasks was to repair it.

She also needed to search for the Pin Water spiritual resources and techniques required for Foundation Establishment, as well as inquire about what the white gravel stones on Baili Mountain actually were.

That morning, Jiang Yuhe was tending the fields on the southeast slope.

When the Catalyzing Green Technique was cast, the Spiritual Qi could indeed be boosted for a short time, and the rudiments of a spiritual field could grow in the soil. But as soon as she stopped, the Spiritual Qi would begin to sink, as if being dragged away bit by bit by something deep in the mountain's belly.

The Sun Family's water intake was the same.

The water vapor that Sun Jingxiu drew out could not be retained, and the little bit of spiritual essence cultivated could not last the night.

The Chen Family's western gully was even more obvious; by the second day, the Spiritual Qi of those medicinal herbs had faded significantly.

Jiang Chengning had crouched by the field that day, twisting a grain of white gravel and observing it for a long time.

The biggest difference between Baili Mountain and other mountains was the white stones covering it. This inexplicable situation likely had to do with these stones.

If this problem could not be solved, no matter how hard the three families worked to build on Baili Mountain, they would ultimately just be pouring Spiritual Qi for something inside the mountain's belly.

As for moving to another mountain?

The nearby mountains belonged either to the Zhou Family, the Zhao Family, the Lu Family, or were branches under the jurisdiction of the Chengtian Sect. Further away lay the territory occupied by Yao Beasts in Cangya Ridge or were held by Qi Refining families attached to other clans.

For a Qi Refining Family with no background, no Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and having just escaped from Qingsang Main Peak, finding a clean, ownerless mountain was as difficult as fishing the moon out of the water in broad daylight.

The reason they could settle peacefully on Baili Mountain was probably because everyone knew they couldn't succeed in cultivation there and would eventually have to beg other families for patronage.

Jiang Yuhe stopped in front of a stall.

The stall owner was an old man with a not-low aura, at least Late Stage Qi Refining.

On the stall were some scattered items: beast fangs, Talisman bones, a few stone fragments, an old scroll, and several bottles of Medicinal Pills with vague descriptions.

Jiang Yuhe took out two Spirit Stones and placed them on the stall.

The old man looked at the Spirit Stones, then at her.

"What is the young lady asking about?"

Jiang Yuhe said, "Baili Mountain."

The old man raised his eyebrows slightly but did not speak.

"I want to find an ownerless place to raise some things," Jiang Yuhe continued.

The old man tucked the two Spirit Stones into his sleeve, but his gaze became even stranger.

"Young lady, your breath concealment and bearing do not look like those of a common Cold Household, nor a scattered small clan. You look more like a direct descendant from a Foundation Establishment Family. Why would you ask about such a thing as Baili Mountain?"

Jiang Yuhe did not answer.

The old man chuckled and did not press further.

"Alright, since I've taken the Spirit Stones, I must tell the truth."

He picked up a white stone fragment from the stall and tossed it onto the table.

The stone was not large, grayish-white, with somewhat sharp edges.

"Baili Mountain wasn't called Baili Mountain before. Years ago, it was also a spiritual mountain."

"Later, several Purple Mansion immortals fought a battle there."

Jiang Yuhe's eyes flickered slightly.

The old man continued, "One of them had a Purple Mansion Spiritual Artifact, which later generations call the immortals-trapping rope. During the battle, it was shattered into fine gravel all over the mountain. Later generations call these things White Gang Gravel."

"In the first few years after it shattered, many people went to pick them up."

"Purple Mansion Spiritual Artifact fragments—it sounds terrifying. But when you take them back, you find you can't refine them into artifacts, can't use them in medicine, can't grind them down, can't burn them away, and if you keep them at home, they absorb Spiritual Qi for no reason. After studying them for a long time, they are just a pile of waste stones."

The old man shook his head at this point.

"Being waste is one thing, but the problem is that this stuff is all over the mountain."

"They carry a trace of the residual intent from the immortals-trapping rope and can lock away Spiritual Qi. Natural Spiritual Qi entering the mountain from outside is trapped within. The little bit of spiritual vitality that the plants in the mountain should have produced also sinks into the mountain's belly."

"Simply put, that place is a forbidden land for immortals; it is impossible to cultivate there at all."

Jiang Yuhe fell silent.

The old man glanced at her and said, "Some have also thought about moving the White Gang Gravel away."

"But it covers the whole mountain; where would you move it to? The nearby territories all have owners. If you dare dump this unlucky stuff at someone else's mountain foot, they will dare to come to your door with blades drawn."

"There were even Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had ideas, saying that since Baili Mountain had been locked for so many years, there must be a lot of Spiritual Qi inside the mountain's belly. If they could use a Formation to draw it out, they might be able to make a fortune."

"As a result, as soon as the Formation was set, it was shattered by that residual intent."

"The immortals-trapping rope was, after all, a Purple Mansion Spiritual Artifact. Even if shattered, it still retains some of the stance of a Purple Mansion Formation. A thousandth of its power is not something a Foundation Establishment Cultivator can touch."

The old man put the White Gang Gravel back on the stall.

"So that mountain became a tasteless chicken rib. No one wants it, and no one really dares to try to touch the Spiritual Qi that may or may not be inside the mountain."

Jiang Yuhe lowered her eyes.

"Thank you."

The old man said, "If you really want to occupy that mountain, it's fine as a foothold. But as a place for cultivation, forget it, unless you can break the Qi-locking intent of the White Gang Gravel covering the mountain."

Jiang Yuhe said, "I am just a Loose Cultivator, just asking casually."

The old man smiled and did not expose her.

Jiang Yuhe asked again, "Where in Canghu Market are High Grade spiritual resources and techniques sold?"

The old man pointed to the building at the end.

"Canghu Pavilion. The first floor mostly has Low Grade and common Medium Grade Qi Refining items. The second floor has rare Medium Grade and a few High Grade spiritual resources, as well as catalogs for Cultivation Techniques, spells, and Magical Artifacts. The third floor has private rooms for face-to-face discussions; only if you have extremely rare High Grade spiritual resources or items at the Foundation Establishment level would you go to the third floor."

"Behind the building is the Lantai Auction House. It's a pity you came late, young lady; the small auction is only held during the Start of Spring. Small auctions are once a year, and large auctions are once every ten years. If you really need Foundation Establishment spiritual resources, you'll likely have to wait for the large auction."

Jiang Yuhe nodded in thanks and headed towards Canghu Pavilion.

The inside of the building was very spacious.

Behind the counter stood a female Cultivator, about twenty years old, wearing light blue clothes. Seeing her enter, she smiled and nodded.

"Guest, do you wish to view goods, repair artifacts, consign items, or make inquiries?"

Jiang Yuhe said, "Repair a Talisman. Also, look at High Grade spiritual resources and techniques."

The female Cultivator's smile deepened.

"Guest, please go to the second floor. Qingli, lead the guest up."

A young receptionist walked over from the side, a wooden plaque hanging from her waist, her voice gentle.

"This way, guest."

The second floor was even larger than it looked from the outside.

It was divided into four areas: Spiritual Resources, Cultivation Techniques, Spells, and Magical Artifacts. Each area had no physical objects, only rows of jade tablets and water reflections. The jade tablets were inscribed with the name, grade, usage, and price, while the water reflections displayed the approximate appearance of the items.

Jiang Yuhe was straightforward.

"Do you have any High Grade Pin Water spiritual resources?"

Qingli's eyes lit up.

"The guest asks at the right time. Pin Water was originally obscure, but in the last dozen years, it has become increasingly prosperous, so the pavilion has prepared some."

She led Jiang Yuhe to the spiritual resources area.

The first jade tablet displayed a floating mass of stone milk that looked like white fat.

"Dark Pin Stone Milk, High Grade Qi Refining. Produced in the deep, dark stone belly, it drips like fat and does not disperse in water. It can be used as a main ingredient for Alchemy and can also temper water-attribute Magical Artifacts, making them more adept at concealment and hiding Qi."

On the second jade tablet was a mass of non-flowing dark water.

"Silent Fetus, High Grade Qi Refining. Taken from a section of silent, dead water in an underground dark river, condensed and sealed by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. This water does not flow, and no fish or insects are born in it. It is mostly used for refining Pin Water Magical Artifacts and can also assist in breaking through some Pin Water Cultivation Techniques."

Qingli added, "The pavilion originally had several more portions of Pin Water spiritual resources, but they were just pre-ordered by a customer yesterday. Now, only these two High Grade items remain."

When Jiang Yuhe heard "just pre-ordered by a customer yesterday," the Grain Rain Spirit Register in her Dantian trembled slightly.

Her expression did not change; she only walked closer to look at the water reflections of the Dark Pin Stone Milk and the Silent Fetus.

She did not ask the price, only saying, "What about Pin Water spells?"

Qingli's smile did not diminish.

"Common Low Grade Pin Water spells are not hard to find, and there are a few Medium Grade ones. High Grade spells rarely flow out."

She explained very skillfully.

"Dao-attribute High Grade spells can increase the probability of Foundation Establishment, but if sold as goods, they would expose the strengths and weaknesses of one's Dao lineage. At the same time, every time one is sold, its value for the next time drops. Therefore, even if families are short on Spirit Stones, they rarely sell High Grade Dao-attribute spells."

"The pavilion currently only has two Medium Grade Pin Water spells."

Jiang Yuhe nodded, then asked again, "I want to repair a Talisman. What is the process?"

Qingli said, "First, go to a private room on the third floor. The guest pays one Spirit Stone as an appraisal fee. If the master can repair it and the guest is willing to have it repaired, this one Spirit Stone counts towards the repair cost. If the master lacks the ability, it is refunded. If it can be repaired but the guest is unwilling to repair it, this Spirit Stone serves as the appraisal fee."

Jiang Yuhe took out one Spirit Stone.

"That is acceptable."

The private room on the third floor was much quieter.

Outside the window, one could see a corner of Jinglan Lake, the water blue-green and deep. Qingli served tea and quickly withdrew. Not long after, an old man in his sixties entered, with a thin figure and slender fingers.

He sat down and asked, "Where is the Talisman?"

Jiang Yuhe took out the Hidden Cloud Concealment Talisman and placed it on the table.

As soon as the old man reached out and took it, his expression changed. His brows slowly furrowed, and he fell silent.

He flipped the Talisman to the back, looked at it against the light from the window for a moment, and pressed his finger lightly on the edge of the Talisman gallbladder.

A layer of faint cloud patterns emerged on the surface of the Talisman.

The old man looked up at Jiang Yuhe.

There was more caution in his eyes.

"Young lady, do you know the origin of this item?"