25: Chapter 25 Arrival at Blackwater Village, Purchase of Illustrated Guide, First Hearing of the Battle

After leaving the place where he had killed the robbers in self-defense, Ye Qing traveled alone through the dense forest for another three days.

He became even more cautious, his movements erratic, hiding by day and traveling by night. He kept his Divine Sense constantly extended, controlling its range to within five zhang of his body—this was the maximum perception distance for his Level 5 Qi Refining Divine Sense, allowing for early warning without excessive depletion.

On the way, he avoided two groups of hurried Cultivators with chaotic auras and also gave a wide berth to a mountain hollow filled with Demonic Qi, from which came bursts of beast roars.

At dusk on the third day, the terrain gradually lowered, and the air became increasingly moist, mixed with a faint, lingering scent of swampy fishiness and decay.

Under the distant skyline, the outline of an endless wetland shrouded in gray mist appeared. Pools of water were scattered like stars, dead trees leaned crookedly, reeds grew in clusters, and occasionally, strange, tall ferns poked out from the water.

Black Water Swamp, he had arrived.

The edge of the swamp was not the desolate, deathly silence he had imagined.

On a slightly higher mound of earth, leaning against a few semi-withered giant trees, dozens of simple wooden houses, grass sheds, and even beast-hide tents were built in a chaotic manner, forming a small, rough settlement. This was the prototype of the "Blackwater Market" that Loose Cultivators spoke of, a spontaneously formed trading and resting point with no order to speak of.

Wreaths of cooking smoke rose from between the shanties, mixed with the charred aroma of roasted meat, the sour smell of low-quality liquor, and the faint scent of toxic miasma drifting from the deeper parts of the swamp.

At the entrance of the market, there wasn't even a proper fence; only a broken wooden board, eroded by wind and rain so that the writing was illegible, hung on two crooked trees. A few men in rags with shifty eyes squatted under the trees, their gazes sweeping over every person entering and exiting like hooks.

Ye Qing restrained his aura, controlling his cultivation fluctuation to the most inconspicuous level of "Qi Refining Stage 2," lowered his head, and walked steadily toward the market.

The men squatting under the trees let their gazes linger on him for a moment. Sensing the weak Spiritual Qi fluctuations and seeing his hunter's attire, and catching a glimpse of the equally worn-out Storage Pouch at his waist, they lost interest and turned their attention back to the distance.

Dozens of such poor and weak Loose Cultivators came to Blackwater Market every day; there was no profit to be squeezed out of them.

Ye Qing successfully entered the market.

The road was muddy, with sewage flowing across it. The shanties on both sides were open, displaying various scattered goods: mud-stained herbs, low-quality Ore, rusty and broken Magical Artifacts, air-dried beast meat, Medicinal Pills of suspicious colors, and crudely drawn Talismans...

Cries of peddlers, sounds of haggling, arguments, the ramblings of drunks, and the teasing laughter of women, mixed with various smells, rushed toward him, noisy and full of a savage vitality.

The Cultivators here generally did not have high cultivation levels; Middle Stage was considered skilled, and Late Stage was rare. Everyone looked weathered, their eyes filled with wariness and greed. Their clothing was strange and varied, with very few Sect-standard uniforms; most were pieced together from various animal hides and coarse cloth.

Ye Qing walked slowly, blending into the crowd, his gaze sweeping calmly over the stalls on both sides while his ears captured the discussions around him.

"...Have you heard? Over at 'Wild Wolf Plain' in the north, two groups fought yesterday over a few stalks of 'Red Sun Grass,' and seven or eight died, staining the ground red with blood..."

"...Pah, what's that compared to this? The day before yesterday, at 'Poison Dragon Pool,' it's said a small root of a Rank 2 'Ink Jade Lotus' appeared, causing several teams to fight tooth and nail for it. In the end, it was taken by 'Poison Lady' and her group. Tsk tsk, that woman is at Qi Refining 8th Stage, and her use of poison is impossible to guard against..."

"...Yao Beast Materials have gone up in price again! A complete hide of a Middle Stage Rank 1 'Iron-Backed Wolf' can now be traded for five Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Yao Cores are even more expensive! Damn it, if I had known, I would have stocked up more a while ago..."

"...Up my ass! You have to have the life to spend what you earn! Things haven't been peaceful over at the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains lately. It's said the frequency of Yao Race patrol teams appearing has increased, and several teams that went deep to gather resources haven't returned..."

"Exactly! I heard that Yao Beasts have even managed to reach the mountain gate of the Qingyun Sect! These feathered animals and hairy scum are getting more and more arrogant!"

"Watch your tongue! Watch your tongue! In this place, there might just be ears of the Yao Race..."

The information was chaotic and difficult to verify, but Ye Qing silently distilled the key points.

Inside the Black Water Swamp, the fighting for resources was fierce.

The price of Yao Beast Materials continued to rise, which indirectly confirmed the pressure on the front lines and the intensifying conflict between humans and the Yao Race.

There were unusual movements in the direction of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, with frequent Yao Race activities, increasing the danger coefficient.

The news of the Qingyun Sect being attacked had already spread; it seemed the situation was indeed worrying.

In his heart, he raised his risk assessment of the surrounding environment by another level.

After strolling for a while, Ye Qing stopped at a relatively quiet corner.

There was an old Cultivator with gray hair and one eye setting up a stall here. There weren't many items on the stall, but they were neatly arranged. There were a few severely worn beast-hide books, some bone fragments and tortoise shells that looked quite old, and some bottles and jars containing powders or liquids of various colors.

What caught Ye Qing's attention was a booklet in the corner of the stall, bound in rough beast hide, with a simple map sketched in charcoal on the cover—《A Brief Study of Black Water Swamp and Surrounding Regions》.

"How much for this atlas?" Ye Qing squatted down, picked up the booklet, and flipped through it. It was indeed a hand-drawn, simple map, marking several relatively well-known dangerous areas, resource points, and spheres of influence within the Black Water Swamp, as well as the general locations of surrounding areas like Wild Wolf Plain, Poison Dragon Pool, and even the more distant Qingyun Sect and the edge of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. Although rough, for a newcomer like him, it was exactly what he needed.

The one-eyed old man raised his cloudy eyes, glanced at Ye Qing, and slowly extended three fingers: "Three Low-Grade Spirit Stones, no bargaining. This map took me over a dozen years of effort to survey, inquire about, and revise little by little. Although it cannot compare to the refined ones produced by those large merchant guilds, it is guaranteed to be authentic. Every necessary danger mark is present."

Three Low-Grade Spirit Stones were not expensive for Ye Qing now. He had obtained over twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones from killing the robbers, and with his original savings, he was quite well-off.

But he didn't rush to agree and pointed to a few other, even more worn-out books nearby: "What about these?"

"《Illustrated Guide to Common Low-Rank Yao Beast Materials, two Spirit Stones. 《Identification of Low-Rank Poisons in the Southern Wilderness》, one and a half Spirit Stones. 《Basic Breath-Concealing Technique (Fragment)》, five Spirit Stones." The old man quoted the prices.

Ye Qing's heart stirred. The 《Basic Breath-Concealing Technique》 was exactly what he needed. Although it was only a fragment, if he could learn from it, it would be even more helpful for hiding his cultivation and aura. The illustrated guides for Yao Beasts and poisons were also practical.

He pondered for a moment and said: "The atlas, the Yao Beast guide, the poison identification, plus that fragment of the Breath-Concealing Technique—ten Spirit Stones in total, how about it?"

The old man's one eye rolled around, as if weighing the offer, and finally, he nodded: "Seeing as you're a newcomer, you have a good eye. Deal."

Ye Qing readily counted out ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The old man pushed the four booklets toward him.

Putting away the booklets, Ye Qing asked casually: "Old man, is there any place in this Black Water Swamp that has been unstable lately and needs special attention? Or, are there any ways to earn Spirit Stones that are suitable for a lone traveler?"

The one-eyed old man put away the Spirit Stones, chuckled lowly, and revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Unstable? When has this Black Water Swamp ever been peaceful? A lone traveler... Heh, it's best not to go to those places marked with red crosses deep in the swamp. I've heard recently that 'Rotten Bone Forest' and 'Black Mud Pool' aren't quite right; people who go in never come out. It's very sinister."

"As for ways to earn Spirit Stones, hunting low-Rank Yao Beasts, gathering specific herbs or Ore, running errands or delivering messages, or... if you have some skills, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Talisman making, even just processing Materials can earn you some food money. However, as a lone traveler, it's best to keep your eyes sharp, your hands ruthless, and your heart black. In this place, there's no morality to speak of."

Ye Qing nodded, cupped his hands, and said: "Many thanks for your guidance, old man."

"No thanks needed, just business." The old man waved his hand and closed his one eye again, seemingly having no interest in continuing the conversation.

Ye Qing stood up and left, strolled around the market again, and used a few Spirit Stone fragments to replenish some basic dry rations, fresh water, detoxification powder, golden sore medicine, and a large bag of cheap "insect repellent powder" that emitted a pungent odor.

He did not buy anything that might expose his financial resources or attract attention, nor did he go to those taverns or gambling dens that looked like they were filled with all kinds of unsavory characters.

Finally, at the edge of the market, he found a simple inn operated by a small group that looked relatively "orderly"—which was actually just a few slightly sturdier wooden houses—paid half a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, and rented a room for the night.

The wooden house was narrow, with only a bed and a table, and the bedding was damp, but it had a simple Formation for soundproofing and preventing prying eyes.

For Ye Qing, this was enough.

He closed the door, activated the barely-better-than-nothing soundproofing Formation, and then sat cross-legged on the hard bed.

He did not immediately read the newly purchased booklets, but instead first let his consciousness sink into the space.

The fifteen-zhang space was full of Spiritual Qi. Several moonlight flowers had already bloomed with silver-white flowers the size of copper coins, with clear radiance flowing. The tender buds of the iron wire vine had grown another inch, and the dark red vine body exuded a sense of resilience. The night firefly grass had also spread out more tender leaves, growing well in the damp environment near the gray mist.

Everything was orderly and full of vitality.

Withdrawing from the space, he finally took out the 《Basic Breath-Concealing Technique (Fragment)》 and began to study it.

The night deepened, and the bustle of Blackwater Market gradually subsided. However, from deep within the distant swamp, the long, howling of unknown Yao Beasts could be faintly heard, mixing with the wailing of the night wind passing through dead trees, adding a touch of grimness and mystery to this chaotic place.

Ye Qing was immersed in the booklet, his eyes focused.

The first stop of his career as a Loose Cultivator had been settled.

A new stage of steady development had officially begun.