8: Chapter 8 Qingzhou City, Biyun Pavilion

"Shopkeeper He, make arrangements. In three days, I will make a trip to Qingzhou City." Ning Yuan stood up.

Shopkeeper He quickly replied, "Very well. I will have someone prepare a carriage immediately. Master Ning, as you are going to Qingzhou City, would you like me to find a guide?"

"No need, I have my own arrangements."

Ning Yuan turned and walked out of the medicine shop, swinging onto the old horse at the entrance.

The horse had been bought two years ago. It was not a particularly good steed; its coat was dull, and its pace was slow. However, Ning Yuan did not care. He had no intention of being too high-profile in Pingan County anyway.

After leaving the town, Ning Yuan did not head straight home but instead rode his horse to the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

There stood a small Daoist temple here, named Qingyun Temple.

Ning Yuan dismounted, tied the horse to a pine tree at the temple entrance, straightened his robes, and stepped through the gate.

The temple was not large, consisting of three main halls and a few side rooms. In the courtyard stood an ancient pine tree with gnarled branches that looked to be over a century old.

An old man wearing grey Daoist robes was meditating under the pine tree. Hearing footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes.

It was none other than Immortal Master Zhou, Old Daoist Zhou.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, long time no see." Old Daoist Zhou smiled slightly and stood up.

"Brother Zhou." Ning Yuan cupped his hands in greeting.

The two sat down on stone stools under the pine tree. Old Daoist Zhou poured Ning Yuan a cup of clear tea. His gaze swept over him, and suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, have you had another Breakthrough?"

Ning Yuan lifted his teacup and nodded. "I just had a Breakthrough today."

Old Daoist Zhou remained silent for a long while before letting out a long sigh. "I have been Cultivating for forty years and have only just reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. Fellow Daoist Ning has been Cultivating for less than three years and has already caught up to me. Such Aptitude is truly admirable."

"Brother Zhou, you are too kind; it is merely good luck." Ning Yuan responded modestly.

He had come to find Old Daoist Zhou not to reminisce, but for official business.

"Brother Zhou, I have a request."

"Please speak, Fellow Daoist Ning."

"In three days, I am going to Qingzhou City. I would like to entrust my Family to your care, Brother Zhou. If there is any trouble, I ask that you please lend a hand."

Old Daoist Zhou nodded. "A small matter. Fellow Daoist Ning, you may leave with peace of mind. With me here in Pingan County, there will be no trouble."

Ning Yuan took a small porcelain bottle from his robes and placed it on the stone table. "This is a token of gratitude."

Old Daoist Zhou opened the porcelain bottle, and a subtle, refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out. His pupils constricted, and his voice trembled slightly. "This is... a marrow cleansing pill?!"

"Indeed." Ning Yuan stood up. "Brother Zhou, you have been stuck at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining for many years. This marrow cleansing pill might be of some help."

Old Daoist Zhou's hands were trembling.

A marrow cleansing pill! This was a Divine Pill capable of improving one's Spiritual Root Aptitude! He had been trapped at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining for a full ten years precisely because his Spiritual Root Aptitude was too poor, preventing him from overcoming the Bottleneck.

If he had this marrow cleansing pill...

"Fellow Daoist Ning, this... this is too generous a gift, I am unworthy..." Old Daoist Zhou wanted to decline, but the pill seemed to act like a magnet, locking his gaze.

"Brother Zhou, there is no need for such formalities." Ning Yuan waved his hand. "You and I are in the same county; we ought to support one another. In the future, there will be many times when I, Ning, will need to rely on you, Brother Zhou."

After saying this, he cupped his hands, turned, and left Qingyun Temple.

Old Daoist Zhou stood under the pine tree, watching Ning Yuan's retreating back, silent for a long time.

After a long while, he looked down at the porcelain bottle in his hand and muttered softly, "The Ning Family... is likely to produce a great figure."

Three days later, Qingzhou City.

This was the second time Ning Yuan had come to Qingzhou City since his Transmigration.

The last time he came was twenty years ago, when he arrived in Qingzhou City full of hope to seek the Dao of Immortality, only to be ruthlessly slapped in the face by reality.

Returning to this place twenty years later, Ning Yuan's mood was completely different.

Qingzhou City was the seat of the prefecture in Qingzhou, Great Yu Kingdom. The city walls were three zhang high, and the city held hundreds of thousands of people, making it one of the most prosperous cities in the eastern part of the Great Yu Kingdom.

To Mortals, this was a bustling, prosperous metropolis. To Cultivators, this was the center of the Qingzhou cultivation world.

Within the city, there were specialized markets for Cultivators, branches established by various Sects, and territories occupied by the four great Families. The entire Qingzhou City was filled with undercurrents, with various forces intertwined like dogs' teeth.

Ning Yuan paid the entry tax at the city gate and led his horse into the city.

He first went to the medicinal herb market in the east of the city to sell the few Spiritual Plants he had brought, exchanging them for over one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones. These Spirit Stones were hard currency in the cultivation world and were useful for buying anything.

Then, he found an inn to stay at, changed into a clean long robe, and headed toward the market in the north of the city.

The market was in the northwest corner of Qingzhou City, separated from the area where Mortals lived by a high wall. There were two Cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage guarding the entrance; upon seeing the faint aura of spiritual power on Ning Yuan, they did not stop him and let him enter.

The scale of the market was not small, spanning three whole streets. The shops along the street sold items for Cultivators—Medicinal Pills, Magic Treasures, Cultivation Techniques, and spiritual materials; everything one could need was there. Those walking on the street were all Cultivators, including Loose Cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage, Disciples wearing the attire of their Sects, and occasionally, one or two experts with deep, unfathomable auras whom people dared not approach.

Ning Yuan walked and observed, and soon he found the Biyun Pavilion that Shopkeeper He had mentioned.

Biyun Pavilion was at the northernmost part of the market. It was a three-story wooden building with pink gauze curtains hanging outside, looking somewhat similar to a brothel in the Mortal world.

Two female Cultivators at the Second Layer of Qi Refining stood at the entrance. Seeing Ning Yuan approach, they greeted him with smiles.

"Fellow Daoist, is this your first time at Biyun Pavilion?"

Ning Yuan nodded.

"Please come inside, Fellow Daoist. We at Biyun Pavilion have sisters of all types; I wonder what kind you are looking for?" One of the female Cultivators led Ning Yuan inside, introducing the place as they walked.

Ning Yuan did not rush to answer but instead surveyed the environment inside the building.

In the first-floor hall, there were a few tables where several male Cultivators sat drinking tea, each accompanied by a female Cultivator, creating a rather ambiguous atmosphere. The second floor consisted of individual private rooms, from which the faint sounds of string and bamboo music and the giggles of women could be heard. The third floor was very quiet, and it was unclear what it was used for.

"I want one with a Spiritual Root," Ning Yuan said calmly.

The leading female Cultivator's eyes lit up, and her smile became even more eager. "Fellow Daoist is here to take a concubine, right? We have quite a few sisters with Spiritual Roots here, with cultivation ranging from Qi Induction to the Third Layer of Qi Refining. What cultivation level are you looking for, Fellow Daoist?"

"Call them all out for me to see." Ning Yuan sat down in a private room on the second floor.

The female Cultivator acknowledged and retreated.

Not long after, five young women filed in and lined up in front of Ning Yuan.

The five women were all around twenty years old; the oldest was no more than twenty-five, and the youngest looked only seventeen or eighteen. They were all dressed in identical pink long dresses, standing with lowered brows and submissive expressions, as if they were goods waiting to be selected.

Ning Yuan's gaze swept across their faces one by one, while simultaneously releasing his Divine Sense to probe their Spiritual Root Aptitude and cultivation.

The first one: Qi Induction, Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root.

The second one: First Layer of Qi Refining, Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root.

The third one: Second Layer of Qi Refining, Medium Mixed Spirit Root.

The fourth one: Second Layer of Qi Refining, Medium Mixed Spirit Root.

The fifth one: Third Layer of Qi Refining, High-grade Mixed Spiritual Root.

Ning Yuan's gaze stopped on the fifth woman.

This woman was the oldest, around twenty-four or twenty-five, with a dignified and beautiful appearance. Unlike the other four, she did not lower her brows submissively but instead looked Ning Yuan calmly in the eye. There were no ripples in her eyes; rather, there was a faint trace of arrogance.

Third Layer of Qi Refining, High-grade Mixed Spiritual Root; this Aptitude was already quite good among Loose Cultivators. If she had the Opportunity, it was not impossible for her to charge toward the Late Stage of Qi Refining or even Foundation Establishment.

"What is your name?" Ning Yuan asked.

"Zhao Qingli." The woman's voice was cold and clear, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Third Layer of Qi Refining, High-grade Mixed Spiritual Root; your Aptitude is not bad. How did you end up in Biyun Pavilion?"

Zhao Qingli's eyes dimmed slightly, and she did not answer.

The leading female Cultivator quickly smoothed things over. "Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but Sister Zhao was originally from Zhao Family Village outside of Qingzhou City. Last month, Zhao Family Village was attacked by a Yao Beast, and most of the village perished. Sister Zhao was lucky enough to escape, but she has no Family left, which is why she came to Biyun Pavilion to find a place to belong."

Ning Yuan glanced at Zhao Qingli and did not ask any further questions.

The cultivation world was just like this; Loose Cultivators without a Foundation could die at any moment, and being able to survive was already a stroke of luck.

"Her, plus those two with Medium Mixed Spirit Roots—three people in total." Ning Yuan pointed to the third and fourth women. "How many Spirit Stones?"

The leading female Cultivator's smile was so bright it was almost overflowing. "Fellow Daoist is truly straightforward! Sister Zhao is at the Third Layer of Qi Refining with a High-grade Mixed Spiritual Root, so her price is higher—five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The other two sisters are two hundred each, for a total of nine hundred."

Nine hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Converted into silver, that was nearly ten thousand taels, enough to buy a three-courtyard residence in Qingzhou City.

Ning Yuan did not change his expression. He took nine Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the table.

One Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was worth one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, so nine were exactly nine hundred.

The leading female Cultivator's eyes went wide. There were not many Cultivators who could produce Mid-Grade Spirit Stones; this middle-aged man, who looked unremarkable, had actually casually produced nine of them?

"Is that enough?" Ning Yuan said calmly.

"Enough, enough!" The leading female Cultivator quickly collected the Spirit Stones. "The three sisters are now yours, Fellow Daoist. Where will you be taking them? Biyun Pavilion can help arrange a carriage."

"No need, I have my own place to stay."

Ning Yuan stood up and beckoned to Zhao Qingli and the other two. "Let's go."

The three women exchanged glances and silently followed behind Ning Yuan as he walked out of Biyun Pavilion.