101: Chapter 101 Wanted

High above the continuous skies, sword light flickered across thousands of miles.

After a full day and night of non-stop sword flight, Lin Qing finally crossed the borders of two provinces and landed outside Anzhou City.

It wasn't because he was tired or lacked spiritual power; he just found continuous flying a bit tedious, and he also had some business to attend to in Anzhou City.

First, he naturally needed to find out the exact location of the Qiushan Sect. After all, he only knew it was within Anzhou's borders, but not its specific location.

Secondly, he had seized most of the resources from Songyun Temple, and he had over a dozen Storage Rings on him. If he were to act against the Qiushan Sect again, he wouldn't even have a place to store more rings.

Therefore, he needed to sell off the resources in his possession in Anzhou City and convert them into Spirit Stones for easier storage.

After a brief reorganization, Lin Qing restrained the sharp edge of his spiritual power, took on the appearance of an ordinary Cultivator, and stepped into the magnificent main city of Anzhou.

He did not lightly use his Divine Thought to find his way, but instead followed the directions of passersby to reach the Anzhou branch of the Heshun Chamber of Commerce.

Compared to the Qingzhou branch, the Anzhou branch was significantly larger, though the difference was not overwhelming.

As soon as he stepped through the chamber's doors, a slightly plump middle-aged man dressed in fine silk robes quickly came forward to greet him.

The man walked up to Lin Qing and said in a low voice:

“Young Master Lin, please follow me upstairs for a discussion.”

A trace of imperceptible doubt flickered in the depths of Lin Qing's eyes. Judging by this man's attire, he should be the manager here. Lin Qing had just arrived in Anzhou today, yet the other party recognized him at a glance and was waiting here in advance; clearly, he was here specifically for him.

Despite his doubts, he nodded and followed Manager Ping through the noisy hall, up to the third floor, and into an elegant private room.

The man gestured for Lin Qing to sit and poured him a cup of tea before straightening his posture and cupping his hands toward Lin Qing:

“Young Master Lin, my surname is Ping, and I am the humble manager of the Anzhou branch of the Heshun Chamber of Commerce.”

Lin Qing raised his hand to return the gesture and asked calmly:

“Manager Ping is too kind. May I ask why you sought me out specifically?”

After the brief formalities, Manager Ping began to explain the situation in detail:

“Young Master Lin, you probably don't know yet, but you have been expelled from Luoxia Valley, haven't you?”

This single sentence caused Lin Qing to start slightly, a flash of astonishment appearing in his eyes.

Seeing that Lin Qing did not speak, Manager Ping continued:

“Yesterday, Luoxia Valley submitted an emergency report to the Great Qi Sect Management Alliance, stating that the high-level members of Songyun Temple were all slaughtered by Young Master Lin. They declared that this matter has nothing to do with Luoxia Valley and have removed your name from the Sect.”

“Young Master, you were originally a candidate representing Great Qi for the Chuyun Immortal Sect assessment, a special status. After this incident broke out, the Alliance immediately convened an emergency meeting.”

“In the end, five major forces declared that your assessment slot would be stripped, and you have been labeled as a practitioner of demonic paths, with a nationwide warrant issued for your arrest.”

“I'm afraid in just a short while, your wanted posters will be pasted on the gates of Anzhou City.”

After a brief moment of shock, Lin Qing quickly regained his composure and looked at Manager Ping:

“In that case, I wonder why Manager Ping is telling me all this news?”

Ping Hou smiled faintly:

“Our Heshun Chamber of Commerce never involves itself in Sect grudges or disputes between good and evil.”

“Whether you are righteous or demonic, good or evil, it has nothing to do with the chamber. We have simply accepted a commission.”

Lin Qing cupped his hands: “Could you tell me who commissioned this?”

Manager Ping nodded:

“The client did not request confidentiality. As the party involved, Young Master Lin naturally has the right to know. This commission comes from the top-tier power, the Sun Family.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ping Hou’s brow furrowed slightly. He then gave Lin Qing an apologetic smile and stepped out of the room.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he returned with a peculiar smile on his face and said to Lin Qing:

“Young Master Lin, I have just received two more emergency commissions regarding you.”

“The content is largely consistent with the Sun Family's commission—both request to find you and then assist you in secretly leaving Great Qi.”

Lin Qing's gaze shifted slightly:

“Where did the other two come from?”

Manager Ping didn't keep him in suspense:

“One is from the Great Qi Imperial Family.”

“And the other is from Luoxia Valley.”

Hearing that one came from Luoxia Valley, Lin Qing fell into a brief silence. However, after a moment, he understood. He grasped Sect Master Shen Yurong's predicament.

As a Sect Master, Shen Yurong carried the lives of thousands of Disciples and the foundation of Luoxia Valley on her shoulders.

Her reporting to the capital and drawing a clear line with Lin Qing might seem ungrateful, but it was the only way to preserve Luoxia Valley.

She could not openly support Lin Qing and make an enemy of all Great Qi. Otherwise, while Lin Qing might be able to escape unscathed with his heavenly combat power, more than half of Luoxia Valley's thousands of members would surely be lost, or even wiped out entirely.

Shen Yurong's choice was a debt of sentiment, but logically sound.

Lin Qing was not the type of person to harbor resentment just because someone didn't choose him resolutely.

After thinking through the cause and effect, the last trace of dejection in his heart vanished, and he felt completely at peace.

Even without this secret commission from Luoxia Valley, he likely wouldn't have directed his anger toward them once he understood the situation.

If there were a chance to meet in the future, he would decide how to act based on the circumstances then.

With his emotions settled, Lin Qing looked up at Manager Ping and returned to the main topic:

“In that case, I wonder if Manager Ping will still purchase the resources in my hands?”

After a brief hesitation, Ping Hou nodded heavily:

“I can!”

“However, Young Master Lin must understand that the Heshun Chamber of Commerce can purchase ordinary Medicinal Pills and Spiritual Materials at normal rates.”

“But for items with special markings, since they require secondary processing, the price will be slightly lower. I hope Young Master Lin can understand.”

“No matter.” Lin Qing nodded indifferently.

Lin Qing then took off most of the storage equipment from his waist, leaving only two rings specifically for Spirit Stones and the Storage Ring on his hand used for disguise.

After handing them to Manager Ping, Lin Qing added:

“Recycle these storage devices as well.”

Half an hour later, Lin Qing walked calmly out of the Heshun Chamber of Commerce's main doors.

After selling all his spoils of war this time, his Spirit Stone reserves had reached eighty thousand.

In addition, he had purchased a batch of supplies from the chamber.

First was the Heshun Chamber of Commerce's most comprehensive map, in the format of a Jade Slip. This map covered several surrounding Imperial Dynasties and hundreds of kingdoms, even clearly marking the Sixth-Order Monster Beast territories in the Hundred Thousand Mountains and the location of the Xia Kingdom within the mountains. The edges of the map also noted the approximate locations of some super-large forces, including the Chuyun Immortal Sect.

Furthermore, he upgraded his Spiritual Weapon. Previously, he had used the longsword rewarded by Great Qi, which was only a low-grade Spiritual Weapon suitable for fifth-order Cultivators. He replaced it with a mid-grade spiritual sword suitable for sixth-order Cultivators.

This was also because the top-tier Qiushan Sect was located in Anzhou, and there were sixth-order Cultivators active within the territory. If he were at the Heshun Chamber of Commerce in Qingzhou, he might not have been able to buy a sixth-order Spiritual Weapon.

He also bought out all the sixth-order spirit gathering pills in the chamber—though in reality, there were only three bottles. Such things were too extravagant for Cultivators in Great Qi.

It was precisely because of this massive shopping spree that even after emptying most of Songyun Temple's assets, he only had over eighty thousand Spirit Stones left.

Stepping out of the chamber and standing on the bustling street, Lin Qing's thoughts were completely clear.

Originally, his intention in rushing to the Qiushan Sect was to apply pressure in advance to prevent them from retaliating against Luoxia Valley.

But now that Luoxia Valley had proactively reported Lin Qing, under the watchful eyes of various major forces, Luoxia Valley shouldn't face trouble in the short term.

Now, he no longer needed to go to the Qiushan Sect and cause trouble so openly.

However, as the old saying goes—since I'm already here...

The Qiushan Sect was close at hand. Since open slaughter was meaningless, he would quietly infiltrate the Qiushan Sect to see if there was a chance to obtain their sixth-order Cultivation Technique.

He would likely be traveling a long distance next. If he didn't have a Cultivation Technique to practice while traveling, wouldn't that be a waste of time?