Chapter 46: Qingyuan Village

Qingyuan Village

Night fell, and a hazy moonlight filtered through the sparse clouds, spilling over the roofs of the village.

The old locust tree at the entrance of the village cast a long shadow in the moonlight. Suddenly, a cat darted out from the corner of a wall, its shadow stretching long against the bricks, intertwining with the shadow of the tree.

Beneath the eaves of the Li family's house, a flickering lantern swayed in the wind, emitting a creaking sound.

"Oh, that scared the life out of me..."

It was already the dead of night, but the five Li brothers were huddled together, still unable to sleep.

"Big Brother, when do you think those people from the immortal sect are going to arrive? I haven't slept properly in nearly half a month."

"It's fine, Second Brother. I heard that the people from the Penglai Immortal Sect are already on their way. Given the foot speed of immortal masters, they'll definitely arrive tonight."

"That's good, that's good..."

"Wah! Wah!"

Suddenly, the wails of an infant rang through the village, sending a chill through all five brothers and making them shrink back against the wall in panic.

"Did that baby eat a whole ox? Why is its cry so loud?"

"No, this definitely isn't a child from our village. I've seen all the babies born recently; which one could cry like this?"

"Then what do we do?"

"What else can we do? Stay put!"

Even so, none of the five dared to sleep. They could only face the windows, trembling with fear.

"Creak."

It was the sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open.

"Is our courtyard gate locked properly?"

"Of course it's locked, I put several locks on it!"

"Then why... is there a sound like that?"

The eldest of the Li brothers had reached the limit of his fear, but as the eldest, if he showed his terror, the courage of the other four would truly shatter.

So, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to be brave, the eldest brother slowly crept from the wall to the window, then carefully pried open a crack.

Peering through the gap, the eldest brother felt his heart sink.

The courtyard gate stood wide open, the locks were completely gone, yet the courtyard itself was entirely empty, with nothing to be seen.

"Ah..."

Thoroughly terrified, the eldest brother's legs turned to jelly and he collapsed to the ground.

"We're... we're done for..."

Tears were almost welling in his eyes.

***

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Evil creature! How dare you put on a front and play the ghost!"

The voice was so loud that it woke up all the chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs in Qingyuan Village, plunging the settlement into sudden chaos.

"Eh? The immortal sect people have arrived!"

The five members of the Li family looked at each other, their faces overflowing with joy. The life they had lived over the past half month was practically inhuman; unable to sleep at night, they could only snatch some rest while working during the day. But with the busy farming season underway, how could they possibly find time to sleep?

In fact, not a single person in the entire village had any energy left; everyone was dazed and chronically sleep-deprived.

"Hah! Hyah!"

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the village, as if a terrifying battle had broken out. The youngest, Li the Fifth, was still a youth and deeply fascinated by the battles of cultivators, so he prepared to secretly peer through the window.

However, his attempt was instantly swatted down by the eldest brother.

"Do not watch a cultivator's battle!"

"Some cultivators hate being watched during combat because it reveals their techniques and trump-card spells. If enemies were to learn of these things, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Those on the path of immortality are not in the same world as us farmers. If we anger them, we won't survive!"

Li the Fifth snapped back to his senses and hastily pulled his hand back from the window.

The fight did not last very long, taking only about the time it took to burn a stick of incense.

As the sound of clashing weapons gradually faded, the cultivator from earlier laughed loudly: "With only this much skill, you deserve to have your soul scattered by me!"

Following a piercing shriek from the infant, the surroundings grew completely still.

"Is it over?"

The Li brothers looked at each other, swallowing hard.

After a short moment, the cultivator's voice rang out once again.

"Respected elders and villagers, the resentful infant has been exterminated, and my mission is complete. I take my leave now!"

"However, the Yin energy here remains heavy, and resentful spirits cannot be completely eradicated. I cannot linger here for too long either, and I know that once I leave, you villagers will still suffer from the torment of these spirits."

"Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. Therefore, I have left a volume of immortal cultivation arts at the doorstep of each household. I believe that some among you possess the talent to step onto the immortal path. As long as these individuals practice diligently, the safety of this village will naturally be secured."

"I am off!"

"Thump!"

It sounded as though someone had stomped heavily on the ground to propel themselves into the sky.

After that, everything returned to silence.

"Did you hear what that mighty cultivator just said? He left a volume of immortal arts at our doorstep!" Being a youth, Li the Fifth could not contain his impatience and cried out in excitement.

"..." The remaining four brothers did not know what to make of the situation either, but the surroundings had indeed grown quiet, and the wails of the resentful spirits were gone.

"I'll go pick up that immortal art..." Reckless by nature, Li the Fifth prepared to act on his impulse.

***

Yet the eldest brother instantly pinned him down: "You can't go now! Wait until dawn before making any plans!"

With no other choice, Li the Fifth had to obey.

The night passed without further incident.

***

The crowing of roosters was crisp and clear as Qingyuan Village awoke from the dawn.

After stepping off the flying boat, Qin Xi and his companions directly hired a carriage and traveled all the way to Qingyuan Village.

Those in the Qi Condensation stage could not fly, and long-distance travel came with plenty of troubles; unless one wanted to run the entire way, taking a carriage was the only real option.

However, these carriages were equipped with ninth-grade formations, making them much faster than ordinary ones.

Qin Xi yawned. He hadn't slept well all night, still harboring lingering anxieties over Bu Weiwei's prediction of "Great Auspice."

Last time, "Great Auspice" had caused the flying boat to crash. What kind of trouble would "Great Auspice" bring this time?

Who knew? In any case, this mission wouldn't go too smoothly.

To provide an extra layer of insurance before taking on the commission, Qin Xi had gone to the sect's exchange store and traded ten spirit stones for an item.

Jiang Baiqiu leaned over from the side: "Qin Xi, what are you fiddling with?"

"A small, portable array formation exchanged from the sect's spirit stone store." Qin Xi held up a stone the size of a goose egg: "It seals a seventh-grade formation inside. As long as you smash it on the ground, the corresponding formation will manifest on the earth."

"A seventh-grade formation? For only ten spirit stones?" Jiang Baiqiu found it a bit hard to believe. Generally speaking, setting up an eighth-grade formation required five to ten spirit stones, while a seventh-grade formation demanded at least fifty. How could one possibly get it for ten spirit stones?

"Because this formation can be mass-produced by the Myriad Thousand Sect without wasting any effort. That is the charm of industrialization." Qin Xi shrugged: "Besides, this portable formation itself has limited utility and offers zero help in combat, which is why the price is much lower."

"Eh? What kind of formation is it?"

"It's a secret."

Qin Xi kept her in suspense, leaving Jiang Baiqiu thoroughly exasperated.

"We've arrived." A Ling spotted the distant village in the distance and prepared to disembark.

"Hm?"

After getting off the carriage, the group discovered they were not the only ones at the village entrance.

There was also a young man and a young woman.

The two possessed extraordinary temperaments, and at a glance, Qin Xi could not discern their cultivation levels.

Judging by their imposing aura and comparing them to the Foundation Establishment cultivators in his memory, these two were undoubtedly at the Foundation Establishment level.

At this moment, however, the pair seemed to be hesitating about something, lingering at the village entrance for a long time without stepping inside.

"Those two are from the Penglai Immortal Sect." A Ling frowned as she spotted the tokens on their belts.