Chapter 19: A Fortuitous Encounter, A Peculiar Merchant

The sword light didn’t attack; instead, it circled her, forming a defensive barrier.

Jiang Changhe could bear it no longer.

Her spirit sword, damaged in the previous battle, was in desperate need of repair.

She had originally come here today hoping to scavenge some ownerless materials, to see if she could mend it.

No one, not even the Gemen (TL Note: Likely a place or organization, context unclear), had told her that she would encounter so many Golden Core cultivators here!

What kind of fortuitous encounter could possibly draw so many formidable figures?

Hadn’t she been told there would only be scraps to collect, at best?

Each terrifying aura bore down on her, threatening to force her to her knees, while a primal instinct screamed that she might not survive the night.

‘No, after years of cultivation, I refuse to die like this! At the very least, I must defend myself!’

The cultivators nearest to her, upon seeing the sword light, instinctively prepared to gang up on her.

However, noticing her trembling legs and the other cultivators behind her, who were clearly poised to ambush them the moment they attacked, they ultimately held their ground.

Exchanging glances, they mimicked her actions, and soon, every cultivator within the Immortal Slaying Valley activated their own defensive measures.

The valley, now ablaze with a multitude of defensive spells, resembled a suddenly ignited furnace, a truly magnificent sight.

Despite being unseen and unheard, the magnificent tide of spiritual energy and the terrifying atmosphere of the impending battle still rendered Gu Yuhe’s hands icy cold.

Su Qin gently clasped her hand, a reassuring gesture.

Simultaneously, the demon body’s exceptional night vision and acute spiritual perception enabled him to quickly assess the entire situation.

A shiver ran down his spine.

‘Well, well, they’re certainly united in their caution.’

Su Qin surveyed the scene: the Qingxuan Sect numbered roughly a thousand, the Bone Painting Hall had eight hundred, and the rogue cultivators, surprisingly, neared four thousand, many of whom were Foundation Establishment cultivators capable of sword flight.

It appeared that the Hundred Slashes Pavilion, Jade Capital Fragrance, and other major powers of Southern Xinjiang had all dispatched contingents, though none included truly formidable experts.

The Bone Painting Hall’s contingent was enveloped in an oily green light, complex array patterns emanating an eerie power, yet curiously, every face within their ranks bore a faint greenish pallor.

The Qingxuan Sect, by contrast, primarily employed light blue water-elemental spells, a hemispherical water barrier safely encompassing their entire group.

The remaining rogue cultivators, lacking any discernible formation or even companions, had each claimed advantageous positions, with every individual wary of at least three others.

As for the other minor factions, they had mostly sent only a handful of cultivators, too few to significantly impact the unfolding situation.

It was noteworthy that the disciples from both the Qingxuan Sect and the Bone Painting Hall, while outwardly appearing as a single force, were far from a unified front.

Within their ranks, many disciples were guarding against at least four or five of their own sect members, suggesting that some had already grown suspicious of infiltrators.

“Bai Jiaojiao…”

The demon’s gaze settled on a wisp of white hair.

This particular female rogue, a prominent figure from later stages of his remembrance, had unexpectedly been drawn here as well.

The remaining Golden Core cultivators were all rogue cultivators from Southern Xinjiang.

Su Qin quickly scanned them, a clear understanding forming in his mind.

‘A mere rabble of insignificant cultivators, nothing more.’

Under ordinary circumstances, this multitude would have posed a significant challenge, and even the meticulously crafted plan he had devised carried a substantial risk of failure.

Without a foolproof method, he might indeed perish here, just as the epitaph had ominously foretold.

Yet, a crucial variable had emerged.

He had encountered Chu Lingge, and after paying a certain price and striking a deal with her, the entire situation had been irrevocably altered.

Now, it truly felt as though vitality surged, all things blossomed, and the advantage was undeniably his.

He needed to gather his forces; he needed to do so immediately!

***

Elder Gao’s face was a deep crimson; it had been an age since he had witnessed such a grand display.

‘I should have never come!’

Furthermore, in his determination to capture Su Qin, he had brought nearly all of his elite disciples, a decision that now filled him with an inexplicable sense of unease.

Regret gnawed at nearly everyone, yet no one dared to retreat.

No one dared to gamble with their own lives; how could one be certain that the person they were guarding against was genuinely retreating, rather than merely feigning a withdrawal to launch a deadly counterattack?

Then again, if someone were to truly expose a weakness, almost no one present would be able to resist seizing the opportunity.

This was the unspoken understanding among seasoned schemers; each knew whether the other’s true colors were ‘red’ or ‘black’ beneath the surface.

Under the cloak of extreme tension, no one noticed the tiny ladybugs burrowing out from the ground.

The Immortal Slaying Valley, a natural sinkhole formation, concealed countless subterranean caves, its loose rock strata making it an ideal network for hidden passages.

The Blood Bat carried the Blood Master, who in turn cradled the Echo Bug (TL Note: ‘Yìng Shēng Chóng’, a sound-mimicking spiritual insect).

This trio moved in unison through the subterranean caves.

Subsequently, the Blood Master burrowed out a passage, allowing the Echo Bugs to be uniformly distributed throughout the valley.

These Echo Bugs excelled at mimicking sounds, and more remarkably, cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage were utterly incapable of discerning the source of their vocalizations, effectively allowing for covert communication.

Su Qin, in the original narrative, had valued these auxiliary blood beasts immensely, even above the combat-oriented Bloodsucking Bats.

The Blood Bat and Blood Master converged, communicating as they moved, and from them emanated a gentle, non-aggressive wave of spiritual energy, drawing the attention of everyone present.

“Esteemed cultivators, since I find myself here, might I have a moment of your attention?”

The aged, resonant voice echoed through the valley, devoid of any aggressive intent, serving to somewhat alleviate the collective tension.

Finally, someone broke the oppressive silence, and the speaker was situated on the furthest edge of the canyon, providing a collective sigh of relief.

Only one person’s heart constricted.

Han Zhiyun, upon hearing that familiar voice – the very voice that had spirited her away, still adorned in her phoenix crown and wedding robes, from her own marriage ceremony – felt her beautiful eyes tremble involuntarily.

Xiao Chen naturally noticed her reaction.

He cast a suspicious glance in Su Qin’s direction, then raised a hand to snatch a peculiar ladybug, yet discovered nothing out of the ordinary about it.

“I am merely an old peddler who travels far and wide, selling my wares wherever the crowds gather.

This time was no different; seeing such a multitude here, I simply approached.

I never imagined my timing would be so ill-suited, disrupting this distinguished gathering of heroes.”

Cultivating merchants often prioritized sound transmission spells for their trade, and the man’s self-description perfectly aligned with this fact.

His declared identity as a merchant further eased the collective vigilance against him.

However, the Golden Core merchant’s next words sent a profound ripple of confusion through everyone present.

“In short, I seem to have taken a wrong turn. I shan’t trouble you any further. I’ll be on my way.”

Su Qin turned as if to depart.

Yet, even across several kilometers, dozens of murderous intents instantly locked onto him.

“You cannot leave!”

Golden Core cultivators were indeed capable of wide-range sound transmission, albeit with a certain expenditure of spiritual energy.

The remaining Golden Core cultivators, speaking in unison, brought him to a halt.

Su Qin’s footsteps faltered, and he let out a dry, mirthless chuckle.

“That might be acceptable, but for an old man such as myself, time is precious.

Lingering here, doing nothing, would result in substantial financial losses.

Might you be willing to compensate me for them?”

“Do not be deceived by my humble appearance; I stand to earn millions of spirit stones every single minute.”

At the mere mention of money, the Golden Core cultivators instantly fell silent.

While it was imperative that he remain, no one was willing to entertain the notion of compensating him.

Elder Gao’s irritation flared.

Upon hearing such blatant boasting, he immediately bristled with anger.

‘Millions per minute?’

‘His entire family fortune, even after selling everything he could spare, amounted to barely two million! You claim a single minute of your time is worth half his lifetime’s effort?’

“Hmph, from what corner did this foolish old fool emerge, daring to spout such outrageous boasts?

What makes you so impressive, then?”

A subtle smirk played on Su Qin’s lips.

Finally, someone had taken the bait and voiced their skepticism.

“Since this esteemed Daoist questions my words, it would be remiss of me not to demonstrate a little of what I am capable of.

As it happens, I have a batch of peculiar wares on hand, which might pique your interest.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

In the distance, Bai Jiaojiao, with her distinctive white hair, heard the mention of “peculiar wares,” and her hands immediately began to itch with anticipation, her eyes gleaming with avarice.

“It is a spiritual elixir of my own exclusive creation, called ‘Golden Spear Tears’ (TL Note: ‘Jīn Qiāng Lèi’, literally ‘Golden Spear Tears’, a suggestive name possibly implying virility or potency), and a single drop costs ten spirit stones.”

Bai Jiaojiao, whose interest had initially soared, deflated instantly upon hearing such an unfamiliar term and the exorbitant price of ten spirit stones.

Unpleasant memories of unscrupulous merchants immediately resurfaced in her mind.

“That expensive? What kind of rubbish is that? Why don’t you just rob people outright?”