Chapter 355 - 352: Returning to Qing City

Chapter 355: Chapter 352: Returning to Qing City

’Besides, since their Gu Technique is so developed, they must have plenty of materials for Gu Refining, right?’

’Maybe I can get the Gu Dao materials for refining the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu from the Nanyue Kingdom!’

As the thought crossed his mind,

Shen Changchuan had a rough plan for the future.

After resting for a day in Dawan Village,

Shen Changchuan left again with his recent gains.

However, this time,

he didn’t fly directly back to his Sect.

Instead, he headed in the direction of Qing City.

He expertly navigated his way into the city.

Immediately, a skinny, one-armed young man with sharp, monkey-like features approached him.

He asked if Shen Changchuan needed a guide, claiming to be extremely familiar with every street and alley in the city. For just one Spirit Stone, he could save him a lot of time—an absolute bargain.

Shen Changchuan paused, slightly stunned.

It wasn’t that he was surprised someone dared to approach him with a sales pitch.

In fact, he had already suppressed his aura upon entering the city.

Ordinary Cultivators would have no way of discovering that he was a Soul Emergence Realm expert.

At a glance, they would only see him as an ordinary Qi Introduction Realm Cultivator.

What truly made Shen Changchuan pause

was the feeling that he had seen this person before.

Several years ago,

not long after he had advanced to the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, he had come to Qing City to purchase some Elixirs for his Cultivation.

That was his first time in Qing City,

and it seemed to be this very same person who had approached him, asking if he needed a guide and even offering to take him to the black market.

But back then, he was carrying a ’fortune’ and had a clear goal: to buy Elixirs suitable for the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer.

Not wanting any trouble, he had refused the offer, saying he would look for him again if the need arose in the future.

Later, when he was escorting merchant caravans,

he had come to Qing City a few more times.

But with the numerous caravan guards around him, the low-level guides who made a living by earning Spirit Stones naturally had the sense to keep their distance.

He never expected that after so many years,

he would run into the man again here.

But compared to back then,

the man was now dressed in a tattered robe, one sleeve hanging empty. His back was more stooped, and his face was etched with the marks of hardship.

The same city gate.

The same scene.

The same person.

The area around the city gate hadn’t changed much.

The scene hadn’t changed much either.

But the person himself, compared to then,

had become weathered and old. He had lost some of his former liveliness, replaced now by a sense of dejection.

It was a feeling,

as if he had been crushed by the heavy burdens of life.

Time flowed before his very eyes,

and Shen Changchuan couldn’t help but fall into a daze, freezing in place for a moment.

Vaguely,

an inexplicable feeling stirred in his heart.

"Immortal Master, are you...?"

The one-armed, monkey-faced man tensed up, looking down at Shen Changchuan as he asked cautiously.

"Oh, it’s nothing."

Shen Changchuan snapped back to his senses.

His gaze swept up and down the man’s body.

Recalling their meeting several years ago,

Shen Changchuan could clearly sense it.

A few years ago, although the man’s appearance was poor and his demeanor humble, there had still been a spark of light in his eyes.

But now,

the man seemed utterly down and out.

It was as if he was shouldering some invisible, heavy burden, yet forced to carry on for the sake of some responsibility or reason.

The light in his eyes had been completely extinguished.

"I remember you."

Just as the one-armed young man was growing anxious, sweat beading on his forehead, wondering how he had offended this Immortal Master,

Shen Changchuan suddenly spoke.

"Several years ago, when I first came to Qing City, you approached me just like today, asking if I needed a guide..."

"I never thought I’d meet you again on my return to Qing City."

"R-Really? ...No wonder I thought you looked familiar, Immortal Master. I just couldn’t place you at first..."

The skinny young man stammered, momentarily unable to process it.

But Shen Changchuan’s words also made him breathe a sigh of relief.

At least this person wasn’t an old enemy he had offended...

"I was in a hurry back then and said we’d see if there was a chance in the future."

"Now that we’ve met again, it must be fate. How about you accompany me for a while?"

Looking at the man’s respectful and cautious demeanor, Shen Changchuan felt a flicker of emotion for some reason.

He then took out five Spirit Stones, placed them in the man’s hand, and spoke gently.

"This... Immortal Master, this is too much. One Spirit Stone is enough..."

"Take it. Meeting is fate. To me, this is nothing."

"If you think it’s too much, then just tell me what’s happened these past few years. Consider it payment for a story..."

Perhaps because he was desperate for Spirit Stones,

or perhaps because of Shen Changchuan’s insistence,

the one-armed, monkey-faced young man hesitated for a moment before gratefully thanking Shen Changchuan and finally accepting the five Spirit Stones.

Shen Changchuan had originally planned to visit the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion, the branch of Qing City’s largest merchant guild, to see if he could purchase the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Jade.

But now, having met this young man again,

and recalling the black market he had mentioned years ago,

an idea sparked in his mind, and he asked the man to take him there.

As they chatted along the way,

Shen Changchuan learned the man’s name and what he had been through over the past few years.

The man’s name was Wang Xiao’Er,

the son of an ordinary farmer who had stumbled upon a fortunate encounter in the countryside, set foot on the Path of Immortal Cultivation, and come to the city to seek his fortune.

You could say,

he was the most promising person from his village—the hope of all the villagers.

Unfortunately,

he was only a lowly Qi Introduction First Layer Cultivator, the absolute bottom rung of the Immortal Cultivation Realm.

The prosperity of Qing City had little to do with an ant-like existence at the very bottom like him.

With such a low Cultivation, he might not even be a match for some of the children in the city.

Naturally, he couldn’t find any good work.

After struggling for a few years,

he managed to get acquainted with a gang boss and was barely able to secure a corner near the city gate to work as a guide for newly arrived Cultivators.

Yes,

even to be a guide,

you needed to pay respects to a ’big brother’!

It was just like how beggars in the Mortal World have their own turf.

Without the backing of a ’big brother’, you couldn’t even make it as a beggar among mortals.

Being a guide was not easy in the slightest.

Qing City was a bustling place,

with Cultivators constantly coming and going.

They had to keep their eyes glued to the city gate at all times, using their keen judgment to spot newcomers and then rush forward to pitch their services.

But even if they developed Eyes of Golden Flame, the success rate wasn’t high.

After all, for the vast majority of Qi Introduction Realm Cultivators, Spirit Stones didn’t just fall from the sky.

Unless it was a disciple from some wealthy clan who wasn’t short on Spirit Stones, or a high-level senior visiting for the first time, almost no one would spend Spirit Stones to hire a guide,

even if the fee was only one.

Therefore, as a so-called guide,

he might only get one job every few days,

and even then,

he still had to give his ’big brother’ a cut...