47

Back in his cave, Qingchen saw the old town chief standing outside with a woman, carrying a bamboo basket.

"Didn't I instruct you to send someone a month later? Why have you rushed over before a month is up?"

Qingchen frowned, looking at the old town chief with displeasure.

He had been worrying about his insufficient vital energy these past few days, having to conserve his cultivation techniques; he had no mind to deal with mortals.

"Immortal, please calm down, please calm down!"

The old town chief looked alarmed and quickly explained, "This old man was truly worried about the inconvenience of living here. Therefore, I wished to send a maidservant ahead of time to take care of your daily needs.

Please rest assured, Immortal, this maidservant is my daughter-in-law. Because my mentally challenged son is unable to care for himself, she is exceptionally skilled at taking care of people. Please rest assured, Immortal."

Having said this, the old town chief stepped aside, gesturing to the woman standing beside him.

Qingchen's gaze fell on the woman.

She wore a faded blue cotton shirt, her hands clasped in front of her, head bowed, like a frightened rabbit.

Her features were delicate, with a gentle air about her.

"No need," Qingchen's voice turned cold.

"I cultivate immortality, having long since severed ties with mortal affairs. I need no one to take care of me. Just have her bring me meals every day; nothing else matters."

He was suspicious: This old town mayor's sudden attentiveness was suspicious.

He'd only been on the island a few days, and he was already offering her a woman—was he trying to build a relationship?

Or was someone sending him to probe his background?

Thinking of Mo Qiuxian, Qingchen's vigilance rose again.

The old mayor's face instantly fell, but he dared not refute, only managing a forced smile: "Yes, yes, yes! Your realm is too high, Immortal! This old man was confused!"

As he spoke, he secretly winked at his daughter-in-law, signaling her to step aside, but he himself remained, his hands fidgeting in his robes, his eyes darting around.

"What else is there? Why are you stammering?"

Qing Chen narrowed his eyes. This old man's dawdling meant there was something else going on.

Upon hearing this, the old mayor knelt down with a thud, displaying an agility completely out of character for his age.

"Immortal, save me!"

"Immortal...this old man does indeed have a request...but...but I don't know how to begin..."

The old mayor wept, his voice tinged with pleading.

Qing Chen silently gazed at the old mayor, his eyes indifferent, as if watching an insignificant performance.

He remained silent, simply waiting for the old mayor to continue.

Seeing that Qingchen didn't get angry, the old town chief felt slightly relieved and quickly continued,

"I beg you, Immortal, save my family! My entire family is in grave danger; only you, Immortal, can save us."

Qingchen remained silent, only looking at the old town chief calmly.

Seeing this, the old town chief's heart tightened. He quickly took out two spirit stones from his robes and presented them to Qingchen with both hands:

"Immortal, I have two spirit stones used by immortals. I am willing to offer them to you, only asking that you save my life!"

Hearing about the two spirit stones, a glint flashed in Qingchen's eyes.

He nodded slightly, signaling the old town chief to continue.

Seeing Qingchen nod, the old town mayor quickly began to weep, "This old man has a hard life. I only have one son, but he's mentally challenged. Fortunately, I know some martial arts, which is why I can keep the villagers in check on this seashore.

But a few days ago, the eldest son of the Wang family, who are not from the same clan in town, suddenly became a second-rate master! Now he's with four brothers and more than twenty people who have practiced internal strength, blocking the town entrance every day, saying they want to take my position!"

He wiped away his tears, his voice becoming even more urgent, "Actually, I could give up the mayor's position, but I'm afraid they're ruthless and will eliminate me completely! I beg you, Immortal, to have mercy and save this old man's life!"

"One of them is a second-rate master? Are there any other martial artists among them?" Qingchen asked.

Back on Juexian Island, he himself had the foundation of a second-rate master and knew how powerful the qi and blood of someone at that level were.

The old town mayor hurriedly nodded and bowed, answering fearfully, "Yes, yes, yes, they are five brothers. The eldest brother is a second-rate expert. The other four brothers are also strong among third-rate experts, and their skills are not weak.

The group that relies on them also has more than twenty people with considerable strength. This old man is truly powerless to resist and can only seek help from the immortal."

Upon hearing this, Qing Chen's eyes flashed, as if he had caught some crucial information.

He continued, "Since you've held this position for so long, you must have some skill and a strong team, right?"

The old man gave a wry smile: "The Immortal is absolutely right. I've been the town mayor for thirty years, and I do have some men under my command. I have a disciple who, like me, is a second-rate expert.

However, my qi and blood are waning, and my combat strength is far from what it used to be. Besides that, I have some ordinary third-rate experts or unranked internal strength practitioners under my command. Although they aren't very strong, they are still a considerable force on this island."

Qing Chen stroked his chin. He hadn't expected the martial spirit on this island to be so strong, with so many people practicing internal strength.

But thinking about it, it made sense. After all, this was under the jurisdiction of a Golden Core sect; without some martial prowess, one couldn't even handle some ordinary, low-level sea beasts.

It wasn't surprising that an island with seventy or eighty thousand people would have so many people.

It seemed that this old mayor had indeed managed to hold this position for thirty years with some skill.

The old town mayor's side had two second-rate experts and a dozen or so weaklings;

The Wang family's side had one second-rate, four third-rate, and over twenty weaklings.

If he were to intervene, using his 'Sword Control Technique' or 'Fireball Technique' would be more than enough to deal with these mortal martial artists.

In the cultivation world, the strength of a second-rate expert is certainly far inferior to that of a Qi Refining early-stage cultivator.

However, their years of honing their skills have resulted in profound internal strength and vigorous blood and qi.

This powerful vitality is undoubtedly an irresistible attraction for demonic beasts, far exceeding that of ordinary mortals.

And those who have risen to the ranks of first-rate experts are even more extraordinary!

The depth of their internal strength is almost unbelievable, their blood and qi surging like a tide.

The power of each attack is astonishing, already approaching the level of spells cast by ordinary Qi Refining early-stage cultivators.

"If we were to refine them all into flesh and blood, how many demons would we attract!"

"It's a pity that the Brahma Demon Refining Technique can only refine the blood and qi of those whose strength is not too far apart, otherwise there would be great medicines everywhere."