Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 172 - 172 107 Tang Yilong_2

172: 107 Tang Yilong_2 172: 107 Tang Yilong_2 Shen Long cupped his fists and said,

“So Elder is Taoist Friend Shen.

I’ve heard from my cousin Yu Bing that Taoist Friend Shen has raised many Gold Ants and is proficient in Insect Repelling Technique, a god amongst men.

I am Tang Keqing.”

A woman in green, who appeared to be in her early forties, spoke up.

“I am Tang Kezhen, I have seen Taoist Friend Shen.”

A tall and thin man in a gold robe introduced himself.

“Xu Yuchen has seen Taoist Friend Shen.”

A plump, red-robed old man said.

Xu Tianlei led Shen Long over and they sat down inside the Stone Pavilion.

“Taoist Friend Shen, Yu Bing and I would like to toast to you, to thank you for saving our lives.”

Xu Tianlei said earnestly, lifting his cup.

Xu Yubing also lifted his cup, offering a toast to Shen Long.

Shen Long picked up his cup and returned the gesture.

“Taoist Friend Shen is so young yet has raised so many Gold Ants.

I wonder which sect or lineage you hail from.”

Tang Keqing asked curiously.

Feeding more than fifty thousand Gold Ants is no small expense; an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator simply couldn’t afford it.

“I am traveling outside; my master cautioned me not to act under his name.”

Shen Long politely responded.

Ice Silkworm True Person had repeatedly urged that when traveling outside, unless necessary, one shouldn’t act under the identity of a Spirt Control Sect disciple, given the long-standing lineage of the sect and its numerous adversaries.

“Master!”

Tang Keqing and others suddenly realized that the person indeed had a master.

“I heard Taoist Friend Shen is also a second-order Alchemist.

Coincidentally, I am also a second-order Alchemist and would like to exchange some knowledge with Taoist Friend Shen.”

Tang Keqing said enthusiastically.

Shen Long nodded and began to discuss the art of alchemy with Tang Keqing while Xu Tianlei and the others could not get a word in.

“Taoist Friend Shen’s alchemy skills are impressive!

You even know the method of water refining.”

Tang Keqing remarked.

“I only know of it; I do not practice alchemy using the water refining method.”

Shen Long clarified.

Some Alchemists used the method of water refining for alchemy, and Shen Long was aware of this practice.

“Taoist Friend Shen, speaking of which, I have also raised some Gold Ants and would like to consult you on their breeding methods.”

Tang Kezhen said politely.

“To consult is too much to say, let’s exchange information.”

Shen Long replied.

Tang Kezhen talked about breeding Gold Ants.

He had more than thirty thousand, and he hadn’t skimped on feeding them refining materials, but only had a little over thirty second-order Gold Ants, and the Ant Queen was only at the early stages of the second order.

Shen Long shared his experience in breeding Gold Ants, primarily that he fed them a Beast Spirit Pill at regular intervals.

This was no significant secret.

As the topic shifted to breeding Spirit Insects, Xu Yubing and the others could join the conversation.

Shen Long spoke eloquently.

In the casual chat, Xu Yubing and the others subtly probed for Shen Long’s background and origins.

Shen Long naturally didn’t slip up, maintaining a sense of confidentiality.

After more than an hour, Shen Long shifted the conversation, “By the way, before I arrived in Shu Country, I heard that murder and robbery were rampant here, with even Evil Cultivators daring to attack members of the Tang family.

Madam Tang, is this true?”

“It is indeed true.

Taoist Friend Shen speaks of the Faction of Hermit Cultivation.

This organization of Evil Cultivators has already been eradicated by our Tang family,”

Tang Keqing explained.

“But why would they attack the offspring of the Tang family?

There are rumors that the Tang Family is overbearing and felt threatened by the Faction of Hermit Cultivation, leading to its eradication.”

Shen Long continued.

“Hmph, such baseless talk.

The Faction of Hermit Cultivation didn’t even have Core Formation Cultivators; how could they threaten our Tang family?

They were originally an organization of Evil Cultivators who harmed the innocent.

Their vice president, Jingong Reverend, attempted to seize Spiritual Objects for Core Formation by attacking our clansmen, but unfortunately, he escaped.

We only managed to eliminate their leaders,”

Tang Keqing said with a hint of regret.

This event was widely known and had caused quite a stir at the time, with various interpretations—some saying that the Tang Family acted despotically, others saying the Faction of Hermit Cultivation committed heinous acts against the innocent.

“Jingong Reverend!

I see.

However, with the Tang family’s strength, it should be no issue to capture such an individual and dispel the rumors when the time comes.”

Shen Long opined.

“No, he is likely no longer in Shu Country; otherwise, we would have caught him by now.

There’s a good chance he has advanced to the Core Formation Stage.

If he dares to show his face, we will send someone to capture him,”

Tang Keqing spoke with a stern look on her face by the end.

Shen Long nodded, his assessment the same; the Jingong Reverend was no longer in Shu Country and had most likely gone to other countries, making it no easy task to locate the remnants of the Faction of Hermit Cultivation.

After chatting for nearly half an hour, Shen Long took his leave.

“Madam Tang, how is it?

There’s no problem with this person, right!”

Xu Tianlei asked.

Shen Long had saved both Xu Tianlei and Xu Yubing, and then appeared in the Tianshu Marketplace, coincidentally while Xu Tianlei and Xu Yubing were both present.

He felt it was too coincidental and worried there might be something amiss with Shen Long.

“There should be no problem, judging by his speech, he seems to indeed hail from a cultivator sect.

If it were all fabricated, he wouldn’t be able to grasp such details so clearly.

He is adept at Insect Repelling and Controlling Beast Taming and is also an Alchemist, most likely just travelling abroad.”

Tang Keqing analyzed.

“But why do I feel like he’s quite interested in the Faction of Hermit Cultivation?”

Xu Tianlei said.

“I wonder who spread the false news that we annihilated the Faction of Hermit Cultivation for a Spiritual Treasure, and there are even rumors about a treasure map.

It’s normal for him to be curious about it.

Nonetheless, one must always guard against others.

Be cautious in your dealings with this man, but there’s no need to offend him unnecessarily.”

Tang Keqing said.

Xu Tianlei nodded in agreement.

······

In Qingtang Courtyard, Shen Long sat in an azure Stone Pavilion with a jade slip in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Tang Keqing and the others had been probing indirectly, trying to glean information about his background.

There was no helping it; Shen Long had rescued Xu Tianlei and Xu Yubing not long ago, and showing up in the Tianshu Marketplace soon after was too much of a coincidence.

Even if his identity were exposed, it wouldn’t have much impact on Shen Long; he could always just leave the Shu Country’s Cultivation Realm.

In his conversation with Tang Keqing, Shen Long had obtained a lot of useful information.

After the past incident, the Tang Family had offered a substantial reward for the capture of the Jingong Reverend.

The Jingong Reverend had led the attack on Tang Family disciples without informing the leader of the Faction of Hermit Cultivation, which meant he likely left Shu Country as swiftly as possible afterward.

Of course, while the Jingong Reverend wasn’t in Shu Country, Shen Long didn’t intend to leave right away; he still intended to interact more with the Cultivation Realm’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Shu Country, hoping to resolve his bottleneck.

Shen Long entered a secret chamber within Qingtang Pavilion to meditate and regulate his breathing.

The next morning, Shen Long left his dwelling and once again set up his stall in the Azure Stone Plaza to sell Elixirs.

When Foundation Establishment Cultivators passed by Shen Long’s stall, some would ask a few questions, but there weren’t many buyers.

Shen Long read the “Donghua Travelogue” with great interest.

As dusk fell, Shen Long had sold two bottles of Elixirs from his stall.

He wasn’t discouraged, returning to rest at his dwelling, and the next day he was up early to set up his stall again.

Over a month had passed, and on this morning Shen Long arrived at the Azure Stone Plaza to set up his stall as usual.

“Taoist Friend Shen, good morning!”

A tall man in a yellow shirt greeted Shen Long.

The man had well-defined features and a faint aura of fierceness about him, and his stall displayed various Monster Beast Materials.

“Taoist Friend Huang, good morning!”

Shen Long greeted in return.

Having been in the Tianshu Marketplace for almost two months, he had met some Foundation Establishment Cultivators through his stall.

The man in the yellow shirt was named Huang Hu, a Loose Cultivator who made a living by hunting Monster Beasts.

Shen Long took out a coarse cloth, some porcelain bottles, Monster Beasts Materials, and continued to read the “Donghua Travelogue”.

The morning quickly passed, and Shen Long only managed to sell one bottle of Elixirs from what he had displayed.

He wasn’t concerned, though, as the Elixirs stall was merely a way to foster relationships with other Foundation Establishment Cultivators; otherwise, he could have sold all the Elixirs quickly by dealing with a large shop.

“Taoist Friend Shen, are you still selling Elixirs?”

A familiar male voice called out.

Looking up, Shen Long saw Tang Kezhen and a burly man in a golden shirt standing in front of his stall.

The man in the golden shirt had a face full of rough features and with thick limbs, looking like a fierce and formidable figure.

“Taoist Friend Tang, are you looking to purchase Elixirs from me?”

Shen Long asked with a smile.

“Not exactly, Taoist Friend Shen, this is my elder uncle, Tang Yilong.

Having heard of your deeds, he’s come to get to know you.”

Tang Kezhen introduced.

“I am Tang Yilong, and I’ve heard that Taoist Friend Shen is very powerful.

How about we have a friendly spar?”

Tang Yilong’s voice was booming and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

“A spar!”

Shen Long was somewhat interested; sparring with a fellow cultivator was indeed another way to overcome bottlenecks.