Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 1068 - 922 Sudden Change

Chapter 1068: Chapter 922 Sudden Change

In the living room, there sat a burly man and a beautiful woman in a white dress.

Fang Xi recognized them as ’Hua Sanlang’ and ’Lady Kui’.

Hua Sanlang was from under Master Qiu’s command, with an unclear relationship to him, suspected to be a smuggled product.

Lady Kui, on the other hand, was one of Master Zhao’s subordinates.

Their joint visit to his residence made Fang Xi feel as if he could sense the tension in the air heralding an impending storm.

"Sir Hua, Lady Kui, your visit truly graces my humble home, please have some tea..."

With a slight bow, Fang Xi said.

"Heh, there’s no need for tea."

Hua Sanlang, with his burly and masculine figure, exuding an awe-inspiring presence, and who must have cultivated some thunder attribute body refining technique, replied in a voice that boomed like thunder: "I heard... that you visited Yongyun Small Shop?"

"Indeed... Aren’t Talisman Masters from our association always purchasing from there?"

Fang Xi blinked and knowingly asked.

"Heh... To be honest, the quality of the talisman paper in that little shop of Yongyun is mediocre, and the prices are a bit steep. It truly isn’t a good place to go. Even the female shopkeeper has some covert dealings with Elder Ge, colluding on the inside and out, defrauding all of us," said Lady Kui frankly.

"Together with Sir Hua, we have a new shop to introduce to you, guaranteeing even lower prices than before... Would you be interested?"

Fang Xi was crystal clear in his mind: ’They’re pressuring me to take sides... So Zhao and Qiu have actually been in a precarious alliance rather than at each other’s throats, up until Elder Ge’s Sitting and Transforming.’

After contemplating for a moment, he replied, "Where to purchase talisman paper is my personal matter."

The moment he said this, the expressions of Lady Kui and Hua Sanlang changed: "Fang, you... aren’t you afraid of Master Zhao and Master Qiu’s wrath?"

"Could it be that in this Fairy City, everything has to go according to Fang’s word?"

Fang Xi countered, surprised.

"Good, good, good."

After exchanging glances, Hua Sanlang and Lady Kui rose to their feet and left.

Watching the two depart, Fang Xi was aware that he would inevitably face a series of slanders and pressures in the future.

But it didn’t matter.

His goal in coming to the Fiery Sun Immortal City was primarily to find a way to join a major power.

The more he showed his unwavering loyalty and steadfastness now... the more points he would score in the future!

...

In the following period, Fang Xi indeed felt an insidious resistance.

While the Talisman Master Association had no powerful means, they could still spread rumors, slander his skills, usurp his clients, and even start a price war!

Given a choice, Immortal Cultivators do not stick to any one talisman provider, not to mention Fang Xi didn’t have any unique talismans to safeguard his market.

Before long, he saw a visible decrease in his income.

In such situations, an average Cultivator would either choose to capitulate, joining the ranks of Zhao and Qiu for mutual gain.

Or they would leave for other parts of the world.

After all, just a small circle can slightly influence the market for low-level talismans in the Fiery Sun Immortal City.

Switch locations, jump out of the chessboard, and the sky’s the limit.

But Fang Xi had a goal here, so naturally, he would not leave so easily.

Moreover, he guessed that if he dared to leave now, he might very well face an encirclement and attack from two Mahayana Monks.

With his mere ’Integration’ level cultivation, he would hardly be able to resist.

Of course, if he could just take out those two Mahayana... that would likely bring even bigger problems...

All in all, none of the options was good.

So, Fang Xi endured the hardship quietly.

After all, the daily drawing of talismans to earn Immortal Jade to pay for his dongfu rental and cultivation expenses... was all a deceit.

Even if he gave up, he could still stay in the Fiery Sun Immortal City until the end of the True Immortal Realm!

Yongyun Small Shop.

"Bring me three dozen, no, two dozen of the Ten Thousand Stars Talisman Paper."

Fang Xi walked into the shop and told Yun Mian.

"Sir..."

Yun Mian looked at Fang Xi, clearly moved, and quoted him a cost price, then added, "I’ve heard the Qingfeng Commerce Alliance and the Yun Family have lost their channels to Zhao and Qiu. Hmph, that’s all they’re capable of... I still have a few channels for low-level talisman paper that are in demand, but only for premium quality..."

"Thank you, Yong Shopkeeper. Actually, by making a few extra trips a day, and selling at a discount to Individual Cultivators, I can barely scrape by," replied Fang Xi with a slight smile, appearing very open-minded.

Yun Mian, looking at Fang Xi with such a temperament, was taken aback, and it took her a long moment before she turned away, her eyes slightly reddened: "If that bastard of mine had even a tenth or a half of your resolve, he wouldn’t have... Ah..."

She sighed, bundled up the talisman paper, handed it to Fang Xi, and secretly sent a message through voice transmission: "Wait quietly for the right time, and there might be a change..."

’This female shopkeeper, really...’

Fang Xi left the shop, somewhat speechless.

He just wanted to play a role, not expecting that in only a few days he would have deceived Yongyun Small Shop and learned some secrets from them.

’So it seems, there might still be hope for Elder Ge’s eighth Mahayana Immortal Thunder Tribulation?’

’Yes, those who survive a complete eight times Immortal Thunder Calamity in the Mahayana stage are distinguished in the True Immortal Realm and often regarded as ’almost Immortals,’ since no one knows if the person will indeed survive the ninth Immortal Thunder Tribulation, ascend to the heavens in one step, and become an immortal with eternal life! Even if the chances are very slim...’

’If Elder Ge succeeds, it won’t be just the status of Talisman Master that improves, his personal strength and status will significantly rise too... Within Fiery Sun Immortal City, he would be considered a local hero.’

’The interests involved here are complex, enough to lead Mahayana cultivators to kill or be killed; that silly woman actually revealed it all to me...’

Fang Xi touched his face: ’Could it be that she was moved by my acting skills?’

He returned to his cave dwelling in Vermilion Bird Lane; his eyes suddenly flickered when he saw a large gathering of cultivators outside his cave dwelling.

Shi Yushu, Ma Jing, and Li Dao were all there, looking as if they had lost their souls.

In the group confronting them stood an old woman clutching a document written in ethereal script, sharply shouting, "The deed is here; this cave dwelling belongs to the properties of the Righteous Yang Sect, and now that the Righteous Yang Sect is gone, it’s ours, the Zhang Family’s property, and has nothing to do with you all..."

Shi Yushu was flush with anger, but he couldn’t come up with a rebuttal; he merely stammered, "I can leave, but Ma Jing and Li Dao are both core talents of our school. Our school established a secret cave dwelling here, exactly to guard against this kind of situation; I implore the Zhang Family to take us in..."

Ma Jing and Li Dao, two teenagers who usually skipped class to play joyfully at the Void Temple, were now pale-faced like a pair of quails being pushed around, unable to voice a single retort.

"Sigh... if the sect’s future hopes are of such character, then the Righteous Yang Sect is finished."

An old cultivator sighed.

"Old Sir, what has happened?"

Fang Xi approached and asked a question.

"I’ve seen my senior..." The old cultivator instinctively assessed Fang Xi’s cultivation level, and with a look of surprise, he clasped his hands together, "The Sect Master of the Righteous Yang Sect is dead, and the Righteous Yang Sect is being divided... right now, we are awaiting the city guard to come and oversee the division of property..."

"How could the Righteous Yang Sect suddenly just... vanish?" Fang Xi was utterly confused. If he remembered correctly, didn’t the Sect Master of the Righteous Yang Sect have Integration cultivation? He still had life left in him...

"Sigh, it’s the doing of the Divine Wood Palace... The Junior Master got the ’Primordial Soul Pill’ and has been hailed as ’with the posture of an Immortal,’ so she began expanding her territory... Those small sects in the area, such as the Righteous Yang Sect, Heqing Sect, Broken Knife Mountain... all were swept away. Now, as the family factions within the Righteous Yang Sect dispute, the leading Zhang Family has come to make a fuss, presumably turning this into a muddle-headed account."

The old cultivator presented the sequence of events with clarity, explaining each and every aspect.

’That single Primordial Soul Pill actually indirectly led to the destruction of a few Integration Sects?’

Fang Xi listened in astonishment, then observing Shi Yushu’s reaction, he also shook his head in disappointment.

The man had been appointed by the Sect Master to instruct these talents, so he naturally was a very upright person.

This time, however, it turned out that he could be taken advantage of by the old woman of the Zhang Family using the trick of exploiting a gentleman’s honesty.

Indeed, moments later, the city guards arrived. After a round of disputes, Shi Yushu left the field in defeat, his face covered in shame.

If he had firmly stood his ground from the beginning, it might not have come to this.

But once morale was lost, that was the outcome.

"Elder Zhang..."

Shi Yushu looked at the old woman with hope: "May I know what you think of my proposal?"

Several Clan Elders of the Zhang Family consulted among themselves and eventually an elder stepped forward, sighing, "If these two were indeed fine jade, our Zhang Family naturally wouldn’t begrudge taking them in... But having heard their reputation from Sky Blue Academy and seeing their current level of cultivation, they truly are not suitable to be developed... however, if they are willing to marry into the family as sons-in-law, that’s something to consider."

Shi Yushu hadn’t spoken yet when Ma Jing finally erupted, "No, I won’t be your breeding pig, a son-in-law without a path!"

As soon as he said this, Li Dao, who seemed somewhat tempted, immediately recoiled and stayed silent.

"Heh heh, fine, the courtyard of my Zhang Family is too small to contain two such great Buddhas. From today onward, let’s be strangers."

The old woman of the Zhang Family sneered coldly.

"Hmph, if I must leave, then so be it. My fate is my own, not dictated by heaven! One day, I will make you regret this."

It seemed Ma Jing had been repressing his emotions for many years, and finally, he bellowed these words, feeling a great release in his chest.

With a roar, he pulled Li Dao away, and they disappeared without a trace.

On hearing this, Fang Xi’s expression turned even more bizarre: "My fate is my own, not dictated by heaven? That sounds like a famous line from a martial arts-style game in the Void Temple; I remember the levels in that game are all ridiculously easy, aimed at exuding a hot-blooded, rash spirit..."

But this was the Cultivation World, a place that devours people whole without spitting out the bones!

He was left speechless, and returned to the entrance of his own cave dwelling.

By now, most of the crowd watching the commotion had dispersed, and a figure walked over: "Fang..."

"Huang."

Fang Xi was somewhat surprised, for the person was Huang Jing, an executive from the Abundant Karma House.

"I heard about your situation and came to see you..."

Huang Jing exchanged pleasantries for a moment.

"Sir, rest assured, I can hold on. I also need you to keep an eye out for that ’Six Immortals Turn Flying Pill’ for me," Fang Xi said to the man, but he did not show any signs of distress; instead, he revealed some of his strength.

Abundant Karma House mainly operated a commerce alliance, and its executives tended to behave like businessmen. If they saw a situation as hopeless, they were likely to turn away.

"That’s very good. I don’t have many friends at the Hundred Flower Pavilion; you are one of them..." The smile on Huang Jing’s face became a bit more sincere.

Fang Xi intentionally put himself in the position of owing the other person a favor. As the old saying goes, the one who owes money is the greater... no, when you are in trouble, those likely to lend you money are the ones you have borrowed from before.

Owing someone else a favor made that person feel better upon seeing him.

And if someone owed him a favor, especially to the point of not being able to repay it, it might well end in murder...