Chapter 111: Sunshine Town

The medicinal herbs collected were the property of the caravan, ranging from the valuable to the mundane. The caravan did not bother using storage bags for the less valuable items, instead keeping them in the open on the cargo wagons. Members who needed them could purchase these at an internal discount, provided they had the space in their own personal storage bags to carry them.

Yun Qing bought a large quantity of supplementary herbs for Qi-replenishing pills and Body-tempering pills at a low price. Duan Mengrou wanted to make a purchase as well, but lacked the storage space, while Zhang He, having no storage bag at all, could only watch with longing. Wei Yi and Fang Rui were uninterested. Tang Luo wanted to buy some, but as she was not a caravan member, she asked Wei Yi to purchase them on her behalf; however, for once, Wei Yi did not take her side.

Once the herbs were collected, the three cooks dived into their busy work, for the leader had commanded that two days' worth of food be prepared for every wagon's occupants and the lion-horses.

After exiting the valley, the atmosphere of the caravan grew noticeably tenser. The leader urged everyone to pick up the pace, maintaining high vigilance and absolute quiet along the way. They did not even stop for meals or sleep, with members taking turns resting inside the wagons. While the caravan members could handle the intensity of the journey, it was the lion-horses, traveling day and night without pause, that truly suffered.

During the journey, Xiao Jingzi, whose favorability had reached "friendly," became even more talkative. When he wasn't cultivating, he would boast and chat with Yun Qing. He claimed to "know a thing or two" about everything: astronomy, the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning; geography, mountains, rivers, ancient ruins, and the inner and outer seas; the three religions and nine schools of thought, and the four major alliances; ghosts, gods, demons, beasts, spirits, corpses, and half-souls; tombs, dangerous lands, and heavenly treasures; and cultivation kingdoms and reclusive clans. He was like an encyclopedia of the cultivation world, leaving the fledgling Yun Qing completely bewildered. Seeing Yun Qing watching him with wide, sparkling eyes, Xiao Jingzi grew even more animated.

Long-distance trading is always tedious. Whenever there was a break and no entertainment to be found, people would gather to gossip and share anecdotes; the one who could talk the most was considered the brightest star in the crowd. Xiao Jingzi had said little in the past, but he had listened to plenty, making it easy to fool a novice like Yun Qing.

Secretly admiring Xiao Jingzi's vast knowledge, Yun Qing seized a gap in the conversation to ask, "Xiao Jingzi, do you happen to know about the Qin Clan Manor?"

Xiao Jingzi replied, "Qin is a common surname. There are many Qin Clan Manors across the Central Plains. Which one are you referring to, Sister Yun Qing?"

"The one in the cultivation world, where both the head of the house and his wife are Nascent Soul cultivators."

Xiao Jingzi laughed it off. "Haha, those must be very low-profile Nascent Soul cultivators. I’ve been traveling with the caravan for several years and have never heard of a Qin Clan Manor with two Nascent Soul cultivators."

"Ahem!" Another veteran "encyclopedia," Old Man Li, joined the conversation. "Speaking of a Qin Clan Manor with two Nascent Soul lords, that’s a story from a hundred years ago. Back then, there was a minor power in the Cultivation Alliance called the Qin Clan Manor, but they later vanished from the Central Plains. Some say they reached the God Transformation stage and left the continent; others claim they went to the Myriad-Year Tomb in search of a breakthrough and were never seen again."

Yun Qing remembered Qin Feng saying that he and his wife had only just entered the Nascent Soul stage and did not have enough longevity to reach the God Transformation stage.

She breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that much of what Xiao Jingzi had said earlier was merely hot air. It was just like people in the modern world gathering to tell ghost stories—nine out of ten were complete fabrications. She felt foolish for having mentally noted down so much of what he said. Now, she realized that the only use for those "facts" would be to have more conversation topics when she was among a crowd, allowing her to boast just as easily as he did.

Pressing on with such intensity, the caravan arrived at Rizhao Town two days later. Upon entering, Yun Qing clearly felt the tense atmosphere within the group dissipate.

Rizhao Town, named for its long hours of sunshine, was a town of several thousand people. Each household owned its own land, growing a crop called "Rizhao Grass." This grass was excellent for papermaking, and when grown in areas rich in spiritual energy or miasma, it was perfect for crafting talisman paper. The caravan’s primary reason for visiting was to trade ores for Rizhao Grass and replenish their daily supplies, though everyone also hoped to rest for two days.

Following the usual custom, the caravan checked into an inn that featured an extra-large courtyard to accommodate the people and the lion-horses. As a cook, Yun Qing could finally get two days of proper rest, as there was no need for the kitchen wagon to prepare food once they were in town.

The arrival of the caravan brought business to the town. Dozens of people meant money spent on food, lodging, and entertainment, as well as the exchange of fresh goods. The town was small, and the residents were quite hospitable to outsiders; restaurants, teahouses, and even brothels competed to solicit their business.

True to her word, Tang Luo took her leave of the caravan upon arriving in Rizhao Town. Several caravan members, led by Wei Yi, helped her get settled. Although Wei Yi was a newcomer to the caravan, his straightforward nature, high cultivation level, and the air of authority he carried made many in the group naturally gravitate toward him.

Yun Qing, Xiao Jingzi, Duan Mengrou, and Zhang He wandered around the town to learn about the local customs and prices. By the side of a street, a long line had formed, with many women queuing up with various containers. Duan Mengrou said with great interest, "Yun Qing, Yun Qing, why are so many people lining up there? Let's go take a look."

Yun Qing smiled to herself; even in another world, the herd mentality was still effective. When they approached the shop, they realized it was a place providing free water.

Xiao Jingzi said with surprise, "They’ve activated a water-purification array to provide free water to the residents. Rizhao Town is getting wealthier; a few years ago, they didn't have this luxury."

Zhang He added, "It could also mean the town is facing a water shortage."

Yun Qing felt the high humidity in the air and recalled the scenery she had seen on the way into town. "The air is very moist, and the Rizhao Grass around the town is growing well. It doesn't look like they are short on water."

"Our caravan has its own water-purification array, so we don't need to get this free water. Let's go see something else."

"Alright!"

Compared to the shop providing free water, there were far fewer people elsewhere. The price of ore here was one-third higher than at the Black Iron Mine, while the price of daily necessities was half as much. Duan Mengrou, whose storage bag had been full, immediately sold all her ore and traded for food and some fresh items she had never seen before; this time, she didn't fill her storage bag to the brim. Zhang He, who had not purchased ore at the Black Iron Mine, missed the chance to make money and could only secretly envy those who had.

Xiao Jingzi felt nothing; he had been with the caravan for two years. As he put it, money was everywhere, and he was missing out on tons of silver every day—he could only ever earn his own small share.

What delighted Yun Qing was that the price of Qi-replenishing pills was 30% higher here than in most places. She had collected quite a few herbs along the way and had secretly refined them into pills. She easily sold two bottles, bought plenty of supplementary materials, and made nearly a thousand taels of silver without any effort. As for the ore, she did not sell it, as she needed it for expanding and reinforcing her cave dwelling.

Of course, she didn't forget to buy more meat to restock Liu Liu's small pantry. When traveling far from home, one should try not to let the dog go hungry—that was her final emergency ration.

Liu Liu: What do you mean, I'm an emergency ration?

Yun Qing: When there's surplus, feed the dog; when there's no food, eat the dog.