The Immortal Market’s Deception and the Yanqing Sect’s Authority

A few days later, Qin Yan and Xiao Miao found themselves within the confines of a small town.

Nestled against the formidable Withered Parasol Mountain, a renowned spiritual peak stretching for a thousand li, this town served as a gateway to the very place where the spiritual plants Xiao Miao sought were rumored to flourish.

A bustling Immortal Market also thrived in the vicinity of the town.

An Immortal Market, much like a mortal bazaar, was a periodic gathering where cultivators from the surrounding regions converged to trade and procure various items.

As fate would have it, it was the opening day of the market, and with the evening twilight descending, Qin Yan and Xiao Miao were leisurely perusing its stalls, hoping to stumble upon the elusive spiritual plants Xiao Miao desperately needed; finding them here would undoubtedly be the most convenient outcome.

“Come, come, feast your eyes upon our very own Azure-Eyed Golden-Pupil Hound, an unparalleled companion for any cultivator’s journey…”

“This artifact, I unearthed it deep within Withered Parasol Mountain; on that auspicious day, as wind and thunder clashed and spiritual energy surged, this very item descended from the heavens, wreathed in a veil of ethereal purple qi…”

The Immortal Market vibrated with lively chatter, for even cultivators, after all, needed to earn their keep.

The duo approached the hawker, observing the object she held aloft and extolled with fervent boasts; it resembled a bronze mirror, its center possessing the captivating clarity of glazed ware, though its surface appeared somewhat weathered, yet the golden patterns etched upon it exuded an undeniable aura of mysticism.

A considerable number of cultivators lingered around, some visibly stirred by the hawker’s display.

“Might this fellow Daoist enlighten us as to the price in spirit stones?”

Upon hearing the inquiry, the cultivator, still holding the bronze mirror high, surveyed the assembled onlookers and replied with a jovial chuckle, “My Dao is shallow, and my immortal fate meager, which is why I am reluctantly compelled to part with this item. Should any fellow Daoist find themselves interested, let us not speak of spirit stones; it would not be out of the question for me to bestow it upon a fated individual, but! Since it is, after all, a gift from the heavens, to refuse such a divine offering would surely invite calamity.”

As she spoke, a somber expression settled upon the cultivator’s face, her gaze drifting among the crowd of cultivators until, quite suddenly, her eyes brightened as they landed upon Qin Yan, who was shielded by a bamboo hat, and Xiao Miao, standing gracefully beside him.

“This fellow Daoist,” she declared, her voice imbued with a newfound conviction, “I sense a profound connection between this item and you. However, business is business; were I simply to gift it, would you not then bear the weight of my karma? Thus, a mere hundred spirit stones, and it shall be yours to take!”

The cultivator gazed at the bronze mirror in her hand with an air of profound reluctance, before finally turning a resolute glance towards Qin Yan.

“What? One hundred spirit stones?!” a female voice suddenly interjected, her eyes flashing with envy as she looked at Qin Yan. “Isn’t that an absolute steal? I’ll offer five hundred spirit stones—sell it to me!”

“I’ve already stated!” the hawker exclaimed, her face contorted in an expression of offended pride. “It’s not about spirit stones! It’s about fate! It’s destiny!!!”

With a look of profound insult, the hawker advanced towards Qin Yan, poised to hand him the bronze mirror, but Qin Yan made no move to accept it.

‘This… it’s clearly a trap,’ Qin Yan mused inwardly.

‘If I were to reach out and touch this bronze mirror, it would undoubtedly tumble to the ground, and then this cultivator would surely attempt to extort me, especially with her apparent allies,’ he surmised.

The entire charade appeared to be a two-layered scheme, one trick nested within another: first, the instigation from the surrounding crowd, and second, a classic pengci.

“Get lost!”

Xiao Miao’s voice cut through the air, and she abruptly stepped between Qin Yan and the hawker, genuinely concerned that Qin Yan might fall prey to the trick, for they were clearly outsiders, unfamiliar faces in this local circle of cultivators.

It was precisely because of their unfamiliarity that this little drama had been staged.

Wherever humanity gathered, the jianghu flourished, a realm where hearts were treacherous and schemes emerged endlessly; Xiao Miao, having not merely secluded herself in mountain cultivation, was naturally well-versed in such deceptive tactics.

Startled by Xiao Miao’s sharp reprimand, the hawker fumbled, and the item in her hand slipped, clattering to the ground.

Instantly, the glazed center of the bronze mirror shattered upon impact with the ground; the hawker, seemingly taken aback by the breakage, swiftly advanced, seizing Xiao Miao’s arm as she cried out:

“You startled me, and now my precious treasure lies broken on the ground! What am I to do? You must compensate me with spirit stones!”

‘This person is utterly shameless!’ Xiao Miao seethed.

Xiao Miao felt as though she might vomit blood from sheer anger; even her Shizun, observing the scene, could only shake her head. Yet, as a Grand Cultivator, Shizun was prepared to have Xiao Miao retrieve the broken bronze mirror, knowing she possessed a hundred ways to expose its inherent flaws.

Qin Yan, witnessing this unfolding spectacle, found himself frowning uncontrollably; seeing that a contentious struggle was imminent, he promptly drew forth the jade token concealed at his waist.

The three prominent characters for “Yanqing Sect” were clearly visible upon its surface.

A collective gasp rippled through the gathered cultivators as they beheld Qin Yan’s displayed jade token; some among them were well aware of the hawker’s notorious penchant for pengci and deceit, and now, it seemed, her fishing expedition had inadvertently snared a shark.

The hawker, too, stared at Qin Yan, her face instantly draining of all color, turning ashen.

Her reaction proved remarkably swift; abandoning the broken bronze mirror on the ground, she spun around, poised to flee, but Xiao Miao, unwilling to let her escape, immediately seized her arm.

“Stop right there! You despicable wretch, how dare you engage in such brazen deception within my Withered Parasol Immortal Market!”

Just as these words were uttered, a commanding voice resounded, and three women clad in green robes, adorned with identical embroidered patterns, strode into the crowd, clearly identifying them as the administrators of this Immortal Market.

These cultivators hailed from the nearby Hundred Flowers Sect, serving as the very founders of this Immortal Market.

After the leading green-robed woman delivered her stern reprimand, the other two quickly moved to pry the hawker from Xiao Miao’s grasp.

“Esteemed cultivator from Yanqing Sect, our Hundred Flowers Sect will most certainly provide you with a satisfactory resolution,” the leading woman affirmed.

At that moment, the leading woman approached Qin Yan and bowed slightly.

Qin Yan offered a subtle nod, his gaze meeting the green-robed woman’s; he readily grasped the underlying dynamics of the situation—the audacity of that person to attempt a pengci against him. He harbored no desire to prolong the dispute.

Thus, he had simply revealed his Yanqing Sect token.

As the foremost sect in the Qin State, possessing the legal authority to oversee all other sects, news of this incident swiftly reached the Hundred Flowers Sect, prompting their immediate intervention.

Had it been anyone else, it was highly improbable that they would have ever stepped forward.

“I am willing to offer amends, I am willing to offer amends!” the pengci cultivator shrieked, her earlier bravado utterly vanished. “I am willing to compensate five hundred spirit stones—no, a thousand spirit stones—to the Yanqing Sect cultivator before me!”

The cultivators of the Hundred Flowers Sect were subtly taken aback by her offer; this was truly a hefty sum. Under normal procedures, such a cultivator would merely face a period of detainment within the Lock Immortal Tower.

The Lock Immortal Tower, as it was known, had been erected specifically to incarcerate cultivators who had committed transgressions.

One might argue, ‘I’ve cultivated diligently, only to be imprisoned for a crime? Wouldn’t that render all my efforts futile?’ But what if I were to reveal that the Lock Immortal Tower was a joint creation of the Yanqing Sect and the Qin State itself?

Indeed, if cultivators were allowed to act with impunity, unchecked by any punitive measures, the Qin State would have long since devolved into utter chaos.