activa-t Chapter 234 Deliberately Targeting
Chapter 234 Deliberately Targeting
These Foundation Establishment cultivators looked displeased as they surveyed the nearby waters.
After searching for a while without finding anything, the group discussed the matter and decided to send one of them back to their ancestral home to report it.
The remaining few continued to patrol the other waters around the area where the spiritual springs were located, checking the situation.
The culprit behind this incident, Lin Changsheng, has changed his appearance and transformed into a villain, swaggering to the outskirts of a city called 'Qingmeng Immortal City'.
Looking from afar, this fairy city is quite unique in both its architectural style and surrounding environment, exuding a fresh and elegant charm and pleasant scenery.
In the morning mist of the surrounding waters, the outline of the fairy city appears and disappears, a picturesque scene, like a shy maiden, adding a touch of poetic charm.
In his memory, "Heavenly Poison Master" had seen more than a hundred immortal cities and markets of all sizes back then.
In terms of scenery and style alone, this "Qingmeng Fairy City" is enough to rank in the top three.
Lin Changsheng looked around at the layout of this immortal city with some surprise, and his eyes lit up unexpectedly.
Outside Qingmeng Immortal City, a large number of pink flowers are planted, making it seem as if you are in a pink sea of flowers, which is very popular among female cultivators.
Before coming, Lin Changsheng had learned about some of the characteristics of this place.
Qingmeng Immortal City is under the jurisdiction of the local power 'Linglong Pavilion'.
Because of its unique location, the area is rich in a spiritual plant called 'Red Phoenix Flower'.
Local alchemists extracted the essence of this red phoenix flower and added precious auxiliary medicinal materials to develop the 'Red Phoenix Pill'.
The effect is to greatly improve the efficiency of dual cultivation practice between Daoist couples.
In the somewhat conservative cultivation world, the 'Red Phoenix Pill' is a unique and distinctive elixir, making Qingmeng Immortal City quite famous throughout the entire 'Great Wilderness Marsh' waters.
There are even cultivators from outside the 'Great Wilderness Marsh' waters who travel thousands of miles to this place just to buy the 'Red Phoenix Pill' to add some color to the mundane daily life of the Daoist couple.
Driven by the 'Red Phoenix Pill', Qingmeng Immortal City became extremely prosperous, with a dense population, making it one of the most developed immortal cities in the surrounding waters in terms of trade.
Many caravans and traders from all over Onozawa bring local specialties from other places to trade here, and before leaving, they collect enough 'Red Phoenix Pills' and 'Red Phoenix Flowers'.
Lin Changsheng also came here specifically because he was attracted by the prosperity of Qingmeng Immortal City.
"Halt! Foreign cultivators without a 'Qingmeng Immortal City' entry and exit permit must verify their identity and pay twenty spirit stones upon first entry."
At the gates of the Immortal City, Lin Changsheng, disguised as a villain, was stopped in public by a woman guarding the city of Linglong Pavilion with short hair and a somewhat androgynous demeanor.
Seeing Lin Changsheng's imposing and ruthless appearance, the short-haired woman among the city's guards frowned and spoke in an unfriendly tone.
"Why was the fellow Daoist ahead able to enter without showing any proof, while I was the only one stopped!"
The thug pointed at a woman in the early Foundation Establishment stage who had entered the area first, his tone displeased and clearly showing anger, and questioned her.
Lin Changsheng, disguised as a villain, could vaguely sense that he had never met this short-haired woman before, but she harbored a strange hostility towards him.
This left him speechless.
“That fellow cultivator is a female cultivator. In Qingmeng Immortal City, there are policies that allow female cultivators from outside the city to come and go freely without being checked. But you don’t look like a good person at all, and you may endanger the safety of the female cultivators in the city. Naturally, you need to be checked carefully. Do you have a problem with that?”
The short-haired woman sneered, her words revealing her deliberate targeting of Lin Changsheng. As she spoke, a late-stage Foundation Establishment aura rose from her body, carrying a hidden threat.
This left him even more speechless.
The purpose of this trip to Qingmeng Immortal City was to sell some idle items that had been accumulating in my possession for many years, and to purchase resources for my own cultivation and for my demonic beasts to improve their cultivation, as well as 'quasi-third-order' soul-nourishing wood needed by the Azure Wood King Butterfly, and so on.
The amount involved was too large, so to avoid trouble, they didn't show their true faces and instead adopted this villainous appearance.
Before they even entered the city, they were treated differently.
"Alright, since these are the rules of Qingmeng Immortal City, we have nothing more to say. Let's just follow the rules."
A few breaths later, the thug shrugged and said nonchalantly.
"What's your name? Where did you come from, cultivator? What brings you to Qingmeng Immortal City?"
Seeing the thug cooperate, the short-haired woman smiled with satisfaction, concealed her inner energy, and led Lin Changsheng to a secluded spot, where she began to question him without any politeness.
This process was witnessed by the men and women guarding the city, who all looked at it with a sense of sympathy.
Lin Changsheng noticed everyone's reactions without missing a single one.
At this moment, he could also see that the short-haired woman with a heroic look in front of him seemed to have a lot of opinions about him.
"Isn't what you're doing a bit excessive?"
"Does every male cultivator who enters Qingmeng Immortal City for the first time undergo such detailed questioning?"
Lin Changsheng, disguised as a villain, had a gloomy face and suppressed anger in his voice as he asked in a deep voice.
“Ordinary male cultivators would not be so strict, but you are a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and your appearance and temperament do not resemble those of a good person. You may harm the other sisters in Qingmeng Immortal City. Therefore, it is my duty to conduct a strict investigation.”
"I advise you to cooperate obediently first, otherwise even if you give up entering the city, I will still capture you and interrogate you to find out if you have done anything to harm others."
The short-haired woman spoke coldly, warning Lin Changsheng.
His eyes made no attempt to hide his disgust and disdain.
"Very well, Your special treatment is truly memorable and will never be forgotten."
"I am Zhang Meng, a rogue cultivator from the Great Wilderness. I am passing through this place and intend to purchase some supplies..."
The thug's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty upon hearing this, but he seemed hesitant to retaliate due to the other party's late-stage Foundation Establishment strength. He could only utter a few verbal threats before obediently revealing his identity and purpose.
He realized that the tomboyish female cultivator in front of him was clearly very unhappy with his appearance and was deliberately targeting him.
But since things have come to this point, all we can do is maintain our image and personality, and not let outsiders see anything amiss.
This is the first time I've ever been targeted specifically because of my appearance.
"Ōnosawa, a rogue cultivator..."
"In other words, you are unaffiliated with any sect or faction and do not belong to any power, so you have no way to prove your innocence."
"In that case, you will need to pay a 'deposit' of five hundred spirit stones. If you do not commit any crimes or other misconduct in our Qingmeng Immortal City for a period of time, you can come to me to get your spirit stones back."
"Remember my name, my name is Yan Shujun."
The short-haired woman, who called herself 'Yan Shujun,' seemed to have anticipated Lin Changsheng's answer.
With a half-smile, he asked Lin Changsheng to pay a 'deposit'.
"You want to pay five hundred spirit stones just to enter the city? Have you lost your mind?"
"Fellow Daoist Yan, aren't you afraid that we will report your extortion to the higher-ups of your Linglong Pavilion? Such actions could damage the reputation of your Qingmeng Immortal City."
Lin Changsheng's expression was somewhat unpleasant, and his brows furrowed slightly.
This woman's repeated harassment even made Lin Changsheng a little angry.
This woman dared to ask him for five hundred spirit stones just by entering the city; she really thought he was a sucker.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Zhang is indeed angry. It seems my prediction was correct. Your emotions are so unstable, you do indeed have the tendency to harm the other sisters in the city."
"Actually, I just hate your appearance. You've ruined so many girls' lives. You're unlucky to have met me today."
"I was merely conducting random checks and questioning of some suspicious individuals. Collecting deposits was also for the sake of the stability of the Immortal City and was entirely in accordance with the rules. Even if Fellow Daoist Zhang reports this matter to the higher-ups of the Linglong Pavilion, it will have no impact on me whatsoever."
"On the contrary, it is your repeated excuses that show your guilty conscience. I hope you can be more assertive, or even openly resist. After all, I am also curious to find out how many heinous things you have done after I capture you."
Yan Shujun looked smug and even gave Lin Changsheng a provocative look as she spoke.
It seems that, just as she said, she wanted to provoke the thug in front of her so that she would have a reason to capture him.
Lin Changsheng was slightly taken aback, seemingly understanding Yan Shujun's thoughts.
"Fellow Daoist Yan is fair and just, and dedicated to his duties. We admire him greatly."
Despite Yan Shujun's veiled provocations, the thug grinned and calmly said, "We usually follow the rules the most. Please keep these five hundred spirit stones safe for us, Fellow Daoist Yan. We'll come back to collect them when we leave the city."
The thug, who had clearly been somewhat angry, suddenly changed his attitude and obediently handed over all the spirit stones.
Having lost her excuse to make a scene, Yan Shujun could only glare angrily at the wicked man in front of her after accepting the spirit stones.
"Shouldn't Fellow Daoist Yan issue a certificate?"
The thug grinned and asked casually.
Yan Shujun looked at the other person, her chest heaving slightly, clearly displeased, but she still threw a wooden token at him: "You'd better behave yourself, I'll be watching you."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yan."
The thug didn't respond at all, only gave a perfunctory thank you, and then turned around and swaggered into Qingmeng Immortal City.
Yan Shujun felt somewhat annoyed as she watched the thug arrogantly enter the city.
This person must be a great villain, almost a carbon copy of those male bandits who harmed the other sisters. There's no mistake.
According to her original plan, provoking this person would give her the opportunity to capture him and use secret techniques to interrogate him.
Over 90% of the people in Linglong Pavilion are women, and there is almost zero tolerance for men who harm female cultivators.
Unfortunately, this villain managed to control his temper and didn't get angry at the crucial moment.
However, this incident also dealt a heavy blow to his arrogance. Seeing that man with such a ferocious appearance and ugly face so submissive in front of her, Yan Shujun felt a sense of satisfaction.
As the burning gaze behind him gradually disappeared, Lin Changsheng cursed his bad luck inwardly.
To encounter such a female cultivator who judges people by their appearance.
They didn't give anyone a chance to explain.
……
Upon arriving in the unfamiliar immortal city for the first time, Lin Changsheng casually summoned a local 'guide' in order to integrate into the community more quickly.
She was a green-dressed girl at the third level of Qi Condensation.
"Junior Xiaoqing greets Senior."
The young woman was polite but not at all shy, clearly very experienced.
Although it was obviously not his real name, Lin Changsheng didn't care much.
It must be said that Qingmeng Immortal City truly lives up to its reputation as being under the jurisdiction of Linglong Pavilion, with a far greater number of female cultivators than other cultivator gathering places.
Led by the young girl Xiaoqing, the two first enjoyed the pleasant scenery of Qingmeng Immortal City.
Unlike ordinary fairy cities and markets, with their rows of buildings and shops.
Here you'll find small man-made lakes, rivers connecting to the outside world, ancient towns, bridges, alleyways, courtyards...
The architectural style is serene and tranquil, simple and elegant.
Immersed in the scene, Lin Changsheng quickly forgot the 'unpleasantness' he had encountered when he first entered the city.
After a whole day, Lin Changsheng had gained a general understanding of Qingmeng Immortal City.
We then found a guesthouse in a good location and checked in.
In the following days, he began to travel between various shops, stalls, and even some privately held 'black markets' or 'private fairs' in the city.
Lin Changsheng once again marveled at the prosperity of Qingmeng Immortal City.
There are many shops here, offering a complete range of treasures and materials.
Almost everything imaginable, from magical artifacts and treasures to cultivation techniques, monster eggs, and rare materials, regardless of their grade, is available for sale.
Even some traditional crafts such as alchemy and talisman making can be seen occasionally, but they are mostly used by merchants to attract attention and are extremely expensive.
During this time, Lin Changsheng also inquired about the deeds of Linglong Pavilion.
The sect leader is a female cultivator at the Golden Core stage, named Hua Feilian.
It is said that Linglong Pavilion was not very powerful in its early years, but its leader, Hua Feilian, was extremely beautiful and could be called a peerless beauty.
She caught the eye of a Nascent Soul True Lord in the central waters of Ōnozawa and was taken as a concubine, where she became quite favored.
Linglong Pavilion also benefited greatly from this.
In the years that followed, Linglong Pavilion experienced a period of rapid development, eventually becoming a major force that controlled a celestial city.
While gathering information, Lin Changsheng did not forget his business.
In just seven or eight days, he sold off a large amount of materials, useless magical artifacts, and low-level magical talismans that he had accumulated over the years.
At the same time, we will purchase local resources such as ores, spirit wood, and monster flesh and blood feed.
Qingmeng Immortal City is larger in scale and has a larger population than the Thousand Crane Immortal City of the Nangong family of Yue Kingdom.
Even though Lin Changsheng has a wealthy family, he is still just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if his trading volume is terrifying in a short period of time, it is at most a ripple in the face of the huge scale of Qingmeng Immortal City.
half a month later.
Lin Changsheng gathered all the materials needed to refine the 'quasi-third-order' puppet, and even unexpectedly acquired some precious materials for tempering the body, enough to raise his body refinement level once again.
In terms of talisman making and alchemy, a considerable amount of various materials have been collected.
Some of these rare spiritual trees and herbs were ones that Lin Changsheng had never seen in all his years in Thousand Crane Immortal City.
This greatly enriched his own reserves of magical symbols and improved his alchemy skills.
Lin Changsheng's alchemy skills are currently at the mid-level of the second tier.
With this batch of spiritual herbs to practice with, as long as one is willing to devote oneself to studying and thoroughly understanding the inheritance, the alchemy skills can be improved.
The only disappointment was the information Lin Changsheng had gathered about the Soul-Nourishing Wood.
Items involving 'quasi-third tier' are no longer ordinary treasures; they only have a chance of appearing at regular auctions in Qingmeng Immortal City.