Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Meng Qingyi’s Request

’A favor to ask?’

Puzzled, Li Ping nonetheless smiled and led Meng Qingyi into the pavilion, where they sat facing each other. But since his young steward had left, there was no one to brew tea.

However, Li Ping knew Meng Qingyi was fastidious. The first time they met, she had been quite disdainful of the tea brewed by the rental agent.

Thus, he wasn’t embarrassed by the lack of tea.

Li Ping looked at Meng Qingyi and said with a smile, "Back when I first made my breakthrough, although I wasn’t able to join the Immortal City, I received a brush from you, Fairy. I’ve always remembered this favor. Fairy, whatever it is you need, please speak plainly."

His meaning was clear: ’I haven’t forgotten that Dai Sangyu prevented me from joining the Immortal City. I remember the favor of you giving me a Talisman Brush, but if you’re thinking of asking me to do something too difficult, I won’t do it.’

Meng Qingyi gave a bitter smile, clearly understanding his unspoken message.

She quickly shook her head. "Qingyi gifted you the Talisman Brush, Fellow Daoist, to make up for my own failing. How could I possibly use that to ask you for help?"

She continued, "Fellow Daoist Li, you must know that since the beast tide broke out, the Immortal City’s demand for resources like Dharma Artifacts, Spirit Talismans, puppets, and Pills has skyrocketed. This is especially true for consumables like Spirit Talismans and Pills; our stockpiles are dwindling fast."

"As the one responsible for the Immortal City’s logistics, I’m at my wit’s end trying to meet the massive demand from the combat divisions." At this, Meng Qingyi looked at Li Ping. "That’s why Qingyi had no choice but to seek you out, hoping you might temporarily set aside your cultivation to focus on creating Spirit Talismans for the Immortal City."

Li Ping relaxed upon hearing it was about making talismans.

If Meng Qingyi had asked him to join the fight against the beast tide, he would have refused without a second thought.

After a moment of thought, he spoke up. "Fairy, you’re also a Tier Two Talisman Master, so you should know that creating Tier Two Spirit Talismans consumes an enormous amount of Magical Power. Even if I stay in my Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Land to recover and work at full capacity, I can probably produce about twenty Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Talismans a month, at most. An amount like that is just a drop in the bucket for the beast tide, isn’t it?"

He was telling the truth. After switching to a High-tier Cultivation Technique, the quality of his Magical Power had improved. Combined with his Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Land, his Magical Power recovery speed had also increased significantly.

As a result, his monthly output had increased substantially compared to when he first became a Tier Two Talisman Maker. In theory, he could create forty Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Talismans.

However, he knew that most Talisman Makers had a certain failure rate, so he told Meng Qingyi half of his theoretical maximum.

Seeing that he seemed willing to agree, Meng Qingyi quickly said, "I’ve naturally considered the issue you raised, Fellow Daoist Li. Twenty Spirit Talismans a month already exceeds my expectations. In fact, according to my master’s predictions, this beast tide likely won’t end anytime soon. It might drag on for a year or more."

"That long?" Li Ping couldn’t help but frown. ’This Fairy Meng can’t possibly expect me to work for the Immortal City for an entire year, can she?’

It was true that he lived within the Immortal City’s territory now. If the city fell, he wouldn’t fare well either. ’We rise and fall together, so to speak.’

But at the end of the day, he was a Loose Cultivator, not one of the Immortal City’s own. He couldn’t possibly sacrifice everything for it.

Seeing the change in Li Ping’s expression, Meng Qingyi quickly explained, "Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist. The Immortal City won’t mistreat anyone who contributes to its cause. For the Spirit Talismans you create, I can offer you a price of 50 military merits per talisman."

Meng Qingyi then went on to explain the concept of military merit to Li Ping in detail.

This military merit, she explained, was a currency system the Immortal City used during wartime as a substitute for Spirit Stones. The theoretical exchange rate was one-to-one with Spirit Stones. However, while military merit could be converted into Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones could not be converted into military merit.

Military merit could be used to redeem all sorts of precious resources from the Immortal City, such as high-tier inheritances, High-tier Cultivation Techniques, Pills, Dharma Artifacts, and materials. With enough military merit, one could even redeem a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Many of these items were things that simply couldn’t be bought with Spirit Stones under normal circumstances.

In terms of purchasing power, therefore, military merit was far more valuable than Spirit Stones.

After her explanation, Li Ping’s interest was piqued. He had always wanted to craft a few Tier Two Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts for self-defense.

The problem was that materials for crafting Tier Two Dharma Artifacts were rarely for sale. He had originally planned to try his luck at next year’s auction, but now, if things went well, he might be able to obtain them directly using military merit.

At this thought, Li Ping said solemnly, "Fairy Meng, I can only promise to provide you with a maximum of fifteen Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Talismans per month. Also, I normally sell the talismans I make to your family, so you’ll need to sort that out with them."

’Fifteen Tier Two Spirit Talismans a month wouldn’t be enough to delay my own cultivation.’

Meng Qingyi nodded enthusiastically. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. The Meng family will live or die with the Immortal City. In this time of crisis, it is our duty to sacrifice our personal wealth to aid the cause. I will speak to our ancestor myself. On behalf of the city, I thank you in advance, Fellow Daoist!"

After securing Li Ping’s promise, Meng Qingyi hurried off to visit the other artisans on Immortal Peach Mountain.

Leaving Li Ping behind, lost in thought. ’Why does Fenglan Master think this beast tide will last for an entire year? What has she discovered? Is it because those two Tier Three Fierce Arrowhead Eagles still refuse to leave?’

...

「In a secret chamber on Cyan Dragon Mountain.」

A short, stout old man in a green robe, who had a youthful face despite his white hair, was leisurely sipping tea. His Divine Sense, however, stretched out for several miles, watching the two Fierce Arrowhead Eagles circling endlessly in the sky. His eyes held a look of mockery.

’Knowing that a suspected Demon Cultivator is pulling the strings from the shadows, how could the Immortal City be foolish enough to not take any precautions?’

Now, he was just waiting for the Demon Cultivator to make their move.

...

"Cheng Yao, I’m out of Spirit Stones!"

Wang Xingwei had lost count of how many times he’d said those words, but his voice was still hushed and subservient.

Cheng Yao seemed disappointed that their fun was over. "All gone so soon? These damn merchants, jacking up prices because of the beast tide. They should all be dragged out and fed to the beasts."

"We’re heading back to the Spirit Medicine Garden!" Cheng Yao declared with a wave of her hand. Though not tall, she was full of swagger, giving off the air of a true boss.

Wang Xingwei nodded eagerly. "Okay, okay."

They both worked in the Immortal City’s Spirit Medicine Garden. As cultivators in support roles, they weren’t required to fight, so the beast tide had little direct impact on them. The only change was that to accommodate the mortals seeking refuge in the city, many new tents had been pitched near the Spirit Beast Garden, making the area much more cluttered and chaotic.

Wang Xingwei walked along cheerfully, feeling happier than he’d ever been.

"The Wang family’s Ancestor... he was killed in battle!"

"That’s right, and he was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"

...

But gradually, as he listened to the incessant chatter around him, his expression changed to one of horror. His pace slackened. ’Are they talking about our Ancestor?’

As he came to a stop, more voices reached his ears, forcing him to accept the terrible truth.

’The Ancestor... was really dead.’

’But the Ancestor was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. How could he have been killed in battle?’

Wang Xingwei cried out helplessly in his heart.

Before, he had always been terrified of the Ancestor. He’d even fled the family to get away from him after failing his Foundation Establishment.

At the thought of never having to see the Ancestor again, he had even felt a sense of relief. Later, an emptiness crept in, but Cheng Yao had quickly filled that void.

Cheng Yao was so much better than the Ancestor. She never forced him to do things he didn’t want to, and she never looked at him with that expression of bitter disappointment!

Wang Xingwei had thought he could go on living like this forever.

But... now he’d heard that the Ancestor was dead.

Wang Xingwei’s expression slowly went vacant as scenes of his time with the Ancestor flashed through his mind.

From a young age, the Ancestor had groomed him to be the family’s pride. This lofty Foundation Establishment Cultivator, revered by all, had taken precious time to personally guide his cultivation. He’d never lacked for the Pills that other Qi Refining Cultivators treated as priceless treasures. Before meeting Cheng Yao, he’d never once had to worry about running out of Spirit Stones like other cultivators did...

The Ancestor had actually been very good to him.

"Heh... The Ancestor... the Ancestor is gone!"

Wang Xingwei felt his legs go numb, as if they were filled with lead. The chatter around him faded into an unintelligible BUZZ, and the world before his eyes blurred as if shrouded in mist.

A choked sob escaped his throat.

The next moment, Wang Xingwei collapsed heavily in the middle of the street.

"Hey, what’s wrong with you!"

He thought he heard Cheng Yao calling his name, but all he wanted was to lie there and never wake up again.

...

Lowering Wang Xingwei from her shoulder and placing him inside the room, Cheng Yao’s eyes were filled with panic. ’What’s going on? Why did he suddenly faint? Don’t tell me he’s sick!’

Just moments ago, she and Wang Xingwei had been walking along the street just fine, but then he had suddenly and inexplicably collapsed, and she couldn’t wake him.

As a crowd of cultivators began to gather, a panicked Cheng Yao had no choice but to carry Wang Xingwei back to the Spirit Medicine Garden.

Luckily, she was a Cultivator and could use Magic; otherwise, she really wouldn’t have been able to carry Wang Xingwei.

After a moment’s hesitation, Cheng Yao made a decision. ’I’ll get Bai Qing to take a look at him!’

’Bai Qing is only a Pharmacist’s apprentice and can’t treat anything too complicated, but fainting probably isn’t a serious illness,’ she thought to herself.

Hiring a proper Physician was expensive, and she was reluctant to spend the money.

...

「Gaoji Mountain.」

Lured by the Bai family’s Ancestor, an eighteen-clawed Jade Spider gave chase at high speed.

Just as it flew into a gorge, a blast of fire erupted from each side, slamming into the Jade Spider’s abdomen.

Struck by such a heavy blow, the Jade Spider let out a shrill, ugly shriek and thrashed about on the ground, trying to extinguish the Flames. As it writhed, the scent of roasting flesh began to fill the air.

But at that moment, the Bai family’s Ancestor, who had only been feigning retreat, suddenly doubled back. He directed a small, cold-gleaming spear that transformed into a streak of light, plunging ruthlessly toward the wailing Jade Spider.

The other Late-stage Qi Refining members of the Bai family joined the assault in concert. A moment later, the Jade Spider fell still.

The Bai family’s Ancestor finally breathed a sigh of relief. He commanded, "Mingyu, Mingfeng, you two stay here and harvest the Demon Beast for materials. The rest of you, with me! We’re going to kill that Tier Two six-legged furry Demon Bull!"

He added with a smile, "Keep your spirits up, everyone! Once we kill that Demon Bull, the remaining three Tier Two Demon Beasts will no longer be a threat! With that, the Bai family will have weathered this crisis."

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