Chapter 13: Floating Boat Market
“In this one’s name is Li Rulong. Greetings, senior!”
Li Rulong had a square face with resolute lines. He stepped forward solemnly to give thanks.
Although Fang Qing looked a few years younger than him, he was clearly an old monster with a youth-preserving technique, not someone to be taken lightly.
“Senior?”
Fang Qing touched his own face. “I’m about the same age as you. Just call me Fang Shui…”
“About the same age?”
Li Rulong widened his eyes.
Fang Qing scratched his head with an honest smile. “When I was young, I fell off a cliff and found a senior’s inheritance. There was also a red-fruited tree nearby. After eating it, my strength increased greatly…”
This was the background he had fabricated for himself.
The image of a simple, honest youth made others underestimate him, and it also explained why he basically understood nothing. More importantly, the identity of this “Fang Shui” was protected by the Dao-Birth Pearl, layered with an effect akin to “as if within calculations,” leaving no fear of pursuit or divination.
“So… that’s how it is?”
Li Rulong felt as if he were listening to a tale from a storybook, yet his heart stirred slightly. “Still, revealing his background the moment we meet does make him seem inexperienced…”
The two returned together to the caravan, and Li Rulong introduced everyone to Fang Qing one by one.
Their group had originally consisted of seven people, all disciples of martial families from the Land of Ancient Shu.
Like-minded and spirited, they had sworn brotherhood and called themselves the “Seven Swords of Shu Mountain”!
Unfortunately, in today’s battle of upholding justice, three had died on the spot!
Remaining were Li Rulong, the eldest;
the second brother Liu Wansu;
the sixth brother Zhu Zhenheng;
and the youngest, Seventh Sister Guo Tianhong.
All of them were wounded. Instead, Li Rulong was in the best condition.
“Many thanks… Fang sen—Brother Fang, for saving us.”
Liu Wansu wore a cyan robe and had the appearance of a jade-like young master, yet he was now covered in blood. Zhu Zhenheng had lost an arm.
Only Guo Tianhong was slightly better off, though her face was pale like gold paper, having suffered serious internal injuries.
“No need to stand on ceremony…”
After exchanging a few polite words, Fang Qing saw a matron step forward from the caravan. “This humble woman is Pu Feiling of the Pu family of Yulin. Many thanks to all of you for your rescue.”
After speaking, she bowed gracefully.
She then quickly instructed the physicians to bandage everyone’s wounds, had the corpses cleared away, and ordered the caravan to continue onward.
Everything was handled in an orderly manner.
The Seven Swords of Shu Mountain—no, the Four Swords—were all injured. Under Madam Pu’s warm invitation, they had no choice but to board the carriages to recuperate.
Fang Qing also agreed to escort them to the next city.
…
Several days later.
Night fell, moonlight flowing like water.
Beside the campfire, Li Rulong was accompanying Fang Qing in drinking.
After spending this period together, he was convinced that this “Brother Fang Shui” was indeed a lucky youth ignorant of the ways of the world.
Moreover, he harbored lofty aspirations.
“You want to seek immortality?”
Li Rulong took another sip of wine, his gaze fixed on Fang Qing.
“Of course… My family even has an Immortal Almanac. Immortals must exist;
I just haven’t found them.”
Fang Qing answered honestly.
“I’ve read the Immortal Almanac as well… It’s said that some great aristocratic families even possess secret transmitted versions…”
Longing shone in Li Rulong’s eyes as well.
After all, who did not wish to become an immortal?
“To be frank… the seven of us roamed the martial world with the same desire to seek immortality, yet we never expected…”
Li Rulong trailed off, his expression dimming.
The two drank themselves into a stupor and returned to their respective carriages to rest.
Unbeknownst to them, after Fang Qing lowered the carriage curtain, his expression instantly became crystal clear, a faint smile at the corner of his lips.
He gathered his true power in his ears, and his hearing sharply increased.
In the distance, within another carriage.
Pu Feiling sat cross-legged, with a young girl seated opposite her. The girl had a round face, slightly plump, and looked full and lustrous like a pearl.
“Mother… is that Fang Shui really not a problem?”
The girl spoke with doubt.
“He… should be exactly as he said—a mortal martial artist who swallowed a spirit fruit through sheer luck.”
Pu Feiling’s face showed certainty. “I tested him by reporting the name of the Pu family of Yulin. If he were truly a cultivator, it would be impossible for him not to know the great name of the Purple Palace Immortal Clan. Moreover, over these days I deliberately tested him and found no flaws.”
Hearing this, Fang Qing’s lips twitched slightly.
He truly did not understand cultivation in this world at all. One could only say he had acted naturally, and the probing amounted to nothing…
“So that’s how it is… This time our family suffered disaster. The Seven Swords of Shu Mountain and Fang Shui both exerted effort. We should repay them somewhat…”
After pondering for a moment, the girl said, “Mother, could we?”
“No!”
Pu Feiling’s expression immediately turned grave. “Mother is only from a collateral branch of the Pu family. I married early back then—how much face would I still have in the main family? This time I deliberately changed your surname to Pu precisely to return and acknowledge our ancestors. If you possess aptitude and can cultivate, all spiritual resources must be prepared for you. Do you know how precious the first breath of ‘true qi’ upon entering the Dao is? Even cultivators of the main family must toil for years, even over a decade, gathering qi to obtain a single strand. You can’t even take care of yourself yet, and you still want to help others?”
The girl immediately fell silent.
Then Pu Feiling continued, “Besides… I doubt the Seven Swords of Shu Mountain even possess cultivation aptitude. As for that foolish boy, encountering a fortuitous chance in childhood suggests he may have some fate upon him. It might be worth forming a good karmic connection.”
“Mother means…?”
“We lack the ability to guide someone into the Dao… but giving some pointers is not difficult. Calculating the days, the Floating Boat Market will soon open, and it just happens to be nearby. We can let them go try their luck. As for spiritual resources? We naturally won’t contribute a single item.”
Pu Feiling said with conviction.
Little did the mother and daughter know that their supposedly secret conversation had long since fallen entirely into Fang Qing’s ears.
After hearing everything, he suddenly laughed. “How could sparrows understand the ambition of a swan? And to tempt me with a rotten rat?”
Although there were a few spiritual items within the caravan, none caught Fang Qing’s eye.
No matter how rare they were, how could they compare to smoothly and discreetly integrating into this world’s cultivation sphere?
“The Pu family of Yulin? The Purple Palace… sounds like a major power. Best to avoid it early.”
“That Floating Boat Market, however, sounds like a decent place to go…”
…
Yunying City.
This city lay at the southern end of Ba Commandery. Going further south would leave Ba Commandery’s territory.
The closer Fang Qing got to the city, the more he felt that order was gradually being restored.
Outside the city.
“I’ll escort you only this far.”
He watched as the Pu mother and daughter’s caravan queued to enter the city and directly took his leave.
“Benefactor’s life-saving grace—we are endlessly grateful.”
Pu Feiling bowed together with her daughter. “We mother and daughter will remember this great kindness. Benefactor earlier mentioned seeking immortality? This humble woman happens to know some clues…”
“Oh?”
Hearing this, Li Rulong and the other three swords also grew interested. “We too harbor the aspiration to seek immortality. We ask Madam Pu for guidance.”
“Not far from this city, there is a place called the Floating Boat Market, where it’s said that cultivators conduct business.”
Pu Feiling took out a wooden token.
The token was entirely bright yellow, seemingly carved from wood, with the character “Pu” engraved on its face. “Although the Floating Boat Market is not open to mortals, if you present this token, they should give the Pu family some face.”
“Many thanks, Madam.”
Fang Qing did not stand on ceremony. He took the token and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.
“Many thanks for Madam’s guidance. If we succeed in seeking immortality, we will surely repay this in the future.”
Li Rulong clasped his fists in salute and hurriedly led the Three Swords of Shu Mountain to catch up to Fang Qing.
“I never expected… that Madam Pu, who looks so gentle and weak, would know of immortal opportunities.”
On the road, the youngest, Guo Tianhong, finally could not hold back. “Perhaps when we rescued them back then, she was secretly laughing at us.”
There was clear resentment in her tone.
“Seventh Sister, do not be so rude.”
Li Rulong hurriedly stopped her. “I know the deaths of Third Brother and the others weigh heavily on you, but the dead are already gone…”
The group fell silent and continued onward.
At last, a mountain peak shrouded in thick mist appeared before Fang Qing’s eyes.
“Floating Boat Market… so it refers to the clouds here resembling a floating boat?”
Fang Qing had already converted his true power and was now just a mortal. Gazing at the clouds in the sky, he spoke with emotion.
“I wonder if we can truly become immortals?”
Seeing the long-dreamed-of immortal opportunity right before them, Li Rulong and the others tried their best to remain calm, yet the hearts in their chests were almost leaping out.
“Become immortals… haha, what’s so good about becoming immortals?”
At that moment, an aged voice suddenly came from the side.
Fang Qing looked over and saw a ragged old Daoist strolling over, a mocking expression on his face. “Even if you become immortals, you still have to serve the immortals above like oxen and horses… No, they aren’t even immortals, but fiends! Spreading plagues, killing people to harvest blood and qi… Look at what they’ve turned Ba Commandery into!”
“Spreading plagues? Could he be referring to the Black Moth Sect? And killing people for blood—could that mean those chaotic troops?”
Unlike the utterly shocked Li Rulong and the others, Fang Qing knew some of the truth and immediately made the connections.
Ba Commandery had remained unsettled for so long, with massive population deaths. There was clearly something more beneath the surface.
“The cultivators of Ba Commandery seem to lean more toward… the demonic path?”
Having struggled within the Azure Sea Sect for three years, Fang Qing naturally knew some of the inside story behind the Sea Dragon King’s Birthday.
After all, the missions were all posted in the Administrative Affairs Hall.
He was now only grateful that those who took missions were merely Qi Refining disciples, unable to project divine sense and observe everything minutely.
The overseers on the island back then naturally would not have discovered anything amiss about him.
“And even when the Azure Sea Sect feeds demonic beasts, they only occasionally kill a few mortals and still use the pretext of worshipping the Sea Dragon King to cover it up… How could it compare to this place, where they slaughter entire cities so blatantly?”
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Fang Qing’s mind. Then he heard Li Rulong shout, “Who are you?”
“Haha… The world knows immortals are good, yet only conscience cannot be forgotten. Where are emperors and generals now? Just piles of bones, their graves gone…”
The ragged old Daoist looked at Li Rulong, a hint of pity in his eyes, and walked into the thick mist.
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished without a trace.
“So he was also an immortal.”
Liu Wansu of the Four Swords of Shu Mountain said in surprise. “How could he be so unkempt? Or rather… so unconventional?”
“Perhaps immortals have their own aesthetic.”
Fang Qing remained vigilant. He took out the Pu family token and walked into the thick mist.
Before long, a ceremonial archway appeared before the five of them.
On the archway were written three flamboyant characters: “Floating Boat Market.” Behind it lay shadowy clusters of buildings.
A man in coarse hemp clothing was leaning against the archway, dozing. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Fang Qing and the others. “Mortals? What business do you have coming to my Floating Boat Market?”
“We have come seeking immortal opportunities. We ask the immortal elder to make things convenient.”
Fang Qing stepped forward and handed over the token.
“The Pu family?”
The man’s expression changed. He then said, “Let me make this clear. Although our market does offer immortal opportunities, you are mortals. Even with the Pu family’s face, if you wish to enter, you must still verify assets.”
“That’s no problem. My family is quite wealthy.”
Li Rulong said confidently.
“Not worldly gold and silver,” the hemp-clad man shook his head. “But spiritual assets—that is, spiritual items. Without spiritual items, even if you enter the market you won’t be able to trade. You might as well go back to where you came from…”