Chapter 42: 42. Bizarre Market, Seventh Grade Elixir (Request for Follow-up Reading) At the edge of Shu Land, Celestial Cloud City was just a microcosm. The secret sect envoy from Nanwu Sword Sect, relying on good relationships with various forces, was searching everywhere for the exiled disciples of the Puppet Palace, and upon encounter... kill them! However, none of this mattered to Song Yan anymore. He had completely disappeared into the Jianghu, with no one able to know his true identity and power. After more than half a year, Hua Linglong began dispatching disciples to search for traces of cultivators around because she "admired cultivators’ flying swords after witnessing them," hoping to establish some "trading" channels with them. At the same time, the Ghostly Cyan Robe Tower started proactively gathering information about external matters such as the major tides of the Three Kingdoms. And all this was what Song Yan needed. Hua Linglong was indeed doing this for Song Yan. This woman had quite the tactics, deploying her forces, extending Ghostly Cyan Robe Tower’s reach in all directions. If Song Yan controlled her using the "Ghost Slayer Soul Revival Technique," she would become an utterly irrational madwoman, only knowing how to execute "kill, kill, kill" orders. If Song Yan continued to control her using "Fanatic Fans," then once the medicine’s effect wore off, the only outcome would be "Song Yan killing her to prevent future troubles, and at the same time leaving traces of a false death to avoid others finding out." Of course, there are no lack of clever people in Jianghu, and the actions of a "Crowned Queen" who consumed "Fanatic Fans" would reveal flaws, thus being noticed by others, bringing endless unpredictable variables. Now, it was the best ending. ... ... This search lasted for over a year. The winter snow fluttered down once more. In a certain courtyard, "Four Sparrows" was cooking lamb soup, competing to deliver it to "Teacher Hua." Soon, warm lamb soup was placed in front of Song Yan. At South Bamboo Peak, consuming a Fasting Pill daily gradually became tiresome, while the wine and meat of the mortal world were more to his liking. He lifted a bowl and drank, casually instructing the martial arts of the "Four Sparrows." It was at this moment that Hua Linglong entered from outside, glanced around, and surprisingly dismissed the "Four Sparrows" with a wave. Watching the man sipping lamb soup, she said, "The Independent Cultivator Market has been found." Song Yan drank the lamb soup to the bottom, then put it down and asked, "Where is it?" Hua Linglong replied, "I’ve already sent someone to attempt trade. If things are stable, you can go there later. Since that market can trade with the old man from Cold Water Manor, why shouldn’t it trade with us?" Song Yan chuckled, "You certainly are thorough." Hua Linglong sat across from him, somewhat entranced by his empty bowl, suddenly saying, "It’s getting late, and the snow is falling so heavily." Song Yan said, "Then I should be going." Hua Linglong shouted, "Bai Que, close the door!" The door was soon closed. Hua Linglong looked at him, eyes filled with gentle waters, "You should know I’m a woman, and I have only one man, and will only ever have one man — you. After seeing you, others cannot catch my eye." Beneath the stone table, she lifted her embroidered shoe, lightly yet boldly nudging Song Yan... Song Yan didn’t care whether her words were true or false, because it didn’t matter. He was a psychologically normal and healthy man, and being teased, he directly stood up and carried Hua Linglong horizontally, turning into the house. In the cold winter, warmth began to rise. ... ... After several months of testing, that market indeed had no issues. Song Yan had not yet arrived, but he had already roughly grasped the situation over there. In the spring, he slightly disguised himself, adding some white hair, and went to the market. After slightly demonstrating his power and expressing his identity as a loose cultivator, he skillfully secured an identity card and entered. Unlike the low-level market beneath South Bamboo Peak, there were no Jade Tokens to earn contribution points here. The stall owners sat meditatively in their stalls, but they were not cultivators, just ordinary people with relatively strong physiques. Ghostly Cyan Robe Tower had already sorted it out clearly for him. These people were all "stall watchers," and their identities were either servants or family members of loose cultivators. It was precisely because of this that this market could conduct transactions with ordinary people outside. This was clearly a "gathering place for loose cultivators with families." Since they had families, the danger level was evidently not as high as "Qingxi Market," which was why Song Yan dared to come here alone. This was the advantage of having influence; there was no need for personal risk to explore, as someone would naturally do all the preliminary work for you. He didn’t need to scour the goods here to know what was sold. There were more herbs, elixirs, and prescriptions, while talismans, mechanisms, and even shadow puppets were surprisingly available here. Why? This was something that Ghostly Cyan Robe Tower’s spies couldn’t find out. But it certainly wasn’t because there was some divine treasure land nearby, otherwise, the Ghostly Cyan Robe Tower would have unearthed it long ago. Walking along, Song Yan stopped at a stall filled with bottles and jars because he saw the words "Flame Marrow Pill" on a bottle towards the inside. His pupils slightly contracted, as he looked up, seeing a young girl still wearing a cotton coat, dozing off as if she had no fear of someone stealing her stuff and running away. Seemingly sensing someone had stopped, the young girl opened her eyes and said, "What do you want to buy?" Song Yan pointed at the bottle of "Flame Marrow Pill" and asked, "Excuse me, miss, who refined this elixir?" The young girl said, "Why do you care so much?" Song Yan said, "I need a better elixir." The young girl was stunned, asking, "You need it?" Song Yan nodded. The little girl quickly stood up, heading towards the back room while shouting, "Daddy, daddy, a Great Cultivator who wants a custom-made elixir is here!" Song Yan: ... A moment later, a keen-eyed middle-aged man strode out, glanced at Song Yan, and smiled politely, "What are you looking for?" Song Yan said, "An elixir for Breaking through the seventh Realm of Refining Profound." The middle-aged man scratched his head as if pondering and asked after a while, "What will you exchange for it? Gold and silver are not acceptable; if it’s Profound Jade, it would require a lot." Song Yan was startled, a feeling of wild joy rising in his heart. He glanced at the other party and noticed the little girl leaning curiously against the middle-aged man, watching him. So he said, "Shadow Puppet." The middle-aged man said, "Shadow Puppets are good, but I don’t need low-level ones. What tier do you have?" Song Yan said, "Intermediate Demon Beast, Illusionary Body Raven." This was the best thing he could offer. Although the Illusionary Body Raven’s shadow puppet was also excellent, compared to the elixir that could help him break through his Realm, it was insignificant. "Illusionary Body Raven?" The middle-aged man was taken aback, then said, "That’s acceptable." Song Yan said, "Then let’s make the exchange." The family’s presence there surely increased the "seller’s credibility." The middle-aged man said, "I need to inform you first. The elixir for breaking through the sixth layer of Refining Profound is called ’Refining Organ Pill,’ but I’m not sure you can use it because it might be very old." "What does that mean?" "Do you want it?" "Let me smell it." "Just a sniff." The middle-aged man handed it over, Song Yan took it, inhaled slightly, and silently recited, "Invest one month’s lifespan, use a wisp of breath as a catalyst, cultivate the ’Profound Qi Guiding Technique’." After a moment, he opened his eyes, reached into his backpack, then took the Illusionary Body Raven’s shadow puppet from the Storage Ring, saying, "It’s a deal." The middle-aged man took the shadow puppet and inspected it carefully, saying, "Deal." After speaking, he looked at Song Yan with a much more amiable expression and started to promote other items. Song Yan seized the opportunity and asked, "Fellow Daoist, when I entered here, I felt a lot of Profound Qi. Is there a Profound Vein here?" The middle-aged man smiled, "If there were a Profound Vein, we would have established a sect long ago." He shook his head, saying, "There’s no Profound Vein here, only a huge demon snake corpse. Even after the demon snake died, it still emits Profound Qi. We sensed it and came here... We don’t even know why such large demon corpses suddenly appear in these areas. The snake corpse emits quite a bit of Profound Qi, enough for us to cultivate for thirty or forty years. After thirty or forty years, we’ll have to look for new demon corpses again." Song Yan’s expression slightly tensed. He suddenly understood the reason for the market’s "mobility." Decades ago, this market must have been on another demon corpse. That demon corpse’s Profound Qi was depleted, so they sought another one. But the problem is, why are there so many large demon corpses at the edge of the Land of No Profound in the Shu Land? Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and asked, "Fellow Daoist, is it safe here? I see potential here and am considering settling down." The middle-aged man became more enthusiastic, thumping his chest, "Of course it’s safe, feel free to settle. Many here were like you, intruding boldly to trade and then gathering their families here. Coming here has another benefit as well." It seems this "benefit" is not a secret. The middle-aged man said directly, "Once every ten years, a place called Demon Swamp opens, and we Independent Cultivators of the market team up for exploration. It seems many cultivators died in the Demon Swamp, leaving many items scattered outside... The ’Refining Organ Pill’ you got was what I found in the enchantment." "Demon Swamp, enchantment?" "Yes, funny enough, the enchantment always opens near our market. It’s this enchantment that attracts many Loose Cultivators. I was attracted here back then." "So... is it dangerous inside?" "There are opportunities, but of course there’s danger." The middle-aged man pointed to the vast market, "Every ten years, some people are missing, but new people join because even mortals can enter, and if they find an opportunity, they might become cultivators." Seeing Song Yan’s expression, the middle-aged man laughed, "But as long as you don’t enter the Demon Swamp, it’s very safe here. Everyone is here for the opportunities in the Demon Swamp, then run their own business based on their skills. The next opening time of the Demon Swamp is three months later... How about it, do you want to join us?" Song Yan inwardly rejected it but said, "I’ll think about it." His gaze suddenly fixed on a spot, a cracked ground he hadn’t noticed before; a closer look revealed strange patterns in the deep darkness. The patterns were those on snake skin, but for some reason, they inexplicably "expanded," appearing violently torn, like an overinflated balloon bursting. This was contrary to common sense. Corpse decomposes and shrinks, but it was his first time seeing a "corpse expanding after death." The escaping Profound Qi carried a strong, indescribable vitality, causing the corpse not to decay; its texture couldn’t withstand that vitality, leading to exaggerated expansion and tearing. For some reason, perhaps due to Song Yan’s limited experience. Upon sensing "strong vitality," he instantly thought of the "Multi-tailed Dragon Bo Demonic Fox" bloodline in Princess Consort’s body... He remained calm, saluted the middle-aged Loose Cultivator, and swiftly left with the ’Refining Organ Pill.’