Although Li Ye had sensed someone approaching and immediately packed up his belongings to leave without delay…
The incident of Quan Chaoliang engaging in combat outside soon spread.
After all, the telltale signs of the Peach Blossom Miasma were far too distinctive. As long as any traces remained at the site of the battle, it wasn't difficult at all to deduce what had happened.
As for the result, those who spread the news concluded that Quan Chaoliang had been killed on the spot, seemingly without even putting up much resistance before being swiftly slain.
Judging by the timing, it happened right after Li Ye's confrontation with him and subsequent disappearance from the marketplace.
Originally, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who happened to stumble upon the scene had planned to leave the Chidi Mountains early.
But when even someone as well-known as Quan Chaoliang who wielded a low-grade spiritual artifact like the Peach Blossom Fan ended up dead, the situation suddenly seemed far too dangerous.
That cultivator was so frightened he immediately turned back to Sanhui Market, deciding to stay a few more days and perhaps find one or two trustworthy companions before attempting to leave again.
It was during this time that news of Quan Chaoliang's death began to spread.
This only deepened everyone's apprehension toward Li Ye.
If Li Ye had used the marketplace's protective formation to deal with Quan Chaoliang, it would have made sense to them.
But to kill him out in the wild in direct pursuit… in their eyes, this elevated Li Ye to a far more mysterious and unpredictable figure!
Where they had once seen him merely as a cultivator worth befriending for his alchemy skills, or cautiously respected for his mastery of formations…
Now, those who had assumed Li Ye was just a newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator a wealthy sheep ripe for the slaughter if not protected by a grand array were forced to rethink their assumptions.
They instinctively adjusted their attitude, no longer daring to underestimate Li Ye in the slightest…
After all, this was someone with both power and wealth and perhaps even the potential to cultivate steadily into the later stages of Foundation Establishment or possibly even attempt Core Formation in the future!
As for the cultivator who had brought back the news he was now left speechless.
Li Ye had taken great care to conceal his actions when going after Quan Chaoliang, so he must have had his reasons.
But by exposing the event, that cultivator had inadvertently revealed everything…
Hadn't he just thoroughly offended Li Ye without meaning to?
.....
"I merely saw that Quan Chaoliang was acting out of line daring to ambush a fellow cultivator right after an auction. I was angered by his behavior and gave chase. Who would've thought I'd accidentally kill him in the heat of the moment…"
"Fellow Daoist Bi, you only happened to witness it by chance and had no ill intentions. There's no need to take it to heart."
"For ridding the world of such a villain, Fellow Daoist Li, you have my genuine admiration!"
Bi Xifeng nodded repeatedly, but as his eyes swept over the Peach Blossom Fan in Li Ye's hands, he still felt a chill run down his spine.
Li Ye chuckled heartily, then shifted the topic:
"If you happen to come across any unused legacy techniques or pill formulas, Fellow Daoist Bi, don't hesitate to bring them to me…"
"I'll make sure to offer you a price you'll be satisfied with."
"If I come across anything, I'll keep you in mind, Fellow Daoist Li!"
Hearing that, Bi Xifeng finally felt some relief and promptly made his promise.
If he had something decent to offer, he probably would've handed it over on the spot just to stay on Li Ye's good side.
Since there were no actual goods exchanged, their conversation remained light. After a brief chat and getting a bit more familiar, Bi Xifeng having finally put his nerves at ease tactfully took his leave.
Seeing him off, Li Ye still had a faint smile lingering on his face.
Over the past few days, he had completely dropped his old habit of turning visitors away and instead sent out invitations to the Foundation Establishment cultivators who hadn't yet left, inviting them to a small banquet atop Pingyang Mountain.
Most of these cultivators weren't lone wanderers. They came from clans or sects within the three neighboring countries near the Chidi Mountains.
Establishing steady ties with them would bring Li Ye significant advantages on many fronts.
And after that gathering, many cultivators came to visit again before finally leaving.
Most of them wanted to deepen relations and make it easier to commission Li Ye for alchemy in the future, and a few private transactions were made as well.
Bi Xifeng, however, had been the only one who came more out of a guilty conscience than anything else.
Walking back along the mountain path, Li Ye absentmindedly fiddled with the Peach Blossom Fan in his hand, his eyes flickering with a hint of curiosity.
"Turns out Quan Chaoliang's cultivation technique the Peach Blossom Manual was also a wood-attribute art. Though it's full of dual cultivation and essence-harvesting methods, obviously not orthodox…"
"But the content is surprisingly complete. It even allows for cultivation to the late Core Formation stage, with a bit of Nascent Soul insight sprinkled in. That's pretty insane…"
"If I hadn't already gotten my hands on the Qingyuan Art, I might've been tempted by this thing."
Even the Peach Blossom Fan he now held was a replica of the lifebound artifact described in the Peach Blossom Manual.
The fan was used to store the miasma harvested during dual cultivation at the Foundation stage, intended as material for refining the actual lifebound treasure later on in an efficient, full-circle design with no waste.
But now that it had ended up in Li Ye's hands, it was reduced to just another tool in his arsenal.
As his thoughts wandered, Li Ye's gaze swept over the tender new sprouts emerging along the mountainside, and a smile of genuine delight spread across his face.
These were the Qingluo Grass he had recently planted. Though he didn't have enough seeds to cover the entire summit, they were starting to dot various spots here and there.
And after just a few days, they were already beginning to slightly harmonize the spiritual energy in the area… even if the effect was still quite faint.
"This grass is quite different from other spirit plants…" Li Ye mused silently.
Although it was a second-grade spiritual plant, perhaps due to its fragile nature, it looked no different from regular grass except for the faint crystalline sheen on its leaves. Each plant only gave him a measly 0.1 experience point.
Counting both times Deng Tiancheng had bid on pills and gifted his seeds, he had received about a jin's worth enough to plant around 10,000 stalks.
The experience points were pitiful, and Li Ye even wondered if this stuff was potent enough to return meaningful spiritual feedback.
Still, he wasn't discouraged.
He'd let it grow freely. Even if it only covered part of the mountain peak, the sheer scale would be impressive.
And when the time came, the accumulated experience could well turn out to be a delightful surprise!
Back atop the mountain, Li Ye headed straight to his spirit fields.
All three mu of land had now been fully cultivated, and scattered seedlings of Jade Cluster Fruit and Blood Amber Flower had already been planted.
The former was the main ingredient for the Wood Vitality Pill, a pill well-suited to Li Ye's current stage, and he had planted it across two mu.
The Jade Cluster Fruit looked like grapes. Each mu could hold about 500 plants, and its ripened fruits glistened like jade and gave off a faint bamboo aroma.
Thanks to the auction, Li Ye had gathered 100 plants already. With the rich spiritual energy and soil vitality of the fields, he would soon be able to propagate and fill the plots.
The remaining mu was used for the Blood Amber Flower, a key ingredient in the Blood Essence Pill recorded in the Myriad Beast Body Scripture, which was used to enhance and balance physical vitality.
That plot could hold 1,000 plants, but Li Ye had only gathered a bit over 100 so far. It would take time to cultivate enough to fill the field.
"It's been nearly a year since reaching Foundation Establishment… and I'm finally getting back on track," Li Ye murmured, a sense of fulfillment flashing in his eyes as he looked at the scattered spirit plants in the field.
"And besides this place, I shouldn't let the two mu of second-grade spirit fields from that damaged spiritual vein on Dengjin Mountain go to waste either…"
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