Chapter 31: The End of the Celebration
Yunzhong City Market
"It's the last day of the celebration, and there are noticeably fewer people."
"Don't leave the city today. I heard that there's chaos outside, with bloodshed everywhere."
"I heard the same. Zhonghang Sect and Cloud Sword Sect are furious. They both gathered five hundred disciples to patrol outside the city, led by a Nascent Soul Ancestor. But it's not effective at all. They patrol within a twenty-mile radius, while the bandits who kill and loot are operating twenty miles away."
Today, everyone's goods were selling quickly. They gathered together to chat. The beautiful young woman and Zhang Ruifeng were both social butterflies, and they had a wide network of information. They knew a lot of things.
Since the first day of the celebration, there had been constant incidents of killing and looting outside the city. Today was definitely the craziest. Yunzhong City had high prices, and accommodation was not cheap. Cultivators from outside had to hurry back, which had led to a large number of bandits.
These bandits were robbing pedestrians like crazy, not even sparing the disciples from Zhonghang Sect and Cloud Sword Sect who were alone. They had no fear and had angered the two sects. They gathered their elite disciples and expanded the guards' patrol range to twenty miles outside the city.
But it was still useless. The prospect of huge profits had led to countless reckless individuals. They were driven by greed. If you patrolled twenty miles, they would ambush at thirty or forty miles away. The bottom line was that they wanted to rob.
"Several familiar Taoist friends have disappeared from the big market."
The beautiful young woman said that she used to have many "licking dogs" (followers who flatter her), but several of them have disappeared, which made her worried. Without those "licking dogs", her income has decreased sharply.
"Brother Jiang, how much money did you make this time?"
"Not many spirit stones."
"That's a lie! You made the most! In the past half month, you sold at least a few hundred spiritual talismans."
Zhang Ruifeng shook his head. He didn't believe it. He knew that Lin Jiang always arrived late and left early. The spiritual talismans were always sold out. Selling one spiritual talisman earned seven or eight spirit stones, so he must have made thousands of spirit stones at least.
"Not as many as you guys."
Lin Jiang also shook his head. Zhang Ruifeng's words surprised him. How could he forget that these two also knew about his income?
In the past half month, Lin Jiang did sell quite a few spiritual talismans. He had been preparing them since the beginning of the month. He drew about two hundred spiritual talismans in this month and made a profit of about one thousand five hundred spirit stones.
1500 was not a lot in his eyes, but for Zhang Ruifeng and the pretty lady, it was a huge amount. They felt that earning three to five hundred in half a month was already quite a lot.
This was also true for others. The poverty of the lower-level independent cultivators was not just a rumor. They were all very poor. This meant that Lin Jiang was already showing his wealth. These people might not be Lin Jiang's match, but they might have some strong and formidable friends.
"When the lease term for this booth is up, I have to move to another place."
Lin Jiang made up his mind. Yunzhong City had three big markets, and this one was just one of them. He chose this place because it was closest to where he lived. In the future, he could move somewhere farther away, or even rent a shop. Inside the shop, others would not be able to see how much money he was making.
When Zhang Ruifeng mentioned income, the pretty lady also got excited. Her spiritual grass and spiritual talisman weren't worth much, and moreover, she didn't go back home or let her family deliver goods for safety reasons. Following Lin Jiang's suggestion, she switched to the food and beverage business and ended up earning more money than expected.
"Taoist Friend Jiang, thank you for your guidance this time. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to earn so many spirit stones. How about I treat you to a drink tonight?"
"I'm not really fond of drinking. Thanks anyway."
"Nonsense! I've seen you drinking frequently, Taoist Friend Jiang. Are you looking down on me?"
"Um..."
Lin Jiang was sweating. He wasn't rejecting the idea, but he was afraid of trouble. He preferred to solve things with money rather than emotions. If he got involved, it would be troublesome.
"Brother Jiang, please agree. I want to treat you to a meal. I've earned a lot of money thanks to your advice."
"Actually, I was just speaking casually."
"No, we're grateful for your kindness. My parents also want to meet you. You're the first friend I made at the market. Sister, say something too."
"Brother..."
Zhang Ruifang blushed and could only say "brother." This request was too difficult for someone with social anxiety.
Lin Jiang had no choice but to accept the kind invitation. He was afraid of drinking alone with the beautiful young woman. However, if Zhang Ruifeng and others joined, it would be easier. It wouldn't give the woman a chance to take advantage of him, or else he was afraid of losing his reputation.
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"Taoist Friend Jiang, I've been hearing about you from Ruifeng for several years. We never had the opportunity to meet, but I've admired you for a long time."
Two days later, at a restaurant in Yunzhong City, Zhang Ruifeng's father raised a glass to Lin Jiang and said.
Zhang Ruifeng talked a lot and he told his family about the things at the big market. So the Zhang family had always known about Lin Jiang. Of course, the Zhang family's biggest impression of him was that he was good at drawing symbols and had a calm attitude.
"Taoist Friend Jiang, look, I told you, you are quite popular at our big market."
A beautiful young woman beside them also came over with a glass. Lin Jiang sensed something was wrong. Were they trying to get him drunk?
"You're too kind. I'm just a modest cultivator who has been practicing for many years with just a little bit of achievement."
"If you're a modest cultivator, what does that make us?"
"Haha, no need for formalities. Let's eat, so we don't waste any food."
Lin Jiang laughed awkwardly. He realized that he wasn't very good at socializing in this kind of situation. He had been living alone for too long, and it had greatly affected his personality.
The beautiful young woman was comfortable in this kind of setting, and her presence created a relaxed atmosphere. Lin Jiang took the opportunity to look around and noticed that after the festive celebrations ended, the restaurants and inns in Yunzhong City had entered a brief period of decline. It seemed that people had spent too much in the previous half month.
After two hours, Lin Jiang said goodbye to them and walked back home, but he still took many turns. Since he was robbed in his house before, Lin Jiang became more cautious and tried his best not to let others know his address, to avoid being watched.
"Taoist friend Jiang"
"Taoist friend Jiang"
When he arrived at his doorstep, Lin Jiang met his neighbor Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng seemed to be seeing off a friend and greeted Lin Jiang when he saw him.
"Taoist Friend Jiang, are you just coming back?"
"Yes, is Taoist Friend Jiang Feng also seeing off a friend?"
"Yes, these are a few new friends I just met. We are going to have a drink tonight and discuss about cultivation. Taoist Friend Jiang, you must be very busy, we barely see each other throughout the year."
"Taoist Friend Jiang Feng, you are also a very busy person. I haven't seen you many times, but your cultivation has grown rapidly. You are already in the later stage of Qi Refining."
"It's just luck. I have been practicing diligently for many years."
"Everyone is the same."
"Yes."
"Then I won't disturb you."
"Okay, if we have the chance, let's have a drink together. I have many friends and we have formed our own little group. Sometimes we chat and even exchange some items. If Taoist Friend Jiang is interested, you can join us."
"Okay."
Lin Jiang nodded, opened the formation, and then walked into the house.
"Could it be him?"
Sitting on the bed, Lin Jiang recalled Jiang Feng just now. He didn't blame him for suspecting anyone, but this time Lin Jiang was indeed wary. The true mastermind behind the scenes was not found, and it made him restless.
A few years ago, Jiang Feng was still at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. In these past years, he had made progress. It was uncertain what he did, what skills he had, or how much income he had. Most treasure hunters didn't have any profitable expertise and were just scraping by.
However, Jiang Feng does seem somewhat suspicious. He just said that he only sees me a few times a year. Is he always watching me?
Lin Jiang patiently analyzed and, whether it was true or not, Jiang Feng had entered his list of suspects. Now Lin Jiang was suspicious of everyone around him.
They said "You can't judge a person by appearance alone". Many people might look honest on the outside, but inside they had bad intentions. It was inevitable for Lin Jiang to suspect everyone now.
"There's a saying that thieves last a thousand days, but guards must be vigilant every day. Since we can't find them, we should lure them out, like baiting a snake to come out of its hole."
After much hesitation, Lin Jiang decided to take a risk and play the baiting game. He wanted to see who was targeting him.
