Youth must be seized while one still has it; one cannot remain a youngster forever. Chapter 102: The Lizhou Langya List

After the things left behind by Yu Hou were split quickly and simply, everyone went their separate ways.

Zhang Zhiyan and Chen Li kept going west, returning to Xuanyang Gate.
Bai Qingzhou, Ruan Xiqi, and Luo Zhi, however, retraced their steps back to Luogu Ward.

From that moment on, Bai Qingzhou formally took over from Chen Li the management rights to the beast-meat shop and assumed full authority over the three stores of Xuanyang Gate.

“Xiqi, tomorrow I’ll take you to meet Steward Zheng Sizhong of the Shennong Assembly. After that, you will be in charge of the herb trade here in the gate.”
“Alright! No problem,” Ruan Xiqi replied promptly.
“Also, you should study the exact procedures of running a shop with Old Luo so that you can manage more easily later.”

Ruan Xiqi looked up. “Does that mean I’ll be managing the Luogu Ward shops from now on?”
Bai Qingzhou nodded faintly. “Yes. From now on, you and Old Luo handle this beast-meat shop together.”
“What about you, Bai-brother?”

Bai Qingzhou gazed into the distance and said in a calm voice, “The sect master has ordered me to turn the herb shop in Shuiying Ward into a beast-meat shop, and also to take over the shop in Huoying Ward. I need to make a trip to those two markets. I may have no time to attend to Luogu Ward, so you may have to take extra care of things.”

“Fine,” Ruan Xiqi nodded. Then he patted his chest and said confidently, “You can leave it to me, Bai-brother. There won’t be any problem with the store.”
“Right. Master, just rest easy,” Luo Zhi added.

“That is expected,” Bai Qingzhou said softly.

Soon, before they had spoken further, the three had returned to Luogu Ward.
They put away their talismans and stepped shoulder to shoulder into the market.

“Xiqi, there’s only one room in the shop. Tonight you can rest there and get acquainted with the place first.”
“What about you then?” Ruan Xiqi asked casually.
“I’ll stay somewhere here tonight,” Bai Qingzhou said, nodding toward a building nearby.
“The Bu’er Inn? I remember Brother Xie saying it was quite expensive back then.”

Bai Qingzhou laughed softly. “No matter. It probably won’t be that expensive.”

When they first came to Luogu Ward, Brother Xie had once introduced this inn to them. It was said to even have a silent chamber suitable for a Foundation Establishment breakthrough, and the price was not cheap.
Yet Bai Qingzhou had never stepped inside during his many visits, and today, having the chance, he wanted to see it for himself.

As they spoke, the three reached the inn’s entrance.
“Then I’ll leave now with Old Luo.”
“Go ahead.”
They split up, and Bai Qingzhou entered the inn alone.

Inside the Inn

The decor was antique and steeped in old-world charm, and the overall design exuded elegant refinement. The atmosphere carried abundant spiritual energy, as if one had stepped into sacred terrain itself. In the main hall there were no ordinary dining tables or chairs, only a long counter, behind which stood a young cultivator.

“Friend, are you looking to stay?” the young cultivator asked first.
“Yes,” Bai Qingzhou stepped forward. “What’s the price?”

“At minimum, fifty taels of gold for six hours.”
“Is fifty taels the lowest tier of room?” he asked.
“That’s correct.”

Bai Qingzhou nodded lightly, and in his heart he could not help but sigh—Bu’er Inn was indeed as expensive as Brother Xie had said.
Fifty taels of gold amounted to half a spirit stone. In this market, a small courtyard could be rented for only one low-grade spirit stone and last a month; in poorer districts, one could even stay three months for that.
But here, half a spirit stone bought only one night.

Bai Qingzhou was not startled. He knew sleeping at Bu’er Inn was a secondary concern. Its true draw was the inn’s excellent acceleration array: meditating and resting here could not only speed up one’s cultivation, it also relieved bodily fatigue. For many cultivators, that was a long-desired gift.

“Are there other rates?” Bai Qingzhou asked again.
The young cultivator pointed to a small board behind him. “We have four room grades, A through D: fifty taels, one spirit stone, two spirit stones, and five spirit stones. We also have a Foundation Establishment chamber, ten spirit stones a day. Which one would you like?”
“I’ll take the one priced at one spirit stone.”

“Very well, one B-grade room!”

With a female cultivator as guide, Bai Qingzhou entered. He looked around and found the room’s styling unusually distinctive.
In the center of the open floor area, a glowing array was etched into the ground. Beside it stood a barrel of clear water. Various foods were laid out on a table. Shelves lined both sides with books, and in a corner stood a soft, plush bed.

“Friend, this is the Mid-Tier Respiration Array,” she explained. Seeing that this was his first visit, she carefully introduced each thing in turn. “If you sit in meditation here, your progress will quicken. You can try it later. This barrel holds a special infusion prepared by our inn. It contains many precious herbs and is recommended after training—soaking in it relieves fatigue and loosens the body. There are also some spirit-fruit guides and other books. Feel free to read or eat as you wish.”
“Thank you,” Bai Qingzhou said.

“Also, there is a hidden panel above the table stand. Press it whenever you need to call us.”
“Understood. Thanks for your trouble.”

The female cultivator took her leave.
Bai Qingzhou closed the door.

As he did, he noticed the door too had a small engraved array. It seemed to provide sound-sensing insulation and similar functions, likely to prevent one from being watched or disturbed while meditating.

He looked around the room, east and west, and for a while felt a quiet wonder.
He picked up a fruit from the table and took a casual bite.
Its flesh was sweet and juicy, and there was a faint trace of spiritual energy in it. It was indeed a spirit fruit.

Bai Qingzhou ate one bite after another as he moved to the shelves at either side.
“Hm,” he murmured. He saw a familiar booklet, picked it up with one hand, and saw five bold characters on the top:

The Lizhou Langya Register.

On the back, the date was current.

He sat by the table and began reading.
The Lizhou Langya Register was issued every two years and recorded every aspect of the cultivation world of Lizhou.

Not long after opening it, he noticed a headline.

“An Alliance Clash Breaks Out in Linjiang Prefecture: Wuji Alliance Confronts Longhu Mountain; Wuji Alliance Wins at Last!”

For hundreds of words afterward it described the origins of the fight, the course of the battle, and the final turn: Wuji’s hidden Golden Core cultivator ambushing at a crucial moment and securing victory.

But one line made Bai Qingzhou feel unsettled at once:
“Wuji initiated this war on the claim that Longhu Mountain had murdered Li Yuyun…”

He sighed, then turned to the Lizhou Talents List.
As expected, Li Yuyun’s name had already vanished from the list.

“Hmm...” Ruan Xiqi shook his head helplessly.

A genius of a generation had fallen, and yet it passed so quietly, so fluidly.
He studied the list carefully. It was largely unchanged from before, except that the first place from that year—reckless genius Huo Hao—had vanished, replaced by a woman named Liu Qingyan.

“Since no obituary of Huo Hao appeared in Lizhou’s headlines, he must have become a Golden Core cultivator by now,” Bai Qingzhou thought.

The Lizhou Talents List recorded only Qi-faculty and Foundation Establishment cultivators. Once someone reached Golden Core, one was automatically removed from this list.
“A Golden Core cultivator in his twenties…” he murmured.

He turned the next page, and his brows knit at once when he saw what was written there:

The Lizhou Beauty List.
Fifth place.
Zhang Zhiyan.

End of chapter.