Youth Must Be Seized Early; How Could One Remain Young Forever? Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Four Conspire

The Immortal-Wind Condor streaked across the sky with a blur of afterimage, carrying four people on its back. They were none other than Bai Qingzhou and his companions.

“Ah, I need to buy a storage pouch too!” Ruan Xiuqi’s annoyed voice rang out.

He was burdened with bundle after bundle, making him look more like a mortal traveler on a long journey than an immortal cultivator with transcendent grace.

In sharp contrast stood Bai Qingzhou. With a storage pouch, all his belongings were tucked away in a mysterious space. Hands clasped behind his back, a clean and handsome face, and a pristine white dao robe billowing in the wind, he carried himself with an easy, elegant air.

Beside him stood the stunning Zhang Zhiyan. The two of them together made a striking pair, graceful and handsome, like a couple of immortals.

“Storage pouches aren’t cheap,” Bai Qingzhou said after a moment’s thought. “Whenever I see them sold at the market, they usually cost at least sixty low-grade spirit stones. Some even go up into the hundreds.”

“They’re priced differently?” Ruan Xiuqi asked curiously. “So storage pouches have different quality grades?”

Bai Qingzhou had spent years frequenting the market and knew the prices by heart. He answered at once, “Of course. They’re definitely graded by quality, but unlike other magical implements, they aren’t divided into the usual Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow ranks. Instead, they’re priced according to the pouch’s internal space. The larger the space, the more expensive it is.”

“What size is yours, Brother Bai?”

Bai Qingzhou took out his storage pouch and said with a sigh, “Mine has a three-unit capacity, the same as Senior Sister Yao Ting’s.”

“And how much does that cost?”

“Usually around eighty spirit stones.”

“Then that’s fine. The price is acceptable.” Ruan Xiuqi smiled with relief and went on, “I’ll buy one when I go to the market.”

Ruan Xiuqi was rather well off now, since he had also received several hundred spirit stones when the spoils were divided. Though eighty low-grade spirit stones was no small sum, he could still afford it at the moment.

“Then I’ll go with you to buy one later,” Bai Qingzhou said.

“Sure. No problem!” Ruan Xiuqi grinned brightly.

“Qingzhou...” Zhang Zhiyan, who stood nearby, suddenly spoke.

“Hm?” Bai Qingzhou turned. “Senior Sister, what is it?”

“Is this the fellow daoist who came to notify you?” Zhang Zhiyan asked, pointing at Luo Zhi, who was seated beside them.

“Yes,” Bai Qingzhou replied. “His name is Luo Zhi.”

Seeing the two of them address him, Luo Zhi stood up and cupped his hands. “May I ask what instructions Daoist Zhang has for me?”

“It’s nothing much. I just wanted to ask...” Zhang Zhiyan said curiously. “Why would that Yu Hou dare to return to Luogu Market?”

“I’m not sure.” Luo Zhi paused, then continued, “But I suspect it may have something to do with another Golden Core cultivator emerging in the Yu family.”

“Another Golden Core cultivator in the Yu family?” His words immediately drew the attention of the three others.

They had never heard of such a thing in the sect.

“Yes. The news spread very quickly. It has been all over the market these past few days, so it must be true,” Luo Zhi said.

Bai Qingzhou and Zhang Zhiyan exchanged a glance. This was entirely outside their expectations.

Zhang Zhiyan said in a low voice, “That may well be why he dares to return so openly.”

Bai Qingzhou nodded lightly, his expression unchanged, and then urged the Immortal-Wind Condor to surge forward.

After nearly an hour, the four of them arrived at the familiar Luogu Market.

Bai Qingzhou skillfully brought the magical beast down at the market entrance, and the others leaped off.

“Then let’s go find Elder Chen first,” Zhang Zhiyan suggested.

“Just so,” Bai Qingzhou replied.

The four of them headed toward the butcher shop.

Soon, Bai Qingzhou and the others saw a scene so absurd it was almost laughable.

Chen Li, who was usually stern-faced in the sect and famous for his harsh discipline, was now holding a cleaver in his right hand and a lump of meat in his left, wearing a fawning smile as he chatted amiably with a customer.

This was a world apart from his usual severe image.

Ruan Xiuqi, who had often been punished by him before, burst out laughing at the sight and hurried toward the shop.

“Elder Chen, long time no see!” Ruan Xiuqi called out with a shameless grin.

Hearing that familiar voice, Chen Li’s hand paused. He looked up toward the sound, and when he saw who it was, embarrassment immediately colored his face.

He at once set down the cleaver and the slab of meat, his smiling expression vanishing into sternness. With his hands folded behind his back, he looked coolly at Ruan Xiuqi, who was running over.

The customer who was buying meat was dumbfounded. He stared at the shopkeeper, who had just been all smiles a moment ago and seemed to have become a completely different person.

“Hey! What are you doing? Weigh the meat!” the customer shouted in confusion.

“Elder Chen, you’ve had a hard time of it!” Ruan Xiuqi walked into the shop, slapped Chen Li on the shoulder with a grin, and laughed loudly.

He showed no concern for rank or seniority at all.

Chen Li, however, was used to Ruan Xiuqi’s behavior. He slapped the hand away, then said to the person behind him, “Luo Zhi, you handle the sale!”

“Yes!” Luo Zhi immediately agreed and stepped behind the counter to greet the customers.

“Come with me.” Chen Li clasped his hands behind his back and headed toward the rear courtyard.

Bai Qingzhou and Zhang Zhiyan exchanged a smile and followed after him.

“Hahaha, Elder Chen, I never noticed you had this side to you. This is the first time I’ve seen you smile so happily!” Ruan Xiuqi said, sticking close to Chen Li as he laughed.

“Too noisy!” Chen Li said with a light reprimand.

“Heh heh, it’s just too rare!” Ruan Xiuqi was not the least bit afraid. He kept laughing with great amusement.

When they reached the stone table in the rear courtyard, everyone sat down on either side.

“Ahem.” Chen Li coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment, then said solemnly, “Since you’ve come at this hour, I suppose Luo Zhi has already told you everything.”

“Yes,” Bai Qingzhou said directly. “As soon as we heard, we rushed over. Elder Chen, where is that Yu Hou now?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already sent an itinerant cultivator to keep watch on him. These past few days he hasn’t left the market at all, so he likely still hasn’t gone out, either.” Chen Li spoke calmly.

Zhang Zhiyan asked, “Then where should we look for him?”

“After he falls asleep, that itinerant cultivator will come report back to me. By tonight, we should know his location.”

At that, Bai Qingzhou slowly clenched his fist.

Ruan Xiuqi cut in, “But how are we supposed to make a move? If I remember correctly, fighting in the market is usually forbidden. That rule was set by us ourselves. We can’t be the ones to break it...”

“Yes, what Ruan Xiuqi says makes sense. Acting directly would indeed cause trouble...” Bai Qingzhou said with some concern.

The rule forbidding fighting in the market had been set by the entire Unbounded Alliance, and there was even a Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed there. If they openly broke that rule in front of a Foundation Establishment expert, it would be far too disrespectful to the Unbounded Sect.

“It’s nothing,” Chen Li said slowly. “Have you forgotten something?”