Chapter 67: Preparing in Advance

There is nothing new under the sun.

In such circumstances, it was difficult for He Song not to let his thoughts wander. What sort of cultivator would be labeled as notorious? Who decides? Who enforces? Perhaps only those law enforcers dispatched from Immortal City possess such authority. Yet, who can guarantee that these law enforcers from Immortal City, wielding such power, would not be tempted by wealth, slay the innocent for merit, or seize the chance to plunder resources for their own gain?

One must realize: those sent from Immortal City hold tremendous power, and their cultivation is likely formidable. Should they set their minds to something, the outer-dwelling cultivators of the Immortal Market would be hard-pressed to resist. At that point...

He Song’s expression darkened; a cold sweat sprang up on his back. If such circumstances came to pass, would the wealthy cultivators of the market, those without powerful connections, or even himself, also fall under the title of “notorious”? With authority in hand, these law enforcers could decide matters with a single word; who is notorious and who is not depends entirely on their whims. Seizing this opportunity to scrape together resources for themselves is hardly out of the question.

He glanced at Zhao Lin beside him. After some thought, He Song decided to offer a warning.

“Friend, if it comes to that, who do you think will become one of those ‘notorious’ cultivators?”

His voice was low and distant, but He Song’s mind was already made up: he would leave the Immortal Market at once and return only after the law enforcers from Immortal City had gone.

Now, He Song possessed two major formations and had studied several protective spells. Aside from his lack of magical tools and a few talismans, with his cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, as long as he remained cautious on the road—or hid within a maze formation—he would be safe enough.

There was no need to repeat the fearful hiding of the last great catastrophe, when, lacking power and unwilling to relinquish the comforts of the Immortal Market, he had no choice but to take refuge in a friend’s home and leave his fate to the heavens.

While quietly planning his escape, He Song’s face betrayed nothing.

Yet, with He Song’s subtle warning, Zhao Lin finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

“Friend, you mean...” Zhao Lin’s expression shifted in an instant—from surprise, to contemplation, to one of dawning terror.

When Meng Guan had advised He Song to cultivate ties with Zhao Lin, he had mentioned that Zhao Lin was a cautious man, quite similar in temperament to He Song himself. Precisely because of this caution, Zhao Lin understood He Song’s implication at once.

Indeed! When the time comes...

Who, then, will be labeled as “notorious”? It could be a wealthy rogue cultivator, an actual villain, or simply anyone the law enforcers dislike or find profitable to kill. In this way, they could cleanse the market of undesirables while fattening their own pockets with their hard-won authority. What member of the law enforcement team from Immortal City could resist such temptation?

Zhao Lin, being a talisman master, was naturally well-off. If anything were to happen, he would be the primary target.

Having realized this, Zhao Lin’s previously cheerful demeanor quickly turned grave. Before He Song’s warning, he had still been imagining that the atmosphere in the Immortal Market would soon improve, oblivious to the looming danger.

Only now, as the implications sank in, did he react.

“Friend, I’ll be leaving the Immortal Market soon to travel afar. If you have trustworthy contacts, could you entrust my spirit fields to them? I’m willing to pay thirty spirit stones as compensation.”

Seeing Zhao Lin’s sudden change of expression, He Song cupped his hands and replied at the perfect moment.

Run! He had to run! Now! Immediately!

He Song had no intention of returning to this cursed place until the law enforcers from Immortal City had left. If he stayed, who could say whether the enforcers’ blades would be swifter than his own connections were solid? Better to turn and go than to live in constant fear.

As long as someone managed his spirit fields, his status as a spirit farmer would not be revoked. He could simply return after the law enforcers had departed. Life would go on as before.

“Thank you for your warning, my friend. Rest assured, I’ll see to the spirit fields myself. I’ll take my leave now.” Zhao Lin bowed deeply to He Song, then hurried out, as if afraid that if he lingered another moment, he would not be able to escape at all.

Within the room, watching Zhao Lin dash away, He Song shut the door behind him.

He entered his meditation chamber and began to form hand seals to cast a spell.

In an instant, streaks of light shot from various corners of the chamber, gathering in He Song’s hands.

When the light faded, fourteen formation bases had appeared in He Song’s grasp—five for the Spirit Gathering Formation, nine for the Maze Formation. With all fourteen formation bases in hand, He Song could arrange both formations elsewhere. Though it would take ten days to restore them to peak efficiency, the urgency of the situation left him no time to worry about that.

He stored all the formation bases in his pouch, then began to gather his other belongings. Since his storage pouch was small, he could only carry valuables—teaware, tea leaves, spirit rice, and the like.

When the pouch was packed to bursting, a thin sheet of paper appeared in He Song’s hand.

“Brother Wei, I have learned that law enforcers from Immortal City are about to descend upon the market to purge it of ‘notorious’ cultivators. Yet what constitutes notoriety is decided by their word alone. This is no small matter. I plan to leave the market for now and return once the enforcers are gone. I hope you will prepare accordingly. He Song.”

With a wave of spiritual power, the paper turned into a messenger crane and soared into the sky.

He Song, meanwhile, stepped out the door.

The sun was at its zenith, blazing overhead. The scorching sunlight poured over He Song, yet it brought him no warmth. On the contrary, the suspicions swirling in his mind sent chills straight to his heart.

This was a matter of great consequence. If his suspicions were nothing but paranoia, all would be well—the upper ranks of the market would surely restrain the enforcers from Immortal City. But if events unfolded as he feared...

He Song shook his head, casting aside the creeping dread.

He was already gone; whatever happened in the Immortal Market was no longer his concern.

With Lightening Body Technique activated, He Song’s figure swiftly left the market, heading toward the endless mountains in the distance.