Chapter 215: What's the Use of a Bird?
“Hm? What? Senior Sister, you’re coming with me?”
Ji Yuan was momentarily stunned, unable to react.
Feng Zhi Tao accompanying him... This was truly a path he had never considered—never once did he think of relying on others for such matters.
Whenever he traveled outside, he was used to going alone.
Like this current trip—if he were on his own, he had the Shapeshifting Talisman, as well as the Breath Concealment Art.
For escaping, he had Talisman Treasures, and even supreme-grade Spiritual Artifacts.
If he really couldn’t escape, he still had Fixed-Point Transmission Tokens for long-distance teleportation. No matter what, he could survive.
But bringing Feng Zhi Tao along would be different. Many of his methods couldn’t be used freely, and at the very least, he couldn’t act like a demonic cultivator with a clear conscience. If anything went wrong, he might even have to look after Feng Zhi Tao.
In short, from Feng Zhi Tao’s perspective, now that she had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, she believed she could protect Ji Yuan’s safety.
But in Ji Yuan’s view, she was likely to be a burden...
“That's right! Don’t underestimate me! I’m very strong.”
Feng Zhi Tao stepped forward with her head held high and chest puffed, frowning slightly, thinking Ji Yuan was looking down on her.
“Senior Sister is certainly strong, it's just… I still prefer to go alone. It’ll be a quick trip. No need to trouble you, Senior Sister,” Ji Yuan said with an apologetic smile.
“I’m just used to traveling on my own.”
“Master, look at Little Junior Brother!”
Seeing Ji Yuan still refuse at such a moment, Feng Zhi Tao could only turn to Madam Meiru for support.
Lying on the soft chair with eyes seemingly closed in rest, Madam Meiru didn’t even bother to open her eyelids. “Let him go alone. He’s grown up. Are you going to keep protecting him forever?”
“Exactly.”
Ji Yuan quickly added, “I appreciate Senior Sister’s good intentions.”
“Hmph, whatever you say!”
“If anything happens… I’ll… I’ll come save you alive!”
The words reached Feng Zhi Tao’s lips, but she ultimately changed what she was going to say.
Ji Yuan was about to embark on a long journey—better not say anything ominous.
After speaking, she stormed off from the mountainside pavilion, summoned her Sky-Slicer Boat, and left Forgotten Worry Island.
Clearly, she was upset by Ji Yuan’s refusal.
Ji Yuan sighed in his heart… When he returned, he’d see if he could bring Feng Zhi Tao a small gift to appease her.
After all, her intentions were kind.
“At worst, just use the Transmission Token to come back. I gave it to you to use, don’t go hoarding it like you’re afraid it’ll benefit someone else.”
Madam Meiru left him with this one reminder.
“Got it.”
Ji Yuan nodded. He had already understood this principle back when he killed for the first time—when he killed Old Boatman Wu in the Yunyu Marshlands.
Back then, Old Boatman Wu overestimated his strength and was too stingy to even use a single talisman, and in the end, everything benefited Ji Yuan.
“Then your disciple shall take his leave. Take care, Master.”
Ji Yuan cupped his fists in farewell. As for Spiritual Wine, he had already given some a few days ago. Even if he had more now, it wouldn’t be appropriate to offer it again. He could only wait until he returned.
He also planned to see if he could pick up some wine from Corpse Herding Mountain on the way, to later store in the [Wine Cellar] for enhancement.
“Go.”
Madam Meiru opened her eyes and gave Ji Yuan a glance, saying no more.
“Mm.”
Ji Yuan gave a slight nod, then summoned his Sky-Slicer Boat and left Forgotten Worry Island, heading north.
Within Water Dragon Sect territory, he traveled at full speed, so it took him less than half a day to reach the skies above the Falling Star River. That also marked his departure from the Water Dragon Sect.
There was no Sect-Guarding Formation here, so Ji Yuan released his Divine Sense to confirm there was no one nearby.
He steered his flying boat through a white cloud.
When he entered, he was still Ji Yuan. But when he emerged from the cloud, he had already transformed into an old man with white hair and beard.
His appearance and aura were completely different.
Having left the sect, he no longer rushed at full speed and slightly slowed down.
He took the opportunity to observe this Falling Star River.
Although he had already seen this river clearly while in Qingye City and again during his trip to Linhai City, this time was different.
This time, he had to cross the entire river.
Only now did he truly experience the vastness of the Falling Star River.
It was more like a sea than a river.
Even when Ji Yuan was high above the clouds, looking down, he still saw only a boundless expanse with no end in sight.
Even traveling nearly at full speed for half an hour, he estimated that he had only reached the river’s midpoint... and a thought rose in Ji Yuan’s heart.
Just how vast was this world?
Cangluo Continent alone was already so infinite, not to mention there were other continents beyond.
With this thought in mind—
Ji Yuan flew for a full hour before finally crossing the Falling Star River, officially stepping from Southern Water into Northern Water.
Now on this side, he became even more cautious. Not only did he suppress his aura as much as possible, but he also chose to travel strictly along well-trodden roads.
That is, his feet must remain on paths—government roads between cities.
He absolutely avoided deep mountains and dense forests.
Half a day later, Ji Yuan arrived at the largest Market Town on both banks of the Falling Star River. It was called Eastern Edge Market.
Though it was called a market, it was essentially a large city.
Water Dragon Sect, Corpse Herding Mountain, and rogue cultivators from both Southern and Northern Water all gathered here to trade.
So naturally, the place was a mix of all kinds of people. It could even be called a black market… so long as you had spirit stones, you could buy anything here.
You could even hire Golden Core cultivators to kill someone.
It was a great place—but unfortunately, not Ji Yuan’s destination.
Even if he wanted to buy corpses, he intended to head farther north and wait until he reached deeper into Corpse Herding Mountain’s territory before choosing another city to purchase from.
Buying here posed greater risks.
Perhaps because he was overly cautious, or maybe because he appeared to be an extremely elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator...
His journey north went smoothly. Even the few Foundation Establishment cultivators he encountered along the way were very friendly.
In this way, a whole month passed before Ji Yuan arrived at a city called Hong City.
This meant he had completed two-thirds of his journey.
Hong City was a major city within Corpse Herding Mountain’s territory, and Ji Yuan estimated its scale to be similar to Great Love City. It was fully governed by Corpse Herding Mountain, with no miscellaneous forces involved.
Ji Yuan planned to purchase a few “Immortal Materials” here first.
Because this was Corpse Herding Mountain territory, corpse trading was done openly—unlike in Water Dragon Sect, where such transactions had to be carried out in secrecy.
Ji Yuan first found a place to stay, then spent a few days strolling around Hong City to understand its general situation. After purchasing several Spiritual Wines, he finally selected a shop that sold Immortal Materials.
It was called Living Dead General Store.
His reason for choosing it was simple—it was an official Immortal Materials shop operated by Corpse Herding Mountain.
It was somewhat similar to Hundred Treasure Pavilion of the Water Dragon Sect, but not quite the same.
The similarity lay in both being official operations; the difference was that the Living Dead General Store specialized solely in corpse trading.
At noon the next day, Ji Yuan came to the shop during its quietest hours. The moment he stepped in, he sensed a dense aura of Yin Energy inside.
Not only that, he even felt that the shopkeepers inside had a ghastly human-ghost appearance.
Their complexions—whether due to cultivation or heavy makeup—looked unnaturally pale, almost corpse-like.
Seeing Ji Yuan enter, the Qi Refining cultivator behind the counter immediately stood up, forcing a stiff smile onto his face. “Senior, please head upstairs.”
He walked out from behind the counter and led Ji Yuan up to the second floor.
“Senior is a Foundation Establishment cultivator. You should be received by one of our Martial Uncles from Corpse Herding Mountain.”
“Please, this way.”
Once on the second floor, Ji Yuan saw it was divided into several rooms. Each room was built with black bricks, rectangular in shape, and not connected to each other.
They gave Ji Yuan the distinct feeling of… coffins.
“On duty today is Martial Uncle Huang… There’s another guest inside, please have a seat first.”
Before the man finished speaking, the door opened, and a long-faced man with graying hair stepped out. He kept his head low, and upon seeing Ji Yuan at the doorway, he was briefly stunned, then smiled and nodded sideways.
“Greetings, fellow Daoist.”
“Greetings,” Ji Yuan returned the greeting.
“Please come in.”
A voice from within the room invited him, and Ji Yuan nodded to the long-faced man. “Please, after you, fellow Daoist. I’ll go in first.”
“Not at all.”
From the outside, the room looked like a coffin, but once inside, Ji Yuan found it as bright as daylight.
The walls were inlaid with warm-colored luminous pearls, making the room feel especially warm and sweeping away all Yin Energy.
There was no traditional counter inside, only a tea table.
Behind the table sat a man in yellow robes making tea—mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and judging by age, likely in his forties or fifties.
“I am Huang Yongnian. Please, Daoist Friend, take a seat. Tea will be ready shortly.”
Huang Yongnian’s cheerful demeanor made Ji Yuan feel nothing like a customer buying corpses—instead, it felt more like visiting an old friend… this man was quite skilled indeed.
“I am Qiu Qianhai, greetings to Daoist Friend Huang.”
Ji Yuan acted hastily, cupping his hands in a respectful salute, and then sat down across from Huang Yongnian.
“Judging by your accent, Brother Qiu, you don’t seem to be a local.”
A casual remark from Huang Yongnian immediately put Ji Yuan on alert… It seemed his disguise wasn’t perfect. But accents were indeed difficult to mimic.
“Indeed. A rogue cultivator from Southern Water.”
No point denying it—just admit it.
“Southern Water is a great place. Years ago, I went south to Water Dragon Sect with my sect elders.”
Huang Yongnian finished brewing the tea, first pouring a cup for Ji Yuan, then continued, “Well, let’s just say—Southern Water women… they really are tender.”
Ji Yuan tugged awkwardly at the corner of his mouth. “That’s because Brother Huang is still young. At my age, even knowing it… it’s no bird use.”
Huang Yongnian was stunned for a moment. Then he clapped his hands and burst into laughter.
“What a ‘no bird use’—I didn’t expect Brother Qiu to be such a witty fellow.”
Ji Yuan held the teacup but didn’t drink. He waited until Huang Yongnian finished laughing before saying, “I’ve come this time to purchase Immortal Materials.”
“A small matter, leave it to me! Brother Qiu, tell me what you need, and I’ll get right on it.”
Huang Yongnian patted his chest as he spoke.
In just a short while, Ji Yuan had gone from “Fellow Daoist” to “Brother Qiu,” and now to “Old Brother Qiu.”
“Early Foundation Establishment. Fire-attribute cultivators. Eight bodies.”
Ji Yuan was buying these to help Tu Yue advance. The rest would be buried in the Grave Mound, left to undergo corpse transformation—regardless, buying them was never a loss.
“Oh?”
Huang Yongnian was delighted to hear that.
He had assumed this old man would be like the last guy—stingy and hesitant, spending ages bargaining over just one Foundation Establishment corpse.
That was why he put on this whole act, hoping to save effort and push more stock.
Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a big order!
“Old Brother Qiu, that’s quite a bit of stock you’re after.”
“If I only needed a little, I wouldn’t have come to a general store.”
Ji Yuan smiled.
“That’s true. I’m not boasting, but for the goods you want, Old Brother Qiu, only our store in the whole of Hong City can meet the demand.”
Huang Yongnian downed his tea in one gulp and asked, “Do you have any specifications for this batch—gender, age, anything like that?”
“No need. As long as they’re fire-attribute cultivators, that’s enough. It’s for a senior in my sect to cultivate.”
“Got it. Please wait here for a moment, Old Brother Qiu. I’ll head to the treasure vault and fetch the stock for you.”
Huang Yongnian stood, cupped his hands, and left.
Ji Yuan wasn’t in a hurry and waited silently.
As for keeping wealth hidden—Corpse Herding Mountain’s reputation was still trustworthy. And even in the worst-case scenario, if someone did try to rob him… Ji Yuan would teach them the real meaning of “a black eats a black.”
In less than the time it took for one incense stick to burn, Huang Yongnian returned.
Ji Yuan guessed Corpse Herding Mountain must have some special place for storing corpses. Otherwise, these things… could just be kept in a Storage Pouch.
“Old Brother Qiu, take a look at this batch.”
As he spoke, Huang Yongnian swept his right hand, and eight corpses appeared on the floor between the two.
Male and female, old and young.
They were rather unsightly though. For instance, the male corpse closest to Ji Yuan had clearly had both legs severed—now stitched back on with thread and needle.
But the good part: all eight were indeed fire-attribute cultivators.
“They’ll do… but the quality…”
Ji Yuan frowned slightly. “Doesn’t Brother Huang have anything better?”
Huang Yongnian spread his hands. “If you’re willing to wait, I can arrange to have better ones transferred here. Otherwise, this is all I have—two of these I even sourced from other shops.”
“Never mind then.”
Ji Yuan shook his head. He had only asked casually—no need to wait.
In fact, the imperfect ones were better—cheaper, and he only needed them to upgrade Tu Yue. No need to be picky.
Then came the intense and stimulating bargaining session. After much haggling, Ji Yuan finally purchased the lot for 368 middle-grade Spirit Stones.
A clean trade—goods in one hand, payment in the other.
Once the deal was sealed, both wore genuinely satisfied smiles.
Ji Yuan was happy he got his goods. Huang Yongnian was happy with the nice cut he’d earned.
“Sounds like Old Brother Qiu plans to keep heading north?”
Huang Yongnian dumped out the earlier poor-quality Spirit Tea and brewed a fine pot.
“Yes, I have a Martial Uncle up north. I’m heading over to check on him.”
Ji Yuan’s lies came easily and naturally.
“It’s a bit tricky to go north right now…”
Huang Yongnian took a sip of steaming tea, then put the cup down without a word.
“What’s going on?”
Ji Yuan leaned forward curiously.
“Heading north from Hong City, you’ll pass through the Yunlin Mountains. Brother Qiu should know of them?”
“Of course. The mountain range stretches thousands of miles east to west, filled with rare treasures. It’s said there are even third-tier demon beasts in the deepest parts.”
“Exactly. But with the world in chaos now, a band of Foundation Establishment-stage rogue cultivators has holed up in those mountains. Anyone wanting to pass must pay a toll.”
“Oh?”
Ji Yuan’s expression grew a bit strange.
“Of course, since you’re my friend, Old Brother Qiu, I’ll give you a good tip.”
“I’d be honored to hear it.”
Ji Yuan acted surprised, though inwardly, he was perfectly clear… It was just like the Yunyu Marshlands of Water Dragon Sect—the land itself was worthless, but safety was priceless.
Now the Yunlin Mountains were the same.
This was already Corpse Herding Mountain’s core territory—if someone up top wasn’t covering for it, how could some Foundation Establishment bandits dare gather there?
“It’s tough to pass through the Yunlin Mountains alone. But if you go in pairs, those bandits won’t dare touch you.”
“Remember the man you saw earlier? If you travel with him, the bandits won’t dare cause trouble.”
Listening to this, Ji Yuan understood even more clearly. He looked playfully at his fellow Daoist. “Where can I find this fellow Daoist?”
Huang Yongnian pointed toward the door.
“He hasn’t left. He’s waiting at the entrance.”
Ji Yuan followed him out and, sure enough, the long-faced man was still sitting outside.
Seeing the two come out, the long-faced man immediately stood and cupped his hands toward Huang Yongnian. “Brother Huang, have you found a travel companion for me?”
“Found him. This fellow Daoist here is also headed north.”
Huang Yongnian stepped slightly aside to make room for Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan looked around, then fixed his gaze on Huang Yongnian. He spoke bluntly, “We’ve both already paid our tolls—there shouldn’t be any problems, right?”
Huang Yongnian’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t appear embarrassed. Instead, he chuckled.
“No problems at all. If something does happen, I’ll take off my head and let you kick it around like a ball.”
The long-faced man, who hadn’t understood before, suddenly saw the light. He then gave Huang Yongnian a look filled with suppressed anger.
Ji Yuan cupped his hands toward him. “Farewell.”
“Farewell.”
Then Ji Yuan and the long-faced man left the Living Dead General Store together. After exchanging a few words via Divine Sense Transmission, they became acquainted.
The long-faced man was named Wang Xiu, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, also from Southern Water, though he hailed from within Medicine King Valley’s territory as a rogue cultivator.
“These Corpse Herding Mountain guys are too damned much. This is straight-up robbery!”
“They’re two-faced—one act by day, another by night. I wouldn’t be surprised if the bandits in the Yunlin Mountains are just Corpse Herding Mountain cultivators in disguise. Damn sect cultivators!”
“All they ever do is bully us rogue cultivators!”
Wang Xiu was furious but only dared speak through voice transmission.
“Alright, alright. We’re under their roof—we have to lower our heads. At least we were smart enough to pay the toll here at the general store. Could’ve been worse.”
Ji Yuan understood what sect cultivators were like. But he hadn’t expected Corpse Herding Mountain cultivators to resort to such a dumb tactic… It might be dumb, but it worked.
‘Master said Corpse Herding Mountain folk were honest—now it seems, maybe they’re just old, and not that truthful.’
Ji Yuan couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
“True enough.”
Wang Xiu felt a bit better after that and stopped complaining.
Both men were in a hurry, so they didn’t linger. That same day, they flew their boats across the Yunlin Mountains.
As Huang Yongnian had said, they really did encounter the bandits in the skies over the Yunlin Mountains. But those cultivators seemed to have received some kind of Messaging Talisman and didn’t trouble them—instead, they even reminded them to be cautious and said they could return for help if needed.
Excellent after-sales service.
After crossing the Yunlin Mountains, it was time to part ways. Ji Yuan asked Wang Xiu where he was headed.
The man didn’t hide it and said it outright.
“I’m going to visit the Ancient Battlefield Ruins.”