Longevity Begins With The Birth Of A Daughter At An Old Age

Chapter 24: Qi Refining Fifth Layer

Hoo! Inhale!

Within the Spirit Gathering Formation, the dense spiritual energy surged and continuously converged into Xu Mu's body, merging with the circulating spiritual power.

The speed of the spiritual power's circulation in the meridians became faster and soon broke through a certain limit.

Boom!

It was as if an invisible wall had been violently shattered. The spiritual power rapidly increased, the meridians expanded rapidly, and Xu Mu's spirit suddenly shook, causing the range of his flame perception to expand.

In his perception, someone entered the hall and was chatting with Ye Yingying.

"Qi Refining Fifth Layer! Finally broke through!"

This cultivation speed, in the past, was unimaginable.

After several weeks of operation and consolidating his cultivation, Xu Mu couldn't wait to leave the room and share his joy with his wife.

But as soon as he walked out of the bedroom, he saw Lan Shijin with a hint of worry between her eyebrows.

Only then did he remember the person he had sensed earlier.

Temporarily suppressing the urge to share, Xu Mu asked, "Fellow Daoist Lan, could it be that you didn't manage to buy the boat ticket again?"

"No."

Lan Shijin raised her delicate head slightly, returned the little Ling'er in her arms to Ye Yingying, and shook her head with a bitter smile towards Xu Mu.

Since the beginning of spring until now, she had been going to the market almost every day to inquire, but each time ended in disappointment.

Either there were no available spots on the flying boat, or there were no flying boats leaving temporarily.

Even if she used her connections, it was still useless.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, don't worry. I reckon it's because there are more people from the major families relocating. Once this busy period is over, there will definitely be available spots," Xu Mu comforted.

"I hope so."

Lan Shijin sighed.

However, based on the information she had gathered during this period, things seemed to be not as simple as she had imagined.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, did you inquire about any news regarding the Qinghe Sword Sect and the Soul Refining Sect when you went to the market today?"

"No! It seems that no one has come from outside recently, and the people from several Foundation Building families are also keeping a low profile. They don't mention anything about the battle between the Qinghe Sword Sect and the Soul Refining Sect."

This was also her concern. She originally thought that the war would come to an end, but now it seemed that it wasn't that simple.

While the two were talking, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from outside the house.

Xu Mu went out to check, and Lan Shijin and Ye Yingying, who was holding the child, followed to see what was happening.

In the alley, Jia An led a few patrol team members, carrying copper gongs and drums, walking and striking them.

Upon hearing the commotion, almost every household opened their doors and came out to see what was going on.

"Fellow Daoists, neighbors! Today, there is an important announcement to make to everyone!"

Jia An saw someone coming out and respectfully greeted them with folded hands and a loud voice.

"Starting today, the market will no longer provide salaries for the patrol team. If you still want the protection of the patrol team, you will need to contribute spirit stones!"

"It's not much, just one low-grade spirit stone per household. If there are family members who have joined the patrol team, they will be exempted!"

"Of course, this is all voluntary. If you feel capable of protecting yourselves, it's okay not to contribute!"

"After I finish notifying everyone, we will start collecting the spirit stones from house to house. I hope everyone is prepared!"

After saying that, Jia An smiled and left the alley with his people, continuing to inform the next alley.

With Jia An's departure, the whole alley exploded.

"Are they kidding? We have to support the patrol team ourselves? Are we paying our monthly rent just to deal with the weirdness of the night?"

"They said it's voluntary! We don't have to contribute!"

"That's right! We only have a few spirit stones per month! After paying the rent, we can't even afford to eat. How can we support them?"

"Do you still not know what kind of person Jia Pangzi is? And that old Ma, with their cowardice, it's already good if they can protect themselves! I spit on them!"

"Hahaha!"

They were all from the same alley, so they didn't know everything, but they had some understanding of Jia An and Ma Rui.

If a fight broke out, half of the people present could easily beat them to their knees.

If they didn't have the disguise of the patrol team, no one would even look at them.

Hearing someone's evaluation, they all burst into laughter.

Especially a few sharp-tongued women, each one mocking more than the other.

"In my opinion, since the market is no longer providing salaries, why not just disband this group of idiots in the patrol team? Instead of them parading in front of us, making us wait for them to leave before we can wash our feet!"

"That's right! That's right! I have to avoid them even when I pee..."

The more they talked, the farther they drifted from the topic.

Their words were filled with contempt for the patrol team, and judging from their attitude, not a single person intended to contribute spirit stones.

But, it's not really their fault!

Maybe it was because they had all established a relationship with Jia An, but compared to the patrol team in the market, the newly established patrol team was indeed a bunch of idiots.

Unlike the indifference of others, Xu Mu, who had returned to his house, couldn't help but frown.

Perhaps it was due to paranoia, or perhaps he was being overly cautious, but Xu Mu always felt that things weren't that simple.

Jia An was definitely not a fool.

He should be very clear about his own image.

But just now, when Xu Mu looked at Jia An's reaction, it seemed like he didn't care too much and had a confident feeling.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, please take care of Yingying for me. I'm going to the market!"

"Fellow Daoist Xu, rest assured!"

Lan Shijin could roughly guess what Xu Mu wanted to do and readily nodded in agreement.

Carrying the pills he had refined in the past month, Xu Mu left the alley and walked quickly towards the market. On the way, he encountered Jia An, who was promoting something, but the other party didn't see him.

After arriving at the market, Xu Mu went directly to the Song family's medicine shop and found Su Qing.

"Fellow Daoist Su, do you know anything about the patrol team?" Xu Mu explained what he had heard to Su Qing.

"I've heard about it! Recently, the Sword Sect is preparing to counterattack the Soul Refining Sect. Many major families in our market have sent a large number of people to support them. For a while, there isn't enough manpower to manage the patrol team, so they have shared the power and let them maintain it themselves!" Su Qing said.

"Maintain it themselves?"

It meant that the patrol team in the slums had become an independent organization, or rather, a force. Xu Mu hadn't expected such a situation to arise.

"What about the spirit stones? Do you think we should return them or not?" Xu Mu asked.

"Fellow Daoist Xu shouldn't care about those few spirit stones!" Su Qing smiled and said, "In my opinion, it's better to spend money to avoid trouble! Although the major families no longer manage the patrol team, there are still many trusted individuals from those families inside. It is said that there is even a big shot among them. It's not necessary to offend them for a few spirit stones! Moreover, when the war is over, they will definitely incorporate it. If we offend them now, we will definitely have a lot of trouble in the future!"

"Do you think we can win this time?" Xu Mu lowered his voice.

As for the spirit stones, he actually didn't care much. Like Su Qing said, he didn't care about those few spirit stones. He was more interested in the battle between the Qinghe Sword Sect and the Soul Refining Sect.

He had never expected that the Qinghe Sword Sect, which had been forced to retreat and lost a lot of territory before the New Year, would actually have the ability to counterattack.

The contrast between before and after was truly unexpected.

"It should be fine! I heard that the Tianhe Sect has sent experts over!" Su Qing's face lit up with a brilliant smile. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye, along with the raised corner of her eyebrow, revealed a unique charm.

If the Qinghe Sword Sect won, it would be equivalent to the Song family winning, and her job and life would be secure.

"I see!" Xu Mu also smiled.

With the participation of the main sect, the situation would not improve, but at least it wouldn't worsen. This way, he could continue to steadily improve his own strength.

After exchanging the pills for spirit stones and medicinal materials, when Xu Mu was about to leave, Su Qing suddenly handed him a communication talisman.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, you can contact me directly next time you sell pills, no need to come to the shop!" Su Qing said.

"Fellow Daoist Su, is this..." Is she trying to poach him?

"I will buy them at market price!" Su Qing said softly.

"No problem!"

There was no reason not to earn spirit stones. Even if something went wrong, it had nothing to do with him. He was just an alchemist, and he could sell his pills to whoever he wanted.

The reason he came to the Song family's medicine shop was simply because they had a large shop, could afford to buy, and had a good reputation, so he didn't have to worry about being cheated.

So he didn't inquire about why Su Qing was willing to buy his pills at a high price.

After leaving the medicine shop, Xu Mu went to see Tu Zhanggui again, sold a small amount of Qi Gathering Pills, and once again inquired about the patrol team and the two major sects.

Unfortunately, although Tu Zhanggui was a shopkeeper, he didn't know as much information as Su Qing, the maid. He only had some half-truths and rumors.

After chatting with Tu Zhanggui for a while, he went to the market to replenish his daily necessities before heading home.

As for the spell jade slips, the money he currently had was enough to buy a few more, but it wasn't necessary. Just the third-level Fire Control Technique was enough for him to practice for a long time.

Even if he wanted to buy, he had to wait until after the Integrated Union of the two Fire Control Techniques.

Even if he bought them now, he wouldn't have time to practice.

As for the magic robe, he had thought about it, but in the end, he decided against it. It was better to keep a low profile for now.

It would be better to wait until he had more spirit stones and directly buy a good one.

When he returned to his residence, he happened to meet Jia An and his men who had come to collect the spirit stones.

"Fellow Daoist Xu!" Jia An greeted him with a smile.

However, compared to before, his smile was a bit less sincere and a bit more cunning.

"Fellow Daoist Jia!" Xu Mu also politely greeted him and then asked, "Fellow Daoist Jia, have you collected all the spirit stones? I wonder how many people are willing to pay?"

"Not a single person is willing to pay!" Jia An smiled bitterly. Then he looked at Xu Mu and asked, "I don't know if Fellow Daoist Xu is willing to pay?"

"I am willing!" Xu Mu took out a low-grade spirit stone and handed it over.

"Huh?"

Not only was Jia An surprised, but even Ma Rui and the others who had come with him couldn't believe it.

Clearly, they didn't expect Xu Mu to be so obedient.

But after the surprise, Jia An didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, you are different from others! Others pay one, but you have to pay two!"