darknovel Chapter 20 First Steps into the Market
Chapter 20 First Steps into the Market
"Congratulations, young master of the Su family! Your Su family will soon have another big, healthy baby boy."
"It's strange, I was the one who saw the young mistress when she was pregnant with her first child. Her health wasn't as good as it is now. How come she got pregnant again so quickly after giving birth and her health is even better? It's really strange. I've never seen anything like it in all my years of practicing medicine."
"The pulse is fine; just continue with normal prenatal care."
"..."
After seeing the doctor off, Zhang Hui felt much more at ease, and the smile on her face never left her face.
"Husband, besides the baby in my belly, I have another surprise for you." Zhang Hui suddenly said, skipping and hopping to the corner of the wall in front.
Then... a horse was brought out.
Then she looked up at Su Qingyan and saw her husband's surprised smile. She was delighted and continued to say with a smile, "Our home is quite far from Jin Su Shan Market, and oxcarts are too slow, so I put some thought into getting a horse."
"Look, my husband, do you like it?"
Although it was just a packhorse used for transportation, it was much faster than an oxcart. Su Qingyan stroked the horse's mane, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and said happily, "My wife, this gift you gave me has truly delighted me."
"Without you, everything in this family would come to a standstill."
"I was still thinking about this trip yesterday, and today you've taken care of it for me. I feel so relieved..."
"You should be grateful to have such a wonderful wife like me." Zhang Hui raised her eyebrows smugly, then gave Su Qingyan a haughty look before turning around and going inside to help Su Qingyan pack his things.
According to the couple's plan, Su Qingyan was to make a trip to Jin Su Shan Market in the next two days.
Little Grey went along to take on the task of reconnaissance.
Zhang Hui stayed behind to look after the house, as she was worried about leaving her eldest son, Su Yuanxian, alone at home.
In the past six months, Zhang Qingyan's family has collected a total of six and a half Crimson Blood Yang Ginseng plants, which is a considerable fortune for any cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining.
Zhang Hui carefully packed the six and a half plants into a wooden box and stuffed it into her bundle.
The two tusks of the Mud-Armored Wild Boar King were too large to fit inside the packhorse, so they were simply covered with straw and hung on both sides of the packhorse.
After packing his things, Su Qingyan glanced at the sky. It was still early, and if he had a packhorse, he could reach Jin Su Shan Market in the afternoon.
"Wife, can you manage alone at home?"
"Should we leave Little Grey here? It would be safer," Su Qingyan asked with concern, leading the packhorse.
Zhang Hui shook her head and replied, "I have mastered both wooden arrow techniques and rattan armor techniques, so I can protect myself even if I encounter bandits and robbers."
"But you, my husband, must be careful when you're out and about."
"There might be robbers on the way to Jin Su Shan Market, so Little Grey's reconnaissance cannot be taken lightly."
"I know, I'm very careful when it comes to matters of life and death." Su Qingyan chuckled and gave his wife a reassuring look.
Then he called Little Grey to fly up into the sky to scout ahead.
He then leaped up and jumped onto the horse's back.
At first, the packhorse was a little irritated and resisted when a stranger rode it, but as soon as Su Qingyan released the aura of a cultivator, the packhorse immediately became obedient and kept making soft "grieved" whimpers.
Su Qingyan had not specifically learned to ride a horse, but with the packhorse being very cooperative, traveling on its back was not a big problem.
This time, my luck was worse than last time. I encountered two or three groups of bandits and robbers along the way.
The bandits blocking the road were all ordinary people. Su Qingyan and Little Grey, one human and one beast, worked together seamlessly and quickly dealt with all the villains.
There were quite a few of the cultivators trying to rob him, and Su Qingyan was worried that he wouldn't be able to handle them and would be overwhelmed. After Little Grey spotted them, it went around them through the wilderness and forest.
Upon arriving at Jin Su Shan Market, Su Qingyan glanced at the sky; it was around 4 o'clock.
"I wonder if this market will be open tonight. I need to hurry up and get things done," Su Qingyan thought to himself. Instead of looking for Zhou Mobai at the entrance, he rode his packhorse straight to the gate.
He wasn't in a hurry; he silently followed behind the other cultivators, quietly observing their behavior.
As you can see, the cultivators in front of you are channeling their spiritual energy into the barrier at the entrance of the market, and the barrier automatically opens a crack to let them pass, much like the scene when Su Qingyan was queuing up to swipe his "access card" when he crossed over into the residential area.
When it was Su Qingyan's turn, he calmly channeled his spiritual energy into the barrier and walked into the market with ease, showing no signs of unfamiliarity as if it were his first time in Jin Su Shan Market.
Some ill-intentioned glances at the entrance were thus ignored.
However, at that moment, the guard at the door suddenly called out to him, reminding him, "Fellow Daoist, you should try to put your spirit beasts into your spirit beast pouch."
"If you don't have a spirit beast pouch, you must strictly control its behavior. If your spirit beast disrupts the order in the market, whether intentionally or unintentionally, you, as its owner, will be held responsible."
When the guard stopped him, Su Qingyan's heart tightened. After the guard finished reminding him, his tense emotions relaxed. At this moment, he sensed several ill-intentioned eyes looking at him. A sense of vigilance immediately rose in his mind. He immediately put on a sly smile and said to the guard in a flattering tone, "Don't worry, I'll keep it in check."
"I've been to the market so many times and I've never seen it have any problems. It's very well-behaved."
Having said that, he didn't linger with the guards and quickly walked into the market.
The more they communicate, the more flaws they reveal. If they are spotted by the spies of the Jiexiu, it would be a huge loss.
"It seems that letting me stay overnight last weekend not only helped me avoid the robbers on the road, but also used the Zhou family's influence to suppress those ill-intentioned guys around the market." Su Qingyan understood, and slightly turned his head to look at the small shed not far away with a grateful gaze.
Entering the market, you are greeted by a main street paved with bluestone slabs, lined with shops and stalls of varying heights on both sides. Here, there is none of the orderliness and elegance of a typical town; everything appears casual and crowded.
Su Qingyan strolled forward slowly, keeping his eyes and ears open, constantly gathering information from all sides to increase his understanding of the cultivation world.
"Judging from the aura emanating from the people around me, they are all Qi Refining stage cultivators, with one or two mortals occasionally. I can't see any cultivators with higher cultivation levels at all," Su Qingyan thought to himself.
He soon learned some good news: the market would not close at night, and it was fine to do business all night, although there would be far fewer people at night.
In this way, there is no time pressure, and we can take our time to study it.
……