Chapter 1541 - 1087: Reunion Again (Part 2)

Chapter 1541: Chapter 1087: Reunion Again (Part 2)

On the other side, Wan Mingchuan brought nearly a hundred people to the Celestial Sword Sect, where disciples were already waiting.

For the Celestial Sword Sect, which has only a few hundred disciples, Snow Cloud Valley is still too large and empty. Now that there are more new disciples with a solid foundation joining, all of whom have been evaluated by the system for character, naturally everyone is delighted.

After chatting with his grandfather about his recent travels in the human world, Wan Mingchuan only bid farewell and transmitted himself to Anping Town when the sky was fully bright.

"Dried beans! Radish strips! Top-quality dried vegetables in the sun!"

"Fresh lamb, slaughtered just this morning!"

"Firewood, anyone need?"

...

Upon landing, familiar shouts echoed in his ears.

The scene before him was both familiar and strange, still the open space outside Anping Town’s gate, still the bustling calls of vendors. But now all the stalls were orderly, and those servants who mingled among them to deliberately suppress prices were nowhere to be seen.

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and from then until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth, not even the refugees will come out to sell goods or do business during the New Year. This has been an unwritten operational rule in Anping Town for many years.

And precisely because of the two-week pause, it will be extraordinarily lively on the day of the Lantern Festival.

In previous years, Wan Mingchuan would follow his grandfather to watch the excitement and sell the mountain goods they had accumulated. Due to the onset of night in the wilderness, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth became a daytime activity, but it still didn’t stop everyone from loving all kinds of lanterns.

Immersed in memories, he walked and looked around: sellers of peach wood charms, dried fruits, vegetables, lanterns, silk flowers, and many others selling incense and paper horses needed for offerings to gods, all dazzlingly diverse.

"Uncle, is the market growing larger because the Spring Festival is approaching?" Wan Mingchuan stopped in front of a stall that clearly belonged to a refugee, looking at the dried vegetables for sale, and curiously asked, "I remember there never used to be so many people, nor was it so organized."

The vendor, busy attracting business, smiled and said, "You haven’t been to Anping Town for a while, have you? Recently, Nanji Immortal Elder manifested! Drove away those who relied on serving the gods to pose as tyrants and bullies!"

It’s said the confiscated gold and silver filled several large carts, all collected under the name of the Immortal Elder, exploiting the people’s money!

Nanji Immortal Elder decreed to use the confiscated funds to expand houses, appointed new priests, and also took in quite a few refugees. He said that though Anping Town is small and can only accommodate a limited number of people, they would never ignore fervent believers.

Look at me, always one step behind, couldn’t catch up to enter the town to live, but can still set up a stall here for free. Anyone who dares to make trouble or suppress prices will be struck by thunder sent by the Immortal Elder!"

Casually buying some dried vegetables and stuffing them into his storage bag, Wan Mingchuan quickly dismissed the idea of buying out the refugees’ goods for the New Year as his master once did.

Firstly, there are too many stalls, it’s simply impossible to clear them all;

Secondly, many townspeople shuttle among them to buy New Year items, where would they buy if he monopolized the market?

His plan falling through, his mood actually improved.

It seems that Daoist Bai really cares about the mortals, such management allows the neighboring villages and refugees to live better.

"You, you are... Wan Mingchuan?"

A hesitant yet joyful voice sounded beside him, Wan Mingchuan turned to see a girl in a new cotton jacket and skirt, her face round as a goose egg, slightly made-up, her figure tall with a delicate hairstyle, she looked unfamiliar.

"Don’t you recognize me? I’m Lin Chunxi!" The girl said with bright eyes, surprised and delighted, "You’re so different from before, it’s been less than a year, you’ve grown so tall! Looking even better than before!"

As she spoke, she waved and called out to someone not far away, "Chunsheng! Chunsheng, quickly look who I’ve found!"

After Lin Chunsheng experienced a bizarre possession event, he was specially cared for by Bai Heqing, the demon cultivator Copper Thorn Beast who protected Anping Town. Although he didn’t have a spirit root to cultivate, he learned some martial arts techniques; plus, his family’s decent living provided sufficient nutrition, making him strong and robust, recognizable only from his features.

The three of them from He Pan Town had played together in childhood, and suddenly reuniting left them with too much to say, at a loss on where to start.

"In detail, our entire family owes you greatly." Lin Chunsheng pulled him into town, smiling, "I dreamed of our village life just the other day, woke up confused for a while, who could have thought we’d live so well now!

If not for you apprenticing and befriending the Mountain God, my mother wouldn’t have found help when seeking aid.

Later on, it was your master’s influence that reunited us with my father. Now he’s doing well over there, sometimes even getting Bai Immortal to bring back good things. Look at us now, our clothes far surpass the old leading families!"

Wan Mingchuan had heard from his master about Lin Chunsheng’s close encounter with strange pollution and thus meeting Bai Heqing. However, he didn’t know the specific details but now pieced together the story from the siblings’ conversation.

Initially, they established themselves in the town with gold from his master while starting small businesses.

Later, when his master settled his grandfather, he also arranged for Uncle Dayou to live in a Netherworld city. They occasionally met through dreams but struggled to contact Lin Chunsheng, which led the master to visit Anping Town, discover the strange activities, and save the entire town aided by Bai Heqing.

After being saved once, Bai Heqing, occasionally contacting the master, wanted to repay the favor but didn’t know how. Thinking of the Qiao Mei family, who his master had saved, he chose to watch over them regularly.

Thus, Bai Heqing learned from Qiao Mei and others about the tyrannical actions of the Anping Town priests and the difficult living conditions of nearby villagers and refugees. After verification, he cleaned up and reorganized from top to bottom, leading to Anping Town’s prosperity.

As the manifested "Immortal Elder," Bai Heqing’s Immortal Ancestor Temple incense prospered.

"Actually having an ’Immortal’ who can protect one side is indeed a good thing for mortals," Wan Mingchuan happily bought sugar; accepted the invitation to sit at their home, saw Qiao Mei, Third Grandpa, Third Granny and other old acquaintances, catching up; he also met the slightly anxious Bai Heqing shortly after.

Turmoil in the wilderness is intensifying, Bai Heqing finds it hard to let go of this town he has protected for many years yet has to consider the changing environment.

But if he leaves the wilderness, for someone like him with average strength, not much savings, and relying on the power of incense for worship, where could he go?

Wan Mingchuan understood Bai Heqing’s anxiety.

Although anything seems possible in the New World, for demon cultivators relying on incense, they’d have to start anew there. Without incense and believers, cultivation might stagnate, leading only to death when their lifespan ends.

"Unfortunately, the power of incense is still insufficient." As he left Anping Town, the sun had already begun to set westward.

Occasional sounds of firecrackers, the street’s New Year atmosphere grew heavier.

Looking back at the prosperous Immortal Ancestor Temple, Wan Mingchuan sighed inwardly, "The incense from mortals isn’t enough, Daoist Bai has tried to remain low-key, finding a name like Nanji Immortal Elder, but it’s still too much, it can’t be sustained. If it were just a piece of land, maybe years of incense offerings could truly leave a mark."

This is an inevitable issue, demon cultivators boast more and more to compete for believers.

Names such as Bodhi Patriarch, Taibai Jinxing, Lady Nuwa, Jade Emperor, even several "Maitreya Buddhas" were seen on travels. The insufficient incense collected can’t truly replace the status of true gods and buddhas.

Bai Heqing in this remote town, bearing the name of Nanji Immortal Elder, belongs to the low-key category.

Sword flight crossing Cat Ear Ridge to reach Shuiyun Lake, Wan Mingchuan used "facial recognition" to directly enter the courtyard and find the master, straightforwardly asking: "With the great migration above the wilderness, must the entire world be given back to human race cultivators, do we have to move everyone away?

I saw and heard things on Yingtian Star, where human race cultivators dominate, yet many friendly demon cultivators live there too. Master, can such good demon cultivators like Daoist Bai, who are known ones, be allowed to stay behind?

He’s not very talented in cultivation but kind-hearted, living entirely dependent on incense, wholeheartedly working for believers.

Once he leaves Anping Town, unable to mutually benefit with mortal believers, there might be no further progress. Waiting for lifespan to end, wouldn’t it be pitiful?"