Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength-Chapter 236 - 213: Turmoil in the Marketplace, Worrying Intensely

During this period, the Moon-Watching Sect embarked on a spree of construction, setting up an array of cave dwellings and office facilities.

Whether it was Bu Shixian or Hua Miaochai, including those below them, such as Ji Qiaoer and others, everyone was allocated different cave rooms situated atop various spirit veins. Coupled with the array plates that Meng Yu had brought back from the Immortal Sect, these cave rooms were equipped with the Spirit Gathering Array, the Spiritual Pool, the Spiritual Spring, and so on, prompting everyone to wonder what kind of life we had been living before.

Meng Yu had copied some of the cave dwelling designs from the Immortal Sect.

And the new office cave dwelling established by Meng Yu was undoubtedly the finest one.

Six Second Order Formations were ingeniously integrated with one another, complete with spirit veins and spiritual springs. At a single command, the entire Moon-Watching Sect could be mobilized, and those who worked there felt an immense sense of enjoyment.

As for the protective measures, they were extremely stringent. After Meng Yu achieved Foundation Establishment, he no longer allowed Bu Shixian and Hua Miaochai to be his personal bodyguards. However, he always had four Foundation Establishment cultivators by his side, with over a dozen Qi Refinement Practitioners stationed at the array eyes to ensure safety.

This was not wasteful; there really were people who wanted to assassinate Meng Yu. Just last month, someone tried to infiltrate and was discovered, which resulted in them self-destructing on the spot.

"Increase the supply of Spirit Rice to Xiazhai Township by thirty percent, but keep the price of the array plates the same."

"Keep the price of weapons the same."

"The Pawnshop of Wonders has had excellent earnings this month, reward them accordingly."

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After finally dealing with the last document, Meng Yu was promptly served hot tea and Spirit Fruit.

"By the way, how have Sister Bu and Sister Hua been these past few days? They seem rather listless," Meng Yu asked with a sip of his hot tea and a look of puzzlement.

Ji Qiaoer and another guard exchanged glances and then, with a lowered head, Ji Qiaoer began to narrate to Meng Yu what had happened.

A problem that even Bu Shixian could think of was naturally also considered by others. When news of Bai Qianqian’s pregnancy arrived, many wondered if Meng Yu would leave. It was common for someone with family business overseas or in the Central Plains to take their wife and leave the impoverished backwaters. The Western Wastes didn’t have much to offer, and Meng Yu evidently had a bright future—sooner or later, he would return home.

Consequently, there was widespread anxiety.

Such rumors had been reported to Meng Yu by Ji Qiaoer, and Meng Yu’s response was not to worry, that he wouldn’t do such a thing, and they shouldn’t be overly concerned about it.

But how could everyone not worry? However, at this time, it was impossible to confront Meng Yu or demand a written promise, which left the two Golden Core cultivators in a difficult position.

When people had become accustomed to happiness, the prospect of its sudden end would certainly be excruciating.

Others might be fine, resigning themselves to fate, but if Meng Yu were to tell them—to those two—that they would all go there together, would they go? Who would be brought along, and who would be left behind?

With the inside information, Ji Qiaoer looked up at Meng Yu with anticipation, desperate to hear some form of reassurance from him.

"They... are thinking too much. Am I that kind of person? Don’t worry, you are all good kids, and neither Bai Qianqian nor I could bear to leave you," Meng Yu said, stretching out his hand to pat Ji Qiaoer’s head. The Rainbow Pheasant, albeit a haughty girl, was still shorter than him, and her colorful hair felt quite pleasant to the touch.

Just as Meng Yu was about to say more, someone came in to report that a group of Loose Cultivators had robbed a marketplace at the foot of the mountain!

...

Half a day later.

Two figures appeared silently in the marketplace at the base of the mountain.

It was Meng Yu and Hua Miaochai, disguised and inconspicuous to the crowd.

Generally, Meng Yu would not leave the Moon-Watching Sect’s gates, but this time, he slipped out quietly.

He had wanted to come down to the mountain for a long time.

Having arrived in the Upper Realm, he had never left the Moon-Watching Sect, like an emperor who had never left the Forbidden City. He had never personally witnessed the various local customs of the Upper Realm but relied on others’ accounts to understand everything.

This situation was not ideal.

Previously, as a Qi Refinement Practitioner, safety was paramount. But now, having achieved the second layer of Foundation Establishment, even if he faced someone at the Foundation Building Pinnacle, he could hold his own in a fight.

The improvement in strength greatly enhanced his security. Now, even a Golden Core Expert could not swiftly eliminate him, and he was not defenseless—he had three Third Grade treasures on him, a piece of Protective Armor, a talisman for teleportation, and a Third Grade longsword.

He could actually be equipped with even more, but that would not be advisable. For example, if a Foundation Establishment cultivator had too many Third Grade Magical Instruments, Meng Yu could easily defeat him.

Second Order using Third Grade weapons would rapidly exhaust their Spiritual Energy. A clever adversary might even trigger the opponent’s Spiritual Energy, causing the greedy one to be drained instantly by their equipment.

These pieces of equipment were sufficient, and he also had Divine Thunders in his Storage Bag, with Hua Miaochai following behind him.

By the time they descended the mountain, news had already reached them that the turmoil in the marketplace had been quelled.

This disturbance was, in fact, related to Meng Yu.

The marketplace itself had a formidable defensive force.

The patrol team had many experts, but the person in charge of it was swayed by rumors. He believed that since Meng Yu was going to withdraw, the Moon-Watching Sect was doomed to collapse sooner or later.

The conscientious Meng Yu would bring Bu Shixian, Hua Miaochai, and others home to enjoy the good life while the Moon-Watching Sect vanished like smoke and clouds.

The unscrupulous Meng Yu would make a huge profit before leaving, causing the Moon-Watching Sect to fall apart, and since he couldn’t benefit from it, he figured he might as well make a fortune in one fell swoop.

So, he made an arrangement with a group of loose cultivators, acting as an insider to let them come in and rob.

His plan was clever. Once the protective formation in the marketplace of the Western Wastes failed and internal chaos ensued, a crisis would quickly spread. Many customers would start grabbing items for free, allowing him to take advantage of the confusion and make a fortune.

But... this time he miscalculated.

He betrayed his companions, shut down the formation, and even shouted loudly that the great formation had broken, but instead of scattering or joining the looting like before, the marketplace folk stayed calm. They either watched quietly or worked together to capture those loose cultivators.

Not only did qi refinement practitioners enthusiastically participate, but even about a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators took action!

As for why, because Meng Yu was fair and just, and he also distributed free Spirit Rice.

For countless cultivators, working hard for others often ended in being short-changed or outright swindled when it came time for payment, which was a common occurrence.

But with the Moon-Watching Sect, you took on a job and were promptly paid. If there was dissatisfaction—say there was lightning in the job—there was even a channel for complaints, and that channel truly worked and could result in extra pay!

Just the fairness alone illuminated hope for many, and Meng Yu also freely offered everyone high-quality Spirit Rice!

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Although it wasn’t enough to be filling, just having something to eat was great. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators shamelessly stayed to continue eating the free Spirit Rice.

The people of the Western Wastes were very poor.

"Everyone has tough times. Don’t be embarrassed; I’m glad you think highly of me—thank you," Meng Yu said kindly. I’m new here, and you not causing trouble is a face-giving, thank you.

Although people thought Meng Yu was a fool, Meng Yu didn’t care at all.

In the Western Wastes, Spirit Rice was very valuable, but in the Immortal Sect, Spirit Rice wasn’t worth much. Since Spirit Rice had a storage limit, it was better to use it to stimulate the economy.

In the Immortal Sect, even slightly larger businesses had to spend a huge sum of money on advertising, while here, with just a little bit of Spirit Rice, he became the best advertisement, attracting so many people.

Despite consuming his free Spirit Rice, they also brought in traffic. With these people bustling around the Moon-Watching Sect’s Pawnshop of Wonders, grain stores, and pharmacies all day long, Meng Yu made a killing!

In the marketplace, Meng Yu observed the vibrant market.

The market was decent, with a thriving central street full of shops, surrounded by houses large and small, where many loose cultivators and demons lived.

The order on the scene was good. Although some shops were temporarily closed, everyone else seemed unconcerned and just continued their business.

Meng Yu noticed Hua Miaochai hesitated for a moment as she passed by a shop.

Several one-foot-tall little girls were crying as they tidied up the shop. The surrounding stores were intact, but theirs was a mess.

"What happened? Where’s Xu Zhen?" Hua Miaochai asked.

"Aunt Xu is dead; we are trying to piece her back together..." One of the weeping girls, with greenery on her head twirling nonstop, replied.

These were Little Flower Spirits, naturally supple and obedient, with very nice temperaments. In the Immortal Sect, many liked employing such a fairy as a family member to help with tasks such as weeding, caring for pets, and tutoring children. They were highly sought-after and protected by the laws of the Immortal Sect, with only their high price as a downside.

But here, they had to struggle to survive.

"Didn’t Xu Zhen have a protective formation here? How could anything have happened?"

"Aunt Xu thought it was too costly to keep the protective formation on daily, so she turned it off... and when trouble started, those robbers headed straight here, and Aunt Xu was killed..."

The one-foot-tall Little Flower Spirit lamented. In the Immortal Sect, they were cherished companions, but in this world, they were often the first to suffer when troubles arose—just like wild animals that preyed on another’s younglings, easy to pick off without resistance. The robbers, of course, targeted this family first.

"Ah, what about the flowers we ordered? Are they still here?" a customer asked, arriving at the scene.

The Little Flower Spirits quickly wiped their tears and continued with business.

They were lucky to have arrived at the Moon-Watching Sect and found a stable place to settle. Elsewhere, they would be the first to die or be devoured in any mishap, or, they might be enslaved until death.

In four hundred years, only Hua Miaochai had risen from a Little Flower Spirit to a Golden Core Master, and that was because she had met Bai Qianqian’s mother, who had always protected her.

The two continued on, with Hua Miaochai half a step behind Meng Yu, following his footsteps and hidden within his shadow.

She wanted to ask Meng Yu, "Will you protect me forever?"