Free Web NovelChapter 454: Chapter 250: The Last Market Opening
Unsurprisingly, upon returning to the village, when the clansmen discovered the boxes were filled with all sorts of good things, they became even more confident in the future of Cheng Family Village.
Cheng Zongyang didn’t get too involved. Many of the items in the boxes came with instructions, and both his second uncle and the Martial Arts Hall knew how to manage their distribution.
He, meanwhile, took the Array Box and the Soul Gathering Stele, saying he was going off to study them.
That night, to the astonishment of the crowd, Cheng Zongyang’s "research was a success." He then activated the Yin Realm, completely enveloping Cheng Family Village. He left the area within the village’s borders clear, having the gray fog cover only the periphery of the settlement.
The two-kilometer-diameter area was more than enough to encompass all of Cheng Family Village.
Cheng Zongyang also informed a few of the elders about the Stone Stele’s function and the necessary precautions. He then had his maternal uncle write a notice and post it on the bulletin board outside the Storehouse for all to see. The notice repeatedly stressed that entering the gray fog was forbidden. A fence would also be erected to separate the fog from the settlement’s edge, ensuring that no people or livestock would wander in by mistake.
The captains who had previously been caught in the fog also spoke of its dangers with lingering fear.
Finally, Cheng Zongyang left only one safe, maze-like path leading into the Inner Mountain. The path would have markings that only the villagers knew, and as long as they followed them, they would be fine.
Once the villagers were familiar with the purpose and dangers of the Soul Gathering Stele, Cheng Zongyang left it in the Cheng Family Ancestral Hall to maintain the Soul Gathering Stele Shadow Realm. He then took the Array Box with him, left the village, and returned to Jade Peak County.
Now, Cheng Family Village was finally and truly secure.
Upon returning to Jade Peak County and expanding his new territory in the Wilderness World, Cheng Zongyang once again fell into a routine of Cultivation, training to adapt to his Talent and practicing the Acupoint-Sealing Hand.
As the Cheng Family and the Celestial Break Gang continued to recruit more talented individuals, their corresponding departments were rapidly fleshed out. Likewise, the growth of people like Zhou Zhendong and Cheng Yuanli was plain to see.
Gradually, with the County Town remaining peaceful and uneventful, Cheng Zongyang became a hands-off boss. For the most part, he didn’t need to worry about the development of his two factions.
Just like that, a month passed in the blink of an eye.
「One day in mid-September.」
At the Cheng Residence, under a pavilion in the rear courtyard, Cheng Zongyang was lounging in a chair and reading a new book translated by Ding Xing when he heard Zhang Zeyu’s voice.
"Young Master, someone from Tiantuan Village just reported that the rice paddies can be harvested tomorrow. They asked if you would like to go and witness the great harvest."
Without looking up, Cheng Zongyang replied, "I won’t go. Just proceed as usual."
"Yes, Young Master." Zhang Zeyu acknowledged with a cupped-fist salute and was about to leave when Cheng Zongyang called out to him. "Steward, how is the cultivation of the Red Blood Mushrooms coming along?"
Hearing the inquiry about his family’s affairs, Zhang Zeyu quickly replied, "Thanks to your grace and guidance, Young Master, the Red Blood Mushroom cultivation is going very well. I heard from my family that demand from the apothecaries is very high, so we have already applied to Tiantuan Village for a few acres of land to try planting on a larger scale."
Cheng Zongyang nodded. "That’s good. Go ahead and expand cultivation without hesitation. The demand for Red Blood Mushrooms is very high, and Tiantuan Village is also growing them this month, so don’t worry about not being able to sell them. You may go."
"Thank you, Young Master." Zhang Zeyu gave a deep, cupped-fist bow and departed, filled with gratitude.
This month, his younger brother, Zhang Zepei, had cultivated dozens of pounds of Red Blood Mushrooms and sold them all to the apothecaries. Since one pound of dried Red Blood Mushrooms could fetch as much as one tael of silver, the Zhang Family was forced to consider expanding their operation.
His father, however, was worried that expansion would attract unwanted attention. Now that he had heard Cheng Zongyang’s words, Zeyu was relieved. ’I’ll send someone to fetch my brother tonight and tell him the news,’ he thought.
As it turned out, just a moment later, Zhang Zeyu came hurrying back and announced happily, "Young Master! Mr. Ma is back."
When Cheng Zongyang heard this, his eyes lit up, and he immediately stood and headed for the back gate.
As the back gate opened, Ma Yue’s carriage was just pulling to a stop.
"Ma Yue greets you, my lord." Ma Yue, now several shades tanner, quickly offered a cupped-fist salute upon seeing Cheng Zongyang.
"Hahaha, you’ve worked hard." Cheng Zongyang was clearly delighted. "Steward, arrange a banquet immediately. I want to hold a proper welcome for Captain Ma."
Over the past month, Ma Yue had been sending him regular reports. The Crystal Stone collection had been incredibly fast. It was safe to say a full batch was collected every single day.
This just went to show how brutal the old border battlefield must have been.
"No, there’s no need for that." Ma Yue quickly stopped Zhang Zeyu, then turned to Cheng Zongyang with a cupped-fist salute. "Thank you, my lord, but I’m homesick. I’d just like to go home."
Cheng Zongyang understood that Ma Yue didn’t want him to go to too much trouble. "Alright then," he said. "Come to my residence tonight for drinks. You can’t refuse that."
"In that case, it would be rude to refuse," Ma Yue replied with a smile.
The men then moved the boxes and the two Stone Steles to the study. After Ma Yue and Zhang Zeyu left, Cheng Zongyang closed the study door, absorbed all the Crystal Stones into his Wilderness World, and then turned his attention to the two Stone Steles.
As he expected, he saw that these two Soul Gathering Steles had also reached Tier Nine, but like the other one, each still needed a Divine Soul to meet the condition for Promotion.
It was a testament to just how many people had died on that old border battlefield!
’Looks like it’s time to prepare for the trip to the East Sea Abyss,’ Cheng Zongyang muttered. He couldn’t stand having all three of his Soul Gathering Steles stuck and unable to Promote.
He had one ready-made Teleportation Array, but its range was only 2,500 kilometers, and it was the only one he possessed.
If the Eye of the East Sea was the same as the East Sea Abyss, and if that was where the Cultivators were, then what he wanted in the future was to teleport in succession directly from Tianduan Mountain to the Cultivation Immortality Realm—not to have to run all the way to the Eye of the East Sea to use a Teleportation Array.
Besides, a round trip would take at least half a year, and he wasn’t keen on leaving for so long without proper preparation.
