Immortal Path Space

Chapter 325: Seeking Refuge

Blackstone Valley Market was no longer capable of defending itself against the constant threats of Demonic Beasts and Treasure Hunters. The chaos had driven away all potential customers, and guarding a Marketplace with no profit while risking one's life was no longer feasible.

After seeking advice from his master, Luo Yuxuan decided to temporarily abandon Blackstone Valley Market and return when the situation was more stable. As long as Gu Qingyang was around, no one could seize control of Blackstone Valley Market.

"Fellow Daoists, I want to express my deep gratitude for your support over the years. I have decided to leave Blackstone Valley Market temporarily until the situation improves. Given the current state of the Marketplace, it is in everyone's best interest to temporarily depart for safety," Luo Yuxuan announced.

He began to bid farewell to the numerous merchants and families in the Marketplace.

"At least Luo Fellow Daoist can return to Qingxu Sect, which provides a safe haven. It's not the same for us small clans," one person said.

"That's right! I heard that Azure Void City is strict in screening for spies, and we might not even have a chance to enter the city," another added.

"It's unlikely we'll get in. If we could, I would have moved my entire family to Azure Void City long ago," someone lamented.

As they heard Luo Yuxuan's plan to leave, the remaining cultivators began discussing their options. With their current strength, despite being more powerful than loose cultivators in normal times, they would be burdensome when accompanied by families.

After a brief discussion, one cultivator proposed, "How about we seek refuge with Wang Fellow Daoist's East Zhou Trading Company?"

"True, we're penniless now, and with businesses suffering, our skills are of little use," they agreed.

Their various skills, such as shop management and cultivation techniques, were currently of little use as trade routes were blocked due to the ongoing crisis. Staying in Heishi Valley had become unsustainable. They were willing to join another faction, receive protection, and weather the difficult times.

"We're just discussing here; why don't we go and inquire about Wang Fellow Daoist's intentions?" one suggested.

"Yes, let's go together!" others agreed.

They approached Wang Hong and expressed their desire to join his faction. After considering for a moment, Wang Hong found the idea feasible. With his current strength, providing shelter for this group of people was not a problem. Additionally, many of them possessed skills in Alchemy, refining tools, Talisman Making, and more, which could be useful to him.

"I'm open to having you join, but I have strict requirements for my core members and won't recruit outsiders easily. If you join, you'll become peripheral members. As peripheral members, you'll enjoy the protection of the East Zhou Trading Company but will need to contribute to its battles. There won't be free resources provided regularly; you'll have to earn them yourselves. However, in case of battles, you can exchange for resources based on your contributions," Wang Hong explained.

"Are you all willing?" Wang Hong asked.

Wang Hong briefly explained the responsibilities and obligations of joining their group.

"We're willing! We're willing!" The group nodded eagerly. At this moment, having a place to stay was all that mattered, and as long as the conditions weren't too harsh, they were willing to agree. Survival was their top priority, and Wang Hong's conditions were already more than reasonable.

With the initial agreement in place, they moved on to the specifics. Wang Hong delegated the tasks to Luo Zhongjie, who would register each person, record their cultivation levels, and note their skills. After completing this, they packed everyone's belongings into Storage Bags and marked them with their owners. Although the consumable supplies in the Marketplace were depleted, there were still a substantial number of remaining goods, enough to fill several carts.

In total, over five hundred cultivators joined Wang Hong's faction, with three Foundation Building cultivators and the rest in the Qi Cultivation stage. Among them was one Tier Two refining tool master, but his skills were still at the early stages. The rest were Tier One practitioners of various skills, and Wang Hong hadn't had the time to evaluate their specific levels.

Because Qi Cultivation cultivators couldn't control flying devices, they had to rely on the Wind Control Technique for travel, which was significantly slower. It took them two months to reach the Mountain Valley base.

During their journey, they encountered a group of reckless Treasure Hunters who seemed to have strayed from another region. Ignorant of the reputation of the East Zhou Trading Company, they attempted to rob and kill. However, this group of over fifty Treasure Hunters was swiftly defeated.

Upon arrival at Mountain Valley, Wang Hong divided it into two parts: the inner and outer areas. The new members, including the Qi Cultivation practitioners, were considered peripheral members and could only reside and operate in the outer region. The inner area was reserved for Wang Hong's original followers. This separation wasn't due to the richer Spiritual Qi inside but rather the necessity of keeping the groups apart. Otherwise, the newly trained recruits might develop some undesirable habits from the Cultivation World.

These new arrivals needed accommodation and a reliable person to manage them. Wang Hong sent a Transmission Talisman, and shortly, Hu Jian, the one-armed man, walked in.

"East Master, are you summoning me for another battle mission?" Hu Jian asked eagerly, his face filled with excitement. Despite losing an arm in their previous battle, he remained enthusiastic and battle-hungry.

Wang Hong was concerned that Hu Jian might push himself to the brink and decided to give him a less strenuous task.

"It's like this, you've seen that we have over five hundred new members now. They're peripheral members and need someone trustworthy to manage them."

"Ah, I see. We do need one of our own to handle this."

Hu Jian suggested, "What about Wang Xiaohu? He's sociable and gentle, so he should be suitable."

Although Hu Jian was often reckless in battles, he wasn't foolish and could discern Wang Hong's intention. He wanted to recommend someone more suitable for the task than himself.

Wang Hong shook his head slightly, smiling without a word.

"What about Zhuang Mo? He's cautious and detail-oriented, so he should do well."

Wang Hong still shook his head.

"Then how about Qian Fei..."

Hu Jian introduced six people in succession, but Wang Hong continued to shake his head. Finally, Hu Jian sighed in resignation, "Alright, I give up. East Master, why do you insist on picking someone like me, a rough person? Aren't you afraid I'll mess everything up when I'm in charge?"

Compared to managing these meticulous administrative tasks, he preferred charging into battle without thinking. In his own words, he didn't need a brain; using his brain was Wang Hong's responsibility.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]