Dapeng's Time Travel Life

Chapter 220 Cooperation Opportunity, Crisis, and Undercurrents

The bustling market for cultivators remained as vibrant as ever, with crowds thronging the stalls of the Qingyun Sect caravan, and the trading of spirit stones growing ever more brisk. Zhao Yu, while busy negotiating with customers, kept an eye on the market's activity, still deeply grateful for Su Yao's generous assistance. Su Yao, after helping the caravan out of their predicament, didn't rush to leave, occasionally lending a hand and gradually becoming acquainted with Zhao Yu and the others.

"Captain Zhao, I see that your Qingyun Sect is developing very rapidly. You will surely shine in the cultivation world in the future," Su Yao said with a smile, her eyes full of sincerity.

Zhao Yu quickly responded modestly, "Miss Su, you flatter me. This is all thanks to the wise leadership of the patriarch and the joint efforts of the disciples. By the way, Miss Su just mentioned that she wanted to purchase spiritual materials. I wonder if she has found any suitable ones? If needed, our Qingyun Sect may be able to help."

Su Yao frowned slightly and sighed softly: "To be honest, the spiritual materials I'm looking for are quite rare. Although they are available in this market, they are expensive and of varying quality."

Zhao Yu's heart stirred. He thought that the Qingyun Sect had accumulated a lot of resources during its development, which might be able to help Su Yao solve her problem. "Miss Su, why don't you tell me what spiritual materials you need? I'll go back and ask the patriarch to see if we can find them from our sect's inventory or other channels."

A hint of surprise flashed in Su Yao's eyes: "That's wonderful! What I need are the Thousand-Year Ice Spirit Grass, the Purple-Veined Green Wood, and the Star Stone. These spiritual materials are crucial to an important cultivation method in our Qingfeng Valley."

Zhao Yu silently noted it down, secretly planning how to report back to Zhang Peng. As the two were talking, the atmosphere in the market suddenly became strange. The originally noisy crowd gradually quieted down and all looked in one direction.

Zhao Yu and Su Yao exchanged a glance, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts. A group of mysterious figures dressed in black robes slowly approached, their steps synchronized, emanating a chilling aura. Wherever they went, people hurriedly made way.

"Who are these people? They seem to have ill intentions," Su Yao said in a low voice, her hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of her sword.

Zhao Yu's expression was solemn as he stared intently at the group of mysterious people: "I don't know either, but judging from their demeanor, they're probably not good people."

The mysterious figure walked straight toward the Qingyun Sect's stall, led by a tall, stern-faced man. His gaze swept over the spirit stones on the stall, and a disdainful sneer appeared on his lips: "You're the Qingyun Sect's caravan? You've got some nerve, being so high-profile in this market."

Suppressing his anger, Zhao Yu politely replied, "Our Qingyun Sect conducts business with integrity and honesty. May I ask what advice you may have for us?"

The man snorted coldly: "I wouldn't call it giving pointers, but this market is about to undergo a major change, so you'd better be sensible and not block some people's way."

Zhao Yu was startled. He realized that there was more to the other party's words than met the eye. What exactly was this so-called "major change"? Was some force secretly plotting something?

"You might as well make your point clear. Our Qingyun Sect is upright and honest, and we are not afraid of any threats," Zhao Yu said, straightening his back without fear.

The man gave him a cold look: "Hmph, you'll find out soon enough. I advise you not to sell spirit stones in large quantities anytime soon, or you'll face the consequences." With that, he waved his hand and turned to leave with his men.

Su Yao frowned, watching the mysterious man's retreating figure: "Just who are these people? What exactly is going on with the big changes they mentioned and their ban on us selling spirit stones?"

Zhao Yu shook his head: "I don't know either, but I feel this matter is definitely not simple. It seems we need to report the situation here to the family head as soon as possible so that he can make plans accordingly."

After discussing it, the two decided that Su Yao would stay in the market to search for spiritual materials, while Zhao Yu would take part of the caravan's spoils and this important news back to the Qingyun Sect.

Upon returning to the Qingyun Sect, Zhao Yu went straight to Zhang Peng's residence and gave a detailed report on everything that had happened at the market. After listening, Zhang Peng frowned and paced back and forth in his room.

“There must be some conspiracy behind this. The sudden appearance of the mysterious people and their warnings about selling spirit stones must be connected.” Zhang Peng pondered for a moment and said, “Zhao Yu, you did a great job. Now, you can rest for a bit. I’ll discuss this matter with Wang Yongli and the other elders.”

Zhao Yu accepted the order and withdrew, while Zhang Peng immediately summoned Wang Yongli and several core elders. The group sat together, the atmosphere heavy.

"Everyone, we are now facing a new crisis. The emergence of this mysterious force may have a huge impact on our spirit stone business and the development of our family. What are your thoughts?" Zhang Peng's gaze swept over the crowd, his expression grave.

Wang Yongli spoke first: "Master, I think we can't just sit here and wait to die. On the one hand, we need to strengthen the protection of the caravan and ensure their safety in the market; on the other hand, we need to send people to investigate the origin and purpose of this mysterious force."

An elder nodded in agreement: "That's right. We need to accelerate our cooperation with other sects to strengthen our power. Just like the help from Miss Su Yao of Qingfeng Valley this time, if we can establish a closer cooperative relationship with Qingfeng Valley, it will be of great benefit to us."

Zhang Peng pondered for a moment and said, "Everyone's points are valid. Here's what we'll do: Wang Yongli, you arrange for a few clever disciples to infiltrate the market and secretly investigate clues about the mysterious force; I'll contact Qingfeng Valley to see if we can discuss the trade of spiritual materials and further cooperation with them. At the same time, inform the caravans to be extremely careful when selling spirit stones recently and not to act rashly."

Everyone accepted the order, and a plan to investigate and counter the mysterious force quietly began.